FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Archives for January 2010

Check-Ch-Check, Check it Out!

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When asked by my doctor if I was getting enough calcium, I responded in a regretfully snooty tone “of course, I take a really good multi-vitamin”.  Oops!  Even my fancy, raw, high absorbency multi’s don’t contain near the recommended 1000 mg per day.

I browsed a few popular vitamin websites unsure of what I wanted to find.  Relieved that my multi isn’t alone, but disappointed in multi’s in general, none of the supplements I found met the suggested mg.  Although dairy products are an excellent source of calcium, I feel as though this route is a bit future farmers of America-esque.

Taking a calcium supplement and munching a few servings of calcium rich foods each day is your best shot for sufficient intake of this essential mineral.



Cheese Please?

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Among the many tasks that contributed to my uber productive Sunday?  Preparing Chilaquiles for destination freezer.  The recipe that I used from Eatingwell.com is a far cry from the traditionally unhealthy dish composed of Tostitos and God only knows what else.  And, at some point during my extended stay in the produce section, I decided to jazz it up with faux cheese.  What!
I started regretting my purchase as I was cooking, and even more so after I took it out of the freezer and invited a friend over for dinner last night.  It’s a slim to none chance that an all American boy will tolerate the taste of yellow nothing with a hint of weird.

While I was preheating the oven, I hesitantly sampled a shred.  Much to my surprise it was decent.  Much to my surprise it was good!  At that point, I knew that I would be satisfied with my dinner, but was still fairly nervous about how my guest would react.

It was clear that my nerves were unnecessary as he requested a second helping.  I’m three for three this week as far as meals are concerned and I think that calls for a solid “heck yeah!”.

All Hail Kale

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With 206 %DV of Vitamin A, 134 %DV of Vitamin C, and 684 %DV of Vitamin K per serving – kale’s got it going on as far as veggies are concerned. If you’re a spinach lover like me, you might consider swapping out your current leafy goodness for this powerhouse green.

Rushing to toss kale in your next super salad may be a bit of a disappointment; however, adding steamed/boiled kale to pastas and raw kale to smoothies will give you the tasty, nutritional boost you’re looking for. Beware of its less than satisfactory fridge life, even though sources claim that it’s none the worse for freezing.

The recipe pictured above, “Pasta with Greens”, can be found at vegetariantimes.com. Follow my lead and toss the milk, leave the food processor in the cabinet, and replace spaghetti with quinoa elbows for an even healthier fare.

Barley & Eggplant, Oh My!

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To aid in sticking with my “high fiber, low glycemic index, minimal animal, minimal wheat” diet, I’ve created a meal plan for the first week of twenty ten. I spent entirely too much time, especially for a Saturday night, picking out recipes, downloading a blackberry shopping list app, and then using the app for my lengthy grocery list. My shopping cart was nothing short of beautiful – I could feel envious eyes wandering from carts filled with processed cardboard to my cart filled with lush produce. And even if that image was all in my head, I loved it just the same.

Oh what a dish, my first home cooked meal of the new year: Barley Basilico and Garlic Eggplant from “The Flexitarian Diet” cookbook. It was refreshing, hearty, and uncomplicated. I must add that I thoroughly enjoy simple meals, meals where you can understand the purpose of each ingredient in your first few bites. This meal was not only pleasant to the buds, but fulfilled the fundamental plan (as you can see below).