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By Emily, March 6, 2010 7:25 pm

Highlights for February 28-March 6:
Bloggers who inspire me

When I started this blog, my friend Alexandra had a bit to do with it. Besides being one of the few bloggers who I know in real life, her blog, A Food Coma, helped me realized that I could write about food too.  Today I’m super jealous, because she and A Food Coma are featured in a NY Times article! Go Alex!

Of course, Alex isn’t the only one who writes a blog that inspires my cooking, my writing and my eating.  This week I’m highlighting a few of my favorite food/healthy living blogs.  One of the best things about being a blogger is the community that comes from commenting on the posts of other writers.  It’s fun getting to know people, even if I haven’t met them in person yet.

Written by Kristen, Leigh and Rachel,  Cheap Healthy Good is “a blog dedicated to the advancement of frugal, nutritious, ethically-minded food in everyday life”.  Can’t go wrong with that!  Kristen just fed her fiance for a week on just $25, and the weekly Veggie Might column has great vegetarian recipes.

Good (& Cheap) Eats is all about “eating well without spending a fortune and “well” means “healthfully” as well as “deliciously”.   Recent posts: Build a Better Grocery Budget, Gluten-Free Flours, and Highlights from the Great Recipe Swap.

Posts from Holly over at The Healthy Everythingtarian always make me smile.  Her creative flavor combinations, especially at breakfast, and ability to be herself in her posts (something that never seems to come across for me!) makes her blog a great read.

Healthy Tipping Point was another one of the first healthy living blogs I started to read.  Caitlin’s much more into fitness than I am, but maybe someday I’ll stop reading her posts about exercise and start actually doing it!  Plus she’s the brains behind Operation Beautiful.

When I need new vegetarian recipes, book recipes or vegan baking ideas, No Meat Athlete is one of the first places I go.  Matt’s posts about how he combines being vegetarian and a (marathon) runner are nothing short of inspiring.  Plus he started Health Blog Helper which has, well, really helped this health blog!

What can I say about Ree Drummond, aka The Pioneer Woman?  Her recipes, photography and life in general are amazing.  Not vegetarian, and sometimes not even healthy, I can’t remember the last time I saw a PW recipe I didn’t want to cook.  Plus her kids are adorable, and who doesn’t like looking at pictures of beautiful countryside?

Lastly, even you “non-food bloggers” should check out the Outside the Box Challenge, which is being organized by Shedding It (another great blog!) and Nutritionista.  This week’s challenge (which ends tomorrow) was to make something from scratch.  I entered last week’s cornbread. The prizes are really awesome–check it out!

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By Emily, March 3, 2010 7:36 pm

I made up for the past couple weeks of not cooking by spending the better part of the past weekend and yesterday afternoon in the kitchen.  I tried out a bunch of new recipes and had a great time trying some things that were more complicated than my recent fare.

A rundown, with links to recipes where appropriate:

Wine Braised Lentils Over Toast with Kale and Pearl Onions
This was my first try making (or eating!) lentils and it was definitely a success.  Would I make it again?  Absolutely.  Do I need to find more lentil recipes?  Yes, and soon!

Black Bean and Jalapeno Soup
Vegetarian and adapted from a Bobby Flay recipe, this simple soup was pretty delicious, if not a little spicy for my taste.

Cornbread–from scratch! What would I do without How to Cook Everything Vegetarian?

Baked Pasta with Gruyere and Mushrooms
So what if it’s elevated mac-n-cheese?  It was still mighty tasty!  Plus Brian, who’s not a fan of mushrooms, ate it.

I would write more, but I’ve somehow contracted my third cold of the winter.  It’s pretty much kicking my butt.  I was okay over the weekend (hence all the cooking), but last night I was in bed by 7:30.  Plus being sick has dulled my taste buds so much that I can’t taste anything, so that’s uncool. Here’s hoping I’m feeling better soon, for the sake of my students, my sanity and this blog!

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By Emily, February 27, 2010 10:41 am

Being a food blogger, at least the way I do it, can be seriously depressing.  By the time I’ve caught up with my Reader (which, come to think of it, never happens) I’ve read about why fish are going extinct, what’s wrong with the organic produce system, why we’re all fat, and added about 12 things to my list of foods that I try to avoid.  But at the end of the day, I’ve still got to eat something.  Preferably something that tastes good.

Sometimes the weekly Highlights can get a little heavy handed too.  I know some of my readers think exactly the way I do and would love to make Food, Inc required viewing for everyone in the country, but I also know that some of my readers are my friends and family and frankly, they’re just keeping tabs on me.

