Category Archives: kitchen basics

Iodine

mortonsLike most American kids, I grew up using Morton’s salt. My mother, a nurse in her former life, stressed that the reason we used it was to be sure we got our iodine. To further imprint the lesson we were shown gross pictures of people with goiters due to lack of iodine in science classes.

sea salt
Then I grew up and discovered the amazing tastes of sea salt. I started experimenting with it in cooking, on salads, on various foods and snacks. I loved it. The variety in tastes made me very happy!  Gradually the Morton’s salt disappeared from our house. (more…)

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I am really still alive

I haven’t written anything for weeks.  Mornings have been spent doing things to get us settled.  Afternoons have been hot and humid and are officially designated as nap time.

The heat and the bugs have pretty much eaten or killed the garden.  So there isn’t much material there except that we have a lot to learn about gardening in this environment!

The kitchen is still unfinished. No counters, no cupboards, no dishwasher or garbage disposal and no window covering.  It is hot and primitive. Before we do cupboards, counters, dishwasher etc we need to lay a sub floor and tile the entire kitchen and pantry.  We have had 4 different attempts to get the work done and so far not one of them have panned out. Very frustrating! We finally decided we should do it ourselves. Scheduled to start next week. All of which is the the long way of saying that it is pretty hard to write about food when your kitchen is inadequate and you aren’t cooking very much.

Last week I finally got a little smart and bought a new appliance: an electric pressure cooker. We need to be able to cook quickly and with as little heat as possible. If you read this site you know that I am a long-time fan of pressure cookers. The problem with them in this environment is that the steam heats up the kitchen. So I finally started looking at electric versions. (more…)

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Dr. Mao’s Secrets of Longevity Cookbook: Eating for Health, Happiness, and Long Life

I’m one of those lucky people who gets an advance reader copy of many new books. I get to read and review them before they are even published! For a reading addict, it doesn’t get better than that.

Last week I received a copy of Dr. Mao’s latest book:  Dr. Mao’s Secrets of Longevity Cookbook: Eating for Health, Happiness, and Long Life. The cookbook is the latest in his “Longevity” franchise which include: The Secrets of Longevity, The Secrets of Longevity Eight Week Program and the The Secrets of Longevity Eight Week Diary. (more…)

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Flavoring Whole Food Plant-based Diet

Taste is a funny thing; part biology  part learned and always infused with expectations. We expect certain flavors to meld. An expectation many cooks fail to meet! A great example is in an interview excerpt shown in Forks Over Knives, The Extended Interviews.  In it Doug Lisle tells a story about trying to get his father to switch to a whole food plant-based diet. After one meal, his Father stated that if he had to eat like that for the rest of his life he would rather die of a heart attack.  I just started laughing! Not exactly funny, but very often a too common story. Some of worst tasting food ever created is passed off as vegetarian, vegan or  “healthy!” Lots of people, for good reason, think healthy food and think bland, tasteless and/or ill-conceived.

stuffed peppers

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Feeling Good and The Pantry is Filling Up

We have been working like kitchen slaves for the last couple of weeks.  Here is a shot of a small portion of our pantry. There are very few things in this world that make me happier than looking at this. Lots of work, but we have food for winter and beyond.

S6301017

Those shelves are 3 jars deep and we have 6 cases of 12 bottles each still in the garage. There are two kinds of salsa (medium and hot), 2 kinds of broth (from the salsa (medium and hot), pepper relish and applesauce. (more…)

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Nutonnaise — Vegan Mayo

Almond MayonnaiseOne of the things I really miss (besides cheese) is mayo. Now, I am very picky about my mayo – it has to be Best Foods (Hellman’s for you East Coasters). I can taste the difference a mile away! Face it, mayo is full of fat and not exactly something I should be eating anyway. But if I am going to eat it, I want the real thing! In fact, the main reason I always order sandwiches and other foods dry (no mayo) is because I don’t want someone else’s bunk excuse for mayo.

But there are foods that just aren’t the same without a little mayo. For example an avocado, lettuce and tomato sandwich, a veggie burger, potato salad, cold slaw or an artichoke. And so you know, I truly believe that the only reason to eat an artichoke is as a mayo delivery vehicle. (more…)

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Forks Over Knives – The Cookbook: Over 300 Recipes for Plant-Based Eating All Through the Year

forks over knives the cookbookThe new Forks Over Knives Cookbook arrived last week. The author Del Sroufe, is the man behind meals shown in the Forks Over Knives film.  The book is actually a collaboration between Sroufe and well-known Plant-Based chefs: Julieanna Hever, Judy Micklewright, Isa Chandra Moskowitz, and Darshana Thacker.

With 300 recipes to choose from, it is a good solid introductory collection of  vegan, low-fat cooking techniques and recipes. An added bonus is that many of the recipes are also gluten-free.

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Nuts to Milk

nut milkFor me the hardest part about giving up dairy was giving up 1/2 and 1/2 in my coffee. Black coffee is just a little to harsh first thing in the morning.

Over the last month I have experimented with different milk/cream alternatives.  I have tried every nut in my kitchen except peanuts which after the pecans and walnuts, I decided not to try; just didn’t seem worth it.  Making  nut milk is ridiculously easy – see below for the method. (more…)

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In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

I read this book a few years ago (when it first came out). At the time I was impressed by it’s common sense and simplicity. Last week I was in a used bookstore and found a copy for a dollar. I brought it home and reread it.  I was impressed all over again!

In Defense of Food is an engaging look at food and the food industry.  Pollan writes well and had me captivated within minutes.  For the record, I never intended to do anything more than skim, but I ended up engrossed and read every single word – again!  It was a journey that alternatively amused and enraged me. (more…)

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With the Adjust-A-Slice Mandoline We Made Dill Pickles in Minutes!

I’m a kitchen gadget junkie. I long ago banned myself from Bed Bath and Beyond, Sonoma-Williams and Sur La Table.  It is amazing how I walk into one of those places and suddenly I can’t live without some gadget I didn’t even know existed a minute ago.

I have a whole drawer of irresistible (and expensive) gadgets that I never use. Your basic waste of time and money.  They sound good, but are hard to figure out and a nightmare to clean. BUT, every now and then, I stumble across some little, cheap gadget that makes life a whole lot easier. My latest find is the Adjust-A-Slice Mandoline.  Picked it up at TruValue for the vast sum of $17.00. (more…)

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