Food Prep this week

By Elizabeth Prata

Good morning! I've got some cooking going on. People tell me they really enjoy the Facebook posts on food prep and the blog essays on cooking. Thank you! I decided to expand it a little and share my reasoning for why I cook the things I do. :)

This is the last week I'm on the elimination FODMAP diet to see what is causing the IBS. Monash University in Australia has made a scientific breakthrough regarding foods that give people trouble who suffer from IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). I've given up gluten, having become intolerant to it. The doctor told me that there are 3 levels of food issues, sensitive, intolerant, and allergic. I have a family member with Celiac disease (allergic to gluten) and over the years I've developed an intolerance to gluten myself. So I gave up all gluten/wheat food items.

I am also intolerant of lactose. So I gave that up too. No more yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit for dessert, just fruit. I can get lactose-free milk at my regular grocery store. I can get lactose free yogurt too, but it's prohibitively expensive  and a lower cost than l-f yogurt. There is no l-f cottage cheese where I shop so that's that. I was still having issues adn I was really stumped. My doctor put me onto this Monash-FODMAP issue and it seems to be the answer for me.

I'll be excited to see which foods will be added back into my diet now that the elimination of foods containing FODMAPs have been taken out. And yes, when I took out the gluten it helped, and the elimination of lactose helped. But I wasn't completely free of bowel issues, and the FODMAP elimination helped resolve it.

But FODMAPs cover such a wide range of foods that it's not wise nor practical to eliminate all of them from one's diet forever. So there's an important step 2: after a suitable time on the eliiation diet to let the bowel and digestive system rest, now add back in small groups of FODMAP foods under controlled conditions to see what is causing the irritation in the digestive system. Click on the link above to learn about foods containing FODMAPs.

 Meanwhile, this week's food prep-

MAIN DISHES/PROTEINS

-Lentil soup with mustard greens, carrots, garden green peppers, and celery. Curry spices. This'll be for lunch every day.

-Fresh green beans with tofu cubes, teriyaki sauce and crushed peanuts on top. Tofu is a versatile and inexpensive protein. It also has the advantage of keeping longer uncooked than seafood or meat.

-Shrimp was on sale at Kroger so I bought half a pound, about 20 medium-large shrimp. This yields 4 servings, or about 50 cents per protein meal. I try to keep my protein servings under $1 each. I'll eat them cold with spinach salad.

--Crabcake with mustard greens and a potato on the side. A prepared stuffed crab at Kroger is $1. I cooked a bunch of potatoes in the crock pot yesterday. Add some potatoes to the crock with a half cup of water, turn on high, and they cook pillow soft in about two hours. You don't even have to spear them, just wash and put in. Now I have potatoes for the week without having to heat up the kitchen boiling them for a long time. Forget about baking them, it's too hot to turn on the oven in GA in August.

SIDES/VEGGIES

--I've been gifted 3 garden eggplants. I'll saute them with mushrooms and a can of tomatoes for a kind of hash. You can add this to spaghetti (or spaghetti squash), add rice, put on crusty bread with mozzarella, throw some greens in it (I prefer spinach with eggplant) or just eat as a side dish.

--Homemade hummus*. Chick peas are low FODMAP friendly! Cut up carrots & celery for dipping. Or rice crackers.

-Groats for breakfast. These are the whole oat. They are chewy and filling. Think the consistency of wild rice. I add strawberries or blueberries with lactose free milk. I love it cold! But you can heat it too for a healthy low carb, low fat, no-gluten breakfast! (1/2 cup serving of groats is 15 carbs, milk is 15 more).

FRUIT/DESSERT

-Notwithstanding the illegal donut I had on Friday, my desserts are usually fruit. This week I have strawberries, blueberries, grapes, a few mandarin oranges left from last week, and pineapple.

SNACKS

Popcorn, almonds, peanuts, slice of turkey, rice crackers with peanut butter, cheese (cheddar or other aged cheeses are more easily tolerated for lactose sensitive or intolerant folks than fresh cheeses). Drinks: Fizzy water, cold hibiscus tea, hot peppermint tea, coffee.

*Lower FODMAP Hummus recipe:

1 14.5 ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 TB water
4 TB lemon juice
2 TB peanut butter (this substitutes for Tahini)
2TB garlic infused olive oil (I dont' have this so I skipped it. DOn't be afraid to skip or change the recipe to your preference)
1 teasp sesame oil (I didn't have this either. No worries)
1/2 teas salt (I like less salt).

