Sweet Potato Rosemary Latkes

So while I have been here in Seattle, I have been basically cooking non-stop! Especially since I hurt my knee on those treacherous west-coast hills, I have been taking it easy a lot and I guess I don't feel that bad about it since I technically am on vacation. In the past few days we have made everything from a whole roast duck, to chicken liver pate and everything has been really great!

What I have noticed is that it makes a big difference when you try to take a step back and let food become something that is really fun. When I am at school and trying to mange my weight it can get stressful and will come down to situations where I am really just thinking about calories and individual nutrients. When I can cook all of my own meals and am making everything fresh, I don't even think as much about calories or ratios, but just focus on what I am making and techniques of the cuisine. Often times, when you just try to cook traditionally and use whole ingredients, the nutrition takes care of itself better than when you are thinking really hard about it. I will have to try to keep that in mind when next semester starts up!


Anyway, today I want to talk about Potatoes! 

For those who are trying to subscribe to a healthy lifestyle, many have thrown away potatoes as starchy, empty calories and look at it with the same distaste as white flour. However, I think that eaten in moderate portions potatoes have been given a lousy reputation unfairly, and that they can be easily put into a healthy diet. Although it is true that potatoes contain a lot of carbohydrates,  they also contain a lot of vitamins, fiber (1 medium baked potato has more fiber than a serving of brown rice), and until you process them to an unrecognizable point, they are quite healthy and satiating (especially if you have an active lifestyle). A few things you want to keep in mind though is that when you peel a potato, the nutritional value goes down, so eat the skin! If I am eating white potatoes I like to go for the red or fingerling ones not only because I think they taste better, but they are smaller and thus have a higher skin to starch ratio (in my mind at least?).

 That all being said though, there is no doubt that sweet potatoes have a higher nutritional value than white potatoes. They are lower in calories, but also have more vitamins such as vitamins c and a, minerals such as potassium and magnesium, and anti inflammatory compounds. Similarly, yams are also very beneficial to ones health, but are not the same thing as a sweet potato at all. It seems that sweet potatoes still win out over yams when it comes to minerals, vitamins, and compounds.

Today I was thinking of what to make with the leftover duck we had, and I was inspired to make sweet potato latkes.
What you will need is:

• 2 large sweet potatoes, grated
• 1/2 of a red onion, chopped
• 1 sprig of rosemary, chopped (optional, but great)
• 1/4 lemon
• 1/4 cup of flour (wheat or spelt or anything really I used white because it was all Dan had but but whatever the healthiest thing you have will work!)
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste

Pre-heat your oven to 350(if you want to bake rather than fry)

First you grate the sweet potatoes in a large bowl and squeeze the lemon and sprinkle some salt onto them. Set them aside.

Then you take the chopped onions, garlic, rosemary, flour, and egg and combine them in a bowl together.

Pat the potatoes with a paper towel to get some of the moisture out and combine the onion mixture with the sweet potatoes until they are well mixed.

The next part is up to you, you can fry the latkes in butter or oil, or you can bake them on a lightly greased pan for about 30-40 minutes. I tried to fry them but they were coming out sort of greesy, so after trying two I decided to bake them. Either way, you can just scoop out the mixture with a regular spoon and make little silver-dollar pankate sized latkes.

After they were done I decided to serve them with a little creme fraiche I had (another source of beneficial fermented dairy!). They were great, I had to cut myself off!

Benefits of Lactofermentation with Kimchi and Corn Relish

I recently received in the mail my new copy of Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig. And let me tell you, it is a pretty serious cookbook. In it they go though the benefits of a variety of traditional cooking methods. One of the chapters is all about fermented vegetables. Using Lactofermentation methods the food you are preserving creates a lot of beneficial bacteria for your gut health. Similar to yogurt, this bacteria keeps your intestinal health in balance. It combats yeast in your stomach (that can lead to cravings for sugar and flour), helps you to digest and utilize the nutrients in your food, and can even lead to better moods by helping your digestive system to create seratonin.

