Presidents for School Food.

My mom is at the US School Nutrition Association Legislative Action Conference this week in Washington D.C. The purpose of this conference is for school nutrition professionals to come together and not only learn about the policy issues that are being addressed by Congress, but also get a chance to lobby to the US Representatives and Senators about school nutrition issues that are relevant to their state and district.
After talking to her about the fun things like the Lincoln memorial and the how cool meeting members of Congress were I decided I should look up some of the policies she will be advocating for this week. Some of the most interesting to me was the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-296), which would provide for a significant increase in funding for school lunches for schools that meet certain nutrition standards. It also provides funding for several new demonstration and performance based programs.
School lunch is something we need to invest in. Sometimes it is the only meal a child will get. I am so proud of my mom for being part of a program that wants to implement healthy food practices in children and making a postitive impact on their lives. School lunch is something that impacts us all, even Bill Clinton.

Come to Mama

Oh happy day, Mommy has come to town! In honor of the birth of her first.. and only.. born daughter, my mother made the long trek from Port Townsend to Bellingham during the frigid month of February. As usual, the visit was too much fun, too brief and filled with sooo much food. When else can a penniless college student afford to eat out at all of her favorite local spots?
The trip started off with a bang when good ol' mum showed up with the best goody basket, full of all my favorite Port Townsend items.. I was needless to say, giddy as a school girl. Honestly, does an egg taste as creamy or a beer as crisp than when it come from your own back yard? I have already written recently on The Foodivas about my opinion regarding locally produced food, but I just cant get enough of it! My recent obsession may be partly fueled by adventure through Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Either way, I was ecstatic by the present. What's that, did you just ask what was in that fantastic basket of joy? Well I am glad you asked. Here it was as follows:

TWO DOZEN EGGS FROM THE FAMILY HENS

SALMON MY FAMILY CAUGHT ON THE PENINSULA, FILLETS, SMOKED AND CANNED.
MORE DEER, STEAKS AND ROASTS. 














PORT TOWNSEND BEER, BREAD, CHEESE AND COFFEE

PAPRIKA! This label is not lying. Oddly enough my mother sniffs (not to be confused with snorts) this when she has congested sinuses. She says it works like a charm, then precedes to sneeze for the next few minutes.

Pour some suga on me...

The Foodivas decided to try our hand a desserts for this meeting. Conflicting schedules, tons of homework, and way to much work forced the Foodivas to have a late meeting. What a perfect time to divulge into the sins of sweets. The night was such a success with stuffing our bodies with sweets that the next day was "sugar-free" for most of us!

For my adventuresome food undertaking of the week, I decided to attempt some gluten free baking. Chocolate. Black bean. Brownies.  WOO! Within recent years I have noticed an increasing amount of gluten sensitivity present within my friend/family group. Since I do love to cook and cook for those I love, I have recently decided to become more adaptive in my cooking techniques to accommodate for this condition. It seems to me that gluten allergies and incidences of people living with Celiac Disease are surprisingly common within the U.S. After doing some poking around on the internet I found some figures, which estimate that one out of 133 people in the US experience Celiac Disease (http://www.celiac.org).

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Celiac Disease, it is an autoimmune disease and stems from unknown causes which make those who suffer from it unable to process the gluten proteins found in wheat. When people with Celiac Disease eat foods containing gluten it creates a reaction within their body that damages the small intestine. 

Fortunately, a wide variety of substitutes exist for wheat when baking (including black beans which I used in my brownies, mmm!) A couple common substitutes for traditional wheat are soy and rice flour. Although the consistency of these products are not the same as traditional wheat, with some tweaking the goods can turn out just as good or dare I say, even better.

Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 4 eggs
• 16 ounces chocolate syrup
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 tbsp butter
• 6 tbsp milk
• 1 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Processs

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Grease a 9x9 baking pan
• Mix Together 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup butter, eggs, chocolate syrup, and flour.
• Spread batter into pan
• Bake for 25-30 minutes

Optional frosting

• combine 6 tbsp of butter, milk, and 1/4 cup sugar in saucepan. 
• Stir and boil for 3 minutes. 
• Add 1 cup of chocolate chips and stir over low heat until melted. 
• Frost cooled brownies ASAP so the frosting does not melt.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients

• 2/3 cup butter flavored shortening
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1tsp salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Process

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, cream together shortening, butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth
• Beat in the eggs one at a time
• Stir in vanilla.
• Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into creamed mixture.
• Stir in the chocolate chips.
• Use a measuring tbsp to round dough balls
• Place on ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes.
• Cool for 2-3 minutes before removing from baking sheets. 

