Big Organics

I watched Food, Inc. again last night, this time with my mom. I’d been trying to get her to watch it for a while. It’s funny how when you watch things multiple times, different parts stand out each time. It had me thinking about big organics this morning. There is a portion of the film where this once super hippie, now CEO of Stonyfield (big time organic yogurt company) is talking about how if we decided that we were only going to buy products from a perfect food system – where everything is local, organic, animals are outside, we can meet our farmers, etc. – it would be futile. I seek out these sources when I can, my eggs and a lot of my produce during the summer months I don’t get from the store, but local sellers. Buying that way is not always feasible, unfortunately.

I have found myself in this predicament in the grocery store on more than one occasion: I am looking for X product, thinking it should be easy to find a suitable product that meets my standards, but I’m standing in the store presented with two choices: big organic (meaning industrialized organics) from out of state or conventional. (Or even worse, I’m presented with big organic or a conventionally produced local product, how do you decide which is more important?) At times I’ve left without either, frustrated. I’ve had to learn to be ok with big organic. It’s not ideal, I’d rather support farmers in my neighborhood and I’d rather send the message that I want to have a connection to my food, to know what’s in it, who grew it, and that it’s safe to eat. I’d rather save all that fossil fuel that’s used to transport big organic to my grocery store. I’m trying to vote with my dollars, here, people! How can I vote without the option I want being presented to me?

But I must remember that at least big organic means that all that land, all those animals, all those workers, aren’t being bathed in hormones or chemicals – and those nasty things are staying out of my body, too. All those food dollars spent on big organic are dollars that would probably otherwise be spent on conventionally produced food products. We’re talking about thousands of pounds in chemical pesticides saved. And that’s what’s important, right? Sure, there will be those who just meet minimum standards required for organic labeling because they know organics command a higher price, but there are a lot of great organic companies, too, who are in it for the right reasons and don’t just meet, but exceed standards.

Pasta, Pasta, Pasta!

I remember as a little babe just gobbling down bowls of enriched semolina pasta. My mother made a mean marinara to top these easily chewed strings and I enjoyed every mouthful of it. Lately, I have been sticking to healthier choices such as, gluten free and sometimes whole wheat. I can't remember the last time I ate regular pasta. After eating whole grain pastas I find white pasta a little awkward to chew and not to mention how I feel afterwards. Following a trip to an Italian restaurant my family slowly moves to the car, then upon arriving home, they slowly move to the couch. I can relate to the feeling of heaviness and sleepiness. Whole wheat pasta, I do not care for as much as some of the fabulous gluten free options. Fortunately, with quinoa or brown rice pasta you do not sacrifice nutritional value as say white rice or tapioca. My personal favorite is quinoa.

Last nights dinner was a platter of quinoa linguine, topped with a creamy marinara and green beans. It was by far the quickest dinner I have made in a long time, and produced very little dishes. Yeah! I have forgotten the trouble-free practice of pasta dinners. Considering I am vegan, the sauce was made creamy with some leftover mashed potatoes and some olive oil. I have found that the fattiness of a luscious cream sauce can be mimicked so easily with a starch and a high quality fat, such as olive oil. After I sauteed the green beans I tossed them in the sauce to complete the dish. I have also blended cooked rice, steamed cauliflower and rich grapeseed oil into marinara to concoct a sort of voluminosity. Try one of these tricks, I know you will like it! Not only are they much lower in calorie and fat content, but energy to boot too. The reason quinoa pasta tops my charts is because of it's intriguing bite and great nutritional benefits. Quinoa is high in complex carbohydrates, protein and fiber. After eating a preferred 2 oz. serving I feel full and energetic, rather than ready for a nap or a doze on the loveseat. With the low fat and sodium content how could you not feel good about eating quinoa pasta. This, "Mother Grain" as the Incas used to call it, provides a nutty and rich flavor. My favorite brand to buy is Ancient Harvest Quinoa Supergrain Pasta. I like the linguine and the garden pagodas. Unfortunately, if you have a corn allergy need not eat this brand, there is a bit of corn in their recipe. Do try pure brown rice or flax enriched pasta. You will surely enjoy it's natural texture. Explore the world of pasta and tell us what you like!

Here are a couple more brands to try: Food for Life, Heartland and a much heard favorite Barilla Plus. These are easy choices to make at the supermarket and home. When you are out for dinner don't be afraid to ask your server for a healthier option to your pasta dish, you might be surprised. Just because Olive Garden isn't there yet doesn't mean that everyone else isn't. Many restaurants are recognizing the popularity and demand of gluten-free and health concious individuals. Untraditional pastas might take longer, but they are definitely worth the wait. I hope your next dinner consists of some sort of nutitious pasta dish, laughs and make sure to try recipes on the brand name websites, delicious!

