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By Emily, August 25, 2010 2:00 pm

Last week I came upon this recipe for this potato and kale frittata.  I love making frittatas (is that the correct plural?) and since we had a bunch of potatoes from the farmer’s market that needed to be used, it was a perfect dinner.

But the problem with buying kale is that then you have a ton of kale.  But it wasn’t really a problem, I had the perfect soup recipe to use it up (I’m so glad it’s been cool enough to make soup again).  But in order to be perfect, the recipe needed hot Italian sausage.   Just a few weeks ago, I wrote that, if and when we purchased meat again, we’d  ”buy it from one of the local farms so we know where its coming from and how the animals were treated.”  Of course, at that time I hadn’t actually bought meat for months.  It’s funny how “normal” being meat-free has become.  And so, last Thursday, I bought my first locally, humanely raised meat.  I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it wasn’t much more expensive than the natural (but probably not humane) sausage at the supermarket.  In addition to being really, really delicious, the soup didn’t seem to be as greasy as it’s sometimes been in the past when I’ve used supermarket sausage.

Obviously, you can make this soup with any kind of hot Italian sausage.  In fact, sweet sausage would probably work fine too.   The original recipe claims to model Olive Garden’s Zuppa Tuscana, but I don’t think it does.  You can find more accurate ones online.  Nevertheless, it’s really good.

Spicy Sausage, Potato and Kale Soup

5.5 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 medium potatoes, cubed (or the equivilent…I used six red potatoes because we had them)

4 cups chopped kale

1 lb. Italian sausage

1. Cut the sausage into 1″ pieces and cook them in a skillet until cooked through.  Remove from the heat and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, combine the stock and cream in a saucepan and cook over medium heat.
3. Add the potatoes and kale to the soup.
4. When the sausage has cooled, cut the slices into “soup sized” pieces.  It’s really all a matter of preference, but the smaller you cut them, the more sausage it seems like there is.  Add the sausage to the soup.
5. Let the soup simmer until the potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally.

Serves 4 as a main dish.

…and we still had kale left over to freeze.

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By Emily, July 8, 2010 5:20 pm

I love the blogosphere.

Caitlin, over at her blog Healthy Tipping Point posted great answer to the question What Does “Ethical Eating” Mean? yesterday

I’ll get to Caitlin’s thoughts, and my own in a minute.  But you need to know, this post pretty much made my day.  It’s basically the post I’ve been trying to write on this blog for weeks.  Over the past few weeks (possibly the past few months), I’ve been going through another phase of debate over what I should (or shouldn’t) be eating.  There’s so much information out there and so many opinions.  It seems as though the more informed you are, the harder it is to make the right decision.  Should you buy all organic, or is organic an irrelevant label?  Is sugar, stevia or agave healthier?  Is some meat okay?  Just humanely raised meat?  Should I go vegan?  (I have articles to support all of the above opinions, and more, if you want them).  It’s easy to feel confused and its even easier to feel guilty.

I love Caitlin’s definition of an ethical eater:

“ethical eating” means you strive to make educated decisions about your food choices and the impact such choices have on our community, animals, and our environment, and then you strive to reach the best conclusion for YOU…Because I believe that every positive effort you make is important and worthwhile.

At this point, I’m still a flexitarian (in other words, still eating meat).  We just used up the last of our supermarket purchased ground turkey (which had been in our freezer for some time because I just don’t think to use meat anymore) and the plan is if we want to cook meat in the future, we’ll buy it from one of the local farms so we know where its coming from and how the animals were treated.  But I don’t think that ethical eating is only about meat.  There are so many other types of food that impact our health and our environment.  We’ve stopped buying products with High Fructose Corn Syrup.  I make things from scratch as much as possible and read ingredient labels.  We rarely eat out, which helps us know as much as possible where our food is coming from.  I try to make it to the CSA, farms and farmers markets regularly.  Those are our choices, based on the conclusions we’ve made.

Caitlin goes on to say,

When I say that I am an “ethical eater,” I mean that I strive to understand WHERE my food comes from and the IMPACT that my choices have.  That does NOT mean that I am perfect.

Well said.  I too want to share what I’ve learned (hence the blog) and show other people that eating ethically isn’t as hard as they imagine, but (another Caitlin quote),  “Mama Pea said it best when she said, “I think being militant about any lifestyle choice is one of the biggest deterrents to invoking change in others.””

