I’m not a vegan, but I’ve bought meat alternatives before. I remember the first time I purchased some Beyond Meat Burgers, I googled every unrecognizable ingredient.
People made comments about these foods being highly processed, but I ignored them. I’ve gotten a kick out of how closely some pretend meats resemble the real thing. And I still know which of my grocery store’s nuggets contain the best chicken-less chicken.
I’ve never had Daily Harvest’s products, but this article about an ingredient found in some of their recalled items provided a real wake up call.
In my experience, if you’re really craving meat’s taste and texture, there are plenty of recipes for suitable substitutes containing natural ingredients. They may not taste exactly like the real thing. But some are hearty enough that you won’t miss much.
A part of me feels like there’s a lesson in here about craving a counterfeit version of something so badly that you ignore the most important risk of all: Fakes can have flaws. And some of them can be quite serious.
One of the most satisfying faux meat recipes I’ve ever tasted involved lentils that had been boiled, and then sautéed with spices. It wasn’t anything complicated. But it was delicious. And ultimately, I think it’s important to know that the food you eat is safe.
A few years ago, there was a story in the Star about roti. As a Canadian of Caribbean descent, I was disappointed, and I know that I wasn’t alone. For those of you who do not know, roti is a food staple within Caribbean and South Asian communities. Articles such as this one discuss its origins.
In hindsight I suppose the contents of the story were meant to be informative. But when it was first published, that’s not how I saw things at all. Instead, to me, it read like a cautionary tale about a dish that people ought to be warned about. Its analysis of one restaurant’s roti spoke ominously of its sodium and caloric content.
From where I sat as a woman of Bajan and Trinidadian heritage, it felt like it had been written specifically to suggest how unhealthy Caribbean food could be.
I am a child of immigrant parents. For many of us, food from our parents’ homelands is one of very few concrete ties we have to our heritage. I feel this especially deeply because I don’t live in the GTA—a place with a large Caribbean-Canadian population.
At the time the story’s author lived in the same town as me. I ran into her once. Shortly after we met, I told myself that I was going to ask her about what she had written. But I never followed through.
These days, I tend to believe that people have begun to understand: The way that you write about a culture’s food matters.
Last year I bought a Trinidadian cookbook. Inside, there are a ton of recipes for me to explore. But do you know what happened to me during my first few weeks with this book? I became obsessed with making doubles. I even sent photos to one of my cousins. I laughed, and my heart felt lifted as she told me: A family member had jokingly suggested I send her some of what I’d made.
Sometime last year, I ordered a meal kit from Carib Dish. I cooked something that I’d never even had before: An authentic oxtail dinner. I felt a sense of joy as my mother gave me tips beyond what had been outlined in the instructions.
I hope that as time goes on, the media continues to contemplate the meaning behind its messages. What happens when they rarely showcase a particular type of cuisine—and then when they do, said cuisine is placed in a negative light? That’s an insult to those who might enjoy it the most. Not only are you mocking what we eat, you are suggesting something awful about those who do the eating.
Years after that roti story was published, I longed to come up with a story of my own. I wanted to defend and show my love for this dish in a way that hadn’t been done before.
The taste of this treasured, filled flatbread soothes my soul as nothing else can. When I eat it, I feel a connection to my ancestors. With every bite, it’s as though they aren’t so far away after all.
A few nights ago I found out that one of my relatives knows how to make a mean pizza. If we were in front of each other, I would’ve high-fived her. We’re the same sign, and we enjoy the same snacks. Clearly in another life we were BFFs.
Hence, I thought I’d share my love of homemade pies. I used to buy frozen pizzas from the grocery store. (If you need a recommendation, these are two of my favorites.) Then a couple of weeks ago a little birdie told me that I could handle making my own.
The birdie was right.
Here’s one I made recently.
In my opinion, homemade pizza tastes better than any that you could buy. It’s ridiculously easy to make. And it’s cheaper, too–especially if you already own the ingredients. I found my dough-making instructions here.
The main difference between Stefano’s recipe and mine is that I don’t use semolina. Also, the last time I made my crust, I coated the dough with olive oil before I spread it out. It made it crispier.
Random confession: I cook my mushrooms before I put them on my pizza. Is that weird? When I first decided to use the ‘shrooms, all I could think of was how much moisture evaporates from them they’re sautéd.
A little coconut milk. (Not the kind in the short cans. –> This one.)
1 scoop of unflavoured whey isolate powder
Frozen mango chunks
Blend. Drink.
This combination has a mild, delicious flavor. And the fact that there are no berries in there isn’t an accident. I don’t want to have to deal with dry socket while I’m trying to heal! 🙂
There are many goals that I’d love to see come into fruition this year. And in this season of surrender and promises to self…Here’s one thing that I’m going to do my best to give up.
Eating trash hasn’t served me well. It’s left me looking a lot like the before pic on this page.
Along with my cousin and her cronies, chickentuna‘s photo is my new fitsperation. I lost a few pounds last year. However, her “before” photo is similar to my present.
I came back into this post to edit the above so I wouldn’t sound that bad. But big or small, a tummy is still a tummy, no?
