Ingredient: Harvest Grain Blend from Trader Joe's

Friday, Ellie and I took the afternoon off and made a run for Indianapolis. Tori Amos live in concert was the impetus for the trip, but we also had a blast shopping at Trader Joe's, Target, Whole Foods and Sur la Table. (I bought square biscuit cutters. Ellie thought they were unorthodox, but I was thinking of them as a time-saving device: you can cut all of the biscuits at once and don't have to pat the dough back out!)

I know you're all dying to know what Tori had for dinner, but I have no idea. I'm imagining she dined on something light and delicate, light sauteed greens with some sort of seasonal vegetable. Maybe broccoli? On the last album, she sang:

"Eat your greens
Feed your head
Mind the doubts
they harvest them
Broccoli
Feed your head
Their ideas
are fried in fat."

So I'm going to stick with my answer and assume she doesn't keep in good enough shape to jump around on those pianos by dining nightly on fried chicken. Now, what she wore is another store, I can tell you that:

• Cork platform, black satin, peep-toe stilettos.
• Gold leggings.
• An orange dress with purple details, including a stripe that ran down the back. It was short in the front and long in the back (a mullet dress?) with long sleeves and puffy shoulders.

As usual, she looked like superhero goddess come to save us all. More photos here.

But food...

At Trader Joe's, Ellie bought several bags of the Harvest Grains Blend: Israeli couscous, baby garbanzo beans, orzo and red quinoa. Very exotic! I had to try it, so I grabbed a bag. It's easy to prepare, just simmer in a little vegetable broth and a bit of butter. But, I do recommend stirring it a little as it simmers, as mine sunk to the bottom and I had some crispy bits to contend with after I was done. It smelled delicious while cooking and I love the idea of baby garbanzo beans. How do they do that? Cut down in their prime.

After it was cooked, I made a simple vinaigrette and added pan-fried (vegan) Italian sausages, about 1/3 cup of dried cranberries and 1/3 cup of walnuts, then topped it with some fresh oregano that Jimmy brought us yesterday from his herb garden. Lunch tomorrow is going to be delicious! I will hum Tori as I dine on this delicious concoction.

Food: Tomato Paste

Admit it: you are a tomato paste waster. You know you are. I know, I know, you have the best of intentions. Here is what happens: you are at the store and buy a small can of tomato paste for a recipe you are making that calls for the use of one tablespoon. You open the can and use the one tablespoon and then throw the rest into the trash. You know you do.

Of course, you read those tips in Real Simple or Martha Stewart Living that say, "freeze unused portions of tomato paste in ice cube trays for easy use in soups and stews." You think, "that's clever, I can do that." But you don't. You put the opened can in the refrigerator, planning to divide the unused tomato paste later only to arrive at that later four weeks into the future when your tinfoil covered can of tomato paste has developed a layer of green fuzz. Or, you do actually get the paste into some ice cube trays and said cubes of tomato paste into a labeled freezer-safe bag, but completely forget about them until the next time you are scooping tomato paste into ice cube trays and realize you have enough frozen ice cubes of tomato paste to make spaghetti sauce for Attila's horde.

Admit it.

What is tomato paste anyways? And why do you need those little cans of it? Tomato paste is a a highly concentrated version of tomato sauce. It's adds depth and flavor to sauces, soup, stews and anything that is tomato based. But you only need a little. But you knew that, didn't you?

The solution? Tomato paste in a tube. It's like toothpaste and absolute genius. You squeeze out just the right amount and place the rest in the fridge: no ice cube tray needed. The only problem is that most of the tomato paste available in tubes in imported from Italy and comparatively expensive to a little can of Hunt's brand. But, do the math: you can spend $3.50 on a tube of paste you are going to use every last bit of or you can spend $.49 on a seven cans of it, most of which you are going to put in the trash. Admit it, you know you will.

New solution: tomato paste from Whole Foods. Yes, I've heard the 'whole paycheck' references and know the reputation of Whole Foods as being very expensive. But, they have some great values and prices on many items, especially on their house brand. You just have to be a savvy shopper. Tomato paste from the 365 brand and imported from Italy? $1.49. Seriously, buy several and use them as stocking stuffers. Everyone in your family will appreciate the gesture and thank you as the person who saved them from throwing away half-empty cans of tomato paste.

Recipe: Do You Fondue?

