On My Plate: Week of March 1st

Optional title for this post: "How to eat Mexican food every day for a week: The Dani Robinson story". Sounds like a Lifetime movie akin to a documentary about the morbidly obese, but I digress:

This is a new little feature that I'd like to get into, because I know I've taken some time off from food and recipe blogging on Street Cred until we move into our new flat. But as someone who is obsessed with cooking, I figured that some of my readers might be wondering what I actually eat. And it's usually pretty healthy, so if there's enough interest in any particular recipe or meal, I'd be more than happy to post it.

First up: Taco-lasagna. I know, this is not the prettiest meal you've ever seen. It's a total weeknight casserole type of thing. But we do "Taco Tuesday" in this house on a pretty regular basis, so this week I mixed it up with all of our favorite taco fixin's in a big lasagna-style presentation. The verdict? Less mess and cleanup, and leftovers were consumed for breakfast the next day (they didn't even make it until lunch, is the point I'm getting at here).

Basically, the taco meat (w/ added crushed tomatoes) was layered with sauteed onions and peppers, cheese, and tortillas replaced the pasta in this lasagna assembly. Then once it came out of the oven, the whole thing was topped with lettuce and tomatoes, and individuals could garnish their portion with salsa, sour cream, guac, etc.

Next up: Leftover pork chops turned burrito bowl. I thinly sliced the pork, added it to onions and peppers, and cooked it up with garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Then I threw it on top of some rice and topped it with homemade salsa, some guac, and greek yogurt (instead of sour cream). It was a great lunch in a pinch, and only took all of 10 minutes to make. On a larger scale, it could make a pretty filling dinner.

Souper: (that's a pun between "soup" and "supper", by the way)
I cooked up some black beans the other night, so I used what was left to whip up a quick black bean soup for lunch. About 1 cup of homemade chicken stock, some onions and peppers (are you sensing a theme yet?), garlic, frozen sweet corn, cumin, chili powder, kale and fresh cilantro (coriander) all cooked up in another 10-minute lunch. A great filling and healthy vegetarian option if you use vegetable stock i/o chicken, and it's perfect on a deceptively chilly day.

The week isn't even over yet! I wonder if I'll end up with a quesadilla tonight...

Diary of a Diet: All By Myself

It can be really, really difficult to eat healthy or be on a restricted diet under normal circumstances. But what about when the rest of your household doesn't follow strict dietary guidelines the way you might? I've fallen off the wagon plenty of times, because the contents of the fridge weren't diet-friendly, and the mashed potatoes on the table were just too tempting. Here are a few of my helpful hints to staying on track when dieting alone, even when living with junk food lovers and meat-and-potato eaters.

1. You are not an inconvenience. Don't think of your need to alter the dinner menu or the grocery list as a problem. You don't have to feel guilty for feeding your family a healthier meal, or for opting out of what they are having. Don't feel awkward, feel proud of the food on your plate!

2. Treat yourself to really good food. Buy as many high quality ingredients as you can afford to (within reason). If you want broccoli rabe instead of plain old broccoli, then by all means, have a little splurge. Stop by that farmer's market and enjoy fresh eggs and heirloom tomatoes. The more excited and happier you are about the food on your plate, the more likely you are to want it, and not pizza.

3. Variety, Variety, Variety. Do you know why Chipotle is so damn good? Variety and customization. Imagine having all of those chipotle burrito bowl/salad bowl ingredients at your disposal. Most people don't put that many components into a single dish. Prep ahead of time for the week ahead, or buy some shortcuts (like ready made fresh sweetcorn salsa) and give yourself a really colorful, tasty plate of food. It'll be like restaurant quality, every day. Also, check out these great Pinterest ideas for one-bowl meals, most of which are really healthy and delicious. Just steer clear of the cheese-and-pasta jobbies.

4. Don't beat yourself up. I ate a Reese's today in the supermarket parking lot. I hadn't had chocolate in a week, and I just wanted it, dammit. And I do not feel guilty at all. Thinking of food as "good" or "bad" is part of the diet mentality that causes most people to return to their old unhealthy eating habits, anyway. Everything in moderation, as they say, and remember that even those really special treats are totally ok on occasion. When you don't have them as often, they are even more delicious too, trust me.

Have any dieting tips? Stories? Links to recipes? Share in the comments below!

An Open Letter to the Health Obsessed

I'm in a mood today. I don't know what triggered it; maybe it was the 17 spam emails from  various health-centric blogs and websites sitting in my inbox this morning, making me feel like I am the worst thing to happen to the earth since the discovery of fossil fuels. I've written an open letter to every hipster, vegan, pro-paleo human walking the earth, who feels the need to preach their practices onto the rest of the populace.

