Brooklyn by bus

Spring has definitely sprung in New York, and summer is well on it's way (90 degrees yesterday)!

This past weekend I avoided the city and never went underground. Instead, I got to know the bus system a little better and never left my beloved borough of Brooklyn. It began with a trip to Fort Defiance, a sweet little spot in Red Hook with a killer cocktail list and great food. Despite the list of more elaborate cocktails, I opted for a Cucumber Collins. I love how refreshing they are and the unique flavor the cucumber provides. I loved it so much, I wanted to make my own, and low and behold, the NYT published the Fort Defiance recipe last summer! Bliss.

The next morning it was on to Alma, the rooftop restaurant in Columbia Heights with the best views of the city with some cool industrial cranes and shipping crates in the foreground. They have the best breakfast burrito in town, according to Chris, and I had an equally delicious baked dish of bubbly cheese, tortilla strips, fresh avocado, and poached eggs on top.

After that, we walked along the water to the recently opened Pier 1. The park is beautiful and pristine, and it will only get better as they continue to open more of it! A little while later, and after a scoop of coffee ice cream from the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, we took the bus over to Habana Outpost for some frozen mojitos, sunshine, good company, and good music. Some Mexican snacks were consumed at Pequena (the name is true to the space) across the street too.

After all that, and a sunburn to go along with it, the rest of the weekend was filled with more productive, less interesting activities, except for a KILLER yoga class at Bend and Bloom in Park Slope. If you want to kick your core into high gear, take a core integration flow class with Angela. It'll hurt to laugh afterwords, but it hurts so good.

Seasonally Fresh

I am all about eating what's fresh. I have a calendar in my kitchen that highlights each month's freshest produce. I initially got it as a joke because my boyfriend didn't understand the concept of things being seasonal - he always wanted mangoes in December and blackberries in February - but it has proved useful for me too. I'm pretty good on fruits and basic veggies, but I never really thought about onions or certain herbs, for example, being seasonal.

Then I got an e-mail from Vital Juice Daily that was all about what's in season! Here's a list of the highlights, and some recipes to go along with it. Who knew peas had so much fiber?!? And I have a lifelong weakness for strawberries, and more recently mangoes too, so I will definitely be trying that recipe!
Asparagus: Contains a type of fiber called inulin to promote healthy gut bacteria. Grill it or use it in this delicious Pasta Primavera.
Artichokes: They pack the most antioxidants of all vegetables.
Apricots: For a super breakfast bowl, soak 1/2 cup rolled oats in 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk for 10 minutes. Top with chopped apricots and slivered almonds.
Fennel: Beats bloat. Also tastes great shredded into a salad.
Swiss chard, collards, mustard, spinach and spring greens: Loaded with vitamins A, C and E, these leaves boast blood building vitamin K and iron and bone boosting calcium and magnesium.
Peas: Give peas a chance! A half cup serving has more fiber than a bowl of oatmeal.
Chives: Make this recipe for Herb Cheese Spread and use it as a veggie dip, a sandwich spread or stir into pasta dishes.
Strawberries: One cup contains more than 160% of your daily quota of immune-boosting vitamin C. Try this recipe for Strawberries with Whipped Mango Purée tastes like a beach vacation.
Mangoes: Unlike most fruit, this tropical treat has plenty of age-fighting vitamin E.
Honeydew melon: Eat your water! This fruit is 90% water to help hydrate the skin and fill you up.
Vidalia onions: These stinkers are rich with sulfur compounds that may reduce the risk of heart disease.

And if you're a New Yorker, here's another cool new resource: What Is Fresh is an online guide to local food and farmers markets and what's available now.

Happy seasonal eating!!

substitute goods

There are 3 foods this dumb belle can't say no to: salami, beer and any kind of batter. This makes me a perfect guest at German beer fests and child birthday parties but has thus far prevented me from reaching my lifelong dream of participating in a small town beauty pageant and dazzling all in the swimsuit competition. Not to mention in the talent portion with a one-man band rendition of Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk".

Following my recent acceptance into grad school, where I'll be thoroughly confused in more than one econ class, allow me to draw a parallel between healthy livin' and economics: substitute goods, in econ terms, are goods that can be used to

satisfy the same needs, one in the place of another - butter and margarine or Pepsi and Coke are classic examples. Lately, I've been wondering if there are replacements for my guilty pleasures that would also help me get that elusive bikini bod.

I've done a little food substitute exploration - including a product called Quorn I can't really recommend - and I'm sharing three of these trials with you. Here's to making these substitutes normal-tutes! If you have any go-to substitutions, please do share with the class.

substitute good #1: agave nectar or palm sugar for brown sugar.

the facts: Agave nectar has a low glycemic index, which provides sweetness without the unpleasant "sugar rush" and unhealthful blood sugar spike caused by many other sugars. As an added benefit, you can apparently use it on your wounds, like the Aztecs did. Read all about it here, and pick it up at Trader Joe's. Palm sugar is made by boiling the nectar of coconut palm. It apparently has the lowest GI of any sugar, meaning that it only gradually raises blood glucose levels, giving a steadier supply of energy. Not only can you sprinkle on cereal or oatmeal, but it makes a great substitute for brown sugar in baking. You should be able to get it at your local Asian foods store.

the recipe: not so much a recipe as a breakfast recommendation.

