Don’t be scared of vegetables

Growing up, I rarely ate vegetables. I had the occasional side of corn or peas, yes, but it never stemmed (pun intended) far from that. Some of my family’s favorite dinner conversations were my mom’s horror stories about “Vegetable of the Week." She and her siblings were forced to eat poorly cooked, un-flavorful, often mushy vegetables one day every week. No wonder she didn’t pass down a love of vegetables to her kids... Vegetables, to me, were something to be scared of and certainly not something to enjoy.

Vegetables were what grown-ups ate at parties when they were on a diet. They somehow managed to pass up the homemade, double layered, oozing-with-chocolate-sauce brownies for a sad looking tray of store-bought veggies. If they’re laid out in a pretty circle, they taste better... right? Maybe so, but not for me. Veggies were scary.

India taught me to love vegetables. I recently traveled to India for two months in what was a life-changing study abroad trip. I am thankful for my experience for many reasons, one of which is the broadening of my food horizons.

India is a majority Hindu nation and one of the major principles of Hinduism is abstinence from meat. There are about 500 million vegetarians in India and most restaurants are either labeled as “veg” or “non-veg” for the practicality of consumer choices.

Needless to say, India was a great place to acquaint myself with vegetables. I had vegetables at almost every meal… and not just peas and corn. I ate cauliflower, okra, spinach, zucchini, mushroom, carrots, radishes, yam… the list goes on. A hella ton of veggies. Certainly more than I’d ever consumed in my lifetime.

India is also famous for its delicious spices. Almost all Indian dishes are smothered in spicy sauces (my spice tolerance seriously shot through the roof). This made for some seriously delicious veggie dishes… something I never thought I’d say.

When I got back from my trip, I was ready to tackle the dining hall with a newfound appreciation for vegetables and the readiness to take on the vegetarian options they had. Worst idea ever. When I asked for a big plate of cauliflower (one of my personal favs in India), I got an overcooked, flavorless, translucent pile of mush. I suddenly remembered why I used to be scared of vegetables.

But I didn’t want to give up all the delicious veggie dishes that I had discovered in India, so I took matters in my own hands. I was still hankering for some cauliflower, so I did a little search on the Google machine and found a recipe for roasted cauliflower with red chili, cilantro, and lime. It. Was. Fantastic. Faith in veggies restored!

Here is my version of the recipe, with a few minor tweaks to the original. I urge you to try it, even if you don’t like cauliflower, or even if you’re still scared of veggies. If I, meatatarian extraordinaire, can become a veggie lover... anyone can.

Roasted cauliflower with red chili, cilantro, and lime

Since I mainly cook for myself (plus leftovers) I chose to only use half of a head of cauliflower, but if you’re feeling ambitious or extra-hungry, go crazy and make the whole head! Just double the recipe.

What you'll need: 

• 1/2 head of a large cauliflower, or 1 head small cauliflower
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp powdered cumin
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1/4ish lime, juiced
• salt to taste

What you need to do:  

Preheat oven to 300 F. Separate the florets from the cauliflower and toss them in a bowl with the garlic, chile powder, cumin, salt & olive oil until they’re well coated.

Spread the deliciously seasoned cauliflower in a shallow roasting pan, then put it in the conveniently pre-heated oven for about 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally to ensure even cooking and crispiness on the outside (don’t want to miss out on the crispies).

When your cauliflower is done cooking, take it out of the oven (duh). Dress it with lime juice for an extra kick of flavor and sprinkle it with cilantro to make it look fancy. It’ll impress your friends. 

The end result is a super flavorful, healthy side dish that I find pairs particularly well with Mexican dishes because of the chili and cilantro. 

Note: If you wanna get crazy, I’m sure you could try this with broccoli or add a little onion if you want to make it sweeter! I just like to stick to cauliflower when I’m reminiscing about India.

Enjoy!

So please, take my word for it. You don’t have to take a trip to the other side of the world to realize that veggies can be delicious. Stick to your kitchen- it's a whole lot cheaper. 

