Practical Cooking Adventures

I have recently fallen in love. With practicality. My life pre-Leo was filled with hobbies, and the more complicated, the better.  The longer I could sit in front of my sewing machine contemplating a few yards of fabric the better.  Need to paint a room? How about multiple colors? Ooooh a racing stripe! At the library? This one with a thousand pages has my name on it!

And in the kitchen, oh the kitchen. Hours and hours in the kitchen. I could probably spend the rest of my life pouring over cook books. They are the books I am most proud of in my collection because they are a part of me. Every recipe I have devoted myself to, tweaked, doubled, stained with turmeric, or completely screwed up has become one of my life experiences. Something I have pushed around my mouth slowly, mindfully, mulled over, wrote a note about in the margins, enjoyed with a loved one, or turned into soup the next day; those recipes have literally become my blood cells, my skin and hair, the glimmer in my eyes, even my offspring, and I love them all. Even the ones I've turned into smoke and thrown in the trash.

So, in my pre-Leo life I was more than happy to wander around the natural food store, co-op, conventional grocery store, Asian, Mexican or Indian market in ambitious search of cornhusks, not just an apple but a Winesap apple, not just lettuce but Boston lettuce, an almost but not quite ripe mango, overly ripened bananas, Amchoor powder, don't you have Hijiki seaweed?! You know, the basics.

Now I am a busy, sleepy, Mama. Leo, at a healthy one and a half doesn't last in the grocery store for longer than half an hour these days, and with another on the way my motivation is lacking to say the least- hence my recent love affair with practicality. The novelty of wandering around the grocery store with wide eyes and impulses is no longer a part of my time budget. Yet nutritious meals that will satiate everyone in my family are a major priority, so fast food is not an option either.

I recently decided in an effort to incorporate more vegetables, yes more vegetables, into our diets, to prep my veggies in advance. Go to the store, get the veggies, take them home, wash them and chop away. This way, when I scramble an egg in the morning, it takes no effort to throw in some roasted garlic and zucchini. A little sprinkle of parmesan, piece of fruit and whole grain toast and suddenly a simple breakfast turns into a healthy feast, yet no extra dishes, my chef's knife doesn't leave its drawer, and I've not taken any time away from Leo and our morning routines. By 8am I've had a coloful meal with something from each food group!

Sometimes I know I could use some greens for lunch but can only work up the motivation for lettuce and dressing. Now my salads are graced with shredded carrots, peppers and steamed broccoli. By the time dinner rolls around if the only thing I have energy for is some soup and rice, or a pb&j, its okay because I've already had several servings of vegetables and have yet to use my knife or cutting board. Victory is mine!

As far as this mealplan plan goes, some of our cookbooks are more practical than others. I must say, practicality thy name, is Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home, by the lovely folks of the Moosewood Collective in Ithaca, NY. It has a ton of recipes without being overbearing, is organized in an accessible way, and if you have a well stocked kitchen you will already have the ingredients you need for most recipes; if not, they are easily tweakable. There is a section on half hour meals, “kid-pleasers”, pantry list, and even a section on menu planning and sample menus.

Perhaps one of my favorite things about the book is the section devoted to fish. After many years of vegetarianism I started incorporating fish into my diet and was completely clueless on how to prepare it. The Moosewood recipes for “fish in a packet” are absolutely brilliant: Carribean, Greek, Asian and French. You place a filet in some foil, make a simple marinade and drizzle into the foil packet with veggies, herbs, cooked rice, etc. You wrap everything up securely in the foil and marinate in the fridge anywhere from one hour to overnight. All you do to cook the fish is stick the packet in the oven for twenty minutes. No dishes. For me this is perfect because I am really the only one in my family that likes fish, so its great for just one person.

Onto the menu: Last week I made Coconut Basmati Rice with raisins which Leo LOVED. I made it with dahl and curried vegetables, which we ate on all week. I doubled the basmati rice recipe and later that week for lunch, turned it into a curry stir fry: a can of diced tomatoes, a few handfuls of spinach, garlic, and a half a block of tofu- amazing. Another success with Leo. That kept us busy starting Sunday and with a few hummus sandwiches to fill in a gap or two, we finally polished it all off on Wednesday. On Thursday I made some easy Golden Spanish Rice (doubled the recipe) with fish and a little salad. On Friday we had the rice with cheddar cheese melted on top, avocados, cilantro, and spicy kale on the side. On Saturday I made a tasty batch of Carribean Black Beans that went awesome on top of the leftover rice, and on Sunday we turned it all into burritos with some smashed sweet potatoes, avocado, and lime juice.

Black beans soaking

Just a few simple, delicious, and healthy recipes stretched out throughout the course of a week, all courtesy of the Moosewood Collective.

At first my idea of menu planning and pre-prepping vegetables seemed daunting, but if you know where to shop, have good recipes, and are just a little comfortable in your kitchen, this method is an absolute relief and delight. To think, I have access to whole cloves of slow roasted garlic at my fingertips at any moment...what a sweet luxury.  Prepping the vegetables took about two hours, but hey, I got to have a reggae marathon while chopping to keep me energized and up beat. My kitchen filled with the smell of the garlic roasting, and the amount of time I saved throughout the week was unblievable. My dishes were more colorful, contained more fiber and nutrients, and plain and simple made me really happy.

The right recipes are absolutely essential for this process, and the Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home (Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day), by the Moosewood Collective, has easily become an indispensible and comforting part of my collection.

Here is the recipe for Coconut Basmati Rice:

1 ¼ cups water

1 cup basmati rice

½ can coconut milk

½ teaspoon turmeric

¼ teaspoon salt

1 piece cinnamon stick (about an inch)

¼ cup currants or raisins

1 dried chile (optional)

In a heavy saucepan with a tightly fitting lid, bring the water to a boil. While the water heats, rinse the rice well*. When the water boils, stir in the rice and all of the remaining ingredients. Return to a boil. Stir, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and chile, stir to fluff the rice, and serve.

*I am a huge advocate of soaking rice (and all other grains). It softens the outer case on the grains, making them more digestible and helps to remove any impurities that the rice may be exposed to during the milling, storing, and packaging process. It also makes the texture of the rice fluffier. A few hours of soaking is sufficient.  Rinse after soaking.  

After years of cooking, I am still finding new ways to re-invent my relationship with food, enjoy healthier meals, and stay inspired.  I encourage everyone to do the same, food makes us who we are!  Have fun with food, and have fun in life!

*Lisa Hicks is a Certified Health Counselor.  Check out her website at http://joyinwellness.net/  for more information, recipes, and to set up a free one hour consultation!