My wife is a naturopathic doctor. I'm pretty well marinated in every possible permutation of diet and nutrition from a clinician's point of view. Yet it wasn't from her that I got the notion of eating beef twice a week or less. And you know? That's fuckin' easy. Not only that, but it makes you only buy beef you value. Apropos of nothing, we got a pressure cooker for christmas. Which means the beans that used to take all afternoon to cook after soaking all night the night before now cook in half an hour. And hey - 3 cups of rice and 2 cups of beans equals five meals for about $3. We do that maybe once a week.
Pressure cookers are great for beans. I also cooked a bunch of crock pot meals in November and froze half of them for later. We have been enjoying all month. It feels great to eat homemade stew that you can heat in 20 minutes. If you guys like brown rice I have a new technique for cooking it. Treat it like pasta. So instead of the normal two to one ratio, try a four to one ratio of stock to rice. Cook on med-high for about 30 minutes and drain like pasta when done. So much easier this way. Good luck!
I haven't had much luck with brown rice in the rice cooker, which is why I went looking for alternatives. I think the culprit might have been the cheap-o rice cooker we inherited from an old roommate. I just have a hard time parting with my $ for something that doesn't go in my tool box or office.
Pressure cooker -I'm on it.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa#Nutritional_value
It's a wonderful grain, I do feel a bit guilty buying it though. Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/lifestyle/2011/01/07/quinoa... Ping.
Fair Trade Quinoa should really help end that issue. Alter Eco is one such brand you could look for if you wanted to have an impact. http://hubski.com/pub?id=14237
Here's the recipe (spices will be cheapest at a local indian spice/grocery shop): Indian Quin-Laaf 1 cup quinoa
~ 2 cups Water
Salt
Asafoetida
Oil
2 whole Chili peppers (fresh Serrano or Thai)
3 table spoons of slivered almonds
1 medium onion chopped
1 medium/large zucchini diced
½ cup of diced mushroom
1 heaping tablespoon of grated ginger
½ cup of freshly chopped cilantro
Spice Mixture 1:
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
¼ teaspoon black cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
Spice Mixture 2:
1.5 teaspoon ground cumin powder
1.5 teaspoon ground coriander powder
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric powder
1 teaspoon ground chilli powder Boil 1 cup of Quinoa with 1.75 cups of water, half a teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of asafoetida on medium heat & uncovered. After 10 minutes, water should have absorbed/evaporated and quinoa should be cooked. Set aside.
In a separate fry pan/wok, add 2 tablespoons of oil and medium heat. Add Spice mixture 1 , chilli peppers, and slivered almonds. Mix and let heat/toast. Once Mustard seeds start popping, add chopped onions. Saute on Medium-Low heat until onions have become shiny & translucent. Add diced zucchini and mushroom. While simmering on low heat, add spice mixture 2 in a small bowl with 1/8 cup of water and mix well with fork or whisk. Once mixed, add to pan and mix everything together well. Let the spices & veggies cook together for at least 3 min and until vegetables are at desired crisp level. Now add cooked quinoa, half a tablespoon of salt, grated ginger and mix everything together.
Serve in dish and top with chopped fresh cilantro. (Yields 3-4 servings) Enjoy.
Turned out well: The Stage The Players The Performance Best part was, I found out that my 18 month old daughter LOVES quinoa. Thanks zmagma, next stop... your recipe!
What did you think of Bolivia? I wish I could have travelled there too. My wife was doing an away rotation in Peru and I took the opportunity to visit her and make a trek to Machu Picchu, it was amazing. Thanks again.
Bolivia was a true gem and beyond unforgettable. The locals there were the warmest I've met since they're so grateful in meeting tourists, let alone Americans. And the terrain, although landlocked, is like visiting another another planet (Salt flats, Amazon basin, Lake Titicaca). I highly recommend. I agree with you on the trek up to Machu Picchu, one of the most strenuous yet edifying experiences!
Spring: The simple Hummus recipe, great. Yams with ginger and lime, so good. Swiss chard with roasted golden beets and sweet peas (All of which I grow in the spring because of this recipe), sofa king good -- add some chevre for a dairy treat. Summer: Fingerling potatoes and green beans with lemon dill dressing. Pad Thai summer rolls with tamarind dipping sauce. Sprouted Quinoa Tabbouleh -- This one I'm actually making tomorrow for my sister by request. I roast the tomatoes and add roasted pepitas too. ...You get the gist. Lots of good stuff. If you could try one new recipe a week, you'll love food as much as Ash and I.
is practically a vegetarian, so my meat consumption has declined considerably on her account. However, that is exactly what we do. When we do eat meat, it's the organic free-ranged or grass fed stuff. OMG does it make a difference. Looking at our friends and family, I can't find anyone in their 30's or younger that doesn't eat less meat than my parents served. Also, I would say that across the board, it's a conscious health choice. gq also introduced me to the pressure cooker. Everyone should have one. That, and a rice cooker.
All very sensible. But let's be honest, not quite fun, mk :) http://www.bbqguys.com/item_item_481.html (I got mine this past summer. I even get to boil the water for the coffee after the meal since it keeps going for a while. Hammock not included ;)
TBH, I don't mind my meat to be a bit tough, if it is tough in the right way. Flank steak is always going to be flank steak, and I'm not a fan of those tough threads of sinew. But, I don't mind at all if my sirloin has a bit more chew. Grass or corn fed, sirloin isn't going to get strings of stuff stuck between my teeth.
The most tender parts of the cow are often what are referred to as "reactionary" muscles. These are the parts of the animal that aren't used all the time and are therefore more tender. A great example of this is the "hanging tender", which is a muscle that's just kind of... there. It serves no function and because of this, damn does it make for some good eats. http://www.smartkitchen.com/resources/hanging-tender So, the trade off is that cows that are treated like shit all there lives will likely be more tender because they've rarely been allowed to move.
It used to be that being "plump" was attractive because it showed that you could afford to afford to eat plenty and meat was a big part of that. Now a days, it's in vogue to be healthy. To be thin and in shape shows that you have time and resources to dedicate to such things. To have a tan no longer means you worked in the fields all day, it means you went to the spa. Having a "whole foods" tote bag would be far more fashionable than a "Certified Angus Beef" one. It's a marketing movement, it just happens to be one I'm not against.