Favorite Food Website

I want to introduce you to one of my Favorite Food Websites.  I diligently listed it on my Pinterest page even though I really haven’t been back there since I put it all together.  (But, that’s beside the point)

I found this page by accident - or not – maybe while researching one of the many food items I’ve featured throughout the blog – however, unlike my Pinterest page, I return to it faithfully when I need a dinner idea or am in search of a tidbit of trivia.

 

The World’s Healthiest Food page lists 129 of what they consider to be the best of the best.  The foods were picked based on the following six points: nutrient density, largely unprocessed and void of unnatural ingredients (Where’s the Spam? Oh…), familiar to the general populace (no chayote squash or ginkgo nuts on this list), readily available country-wide, affordable, and – of course – tasty.

The WHF list is packed with common sense items - the same foods seen on many similar ingredient inventories - colorful fruits and veggies, nuts and grains, lean meats, sustainable seafood choices, and low-fat dairy items.  But, what makes WHF stand apart from the others is how they present the information.  Each of the 129 flavorful fodders has a dedicated page containing nutrition information (calories, vitamins, fiber, fats, etc.), specific health benefits, physical description of variations, tips on how to select the best items, recipes for each and even history facts (Did you know, even though some parts of the world have been enjoying bananas for some 4,000 years, they were not available in the United States until the end of the 19^th century?).

 

The Food of the Week (there’s a new one every…well…week) is Garlic.  I learned eating it might help with iron metabolism, it contains vitamin C (who knew one ounce has 14.7% of your RDA), and was considered sacred by the Egyptians and placed in the tombs of Pharaohs.

 

The oodles of recipes containes on WHF are listed on one page and are all simple, quick (they boast each takes less than 30 minutes) and delicious and include ideas for meatless and meaty main meal options as well as side dishes, desserts, soups and salads.  I especially love that I can sort them by ingredients to use (I picked salmon, as I have a freezer full) or omit (say…onions) as well as nutrients required (I selected omega-3 fatty acids).  I clicked my choices, hit "submit," and was immediately presented with two salad recipes and seven fish main dishes.

 

Mmmmm…the Salmon, Cucumber, Dill salad recipe sounds divine…and I have a glut of fresh dill growing, so I might actually have to check it out! 

While I’m at it, why don’t you check out the website:  http://www.whfoods.com/  I’m sure you’ll find it worth adding to your Favorite Food Websites too! 

Inconvenient Convenience

Am I a snob? I didn’t think so, but I was recently called one because I turned my nose up at “Convenience Foods” - especially Hamburger Helper. Helper? Really? More like enabler.

This goes back to a previous post – Butter’s Better – in which I talk about my disdain for "ready to eat" foods with bewildering ingredient lists, gargantuan amounts of fillers and sodium, and a frightening array of additives and preservatives (not to mention excess packaging that makes for one FULL trash can). I am NOT saying these things (canned soup, frozen dinners, boxed rice and pasta dishes, and more) are not tasty, and I am NOT saying I haven’t – at one time or another – purchased some of them, but they are simply NOT something I typically choose to eat or to feed my family.

No, I don’t exclusively cook from scratch and I don’t shun ALL convenience items (for instance, I don’t bake my own crackers and bread or make my own taco shells, pasta, ketchup and cheese and Trader Joe's does make a mean Organic Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup), but I suggest it is possible to easily (and cheaply!) feed people delicious and nutritious meals without opening a cardboard box every. single. night. A peek inside my pantry and fridge/freezer will show a few of my favorite sneaky short-cuts - items I consider to be convenient.

-Canned beans (white, black, kidney, garbanzo)
-Uncle Bens converted rice (rarely use it, but some dishes call for it. I sure as heck would never admit this to my old Japanese Grandmother – if I had one.)
-Cake mixes (if they are good enough for Alton Brown, they are good enough for me)
-Sandwich meats (for school lunches)
-Salad dressing and mayonnaise (I make a vinaigrette from time to time but there are some really good pre-made dressings out there.)
-Krusteaz pancake mix (yes, I can do pancakes from scratch but sometimes the mix is, well, so convenient)
-Spam (but I’ve talked about my affinity for this salty pink canned meat before – I buy the lower fat, lower sodium “light” version - for what it’s worth).

Yes, this method of cooking is a learned skill. In my early years when I couldn’t cook, didn’t have enough time, and thought convenience foods really were that much easier, I was a Chef Boyardee, Stove Top Stuffing, Chunky Soup, Shake 'n Bake, Minute Rice type of girl.  But I’ve changed. Slowly but surely, over the years, I’ve become…a snob.

