Raisins, Wanuts, and Flax oh my!

For those of you who requested the recipe for my raisin walnut loaf I posted on my Facebook yesterday, here it is!

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups of sugar
3 1/4 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
3 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup of raisins
3/4 toasted walnuts
3 tbsp. flax seeds

In a bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. No need to sift, just fluff all ingredients with a fork.

In a separate bowl beat room temperature eggs until they are light yellow. To that, add vanilla, sugar, and vegetable oil. Stir until well combined.

Add dry to wet, mix just enough, then fold in walnuts, raisins, and flax seeds. Do not over mix!

Pour into 2 loaf pans, muffin tins, or a 13 x 9... whatever you have! Make sure you grease them!

Bake at 350F for 45 minutes or until a knife or pick comes out clean.

An electric mixer is not needed here, that why I love it! Quick and easy.

Miss Representation

I am sure that all of you have had an experience that has changed you, or in the very least shaped, molded, or dented you. It may have been an experience that you rather not remember or maybe you're fond of the event. Either way, it impacted you and whether you judge it as bad or good, ultimately it was for the greater good. I love being affected by the world and I love that I can take that energy and transform it into something productive to further develop who I am as a person.

Last night, I saw a documentary called Miss Representation. It is all about how women are misconstrued and misrepresented in the media. Now, I know this isn't a new thing and we've been fighting for women's equality since the 60s, but unfortunately we've regressed in a way that women are now mocked in society. (i.e. in politics) The movie was raw and powerful and actually really sad. Not just because I am a women but because of the dehumanization I witnessed throughout the documentary.

I left the movie feeling like I wanted to do everything I could to empower women and make them realize their worth and wholeness. I wish I could look every woman in the eye, hug them, and tell them that they are validated. That they don't need to be 90 pounds, date an athlete or a CEO, or be a mother to be worth something because they already ARE something. So what can I do? What can you do? Follow your passion, whatever that is, to the end of the road. And if you don't know your passion, you still know yourself, and you know what you love and what you hate, so start there. Don't lose yourself, love yourself. And if you want to take a really easy step, stop watching reality television.

I graduate college in two months. All of my friends are in law school, graduate school, dental school, med school--I have some pretty amazing friends-- and for a while I didn't really know what I wanted to do. Nothing my friends were doing interested me and all I knew was that I loved to eat, travel, write, and cook. And that's where I started. Now, I have my start date for culinary school (Octboer 10th!!!) and I believe that it is really my purpose, or my calling-- I know how romantic that sounds but it's true. So if your lost or defeated just make a list of what you love. NOT what you love to do but just waht you love and she where it takes you.

(missrepresentation.org)

Italy and the Slow Food Movement

So much of what I believe in has to do with food and taking your time to cultivate, prepare, and eat it. If you know me, you know that I have to consistently work on the slow eating part. I'm basically a vacuum at meal time and honestly, I'm fast at a lot of what I do. But somehow, the Slow Food Movement intrigues me. It's motto is good, clean, and fair food. Let me first mention that I'm not a hippie, or a gardener (I actually have quite the brown thumb), or a food activist. I actually hate the thought of forcing ideas and believes on people. But here is what I am: someone who loves food and loves the taste of the freshest, highest quality products available. Call me a food snob if you must, but it behooves me to think that people do not actually care what goes into their bodies. People, "you are what you eat" is not just something a philosopher pulled out of his (or her) ass.

So what's Italy have to do with all this? Well, this is where Slow Food (and Slow Wine!) started.
It makes sense, doesn't it? The entire culture of Italy is based around the table, eating, and sharing together. That's the environment I grew up in and that's what I'd like to pass along to my children. In October when I start culinary school, (!!!!!!!!) I will be spending half of my time in Italy. I cannot wait to be in the center of this culinary mecca and I cannot wait to blog about it so you can live vicariously through me... c'mon, I know you want to!

Until next time, live an unhurried life... and start at the table.

www.slowfood.com

The Best Beets

I feel like so many unique vegetables are becoming mainstream: kale, collards, and one of my personal favorites, beets. Most of you are probably familiar with beets but would rather enjoy an alternate veggie like a sweet potato or broccoli. But beets are so incredibly delicious and satisfying when prepared the right way. Not only that, but they are packed with lutein and zeaxanthin, potent carotenoids in supporting overall eye health. In other words, the babies are better for your eyes than carrots! Beets also provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification support. And trust me, the list goes on.

Last weekend I made the most amazing beet recipe. It involves leeks and ginger too which are some of the most powerful ingredients for detoxification. I hope you make this recipe, you wont regret it!

The Best Beets

3-4 beets with beet greens
3-4 large garlic cloves
1 cup leeks, chopped
4-5 slices fresh ginger
1/2-1cup chicken stock (less sodium)
Salt
Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes
EVOO
Butter

Rinse beets thoroughly. They can be a little sandy! Cut the greens off the head of the beats and set aside. Quarter the beets, and toss them with EVOO, salt and pepper. (no need to peel them yet) Put them on a baking sheet and roast them at 400 degrees until a fork goes easily through them.