Measure ingredients into a bowl of a blender or food processor. Process till smooth, adding a little extra oil if necessary. Chill until serving. Servings: 8 (Sorry, I can't find how big 1 serving is...:(

Best Food Movies!

Now that I've recovered from my turkey-stuffing-green beans-sweet potatoes-cranberry-roll-apple spice cake Thanksgiving dinner, and the obligatory leftovers of turkey-cranberry sandwich on toasted rye with sweet potatoes on the side, let's discuss the best food movies ever!

I blogged about Jiro Dreams of Sushi at my other blog, from a Christian perspective. But if you want to every detail of sushi from the buying to the preparing to the eating, and see a lovely, incredible art form of making sushi at its world highest level, this movie is for you. You WILL be hungry for sushi after.

Babette's Feast. (In Dutch with subtitles) I saw this when it first came out in 1987. It is so hard to believe it has been that long. Sigh. Anyway, it is an amazing movie. As Epicurious.com describes the film:

Almost a quarter-century after the film's release, the culminating scene of this quietly urgent Danish drama still stands as the most beautifully rendered depiction of a lavish meal ever committed to celluloid. But it's not just spectacle for spectacle's sake: The triumphant banquet sequence also communicates volumes about the movie's central theme, the eternal tug-of-war between self-denial and sensual gratification.

Big Night: two Italian brothers in 1950s NJ run a restaurant that's failing. The elder brother (Tony Shaloub) mourns that the locals do not appreciate his delicate touch, while the younger (Stanley Tucci) persistently trues to convince his brother to try new approaches. They pin their last hopes on cooking for Louis Prima.

Kings of Pastry: once every four years French pastry competition. Lovely artistic sugar creations! Coupled with the drama and heartbreak of competition. It's gripping and absorbing...and beautiful.

The Moo Man- Yes, it is about milk. Wikipedia, "The film focusses on a small dairy farm run by Steve Hook, which produces and sells raw, unpasteurised organic milk. Near Hailsham, Sussex, Longleys Farm is situated on the Pevensey Levels. The farm was started by Steve's father Phil, who is still involved in the business, and who also features in the film, along with Steve's wife and four children. The film covers Steve's struggles to keep the 55-head-herd farm afloat in the face of the power of the supermarkets, and shows his close relationship with his cows, especially Ida, a 12-year-old Friesian. The documentary was filmed over four years." It sounds boring. It isn't.

Garlic is as Good as Ten Mothers: documentary is an ode to "the stinking rose". As the reviewer in IMDBcom said, "This is a very good movie about garlic with shots from the Gilroy Garlic Festival and lots of good information about cooking with garlic from some of the best cooks in the SF Bay Area. I view this as a comprehensive guide to garlic provided in a very entertaining fashion. "

The Restauranteur: IMDB, "A film about the grueling construction of not one but two world class restaurants. We follow Danny Meyer, arguably the most successful restaurateur in America. Our cameras follow the creation of Eleven Madison Park and Tabla during the hellish eleven month construction process. Meyer imparts his business and restaurant philosophy while trying to keep his cool. Jumping back to the future, 2009, we learn how the restaurants have evolved, EMP receiving a coveted four stars by The New York Times. The title card sparked cheers in the audience at The Sonoma Film Festival, where the film was awarded Best Documentary - Food." It's really fascinating to get an insider view of what it's like to build and maintain a restaurant, and the restaurateur's philosophy of the food/dining experience. Look for a young Tom Colicchio- with hair.

Other films with food as an important plot point but not about food per se are Mystic Pizza with a young Julia Roberts and Bagdad Cafe with CCH Pounder, Jack Palance and Marianne Sägebrecht. For sheer quirk-to-food information ratio, you can't beat either of those movies.

TV show- The Supersizers Go... A BBC production of food history in Britain. Restaurant critic Giles Coren and comedian Sue Perkins live and eat their way through the cuisine of six different eras in Britain's history. The duo are seen by a doctor prior, then they eat, live, and dress as if they were actually living in the era (Edwardian, Restoration, WWII, Elizabethan, 1970s, and Regency. My favorite episodes were the 70s and Wartime (WWII). After ward they are seen by a doctor again and some of the eras provide surprising results as to how healthy or unhealthy their diet was. The Restoration era offered some truly sickening food but it was normal to the people living at the time. I mean, Lamb's face?  And worse. They pair gamely eat all of it. Extremely interesting, and also very entertaining!