So, because I need some good news and sometimes the blog needs some lightening up, I bring you some positive news from the food blog world.

Highlights for February 21-27: Good News

By 2013, all 121 flavors of Ben & Jerry’s will be Fair Trade Certified. Another way to rationalize ice cream? Definitely good news.

Quiznos Launches ‘Eat Toasty, Be Green’ Campaign.  The restaurants will be using “100 percent compostable wax-coated paper cups, pulp salad bowls made from renewable sugarcane and napkins made from 100 percent recycled material and fibers.”  Definitely a step in the right direction.

New babies are always good news, right? Host of Top Chef, Padma Lakshmi had her baby, a girl.

Someone out there can read my mind, because this year Just Born is launching chocolate-covered marshmallow Peeps!  There are few things in this world better than marshmallows covered in chocolate.

Finally, I know I’ve plugged it before, but Operation Beautiful always makes my day.  Good news: real beauty is not a number on the scale!  The latest Operation Beautiful video is awesome and there’s no reason to not be involved with their simple mission.

Every Saturday, I choose a theme and highlight blog posts, websites and news articles from my Google Reader which I found interesting (and hope you do too!)  If you want more reading, check out “What I’m Reading” on my sidebar.

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By Emily, February 23, 2010 7:14 pm

Fresh on the heels of my super-yummy polenta casserole (which was less mushy after a couple nights in the fridge), I tried out another never before made (by me) recipe.  Yes, I tried 2 new recipes in one week!  I told you I was returning to the kitchen!  It’s about freakin’ time.

The recipe for Tortilla and Black Bean Torte from Planet Green appeared in my reader last week and sounded like a neat way to make vegetarian Mexican food that isn’t tacos or burritos.  You sandwich a cheese and bean/spice/corn/onion filling between tortillas and bake it in the oven.

Okay, so, this looks kind of like mush too.  But, remember, I specialize in delicious mush.  My tortillas were a little small for the pan so I didn’t fill them to the edge so that contributes to the whole creation being a little sad looking.  Still, the taste was pretty awesome and surprisingly rich and filling.  I adjusted the recipe and only used 1/3 or so of a chipotle pepper–those things are hot!  And I left out the scallions, cilantro, and sour cream because I’m realizing sometimes it’s not worth tracking down ingredients you don’t already have in your cupboard.

Would I make it again?  Absolutely.  I might even tweak it a bit more and see what I can come up with.

When all was said and done, I was left with just 2 questions:

1) Anyone have a fool-proof method for resurrecting dried beans? I soaked mine overnight and then cooked them for a little bit and they came out pretty well, but I still feel like I’m missing something that’s making the whole process more difficult than it’s supposed to be.

2) What should I do with the rest of my chipotle peppers? I’ve still got a half dozen or so in my freezer and they’re so spicy I can’t figure out how to use them up!

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By Emily, February 21, 2010 2:16 pm

Two weeks ago, I made meatloaf and Brian and I spent pretty much all week eating it (it didn’t occur to me until we’d finished it that I could’ve frozen some).  Last week we were on vacation and so I didn’t cook.  I felt like I hadn’t been in the kitchen in forever.  And I missed it.

I made up for my absence last night with a surprisingly delicious casserole I adapted from a recipe for Polenta and Onion Casserole with Fennel Seed and Soy Mozzarella that was in The Complete Vegan Cookbook: Over 200 Tantalizing Recipes, Plus Plenty of Kitchen Wisdom for Beginners and Experienced Cooks by Susann Geiskopf-Hadler and Mindy Toomay.

Things you should know before making this recipe:

1) It’s from a vegan cookbook, but my adaptation is not vegan.  Simple solution: substitute soy mozzarella for the regular mozzarella cheese (that’s what the original recipe called for, but I had the cheese already and I can’t bring myself to eat soy cheese yet).

2) Making this dish requires 2 burners and the oven.  But it’s worth it.  So worth it.

3) As incredibly delicious as this dish is, it’s not the prettiest thing ever once you serve it.  I served it with a spoon and ate it out of a bowl–it’s pretty much mush.  But the flavor is amazing and comforting.

