Basics- Soup in 7 steps

Soup is like magic.

Really.

Magic.

Even the cooking challenged can improvise a good soup as long as they follow this simple formula. (Which means soup is more like math….but I like magic better.)

1.    Base ingredients- begin by sautéing the base ingredients. Things like onions, garlic, carrots, celery, chilies, or spices. You can also add aromatic herbs such as bay leaf, parsley, thyme, garlic, etc. Make sure you sauté in oil or butter. The fat captures the flavors and holds them. You don’t need a lot of fat, but you do need it.

2.   Liquid- Add a liquid such as a stock, juice, or water, this will determine a lot of what the flavor will be, so choose carefully…

3.   Slow cooking things- Here add the slow cooking root vegetables, winter squash, lentils, split peas, etc. This is also a good time to add salt if you’re using it.

4.   Watery vegetables- Next add watery vegetables such as tomatoes or summer squash. Also, add any precooked beans, pasta, or grains here.

5.   Delicate veggies- Save leafy greens and delicate veggies such as asparagus tips and peas for the end.

6.   Final touches- Here you can add cream or yogurt to make it creamy. Or blend all or part of your soup to make it thicker. Or add a thickener such as cornstarch or flour. Or leave it alone.

7.   Garnish and serve!

Make sure to taste your soup at all stages and make adjustments as you go. Add ingredients slowly and deliberately and also, remember simplicity is the key to all great art. Let each ingredient contribute.

Basics- Wheat

Bags of wheat! Buckets of wheat! Barrels of wheat! Bushels of wheat! Stored in the forgotten corners of your basement or garage!

Yes, you all know what I'm talking about.

Your food storage.

So....what do you do with it? Years ago my mother set out to answer that exact question, in an attempt to both use our food storage and create an inexpensive alternative to the whole grain bread we buy. It began with a manual hand grinder and about a million and a half bread-making experiments. Now we have two grinders, manual and electric, and we make our own whole wheat, preservative-free bread, bagels, cookies, cinnamon rolls, etc.

First a word about the type of wheat. There are different types of wheat, the most common being red, closely followed by white. The difference though, is less to do with the color and more to do with the protein content of the wheat. We have found that white wheat works best as a replacement for white flour, because of the similar protein content, and can work in pastries and desserts without much change in texture and flavor (just make sure it's ground very fine). Red wheat tends to make baked goods heavier, but can be remedied by adding an extra egg in place of some of the liquid in a recipe. In general high protein flours make good loaves of chewy artisan bread while low protein creates a better crumb for cakes and muffins.

Here is one of our favorite recipes to get you started.

Honey-Whole Wheat Bagels

1 cup water (75 to 85 degrees)

3 cups whole wheat flour (preferably white wheat)

1-1/2 Tbsp. honey

1-1/2 tsp. salt

1-1/2 tsp yeast

For bread machine: place ingredients in bread pan in following order: water, honey, wheat flour, salt. Make small indentation in flour and add yeast to indentation, making sure yeast does not come in contact with liquid. Start bread machine--set on “bagel” or “dough” program.

By hand: double recipe if desired. Measure water into a bowl. Add yeast and dissolve. Add honey to water mixture and stir. In a separate bowl mix flour and salt, and then add to water mixture, saving 1 cup to flour board and knead with. Stir flour into water and then turn out onto floured board. Knead until smooth and elastic. Cover with a cloth and let rise until double.

to finish: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray; set aside. Divide dough into equal pieces (6 for 1 recipe, 12 for double recipe) Roll into a ball and poke a hole in the middle. Roll and shape into a bagel shape. Place on baking sheet. Let rise 20 min. Fill a large pan 3’’ deep with water, add 1/4 cup sugar and bring to a boil. Gently lift bagel from baking sheet and gently submerge in water, cooking 30 seconds on each side. Remove bagel to paper towels and let drain, then place on baking sheet. Bake 20-25 min until bagels are lightly browned and surface is shiny; remove from baking sheet to wire rack to cool. Serve with Honey-Walnut spread.

Honey-Walnut Spread

Mix one 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese (reg. or light) or yogurt cheese, softened, with 1 1/2 Tbsp honey. Add 3 Tbsp. walnuts. Chill

Basics- Beans

Beans (or legumes, if you want a fancier more encompassing word) are an excellent source of non-soluble fiber (keeps your digestive system in top notch condition), amino acids (proteins), vitamins, and minerals. And since they are dried and can be stored for long periods of time they are an excellent item for food storage. Yes, beans are wonderful.

If you know what to do with them.

Beans are easily added to soups, salads, entrees, marinated, and even baked goods. I’ll try to get a couple more bean recipes up in the next few weeks to help you out. But for starters, let’s learn how to cook them.

Super short, easy way: Get a pressure cooker. Follow the instructions.

