Easy and Flavorful Steamed Artichokes

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?

I know it's been a long time since I posted here on Uncovering Food but I promise I have my reasons. After years of struggling with my weight, I began a very strict medically-supervised diet through Palo Alto Medical Foundation. I have lost over 120 pounds and over the last month began transitioning and incorporating outside fruits and vegetables into my diet and continue the transition step-by-step. Since I didn't feel it fit with the theme of this blog, I chronicled my journey at Healthy Academic where I will continue to document my journey. However I intend to post all recipes that don't utilize products from the diet here at Uncovering Food!

With that in mind, I wanted to start back on Uncovering Food by sharing how I prep a flavorful artichoke that doesn't need any additional condiments, keeping it low-calorie and healthy!

First, wash your artichokes carefully and then cut the top spiny tips off so you have a flat surface. You can't eat this tough part of the plant so you aren't losing any of the good stuff.

You will want to rub the cut part with a lemon to reduce oxidization (browning) and keep the pretty green color.

Then flip that baby over and cut the stem down to the base.

Prepare a stock pot with a broth to water ratio of 1:2 where the liquid will come up about halfway on the artichoke. Add to the liquid in the pot 3-4 bay leaves, 1 tbsp of Italian seasoning, 3-4 halved garlic cloves as well as salt and pepper.

 Place artichokes with the stem side facing up and cover. Simmer for 30-45 minutes until knife can easily slide into the base. Enjoy! I love eating them cold the next day -- perfect road trip snacking!

Healthy Eating on a Budget -- Couponing: An Introduction

Have you ever seen the show Extreme Couponing? It's a TLC production that followers Americans as they grab way too many items they may never use into dozens of shopping carts and rack up hundreds of dollars in grocery bills. However through the magic of coupons, they pay less than one percent of the cost of the bill. Their homes and garages stocked with walls of these free or nearly free products.

Insane right? 

I agree. Additionally, I notice that many of these couponers rarely purchase healthy items, contributing to the common myth that it costs too much to eat healthy.

A dear friend of mine in Colorado turned me on to coupons and sales shopping when she sent me a link for a well-known company that makes organic soymilk. She thought I might like it. She was right. My goal since the first coupon has been to see how low I can bring my grocery bills. Shopping store sales, combining store coupons with manufacturer coupons (known as "stacking"), and seeking out the right time to use the coupons has almost become a game.

I have had a number of conversations over the last few weeks about my new hobby. My students laugh as I clip coupons at tournaments but then enjoy the coupons I share with them. My friends email each other with great deals they find or a coupon they have spotted. And a number of folks are intrigued by the savings you could rack up using coupons.

There are a lot of myths out there about coupons. For example, there are only coupons for processed foods with little nutritional value. While those coupons are exist, there are also a lot of coupons for healthy food items, including fresh produce!

*****

Here are some of the deals I found this week at Whole Foods:

365 Everyday Value Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (WF store brand): $2.69

After using a coupon from WF in-store "Whole Deal" coupon book for $2

I paid $0.69

Arrowhead Mills Whole Wheat Flour: On Sale for $2.19

"Whole Deal" in-store coupon for $1 PLUS

Arrowhead Mills printable coupon from their Web site for $1 OR

Pull-off product coupon for $1

I paid $0.19

Almond Dream Non-Dairy Unsweetened Vanilla "milk": On Sale for $2.00

"Whole Deal" in-store coupon for $1

I paid $1.00

Earth Balance Organic Coconut Spread: On Sale for $3.99

"Whole Deal" in-store coupon for $1 PLUS

Manufacturer coupon found on Mambo Sprouts for $1

I paid $1.99

*****

I recommend printing coupons that you know you will use. Then try to hold on to them until you find a sale to increase the value of your coupon. I keep an accordion file folder with an index taped to the front that has different product categories to keep the coupons sorted. This will make the coupons easier to find. Finally, make sure you read the coupon policy for your favorite store and the fine print of the coupons.

A few friends have asked me to blog my deals when I find them, but there are a lot of sites out there that post match-ups. The secret is having the coupons they blog about.