Original recipe here. 

Vegetable picture sources here and here.

Valentine's Day is yummy

OH EM GEE VALENTINES DAY IS THE BEST… kidding. But it is a really good excuse to make some delicious food and eat a lot of chocolate, so I’m not complaining.

This year, our school had a special opportunity for students to use their food points to buy chocolate covered strawberries. The choices were to buy either a ½ dozen or 1 dozen strawberries, so naturally, I bought 2 dozen. The cashier looked at me, seemingly disgusted and confused, until she realized that I *must* be giving one dozen to a special someone. She kindly pointed that out to me, and it got a little awkward when I responded, “Uh, no… they’re all for me.” But hey, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.

In order to celebrate, my roomie and I had a super romantic dinner date. What was on the menu? Well steak, duh, with a rosemary/thyme butter sauce and sautéed mushrooms, a side of asparagus with onions & mushrooms, and a little homemade applesauce to add some sweetness.

If you aren’t sure how best to prepare your steak, check out this article; it gives a pretty good breakdown and will help you look like you know what you’re doing. Key points: 1) Choose a good piece of meat. 2) Prep is important- use salt to soak up moisture and create a nice crust on the outside. 3) Don’t be afraid to use a lot of butter and herbs to add flavor. And most importantly… 4) cover up the fire detector with something. This is not a joke. Not that I would know from experience or anything… but the alarm will go off if you ignore that step.

But really, this is all so important. Poorly prepared steak is a deal breaker. I can’t help but cringe when someone orders steak… “well-done”… *shudder*. " As they note in the article, "Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is a perfect medium-rare."

Then for dessert, we had a flourless chocolate cake. It was very dense, like a mix between chocolate cake and fudge... aka to die for. In order to cut through the intensity of the rich chocolate, I added some sliced bananas. In the future, I'll probably experiment with a raspberry sauce or maybe even some coconut/lime to add acidity. This is the recipe that I used, with only minor adjustments of halving the amount of honey and adding a teaspoon of arrowroot powder to give it a bit more cake-y consistency.

The most important side dish we had? Mood music. Don’t forget it.

So whether you’re cooking for friends or for someone special, use Valentine’s Day as an excuse to get fancy with food. Have a meal with the people you care about, served with a side (or two) of chocolate and a glass of red wine. Good food leads to happy hearts. Happy hearts lead to... who knows what.

Ps: If you really feel like you need a boyfriend on V-Day, this is the article for you. 

Crockpot applesauce

What was your favorite Christmas present this year? I bet it wasn’t as cool as mine- I got a crockpot. Yeah that’s right, a crockpot. My friends sometimes call me Grandma, but it’s ok, because crockpots are seriously the best. Throw some food together, come back hours later and you have a meal? Magic.

So, the crockpot enthusiast in me got a little too excited when apples went on sale at the local produce stand. I had a perfect excuse to make homemade applesauce! 

Those little cups of applesauce were one of my staple childhood snacks (like most kids of the 90s), but I never really liked them. Something about the texture really freaked me out and it tasted fairly bland. 

Then, when I was 13, my eyes were opened to just how delicious applesauce could be. I had just gotten my wisdom teeth removed and a friend of mine (Kathy Yang, shoutout to you if you're reading this) made a delivery to me in my drugged-up state so I could enjoy some liquid food. It was amazing. 

Even though it sounds fancy making applesauce from scratch, it turns out making applesauce is one of the simplest things I've ever made. As long as you have a little patience and a good soundtrack to listen to, you'll be all set. I feel bad even listing it as a recipe, because you really just throw all the ingredients in the crockpot and walk away… but here it is.

What you’ll need:

• 4 lbs. apples (~10 apples, enough to fill your crockpot, enough to make a little apple pyramid… however you like to measure 'em is fine)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh is always better)
• 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon, depending on how cinnamon-y you like it
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¼ cups water

What you need to do:

1. Peel and slice all of the apples… this takes a while. Bring out your speakers and get some good jams going (Frozen soundtrack anyone? I was able to listen to the whole thing through once). When you’re done, dump them in the crockpot.

