I ♥ Jamie Oliver

Many of you are probably familiar with the British Food Network star commonly referred to as "The Naked Chef." I used to love watching him dish up some easy meals, sounding so much more sophisticated than the average Joe American with his accented speech. Well, I now have a new reason to love this very much clothed chef. He's trying to tackle the obesity epidemic in the US by going to its root...our eating habits!

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about school gardens and an article on school lunches. The latter is the first in a six-part series about DC schools' "fresh" lunch program. The reporter takes a critical look at what we are feeding children in this country, under a lens of both health and sustainability. I think it encapsulates a lot of what Jamie Oliver is trying to worn on with his TV show. I highly recommend checking out the articles:

Part 1: An intro to what fresh-cooked means in a public school lunch program ... and a reminder why I brought my lunch almost every day while I attended public school!

Part 2: Schools as a microcosm of what is wrong with our eating habits. Unhealthy options are one thing, but unrecognizable ingredients encapsulate the tragedy of the American Food System.

Part 3: How to get kids to eat vegetables. While Bruske details how cafeterias are trying to offer vegetables as options, kids just don't want to eat them. I don't blame them, when the vegetable side dish consists of frozen produces cooked into a damp mush and/or drowned in an oily sauce. It's difficult when these lunch programs are government subsidized and many of the children fall under the low-income category, but farm to school programs and taking a look at some innovative college cafeterias might get us moving in the right direction.

Part 4: Sugar found in unsuspected (and all other) places. Hello diabetes.

Part 5: This installment hit home for me ... how can a school consider itself "green" when its cafeteria and associated facilities are so definitively not?

Part 6: The wrap-up - provides a little history, a little perspective, and a little hope. If you read just one of these articles, make it this one. Hopefully, with a passionate First Lady and the Child Nutrition Act coming up for reauthorization this year, we can start combating some of our food apathy in this country. The expectation of cheap food is rapidly degrading not only our environment but our whole population.

In schools we educate children about math and writing, science and literature. But, for the most part, we are not educating students on how to eat well. Jamie Oliver is brave trying to tackle a whole city, from the young to the old, but if we want a real food revolution, training the next generation to eat REAL food (think Michael Pollan) is essential! Sorry this post was so long...just something I feel very strongly about.

Hippie-chic and Yogic-decadence

I am a notoriously cheap date. I don't care much for fancy restaurants, I am a small person who eats in moderation, and I can't drink more than a half a glass of wine without feeling tipsy. But last night I splurged (well, my mother did), and dined finely at Sutra in Seattle. This all vegan, mostly local and seasonal, pre-fixe menu changes on a weekly base, providing a new and eclectic assortment of flavors for what appeared to be a very loyal customer base. On this crisp January eve, my mother and I headed over to the one Wednesday seating at 7 pm.

The meal began with a gong toll and an offering of thanks. I felt like I was in my morning yoga session ... or the studio next door operated by Sutra's owner. Our first course warmed my chilled bones and played to my sweet tooth - winter squash + apples + candied seeds = happiness.

First Course: Kaffir Lime, Butternut Squash Soup with a Honey Crisp-Olympic Asian Pear-Daikon-Pea Chute Salad with a Miso Ginger Dressing and Candied Sunflower Seeds

Small baby-bean-like white lentils with a deliciously smokey taste captured my attention in the second course. But, the black trumpet and hedgehog mushrooms I had salivated over (not literally) at the farmer's market, stole the show with their subtle balsamic sweetness.

Second Course: Roasted Yellow Beet, House Smoked White Lentil Cake served with Balsamic Infused Trumpet and Hedgehog Mushrooms finished with Tarragon Truffle Oil

Unfortunately, the meal took a downward turn after this scrumptious dish. The greens were over-salted, the garlic and cashew cream tasted reminiscent of soap, and the gnocchi just didn't do it for me. I liked the roasted carrots, though.

