Off to Maine

I am heading to Blue Hill, Maine tomorrow for a month of immersive gardening training. Also known as Visiting My Folks. I'll be working as my Mom's gardening apprentice to learn some of the finer points of gardening from someone who has been growing dinner since before I was born. I am super excited at this opportunity to participate in and partake of the bounty that is Maine in the summer time. Of course, my first stop when I arrive will be straight to the blueberry field to pick a handful and see how many I can fit in my mouth at once. This is tradition at my house and something that I look forward to with great anticipation. Yes, blueberry season is not quite here yet, but I've been given the tip off that there may be a few early berries and I intend to find them.

Sens: My Favorite Restaurant

Sens is, without a doubt, my favorite restaurant. We were recently lucky enough to share this fabulous dining experience with two new friends, Brooke and Nathan, who I think appreciate Chef Johnnie's food as much as I do. Located next to the Phoenix Public Farmers' Market, and in the same building as Pasta Bar, and right down the street from Matt's Big Breakfast, Sens is at the epicenter of the downtown Phoenix Food Revolution. Thank goodness.

Sens has been my favorite place to treat myself since we first discovered it almost 2 years ago. The best part about it is the tapas-style small plates that allow a sampling of lots of flavors and textures and sauces. As a flexitarian, I save my meat indulgences for special occasions and Sens is one of the few places that meets my criteria. We feasted on many of my favorites the other evening: sesame tofu, sugar cane pork, la nho beef wrapped in grape leaves, tiny vegetarian eggrolls, red curry tofu, soup gyoza ... and of course my obligatory "side salad" (green papaya, peanuts, and spicy tangy sauce). Besides the super awesome food, the hipster Friday night atmosphere and my $6 ginger vodka ... the highlight of the evening was the extensive and enticing conversation with Chef Johnnie. As a self-taught food philosopher, restaurateur, and culinary trend-setter, Chef Johnnie is truly the soul of Sens.    

Engrained at ASU

ASU has a new restaurant at the Memorial Union, it's called Engrained. I went there for lunch last week with my friend Jacqueline to check out the food, and the very cool concept. Engrained is envisioned as a sustainable, local, and forward-thinking dining option for the campus community. They eschew paper menus in favor of daily specials displayed on TVs at the entry, purchase ingredients within a 150 mile radius of campus whenever possible, cook the food fresh and to-order, and utilize campus recycling programs and sustainable products.

The space is on the second floor of the Union and shows an eclectic renovated style with a multitude of materials juxtaposed into an airy and modern synthesis of cafeteria and culinary hot spot. The chairs are made of recycled seatbelt webbing, food is served on real plates with flatware and glasses, and the staff is paid a salary so that the service is good without requiring tipping. The vibe on a Thursday at lunch was busy and spacious and relaxing .... a good break from a busy day slogging across campus in 110-degree weather. It was refreshing to see such a cool concept well-patronized by the ASU community.

We split the foccacia pizza and lentil salad for lunch. The bill was $17 with drinks included. The pizza was nothing special, but the lentil salad was inspiring in its simplicity, flavor, and as a healthful option on a campus dominated by fast food chicken and french fries. I was inspired enough to go home that afternoon and improvised my own lentils (see below). Some of the incongruous parts of the venue were the sushi bar (in the desert?!) and the soda fountain (local Coke and Pepsi?!), but I have to give some leeway for a good concept trying to cater to a wider audience than health food junkies. Perhaps Engrained will evolve over time to more fully embody its mission and values .... I will definitely be returning to keep tabs on it. And I'll be trying the dessert next time.

Lentils Inspired by Engrained

1 c brown lentils

stock or water

2 dried bayleafs

dried chilis

1 onion, sliced thin

1 tsp butter

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

6 - 8 sun dried tomatoes

salt and pepper

Rinse lentils and cook with bayleaf and chili in about 2 c stock or water until tender. Add more liquid as necessary to prevent from burning but not so much that it gets soupy. Remove bay leaf and chili. 

