Brian’s Sunday Soup (v, gf)

4 Comments April 17, 2014 Lauren

The introduction to this glorious soup should start with an introduction to my uncle Brian and aunt Liz. They are runners, scientists, urban farmers, yogis, cat whisperers, and cooks. They’ve been known to move to China and Korea to teach English. They work tirelessly to restore the creek by their home* to health. They’ve collected water in rain barrels decades longer than your ironically bearded neighbor has, and they do things like compost and march for clean energy because everyone should do those things. On top of all this, they find time to fearlessly reinvent their careers and go see St. Vincent at the 9:30 Club. They’re that cool.

So now you know a bit about the brilliantly kaleidoscopic lives that inhabit the sunny kitchen full of great conversation where my uncle Brian threw together this soup the last time we visited. The soup is as healthy and vibrant as Liz and he. “Oh, it’s just got a little of everything in it,” Brian humbly explained as Dave and I poured bowls of the stuff into our gaping faces. If we could have done keg stands over the stockpot, we would have. My sweet mama had come up that weekend to visit and she loved the soup- so did my 20-month-old curly-topped nephew! It’s a crowd-pleaser.

deftly showcasing his spoon-handling skills and Mardi Gras beads

the neph’ showcasing wicked awesome curls, spoon-handling skills, and Mardi Gras beads

I emailed Brian asking how to make the soup soon after and he gave me a true cook’s recipe- ingredients, ideas, tips, no measurements. The mark of a cook at home in his kitchen. I’ve included some of these notes. Behold, Brian’s Sunday Soup.

BRIAN’S SUNDAY SOUP

Adapted from Brian Parr

Ingredients:

1 bag of mixed beans, soaked overnight
eeoo (extra virgin olive oil)
1 onion, diced
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
Spice mix (edit according to your tastes): 1/2- 1 tsp coriander, 1/2-1 tsp curry powder, 1/2 tsp-1 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/2- 1 tsp turmeric, rosemary is nice if you have a bush, cumin (but only a little as you know how it overpowers everything else)
1 sweet potato, diced
1 russet potato, diced
sweet corn (sometimes)
5-6 carrots, peeled and chopped into coins
5-6 stalks celery, chopped, greens chopped and reserved
1/3 cup brown lentils
1/3 cup medium pearl barley (leave out if you’re avoiding gluten)
2-3 quarts low sodium vegetable stock, or 2-3 quarts water and 1 1/2 tbsp low sodium vegetable base
1 can of diced tomatoes, optional
freshly ground black pepper
a little bit of the vinegary juice form a jar of hot pepper rings adds a nice little bite!
red cabbage, sliced into confetti for garnish
mustard greens, sliced into confetti for garnish (super important and make all the difference. Plus, they are easy to grow and have a long season)
your favorite hot sauce for serving

Directions:

One day ahead, or before you leave for work: SOAK YOUR BEANS. Place them in a bowl or pot, cover with water to a depth of 2 inches above the beans, and let soak for 8 hours or overnight. I put my bowl of beans and water in the microwave to cat-proof while I was at work. Okay, now fast-forward, cooking show-style to: perfectly soaked beans! Rinse and drain them twice. Chop your veggies on your pretty wooden cutting board, which you should care for with food-grade mineral oil, did you know?

This soup is a very manly soup (if soups can be manly), as the recipe came from Brian and Dave made it at our house. Man Soup: for men, by men. In a large stockpot, have yo’ man heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Saute onion in eeoo in the pot, Get them to the browning stage on medium to low heat and then throw in the garlic at the end. Move the onion to the sides of the pot, create a space in the middle, and add spices to ‘dry cook.’ This gets really aromatic, sometimes to the point of burning eyes and coughing, achh, ohh, ahh, hack, hack…. As they cook on medium heat, be careful not to burn- they are quite potent!!

When your spice blend is fragrant and toasty, add the beans, russet potato, sweet potato, corn, carrots, lentils, tomatoes, and barley (you read that right- don’t add the celery!). Cover with enough water or stock to come a few inches above the veggies and beans and add vegetable base, if using. Stir the soup, raise the heat to medium-high and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2- 2 hours on low, until the beans are tender.

When the beans are tender, stir in the chopped celery. Give it a taste and add black pepper. Salt, if needed. Dip up a few bowls and top with the gorgeous, ribbony mix of red cabbage, celery greens, and mustard greens, the last of which give the soup a leafy, horseradish-like bite. You’ll be glad you did! Pass some hot sauce around. And go thank you uncle and aunt for being your uncle and aunt. It’s probably long overdue.

lovely greens and purples

Thank you, Brian and Liz, for the hospitality and the memorable meal.