Third Course: Yukon Gold, Black Sesame Seed Gnocchis with Steamed Rainbow Chard, Roasted Garlic and Tri-Colored Carrots finished with a Leek-Marjoram-Cashew Cream Sauce

Dessert was also underwhelming, but better than the main course. "Where's the chocolate?" best describes this mousse pie. While the crust was fantastic and the blackberry sauce tickled my palate, the avocado cream pie lacked the decadent chocolate flavor that I often dream about. I am no stranger to chocolate avocado pie, and this one just didn't live up to my high standards. Next time, Sutra, just give me the Theo Chocolate bar!

Fourth Course: Theo’s Chocolate Avocado Ice Cream Torte with a Pistachio Date Crust finished with Wild Foraged Blackberry-Vanilla Bean Sauce

Overall, it was a tasty evening with my favorite ethical bent. Was it worth $33 + tax + tip person? Probably not. Would I go back if the menu looked particularly tasty? Probably yes. I mean, their hearts are in the right place and they have a backyard garden!

Dare to Bake - Challenge #1!

Hey all! This is my first Daring Baker's Challenge, and it was super exciting! I decided that instead of just admiring all the wonderful baked goods posted (at least) once a month on my favorite food blogs, I would finally jump on the band-wagon. In honor of the winter Olympics, and our cool northern neighbor in general, this month's challenge was Nanaimo Bars...yeah, I hadn't heard of them, either, but they are uber-decadent.

Anywho, the challenge was presented as gluten-free, but I had to take it a step further ... this is officially the allergen-sensitive Nanaimo Bar! I brought these to a little get-together of friends, one of whom cannot eat gluten or soy. Her boyfriend was a possible presence, so nuts were out of the mix, as well. And, I'm basically vegan. Sweet! Here are my recipes, after much trial and tribulation:

Mmm...gluten-free graham crackers are my new favorite!

Gluten-Free Vegan Graham-Style Crackers:

1 cup White Rice flour

3/4 cup Tapioca Flour

2/3 cup Brown Rice Flour (sorghum or millet flour also good options)

1 cup Dark Brown Sugar

1 tsp Baking Soda

3/4 tsp Kosher or Sea Salt

5 tbsp Vegetable Oil (I think I already mentioned I don't like using butter knock-offs...)

1/3 cup Clover Honey (used about half honey and half maple syrup)

5 tbsp Unsweetened Coconut Milk (I used So Delicious; soy or almond would also work)

2 tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract

Note: Dough is REALLY sticky!!! Use plenty of white rice flour to dust and parchment or a silpat is HIGHLY recommended for both rolling out and baking.

1. I am super low maintenance (and pretty free-form) about mixing ... all the wet ingredients first. Dump the dry ones on top. Mix until form a dough (yay for not worrying about over-developing the gluten!). Wrap in plastic. Refrigerate overnight.

2. Next day: roll out half the dough on parchment to about 1/8" thickness.

3. Bake about 12-15 minutes at 350f or until firm. Cut while still warm. Let cool.

Half coconut, half vanilla tofu-creme...coconut wins in my book.

Nanaimo Bars - Allergen Sensitive Version:

Bottom Layer:

1/3 cup Vegetable Oil

1/4 cup Granulated Sugar

5 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa

2-3 tbsp ground flax seeds + 2-3 tbsp warm water (mix and let stand until gummy for egg)

1 2/3 cup Gluten Free Graham Wafer Crumbs (pulse previous products in a food processor)

1 cup Coconut (shredded, sweetened or unsweetened)

1. Mix crumbs, sugar, coconut, and cocoa first. Add wet ingredients. Press into the bottom of an 8x8" pan (I lined mine with wax paper for easy depanning).

Middle Layer (soy-free):

1 cup Unsweetened Coconut Milk

1 tbsp Corn Starch

1/2 tbsp Tapioca Starch

1 tsp Coconut Extract

1/2 - 2/3 cup Granulated Sugar (feel free to sub agave nectar for some or all - to taste)

1 tbsp Agar Flakes (I used 1 tbs of vegan jello powder)

Middle Layer (tofu base):

16 oz Silken Firm Tofu

1 tbsp Tahini

2 tsp Coconut Extract (or vanilla, or other flavoring)

1 tbsp Tapioca Starch

1/4 tsp Salt

1 tsp Lemon Juice

1/2 - 2/3 cup Granulated, Powdered, or Brown Sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)

Top Layer:

8 oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (was it just me, or was the 4oz of the original recipe just not even close to enough...maybe I like chocolate too much)

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Sweetened Flake Coconut for garnish

Ack! Disaster! Not enough oil = brittle chocolate topping! Nooo...