I almost wish I was the type of person whose mass increased at an even rate. Because at least then, my body type would make sense to me.
But no. If I eat too many bad calories, a dash will show up on my thighs, a wisp on my butt…
And a TON on my tummy.
Which is fine for some people. But I’ll be honest. I don’t like having a one-of-these-things-is-not-like-the-other physique.
And it’s been funny. I’ve tried not to tweet about my dietary concerns. Because I’m slim everywhere else, I worry that people might look at my profile photo and assume I’m one of those women who whines about what she eats while sporting a perfect figure.
Meanwhile, these new rules that I’m trying to adopt really aren’t all that new. Some today refer to the practice as “eating clean”. I call it common sense.
I was raised by a health nut. I eat well most of the time. And yet…I remember the week last year when I baked at least 3 different times. During that period, I binged on just about everything. (Here, the word “binged” means “sat down and munched half-to-all-of what I made within a few hours”.) I enjoy a salad as much as any other girl. But when it comes to “bad” foods, I have almost no impulse control.
So here we are at the dawn of 2013.
I can’t bring myself to start P90X. Instead, I want to give chickentuna’s method a try. I’ll keep doing normal exercises. I won’t make any special effort, apart from me being at my best. My main changes will be culinary.
They say abs are made in the kitchen. I intend to see if it’s true.
As I continue my journey into the world of fitness, I’m more conscious of what I put in my mouth. I haven’t turned into a complete culinary snob. But I’m trying to strike a balance between food that is both delicious and healthy. There are some things I’ve always known that keep hitting me in the face.
1. Don’t be a hero.
I tried eating my granola with the yogurt on the left. Note that it’s plain.
Several days ago I braced myself as I stood over my breakfast bowl. Heartily, I scooped the yogurt over my cereal, and told myself I was doing the right thing. I told myself I was pursing the healthier option.
I then dipped my spoon into the bowl and brought it to my lips.
Although technically I may have been correct about my objectives, my taste buds were not impressed.
At first I was disappointed. Why couldn’t I rise to the challenge? (Fun fact: This year marks probably the first time in my life where I’ve eaten boiled eggs without trying to devil them.) In spite of my upset, I quickly came to my senses. if something’s not working, there’s no sense in lying to yourself.
I bought the yogurt on the right the next day.
2. If you prefer “yours” over “theirs”, it’s ok.
Fibre1’s brownies* do not taste bad. But I thought they were expensive, and small.
In the end, I couldn’t help but think that I should have saved my money and made black bean brownies**. In my unprofessional opinion they taste nearly the same and are bound to be healthier.
3. Expect the unexpected.
Recently I was checking out Greatist‘s web site when I came upon Katie Morris’ Apple Quinoa Cake recipe.
I remember being perplexed and excited all at once.
I have apples! And quinoa.
And just think about it! Quinoa…In a cake? How does that work?
Yesterday morning I found out.
I only made one change to their recipe. I used chopped dates instead of raisins.
What did it taste like? Like chewy, crunchy, glorious…Awesomeness.
I was impressed and I definitely intend to make it again.
*The link goes to the product’s American site. I don’t know what–if any–differences you’ll find between theirs and the Canadian one.
**As I said in an earlier post, bean-based desserts tend to taste better the day after they’re made.
Lately I’ve been making smoothies featuring my staple ingredients.
A Banana – I’ve tried to make smoothies without a banana before. I can’t help feeling as though something’s missing. Maybe I have a potassium deficiency?
Fruit – It doesn’t matter to me if it’s fresh or frozen. I enjoy adding strawberries and other goodies.
Pineapple Juice – I’ve had smoothies that use almond milk as a base. I’ve tried other juices. Pineapple juice is my favorite. I know some people will read this and gripe about the sugar that most juices contain. However because it’s natural sugar, I’m willing to look the other way. Plus, pineapple juice has other benefits.
Extras:
Hemp Powder – This time around I picked up a jug containing maca and ground flax. And I’ll admit it. Hemp powder makes my mixes taste a bit…Sandy Healthy. But it’s a great source of protein. These days, I like to sneak in my nutrition any way I can.
Avocado – Avocados do a body good. Every now and then I’ll stick a chunk in the blender.
At first I was worried. Although crusty on the outside, whenever I stuck a knife in a loaf, it came out goopy. A Little Birdie told me that my grandma used to refer to this as the “balling” stage.
*crickets*
I haven’t Googled the official definition. But if that stage is also known as the “mucky, gummy, bake-me-for-another-half-hour” stage, then yeah. That’s it.
In the end, my elders’ advice won. I didn’t want to burn my babies to cinders, so I gave up and left them alone.
And I tell ya. Magic ensued.
Once cooled*, my loaves firmed up. My bread tastes lovely–chewy, but cooked. Just like regular banana bread.
And all without a pinch of the sweet stuff.
*I just noticed that the recipe says to let the bread to cool “lest you run the risk of an extra-crumbly bread.” In my experience, “crumbly” was the least of my worries. 😉
claire.she.goes 