¡OBA!

Last week my boyfriend's first student got his pilot's license. To celebrate, his student treated us to dinner and drinks at ¡oBa! restaurant in the Pearl District. Woah-wee! Because I am a foodie, along with the other foodie's of this blog, I had to check out the menu beforehand to get an idea of what I was up against.

Looking at their website, ¡oBa! touts their food as "neuvo latino". What the heck is neuvo latino? Well, executive chef Scott Neuman describes it as:

"...cultures and cuisines of the Caribbean and Cuba, go through South and Central America, up through Mexico to my roots in the American Southwest, interpreting these foods so that they may be enjoyed by people in the Northwest."

New York Times named ¡oBa! the best restaurant to eat at while in Portland, and Willamette Week named it Restaurant of the Year. After eating there, I can see why. This is how the night went:

Eric and I arrived early to have a drink at the bar and take the edge off since I would essentially be having dinner with strangers. He ordered a Hefeweizen (his favorite) and I was eager to try one of their mixed drinks. The Prickly Pear Margarita and Passionfruit Mojito were recommended to me, but I was drawn to the Cucumber Mojito. It was the perfect balance of mint and cucumber, not too sweet and not too strong. I got to munch on the cucumber slices and get a buzz! Definitely a must for warm weather (if Portland ever gets it).

After we finished, Eric's student Bobby and his wife arrived and we were seated at a table in the main dining room. It was very dark in the restaurant, and the noise level was at medium - but a perfect ambiance for the theme and style of the place. We all hit it off right away, and Bobby brought a couple bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon that the waiter uncorked - and continued to keep our glasses full all night.

For appetizers, we ordered the Crispy Coconut Prawns and the vegetarian Queso Fundido. Both were delicious, although the Fundido made me the happiest and there was plenty to go around.

Being the vegetarian and quinoa-lover that I am, I ordered the Enchiladas de Calabaza: roasted butternut squash enchiladas with a creamy walnut sauce and black quinoa salad on the side. I almost orgasmed upon taking the first bite - the suttle flavor of the squash combined with the texture of the corn tortilla and the rich, creaminess of the sauce made for one flavor explosion in my mouth. I was in food heaven. The quinoa salad was the perfect compliment; it was slightly tart and oniony, had a crunchy texture and cleansed my palate after eating a bite of the enchilada. Perfect.

With the wine almost gone and a steady flow of happy conversation, dessert was the natural next step. Bobby and his wife shared the ¡oBa! Baked Argentina, which they had had before (they said the meringue was what did it for them). Eric and I ordered a Coconut Cake drenched in dulce de leche, topped with toasted coconut and a zesty lime sauce. Again, perfect combination of flavors and textures. Cake: super moist and creamy, coconut: crunchy and suttle, lime puree: tart!

What a dinner. Think of all the best foods you've eaten in your life and multiply that by a million! Six days later and we're still talking about it. I plan on going back very soon to try as many drinks on their menu as possible, as well as try their happy hour menu (4:00-6:30pm daily,late night happy hour: 9pm-close daily, all day Sunday).

In case you haven't yet been convinced, here are some more reasons to eat at ¡oBa!:
1. Great atmosphere both at the bar and in the restaurant that makes you comfortable; not pretentious at all.
2. There are several options available for vegetarians, vegans and celiacs - woohoo!
3. ¡oBa! has been recognized by the city of Portland for their effective recycling and composting programs.
4. Chef Neuman and associates use local, farm-fresh Northwest products to create their fare.
5. IT'S ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!!

Go With What A Place Is Known For

You hear great things about a place, but end up gravely disappointed when the server sets your plate before you. Everyone else’s plates look amazing. Everyone else is making the “Mmm!” “Oh!” “Yum!” harmonies. You take a bite, hoping that looks are deceiving. And your bummed. But you continue shoveling small bites into your mouth, hoping that maybe, just maybe, it’s going to get better.

But it doesn’t. Your meal sucks. There’s just no getting around it.

You ordered the wrong thing!

This can happen. Even fabulous restaurants can have these temperamental dishes­­, or better yet––bombs. Little neglected runts. The menu’s description sounds so good! It lures you in by containing everything you’re familiar with and fond of.