While the lentils are cooking, caramelize the onion in butter and olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add a pinch of salt after about 5 minutes. Total time to caramelize is about 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.  

Fold caramelized onions and finely chopped sun dried tomatoes into lentils. Deglaze onion pan with balsamic and add to lentils. Season with more vinegar, salt, and pepper to-taste.

I've been eating this as a cold salad with lettuce, tomatoes, a little cheese and hard boiled egg. Also, is great warmed up with brown rice. Yum!

Tomatoes from the Farmer's Market

It will come as no surprise to those who know me that I am obsessed with tomatoes. They are one of the items in my kitchen that I horde compulsively so that I am sure to always have some on hand. We made our weekly pilgrimage to the Downtown Phoenix Public Market this morning and picked up some beautiful specimens: golden cherry, green and yellow zebra stripes, and something that looks like a Black Krim or Cherokee Purple.  

 

One of the most important things to know about tomatoes is how to store them. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, put tomatoes in the refrigerator! It is a travesty and equivalent to tomato murder to store your tomatoes in the fridge. They become mealy and wrinkled and watery and loose all of that yummy tomato flavor and texture. I like to store mine on the counter, out of direct sunlight. Cherry tomatoes go great in a bowl or basket. Larger ones should be stored flat so that they do not bruise each other due to the force of gravity. The upside to this strategy is that I always have an incredibly alluring tomato "bouquet" to look at .... and great inspiration for dinner.

 

My favorite easy tomato dish is one that we have at least twice a week at my house, if not more. Chopped ripe tomatoes (or halved cherry tomatoes), the tiniest drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Fold these gently together and let sit for 10 or 15 minutes. Right before dinner, dice up one fresh avocado and mix in very delicately. That's got to be one of the tastiest ways to enjoy tomatoes -- and avocados. They really don't need anything else.

 

An avocado is one of those fruits / veggies over which there is some controversy. Are they too high in fat? Good for you or bad for you? Here's the stats for a single avocado:

• 320 calories
• 4 g protein
• 13 g fiber
• 17 g carbohydrate
• 29 g fat
• 4 g saturated fat
• 20 g monunsaturated fat
• more than 20% recommended daily value of: B2, B3, B6, C, E, folate, potassium 

Avocados also contain oleic acid and may help to lower cholesterol and prevent some cancers, according to whfoods.org. And since monunsaturated fat is good for you .... might as well enjoy an avocado!

Brown Rice

Thanks to Lynne Rossetto Kasper I now have a renewed enthusiasm for rice, brown rice in particular.

The secret lies in cooking the rice so that there is no measuring or guessing or scrubbing the burnt grains off of the bottom of the pan. For me, that makes it a lot more appealing to cook rice.

Lynne's big secret? Cook it like pasta. Use a big pan full of lightly-salted and rapidly-boiling water. Add rice and continue to boil rapidly until al dente. Drain the rice, return to the pan with the cover on and set aside for a few minutes. The result: fluffy, separated, well-cooked rice. Brown cooks in 30 minutes and white rice much faster.

I recently made a tasty rice dish with my brown rice that I even got our seven-year old friend Taylor to eat willingly and enthusiastically: sauteed onion and garlic, ground flax seed, Lynne's crossover spice, thawed green peas, cooked brown rice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Food Victory: Spread the Word!

"Don't let Monsanto spin the story! GE Alfalfa STILL illegal to grow or sell."

Latest update from FRESH the movie website.

Be sure to sign up on their email list for info about petitions, resources, and the Food Revolution.

Killer at Large

Just finished watching Killer at Large: Why Obesity is America's Greatest Threat.  That was a good food movie. I procrastinated about watching it for a while, because I didn't necessarily want to watch an entire movie about obesity. But it turned out to be one of the better Food Revolution movies that I've seen in a while.