White Chocolatini
Ingredients 

• 1 1/2 oz. vanilla vodka
• 1 oz Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur
• 2 oz cream
• dark chocolate shavings for garnish

Process

• Pour vodka, godiva, and cream into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
• Shake well.
• Strain into a chilled glass
• Garnish with dark chocolate shavings.

Berry Parfait 
Ingredients

• strawberries
• blueberries
• whipped cream

Process

• Cut washed strawberries into halves
• Layer blueberries, strawberries, and whipped cream into a tall glass. 

Chocolate Black Bean Brownies
Ingredients

• 1 can organic black beans
• 1/4 cup peruvian coco powder
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 white sugar
• 1/2 tbsp baking powder
• 3 eggs
• 1tsp salt
• 3tbsp coffee
• 2tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup apple sauce

Process

• Preheat oven to 350F
• combine all ingredients
• spread into a 9x9 greased pan
• bake for 25 minutes
• allow to cool

Grease Monkey

In order to delve more deeply into the project known as the Foodivas, I ventured to my local campus library to pick up some relevant reading material- some food for my brain if you will. The item I had set out to acquire was a copy of Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle which chronicles her family’s year long mission of living local. Described as part memoir, part journalistic investigation, it tells the tale of their attempts to gather as much food as possible from their backyard and nearby farms.

After only flipping through the first couple pages of my new reading material I came upon an excerpt from Steven L. Hopp entitled Oily Food that reminded me of the importance of buying local from a national perspective. “If every U.S. citizen ate just one meal a week (any meal) composed of locally and organically raised meats and produce, we would reduce our country’s oil consumption by over 1.1 million barrels of oil every week.” It’s easy to forget when you are staring your at your scrumptious avocado (that probably came from Mexico) how far that little food item had to travel just so you can have some guac on the side.

I can think of an instance just today when I was faced with a food mile dilemma. Earlier this afternoon I decided to get my legs in gear and walk down to the local co-op to purchase some food items I would need for the week. As I made my way through the produce department, taking my sweet time as anyone who has ever been grocery shopping with me would tell you I so often do, I spotted the cute little zucchinis I had been looking for. I must tell you as a precursor to this that I had been at Fred Meyer previously and had foregone purchasing produce so I could get local/organic from my favorite co-op. I had made my way over to the prize and was holding one in my hand admiring how petite the little number was when I looked down and to my dismay noticed where my zucchini was actually from. To my extreme disappointment it was not local in the slightest, in fact I would say it was the most anti-local zucchini I had seen- it had originated in Mexico. It’s almost laughable how far food has to travel to the local co-op (which is supposed to embody responsible food choices, right?) just so consumers, myself included, can enjoy their favorite foods in the off season. Well anyway, in case you are bursting at the seams to know, did she or didn’t she? She didn’t. I could not bring myself to buy the three times more expensive zucchini which came from some place where I have never even been. 

If the age old saying is true- you are what you eat, I think I have come to the conclusion that we are all just a bunch of grease monkeys.

Kingsolver, Barbara, Steven L. Hopp, and Camille Kingsolver. Animal, vegetable, miracle: a year of food life. New York: HarperCollins, 2007.

Amici cena e divertimento

Bell Pepper Pasta
Ingredients:
1 stick of butter
1 large yellow onion
1 yellow pepper
1 orange pepper
1 red pepper
Dash of cream or half and half
2 tbsp flour
1 cup of milk
1 package of pasta
Process:
Finely chop the onion and peppers
In a pan, melt the butter and add the onions.
Sauté until soft.
Add peppers and sauté until soft.
Pull out half of mixture and blend in a food processor with a dash of cream or half and half.
In the pan with the remaining onions and peppers sprinkle the flour over evenly. Mix well.
When the flour browns, mix in the milk and let bubble until the sauce thickens.
Add the puree.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour over whole wheat organic penne.

Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients:
Crust
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
Filling
2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 organic eggs
1 tsp almond extract
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup raspberry preserves or jam
Process:
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Crust
Finely chop the almonds
In a large bowl combine almonds, flour, and sugar.
Add butter and combine with a pastry cutter (or a fork) until it crumbles.
In a 13x9x2 inch pan press the crust mixture down with your hands.
Bake for 13 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.
Filling
Combine Cream cheese with the sugar. Mix.
Beat in eggs, one at a time.
Add almond extract
Add 2 tbsp of flour, continue mixing
Pour mixture over hot (baked) crust
Bake for another 15 minutes.