2. Stir together the water, cinnamon, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt. Pour it over the apples.

3. Go do something fun for 6-8 hours while the apples cook on low. When you come back, stir the apples with a wooden spoon. All done! Enjoy this homemade, delicious treat.

(4). If you want a smoother finished product, you can blend the applesauce after its done cooking. I personally like the bits of apple you get when you just stir it up instead.

Note #1: Don’t have a crockpot? What are you doing with your life, go get one. Kidding, you can just bring all the ingredients to a boil in a pot then let it simmer for half an hour. That'll work too. You also are probably a more sane, less Grandma-y person than me, so props to you. 

Note #2: I used a mix of Pink Lady, Gala, and Fuji apples and it was delicious, but feel free to use whatever apples you like. Some may be more tart and some sweeter, it’s just personal preference.

This applesauce ended up tasting pretty similar to apple pie filling. Aka delicious. I might use some of it in a baking experiment... but that's only if I don't eat it all first. 

This is me, eating everything in reach

The Whole 30

IT’S OVER. IT’S OVER, IT’S OVER, IT’S FINALLY OVER. What’s over? The Whole30. Thirty of the longest, mostly enjoyable, and sometimes grueling days in which I ultimately learned what foods I have to eat (and not eat) in order to feel healthy and clean.

It’s hard to stay healthy while traveling. Routines aren’t regular, eating out is the norm, and it’s always time to “treat yo-self” because travel is special. I’ve been out of the country for the better part of the last year, so this has been my life. I travelled to and ate my way through France, India, and the East coast (and loved every minute of it). 

My favorite part of France

However, at the end of all this travel, I felt unhealthy and knew that I needed to make a change. I did some (extensive) research and decided to try out the Whole 30.  

Don’t know what the Whole30 is? Don’t worry, I didn’t either. It’s essential Paleo, with some minor adjustments. Basically, I didn’t eat dairy, grains, legumes, added sugars, or any processed foods for thirty days. But I don’t like to focus on those things. I like to focus on what I did get to eat. For thirty days, I ate *real* food. I ate meat (I channeled my inner Ron Swanson, big time), seafood, eggs, tons of vegetables, some fruit, and plenty of good fats from fruits, oils, nuts and seeds.

During these past thirty days, I experimented with more food that I have in my lifetime and ignited a passion for cooking. I’ve learned to love vegetables and I’ve prepared eggs in more ways than I thought was possible. Not to brag, but I’ve made some damn good food.

Looking back, it was a decision that I’m so glad that I made. Now that I’m done, I have discovered that I’m lactose intolerant (I feel kind of dumb that it took me 20 years to look into the excessive stomach aches…), I sleep better, and I feel better about how I look- the drop in pant size was a nice surprise by the end of the month. 

I didn’t experience any of the drastic results that some of the testimonials describe, but I think that was due to the limitations that I faced because I’m a poor college student. Eating real food is expensive, so I couldn’t afford to prepare three homemade meals a day as is recommended. When I had to eat at the school’s dining hall, I couldn’t be sure that I was following the guidelines of the Whole30. Even if I made good choices by turning down the chocolate chip cookies, I couldn’t know for sure that there wasn’t any added sugar on the chicken they were serving, or that there wasn’t soy sauce in the salad dressing. But hey, I tried.

So even with the occasional slips, I experienced enough positive changes to realize the powerful role that food plays in my physical and mental happiness. I encourage you to experiment with the food you are eating in order to find out how you can feel your best. Giving up a few slices of bread is a small price to pay for feeling clean. That being said… I sure am excited to have cheese again.

For those who are interested in learning more about the Whole30, here’s a link to their website. http://whole30.com/ The book “It Starts with Food” was a great, informational, inspiring read.