I discovered recently that my family name is Swiss, not German. I know, my last name sounds German, but it's actually a German pronunciation of a French-Swiss name due to the fact my forbears went to part of what is now Germany for half a generation before emigrating to the colonies in 1731. With Germans. It's been a complete paradigm shift and entirely changed how I think about myself. I used to think my rigidness wasn't just a matter of my bourgeois, middle class upbringing, but part of my Germanic birthright. And I explained the swarthy complexion of my family (which I don't share) as 'Black Dutch.' But no more.

Now, I understand better my obsession with chocolate. (The Swiss eat more chocolate per person than any other country: 25 lbs per year.) And my affinity for cheese. Plus my obsession with fine time pieces, numbered bank accounts and protecting the Pope. And my neutrality. Suddenly my neutrality makes so much more sense.

But, I understood German food. Or thought I did, perhaps I was wrong. Meat and processed meat. Someone somewhere said the sausage was the heighth of German engineering. Perhaps, perhaps not. I knew as a vegetarian it really wasn't for me, but I do still enjoy spaetzle with butter or cream sauce and of course good German beer.

But what do Swizz people eat? I did a little research, and of course came upon the most basic: fondue. They do do the fondue. So I decided to throw a casual little fondue dinner, which is a fun and easy way to entertain.

Recipe: Cider Fondue
I have at least four vintage cookbooks on Fondue, but I adapted this recipe from one I saw in Bon Appetit magazine. It's really delicious and we consumed the entire pot. For dippers, I offered two different kinds of vegetarian sausage (Tofurky Kielbasa and Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage); cubes of bread; asparagus (which isn't really a great idea); roasted mushrooms; steamed new potatoes; roasted fingerling potatoes; and Granny Smith apples. Dessert was my favorite chocolate mousse with almond whipped cream.

6 cups coarsely grated Gruyère cheese (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 cups coarsely grated Emmenthaler cheese (about 1/2 pound)
3 tablespoon cornstarch
2 cup hard apple cider
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoons brandy

Toss the cheeses and cornstarch together in a big yellow bowl to coat. Bring the hard cider and vinegar just to simmer in medium saucepan over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium low (mixture should be barely simmering). Add a handful of cheese to simmering cider mixture. Stir until cheese is melted sort of melted: you really have to achieve a certain ratio of cheese to cider before it actually begins to melt to a smooth consistency. Add remaining cheese one handful at a time, stirring until melted between additions. Increase heat to medium and cook until fondue begins to bubble, stirring constantly. Stir in brandy.

Transfer fondue to the fondue pot. Set fondue pot atop stand; carefully light candle or canned heat burner according to your product directions.

Now, about fondue pots:

Crate and Barrel have several to choose from on-line. I have the model they sell from Bodum which I highly recommend. It is composed of a large metal container which can be used for oil-based fondues when you are cooking meaty things. Likewise, it has a glass fondue container which you suspend into the larger metal one filled with water. This is great because your fondue is warmed in a hot bath, rather than having the direct flame on the pot. But, at the same time you don't end up with that little bit of crusty cheese which is considered a delicacy by the Swiss and divided amongst the guests.

I also have a smaller, electric fondue pot from Oster. It's a vintage model and I love it, especially for chocolate fondues. And even for simply melting chocolate. These can be found (as well as conventional fondue models) at the thrift store or on eBay. You really need a pot that is electric or uses a gel or cannister of fuel. The smaller ones which use a candle will not keep your cheese warm. Cold cheese fondue? Faux pas, n'est-ce pas?

Recipe: Winter-to-Spring Rice Salad

This recipe utilizes the first spring asparagus and the last of the winter oranges in a delicious and light combination. It was exactly what I was craving this week.

Recipe: Winter-to-Spring Rice Salad

For the Vinaigrette:
2 tsp grainy brown mustard
4 tsp citrus flavored vinegar (I used Vom Fass Calamansi Waldburg Balsam)
1 clove of garlic, smashed
1 tsp of salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
4 tsp olive oil

Combine the first five ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until combined. (Kitchen tip: when making vinaigrettes or other emulsified sauces, adding all of the non-oil ingredients first allows the salt to dissolve and be fully incorporated.) Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, continuing to whisk until the dressing is emulsified. You may want more olive oil, but I prefer the strong citrus and vinegar flavor for this salad. In general, my salad dressings have more acid than is conventional. I like the acid!