Salmon Balls:

Ingredients: all organic

One can salmon- pinks

1 tbs butter

1 tbs olive oil

1 bunch spinach- chopped

1 bunch basil- chopped

½  red onion

½ lemon

1 tomato

1 egg white (Keely’s mothers chickens)

Salt, pepper, thyme, dill

Process:

Melt butter in saucepan and sauté onion

Mix salmon and spices together in a bowl

After onion is nearly cooked to desired brownness, add spinach and basil – cook for about two minutes

Add sautéed mixture to salmon, then mix in egg white and lemon

Form salmon into balls and cook in 1 tbs olive oil, flip and brown each side

After salmon balls have cooked, add diced tomato and basil to top

Garnish with additional lemon slices if desired

Bruschetta

Ingredients:
1 fresh baked Avenue Bread baguette
3 organic tomatoes, sliced
1 bunch organic basil, chopped
1 packaged shredded mozzarella
olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Process:
Slice and slightly toast baguette.
Top toasted baguette with sliced tomato, basil and mozzarella cheese.
Drizzle balsamic vinegar and olive oil over top.

Greek Salad
Ingredients:
1 large bag organic spinich
1 large organic red onion, sliced
1 large organic cucumber, sliced
Low-fat feta cheese
Annie's Green Garlic dressing
Process:
Combine all ingredients and toss. 

Spice Up Your Life.

Round two- hosted by Miss Kelsey who chose the main dish of Spicy Thai Delight. She usually makes this dish using only chicken, but since she had never experienced the joys of tofu we decided this would be an appropriate time to expose to the soy product in all its glory. Breaking boundaries. Pushing comfort zones. Alas, she did not approve.. maybe it's an acquired taste?

Also a word for the wise, spicy dishes such as these are best paired with white wine.

Spicy Thai Delight
Ingredients:
4-5 peppers (assorted colors)
1 white onion
6-8 white mushrooms, sliced
4 chicken breasts, diced

1 package firm tofu, cubed
1 can water chestnuts
1 can diced pineapple
1 packet red curry mix (contains: soy, cayenne pepper, curry, flour)
1 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar
2/3 cup water
Process:
Combine the last four ingredients in large bowl; set aside.
Cook chicken and tofu in two large frying pans.
Simultaneously sautee peppers and onions in separate pan from chicken and tofu for 10 minutes; combine with chicken and tofu.
Add mushrooms and sauce mixture. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Add water chestnuts and pineapple.
Serve over rice

 

Cucumber salad:

Ingredients:

2 organic cucumbers

1 organic small sweet onion

½ cup sour cream

1 tbs. salt

1 tbs. cider vinegar

Process:

Peel and cut the cucumbers.

Peel and thinly slice the onions then mix with cucumbers and salt in a bowl and let sit for 30 minutes

Drain liquid then add sour cream and vinegar.

Chill and serve.

Fried Rice
        Ingredients:
             4 cups calrose rice
             6 cups water
             1 cup sliced organic carrots
             1 cup frozen organic peas
             1/2 cup chopped organic yellow onion
             2 tsp. organic sunflower oil
        Process:
             Add rice and water into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and bring down to a simmer for 20 minutes.
             After the rice is cooked, let the rice cool and perform the next steps
             In a large fry pan add the onions and carrots and 1 tsp of sunflower oil. Sauté.
             Once carrots and onions are tender add the rice and peas and 1tsp of sunflower oil. Sauté.
             Add soy sauce for more flavor.

Fried Bananas 
        Ingredients:
              6 peeled bananas
              organic japanese fry roll paper
              3 cups vegetable oil
              Powered sugar
              Cinnamon
              Vanilla Ice Cream
        Process: 
              Take peeled bananas and roll them in powered sugar and cinnamon.
              Wrap the bananas in the fry roll paper
              Drop them into a pan with hot vegetable oil and fry until golden brown.
              Take them out and dry by placing them on paper towels to absorb the oil.
              Serve with a scope of vanilla ice cream.

Cabbage and apples and deer. Oh my!

Round One:

To kick off the first official meeting of the food group known as the Foodivas, I decided to go big or go home. It was a crisp January morning when I peeled myself out of bed and made my way into my frigid kitchen at 8:00 am to begin preparations for the feast that would soon follow. What I was about to embark on was not a journey for the faint of heart, I was about to prepare my first deer roast. Yes, that’s right folks, I said deer. For those of you interested in the deets of the deer- it was a two point buck, shot and killed October 22, 2010 in the great Pacific Northwest. Later brought back to my family homestead in Port Townsend, Washington to be packaged upon arrival.