Places to find coupons:

* Subscribe to the Sunday edition of your local paper. There are a lot of great coupons that get sent out in this paper. For example, I got a $1 off any POM product which I combined with a sale at SaveMart this week to score a fresh pomegranate for only $0.50!!! You can also sometimes catch an online preview of what will be in the paper. Seriously, I save enough from the paper (plus I enjoy reading it) to make it worth the cost.

* Mambo Sprouts has a Web site full of healthy manufacturer coupons plus they sometimes have coupon books at your local health food store.

* Coupons.com has pages of manufacturer coupons, although you have to scout for the healthier products.

* Check your favorite companies out! Many companies offer coupons on their Web sites and Facebook pages!

Do you have any places you like to find coupons? Cool Web sites you want to share? Deals you have found? Please share them!

Vegan Food and Wine Pairing: A Six-Course Adventure

Growing up in the California Central Valley, I remember washing dishes after family dinners while looking out over vineyards full of ripening grapes. The smells of dirt and fruit that filled the air on those September evenings during harvest are what came to my mind when I found out my round three Project Food Blog challenge:

"Celebrate! You've made it this far, and the next challenge is to hold a party for your friends and family (at least four guests, you can include yourself in the 4 person count). Whether you're an experienced host or an entertaining newbie, get creative and host a luxurious dinner party where your guests will discover new tastes and exotic flavors. Share your hosting secrets with readers, like how to cook for a crowd, plan a menu, or involve guests in the prep."

Wine is a community builder. It can create a bond between strangers who find themselves tasting and sharing their thoughts on the bottle they have experienced. With my vino-philosophy in mind, I invited my dinner guests to bring a bottle of California wine to the dinner and with 48-hours notice, I would create a dish to pair with their offering. My friends are always offering to help, and this allowed my guests to be active contributors to the party while leaving them guessing how their wines would be paired.

While I did the research, pairing, and cooking; I added a teacher-twist to the evening by asking my guests to explain what wine they brought and why they chose it. You can take the public-speaking teacher out of the classroom but she will still encourage everyone to speak in an intimate environment involving wine and food! This got everyone involved in conversations about the wines while I brought the dishes to each of my guests. Since I am participating in the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine 21-Day Kickstart, I decided to prepare an all-vegan menu for the evening, a first for my entertaining résumé which meant lots of research.

In doing my research on pairing vegan menus with wine, I learned something new about wine-making. Most wines aren't vegan! Both conventional and organic wine makers use "animal products" to keep wines from turning cloudy and/or removing "off-tastes." This process is called fining and works by an agent acting like an electrostatic magnet to collect the unwanted matter. Although non-animal alternatives exist, the more common agents used are egg whites, casein, gelatin, egg albumin, and isinglass (derived from fish). While the fining agent is removed from the wine before bottling, there are still animal products used in it's production.

Unfortunately, I had already asked my friends to choose the wines, and several had already picked special wines for the event. I encourage strict vegans to investigate before purchasing wine to ensure it meets your standards. I could not find any of the wines I served on vegan-friendly wine lists, so while my dishes are vegan, the wines may not be. However, these dishes were prepared to pair with regionally grown varietals and could be paired with wine from a vegan winemaker as well!

Pairing food with wine is an art. However, you don't have to be a pro to celebrate local wines and foods. While most wine guides reference meat and cheese pairings, you can create the perfect pairing without animal products. In fact, according to Berenice Madrigal-Galan and Hildegarde Heymann at the University of California at Davis, eating cheese can significantly alter the flavors of red wine. So let's explore some simple pairing guidelines that you can use at your next party, as I share the dishes I prepared for my guests!

Fresh Peach Gazpacho

Check with the Winery! My friends Susan and Rob introduced me to J Vintage Brut through a tasting experience in the J Winery Bubble Room. This wine and food pairing experience changed how I saw pairing wine and food, because the food was created to pair with the wine instead of finding a wine to pair with a dish you are already preparing. When Susan told me they were bringing J Vintage Brut to the dinner, I took a quick peek at the winery Web site where I found a dish I adapted to be vegan. Many wineries offer pairing ideas and recipes that have been created to serve with their wines, so I encourage checking out their Web sites while preparing your menus. In the case of this fresh peach gazpacho, I substituted agave nectar for the honey and soy yogurt in place of traditional yogurt.