Preserving foods used to be part of many households before we could get fresh veggies all the time

Many traditional cultures eat fermented foods at almost every meal. However, it has not really carried over into American culture as much. Unfortunately fermentation of foods can be unpredictable and is really meant to be done at home in small quantities. This means that the traditional foods that used to be fermented like sauerkraut, relishes, pickles, and chutneys, are now mass produced without the beneficial fermentation. If you are sick of eating yogurt or taking probiotic supplements, making these foods traditionally is a great way to change it up and get some great benefits, not to mention that it produces very tasty foods.

One of the important agents that I used for the fermentation is whey that Dan brought me from work. If you don't have access to whey you could make your own (they show you how in nourishing traditions). Or you might be able to get it from a local creamery in your area. In most of the recipes, if you don't have whey you can compensate by using extra salt. However, it is better to use the real stuff because it controls bad bacteria and create lactic acid so that your vegetables will preserve well for months. If you use whey instead of relying on only salt you are more likely to have good results, and have them consistently. 

Here is the whey Dan was nice enough to get me from making cheese. Cheese making produces a lot of excess whey and it sometimes goes to waste. Whey is a great source of complete protein so if you can find ways to use it you will reap the benefits!

The first thing that I made was kimchi, which is a traditional cabbage based Korean condiment that is really really tasty. My kimchi didn't come out looking like any kimchi I had seen before (I think because I used chili flakes instead of a chili paste) but hopefully it will taste just as good!

For the recipe you combine (I tweaked the recipe in the book because I had limited space):
1/2 head of shredded and cored cabbage
1/2 bunch of chopped green onions
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/4 cup grated radish
1/2 tablespoon grated ginger
2 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
2 tablespoons whey
1/2 tablespoon sea salt

You combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and use a pounder or meat hammer to release liquid from the vegetables (I used a potato masher).

After it is sort of softened (but not mushy) you put it in a wide-mouth mason jar and pound it down so that some of the liquid comes above the cabbage mixture. Also, the mixture should not go to the top of the jar (it should be at least one inch below). I think this is because as the mixture ferments it will expand a little but I am not sure yet. So then you seal the jar and let it sit at room temperature for 3 days before transferring to the top shelf of your refrigerator (it should not be TOO cold)

 The next thing I made was corn relish:

You follow the exact same process as the Kimchi but you just don't pound the veggies as much since you don't want super mushy corn. Here are the ingredients (again, I tweaked it because of my space limitations):

1&1/2 cups corn
1 small tomato seeded and diced
1 small onion finely diced
1/4 diced and seeded red bell pepper
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 tablespoon sea salt
2 tablespoons whey

And then they can sit really pretty on your shelf for a few days! Enjoy!

"Healthy" Food Traps

It's a few days after New Years. And I have noticed a whole lot of new commercials that have cropped up on TV advertising foods and services for a better, thinner, you. Although I guess the sentiment is good, many of these things aren't really that great for sustaining a healthy lifestyle.

Uh-oh, you're busted

One of the things I am seeing a lot of commercials for is the new McDonald's Fruit and Maple Oatmeal.

This seams like a nice idea, but sugar, in addition to dried fruit, in addition to the carbs in the oatmeal, combine to make a meal that is a whopping 57 grams of carbs (32 of which are sugar!). This will probably make your blood sugar spike and unless you are about to go for a run or something, you really don't need that many carbs all at once. Also, this breakfast only has 5 grams of protein. In the morning you want to start your day with more protein so you will stay full longer and also stay focused mentally. On top of all this, the list of artificial ingredients include: sodium phosphate, datem, sodium stearoyl lactylate, sodium citrate, carrageenan, sulfur dioxide, food starch-modified, barley malt extract, caramel color, and calcium ascorbate. Not so great!

The second thing I noticed was a bunch of Nutrisystem commercials.

I love the little leaf suggesting this food is natural.....

Nutrisystem is one of the programs, heavily advertised, that sends you all of your meals and snacks for a while so that you lose weight. Their philosophy is about using the glycemic index (blood sugar levels) to keep you balanced and full feeling on less calories. In theory, it's not a bad idea. However, there are a few real flaws with it. Number one, people who are super overweight often don't know how to cook healthy. Part of what caused the obesity epidemic in America was the fact that we don't HAVE to cook anymore. This program does not address this issue. Number two, The food in this program is low fat, high carb, and full of preservatives. Although you may lose the weight, I think it would be difficult to keep it off if you don't learn how to eat healthy on your own. Although the site claims to have a "transition program" that weens you into cooking, I doubt they work. I may sound judgmental, but I really get freaked out with the idea of having all of your meals delivered to you, frozen. This really just zaps the joy out of food and cooking.....


