On the way home from lunch on Friday, I took one of my friends to our local Trader Joe’s. She’s never been to one, and since it was on the way and I needed a few things, we made the stop.
One of the items on my shopping list was a re-supply of their 17 Bean & Barley Soup Mix I blogged about the other day. In fact, I bought several bags for my co-workers who asked me to pick a bag up for them.
I was shopping at Trader Joe’s several weeks ago, and I picked up a bag of 17 Bean & Barley Soup Mix. I was on a mission to begin stocking my pantry for the fall/winter, and I really wanted to move away from canned beans, which are loaded with sodium.
You’ll remember from earlier posts that beans are one of the most healthy and economical things you can eat. Just 1/4 cup of this mix contains 52% of your daily fiber requirement. For vegetarians, beans are also a wonderful and much-needed source of protein. I know beans are not the most popular thing to eat, and some people are down right afraid of them.
This weekend will mark the end of the summer. Even though school started today in my area, I’ve always felt like summer hangs on until Labor Day. After that, the leaves start falling, cool weather returns, and I start thinking about soups, stews, and heartier fare. I can’t wait! Don’t get me wrong, I love summer. But fall is my favorite time of the year.
About this time last year, I learned about a great program called the 21 Day Vegan Kickstart. Produced by a team of experts led by Dr. Neal Barnard, the kickstart is a great way to explore changing your diet. There are on-line cooking demonstrations, meal plans, recipes, and basic health tips that will change the way you look at food. I participated last year, and I continue to reap the benefits of this new way of eating. Please look around their website.
Over the last couple of trips to the local Farmer’s Market, I’ve been eyeing they array of tomatoes at the various tables. Yesterday, I decided to take the plunge and bought two pounds of the heirloom variety known as Yellow Brandywine. The farmer told me that they were slightly sweet and less acidic compared to the red varieties. Since Yellow Pear tomatoes are one of my all time favorites, I was pretty sure I would like these too. I was right.
When I got home, I jumped on-line to find out a bit more about heirloom tomatoes. I bet you didn’t know that over 80% of the tomato varieties that were around in the 1940’s are now extinct. Thankfully, a few wise tomato lovers started saving seeds, and now we get the juicy benefit of their forethought.
Several weeks ago, I was shopping at a Walmart Supercenter with a college student. He was helping me buy food for a college retreat we were setting up. This young man has several relatives with diabetes in his immediate family, and he’s become more aware of the importance to taking care of himself. It’s been great for me, since I bounce a lot of stuff off him, including the feel of this blog. He has great insights.
As we were picking up things on our shopping list, we both paid close attention to the food labels, choosing healthier and less prepared items. At one point, we stopped and I asked him to look around at the people with us in the store. If there was a person there who was not overweight, we didn’t see them. Both of us were shocked. I’m quite sure if you did this little experiment in a grocery store or mall near you, the scene would be pretty much the same. What has happened?
By now, you’ve figured out that I have a growing addiction to all these cooking shows that are on cable. Tonight, it was the season finale of The Next Food Network Star. You’ll have to find out who got their own show, but this last episode was pretty engaging. I didn’t watch the show each week, but just catch it from time to time.
The funny thing is, I’m not interested in most of the food that is prepared on these shows. I don’t eat that way anymore, and a lot of it is “heart attack on a plate” kind of stuff. So, if it’s not the food, what is it?
A year ago this weekend, I became a vegetarian. Based on the research that’s currently out there, many illnesses, including Type II diabetes, can be reversed in most patients when they switch to a this type of diet.
Just because the experts tout the benefits of something doesn’t make it easy. I wasn’t convinced, mainly because I didn’t want to give up something that I really enjoy. I decided that I would pray about it while I was on my annual silent retreat. Before heading out to the retreat center, I went to Mass at my church. As it turned out, the celebrant was Fr. Hector. Prior to becoming a priest, he had been a world-class chef, even landing the job as the personal chef to the President of Columbia! This man knows food.
For all those who are looking for something to do with your bumper crop of tomatoes, I’ve posted some new appetizer and main course recipes. There’s also a wonderful new salad from sunny Sicily. I think you’ll enjoy them all as much as my friends and I did Saturday night.
For dessert, I simply took four ripe peaches, peeled and sliced, and mixed them together with a pint of local blackberries. Add a teaspoon of lemon juice to keep the peaches from turning brown and a teaspoon of agave nectar for extra sweetness before covering and putting chilling in the refrigerator. Spoon into four bowls and add your favorite biscotti cookie to each, and it’s summer perfection in a dish:)
Lately, it’s been too hot and humid to sit outside in the evenings. I guess I’ve just gotten too used to air conditioning:( Last night, the weather being nice, I had the chance to have dinner under my pergola with some friends. Just about everything we ate came from my local farmer’s market, and it was all delicious. The red wine was a gift from a previous guest. It complemented the food perfectly.
As I was contemplating becoming a vegetarian, I worried that I would never eat good food again. I thought that I would get bored really quickly and go back to eating meat. As everyone who follows my blog knows, this decision was as much spiritual as it was health-related. That it was the right decision for me I have no doubt.
When you go without something you like, I think you savor what you do have even more. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed the baby eggplants I found on one of the farmer’s tables. I’m just sorry I can’t remember the name! They were lavender in color, just about three inches long and about an inch wide. I cut them down the middle, doused them in olive oil, and sprinkled some garlic powder all over. They cooked on the grill quickly, less than two minutes on each side. I served them as an appetizer, and let me tell you, they were fantastic. My dinner companions enjoyed them as much as I did. What fun to try something new and unusual.
I guess I better confess… I’ve got an addiction… I’m hooked on the TV reality show, Top Chef. Sorry if I scared you 🙂
I first started watching when I found out one of our local chefs was competing. As it turned out, he lost, but the whole concept of a bunch of chefs showing their culinary mastery week after week was fascinating to me, and I kept coming back for more.
This past spring, I had the chance to visit Volt, the restaurant owned by chef Bryan Voltaggio. He was the runner-up on Season 6, ultimately losing to his brother Michael. Well, let’s just say it was one of the best meals I ever had.