Campari Tomato filled with Chili-Laced Avocado and Grapefruit garnish

Acidity: Pair acidic foods with wines that have a higher acid level. Tomatoes and citrus make for a lovely salad, but you don't want to drown out the subtleties of the wine you are enjoying. While acid levels in wine vary based on region and winemaker, Sauvignon Blanc is a wine that is generally on the higher acid spectrum. I prepared the avocado by mashing it with a little lemon juice, salt, and chili powder before piping it into the hollowed Compari tomato and adding a wedge of locally-grown grapefruit.

Forbidden Rice Salad with Roast Winter Squash

Body & Weight: Look at the weight of both the food and wine you are serving. I don't mean break out the scale, but rather consider the mouth feel of both things you plan to serve together. Wines range from having a light feeling to a heavier taste in your mouth and your food should match that weight. In this pairing, the lighter body of the rice salad matched the mouthfeel of the Pinot Noir, while the sweet spicy flavor of the roast squash brought out the earthy notes of the wine without weighing it down.

Ratatouille with Brown Rice Couscous

Trust the Classics: One of the reasons I decided to write about wine pairing in my dinner party post was the lack of research I turned up while looking for vegan pairing suggestions with the majority of pages I found addressing vegetarian dishes full of egg and cheese. However, I scoured guides from the pros like The International Guild of Professional Butlers to help me when I was at a loss. Specifically when a guest told me she was bringing Merlot but couldn't remember the name of the winery. Without winemaker notes or a region, I looked to a classic pairing of ratatouille suggested by the IGPB.

Mustard-Tarragon Tofu Steaks with a Balsamic Mushroom Pocket

Read Winemaker Descriptions & Find Complimentary Spice Levels: California Zinfandel tends to have strong tannins, spicy characteristics, and high alcohol content. When my coworker decided to share his prized Nalle Zinfandel Reserve, I knew I had to find a dish that was flavorful enough to stand up to the description from the winemaker. Mustard has a spicy character that reminds me of the described "cigar box" qualities of the Zin while mushrooms enhanced the earthy notes of the wine.
   

Cabernet Sauvignon Sorbet with Dark Chocolate Brownie

Incorporate the Wine in the Dish! Using the guidelines above, your guests can enjoy varietals in the glass and on the plate when you integrate the wine into the cooking. I did this at both the beginning of my dinner with the gazpacho, but also brought the dinner to a close with Cabernet Sauvignon served two ways. I made a sorbet out of a Cabernet from another region of California, adding color to the dish with chopped mint after reading the winemaker include mint in the description of the wine we were drinking. Sweet chocolate pairs well with dessert wines, but dark chocolate is delicious with more structured red wines like this Cabernet Sauvignon.

I loved the opportunity to prepare this dinner party because it gave me a chance to introduce vegan cuisine to wine-loving friends who couldn't believe a paired six-course meal could be successful without cheese and meat. I have included the complete menu with wines below as a reference guide. I hope it was as educational and enjoyable for you to read about as it was for me to host!

EDITED ON 10-8-10:

J Winery has clarified their sparkling wines are vegan but still wines are not. Lucas & Lewellen has been vegan-friendly since 2007. Bogle and Nalle are not vegan-friendly. I have yet to hear back from EOS and Lava Cap.

Refreshing Mocktail Moneysaver

As I stroll through the aisles of Whole Foods, one of the trends that has become increasingly popular are the herb flavored waters. And I will admit to having tried them and enjoying them on occasion. But for $2 to $4 a pop (and over $5 at JFK!), I realized I could very easily make my own.

This baby is easy peasy to make and cheap to boot! It also has a number of health benefits! According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, ginger is used to treat stomach issues and inflammation as well as a number of other medical needs. Whole Foods explains that lemons have numerous health benefits including containing anti-carcinogens and act as a natural diuretic.