Tomato, Onion and Polenta Casserole
Adapted from The Complete Vegan Cookbook

2 teaspoons fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
Olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 red onions, chopped
1/8 teaspoon salt
28 oz can whole tomatoes (do not drain!)
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
black pepper
1 and 1/2 cups uncooked polenta (coarse ground cornmeal)
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese, or more to taste

1. Use a spice grinder to combine the fennel seed and chili flakes.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Add the fennel seed and chili flake mixture and minced garlic to the oil and stir to combine for about a minute.
3. Add the onions and salt to the skillet.  Cook, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes, until the onions are soft.
4. Add the capers and the tomatoes with their juice to the skillet.  After the mixture reaches a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up large pieces of tomato.
5. While that cooks, preheat the oven to 375º.  Grease a 3 quart casserole dish with olive oil.
6. In a saucepan, combine 4 cups of water, garlic powder and a sprinkle of black pepper.  Bring to a boil.
7. Reduce the temperature to medium and add the polenta in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly.  Continue to whisk until the polenta is thick (normal polenta consistency, this takes a few minutes).  Whisk in 1/2 cup of cold water and return the polenta to bubbling.
8. Stir in a 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese to the polenta.  Next, pour the polenta into the greased casserole dish.  Distribute the polenta evenly in the dish.  Pour the onion and tomato mixture on top and cover with the remaining mozzarella.
9. Bake for 20 minutes and cool before serving.

On a unrelated note for my local readers, I just found about about this cool event happening in Williamstown and North Adams, Massachusetts next month.  The Farm Film Feast is March 10-14 and will feature showings and discussion on “a dozen documentary films about our food: Who produces it, how it reaches us, and how it affects our health, our environment, and our local and global communities.”  I’m not sure which events we’ll be attending (March still seems so far away!) but I’m really excited about it.

Enjoy what remains of the weekend!

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By Emily, February 20, 2010 4:06 pm

Maybe it’s just my interest in cooking unique, healthy, fresh food.  Maybe it’s the appeal of vegetarianism.  But it seemed to me that this week there were a lot of blogs writing about vegetarianism and veganism.   I’m still neither of those, but I really admire people who are and I’ve really enjoyed exploring them recently (I just got Jonathan Safran Foer’s Eating Animals from the library and I’m so excited to start reading it!).

Highlights for February 14-20: Veganism and Vegetarianism

Sometimes I think these diets seem more popular because I’m so aware of them, but I’m clearly not the only one interested.  Alicia Silverstone’s vegan cookbook, “The Kind Diet ” was topping Amazon’s bestselling cookbooks list.

No Meat Athlete is one of my favorite blogs for vegetarian recipes, and there’s a whole category of healthy desserts, which are almost always vegan.

People often comment that vegetarian/vegan diets don’t supply enough nutrients.  Planet Green says you can get more iron than Popeye as a vegan

Endless Simmer examines the question “Can a vegetarian/vegan be a “foodie”” (The answer? A resounding “yes”.  Duh.)

Also from Planet Green, “Meat the Press: 6 Ways to Decode Media Coverage of Vegan Issues”

A spin on Bittman’s “Vegan until 6,” Graham Hill is promoting weekday vegetarianism.  I know ideas like this upset “real” vegetarians sometimes, but I think it’s really great.  In fact, in the 14 months since I cut my meat consumption by more than half, full time vegetarianism has become more and more appealing.

Every Saturday, I choose a theme and highlight blog posts, websites and news articles from my Google Reader which I found interesting (and hope you do too!)  If you want more reading, check out “What I’m Reading” on my sidebar.

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By Emily, February 19, 2010 4:18 pm

I’ve been on vacation all week, which has been awesome, but not so great in the productivity department.  Nevertheless, I did manage to randomly select a winner for the Yoplait Frozen Smoothie and single serving blender giveaway.

And the winner is…

Congrats Lucy! I hope you love the smoothies and blender!

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway and gave me great ideas for smoothies, especially the newcomers to Relishments. Thanks again to MyBlogSpark and Yoplait for providing me with the chance to try Yoplait’s new frozen smoothies and the opportunity to give some away to my readers.

Hopefully I’ll be giving away more cool stuff in the future–and getting back to regularly schedule cooking!

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By Emily, February 16, 2010 10:17 am

As I mentioned on Saturday, Brian and I are pretty low-key in the V-Day department.  Plus we’re on break from school this week, so our travel plans interfered with celebrating on the big day itself.  So, we “celebrated” our first Valentine’s Day as a married couple last week.

For my part, I offered to make Brian the meal or baked good of his choosing.
Brian told me he bought me something off of my Amazon wish list.

That’s the normal part.  Here comes the irony.