For me, this issue of ethical eating also involves the purpose of eating.  Food should be more than just about nutrients and health (though those are really important), it should be enjoyed and it should be a social event whenever possible (I’ve been reading Michael Pollan lately, maybe you can tell?).  Therefore, I don’t want my eating decisions to make me unhappy or cause others to not want to spend time with me.  Now, when I say I don’t want my decisions to make me unhappy, I don’t mean I’m going to eat whatever makes me feel good.  Being overweight would not make me feel good.  Knowing that the meat I’m consuming was mistreated does not make me feel good.  Not knowing what’s in my food does not make me feel good.  Taking on the  vegetarian label (which I almost did a month or so ago) is taking on a lot of negative connotations and a lot of expectations.  I’m not sure I want to do that.  I’d rather just be that girl who loves to cook yummy food, and most of its pretty healthy too.

As Caitlin makes clear, eating ethically is a tricky thing, especially when everyone’s got their own definitions.  I’m far from perfect, but as Food, Inc and many other sources note, we vote for what we want our food system to be like 3 times a day, but there are a lot of gray areas.  I try to make the best decisions I can, but I’m a newlywed (or not…) on a budget, still learning to cook, just starting my teaching career (which is more work than you can imagine) and I’m not going to make myself insane trying to do all the “right things” at once.  Change doesn’t have to happen over night and I’m making the best decisions I can for myself based on what I’ve learned so far.

I’ll echo Caitlin’s question here: What do you think of the ethical eating debate?

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By Emily, January 18, 2010 1:05 pm

Fabulously Broke did a post a few days ago featuring her Confessions of a Foodaholic, which she got from eemusings and Asian Pear, who got it from Not Quite Nigella.  (I love the internet!)

I thought it’d be fun to share my own.

I go through phases where I don’t eat any breakfast

I know that breakfast is the “most important meal of the day” and I believe it.  But when I get up at 5:15, I’m really not hungry.  Of course, by the time we’re headed out the door, I’m starving, but the thought of food when I first wake up just isn’t appealing.  At the moment, I’m trying to make sure I eat a bagel or something before I leave, but we’ll see if that lasts.

I am a tea addict

Even if I’m skipping breakfast, I never skip my tea.  I usually start the day with a cup of black tea, but as the day progresses I’ll consume a few more.  Brian and I have a whole drawer full of tea.  I don’t think the caffeine has much of an effect on me…I just love the taste.  And the warmth.

I deconstruct my sandwiches

Whenever I’m eating a sandwich, I stop eating it normally when there’s somewhere between a quarter and a couple bites left.  Then I take apart whatever’s left and eat just the filling, leaving the bread behind.  I don’t know why, it’s just one of those weird habits.

I get bored of food easily

One of the reasons I started cooking was to escape the boring lunches I’d been taking to school every day.  I like eating left overs, but I can only eat the same meal 2 or 3 times before I can’t eat it again for a month or so.  I don’t understand people who’ve eaten the same thing for breakfast or lunch for years.  I just can’t do it.

I really don’t like salad

I love vegetables.  I love healthy eating.  But I really don’t care for salad.  I can’t remember the last time Brian and I bought lettuce.  I’ll eat it if it’s served to me, or comes with a restaurant meal, but I never make it for myself.

I get really frustrated when I don’t plan an awesome menu for the week

Cooking and blogging are my hobbies.  People know this is what I do.  I’m really Type A and set really high standards for myself.  Between the internet, magazines and my cookbooks, I have tons of recipes.  So when I don’t have a lot of time during the week to plan a great menu or cook impressive meals, I get frustrated.  Sometimes I wish I had a job that didn’t require prep outside of the work day so I could spend more time in the kitchen.

I’m not sure I’ve ever had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich

I’ve always said that I don’t like PB&J, but I’m not sure I’ve ever actually had one.  Nevertheless, the idea grosses me out.

I would rather eat lunch/dinner food for breakfast and breakfast food later in the day

That’s just the way it is.  Give me a sandwich, pizza or pasta for breakfast and I’ll be happy.  Eggs and pancakes make great dinners.