For the salad
1 lb of asparagus, washed and woody stems broken off, tips cut off and the stems cut into 3/4 inch pieces*
1 navel orange
6 Kalamata olives, quartered lengthwise
3.5 oz of baked tofu (I use a savory flavor from Trader Joe's and this is half a package), cut into a small dice

You may steam or roast the asparagus to your preference. My favorite way to prepare asparagus is to partially pan-fry and then to steam it until tender. Heat about 1 tbsp of oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add asparagus and stir fry for about 3 minutes, until it begins to turn bright green. Add 1/4 cup of water; lower heat to medium; and cover and steam for about 3 more minutes. Test for doneness and then run under cold water to stop the cooking.

Supreme (Not Diana Ross and the Supremes, but en français: \sü prim\.) the orange and cut each section cut into three or four pieces.

Combine the asparagus, orange pieces, tofu, olives and rice in a big yellow bowl. Pour the dressing over and toss to coat. Taste and add more salt or pepper if necessary. Allow to sit for one hour and serve. Likewise, you can keep it overnight in the fridge and let the flavors marry a little more, but bring to room temperature and toss again before serving.

Make 4 lunch-size portions.

Mangez!

*DON'T THROW AWAY THOSE WOODY STEMS! Put them in a freezer-safe bag labeled with the date and toss them in the freezer. Keep the stems from three to four bunches of asparagus in this same manner and I'll give you a great tip for making them into an impressive starter for a meal. Waste not, want not!

Holiday 2007 Rehash

This year, we did the tour of the 'ahs' for the holidays--Wichit-ah, Omah-ah and Tuls-ah. Here are some dining highlights from the long, long....LONG (but fun) trip.

Wichit-ah
In Wichita, we saw lots of friends. It was a super-fast visit, but we squeezed every bit of friend-time in we could. Sorry if I missed you this visit, but you're top of the list next time I'm in town! Wednesday night we went to N&J Bakery which is one of the best Lebanese restaurants in the city--and there are many. I think they have the tastiest fattoush salads in Wichita, crisp and perfectly seasoned. Barb was planning on having a few people over on the following night and ordered their hummus, homemade pita and pistachio cookies. I love the pistachio cookies, but more on that later.

When we got back to Barb's, we kept her company as she began some of the prep for her Thursday night menu. One of the sweet treats was 'crispy crackers' which involves baking club crackers that have been topped with nuts and a buttery caramel. They are like crack, once you start you are hooked. Barb and I are carefully watching them in the over as they bake.

Thursday morning, Mitchell and I had breakfast at the Beacon Restaurant with an old friend from work and his new bride. The Beacon is the greasy spoon of all greasy spoons. It's located right next to the newspaper office (Which used to be the Eagle-Beacon back in the day) and is decorated with a lighthouse theme. Many of the very artistic items are for sale. If you eat meat and find yourself 'dining' at the Beacon, be sure and order the Beacon Traditional which is an open-face, lightly toasted English muffin topped with 2 eggs cooked to order, your choice of bacon or ham, and cheese melted over the top.

Thursday night at Barb's was fun and we got to hang out with many of our Wichita friends. I even got to have Molly sit in my lap, which is something I really miss being so far away from her. Barb made tons of delicious treats and served her wonderful mulled wine, but I think everyone enjoyed the pumpkin biscuits more than anything else. They're a classic and even better served with the maple pumpkin sauce which Barb had never tried before. Make them, but don't even think about serving them without the sauce!

Recipe: Barb's Pumpkin Biscuits with Pumpkin Maple Sauce
Biscuits 2 ½ cups all-purpose baking mix (like Bisquick) 1/3 cup instant non fat dry milk ¼ cup packed brown sugar 1 ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice ¾ cup 100% pure pumpkin 1 tablespoon water

Sauce
1 cup maple syrup 1 cup 100% pure pumpkin ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Combine baking mix, dry milk, sugar and pumpkin pie spice in medium bowl. Stir in pumpkin and water until just moistened.
• Knead 10 times on lightly floured surface.
• Roll dough to ½ inch thickness; cut into 12 biscuits.
• Place biscuits on ungreased baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
• Heat syrup, pumpkin and cinnamon in a small saucepan until warm.
• Spoon sauce over warm biscuits.

Of course, no visit to Wichita would be complete without a trip to the Nifty Nut House. They have all of my favorites, so I stocked up. Plus, it's always fun to be there during the holidays because there is so much electricity in the air. People are crazy for nuts! I bought:

• Double-dipped chocolate covered peanuts (the size of gum balls)
  
• Dark-chocolate covered pistachios
• Bridge Mix (with fruits)
• Yogurt-covered pretzel Christmas trees. (I swear their's are the best!)
  

