In yoga, we’re supposed to let our combative thoughts leave the sanctuary. However, as I’m standing in the tadasana pose, thoughts of food bring comfort as well. Such thoughts are relaxing, right? During the last class, I planned a dinner of buttery, roast potatoes with a dollop of thick yogurt served with Harissa spiced Brazilian Collard Greens mixed with chickpeas. When a particular dish is craved, it’s my body recommending an ingredient that has a certain vitamin or nutrient it needs immediately. During that dripping wet bikram class, my body was begging for good fats and carbohydrates (carbs). After all, I was waking up quite early to run a few miles the next day. I love when my body needs plenty of carbs. The media and crazy diet plans have made people unnecessarily scared of carbs, but I embrace them wholeheartedly. Eating excessive carbs are one of the joys about maintaining a regular cardio workout, because they’re an essential energy boost. Read more
Pasta and Grains
Delicious recipes using whole-grains, such as rice, farro, wheat, couscous and quinoa–to increase the nutritional value of a healthy meal.
A Tale of Two Lasagnas
Food Bloggers visit other sites quite frequently to support, inspire, comment, and learn. I found Anjali Shah of The Picky Eater: A Healthy Food Blog, through another excellent food blog, The Duo Dishes. I remember leaving a comment on her site about being an inspiration. The voice of her food blog is of good spirits and full of adventure. She responds immediately to request a guest post for her site. “We’re really aligned in our food philosophies,” she reasons. After several emails are exchanged, we agree to collaborate on writing about lasagna. Both of our versions are relatively healthy, and they have plenty of vegetables and cheeses. Anjali’s version is an “Old World” traditional recipe with a classic tomato sauce, and my version is a “New World” traditional recipe sans the tomato sauce. To be historically accurate, both tomatoes and squash are ingredients from the “New World.” It’s the techniques and stories that separates our recipes, which makes them endearing and comforting to both of us. Read more
Roast Garlicky Butternut Squash with Chicken and Wheat Pasta
Tumblr.com is my new social media addiction. It’s not quite as addictive as Twitter or Facebook, but its slowly gaining popularity. Similar to my early experiences of using Twitter, it was quite boring. Now, I’m beginning to follow relevant people or organizations, such as Newsweek, NPR, MNBC.com and so forth. There are a few food blogs of interest. Last November, someone, who I wish to remember his or her name, recommended a book, The Gastronomy of Marriage by Michelle Maisto, who is a food blogger at The Market Report.com. The title sounds like an Italian Renaissance painting. The beauty is in the writing. To some, whose attention span is on par with today’s pop culture of instant trends coming and going in millisecond timeframes, Ms. Maisto is a relaxing read. Read more
The $50 Macaroni and Cheese Dish
The true worth of this dish depends on the storyteller. The parents dub this dish “The $50.00 Mac and Cheese,” as they mockingly add a few singsong “oohs” and “aahs” with snickering laughter. However, when I serve them the dish, there isn’t a word heard, because their mouths are full of cheesy pasta. Forks scraping the plates, glassware chiming, and lip smacking chewing sounds are the only audible sounds heard at the dinner table. Such sounds without words communicate an extremely successful dish. As the parents tell their side of the story, my smile is a forced patience. I have my opinion. This is my food blog, thus only one side to the three views is told. Read more
Ground Turkey and Spinach Stuffed Shells Baked in a Creamy Cheese Sauce
The boyfriend’s best friend’s wife’s family owns an olive oil business in Italy. Once a year the lovely couple crosses the Atlantic Ocean to visit her side of the family. This year, I humbly asked for just olive oil. They returned with a pound of cheese studded with crushed red pepper, olive oil (with the lot number handwritten on the container), and black olive pesto. They gave the gifts to the boyfriend, who casually said thank you, and delivered the package to me. His thank you was mild compared to my crazy delight. He would later call his friend about my excitement. To him it was just cheese, olive oil and a jar from Italy, but he was still genuinely thankful, regardless of the gift idea. He finally understood the value of these gifted ingredients when presented with a dish of Ground Turkey and Spinach Stuffed Shells Baked in a Creamy Cheese Sauce. Grazie e mangiare bene! Read more