BBQ tofu and other adulterations

I had a good week at school. Times of productivity punctuated by a one day stomach bug that rendered me catatonic in pajamas. The weather is crazy, a 73 degree day followed by a freeze warning followed by chilly rain and threat of sleet followed by warm weather again. Turbulent spring, O how I love the coming tornado season. But I do love the daffodils and bluebells blooming already. The forsythia is coming. In Maine, Feb-March were definitely winter months so the fact that spring comes so early here, at least compared to New England, is a never-ending source of joy.

When I arrived home on Friday I had a burst of energy and I cooked. I made pineapple-sour cream muffins, chocolate covered strawberries, and BBQ tofu. I know that last one seems a total adulteration of everything that's holy in the South regarding meat, BBQ, and food in general, but hey, meatless is the new meat. Or something.

I like the pineapple-sour cream muffins because not only do they taste good, but the recipe isn't sweet. It only uses a bit of sugar and relies on the fruit for sweetness and moisture. I also like it because it requires few ingredients, and those are ones I am likely to have on hand. Finally, they're easy to make. Here is the recipe from Food.com

I bought a flat of strawberries at the last Bountiful Basket day. Eight packets of huge and luscious strawberries! I gave one away and I'm left with 7 to get through before they go bad, not very hard for me, a berry lover. The last packet and a half I dipped in chocolate. I had never melted chocolate but it wasn't hard and making them is very easy, and they look like they were a lot more effort than they were. Fancy too.

I had a package of tofu and rather than the Asian marinade I've been using I thought I'd try honey BBQ. Maybe the South is rubbing off on me. The Romaine made a nice cool crunch against the tang of the tofu I'd baked. I had roasted broccoli on the side, again, another veggie I'd gotten at Bountiful Basket day.

The bowl is Shenandoah ware, a wide and shallow bowl I use for everything, absolutely everything. I have three of them, though one is pretty cracked and I'll have to stop using it soon. I love them and would buy more if I cam across some. It is the Daffodil pattern.

I'm pleased to report that Murray the new kitty is growing up some. He isn't so much of a maniac at night, though the is more fond of wires and plugs than I'd like him to be. I've awakened several times this week to find a tiny lump sleeping peacefully next to me rather than lamps overturned or curtains askew, and he is learning not to use his claws to get my attention. He is growing up just fine.

Today is supposed to be 69 to 70 degrees and sunny. The birds are back and I enjoy them lots. I'll open the front door for more light to stream in and the windows for some fresh air. I'll go out and look for some more wildflowers later when the ground firms up a bit from the muddy mess the last two days of drenching rain had rendered it. I suspect a nap is in my future too. Because what is a weekend without a nap?

Merry Christmas, you chitlin!

The reason for the season is Jesus.
And eating. Down south, the local grocery store's flyer this week:


Chitterlings, sometimes spelled chitlins in vernacular, are the intestines and rectum of a pig that have been prepared as food. They are a type of offal.

Offal don't begin to say it.

Things you will not hear me say at Christmas dinner: "Please pass the chitlins."

'But they're pre-cleaned!'

Where's Andrew Zimmern when you need him?!"

Southern humor

Here in Georgia I cover a local elected board for the local daily newspaper. They meet once a month. There are 4 councilors and a mayor in this tiny town of less than 500.

So the other night they were discussing changing an ordinance to allow them the flexibility to set mileage and food/hotel reimbursement rates by resolution instead of having to change the whole ordinance every time the mileage rates change. They all struggled to remember when the last time was that anyone even went abroad (out of county) and asked to be reimbursed for food or hotel. The Mayor slapped a Councilor’s leg who was sitting next to him, and said:

Mayor: You went to Savannah for that training thing. How much did you pay for food?

Councilor: I don’t remember. Not much.

Mayor: [Winking] I bet you ate steak ev’ry night.

Councilor: No suh. I got the cheapest thing on the menu. Sometimes I just walked by the exhaust fan at Huddle House and inhaled.