Fat, Carbs, the American Diet… and a GIVEAWAY!!

24 Comments April 2, 2014 Lauren

A few weeks ago, I posted about the nutritional philosophies of my beloved Michael Pollan, journalist and food activist extraordinaire. Pollan believes that the American diet has been seriously skewed over the last 50 years, coinciding with the boom of the food, fast food, junk food, and nutrition industries- a theory I agree with. He’s also the author of my favorite food quote: “Eat food. Not too much, Mostly plants.” Perfect summary! As an interesting part of his belief in a diet comprised of simple, minimally processed, whole foods, Pollan, along with many others in the food community, suggests that the fat-free craze of the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s and the subsequent elimination of fat from our diets contributed to the current American obesity epidemic.

Wait, what? Fat-free diets made us fat?

mind: BLOWN

You betcha. In the 1970’s, as heart disease rates crept upward, Americans were so desperate for a quick fix that we bought into new and shaky nutrition guidelines telling us that all dietary fat was bad. We stripped it from our diets, following the guidelines and replacing fat with sugar and carbs. And not just any carbs- highly refined, nutritionally void, calorie-dense carbs. But what if we’d replaced the fat with complex carbs!, you may argue, whole grains and fiber and brown rice and glycogen stores and all that!, you may say. Exactly. As NPR’s Allison Aubrey pointed out in her piece about the fat-free craze, “…the kinds of carbs the authors of the [nutrition] guidelines had in mind were whole grains, fruits and vegetables. But this message was lost in translation. What did Americans hear? Fat is bad; carbs are good.” Enter the food industry, cleverly sweeping in to replace fat with tasty, “guilt-free,” high sugar, highly processed, and, most importantly, highly profitable alternatives.

Think sugary, fat-free cookies and muffins.

Think WOW! chips made with Olestra and their hilariously horrifying warning labels.

Think fat-free salad dressing: remove all fat, replace with sugar and corn syrup. Check out the ingredient list of Kraft’s Fat Free Italian:

Ingredients: WATER, VINEGAR, SUGAR, CORN SYRUP, SALT, PARMESAN CHEESE* (PART-SKIM MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES), CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF GARLIC, ONION JUICE, WHEY, PHOSPHORIC ACID, XANTHAN GUM, YEAST EXTRACT, SPICE, RED BELL PEPPERS*, LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE, GARLIC*, BUTTERMILK*, CARAMEL COLOR, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, ENZYMES, OLEORESIN PAPRIKA, POTASSIUM SORBATE AND CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA (TO PROTECT FRESHNESS). *DRIED. CONTAINS: MILK.

How are sugar, corn syrup, and preservatives better for the body than good old olive oil and vinegar? Simply put, they’re not. The sky-high obesity and diabetes rates that followed the food industry-benefitting industrialized diet have shown us just that. Super-sized portions, added sugars at every turn, and carby convenience foods to pander to our too-busy lifestyles blew us up and pulled us away from cooking the way our grandmothers did, which we realize now wasn’t such a bad way to cook.

FAT CHANCE:

One particularly vocal advocate of the benefits of fat and the detriments of sugar is triathlete Sami Inkinen. Inkinen, founder of Trulia, is a freak of nature athlete and computer-brain from some far-off Nordic land where the clean air, snow-capped mountains, and crystal clear streams produce people like him all the time. He’s so convinced that fat consumption is essential to building a healthy human body (and that sugar is toxic) that this June, he and his wife are rowing- unsupported -the 2400 miles from San Francisco to Hawaii, consuming mostly protein and fat to prove their point. This is a triathlete, mind you- a person you might think would preach a high-carb diet for energy, but no. He maintains a no added sugar diet and a moderate carbohydrate intake. Inkinen’s way of approaching carbs and fighting sugar may seem extreme, but it’s definitely interesting; his stellar triathlon performance certainly doesn’t betray his nutrition principles. You can follow and donate to the Fat Chance Row’s noble fight against sugar at FatChanceRow.org.

So, what now, masters Pollan and Inkinen? Here we are in 2014- overweight, over-medicated, cutting sugar and reintroducing simple, whole foods to our diets. And learning (with trepidation) how to reintroduce healthy fats to our diets. Nuts, coconut and coconut oil, olive oil, olives, fish if you eat it, organic dairy if you eat it, avocado, flax, chia, seeds, and so many more sources await a healthier you. Run from sugar. Embrace healthy fats for a healthy weight and a happy, healthy body.