Longer, but more common way: Rinse you beans, and pick out any debris in them (aka small rocks). Depending on the bean it will probably need to soak. To soak beans, put them in a pot and add water. Leave it over night, or 6-8 hours. For quicker instructions put beans and water in a pot and bring it to a boil, then turn off the heat and let it sit for 1 hour. To cook, drain water and bring to a boil in fresh water; then lower the heat and simmer until tender, adding more water as needed. Make sure to not add any salt or acid until beans are fully cooked or they will not soften.  See the chart below for helpful bean specifics.

Variety	To soak or not to soak?	Water-bean ratio	Cook time after soaking	Cooked quantity for 1 cup dried
Azuki beans	Soak me!	3:1	¾ to 1 hour	3 cups
Black beans (turtle)	Soak me!	3:1	1 ½ hours	3 cups
Black-eyed peas	Nope	3:1	½ hour	2 ½ cups
Chickpeas (garbanzos)	Soak me!	4:1	1 ½ hours	3 cups
Fava beans	Soak me!	3:1	¾ to 1 hour	3 cups
Kidney beans (red or white)	Soak me!	3:1	1 to 1 ½ hours	2 ¾ cups
Lentils, brown	Nope	2:1	½ hour	3 cups
Lentils, red	Nope	2:1	15-20 minutes	3 cups
Lima beans	Soak me!	3:1	1 hour	3 cups
Mung beans	Soak me!	3:1	¾ hour	3 cups
Pinto beans	Soak me!	3:1	¾ hour	3 ¼ cups
Soybeans	Soak me!	4:1	2 hours	2 ¾ cups
Split peas, green	Nope	3:1	¾ to 1 hour	1 ¾ cups
Split peas, yellow	Nope	3:1	½ hour	2 ¼ cups
White beans (navy, cannellini, etc)	Soak me!	3:1	¾ to 1 hour	2 ¾ cups

Now, cooking beans is a lot of work. Therefore, I would cook a whole bunch at the same time, then spread them on a cookie sheet and freeze them. After they’re frozen put then in gallon ziplock bags and use as needed.

Basics: Rice!

 

Contrary to what I thought when I was little there are tons of different types of rice in the world. How many? I don't know. Go check Wikipedia and let me know. Anyway, I wanted to share with you the types of rice I have in my pantry (errr.... small food cupboard), their differences, and how to prepare them. Because rice is cheap, good for you and versatile-- all things I admire in food.

Rice basics- rice is a grain composed of three layers- first the fibrous outer shell of the rice, the soft starchy inside, and the little hard heart in the center. The different kinds of rice come from differences in these 3 layers and the length of the grain.

• brown rice- brown rice is the whole rice kernel before the outer layer has been removed. This means it needs to be cooked longer and in more water because of the hard fibrous outer shell. This also means it's better for you because it provides fiber in your diet. Most types of rice come in brown and white, the only difference being the removal of the outer layer. Rinse the rice before you cook it with a general water to rice ratio of 2 3/4 cups water to 1 cup rice.
• short grained white rice (oriental rice)- sushi rice, California rice, call it what you will. This is also called sticky rice because it has a large soft starchy second layer, which starts to disintegrate as it cooks. This provides the glue for the rice to stick together. Cook each cup of rice with about 1 3/4 cups water to 1 cup rice
• medium grained white rice- This is the rice what is used most often in American house holds and Latin American cooking. While I don't have this currently in my kitchen, it's worth mentioning. It doesn't has as large a second layer so the grains tend to separate, giving it the grainy texture. Use the same ration of water to rice as the oriental rice.
• basmati or jasmine rice- this nutty rice has a very distinct flavor that any who like indian or thai food would instantly recognize. Soooo yummy. This rice is in the middle of the short and medium grained rices in texture. A little sticky, but still separates. Again use the same water to rice ratio of the above white rice types.
• arborio rice (risotto rice)- This rice has a huge second layer and a little tiny heart which gives it a creamy, thick, soup-like texture as the second layer disintegrates into the liquid. This rice will absorb 4 cups of liquid per cup of rice. Often a broth is used instead of water to give the creamy rice soup some flavor.

You are welcome to saute the rice before using or to add oil, butter or flavorings while it's cooking. Rice is hard to mess up, so be creative and don't scorch the bottom.

Basics: How to eat like a cheap gourmet

I've decided to post a couple basics because I've had a couple people say that they don't have the food budget to eat the way I do. Maybe, but I think if they checked my budget they would find that I don't spend tons on food (between $30 and $50 a week actually). So here are a few tips to eat like a gourmet on a budget.

1. Base you meals off the cheap stuff- The basics for my cooking? Bulk rice. Canned beans. Whole wheat flour that I bum off my parents food storage. Dried Pasta. Canned tomatoes. Cheap stuff.  I also buy my spices in bulk-- they're so much cheaper that way (Bless Winco).

2. Seasonal Ingredients- The vegetables I buy are those that are in season. No eggplant and asparagus in the winter! Taste bad and cost a fortune. I eat a lot of citrus and bananas right now. And various soups with root veggies.

3. Accent with rare ingredients- The accents are the key to making a recipe stand out. Take sauteed green beans. Add almonds and spices. TA DA! Banana bread. Add candied ginger and dried cranberries. TA DA! It's like magic!