Brian’s request: Meatloaf, garlic mashed potatoes, carrots cooked in butter and dill and biscuits.

My book:

Confession #2: I’ve never actually read any of Michael Pollan’s books.  But I’ve read enough articles and watched enough interviews to know that I agree with him.  My plan is to spend the rest of my school break reading In Defense of Food.

So, did we “Eat food.  Not too much.  Mostly plants.”? (That’s Pollan’s basic guideline)  Well…we ate food…probably too much…not many plants…but it was really yummy and we enjoyed ourselves.

And I’m really excited about reading my book.

Don’t forget, you have until Thursday to enter my Frozen Smoothie and Blender Giveaway!

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By Emily, February 13, 2010 9:06 am

When I was in high school and college, I used to vehemently protest Valentine’s Day.  I’d wear all black and generally be obnoxious to those around me.  Things since then have changed (it helps to be happily married!) and though Brian and I are still having a really low key Valentine’s Day, I don’t hate it the way I used to.  This week’s links are, of course, Valentine’s Day themed.

Highlights for February 7-13: Valentine’s Day

Gifts:

Still shopping? Slashfood has a collection of Funky Valentine’s Day Gifts for Foodies.  I already have 3 aprons, but there’s some cute ones on there…

Everyone loves love letters.  Mental_floss has A Brief History of Great Love Letters, in case you’re in the mood to write (or read…) one.

Drinks:

Serious Beer Pairings: Chocolate and Beer for Valentine’s Day (via Serious Eats)

Pink Sparkling wines (Slashfood)

Food:

Heart Shaped Food for Valentine’s Day (Mental_floss) and just what I always wanted, Papa John’s has heart shaped pizza! (Slice)

One of the things that can suck about Valentine’s Day is not having a significant other.  Fear not, A Food Coma has taken care of that with an indulgent Valentine’s Day menu for one.

Change.org has some ideas for a Sustainable and Sensual: A Valentine’s Day Menu

Both the NY Times and The Daily Beast have pieces on aphrodisiac foods.  I’ll leave it at that.

Candy (clearly, the best part of Valentine’s Day):

5 recipes for homemade chocolate candies (that’d be good for any time of year!)

Why We Give Candy on Valentine’s Day.  Um, because it’s delicious?

Top 10 Dark Chocolates for Valentine’s Day from Huffington Post.

Though I won’t have time before V-Day, I think I may need to test out this recipe for Peanut Butter Chocolate Strawberries from Slashfood.

Apparently you can use Red Hots as a spice.  Go figure (I may not be trying that one…).

Over at No Meat Athlete, Christine has posted a recipe for making your own vegan box of chocolates (as well as one for Vegan Merlot-Berry Sorbet)–I’m not even vegan and they sound amazing.

I know that’s a lot of links for the week, but there was too much good stuff out there!  Stay tuned for a post about how Brian and I celebrated our first Valentine’s Day as a married couple.

And, don’t forget to enter my Yoplait Frozen Smoothie and single serving blender giveaway!

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By Emily, February 11, 2010 4:47 pm

The other day, the wonderful folks at MyBlogSpark sent me a Hamilton Beach Single-Serve Blender and a coupon for a free package of Yoplait’s new Frozen Smoothies!

Well, who am I to say no to free yogurt smoothies?  We go through a lot of yogurt in our house and any time I can get more fruit in my body is a good time.

We used the free product coupon to purchase a package of the Strawberry-Banana flavored smoothie.  Each package makes 2 smoothies.

contents of smoothie package: fruit and yogurt bits

We followed the directions on the package and created delicious, thick smoothies.  We actually added extra milk, they were so thick! I’d definitely have them again, though they don’t taste very different from the smoothies we usually make.

Since then, Brian’s used the single serving blender to mix up his after-workout protein shakes.  It’s so much less work to get out and clean than our full size blender!

Want to try Yoplait’s new Frozen Smoothies for yourself?

Not only did Yoplait and MyBlogSpark send me a blender and coupon for myself, but they’re giving me the chance to give away a blender and coupon for free Yoplait Frozen Smoothies to one of my readers!

All you have to do is leave a comment below telling me your favorite kind of smoothie.

I’ll leave it open for entries until next Thursday, February 18, at which time I’ll randomly choose a winner!

If you can’t wait to try out Yoplait’s Frozen Smoothies, you can go here for a coupon that will save you $1.25 off one package

Disclosure: Frozen smoothie coupon, prize pack, information, and giveaway were all provided by Yoplait through MyBlogSpark.