Dear "Healthy People":  Stop making me feel guilty.

I'm not particularly unhealthy. I enjoy doing my part for the environment, too. I compost food scraps and carry my own shopping bags. I use coconut oil instead of body lotion. I don't put white sugar in... anything. I do most of my shopping second-hand, because I have my own opinions about mass-produced clothing. I ate quinoa before it was on the shelves at Trader Joe's (and I don't care how hipster that sounds).
But somehow, you've made it impossible for me to think that I'm doing ok. Countless emails bombard my inbox each day with "10 Healthy Foods That Are Bad For You", "Why Your Home is Toxic", and "Is it Better to Eat Paleo or Vegan?" below a photo of an obscenely thin model laughing and throwing her hands in the air in the middle of a flowery field while wearing really expensive yoga clothes.

I've got a normal BMI. I don't take any kind of medication. I eat what my body tells me to, even if that is half a pint of Ben & Jerrys. I do tend to avoid processed foods, though, as I cook everything from scratch and mostly eat vegetables. Any doctor will tell you that I'm in good health, with relatively low risk factors for serious illness. But no, you've decided that each and every day is a guilt trip because I'm not replacing a bottle of Chanel with lavender oil, and I'm still using lemon Pledge on my bedroom furniture. Heads up: white vinegar will NOT remove the soap scum from my shower, and my hair looks like crap when I don't use shampoo, so I'm going to stick with the mass-produced solutions to these issues, and I'm sorry I'm not sorry.

 I just ate white toast with non-organic butter. Deal with it.

For a while, I was putting chia seeds in everything. I was on a juice cleanse every other week, and I made all of my own home cleaning solutions. But life just... sucked. Even when I was doing absolutely everything I could to be all-natural, all-organic, and uber-eco-friendly, I was breaking myself down, not to mention breaking the bank. It was an obsession, and I felt as if any aspect of my life that wasn't health-blog-perfect was a downright failure. It's sort of like the way that the modern woman is expected to be an amazing business woman/career person AND the perfect, always-there mom, and the head of the household, and a professional chef, and superwoman, and a perfectly dressed blogger on the side. This is not a reality. Fact.

While you might be able to pull it off if you work for Whole Foods (which is just another conglomerate sucking the funds away from local business, no matter what they try to say in their marketing), the average human (or couple) is in no position to afford a $400/month CSA share. "Oh, look! This week the only groceries we have this week are 6 eggs and a leek and some cheese curds." No. I'm not telling anyone to stop buying organic. I do when I can, and I always will. But I won't fall to the ground in shame every time I eat iceberg lettuce.

I'm not going to feel guilty anymore. I'm not going to criticize your hammock-hanging Instagram-perfect afternoons and your no-bake paleo cookies. I'm not going to cringe when I pass a vegan bakery, because when I can, I do enjoy the healthy, the local, and the overall good-for-you lifestyle. I want to feel good about my choices, but I want to do it on my own terms. Please, back off.

The Baked Omelet

Sounds complicated and fancy, right? Looks it, too. But it's not, I promise! Baking an omelet means you don't have to flip it on the stove, so whatever ingredients you pile on top can stay sittin' pretty. The recipe starts on a stove, then moves to the oven: they key is having a saucepan that handle it (metal handled pans work best!) If you saw my recipe post from yesterday, you know that there's smoked trout in the fridge right now. It's a real treat/obsession for me, so I'm basically incorporating it into everything I eat, until it's all gone. [insert sad face]

This technique works for any kind of omelet though, so you can use your traditional favorites (ham and cheese), or branch out with some really lovely ideas (asparagus and bacon?). It's a blank canvas!

Here's how I made mine: 

Ingredients:

1 tbsp butter or olive oil (or 1/2 butter & 1/2 olive oil, if you're feeling fancy and French)

2 medium eggs

1 tbsp milk

1/4 cup finely diced onion

3-4 basil leaves, sliced into 1/8" strips (chiffonade, for those of you in the culinary know)

1/2 fillet of smoked trout

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Add milk to the eggs and beat with a fork - **Do not add salt or pepper yet! Salt will dry out the eggs at this stage; save that for the last step**

Heat pan on the stove on medium heat, with butter or oil

When the butter/oil is fully melted and heated, tilt the pan to cover the entire bottom. This will ensure that your omelet slides out nicely at the end

Add the eggs, reducing heat to low, and add toppings of your choice

When the edges of the omelet are just beginning to firm up, add salt & pepper, and transfer the pan to the oven at 250 degrees (Farenheit. I don't know the conversion to Celsius yet, and I'm sorry.)