I get annoyed when people at the supermarket have carts full of processed foods

Over the past year I’ve realized how easy it can be to make healthy, cheap food at home.  It makes me sad to see people with carts full of TV dinners, packaged snacks and soda.  I wonder if they know what they’re eating and how much better tasting and healthier food can be.

That said, what I think I should be eating and what I actually eat don’t always line up.

Nevertheless, I’ve still got processed food in my pantry.   How could I not?   I still eat meat, though I frequently debate with myself about whether I should go vegetarian.  I have to keep reminding myself that I’m doing better than I used to be (Soda is an extreme rarity in my life, we almost never eat fast food, I do cook at home every night of the week, many of our meals are vegetarian).

What are your food confessions?

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By Emily, October 1, 2009 8:40 am

Today, October 1st, is World Vegetarian Day, the kickoff to Vegetarian Awareness Month.*

Download this poster at http://www.worldvegetarianday.org/

Don’t worry if you’re not a vegetarian (I’m not, after all!), you can still join in!  The North American Vegetarian Society suggests:

•	Eat meat-free for the day or throughout the month
•	Learn how a vegetarian diet can benefit you personally
•	Try the meatless options available at local restaurants and eateries
•	Discuss vegetarianism with your interested friends, family and co-workers
•	Host a meatless meal or potluck for your friends
•	Eat meatless meals on a regular basis

That list sounds a lot like my life…anyway, if you’re not already, try some meatless meals and learn a little about what you’re eating and where it’s coming from.  It’s hard to believe I’ve been eating a flexitarian diet for 9 months now–so far so good.  I definitely feel a better about myself now that I’m a more conscious eater.

*Not to be confused with PETA’s Hug a Vegetarian Day which was September 25th.

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By Emily, August 26, 2009 10:48 am

Last night for dinner I made this kielbasa and onion pizza, inspired by a recipe from Everyday with Rachael Ray.

I made the following changes to the original recipe:

• made my own pizza dough (we’re looking for a better recipe though–anyone have one?)
• used a mix of provolone and swiss cheese (the gruyère was really expensive)
• only used one onion
• used dried thyme

The pizza was pretty good overall.  The husband is a big fan of kielbasa and it goes on sale every few weeks at our supermarket, so we eat it a few times a month.  I never would’ve thought to put it on pizza though–I’m terribly uncreative and unoriginal in the kitchen.  Thank goodness for cooking magazines and shows to inspire me!

Why I Still Eat Meat

For the past several days, I’ve been seriously pondering the question of why I’m still eating meat at all.   Honestly, I was the only one pondering this question, at least aloud. My husband, my family and my friends, though generally aware of my views and recent changes to my diet, have never inquired as to why I haven’t gone completely vegetarian. They probably have better things to occupy their minds with.  If the vegetarians whose blogs I frequently read, cite and comment on are wondering, they haven’t actually asked me.

Brian and I discussed this thoroughly while eating the above meat-topped pizza last night.  In the end, I’ve decided it’s probably mentally healthier (and easier, though I mentioned several times that ‘what’s right is not always what’s easy’) for me to remain a flexitarian/semitarian.  Changing one’s eating habits is a gradual process and I don’t have to go radical overnight.  Eating meat once or twice a week, or on special occasions, is not going to make me drop dead.  He also pointed out to me that if I want to “change the world,” I should perhaps focus more of my energy on petitioning elected officials and the like instead of agonizing over the amount of animal products in my lunch.  It is possible to eat healthy AND eat meat (I am in no way labelling kielbasa as a healthy meat!).  Plus, it should be noted, nine months ago the argument Brian and I were having was about the fact that I loved junk food and was going to stock our pantry with it when we got married whether he liked it or not.  Now the tables have turned and I’m the “health nut”.

Interestingly enough, Caitlin on Healthy Tipping Point was answering a similar question this morning: “Do you ever feel pressure to eat “perfectly” or “complete dinners” because of your blog?“.  I realized that I may be feeling pressured to become a full vegetarian because the blogs I admire the most are written by vegetarians and it’s the lifestyle I advocate most on this blog.  However, eating meat isn’t always bad and it is possible to be an unhealthy vegetarian.  My eating (and this blog) is primarily about delicious food that is also healthy, whether or not it fits into a labeled lifestyle.  Food bloggers are normal people, so for now I’m just going to eat as healthy as I can, meat included.