A quick, easy, cheap, not-from-a-box recipe example that I happen to be making for dinner:

Chicken Teriyaki "Assistant"
Stir-fry ingredients:
  1 lb boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
  1 lb broccoli, cut into florets
  2 T cooking oil (less if using non-stick skillet)
Sauce ingredients:
  1 T sugar
  2 T mirin
  2 T sake
  3 T soy sauce
  1 T corn starch

1. Whisk together sauce ingredients and set aside.
2. Heat cooking oil in large skillet or wok over med/high heat.
3. Add chicken pieces and sauté until mostly cooked (3-4 minutes).
4. Add broccoli and continue cooking until bright green and tender (3-4 minutes).
5. Add sauce mixture and continue cooking until sauce is bubbly and begins to thicken (2-3 minutes).
6. Serve over steamed white or brown rice and enjoy. (Serves four)

Butter’s Better post: http://agoodcooker.blogspot.com/2010/02/butters-better.html

Oh, Redondo

How I love you so. I’ve often said that one of the big things I miss about Hawaii is the food…and the flowers. But mostly the food. Portuguese sausage is one of those. One time we returned to Hawaii for a visit and I stuffed a suitcase with Hawaiian BBQ sauce and…you guessed it…Portuguese sausage. Silly to some, but anyone who has ever tasted the spicy salty red greasy goodness understands the passion.

Portuguese sausage may be a Hawaiian import, but it is nearly as popular as Spam - so much so it is served on their McDonald’s Big Breakfast with eggs, rice AND Spam. My favorite, Redondo’s Portuguese Brand Sausage, won Honolulu Magazine's 2008 award for "Best Portuguese Sausage."  (I didn't even know there was such a thing) 

Imagine the little dance I did when I spied the links of Redondo’s Portuguese Sausage – spicy and mild – in the meat cooler at a local store. It was expensive - $5.99 for a 12 ounce link, but I didn’t care. It was mine all mine and worth every penny.

This morning for breakfast I steamed the rice, scrambled the eggs and sliced and fried the 100% porky goodness and called the family to the table. 

Oh, Redondo...

http://www.redondos.com/

Beige is Bad

We interrupt the regularly scheduled post for today (What’s Phở Dinner - Part II) for a small venting. This morning as I was sipping a perfect cup of fair trade, organic Five Country Espresso Blend coffee from Trader Joes, I saw a commercial for Popeye’s Fried Chicken that stated everyone should be able to “eat something delicious no matter what your budget is.” Just as I got the words, “how about nutritious,” out of my mouth, the screen filled with beige – beige chicken and beige biscuits. While I am not arguing whether or not this $2.99 special is delicious, I protest the notion that this is the best bang for your (three) bucks.  (By the way, the thigh, leg and biscuit meal shown, according to the Popeye's website has 630 calories, 40 grams of fat, and 1480mg of sodium)

When I was in the Navy, it was bad news if the only food left onboard was beige. (Yes, yes, there are plenty of nutritious beige foods, but generally speaking, more color = more nutrition)  I remember distinctly sitting down to some pretty plain, carb loaded off-white meals and yearning, craving, hungering, and even aching for a little green accompaniment. And, it wasn’t just me – indeed, when ship’s stores came on board, people hoarded the oranges, apples, mangos, grapes and any other portable produce available. So, my question is, why do something like this on purpose – fill one's gullet with fried, fattening fare disguised as food?

I don’t presume to preach perfect nutrition. As a matter of fact, I made Spam, eggs and rice – a perennial Hawaiian favorite – for breakfast. (Albeit, it was low fat/low sodium Spam and organic, free-range eggs and four people shared one can of the pink pork product) I simply argue that our society often strives for cheap as the sole deciding factor when looking for a meal deal without even considering the alternatives OR the ramifications.

Some time ago, I wrote about making a huge pot of Navy bean soup for only a few bucks. I offer that there are plenty of other decent and delicious alternatives akin to this. Indeed, almost any dinner leftover or even a simple sandwich would make a far better lunch than greasy, salty, fatty - yet arguably delicious - fried chicken and biscuits.

http://www.popeyes.com/nutrition.pdf

Beyond Pineapples and Poi

Very soon I will return to Hawaii for a couple weeks of vacation. Some people go for the sun and the beaches and the soft tropical breezes. While I deeply enjoy these, especially the sweet scented air that wafts to your nose the second you step off the plane, I also go for the food.

Hawaiian food, or should I say the food you can get in Hawaii is like none other. Two scoops of Polynesian blended with a side of Korean and a dash of Japanese best describes much of the food there. An excellent example of this is the traditional “plate lunch” usually served with a scoop of potato-mac (just like it sounds - potato and macaroni salad with tons of mayo), steamed white rice, and a main meat like kalbi (Korean marinated and grilled beef short ribs) or chicken katsu (pounded thin, breaded and fried chicken cutlet akin to the Japanese tonkatsu). 