I must now admit to our dedicated foodie followers that this was only my second time cooking meat EVER. Right now you may be asking yourself, how did she get here? Well, up until recently (partially sparked by a trip to New Orleans where virtually every choice on the menu is meat or fried in meat fat..) I was a dedicated vegetarian for over two years. I would not consider myself a vegetarian for the traditional reasons though- animal rights. Now don’t get me wrong, I am no pusher for animal cruelty and enjoy humane treatment as much as the next guy/gal. My reasons however were more sparked from my first encounter with Michael Pollan’s The Ominvore’s Dilemma, which stressed to me the negative environmental and consumer health effects associated with traditional meat production in industrial agriculture. There I sat reading about concentrated animal feed lots, runoff, antibiotics, corn and so on and so forth…. Not to mention the loss of calories through producing grain to feed livestock as opposed to direct human consumption. “Vegetarians advocate eating ‘low on the food chain’; every step up the chain reduces the amount of food energy by a factor of ten” (Pollan 118). People wonder how it could be possible that we are currently producing enough food to feed nearly twice the world’s population, but starvation is still a constant form of suffering for millions worldwide. Needless to say ignorance is bliss, so when I was slapped in the face by the cold cruel hand of industrial agriculture I felt I had some sort of mild obligation to take a stand for the environment, the animals, the starving people of the world (ok I may be getting a bit melodramatic, but you get my drift) and of course for myself.

Now I am back on the meat train again, but not in the same way I was before. I am still attempting to do my part by limiting my consumption of animal products and doing my best to eat meat that is local/free range, etc. Usually I simply rely on animal products my family members have acquired during hunting/fishing season. I know where the products come from and that they were killed in a humane manner. I also like to think that the meat tastes better because they animals were free to roam and living happy/healthy lifestyles, opposed to those born and bred to die. On that note- lets jump into the first foodie meeting! 

Pollan, Michael. The omnivore's dilemma: a natural history of four meals. New York: Penguin P, 2006.

The Before.

Lindsey made an amazing deer roast! The bone marrow was even tapped into!
       Ingredients:
                       1 deer roast
                       3 cups chicken broth, organic
                       1 package dried onion soup mix
                       garlic salt, organic
                       dried rosemary, organic
                        pepper
                        spike

carrots, organic

garlic, organin

onion
Process:

        Combine chicken broth and soup mix in slow cooker. Put roast in cooker and coat          
        with mix.

        Season roast with spices. Add veggies.

       Cook on low for 8 hours.

       Extracted extra broth and added organic flour to use as gravy

        Berry Cobbler:

Ingredients:

 2 cups flour, whole wheat, organic

 2 cups rolled oats

 1 ½ cup butter

 Cinnamon

 Nutmeg

 1 ½ cups brown sugar

 4 tbs. sugar

 4 ½ cups berries, organic

  Process:

Preheat oven to 350 F

 Combine berries and white sugar

Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg. Cut in butter until crumbly.

Press half of the mix in a 9x13 pie plate.

Cover with berries and sprinkle mix over.

Bake for 30-40 minutes

·         Apple Pie:

    Ingredients:

  ½ cup organic butter

  3 tbs. organic flour

  ½ cup organic white sugar

  ½ cup organic brown sugar

  ¼ cup water

 7 organic green granny smith apples 

  Process: 

 Melt butter in pot, add flour and stir into a paste

 Add both sugars and water to mixture and bring to boil.

Bring to boil and lower heat, simmer for five minutes and set aside

Peel and cut apples then place in crust and pour mixture over apples 

 Place on second crust and brush a small amount of sauce on crust 

 Cook for 15 minutes at 425 F

Cook for 30 minutes at 350 F or until are soft when poked

Roasted Red Potatoes:

         Ingredients:

             2 pounds organic baby red potatoes

             1 tbs rosemary

             2 tbs organic sunflower oil 

         Process: 

             Preheat oven to 400 F

             Wash and cut potatoes into halves or quarters

             In a gallon zip lock bag combine potatoes, rosemary, and sunflower oil

             Shake zip lock bag

             Spread potatoes onto a cookie sheet

             Bake for 40 minutes

Bavarian Red Cabbage

         Ingredients:
              One head of red cabbage (6-7 inches in diameter)

              4 strips of bacon

              1/2 cup of onion

              1/2 medium golden apple

              1/2 tsp. clove

              1/4 cup red wine

              1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

              1 tsp. sugar

        Process: 

             Shred red cabbage, dice onion, bacon, and apple

             In a large pot combine onion and bacon. 

             Fry until onions are tender

            All other ingredients and bacon/onions go into a large pot and cook slowly for          

                    at least 3 hours.

Make sure the mixture does not dry out, if it does add a few tablespoon of hot water.