The last one that I see a lot is for Yogurt products like Activia and YoPlus.

Gross.....

 These products make claims that they regulate the digestive system because they have healthy probiotics that support gut health. This is true, because ALL real yogurt has these healthy bacteria. However, this yogurt does not appear to have any advantage over any other yogurt with live and active cultures. In fact, they are at a disadvantage because they are full of sugar, which feeds yeast in your intestinal tract and will actually kill off healthy bacteria in your system, totally defeating the purpose of eating yogurt in the first place. In addition, they have preservatives and artificial flavors, including sucralose in the "light" versions of the yogurts. Also these yogurts are low fat, and so you are not getting the benefits of natural dairy fat. You are much better off getting a plain yogurt without any additives and with more natural fat, and adding your own flavors with fruit.

Speaking of adding things to yogurt, I think that it would be good to mention that I think it's a lot better to add fresh fruit to things like yogurt and steel cut oats, or even as snacks by themselves, then adding dried fruit. Most people wouldn't sit down and eat 15 apricots, or 75 grapes, but when the fruit is dried it makes it much easier to eat large quantities of it. Although fruit is good for you, it does have a lot of sugar so it is important to be mindful that you don't get carried away with dried fruit.

Books! Past Present and Future.

Hope everyone had a nice Christmas! A popular gift to give and to get is always gift cards to places like Borders and Barnes and Noble. I really like them cause I can get something I want but might not normally spend money on. I thought as an After-Christmas post I would put up some of my favorite foody books I have read so far, ones that I am about to read over this break, and ones that I hope to read in the future. I figured it was timely because some of you might be looking for something to spend your gift cards on!

Books I Have Already Read

Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes.

In this book Gary Taubes goes through a lot of research and studies to explain why we have the current nutritional dogma that we have in America. I really enjoyed it because although it is pretty heavy reading and quite sciency (for me at least) Taubes does not dumb down the info he is telling you at all. A lot of other authors, especially in what you see in the online and magazine circuit, will give you info that is based on real research but they sort of exaggerate or dumb it down to much so that it doesn't really make sense in context anymore. Taubes assumes his reader wants to know the research, not a watered down version of it, and really is through and backs up all of his statements. This book was harder to read on the subway and I found that I really had to dedicate my full attention to it. I would save this book for a vacation or time when you can really sit down an read it in big chunks. 

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan

This book is really popular so it might be old news, but it really deserves a shot out. In it Pollan takes you though four different types of food (I say types for lack of a better term) He takes you through highly industrial food based on corn, GMOs, and conventional American meat farming, Industrial organic farming (which is sometimes not that different from regular farming), "Beyond Organic" farming which is sort of what regular organic farming was supposed to be like before capitalism took it over (and which makes you want to drop everything and move to a farm like these), and hunting and gathering for food which sounds like a lot more fun than it actually turned out to be for Pollan. It was a really great read and definitely changes your perspective on food. If you are just going to read one book about food, this might be the one I vote for.  

The End of Overeating by David A. Kessler MD

This book is a great read for those of us who have trouble having "just one cookie". In it Kessler goes through the science of the chemically based cue and reward system in our brains that drive us towards foods that are super palatable. He explains how the food industry knows enough of this science to make their processed foods pretty much irresistible to people, especially if you are sort of prone to compulsive behavior. After reading this book it is really no wonder that so many Americans suffer from compulsive over eating and because of it, metabloic syndrome. However, after explaining how the food industry works and shedding light on reasons you may not have thought of as towards why you might have trouble with compulsive eating, Kessler gives a lot of helpful advice on how to sort of treat yourself and make it easier to avoid harmful foods. 