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By Emily, May 7, 2009 1:27 pm

My Man is notorious for asking me hypothetical questions which make me crazy. They range from “If you had to move to another state forever, where would you move to?” to “If you had to live on a deserted island with a celebrity, who would you choose?” I don’t like being forced to choose one thing. I’m too indecisive. I like variety. I hate the “if you had to eat one thing for the rest of your life” question more than anything.

Despite that, I was intrigued when Serious Eats posted yesterday about the H1N1 quarantine in Hong Kong and asked what readers would put on their “Quarantine Food Wish List”.  I’m pretty sure my list can include more than one thing, so I don’t feel so penned in by it.  If my consulate was bringing food for me while I was in quarantine, I’d request black tea with sugar and milk, peaches, chicken picatta with spaghetti and a good bottle of pino grigio. Maybe not a meal that makes complete sense but…it sounds good to me.

And, immediately, I feel strange about choosing something with meat. Which brings me to my next point: No Meat Athlete (my favorite blog du jour) posted a great piece called “I Shouldn’t Be Eating This But…” It’s very much along the lines of what I was saying about summer restaurants opening the other day. It’s so refreshing to be reminded that my life’s not going to end because I choose to not be completely strict all the time.   That’s why I’m flexitarian, and not full fledged vegetarian.  (My guiltiest food is red meat, by the way)

If I’m in quarantine, I’m not going to worry about eating vegetarian. It’s not the rest of my life. Good food would make me feel better about being stuck while people recover from H1N1.  I’m not going to make myself miserable sticking to a strict diet 100 percent of the time.

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By Emily, May 5, 2009 6:49 pm

So, posting hasn’t been quite as frequent as I’d like it to be lately.  Seems like I haven’t been able to make much free time since break from school in April.

Summer is fast approaching in mid-coast Maine.  Around here, it seems like there are just 2 seasons: summer and winter.  Winter was too long, too cold, and too boring, but things finally changing.  Summer means the opening of all the seasonal businesses.  This is good, because I’ve been waiting for farmer’s markets and fresh, local produce for months.  Maybe next weekend I’ll have the chance to finally go check one out.

It also means that restaurants, including the drive in, the ice cream shops and the local hot dog stand, are open again.  Some of these places don’t even have vegetarian offerings on their menus!  It’s things like that which I forgot over the winter while I was making vegan soups.  It was a lot easier to eat healthy food then, when delicious, greasy, meaty, fat-ridden food wasn’t easily available to me.  As I get busier and spend more time out of the house with members of my family  its easier for everyone involved to grab a quick hamburger instead of seeking out somewhere that serves healthy food just to make me happy.  I’ve had some good grease in the past couple weeks.  But I’m trying not to enjoy it too often and keep moderation (and flexitarianism) in mind.

Lunches got boring for a while, and this week I’m making vegetable sandwiches on whole wheat pita bread with hummus.  They’re good, fresh, and easy to change a little from day to day.  I do intend to get back into the kitchen soon and it looks like my schedule is going to allow me to.

I’ve almost finished reading Food Matters, and along with other sources, such as the excellent blog No Meat Athlete, have realized that the best (and often easiest) way to eat well is to eat natural food.  I know this idea isn’t unique, but I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who didn’t realize it.  Clearly, food that is closer to its original source, which hasn’t been altered and processed and treated, is better for us than the alternative.  My current plan involves trying to eat whole wheat products, fresh fruit and vegetables, and packaged food with as few ingredients as possible (Michael Pollan recommends less than 5…at least that’s what I’ve heard, I still haven’t read In Defense of Food).  Sometimes doing all this is still difficult, but its a lot easier than remembering all sorts of other rules.  It’s nice to know it can be that simple, since I still feel like I just stumbled into this “eating healthy” thing with no idea what I’m doing.  The Wall Street Journal just ran a piece about how “health food isn’t always healthy.”  Check it out, it’s pretty interesting.

Stay tuned, I promise more, better posts in the future.

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By Emily, April 26, 2009 8:49 pm

It seems almost unbelievable, but my spring break is just about over.  It’s Sunday night, I’m watching Iron Chef.  “Battle Butter”?!  I should go to bed, get back in the “school routine” and work towards getting over this cold, but I’m too intrigued.