Keep an eye on it, and your omelet will be finished when the center is solid

Remove pan from the oven (remember that the handle will be hot!) and use a spatula to slide your omelet onto the plate

Garnish with fresh herbs or leftover ingredients. Voila! A fancy omelet made simple. 

Berry Good

Cooking: it never gets old (well, at least for me it doesn't). Experimentation is a constant, exciting adventure. Flavors I never would have thought to combine can actually be complimentary, and it's an exciting inspiration when I'm in the kitchen. Since lavender has continued to gain popularity in recipes (being used for culinary flavor instead of being used solely for fragrance), I've tried to use more herbs outside of their 'original purpose comfort zone'.

Blackberries are in season here at the moment, so I've been picking them at every chance I get. I munch them on their own or in some greek yogurt with a drizzle of honey. Yesterday, sitting on the kitchen windowsill there were five basil plants, so I thought, What the heck, and tossed a few leaves into my yogurt and berry snack. What a yummy flavor pairing! This isn't the first time I've had a basil-and-fruit epiphany; remember my recipe for Pineapple Basil Granita? That one was a favorite. 

It's so fun to continue to incorporate basil into my cooking, outside of traditional savory recipes. Another favorite summer snack with an unexpected spiced twist is watermelon sprinkled with chai tea masala. (I buy this brand, or pick up a spice mixture from a local Middle Eastern grocery store).

Have any tips on unexpected herbal or spice flavor pairings? Comment and let me know so I can give it a try, too!

Buh-buh-buh-BEETS!

A combination of summer's finest seasonal ingredients, and my recent wanderings in Brighton Beach (known as "Little Russia" to the Brooklyn locals), has left me with a craving for beets.

Red, ripe, naturally sweet - I love them picked or steamed, in salads and soups. One of my favorite summer foods from my childhood was my mom's pickled eggs & beets, the eggs stained burgundy with the vinegary sweetness of the beet-infused pickling liquid.

This time, I whipped up a quick beet soup - it's super simple and, if you omit the yogurt or sour cream garnish, it's vegan too!

You'll Need:
2 medium sized red beets, peeled and diced into 1/2" cubes

1/2 one yellow onion, chopped

3-5 cloves garlic, chopped 

1tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 tsp lemon zest 

White pepper

Black pepper

Sea salt 

For the Garnish: 

Greek yogurt (or sour cream) 

Fresh dill (or parsley)

Add beets, onion, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper to a medium saucepan.
Fill with water just to the top of the beets, and bring to a boil.
Simmer until the beets are fork tender (the softness you'd want potatoes to be for mashed potatoes)
Add lemon zest just at the end, and remove from the heat.

Using a stick (immersion) blender, puree until smooth.
Garnish with Greek yogurt, or sour cream, and some fresh dill.
Enjoy!

      

Fruity

I'm currently in recovery mode from three weeks of decadent restaurant dining while my in-laws were visiting, so I decided to go with a salad tonight for dinner. Since so many delicious fruits are ripe and in season at the moment, I grabbed a few pears and peaches and topped off some Belgian endives with a honey & apple cider vinaigrette. Yummy and filling!

 I love grilling summer fruits. The natural sugars caramelize, and the sweetness is offset by a hint of smoke that adds just the right amount of savory flavor. 

Endive, Pear, and Grilled Peach Salad

- 6 leaves Belgian endives

- 1/2 Bartlett pear, sliced

- 1 ripe peach, thickly sliced

- 1 small persian cucumber, thinly sliced

- Several shavings of locatelli or parmesan cheese (bleu cheese crumbles would also work!)

- 3-5 very thin slices of cured salami (optional) 

For the dressing:

-1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

-1 tsp apple cider vinegar (I used Bragg's)

-1/2 tsp organic honey

-1/4 tsp brown mustard (to bind everything together)

Seasonal Eats

I try to keep my grocery shopping and diet in line with seasonal, local ingredients whenever possible. Summer and autumn may seem like the most exciting seasons for fresh produce, but I personally love winter! Winter is harvest time for cruciferous and root vegetables that I absolutely love, like brussel sprouts, kale, and beets. Contrary to popular belief, a lot of delicious veggies are available at this time of year. Below is a recipe for a super simple, super yummy beet soup that will warm (and fill) you up on the coldest of days.