Important lesson in chocolate melting: you need to add enough fat. There is no getting around it. If you don't, the chocolate will become impossible to spread and be brittle when you chill. Otherwise, it will pour smoothly over the top and have a creamy, semi-solid texture when frozen.

The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca.

Produce of the Week: Turnips!

I've decided to begin a new trend on my blog, that will add structure, continuity, and something deliciously seasonal to look forward to every week or other week - we'll see. Each Monday (give or take a few days), I hope to post on a different exciting fruit, veggie, or herb that is in season - at least in the PNW. Because I know it is hard to try something new if you don't know what to do with it, or were scarred as a young'un by a poorly prepared version, I will include some of my favorite delectable recipes for the star of the week.

Today, I decided to take on the often, and unfairly, despised turnip. This root vegetable that hails from the same family (and genus) as cabbage, broccoli, and bok choi, has roots (haha) in the human diet back well into Ancient Greece! These root veggies come in all colors and sizes, including golden and the well-known purple-topped. While the root itself isn't particularly outstanding in nutritional value, its leaves are edible, delicious, and have ample vitamins and minerals! That still doesn't stop me from enjoying the smooth, rich, and slightly bitter flavor of the little (and they are definitely MUCH better when small) roots.

Simple Braised Turnips (Source: Local Bounty)

1/3 cup Marsala wine or veggie stock

1/3 cup water

2-3 tbsp chopped chives

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp each salt and pepper

1 lb turnips, trimmed and chopped.

1. Combine wine, water, chives, garlic, salt, and pepper in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and then add the turnips.

2. Cover and cook on medium-low for 20 or so minutes, until turnips are meltingly soft.

3. Serve warm. Might try a honey or shoyu glaze to go over!

Turnip (or Rutabaga) Puree (Source: Veganomicon)

2 1/2 lbs turnips, chunked

1/4 cup coconut milk

2 tsp agave nectar

1/2 tsp salt

1. Simmer turnips covered in water in a medium saucepan, with lid on, for 20 minutes after water comes to a boil.

2. Drain. Food process or blend with remaining ingredients. Mmmm.

Others:

* Cube. Toss with oil and salt. Roast until tender at 400 f

* Potato-Turnip Latkes

* Add the braised, roasted, or glazed turnips to barley or brown rice

If you are hoping to plant some turnips for next year's winter bounty, be prepared to do so in late June through the summer for a fall harvest. More Info: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/html/pnw/pnw548/

A Sweet Birthday

At first I was a little concerned about this post and spoiling the surprise for my sister...but then I remembered that nobody reads my blog, so I'm safe! As you all know, my sis is in London for the year, and therefore celebrated her birthday there, as well. Despite the distance, I couldn't well shirk my duties of sending delectable treats in celebration. I decided to get fancy this year, and make some vegan truffles (and of course, my usual very buttery shortbread, that I don't eat, but that she loves).

I was a little intimidated at first, having never made truffles, let alone vegan ones. But I found two recipes to guide me in my pursuit. For the filling, I consulted "Love, Eric" and made adjustments accordingly.

Chocolate Truffles (Filling):

16 oz dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 - 2/3 cup coconut (soy, or almond) milk

2 tbsp tapioca starch

1. Bring milk and tapioca to a low boil, when it just starts to thicken.

2. Add chocolate and fully melt. It should get pretty thick, not pudding-like. If it is, add more chocolate or a tablespoon of cocoa powder.

3. Take off the heat and add any flavorings (can also do this at the milk stage, but I wanted to make several flavors)*

4. Transfer mixture to a bowl or casserole and let cool for an hour in the fridge.

* I also made a peanut butter filling with natural peanut butter and a combo of agave nectar and powdered sugar to taste.

A chocolate Kahlua truffle...I mean, she just turned 21!

Of course, I'm a chocoholic, so I had to find a suitable chocolate shell recipe to cover my filling. "My Sweet Vegan" provided an easy base that just needed some scaling up.