Remove the tough outer skin from a piece of ginger and use a fine grater or micro-plane to shred the ginger into a pitcher. Using the same grater, grated the zest off of a lemon into the same pitcher. You want to avoid grating the white portion and only grate the yellow zest. You can then juice the lemon or just add slices right into the pitcher. Add cold water, stir and let rest. The amount of ginger and lemon you choose to the ratio of water will depend on your taste entirely. I used one medium ginger bulb and one lemon for my pitcher. If the water is too strong, you can dilute it in your glass by only filling it part of the way with the lemon-ginger water and the rest with plain cold water.

What are some ways you spice up your water during the summer?

Market Mysteries and Magic

I love having a free Saturday morning. There is nothing like rolling out of bed to the knowledge that you don't have to get up to an alarm, but that if you still wake up early, there is a fun place to go explore. The Farmers Market!

When I was a kid, my family would go to the Stockton Farmers Market which was held under the freeway. It was pure insanity with foods from all over the world that had been grown right in the Central Valley!

I loved to find some new and interesting food item and to ask about it. Even when I was a kid, food entertained me! I would save my allowance (or beg the parents) for enough money to buy a raw sugarcane to chomp on while we wandered the aisles.

As I grew older, I found out that chefs from the glamorous Bay Area would come down to Stockton as well, looking for that special item that would inspire them, that might complete that perfect dish.

While I don't live near that particular Farmers Market any more, I still love to roll out of bed and explore my local markets. Each time I go, I try to find something I have never had before. And while there is no raw sugar cane to chew on at my local stands, the delights of the market are sweet to me.

The market is a bustling place, where a special community comes together. Connecting the farm with the city in a place that smells like both. A hard feat indeed!

You can't go to the Market and leave in a bad mood. The bright colors, teasing smells, variety of textures all serve to make it a place of amusement and mystery. What mysteries have you uncovered at your local market?

The idea that you can connect straight to the source. Cut out the trucks and florescent-lit megastores to get back to the sense of food and community is almost spiritual.

But when you get those goodies home and start playing with them... that's when the magic really begins to happen!

Here are some sites that can help you find a local market:

Local Harvest

Eat Well Guide

America's Favorite Farmers Market

If you are new to Farmers Markets, check out this article from the Huffington Post:

Top 10 Mistakes Made by Farmers Market Noobz

Aw Shucks! A Lesson in How to Shuck Oysters

This has been a fabulous Spring Break! With plenty of excitement and a couple new adventures. Last Fall, I had my first raw oyster at the J Winery Bubble Room. It was so good, I was hooked! I couldn't believe I had waited so long!

When my mother and I went on our wine tasting adventure on Saturday, we also went on a hunt for the elusive oyster! We found ourselves by Tomales Bay at the Tomales Bay Oyster Company and then at the Hog Island Oyster Company. We bought oysters at each (why not!) and at Tomales Bay Oyster Company, my mom and I found a table to enjoy our goods.

One problem. I had NO IDEA how to open an oyster!!! For those of you who have been shucking since birth, this post is probably not for you. However if you are like me and want to spend time on the beach shucking oysters and drinking sparkling wine but you don't know how to shuck, here's the basics.


The first step is to secure the oyster. Our picnic table came with a horseshoe attached for this very purpose. However, I discovered later that evening while shucking at a party that you can also hold the oyster in a towel to help grasp it (and prevent injury!).


Next, find the weak point in the hinge and insert your flat head screwdriver or fancy oyster shucker. Check out my mom's skills! You may have to chip a little shell to get in there but be careful not to push the bits of shell into the cavity. Yuck! No one wants oyster shell chips with their goodies.

You will want to work your tool around the rim, loosening the muscle inside. The muscle of the oyster attaches to each side of the shell, so you will also need to slide your knife/shucker/screw driver above the oyster inside of the shell to cut the muscle. My camera couldn't capture this unfortunately!


Once you have removed the top shell, you will want to slide your blade under the oyster to break it away from the bottom shell. This will allow it to slide right out, like we are used to in a fine dining establishment.

You can dress your oyster however you want. My mom likes them as is. I enjoy them with a sprinkle of lime juice and a splash of hot sauce. However, if you get a chance to enjoy oysters with Hog Wash, you have to try it. Just scroll past all of the other fabulous recipes to find this fabulously easy condiment. This stuff is good and will sway anyone on the fence about the deliciousness of raw oysters!


Pacific Oyster