My Everyday Salad [10/19/2010]

My Everyday Salad

The measurements below are approximate.
2.5 oz or 5-6 handfuls baby salad greens
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 lg sliced radish
1 tin of skinless/boneless sardines 3.75 oz
2 tablespoons cheesy Caesar dressing

Mix greens, carrot, cabbage, radish and dressing in large bowl. Divide into bowls and top with sardines. Makes 2 servings.

These are the sardines I usually buy:

This is the dressing I like to use:

Finished In Defense of Food [12/10/2009]

This follow up to The Omnivore's Dilemma is lacking in all of the statistics and details that made its successor so powerful. It is a much shorter and easier read though. The tone is positive, with much less of the doomsday quality. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in eating healthy and living sustainably.

Finished The Omnivore's Dilemma [4/23/2009]

I am unabashedly a complete novel junky. I regularly devour science fiction, fantasy, mystery/thriller, modern and classic fiction. I'd be lost forever in another world if I didn't occasionally try to sprinkle in some non-fiction to bring me back to reality. While I choose topics that are of great interest to me, I usually still struggle to finish. For example, I plowed through War and Peace in less than a week, but, it was many months before I was done with Collapse (despite being much more intrigued by anthropology than Napoleonic history). I had quite a bit of trouble getting through Pollan's The Botany of Desire. So, I was worried about The Omnivore's Dilemma. It turned out to be THE notable exception. Pollan's writing has improved significantly. He sucked me full force and kept me reading. The book was jam packed with non stop facts but, it was still easy to read quickly.

The breadth of what Pollan covered in The Omnivore's Dilemma really amazed and impressed me. I didn't expect a natural history to delve into such detailed analysis. I learned more than I ever would have imagined about modern agriculture in the U.S. and the food industry. I think everyone should read this book. I even felt the urge to write to the president and plead him to read it (I haven't yet).

A bit of warning though, at times I was overcome by hopelessness and anger that nothing can be changed. I'd compare this strange combination of awe and anger with how I felt watching An Inconvenient Truth, Fahrenheit 911, and Sicko. Yes, it is somewhat sensationalistic, but, it is also good investigative reporting and well researched.

If you want to eat healthy, and also be aware of the sociopolitical and environmental impacts of what you eat, I recommend you read this book. Pollan fully imparts the importance of sustainability to our future. If you don't already have a backyard garden, you will want your own, or, at the very least, you'll be looking into CSAs and farmer's markets.

Finished Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages [4/01/2009]

Anne Mendelson explores the history of milk starting with the prehistoric origins of goat and sheep domestication and ending with modern large scale dairies. I found her writing entertaining and wished the history section was longer. I was glad that she didn't just gloss over the science, but really delved into the particulars. The book also contains a number of recipes for milk products and dishes from around the world.

No More "No Rules" [2/25/2009]

Dear Outback,

I like my burgers with three things on top: mushrooms, grilled onions, and Swiss cheese. That's it. No lettuce, tomato, fresh onion, ketchup, mayo, or mustard. Definitely no bacon or onion straws!

A few years after my husband turned ex-vegetarian he acquired a taste for prime rib. I don't like steak or seafood. This meant that on our quest to find the best prime rib in town, I was eating a lot of burgers and chicken at all the steak house chains. His favorite turned out to be Black Angus.

I tried about twenty times to get them to make the mushroom, grilled onion, and Swiss burger for me. (They have a steak add-on/topper of grilled onions and mushrooms. So, theoretically they could get it right.) Well, every time they either left on multiple toppings I didn't want, forgot one of my three things, or both. They were just incapable of making my simple burger.

Luckily, I found I liked their chicken alfredo penne. So, I ordered that every single time. Then, they changed the chicken to shrimp. So, now, I have to ask for chicken instead of shrimp (good thing they haven't got that wrong yet).

One time I went to Outback with a group of friends. Most of the menu was steak and seafood that didn't interest me at all. Finally, on the back page, I found a small section with the "No Rules" burger. It was a design your own burger.

I ordered my burger and got what I wanted!! It was a miracle. And, it was delicious! Fantastically good, and it wasn't wrong. It wasn't wrong to break their rules and change their designed burger recipes. I could get my burger without trouble and without a lot of explaining.

Needless to say, I convinced my husband to go to Outback much more often. In fact, we were going several times a month. I was in heaven ordering my "No Rules" burger how I wanted it every time. I wasn't interested in the few chicken options. Especially not when the burger was so good.

Well, last month, I went to Outback expecting to get another yummy burger. They had changed their menu and removed the reason I came. The "No Rules" was no longer. I had to ask the waiter to remove everything from the new "The Outbacker Burger" and add what I wanted.

But, even worse, I thought (maybe mistakenly) that the whole vibe/feel of Outback was about being laid back and easy going. By forcing me to break their new rules and go through a lot of trouble to get my burger how I wanted it, I was not feeling laid back at all.

I don't know if I'll go back to Outback again. I'm hoping you will come to your senses and see the error of your ways. I hope everyone complains and you are forced to add the "No Rules" back on the menu. But, for the time being, I'll now be arguing for The Cheesecake Factory where I can somewhat easily order my burger.

A former devotee

more goat cheese [3/30/2008]

The CoonRidge stall was back again at the Art Fair and we bought even more this time! Flame Roasted Green Chile, Southwestern Blend, Chile Chipotle, and Scarborough Fair were all yummy. We've tried almost all their flavors now. It's very good with baguettes.

super soups [3/19/2008]

Yes, super target is super. They make these awesome soups. I really hope they don't discontinue them. I'm eating half a jar for lunch most days.

Holiday Eating [1/03/2008]

The last few weeks of celebrating have been filled with some great meals. Here is just a sampling of the deliciousness:

Latkes

Baguettes with Munster/Lingonberry Jam and with Basil Goat Cheese/Capers

Mojito Cupcakes
Japanese BBQ

goat cheese ♥ [12/03/2007]

I've been really into goat cheese lately. This one is pretty tasty and I can usually find it at Safeway:

The three below Dillweed & Onion, Tomato, Basil & Garlic, and Basil Pesto were excellent. They come from New Mexico. Here is the website: http://www.coonridge.com

Kefir: it's not yogurt [9/15/2007]

So, I've started trying to drink this stuff. I'm hoping it will help counter balance the bad yeast and bacteria in my system from eating too many carbs.

Probiotics (live & active cultures) in kefir:

Lactobacillius Lactis
Lactobacillus Rhamnosus
Streptococcus Diacetylactis
Leuconostoc Cremoris
Lactobacillus Plantarum
Lactobacillus Casei
Bifidobacterium Longum
Bifidobacterium Breve
Saccharomyces Florentinus
Lactobacillus Acidophilus


From what I can tell, yogurt has:

Lactobacillus Bulgaricus
Streptococcus Thermophilus
Lactobacillus Acidophilus
Bifidus/Bifidobacterium Bifidum
Lactobacillus Casei
Lactobacillus Reuteri

So you are getting acidophilus and casei from both. But that's the only overlap I've been able to see.

this is so wrong [8/14/2007]

Back in 2000, when Unilever bought out Ben & Jerry's I figured they would screw with the ice cream. And they did, they made it fluffier which meant _less_ actual ice cream and more air (profits). They turned cherry garcia pink(?!), and now, they advertise like this! Further proof the brand has been monopolyfied.