Here’s a perfect example: I’m a sap for veggie-loaded omelets. Yum! The perfectly seasoned, perfectly sauté vegetable medley; the salty, ooey gooeyness of the cheese; the creamy fluffiness of the egg swath; maybe even add a few chunks of sausage––Oh! But then, you get it. And it’s bad. The veggies are tasteless, undercooked. The egg wrap is… less than fluffy to say the least. And the only decent thing about it is the cheese. In fact, if it weren’t for the cheese, the thing would be gagging. Ugh.

But, hold up, rewind: before ordering, you heard the place was known for something in particular, like maybe their benedicts or their hashes or their pancakes. So why didn’t you just go for what it’s known for? Because you (we) are creatures of habit. We like to stick with what we know. But then, what’s the point of eating out? What’s the point if we always go for the same damn thing?

The lesson: Order whatever a place is known for. You’ll likely save yourself from major dissatisfaction.

P.S. Hot Cakes: located on the south side of SE Powell right before crossing the Ross Island bridge. Order the pancakes! Delicious. Maybe even their hashbrown plate or omelets, but steer clear from the corn beef hash! It’s cat food––in both taste and texture.

Gardening in small spaces

I would love to have a huge garden where I had room to grow all my own fruits and veggies. Unfortunately, I live in a townhouse. We have a reasonable yard for the size of our home but I certainly won't be growing all my own goods until we have a bigger place, if even then. This doesn't stop me from growing my own fruits and vegetables, and it doesn't have to stop you, either, no matter how small your space.

There are a lot of good options for the apartment or townhouse dweller. Dwarf varieties of many plants are readily available, like this dwarf blueberry bush in my little yard:


Strawberries are perfect for containers and will return year after year if treated well. I have three strawberry plants and a dwarf blueberry in the same large pot. They have been very happy together. No blueberries last year, but it was a very young plant. I enjoyed a few strawberries and am looking forward to more this year as the plants are bigger. I can already see berries that I'll be enjoying soon.


Even tree fruits are available to the apartment dweller as many dwarf varieties can do well in large pots. Grafted trees can allow you to have many varieties on one tree (I've seen up to 6 different kinds of apples on a single tree!).

I think by far the best thing a home grown garden can offer is tomatoes. Tomatoes fresh from the garden are so much sweeter and more flavorful than anything from the store. Even full size tomatoes make very good potted plants. If I had room for nothing else, I would have a tomato plant (or two!). Here I have two, a cherry and a roma (along with two pepper plants).


Then, of course, there are herbs. These little guys are happy in your windowsill if there is really no room to garden.


Knowing I didn't have much room to grow food of my own, I made my flower beds serve a dual purpose. Rather than just filling them with decorative plants and flowers, I put my food plants right in the flower bed. They're pretty and you can eat them!

Eat Raw? Why? I Could Never?

I love talking to people about different diets and seeing their reaction to the raw diet. This word is often followed by looks of shock and gruesome. I also hear a lot of, "Oh, I could do vegetarian, but never vegan and absolutely never ever raw." Well, I say never say never. I, myself am not on the raw diet, but do see many reasons why this diet is beneficial and why the idea is appealing. I like to correlate raw meals into my menu to try to keep things balanced and exciting. With beautiful summer produce coming, now is the time to prepare yourself. Many individual's bodies sort of freak out when they convert to eating all raw, mainly because the massive amount of fiber and nutrients is a shock to their system. A change can also make a person nauseated and experience headaches if their prior diet consisted of heavy amounts of caffeine, sugar and meat. After a couple days their body thanks them and adjusts. Fortunately, our bodies are very adaptable and try to make the best of whatever we are doing. That's why so many people eat so badly, because they don't see what is happening inside of them. Our bodies just go with what they get and later on you will see what actually was happening or the outcome. Raw food diets are proven to show an increase in energy, better digestion, weight loss and a pure looking complexion. I have also heard a friend mention that her eyes became brighter and more clear. As well as some hair color change.

I am attracted to the raw food diet because of it's overall intensity and concentration on whole plant foods. When you think about it this is probably how humans started eating. Talk about getting back to basics. Heat wasn't always available, which forced our ancestors to eat things raw or dried. Raw foodists believe that heating foods above 116 degrees depletes them of vital nutrients, enzymes and minerals. So the only form of heat or cooking that is done is dehydrating. It is also believed that one will absorb nutrients better and digest them better if they are not put above this temperature. The properties of the raw food diet lower risks of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, obesity and high cholesterol. Now, it is obvious that raw foods are good for your health, but would you really want to make all that food? It does include a lot of time "massaging" vegetables. I'm not kidding, some vegetables like kale you have to massage before you dehydrate to break down the cell wall. Truthfully, I only make raw foods sometimes, but when I do it is very fun.