Sooo... You want to be a vegetarian? (Part 3- The Rules)

If you've just come across this I suggest you scroll down and read part 1 and 2 before reading this....

So, now your brain is full of health information and your wondering how you will ever be able to balance your diet. Don't worry, you don't have to count your calsium by the milligram. Here are a few simple rules that will asure you get a balanced diet.

1. Eat a variety- Each kind of food provides a variety of nutrients by eating a variety of different foods you will get all the nutrients you need. Now verity doesn't just mean different kinds of fruits and veggies. It also means different kinds of nuts and beans and herbs and grains. Try lots of new things!

2. Build your meals around legumes and grains- Legumes and grains together (or within the same day) provide high quality protien, carbohydrates and fiber as well as a wealth of micronutrients. If you build your meals areound them it will be retitively easy to meet your nutritional requirements. 

3. Eat ethnically- America and western Europe are (generally) the only places where meat is the main source of protein. Other areas have relied on plant proteins for hundreds of years. When you cook ethnically it is easy to create a variety of yummy dishes that are meat free and good for you! Here are a few of my favorite cuisines and the grain/ legume combos their built around:

• Italian- Pastas and rice and beans and breads and pizzas! Yum!
• Latin American- Rice and beans and tortillas!
• India- chick peas and naan and rice and bean curries!
• Middle Eastern- Flat breads and hummus, and chickpeas, and rice!
  
• Oriental- rice and soy and beans!
  

There you are! Enjoy your vegetarian experience!

Sooo... You want to be a vegetarian? (Part 2- Nutrition- a very broad overview)

This is going to be long. But informative. Here we go!

There are 3 macro nutrients that your body requires

• Carbohydrates- broken down into simple sugars called glucose used by the body as energy
  
• Protein- The building blocks of the body, much of your body is made of amino acids or protien
  
• Fat- Necessary for brain function and building cell walls, also females need 10-15% body fat for normal menstruation function (to have babies safely)
  

All are necessary for proper body function (as you can see)

You also need a number of micro nutrients- these are the vitamins and minerals and phytoshemicals you find in mostly whole foods. These are like the switches that turn certain body functions on and off so it works right.

Soo... how does this affect vegetarians? Here are a few nutrition issues that you should be aware of--

• Protein- There are 22 amino acids that make up protein- some your body makes, 9 it doesn't. But only certain foods have all the necessary amino acids. These are meat, animal products, and soy (our good friend tofu)--they are called complete proteins. Lots of other things have protein (leafy green veggies, beans, nuts, grains, etc) but you need to eat a veriety to make sure you get all your amino acids in-- these are incomplete protiens. 
• Fat-- You need fat. You need fat. You need fat. Got it? Often fat is the bad guy in society because the saturated fat in meat clogs arteries and causes unhealthy fat storage in the body. But in reality 15-30% of you total calories should be from fat. Vegetarians generally don't need to avoid fat like meat eaters. Make sure your eating foods with fat in them such as vegetable oils (olivee, canola, sunflower, etc.), avacados, dairy products, eggs, flax, etc.
• Calsium- If you don't eat diary make sure you do your research and make sure you are getting enough calsium. While vegetarians don't generally need as much as meat eaters, calsium is used in most vital body functions as well as strong bones and teeth. 
• Other things nutrients that vegetarians need to make sure their getting are Vitamin D, Iron, B-12, and Folic Acid.

Now that your mind is dazed and confussed.... ON TO APPLICATION!!!

Sooo... You want to be a vegetarian? (Part 1- The Basics)

I have recieved a couple requests to write about how I eat and plan my vegetarian meals. Most people are suprised that I eat so, well, normal. For some reason people percieve vegetarianism as costly and dificult, with hours of planning and analizing your food. And while you can do that..... you don't really have to. I've decided to do this post in a few sections to help all you budding vegetarians (and friends and family of vegetarians) plan and eat in a way that is both healthy and cost effective. First I'm going to give you some basics, than teach you a bit about the nutrition behiend vegetarianism, and finally give you a few basic rules to live and eat by.

First, Vegetarianism should:

• Taste good
• Make you feel happy and healthy
• Give you enough energy
• Allow you to eat with friends and family on a regular basis
• not be boring

Vegetarianism should not:

• Make you feel like gagging when you eat
• Make you tired
• Make you lose an unhealthy amount of weight
• Force you to always eat alone
• Force you to eat the same thing every night
• be a bad experience

And you should know there are a couple of different kinds of vegetarians

• Vegan Vegetarian- Avoiding all animal products including meat, eggs, dairy, honey, leather, wool, etc.
• Lacto Vegetarian- Avoids meat and eggs but will eat dairy aand honey
• Lacto Ovo Vegetarian- Avoids meat 
• Pescatarian- NOT a vegetarian, but still an alternative eating style. Avoids meat but will eat seafood and fish.
• Flextarian- Also called partial vegetarian, eats a mostly vegetarian diet with meat every once in a while.

ON TO NUTRITION!!!!