Books Waiting on My Shelf

What to Eat by Marion Nestle 

This book is sort of a hand guide to the grocery store. Although she is a little more mainstream than say, Taubes, Nestle does a good job of going through all types of food (produce, meat, milk, processed foods) and telling you what she thinks you need to know about them. These days, the supermarket can be a lot more overwhelming than it should be, so unfortunately there is a big need for a book like Nestle's.  I am only a few pages into the book, but I am enjoying it so far. To give you more insight, here is one of the quotes on the back of the jacket : "The industry wants you to believe there are no good foods or bad foods. Well, that's not true. And I can't think of anyone who knows the difference better than Marion Nestle"- Eric Schlosser

In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan

After Pollan came out with The Omnivore's Dilemma, many people asked him the question of "Ok, then, what should I eat?"In response to that question, Pollan came out with this book. From what I can tell, it looks like it is going to be a combination of The End of Overeating and What to Eat. Pollan explains the food industry as well as giving instruction on the best way to navigate through it and pick the best foods.  I am sure that it will repeat a lot of stuff from the other books but Pollan is a great author and the book is a quick read.

Next on the List....

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig

This book comes with the stamp of approval from Dishing up Nutrition and it is definitely what I will be spending MY Barnes and Noble gift card on. Part nutritional education, part cookbook, Nourishing Traditions explains what is wrong with the American view that dietary fat = body fat. Fallon is a leader in the Weston A Price foundation that calls for nutrition reform in America. Price was a dentist who did research on healthy primitive people and what they ate. They call to attention the need for REAL fat in the diet and the return to real foods including butter, lard, fatty meat, whole protein, fermented foods, and unrefined vegetable carbs. I have heard Sally Fallon speak before and I am excited to read the cookbook and test out what is in it. 

Julia's Kitchen Wisdom by Julia Child

Besides Nourishing Traditions (because it is so much more than a cookbook) I am not generally too interested in having a ton of cookbooks because I find a lot of good stuff online. However, I think this book will be great to have because it is more about kitchen technique and things that you might not automatically know like, the best way to braise meat or how to keep your vegetables from wilting too much when you cook them. Although I like to cook a lot, I think a lot of us could use tips like this and based on what I read in the reviews, I think that this could be a great kitchen aid to anyone who already sort of knows how to cook.

  

So I know some of my pics are obvious, but hopefully there were a few in there that you weren't sold on that you might want to get now or a few you didn't know about at all! If you are still going to get the Twilight Series or  the Hungry Girl low fat cookbook, I guess I failed you, but at least I tried!

Happy New Year!

Holidaze: Flourless Brownies!

Again, it has been forever. Finals week was rearing its head earlier this month and ever since Thanksgiving I had been finding it hard to find time for nutritional escapades. However, I now have weeks ahead of me of nothing but eating, cooking, working out, and working a little bit on my fashion portfolio. After Christmas I am even going to Seattle for a few weeks to see Dan so hopefully I will be able to put up some good Seattle foodie posts while I am out there.

So as everyone is either happily or painfully aware, Christmas almost upon us! I know between Starbucks attractive drinks in their nice red cups, people bringing in Christmas treats to school/work, or just the cold weather and stress all adding up, I have have the urge to eat a lot of bad things more often then I normally do. I also find it quite unhelpful when people talk about "holiday poundage" because generally I wasn't thinking about Christmas cookies until it was brought up, but then I really want some! Whatever reasons you have, many people struggle to stay on track around this time of year.

Just can't get enough holiday treats!

However, not all treats were created equal. There are some treats that, although they should still be eaten in moderation, are much better for you than their overly processed peers (and I'm not talking just fruit salad!). In general, it is better to eat a dessert that is home made rather than one that is processed or made with HFCS and veg. oil. That is pretty obvious. There are also some great desserts that go a little further by cutting out some other ingredients that can be harmful if eaten in excess....

On Sunday, my mom and I were craving some chocolate, and I remembered a recipe for flourless brownies that I saw on the Nutritional Weight and Wellness website. This recipe was gluten free so my dad could eat it and getting rid of the flour will really cut down on the excess carbs. There is also no added sugar so the only sugar in the recipe is coming from the dark chocolate. Not too shabby. Also, there were only FOUR ingredients, all of which we just happened to have in the house so it's not some fancy recipe that you have to buy stuff you will only use once for. So here is how to make it ....