Now let’s have some fun with a giveaway!

Cute logo, huh? I think so, too. My Coconut Kitchen is a Lake St. Louis-based company that specializes in luscious coconut butters chock full of the healthy fat and amino acids your body needs for healthy cell building and repair. Owner, athlete, and coconut whisperer Angie Carl expertly whips toasted, unsweetened coconut and natural flavors into versatile spreads. Her wide flavor selection ranges from classic toasty coconut to cherry-almond. And it gets better- check out the coconut butter’s impressive nutritional information.

I ordered my first 3-pack last week and brought it to my in-laws’ house. Sharing in itself was a deserted island-style gamble, as we all love to eat… I made it home with one jar. The five of us slathered the delicious spreads onto fruit and crackers and mixed it into coffee, tea, groats, and yogurt. To be honest, I ate more than a bit straight off the spoon. More honesty: I regret nothing. My Coconut Kitchen has a whole slew of ideas for how else to use the butters:

In smoothies, protein shakes and oatmeal
Spread on banana, apple or zucchini bread
On top of yogurt, cottage cheese, cereal or granola
Warmed up and used as a dip for fruit, cookies, or drizzled over bacon
Spread on pancakes, French toast, crepes or a peanut butter sandwich
Drizzled over ice cream or frozen yogurt
Mixed with red hot sauce and served with chicken, shrimp of veggies
In one of their tasty recipes < check out this amazing, chef-created list!
Straight off of the spoon! < Lauren tested and approved

I want to try them all! I’m especially excited to add some to our favorite sweet potato and red lentil soup the next time I make it. Coconut butter enthusiasts out of the area can order the entire range of My Coconut Kitchen products online, and St. Louis area locals can find Angie’s coconut butters at Local Harvest, Freddie’s Market, O’Fallon Nutrition, Emerge Fitness Training, and at a variety of farmer’s markets and local events each month.

For today’s post, Angie has graciously provided allez! gourmet with a 3-pack sampler of 8-oz jars for our first giveaway! Thanks, Angie! To enter to win the sampler, which includes roasty toasty coconut, cherry on top, and Cooper loves chocolate, follow allez! gourmet and leave a comment in the section below. Tell me how YOU incorporate healthy fats into YOUR diet! One winner will be selected at random Wednesday (4/9) at 11:30 am CST and announced on next week’s Thursday entry (4/10).

As always, thanks for reading- and good luck!

Quickie: Kimchi Tofu Soup and the Benefits of Fermented Foods (v, gf)

2 Comments March 27, 2014 Lauren

So it’s springtime. Allegedly. Can’t verify that for you right now, I’m too busy scraping ice off of my windshield. Or at least I was this morning… Sheesh! This should be the time to make chilled soups and bright, minty salads dotted with neon green peas! Instead, I find myself craving warmth, spice, and honestly, detoxification, thanks to an overzealous Friday night with friends (who are totally worth celebrating- hello, ladies). So I suppose that will be my spring theme for this delectable Korean-inspired recipe: renewal!

The spicy, fragrant, good for you star of this detoxifying soup, kimchi, is a Korean side dish made with fermented vegetables, mainly cabbage. While kimchi is near and dear to my heart, all fermented and cultured foods are powerful nutritional underdogs. I’ll quote Casey Seidenberg’s Washington Post rundown of why we should all be eating fermented foods: Seidenberg, co-founder of D.C.-based nutrition education company Nourish Schools, says,

“Organic or lactic-acid fermented foods (such as dill pickles and sauerkraut) are rich in enzyme activity that aids in the breakdown of our food, helping us absorb the important nutrients we rely on to stay healthy. | Fermented foods have been shown to support the beneficial bacteria in our digestive tract. In our antiseptic world with chlorinated water, antibiotics in our meat, our milk and our own bodies, and antibacterial everything, we could use some beneficial bacteria in our bodies. | When our digestion is functioning properly and we are absorbing and assimilating all the nutrients we need, our immune system tends to be happy, and thus better equipped to wage war against disease and illness.”

What a delicious way to get the good bugs in our systems- by EATING! If kimchi’s not your style you can nosh on sauerkraut, beer (easy, tiger, easy), stinky cheese, dill pickles, yogurt, miso, sourdough bread, and kombucha to make your tummy and immune system happy and healthy. Or if you like kimchi and have five minutes, you can make this soup. Happy winterspringtime, everyone!