Plate lunch can be found about anywhere in Hawaii – in a strip mall, at a roadside stand or from a lunch wagon at a local surf contest. A popular place to get plate lunch has found its way to the mainland in the form of L&L Hawaiian BBQ (called L&L Drive-in or just L&L in Hawaii). Check out this eye candy: www.hawaiianbarbecue.com/  



I mentioned my love of Spam in a previous post. Well, Hawaii is a good place to get my fix. (mmmmm…Spam musubi) Several stories try to explain Hawaii’s love of Spam. Regardless of which one you believe, Spam is everywhere – even on the McDonald’s menu. Mainland has its Big Breakfast, but Hawaii has its Spam, Eggs and Rice. Oh…and Portuguese sausage Eggs and Rice! I love Portuguese sausage! Last time when we flew back, I packed about 6 long links in my luggage (two spicy and four regular).

Another favorite, and the one my husband is most looking forward to, is the huli-huli chicken. Any given weekend, someone somewhere is cooking huli-huli – probably for a fundraiser. Look for the smoke and head towards it. You will probably end up in a grocery store parking lot waiting in a line of cars for your share. Just drive up when it’s your turn, hand the man your money and get a whole crispy, juicy, salty, messy, delicious rotisserie-style chicken (or two) in a bag. You better have some napkins though, because most people start eating in the car.

Now, everyone has their secret marinade recipe containing some mixture of shoyu (soy sauce), pineapple juice, brown sugar, ginger, garlic and more, but I have been using the Aloha Barbeque Sauce for close to twenty years and love it. The problem is getting it back home. One time I put a gallon bottle in my carry-on. You should have seen the local Hawaiian dude at customs when he saw it. He laughed out loud and said, “Don’t leave home witout it, eh?!” and passed me on through inspection.  Last time security restrictions prevented me from that method, so I bought several quart bottles, double zip-locked them, put them in the checked bag (along with two five-pound bags of Hawaiian sea salt and some NOH Hawaiian Poke mix) and said a prayer. The huli-huli gods must have been smiling on me, because all the bottles made it home without leaking.

So, if you get a chance to go to Hawaii, skip the tourist luau and hit some of the local eateries. I guarantee you will not be disappointed. Oh, and would you stop by 7-11 and bring me back some ginger cookies from the Hawaiian Candy Company? Please? www.hawaiicandy.com/ 

Substitution Sidetrack

I planned to write about substitutions for a few more posts and will probably get back to it eventually, but my Butter's Better post prompted one of my readers to send me this fabulous video. It is a hysterical MUST WATCH!

Jim Gaffigan - Hot Pockets http://video.yahoo.com/watch/4653268/12437422

The above clip (albeit crudely) supports my point of view that many convenience foods are ultimately, well, inconvenient (for health, grocery bills and the environment).  Along with filling our bodies with excess additives (and over-inflating our grocery bills), these items likewise fill trashcans with excess garbage. I do believe the nutrition to packaging ratio in the following landfill fillers (and countless others) to be massive:

~Lunchables
~Single serving snacks including Pringles, Mount Olive Pickles, 100 calorie snack packs (buy the big one and divy up into smaller portions using reusable plastic containers)
~Bisquick Shake and Pour (one of the worst - this one-time use plastic bottle comes less than half-filled with powdered mix to which water is added to make batter for fifteen pancakes).   

I also heard from a butter basher and thus must state this key point - Everything in moderation.  This goes for all foods and beverages - including butter and my previously mentioned penchant for Spam.  (I eat it only occasionally).  So, have your Hot Pocket, your Doritos and your Oscar Meyer B-O-L-O-G-N-A, but just don't eat them every day!  

Butter's Better

Speaking of substitutions, I don't believe there is any substitute for real butter.  Yes, I caved and bought margarine (Smart Balance) for spreading on toast (not that we eat much toast around here), and I use cooking spray occasionally as well.  As far as baking and cooking go though, there is no substitute for the real thing.  The flavor alone is reason enough but not my only rationale for choosing butter. 

I try to live by what I call The Grandma Diet.  My grandma (as well as many of yours) grew up on and raised her children on a "country diet" - whole milk, butter, cheese, eggs, and meat as well as fresh and local (usually homegrown) in-season fruits and veggies, of course.  All of these were minimally processed, close to the earth and still recognizable as single source foods.  I believe this is the way to go.  Period.    

While many of these good, wholesome items get a bad rap, I frankly am amazed at what does pass for food these days.  I'm not exactly sure if margarine (17 ingredients in my Smart Balance), Velveeta (15 ingredients), Twinkies (28 ingredients), and Cool-Whip (14 ingredients) actually count as food, but they sell them at the grocery store.

Now, I don't mean to sound preachy...and, no, I don't exclusively eat from scratch (I happen to ADORE Spam - I buy the light version with half the fat and sodium - that's another topic for another day), but I believe I owe my family's good health to primarily eating foods with minimal ingredient lists containing items that I can both pronounce and would be willing to eat as is (I don't know about you, but I never had any desire to have a sodium stearol lactylate sandwich).            

PS - Watch this cool, disgusting, and hysterical Cool-Whip video: http://www.pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience/video/102-cool_whip.html  

Oh, and of course, how could I forget.  Thanks for the reminder AB:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrvN-yG8P8s