Omah-ah
Old Town Omaha is filled with lots of great shops and restaurants, and we were sure to hit several of our favorites. We stayed at the Magnolia Hotel (which is in a converted office building and very nice if you're looking for a place to stay in Omaha) and it was easy walking to breakfast or dinner. Plus, the Magnolia has a complimentary continental breakfast, cocktails in the evening and a milk and cookie bar at night. Not kidding. Milk and cookie bar.

Zio's pizza is always a special treat and by the slice. You can order whatever toppings you wish and they're happy to oblige with piping hot slices right to your table. We had broccoli and onion (I won't apologize. I love broccoli on pizza.) and tomato and spinach. They have so many topping choices it will boggle your mind.

Even though we live right smack dab in the epicenter of Indian culture in Austin, TX, that doesn't keep us from ordering it when we're out of town. The Indian Oven, also in Old Town, serves all of your favorite Indian treats and has a great wine list to boot. Cold night? Fresh curries and a glass of wine will warm you right up.

Reader, are you eating your lunch at your desk while you catch up on my blog? Are you using a plastic spoon? I thought so! Do you know how it's made? Well a visit to the Omaha Children's Museum will cure you of that ignorance. Push a single button and moments later, a fresh plastic spoon emerges from the injection machine. Like magic.

Sammy and Jakalee (two and three respectively) were more interested in the car and the balls and the millions of other things you can do at the Museum.

Of course, I had to stop and pay me respects to Quan Yin while I was in Omaha. Driving down the Sorrenson Parkway, you just kind of come across her, perched on a hill and surveying the white, snowy world. The gate was locked, but I hopped it easily and trudged up the snow-covered steps to the top. I guess there were rabbits nesting behind because when I reached the top they ran quickly away in that breathy, panicked rabbit sort of way. I left Quan Yin an offering of four pistachio cookies that Barb had sent us away with, piled at the base of her feet. I didn't stay long because I thought since the gate was locked, some angry Buddhists might come after me from the temple in the distance. I spent the rest of the day with the Smith's song Stop Me if You've Heard This One Before running through my head. "And the pain was enough to make a shy, bald Buddhist reflect and plan a mass murder."

Tuls-ah

In Tulsa we ate and gorged ourselves on Christmas fare at the parents, including our traditional dinner of fried chicken. It's a long story, but tasty nonetheless. We still found time to join Paula, Brennan and Loren for a little pizza at the Hideaway. Probably the best pizza in Oklahoma, the Hideaway is a Stillwater/OSU tradition, but we don't hold that against them. Good pizza is good pizza!

Menu, Week of January 5

My new feature for bYb is a weekly menu update. I plan on listing what I'm preparing at home as well as what's left in the fridge that needs to be eaten along with some recipes for the week. The purpose is to inspire you with a new flavor or ideas, but also as a personal focus on what I'm consuming or need to include in my dietary thoughts.

On the menu:

• Mududara (lentils & rice or lentil pilaf)--more on this and a recipe later
  
• Chickpea Salad (photo above, recipe below)
  
• Curried Cauliflower Soup with white beans
• BBQ Riblets
• Smoked Apple Sage Field Roast 'Sausage' with onions and butter lettuce

To be eaten:

• Assorted soups (tomato, tom ka & butternut squash)
• Snapea Crisps (I think I have recommended these before, so forgive the repetition, but they are so good. They're tasty, nutritious, low in cars and high in protein. And tasty. You can find them at Whole Foods or Cost Plus World Market. There's also a Caesar flavor, but I'm not as found of that.)
  
• Almonds
• Citrus (we bought Texas oranges which were ugly, but tasted sweet. Remember, it's what's on the inside that counts!)
  
• One huge Honeycrisp apple

Recipe: Chickpea Salad
This recipe comes from Jeanne Lemlin's Simple Vegetarian Pleasure, which was one of the first vegetarian cookbooks I owned. It's filled with many great recipes I return to frequently. If you have a vinaigrette recipe you like, feel free to substitute it for the one below. I find that salad dressings are the perfect place to sneak in a little healthy twist. Here, you can substitute flax seed oil for all or some of the olive oil in the dressing and it will still be delicious.