KIMCHI TOFU SOUP (KIMCHI JJIGAE)

Adapted from Competitive Cyclist

Ingredients:

2 cups of your favorite kimchi, packed and chopped (I used two packages of Trader Joe’s napa cabbage kimchi)
1 package tofu, cut to medium dice
1 1/2 tbsp white vinegar
4 cups water
2 tsp low-sodium vegetable cooking base or 2 tsp bouillon
1 tbsp low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp Korean chili paste or garlic chili paste, such as Huy Fong
1 bunch scallions, sliced and divided
eggs, optional

Directions:

Chop your kimchi into bite-sized pieces. You may eat as much as you want as you chop. Watch your fingers.

Dice the tofu block. It’s really fun.

Mix the kimchi and vinegar and add to a large stockpot. Add the water, cooking base, tamari or soy sauce, sesame oil, chili paste, and half the scallions. Stir this together, then gently stir in the tofu blocks and bring the soup to a boil. If you’d like, crack a few eggs into the boiling soup and cook until the whites are opaque. If not, serve and top bowls with remaining fresh scallions, passing sesame oil around. So very tasty and so, so good for you.

Kale and White Bean Korma (v, gf)

Trader Joe’s Upgrade: Channa Masala with Chicken & Peas (gf, v option)

1 Comment March 24, 2013 Lauren

The second best thing to cooking meals from scratch is doctoring ready-to-go options, don’t you think? I think this is called “faking it” in the real world, but hey- you do what you gotta do when you’re low on time and need to eat. This week, I fell in love with a frozen meal that will become a staple in our household: Trader Joe’s Channa Masala. It’s a Punjabi Indian chickpea dish with a tomato base and coriander, cilantro, mango powder, onion, and garlic. It’s incredibly, incredibly aromatic, it’s low calorie, and vegan. And cooks in four minutes.

Trader Joe’s was giving out samples the last time I was there, and I followed the intoxicating aroma across the store like a cartoon character floating by its nose. I grabbed two out of the freezer before I had swallowed my first bite. It’s that good. And $2.99. Cheap and delicious- two of my favorite adjectives!

Lauren goes to Trader Joe’s

It’s snowing in St. Louis today, and Dave ventured out to the International grocery store before the weather got too bad. He came back with a surprise- freshly made Afghan bread. Two large circles of light, bubbly, pita-like bread, meant to be torn in chunks and used to scoop up saucy foods… Saucy foods like channa masala. Aaaand the post comes full circle. Here’s how we prepared today’s channa masala and Afghan bread for lunch:

CHANNA MASALA WITH CHICKEN & PEAS

Ingredients:

2 packages Trader Joe’s Channa Masala
1 cup frozen peas
2 chicken breasts, optional- I listed this as vegan because the chicken can be left out
Afghan bread, pitas, or naan, or brown rice for gf (Trader Joe’s sells frozen naan next to the channa masala, but if you have a local international grocery store, you’ll be able to find an interesting middle eastern, Indian, or African bread there.)

Directions:

THIS IS SO EASY. Boil two chicken breasts in salted water for about ten minutes or until cooked and chop, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Heat the channa masala trays one at a time, for three minutes each. Add the chopped chicken back into the saucepan you cooked it in (water drained, of course), add the contents of both channa masala trays.

Add the reserved cooking water and the frozen peas. Cook for about five minutes, uncovered, until the mixture is well combined and the peas are hot. Serve with Afghan bread and enjoy the fun and sensual experience of eating with your hands. We enjoyed the scooping and the messiness- it seems natural! What are some of your favorite ready-made foods to doctor up??

DIY Chocolate Brownie Protein Bars (veg, v, gf)

2 Comments March 4, 2013 Lauren

Hey, all! Disclaimer: I’m pretty much stealing the credit for this, as it was Dave’s project. Couldn’t resist, though, it’s a great recipe!! Dave’s an active guy and puts back a lot of protein, often supplementing and snacking during the day on packaged protein bars. I can’t stand eating those, and I don’t like the idea of the preservatives and binders, etc. that must go into making them.

eat chocolate, get lean

I recently started making DIY energy bars, or what I call “bird seed bars,” using a recipe from the Wassner twin’s blog (I’ll post a Quickie on those the next time I make a batch- they’re divine). Anyway, we thought trying a recipe for at-home protein bars would be cost-effective and more nutritious, and our confidence was bolstered coming off of the successful energy bar project. And speaking of being on a bar-making kick, find the paleo lemon bars we made here. Here are the fudgy, tasty protein bars we made! There are about 15 grams of protein per bar, and they can be made vegan with two simple twists.