1) 2 cups (or one bag) of dark chocolate chips (try to get a better brand that has as few harmful ingredients as possible)
2) 1 1/2 sticks butter
3) 6 eggs
4) 1 Tbs. vanilla extract

So you can save your flour for hiding your jewelery

1) First Pre-heat the oven to 350.
2) Take the chocolate and butter and melt them together in a double boiler and stir occasionally

Try to resist putting your head in the pot of melting chocolate

3) Take the eggs and crack them into a large mixing bowl. 
4) Take a hand beater and beat the eggs on high for about 5 minutes or until the eggs are thick and very well beaten.
5) When the chocolate is fully melted cool it a little bit and add the vanilla extract.
6) When the eggs are ready, slowly add the chocolate to them, stirring very fast so that the chocolate gets fully blended into the eggs.
7) When the mixture is fully combined, line a 9X9 pan with parchment paper and pour the mixture in.
8) Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes

Let cool and enjoy! Sorry I forgot to take my own pictures again, I was living in the chocolaty moment.


Oh and Happy Holidays! Hope Santa brings you something as good as these brownies.....

Seafood! And SOUP!

So as I am sure you have seen before, I am really into the idea of making a big batch of something and then having it for the whole week. It's really good for my busy schedule and frees up my time so I am not CONSTANTLY cooking. This week I made New England Clam Chowder. I went though a bunch of recipes online, and found one on epicurious that boasted being totally authentic. It said in the recipe that real New England Clam Chowder should be simple and thin like milk, rather than rich and creamy with tons of ingredients.

So here is what I used:
1 can of crown prince boiled clams
1/2 bottle of crown prince clam juice
1 1/2 cups of organic half and half
1/2 yellow onion chopped
A bit of olive oil to saute the onions
3 Smallish red potatoes, cubed
 a bunch of shallots chopped
1/2 cups chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
3 strips of uncured bacon

So first what I did was fry up the bacon in a pan and put it on a few paper towels. Then I chopped it up into chunks

 Then I began to fry the chopped onions in the bottom of a soup pot. After they softened I added the broth, shallots, and potatoes. I then simmered it covered for 10 minutes, and uncovered for 15 minutes until the potatoes were soft and most of the stock was evaporated or absorbed into the potatoes and onions.

Then I added the drained the clam juice, putting it aside, and rinsed the clams in a strainer. I then added the clams clam juice from the can, and about half the bottle of clam juice. I let that simmer for about 3 minutes.

Then I added the half and half, and bacon that I had prepared earlier, and let that come together for about five minutes. It was great!

Ready to go!

This recipe provided about four servings.

Another great seafood to make are sardines. They are really high in Omega 3, and taste great when they are good. You can get good brands of canned ones like crown prince or others (just make sure it's not packed in a low quality oil like cottonseed) Also, if your sardines come in oil you might want to USE the oil in whatever you are making, since some of the Omega 3 oil will probably leek into the oil used to pack it.

Even better though, are fresh sardines cooked on the grill, although I couldn't be there, my parents made sardines last weekend on the grill and my dad sent me this picture of him cooking them!

Jealous!

 If you can't get all your Omega 3 from fish, as so few of us can, make sure that you are taking a high quality fish oil supplement. If you are getting a bargain price you want to be wary because fish oil, like any other oil, can go rancid and then it is doing more harm then good. If you are getting fishy burps, its a sign that your fish oil is rancid.

So enjoy your seafood everyone!

Name something better than SNACK TIME! Nope, you can't!

Snacks are just great! How often are you working on something boring and distract yourself with a snack? All the time, if you are me. Many experts say that it is important to try to eat more than just 3 times a day, so it is good to have healthy snacks around so you don't get driven into the vending machine routine.

Hey now.

Although there are a lot of simple snacks that are good like nuts, fruit and raw veggies, I thought I would provide an idea for if you want something new and maybe takes care of more of a snacky craving.

Last week, I made swis chard chips!

1) Preheat your oven to 350
2) I started out with a nice big bunch of organic swiss chard. You can also use another type of green like kale or spinach.

3) Wash and dry the greens and roughly rip in into sections, keeping in mind that it will shrink a little bit in the oven
4) Spread the greens out on a cookie sheet
5) Coat the leaves lightly in olive oil and toss them around for an even coverage.
6) Spread out the leaves on the cookie sheet, and send it into the oven for about 20 minutes! Check on it every once in a while. You want them to be crispy like chips.
7) After the leaves come out, sprinkle with sea salt.

THATS IT! So easy and tasty

PS, Hope everyone had a great Halloween!