Polenta Mania!

We haven't had polenta for a while. It's such a quick and easy dish, and goes with practically anything. The kids can help, or do the whole thing.

I buy polenta in tubes, just slice it as thin as possible (use a cheese or boning knife if you have one), cover it with olive oil, sprinkle herbs from our garden and bake at about 400-450F. I cut it thin and cook it on a higher temperature because I love crispy slices. Some people prefer theirs sliced thicker, like a steak, but not me.

You can sprinkle it with cheese for a vegetarian delight, or serve it alongside meat for an omnivorous meal.  

Too-Much-Zucchini Bread

Man this was good! I made it Sunday, thinking the kids could take some for school lunch. Sadly, it didn't last until Monday. Even sadder is that they're not the ones who ate most of it...

I used a simple spice-zucchini bread recipe (I think it was Bittman's; I use tons of his recipes and customize them as necessary). When I realised I had too much zucchini I said what the heck and tossed it in anyway. That was the moistest zucchini bread I've ever had. Everyone in the family liked it; even the zucchini-hater.

The crust kept it from being just a damp mess. The crust is, well, crusty, which makes it hard to cut without crushing the extremely moist insides, but adds a lovely textural contrast.

Stew in a Flash

What do you get when you add leftover roast beef and potatoes to squash, mushrooms, and green onions? Fabulous Friday Night Stew!

I'd spent the day gardening and was tired and hungry. Not much to eat except for a bit of leftover roast beef and potatoes. I revived it with some of my homemade stock and a cup or two of ginger tea, half a fresh butternut squash, organic mushrooms, and green onions and rosemary from the garden. I left it to simmer while I took a hot bath. The sweet savoury smell greeted me as I returned, clean and relaxed. So good and excellent after a day of physical labour. The kids loved it and even DH came back for a second serving.

Stupidly Easy Chicken Recipe

Like pretty much every family, ours is busy and full of competing schedules. I like to cook prophylactically, and not only because it's a fun word. It means preventively; in other words, I cook so that there's always something in the fridge that's good, nutritious and easy to grab 'n go. Chicken fits the bill nicely. I have a great recipe:

1. Buy chicken legs, thighs, wings or whatever.
2. Arrange skin-side-up in baking pan.
3. Cover with Hy's Seasoning Salt.
4. Bake on 350F til internal temperature is 165F. (Always use a thermometer when cooking meat.)
5. (Optional) Broil for a couple of minutes until skin is as crispy as you like it. (Keep an eye on it—broiling goes wrong quickly!)
6. Feast.

I make mine in the toaster oven, which warms up more quickly, uses less electricity and toasts the skin better. If you cook it on a higher temperature (400-450F) the skin is usually crispy enough that you don't have to broil it.

Kids can help with this recipe. You probably don't want them handling raw chicken, but even little kids can sprinkle the seasoning salt. Older ones can use the thermometer to check for doneness. I mention this because it's important that we teach our children how to cook and eat, so they don't fall for misleading marketing or labelling claims, or buy into the cultural norm of eating crap.

Stone Soup and Irish Soda Bread

Have you heard of Stone Soup? It's an old expression, based on an older fable, and refers to what was made when there was little food about. I'm lucky that when I have little food about, it's because I haven't grocery shopped.
I was feeling soupy at lunchtime but we had few ingredients, so I made a stone soup with ingredients from our herb garden.

First, I made stock from last night's chicken carcass, with half an old nectarine thrown in for flavouring. Most popular soups contain a fair amount of sweetening, so adding fruit to the stock isn't as odd as you may think. If you buy commercially-made soup, look at the sugars: Campbell's contains 12g, their Healthy Request Tomato Soup has 10g, and Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup has 10g—all more than a can of my perennial favourite nutritional whipping boy, Coke.

Adding sugar to your stock adds flavour and can help you choose less salt, if salt use concerns you. I'd rather add a naturally-occurring sweetener like fruit, so in the pot my half-nectarine went. (Why half? Simply because the other half was rotty-looking so I composted it.) I love the challenge of a low-waste kitchen, and for the price of old chicken bones, half a nectarine, some ginger tea, and a pot full of water, I had delicious stock after a couple of hours, maybe three.

I added rosemary, lavender, oregano, green onions and basil from my garden, plus curry leaves, celery and bits of the leftover chicken meat. Not counting the time it took to simmer the stock to golden perfection, making the soup itself took about 20 minutes. I would have let the herbs cook in longer, but I was hungry!

I enjoyed my healthy-tasting soup with a side of Irish Soda Bread (from Bittman's recipe) which fits the stone-soup style of cheap ingredients: flour, buttermilk (or yogurt or soured milk), baking powder and baking soda, salt and water. It makes a funny-looking loaf, but is quick and easy to make and for some reason, the kids love it. I made this loaf with half rye flour and half all-purpose flour so it was denser than usual, making it perfect for dipping in my stone soup. What a heartwarming and health-inducing lunch.

Feast on This!

It’s getting close to Thanksgiving (2^nd Monday in October) which means it's time to talk about gratitude. Even in a year that held mixed blessings, there's lots to be thankful for. Along with great health and a loving family, I give thanks for things in my life that are simple yet profound.

Something that's easy to take for granted in my part of the world is an abundance of clean drinking water. In Vancouver we have some of the best-tasting water in the world. It’s my favourite drink; in fact our family rarely buys juice, soda or other beverages. Water is a healthier approach to hydration, saves a ton of money and I don’t have to schlepp heavy things home from the store. As access to fresh drinking water becomes politicized and people spend more and more on water they want to drink, I appreciate how lucky I am to have the luxury of inexpensive access to clean drinking water.

I give thanks for fresh fruit. It’s amazing stuff; healthy, gorgeous and flavourful. I’m always amazed by how ready for the day I feel after a breakfast of fruit, yogurt and eggs.

As you know, I love love love soup. Rainy days here can be bone-chilling. Whether it’s congee, stew, or clear broth soup, hot savoury liquids warm from the inside out. Soup warms my body and soul. (Plus it's fast and really easy to make!)

And baking, of course. It's a favourite activity on rainy winter days. I enjoy baking with my family; whether we pore over recipes or grab the first one off the internet (cookies, and hurry!). It may sound corny, but when my kids take something I've baked in their lunch, it feels like I’m able to give them an extra hug while they're at school. It satisfies my mommy-ing needs without embarrassing them in public.

I invite you consider what makes you wealthy—love, friendship, fresh fruit, a healthy appetite—and give thanks, today and every day.