Chocolate Truffles (Shell):

4 oz good dark chocolate

3 tbsp coconut milk or soy creamer

1. Melt chocolate in microwave, stirring at 30 second intervals to avoid burning.

2. Add milk (at room temperature) to melted chocolate. Add more if still too stiff to dip things in. If chocolate seizes up, add some oil (probably not enough cocoa butter in the chocolate).

3. Take your chocolate filling out of the refrigerator.

4. It should be of a consistency to scoop out tablespoons and roll them into balls. If too liquidy (more like pudding), then you can make the truffles in molds or cupcake tins (see image above).

5. Roll chocolate ball in melted chocolate until fully covered. Place on wax paper and garnish with an appropriate topping. If using molds, fill bottom with an even layer of melted chocolate. Let set. Add a dollop of filling and then cover completely with more added chocolate.

6. Freeze or refrigerate the truffles. Package or eat!

Back to front: Peanut butter, coconut, and peppermint! Aren't they perty?

A Bite of India in Sammamish

I love Indian food. It's a fact. When I come home (or stay home for extended periods of time due to unemployment), it is a longstanding tradition for my mother and me to enjoy the spicy delicacies at one of the local Indian lunch buffets. Well, it has been a while since I have satisfied this particular craving. Just the other day my sister - who happens to be in Londontown for the year - was despairing over the lack of tortillas and the plethora of naan in her life! I, on the other hand, couldn't imagine a better situation.

So, on one of my usual escapades through food blogs, I was absolutely thrilled to discover The Bread Baking Babes. Once a month they put out a bread baking challenge...and this month was none other than NAAN, brought to us by Cookie Baker Lynn. Tonight I tried it out - halving the recipe and subbing 1/3 cup of whole wheat flour and 1/3 cup besan (garbanzo flour) to kick things up a bit. It came out surprisingly well - "it tastes like naan" according to my dad! I served it up with some saag tofu and curried cabbage. Thanks BBB for a fun challenge, and I look forward to baking with you all again!

Anywho, lots been happening in the kitchen lately, so stay tuned for updates!

Just In: Gardens Attack School-Age Children...

Grist.org has often taken on tough topics related to the big bad food industry, our broken agricultural system, and the environmental side-effects of it all. But this week in my weekly Grist update, I received a deluge of articles on gardens - more specifically school gardens and their place in our education system.

The most recent edition of Atlantic Magazine ran an article by a decidedly anti-feminist, middle-class-elitist homemaker/writer, entitled "Cultivating Failure." It incorrectly depicts the highly-acclaimed and successful school garden program in the Berkeley Unified School District as counterproductive in carrying out the real purpose of education - to lift the underprivileged out of their dire situations and migrant-labor backgrounds and educate them in preparation for jobs in a capitalist society. While, I agree that every student should be given the opportunity to learn, improve their writing, math, and reading skills, and have a chance at higher education, I don't think that incorporating garden-based hands-on curriculum into the school day is hindering this.

A vast and well-reviewed literature base on education extols the use of techniques that engage a student's interest, mind and body, in the subject at hand. Garden classrooms help develop curiosity, a passion for learning, and an ability to think, not just solve text-book problems. What we don't need is another crop of drone graduates that can add numbers and quote Shakespeare, but people who can critically analyse the world around. The added bonus of gardens is that they also introduce children to the joys and benefits of eating well, one that our country and especially schools are sorely lacking at this time.

Grist has some great responses to Flanagan's article - both on what is wrong with her argument and what is wrong with our school lunches (and also very reflective on what's wrong with out food culture).

Finally, after getting all riled up and in a tizzy over this woman, I watched a Colbert Report interview with her from a few years ago. I felt better. The woman is clearly a nut and should just stick to the house that she advocates as a woman's proper place.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Caitlin Flanagan
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Economy

So I've been on this planet for 23 1/2 years today ... and some things never change. Applesauce and Cheerios remain one of my favorite snacks - although I try to cut out big industry processed foods. My mom likes to remind me that I used to eat this by the bucketfuls when I was three years old. Well, I have grown up a bit since then, and now I make my own scrumptious applesauce from the ripe Washington Braeburn and Fuji apples at the U-District Farmer's Market. Far better than anything you would find in the grocery aisles.