In a large saute pan, melt 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp EVOO, add chopped leaks and minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Add the roughly chopped beet greens and stems and add a touch more salt and pepper. (you must season every layer) Add the red pepper flakes (or leave them out if you don't want any extra heat), and the sliced ginger. Cover with chicken stock and let the mixture simmer and reduce on low heat.

When the beets are done roasting, take then out of the oven and let them cool. When they are cool to the touch, peel the outer skin. Place the quartered beets in the saute mixture and mash lightly with a fork. This will make the mixture a little more creamy.

Let simmer until everything is heated through. Serve as a veggie side, over quinoa or cous cous, or over a piece of delicate fish!

Follow Your (insert adjective here) Intuition

If you want to conform and "follow the yellow brick road," you can, but trust me, that's not going to take you anywhere. I know that I don't want to be mislead by the sparkle and glitz of Oz only to be met by a small man talking nonsense behind a velvet curtain. What I am getting at is this: everyday we are inundated with new research and new ideas, a new app to download that is suddenly going to make your life organized... you see where this is going. Our need to be constantly stimulated by the "new and improved" has completely cut us off from our OWN voice. This goes for everything: food, dating, fashion, real estate, career path and more.

For the past few years or so, the vegetarian, vegan trend has taken over food literature and news media claiming it is healthiest way to eat. I do agree that it obviously has its benefits. There are an abundant amount of vitamins and minerals in a vegan diet. That doesn't mean, however, that one should abandon there previous diet.

In my previous post, I talked a little bit about how I eschewed meat for a while. It was mainly because I was convinced that it was unhealthy and would make me fat. And the hormones from the meat would get in my blood and give me cancer. A tad dramatic, I know. But when you read a book by a certified professional who swears that these statements are true, you... or me at least, becomes affected. Plus, I am in my early twenties and practically susceptible to everything, a trait I am not proud of and work on changing daily.

Anyway, lately I have been incorporating more meat and dairy products in my diet and less carbohydrates, and I am happy to report higher energy levels and a slimmer waistline. Not to mention a clearer mind and a greater sense of well being. No--the fear carried by the slaughtered animal did not imbed itself into my body as a consumed my beef tenderloin causing me to have a panic attack. Though I do believe in energy, I will not take it to such extremes. I changed my diet not because some book told me to, but because my body wanted more protein from an animal source. I could not deny my body what it truly wanted.

Though I was never a total vegan or vegetarian or whatever, I still found my self putting limits on my diet according to someone else's accord. I want to listen to my own voice, my own heart. I owe myself that trust. This is just another example of what food has taught me about life. It has taught me to listen. To shut up, AND LISTEN!

MEATia

Hello, hello and happy FALL!

The weather here in Florida is finally starting to cool off a bit. This means my taste buds are craving more sultry flavors and meals with some depth. For a lot of people this means slow cooker pot roast, braised short ribs, roasted chicken, and all other things meaty. If you've been following my blog for a long time, you will know that I am not a big meat eater. The only reason being I don't tend to crave meat. Growing up Italian, the emphasis was always on the fresh bread and salted butter, or avocado salad with purple onions, or sea salted strands of pasta.

But lately, I've been wanting to explore meat and cook it more often. I'm not sure if my body needs it or my taste buds want it, but either way I've been going to a part of the grocery store I rarely frequent--meat and poultry. Where do I even begin? I think. There are so many types and cuts and fat percentages! HELP! And then of course there is all this media attention on free range this, grass fed that... and I can't help but wonder if any of this even matters or if it is just another media trend? Don't get me wrong, I understand the necessity of humanly raised animals and local food but my God, I feel like I am being bombarded with over zealous activists and over priced pork!

After 20 minutes of browsing pink and red packages, I decided on a lean (93/7) ground round. Great for meatloaf, hamburgers, and tacos. Flavorful, inexpensive, and versatile.

I brought home my meat, mixed it with salt, pepper, onions, garlic, and parsley, sauteed it in a big skillet and served it over toasted, 12 grain french bread and melted some Italian Provolone on top. My version of a traditional hamburger. It was so satisfying and I am beginning to grow very fond of this foreign ingredient.

Lessons: Following the Recipe, or Not.

A family can teach you a lot about your self, your talents, your weaknesses, and they can reflect those deep spots within you that you choose not to share with anyone else. The family is a powerful unit, and for most of us it can dictate our moral compass and which direction our life will go.

I am happy to say that while my family has always encouraged me to do whatever I wanted, they never told me what to do. There was guidance, sure, and there were times where my mother told me "it" (whatever it may be) wasn't a great idea followed by my father nodding in agreement. But there was never the control that I see so much in families today. It is said that if you love someone you set them free. And the freedom I had growing up has given me the strength to trust myself, love myself, and follow my heart.

I've never been one to follow recipes (or the rules). And if I do, I use them as a guide. I always end up changing something. I think that says a lot about a person. It says they are willing and eager to pave their own way, that they are not afraid to go off course, try something new, make a mistake.

So even if you think your parents are clueless freaks, which I think we all are sometimes, trust that know matter how you were raised there is always something good to be found, that there is beauty in every mistake, and that there is nothing wrong with too much hot sauce in the soup!