I came up with this yummy creation yesterday, while experimenting with some Japanese black garlic I had bought. Black garlic is fermented and delicious, with a mild roasted garlic flavor and the sweetness of molasses. It can make an amazing salad dressing or aioli, or in this case, add tangy, earthy notes to round out my soup.

Roasted & Spiced Beet Soup

1 medium (3.5") beet, peeled and cut into 1/2" chunks
1 red onion, quartered
1 bell pepper, red or yellow, sliced into 1" thick strips
2 cloves raw garlic, sliced thinly
2 cloves black garlic (optional- substitute w/ 1 tsp molasses)
salt
pepper
cumin (I toasted and ground whole seeds, but powdered is OK if it is fresh)
chili powder
turmeric (optional - I added this for health benefits, not necessarily for flavor)
chili flakes (optional - I like a little spice in everything!)
olive oil
water

Place all of your vegetable, except garlic, on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil just enough to coat all vegetables evenly when mixed together, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes, or until beets are caramelized (shown below). Check on them frequently, as the peppers and onions may burn around the edges. If you need to turn the oven heat down to 350 to prevent burning, do so; the roasting will simply take longer.

Remove veggies from oven and transfer to large pot on stove.
If you are using whole spices, toast and grind 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds with 1 tsp chili powder, pepper flakes, peppercorns, sea salt and 1/2 tsp turmeric. If using ground spices, mix all together in ramekin or other small dish for easy addition to the soup.
Add 1/2 of your spice mixture to the vegetables and toss with  a wooden spoon to coat evenly. Over low heat, saute the vegetables while adding the raw and black garlic.
Once the aroma of the garlic begins to bloom, add filtered water the top of the vegetables. Do not completely submerge - some tips and ends of the veggies should be poking out of the water.
Cover and let simmer over low medium heat until the beets are fork tender. Taste the broth after about 10 minutes and add the remaining spices, or additional salt/pepper, to taste.
Once everything is well incorporated and cooked through, remove from heat and prepare to blend.
I used a stick (submersible) blender, but the blending could also take place in a high-powered blender or food processor, though the soup will have to be left to cool first before blending.
Try to use a deep pot for the blending, or you will be painting your kitchen walls beet red!
Blend until it is a creamy, thick soup without lumps. You may need to add a few tablespoons of water, if some liquid evaporated in the cooking process.
Garnish with fresh parsley, sour cream, or horseradish cream (sour cream or yogurt with horseradish mixed in).
Bon apetit!

Let me know if you tried and enjoyed this recipe, or if you have any other seasonal recipes you'd like to share, in the comments or by emailing me at disownedclothing@gmail.com!

Market Months

New York is chock full of amazing markets in the summer months. Local farmers, purveyors, artists and producers band together in different locations every day of the week to bring the concrete jungle a little bit of the gifts of the great outdoors. Immeasurable physical and social benefits in less than half of a city block, right at your fingertips.

This summer, I've challenged myself to avoid grocery stores. Other than purchasing non-grocery supplies, I haven't set foot in a "real" grocery store since the warm months began to give way to these bountiful outdoor markets. Seasonal, fresh, fruitful... what's not to love? My greatest feelings of accomplishment stem from making a really simple, delicious, amazing meal out of my semi-weekly finds. 

Need A Granita?

So.... This is pretty much the simplest dessert you can imagine, and is the perfect refreshing, healthy alternative to ice cream and other summer treats. The best part? 4 ingredients, and it basically makes itself. No special equipment necessary! 

PINEAPPLE, CITRUS, AND BASIL GRANITA

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cubed fresh pineapple

Juice of 1/2 a lemon 

1/2 tsp lemon zest

4-5 basil leaves

-Chiffonade basil

-Add all ingredients to blender

-Increase speed in increments until all ingredients are well blended 

-Strain liquid from blender into flat baking dish, not exceeding 12" in diameter

-Place dish in freezer

-Stir, break up, and mash mixture with a fork every 30-40 minutes until it is completely crystallized and can be fluffed with a fork 

-Transfer to lidded storage container, or serve immediately and enjoy! 

Happy summer:) 

Kale Yourself

Kale is my life right now.
I'm not new to the bandwagon, but I am on an extra kale-y kick this month, it seems.
I've been making juice, kale chips, braised kale, kale salads, kale soup....

I love to eat whatever is in season. Usually, though, I end up eating it so much that I'm sick of it after a few weeks. Which, in the summer months, is fine, because there are so many abundant different types of fruits and veggies this time of year.

Fresh is best!