1 cup of oatmeal (cut oats are better!)

1 tbsp. of agave nectar drizzled over the bowl

dash of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (or spekulaas for any euros)

blueberries and raspberries

substitute good #2: applesauce for oil.

the facts: Replacing oil with applesauce will cut calories and fat without adversely affecting the texture of whatever you're baking. Applesauce is a great source of fiber and anti-oxidants - just make sure you get the unsweetened kind, or make your own.

the recipe: slightly altered maine pumpkin bread

• 1/2 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup applesauce (I like using chunky applesauce - adds texture)
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups palm sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 7x3 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaf is done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

substitute good #3: there is no substitute for red meat.

the facts: As Gob says in one of my favorite Arrested Development episodes, "the jury's still out on science." Likewise, the jury's still out on several meat replacements, including soy and mycoprotein (part of the fungi family grown in a large vat). In my opinion, nothing can replace the deliciousness of red meat (with the exception of Morningstar sausage patties!). I'm choosing instead to eat it in moderation, and I created this recipe just for the occasion.

the recipe:

Kimspeziala (Meatless Cheeseless Lasagna with an Egg on Top)

1 Tbs. olive oil 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

2 Tbs. tomato paste 

2 cans peeled plum tomatoes 

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil 

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley 

1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano 

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes  (I like to be very liberal with the flakes)

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

500g pre-cooked whole wheat lasagna sheets

1 eggplant chopped into small squares

1 yellow pepper chopped into small squares

1 red pepper chopped into small squares

1 red onion chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a large glass baking dish with olive oil cooking spray.
2. Saute eggplant, peppers and onion in a pan with a bit of olive oil and the two cloves of garlic.
3. When the veggies are tender, add the tomatoes and tomato paste. Let it simmer on low heat for about 5-10 minutes, and then add in the parsley, basil, oregano, pepper flakes and salt and pepper.
4. Put one layer of lasagna noodles down to completely cover the bottom of pan. Add about 1/2 of the veggie mixture and spread evenly over the noodles. Cover the veggies with lasagna noodles, then add remaining veggies but save about 1/2 a cup of the tomato sauce. (You can add a ricotta mixture here if you're so inclined!) Cover with lasagna noodles, the tomato sauce and dried basil. Bake covered for 30 minutes; remove the cover and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
5. While the lasagna's in the oven, fry an egg for each serving. If you need instructions, I'm shocked, but here you go.
6. Slice up the lasagna and serve with the egg perched on top!

Making do with who knows what...

For me, food = life. Not just in the obvious survival sense, but in the sense that I am obsessed. Eating it (at home or elsewhere), cooking it, buying it, researching it, talking about it, reading about it, anything! Bad food is not an option for me. Of course it happens, but I try to avoid it at all costs. Eating just to satisfy hunger doesn't work for me either, its about the experience, the taste, the ingredients.

I do have a job and do many non-food related things, but I'm often thinking about it even when I'm doing something else. This morning as I started writing this, I was thinking about my grocery list for the week. When I'm in down dog, I'm often thinking about what I can make for dinner that's healthy but fast since I get home late.

Usually I try to make three recipes a week, all with the capacity for leftovers for lunch. I try to go for healthy recipes, but I don't shy away from a little oil or carbs or healthy fats. I get the recipes from blogs (see list at left), the NYT, magazines (a favorite is Cooking Light), and the various cookbooks I've collected over the years.

I'm very proud of that ritual, but this week I just couldn't cut it. I wanted nothing to do with the store, recipes, or planning. Instead of my usual trip to Trader Joe's & the produce market on Sunday, I went on Monday night. Longest. Line. Ever. What did I buy? $100 worth of who knows what (for two people). What have I done with it? So far, a turkey sandwich with arugula (my favorite green) and ricotta (my current obsession, and the best in NY comes from here), and a raw zucchini salad I copied from a restaurant in NYC, Fig & Olive. I've always winged it, but just found the actual recipe.

Tomorrow's lunch will be a salad filled with whatever wound up in the fridge from the grocery store (probably asparagus, chicken, cucumber, beets, bulgar wheat, grapefruit, and zucchini, at least). I love making big salads not base on anything but what I have in the kitchen. There always has to be a protein, usually chicken, and a grain because lets face it, when are veggies enough to fill you up?

We'll see what happens the rest of the week, but so far I've survived on my haphazard trip to the grocery store. Next week its back to planning and discovering new recipes, but its nice to have a break sometimes and realize my existing food knowledge serves me just fine. Not four stars, but just fine.

P.S. For anyone that read my previous post about pole dancing, I am happy to say I met my goal last week and am a day's worth of classes away from achieving my goal for this week too!