DIY CHOCOLATE BROWNIE PROTEIN BARS

Adapted from the Fit Bottomed Eats formula

Ingredients:

1 can low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup almond butter (you can use PB)
1/4 cup pourable honey (brown rice syrup or agave for vegan bars)
1/2 cup natural applesauce
1/4 cup water
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract (or use instant coffee)
1 1/2 cups steel-cut oats (gluten-free) or regular oats
2 cups chocolate whey protein powder- use Vega or vegan protein source for vegan bars
1 cup total mixed stir-in options: we used shredded unsweetened coconut, chia seeds, chopped walnuts, and dried cranberries. you could add flax, other chopped nuts, other dried fruits, etc.- use whatever you have hanging around in your cabinets. But not more than a cup total.

Directions:

Easy-peasy throw-in-your-blender recipes… gotta love them. This is one! Preheat your oven to 350 and grease a 9×13 pan. Coconut oil on a paper towel worked well for this. In your blender or food processor, puree the black beans, almond butter, honey, applesauce, vanilla or coffee, salt, and water. Scrape down the sides, if necessary, pureeing until smooth.

the goods

Add the oats and protein powder and pulse until combined (you may need to stir again). Add your mix-ins and pulse again until combined, stirring if you need to. Spread the batter into the baking dish and bake for 16-20 minutes, until the center is set and firm. Let cool completely and cut into bars (we cut into 12 bars). Keep on the counter for a couple of days, then freeze the leftovers… if there are any. Enjoy! Get your protein on! Look at those muscles…. they’re growing as you read this recipe! Daaang!

Phototastic Travel Post: Mangú (Dominican Mashed Plantains) (v, gf)

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes with Chopped Almond Syrup (Best. Weekend. EVER., pt. deux) (v)

2 Comments November 15, 2012 Lauren

The morning before I made the delicious migas, we worked up big appetites with a nice long swim at the Y, which consisted a slow and steady swim for me, with glimpses out of the corner of my goggles of Dave passing me back and forth for a solid hour, like something out of shark week. He was going so fast, I thought he was going to swim up and body slam me or thrown me in the air like an orca with a baby seal. Didn’t happen (WHEW… chalk one up for team seal).

ermahgerd

Anyway, we swam a lot and were hongray when we got back. What to make? Uh, how about every breakfast item we could name? There was a “you bought healthy bacon?” debacle recently (grounds, so the menu definitely included full-fat, old-school bacon, scrambled eggs, and biscuits along with the pumpkin pancakes (which are pretty healthy). Here’s what I came up with, and this recipe includes a basic homemade pancake mix you can keep on hand*:

WHOLE WHEAT PUMPKIN PANCAKES WITH CHOPPED ALMOND SYRUP

Ingredients:

1 recipe whole wheat oatmeal pancake mix: 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup ground oatmeal, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1/2 can Libby’s pumpkin
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup soy or skim milk
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 cup sugar-free syrup
1/2 cup chopped almonds
canola oil

Directions:

Mix everything in a bowl. Woo hoo! Easy peasy. Everything except canola oil, of course, but you didn’t do that, did you? You knew better. I knew you would! Add milk in third-cup increments, blending well each time.

first side…

Heat a nonstick skillet just under medium heat and add 1 tbsp canola oil per batch of pancakes. These do best when the batter’s a bit thin and the skillet is hot- the pumpkin is so dense it impedes the cooking process with a lower heat or thicker batter. Using a 1/3 c measuring cup as your guide, scoop three servings of batter into the hot pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes on the first side, or until bubbles form in the batter and the edges appear set. Flip and cook the other side another 2 minutes, then remove to a paper-towel lined plate.

flipped!

Pour the syrup of your choice and the chopped almonds into a microwave-safe creamer or small pitcher for serving. Microwave for 45 seconds and serve with the pancakes. These are mm-mm good, especially with real bacon.

*First, a note on the pancake mix. I keep this pre-mixed in a canister at home, about 4 batches worth. It’s really great to have on the weekends. To make pancakes from the dry mix recipe above (which was inspired by this FitSugar recipe), scoop 1-2 cups mix into a bowl, add an egg, 1 tablespoon of something sweet (honey’s a good option), and a cup of milk or more, depending on your taste. Some variations we’ve enjoyed: replace part of the mix with a scoop of vanilla protein powder, add berries, peanut butter, nuts, strawberries, or bananas. Good stuff!