1 can of chickpeas, drained a rinsed
1 small fennel bulk, stems and fronds removed, halved a thinly sliced
10-12 black olives of your choice, coarsely chopped (I used niçoise, which are one of my favorites.)
1/2 cup, thinly sliced red onion
3 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
10-15 large, cherry tomatoes halved or quartered

Dressing:
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp flax seed oil, olive oil or a mixture
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in a big yellow bowl. For the dressing, combine the mustard, garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine and then drizzle in oil as you continue to whisk. Pour the dressing over the combined ingredients and allow to mix and mingle for about an hour. Serves three as a main course, or more as a side.


Update: Here's the smoked apple sage 'sausage' in a salad with onion and tomato. It wasn't over meaty, but very delicious!

Have you tried...

The poach pod? I haven't yet, but I might pick one up just to see how it works. According to the instructions, you simply crack an egg into each pod, then float them in simmering water until the eggs are done. It seems these would work well and give you a pefectly poached egg, but I'm unsure if the rounded shape would be ideal for preparing Benedicts, etc.

Yes, that's right. They went ahead and made your life a living hell by creating this awful product. What is it? Munchies. One bag of chips that contains a mixture of Doritos, Cheetos, Rold Gold Pretzels and SunChips. In one bag. Apparently, there is a cheese fix mixture (note the use of the word fix), a flaming hot mixture and a ranch mixture. Of course, you could buy four bags of chips and make this yourself, or you could buy this one bag and eat the entire thing in one sitting. That is what I would do if I were stupid enough to buy a bag. Which I'm not.

Veggie BBQ?

You betcha, ya'll. Just because I'm vegetarian doesn't mean I don't like BBQ. Of course, being vegetarian and eating BBQ don't really go hand in hand. You really have to work at it.



Bush's makes wonderful vegetarian bbq beans that often soothe the craving and I also make veggie sloppy Joe's with my mother's recipe, which is sort of BBQ. I love the beans with a side of potato salad and some sort of yummy, veggie protein.

Of course, when I really HAVE TO HAVE BBQ I just nuke a Gardenburger BBQ Riblet. I am always telling people about how good these are and they think I'm crazy. Shaped like the McRib of your youth, the GB riblet has a great sauce and a wonderful texture. I could eat them almost everyday. But, vegetarian BBQ fans in Austin, have I got news for you:



Jo's Hot Coffee (on South Congress and now with a groovy little cafe on the hyper-chic 2nd street that has a slightly expanded menu) serves a Vegetarian BBQ sandwich. The lightly sauced wheat roast (seitan) is served on a soft, square bun and topped with crunchy cole slaw. You can add a side of the house-made fries for $1. Next time, I'll ask for some extra sauce because I thought it could have used a little more liquid, but otherwise no complaints. The sandwich is large, tasty and will satisfy any craving for BBQ. (Friends had the grilled cheese which was also delicious and Jo's also serves two other veggie choices.) In addition, you can get a Frito pie topped with the wheat roast (I'll try this next time) for a sublime treat.



Mangez!

Addictions

With the opening of the Museum, moving and other business, I haven't really been cooking a lot lately. At least nothing new. I have, however, found some wonderful new snacks at the store to which I have become totally addicted.


Whole Foods sells these wonderful, crispy 'chips' as part of their 365 store brand. They have several flavors, but I'm southern so of course I prefer BBQ. I could eat the entire bag by myself. (P.s. They're building a bigger and better WF five minutes from the house. Excellent.)


John (aka Twisted Tigger) introduced Danette and I to these wonderful snapea crisps when we were in Chicago in March. Luckily they sell them at several stores here, but I brought a couple bags back with me on the plane just in case. They are basically sugar snap peas that are reconstituted with rice, etc. which makes them very delicious and crisp. They're fairly healthy as well. Blame John. There is also a Caesar flavor that isn't as good.


The BEST soda in the world is Central Market's CM Organic Italian Soda. It comes in five delicious flavors, but blood orange and pomegranate are currently tied for first place at my house (with lemon a close second). The citrus flavors have large chunks of fruit floating in them! Look, you can even see it in that tiny picture!

If you come and visit, pack an extra bag because you'll want to take home some goodies on the plane.

Mangez.

Not exactly food...

...but I am totally addicted to the new Orbit flavor Citrus Mint. It is reminiscent of orange flavored Tic Tacs, but with just a hint of mint. I love it and have been chewing it all day, every day and passing it out to unsuspecting coworkers, friends and strangers on the street. That's right, I'm an Orbit Citrus Mint pusher!