The film was really effective in the breadth of scope with which the topic was covered. While many food movies have focused more narrowly on factory farming or agribusiness, this film managed to cover a lot of ground in a way that was succinct, empowering and very educational. From White House policy, to the food lobby, to school lunch programs, to liposuction on teenagers, to organic farmers, to the Surgeon General, the the USDA Food Guide Pyramid, and lots of direct conversations with food activists the film examined the issue of health in America thoroughly and candidly.

Of course, the obligatory interviews with Michael Pollan were there, and he is as convincing and eloquent as always. In addition, there was footage with Presidents Bush and Clinton, the former Surgeon General Richard Carmona, Ralph Nader, Governor Schwarzenegger and a lot of congressional testimony from our own representatives illuminating how deeply entrenched the Junk Food Lobby is in American government. There were also some new faces that I was glad to meet .... Ann Cooper, Militant Lunch Lady, passionately fighting for real food for kids; Greg Christian of Greg Christian Catering in Chicago talking about his 100% organic school lunch program; high school teachers talking about the institutional challenge of removing vending machines from school hallways; and American moms speaking out about how food advertising to kids undermines their parental authority and our childrens' health almost from birth. 

Killer at Large further reinforced my conviction that the Food Revolution is one of the most important movements going on today around the planet. My dedication is renewed and my enthusiasm bolstered. Now time to go and make dinner!

Available streaming on NetFlix and other sites.
FIVE STARS   

Shannon's Birthday Cake

I had the great honor of baking the cake for my friend Shannon's birthday party last night. As it is zucchini season, I made a chocolate zucchini bundt cake. I used the recipe from Simply Recipes with just a few modifications: 3 c grated zucchini, no nuts and an orange glaze.

The orange glaze was 2 cups powdered sugar, grated rind from 2 medium oranges, fresh-squeezed orange juice, about 2 tsp melted butter, and a dash of salt and vanilla. Orange juice was added as-needed to get the right glaze consistency.

The cake came out great! Very moist, rich flavor and good zesty contrast with the orange glaze. I wish I had some left overs right now. We would have taken pictures, but got caught up in the Birthday Party whirlwind.

Cheers, also, to out hostess Jacqueline. She executed a flawlessly yummy all vegetarian patio dinner: grilled barbeque tofu kabobs, grilled veggie kabobs, beet salad with pecans and blue jack cheese, watermelon, and a lovely and zesty green bean salad. We fed vegetarians and meat-lovers alike and they all looked happy to me.

Happy Birthday Shannon!

New Business Cards!

My new business cards arrived! I am super proud of my radish logo ... custom designed by my own personal graphic artist and architectural expert. (my husband.)

I have to say that I feel there is great future in the Food Revolution. My 4 core areas of focus are:

Vig Uptown

While the new Vig Uptown is not my favorite choice for food worthy of The Food Revolution .... they DO have a cool place for customers to write their thoughts on the wall. And the day bartender, Julia, is definitely a like-minded Revolutionary.

HH drinks are pretty decent, and the new location is worth checking out at least once, if only to see the faux outdoor space and cool wood slat features. Note to self, however ... shots are not a good idea. Especially before 5 pm on a weekday.  

Our Daily Bread

Stunning, wordless documentary.

While the title suggested that there might be some bakery scenes, or other benign commercial food imagery, instead the film focused on the industrial machinery and processes by which food arrives ready-to-eat in our grocery stores.

Not for the faint of heart, and certainly not for those who don't care to burden themselves with the details of how meat is raised, slaughtered and processed. There were definitely a few "cover my eyes" moments. It made me wonder who it is, exactly, that designs the machinery used in slaughter houses and processing facilities.  

The fact that the entire documentary is un-narrated or otherwise editorialized allows the watcher to make their own inferences and conclusions without feeling preached at. After all, this is simply the fact of how our food gets to the table. The serene and stark cinematography elevates this into the genre of an art film with imagery both shocking and beautiful.

2006. Available on NetFlix.

FOUR STARS