My Man and I didn’t cook as much as I intended to over break (actually, we didn’t do several things I intended to–breaks apparently aren’t as long as they used to be).  We did create one great olive-tomato-and-cucumber salad (all his idea) and we made broiled polenta with cheese on top.  I’d never have polenta before, and it’s not bad.  Definitely worth considering various ways to use in the future.

Lots of good conversation was had during the past week about food and related issues.  How we want to shop, what we want to eat, local vs. organic vs. quanity of produce.  Eating was a lot simpler when I didn’t know anything.  Now every shopping trip is filled with questions and options.  I know I’m not doing as well as I could be and I remain hopeful that living with someone whose tastes and food interests are more similar to one and playing more of a direct role in the shopping and cooking will improve things.  I’ve finally started reading Food Matters by Mark Bittman and it’s really eye opening, but sometimes having so much information is overwhelming and guilt inducing.  But I remind myself again, doing something (eating meat one less time a day, purchasing grains in bulk, eating more produce) is meaningful, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

In other news, 2 months until the wedding :)

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By Emily, April 12, 2009 11:17 am

It took me longer than it should’ve (I need to work on making reading a priority), but I finally finished reading The Flexitarian Diet: The Mostly Vegetarian Way to Lose Weight, Be Healthier, Prevent Disease and Add Years to Your Life by Dawn Jackson Blatner. It was certainly one of the most educational books I’ve read on my venture towards eating better.

The book’s goal is to educate ordinary people (such as myself) about easy ways to eat less meat and be healthier. It contained tons of helpful information, such as the number of various types of nuts in an ounce (eating 1 oz of nuts five days a week has been shown to lower the risk of heart disease by 30%, p. 30), a good list of umami foods (p. 32), a list of what fruits and vegetables are available during each season (p. 38) and a chart of grain cooking times (p. 44).  Surely this information can be found elsewhere, but its wonderful to have it explained clearly in one book.

The Flexitarian Diet also contains 100 recipes. Now, if we’re being honest, some of the recipes aren’t “recipes” as much as they’re guidelines for what is healthy eating, but I appreciated being reminded of healthy, simple snacks such as baked pita chips and peanut butter on celery, and the actual recipes are appetizing and simple.  I would add, however, that the two recipes I have made from the book resulted in much more food than expected (each recipe is supposed to make 1 serving).   Double (or more) the recipes with caution, or you’ll end up with more food than you may want.

All the information was a bit overwhelming at times and I had to remind myself that it’s acceptable to make one or two changes to my diet at a time.  It’s not necessary to do everything Blatner recommends overnight. One of the most important lifestyle changes I made immediately was trying to only eat grains with “whole wheat” as the first ingredient (processed grains lack 25% of the grain’s protein and 15 of the key nutrients, p. 43).

This is not a cookbook for foodies, but if you’re a new flexitarian (or vegetarian) its a great resource for eating nutritiously and cooking simply.  I found it very useful in trying to make meat-free meals that have high nutritional value.

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By Emily, March 25, 2009 3:00 am

The Garden:
@matthewharris tweeted this great map of the White House garden this morning. Impressive.  Someday I would like to have a garden of my own, but I suspect it will be on a smaller scale.

Bill Niman and Nicolette Hahn Niman of The Atlantic agree that the new garden is great, but would like to see it taken one step further. Should the Obamas add a flock of chickens to their garden?

Books:
Another cookbook aimed at flexitarians like me was just published this month. Almost Meatless: Recipes That Are Better for Your Health and the Planet by Joy Manning and Tara Mataraza Desmond was mentioned in the New York Times, along with three of the book’s recipes.  Definitely adding it to my “to read” list.

That reminds me, I have The Flexitarian Diet: The Mostly Vegetarian Way to Lose Weight, Be Healthier, Prevent Disease, and Add Years to Your Life by Dawn Jackson Blatner sitting at home.  At first glance (which is really all I’ve given it) the book seems a little overwhelming and features too many specific plans for my taste (I’d rather just have a cookbook), but I’ll give it another look and let you know what I think.

All this talk about cookbooks reminds me that I really need to get back in the kitchen.  I’m not sure where I’ve been spending all my time the past few weeks, but it certainly hasn’t been cooking.  However, my lunches are becoming increasingly depressing and I’m ready to try making some new stuff.  One thing I know, I’m making another version of the granola bars.  Food shopping after school, we’ll see what comes out of that!