I'm trying to become a better cook....any ideas to share

[cally]

I'm trying to adapt to Michael Pollan's Food Rules which means basically using 'real foods', local ingredients, and cooking like our grandparents did. This doesn't quite work for me since my Mom and grandparents are Irish/English and cooked overcooked, bland food which was full of butter and fat. I live in California and mostly eat fresh, local produce but I use too many prepared foods and don't always know how to easily put together meals from basic ingredients. If anyone else is interested, I thought we could share ideas.

Here's two meals I ate this week that are easy, somewhat frugal, and in season.

Bread salad: I roasted cut up bread tossed in olive oil, rosemary, and sea salt. Added cut up chicken, sauteed onions, pepper, and frozen artichoke hearts. Delicious!!!! and very easy.

Baked apple for breakfast: I had two apples that were old so I cut them in half, removed the seeds, added a tablespoon of dried nuts and berries, and a sprinkling of brown sugar. I put these in the oven with the bread cubes and left them in the oven as it cooled down. (I try to use energy efficiently) This was a delicious breakfast.

[trud]

1. maybe not all that healthy, but

I use rice (see below) or angel hair pasta as a base and throw in various things that I have around - a vegetable, dried cranberries, nuts, and use a flavored oil or honey.

Uncle Ben's makes a Ready Rice thing where you get perfect rice in 90 seconds in the microwave. I use half a packet of the plain original rice flavor of this and store the rest in the freezer, clipped shut with one of those little clamps for papers.

I like angel hair pasta because it cooks in a few minutes. I use just enough water to cover by about an extra inch or so.

[GoCubsGo]

2. They're healthy if you use the whole grain versions

There are some good whole grain pastas on the market now, and even Uncle Ben's Ready Rice comes in brown rice versions.

[GoCubsGo]

3. Roast your vegetable the way you roasted the bread...

You can roast just about any vegetable. I have gotten to where I prefer them that way, rather than steamed, boiled, etc. My favorite is cauliflower, with asparagus and broccoli coming in second and third. They make a nice accompaniment to grilled, broiled, or roasted meat and your favorite starch on the side, like rice pilaf or some crusty bread. Simple meals are often the tastiest. If you roast a whole chicken or a beef/pork loin, you can roast the veggies right in the pan with it.

[grasswire]

4. sounds to me as if you have good instincts!

Both of your dishes sound like good eats, and also good for the planet. Maybe you could cook like Jamie Oliver (UK) and get your cultural lineage into your food that way. He has a new cookbook out of 30 minute meals. I haven't seen it, but I have watched his cooking show and have incorporated some of his ideas into meals. Very fresh, very nutritious.

[Warpy]

5. Yeah, it's really easy to eat local stuff in a place like California

but not so easy for people who live in big cities and out here in the high desert. I mostly think Pollan is full of shit on that one.

Bittman really has better ideas about how to balance meat and plant foods for optimum health and minimum environmental damage.

They are both right that most weekly calories should come from plant foods with flesh foods used as flavoring instead of the main event.

I have had to eat a poverty diet too many times in my life to buy anybody's pious theories. Today I had some overpriced watermelon from somewhere in South America. It wasn't local and it wasn't seasonal and it was wonderful.

I'll undoubtedly be too poor to do that kind of thing soon enough. Right now, I'm avoiding the faddists and just eating what I can get.

[cally]

6. I realize that it's very easy to eat local here

I'm not trying to preach about what others should do. For me, I'm trying to choose foods in season and local because they are cheaper, fresher, and tastier where I live plus it helps me to try new foods. It's crazy to think that everyone across the country h has the same variety and access to fresh, lower priced produce that I have here.

[trud]

11. Bittman seems really snobby to me.

I would think in the high desert, with proper shelter (shade cloths, etc.) and mulching to retain moisture, you could grow a lot if you have room.

I'm looking at three feet of accumulated snow, six feet in some places at the moment, but I still manage to eat mostly local in the summer and have local honey, local preserves, etc. stored away for winter. After I learn to can this year, I expect to eat much more locally next winter. No reason I couldn't be growing greens in front of a sunny window now, except I've been too busy shoveling to get to planting.

[WhiteTara]

7. my best fav cookbook right now is

THe Ultra Metabolism Cook Book the author is Dr. Mark Hyman.

This is some of the best food I've eaten and it is all real food and sooooo yum.

[pengillian101]

8. Get a basic cookbook, like Betty Crocker.

Or read around, on-line.

Welcome to C&B!

:-)

Bread salad and baked apple is NOT a good daily diet!



Where's your protein and fiber, and vitamins and minerals?

Hope you learn some nutrition :-)

[cally]

9. I'm very perplexed by your comment

seems pretty balanced to me: Lots of vegetables and chicken in the salad which included dried berries and walnuts. The bread I used is full of fiber. Your criticism is unwarranted.

The baked apple had nuts and berries. What is lacking nutrition in that? I never implied that was my full menu. i posted two things I had quickly put together that used available ingredients and were tasty.

What do you consider nutritious?

[pengillian101]

10. I am so very sorry! I did NOT mean to come off as rude to you one bit!

I just misunderstood the post I guess and didn't mean to be critical at all! I suggested a Betty Crocker cookbook, because it taught me so much as a new cook, right up until 40+ years since then.

My little "winks" didn't show my lightheartedness apparently. I am truly sorry my sense of humor is so like Bob Newhart's - I cannot help myself, but I'll try not to be so obtuse. I haven't talked to you previously. Most folks at C&B know my odd sense of humor.

Really, I am here for fun, friends and sharing cooking ideas. Again, my apologies.

:toast:

:hi:

[cally]

12. Thanks for this...I obviously took your post the wrong way