Some of the equipment used for raw food preparation is a blender, dehydrator, juicer and some sort of sprouting jar. I love challenging recipes that test my patience and are really good for me. I enjoy incorporating green drinks and raw smoothies into my repetoire. They are easy and filling. Today, I made a smoothie for lunch with leaves of kale, lemon juice, one apple, agave nectar, flax seeds and water. I'll tell you after 16 ounces of that you are full! Although this was quick, some raw recipes require days to prepare for one dish, therefore it can be kind of tedious, but still benficial. Just by adding a couple of meals a week you can still notice a difference in your digestion and energy. I know I have. Here is an example of a 3-4 day long recipe for hummus that was very good, but did take a bit of preparation. You might begin to understand my reasoning for making quick smoothies and juices. This chart may aid your curiousity, if you are still thinking what the heck you would eat? Here is another recipe, this one a bit quicker, for an Avocado Chocolate Mousse. I have made a version of this one many times and it seriously satisfies my sweet tooth. I like to use orange juice instead of coconut milk and omit the oil, just my preference. Also, if you're not a vegan go ahead and try raw honey instead of agave. If you would like to try some of Portland's raw fare, here are the few. For a quick lunch and casual atmosphere go to Prasad, located downtown close to Powell's and Deschutes. I usually get their raw soups and leave very satisfied. They are not open that late so I suggest going for lunch or an early dinner. Also, try Blossoming Lotus for a nicer atmosphere. They have much to choose from, my favorite Live Nachos, to a Live Pizza, which I have yet to try. I hope that my talk of the raw food diet at least makes you curious and maybe a bit excited? Next time you make your morning smoothie throw in a handful of salad mix or spinach, add nutrients wherever you can. Your body will thank you in the long run.

Manger français

A few years ago I went to France to study the language and explore the culinary wonders of the country. To sum it up, “c'était parfait”. Fellow blogger Ashley joined me on the adventure, and la première importance was to eat as much food as possible; inexpensive bakery food, moderately priced crêpes, somewhat expensive bars of chocolate. We weren’t able to experience pâté de foie gras or escargot, but our taste buds did collide with some wonderful treats.

In Paris, we walked around for hours searching for the perfect bakery, or patisserie, to pick out our daily pastries and breads. One day we frequented La Reine des Blés‎ (The Queen of Wheat). Ashley settled on a simple baguette to accompany her hummus fetish, while I had my eye on an éclair hybrid: le divorcée. A chocolate éclair and a maple éclair connected by a clever piping of the pâte à choux. It was delicious. We took our treats next door to Les Vendanges, a restaurant with an owner kind enough to allow us to devour our treats while enjoying une tasse de café.

Eventually Ashley and I made it down to Nice in the south of France. We ooh-ed and aah-ed at the macarons, drooled over les gâteaux and ate enough crêpe to gain five pounds in three days. Although the possibilities are endless, I favored le crêpe citron, a crêpe doused in lemon juice and sugar (although le crêpe avec Nutella was equally delicious).

Before my dear friend and I met up for our culinary quest, I stayed with a host family while studying in Angers, France. They knew of my passion for baking, and allowed me to bake a special treat for them: a tart! My host mother Térèse picked up some kiwis from the market, and had little strawberries that she picked herself. I made a flaky butter crust, cream cheese filling and topped the tart with the fruit. It turned out well. My host family and roommates were very happy, and we even indulged in an aperitif of kir (white wine and crème de cassis).

Although I wish I could share the true memory of France with you, it is impossible to put into words how amazing the sights, smell and tastes were. In lieu of this life-changing experience, I’ll share the tart recipe with you to make anytime you are feeling especially francophile. Bon appétit!

la tarte française

1. First make the French tart dough found at David Lebovitz’ site. He is an amazing author and food critic living in Paris, and is full of knowledge about French food and good French recipes.

2. While the crust is baking, cut up different varieties of fruit to top the tart with. I challenge you to do two things: Choose fruit that is in season and choose local. Try the Portland Farmers Market, your town’s farmers market or Spicer Brother’s Produce – all great choices! If the fruit is too tart for you, toss it with some sugar.

3. After taking the crust out of the oven, make the cream cheese filling:

1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat all ingredients until smooth and creamy.

4. Once the crust is cooled, assemble the tart by spreading the filling in the bottom and topping with the fruit. Enjoy with a glass of wine, or champagne, or beer – it’s all good!