One of my favorite tools - the immersion blender - purees stewed apples to perfection.

The finished product - now I just need my own label...

Unlike when I was three, I am a little more conscious of what I eat. After a holiday season (you know - from October thru December) of more "bad" foods than I care to admit, my body is feeling the effects of those months since returning from Europe. Having battled this metabolic lethargy for the past couple years (that seemed to coincide with my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome onset), I really have to pay more attention to eating the fresh, less-refined, lower-sugar foods (le sigh) that keep my energy up and my body healthy (+ fit and trim). As I have readjusted to my Seattle-Suburban life, I feel a new sense of urgency in designing well-balanced healthy meals ... starting with this delectable vegan corn chowder! Using a recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance as a base, I skipped all things pepper, used one parsnip in lieu of one of the potatoes, added Soy Delicious' new unsweetened coconut milk instead of soy, and would recommend leaving out or reducing the lime to maintain the strong corn flavor. It was really tasty and made enough for a few days. I'll be sure to include more of these veggie heavy concoctions in future posts.

With all that said, baking is still my guilty pleasure ... and as I am still unemployed, I spend far too much time doing it! My latest venture was a vegan palmier using Earth Balance instead of butter for the puff pastry (though I really dislike these butter subs with all their added ingredients, but oil just doesn't work in pastry). Cannelle et Vanille provided the inspiration and the base recipe. Tasty tasty...

Unfortunately, I have procrastinated long enough from working on my job search. So, as the French and palmier-eating-pastry-lovers say: A la prochaine fois!

It's a New Year!

...and I am still battling the desperation of being unemployed, by baking! The holidays actually hindered my baking slightly, due to the loss of my main recipient - the school at which my mother works. So, while I do love sweets, having a plethora of baked goods around a household of three, while my mother was off work for winter vacation turned out to be very dangerous ... and you may now see another lull as I go on a very low sugar diet for the next month!

Anywho, back to the jam filling of this little doughnut. I had some pretty exciting adventures, beginning with the dusting off of a classic 1980's American-Italian legend: the electric pasta maker. With this baby I mixed up a recipe of Nonna's Vegan Pasta Dough to make a delectable curried butternut squash ravioli. Sauteed with a little garlic and olive after boiled, these little gems starred in a filling repast.

In the bread department, I finally hunkered down and pulled together a couple of loaves of Potato Rosemary Bread from Peter Reinhart's A Bread Baker's Apprentice. I think I need a little more olive oil in the final brushing to give it that golden glow in the book, but the bread itself was moist and delicious. I used dried rosemary, because of the torrential rains preventing me from accessing my garden-fresh herb. Also, it makes two loaves, so feel free to freeze one and defrost it at a later date.

Bet you weren't expecting these little beauties on a (mostly) vegan blog. Well, I've purchased a dozen eggs from a local farm in my area for the express purpose of trying my hand at macaron and French chocolate cake. Needless to say, macarons with need a take II. I used a recipe from the Grand Central Baking Cookbook, but there are countless recipes floated around out there. Based on the less-than-shiny appearance and rather moist texture, I would say that I did not beat my egg white to the right consistency. I also need a better filling, although I tried a coconut chocolate ganache and a failed golden beet puree. Oh well. A la prochaine fois!

While I could go on about my failed vegan petits fours attempt (I probably should have found a recipe) and the savory blue potato, zucchini, carrot latkes, I will skip straight to the Magical Cookie Bars courtesy of PPK that marked my first baking adventure of 2010! With an oatie shortbread crust, these deviated slightly from Isa and Terry's vision. While they were tasty - I mean what can really go wrong with shortbread, chocolate, coconut, and walnuts? - these would have been even more delectable and probably stayed together better if I had headed the warning and used sweetened flaked coconut instead of dried unsweetenend (I just started my health kick) and used pecans instead of walnuts, a slightly more bitter nut. Although, I did get a dose of omega-3's!

All in all, it was a lovely 2009, but I am looking forward to a whole new set of baking challenges! Next on my plate, coconut pudding with new So Delicious coconut milk! I also see a birthday cake in my near future...