i'd take zucchini bread, pumpkin bread, or muffins over cookies, cake, or brownies any day. muffins and quick breads are a healthier alternative when you just feel like an emotionally satisfying snack after work/class. whereas conventional cookies (especially the boxed kind) are entirely devoid of any nutritional content-- they almost have to be in order to achieve the right consistency-- quick breads have room for more experimentation with different kinds of fruit, nuts, squash, etc., and aren't half oil/butter and sugar.
baking is hard (i think). so when you're first getting the hang of it, follow recipes closely until you have a good understanding of the chemistry of it, then you can substitute ingredients for more unusual ones.
let's start with zucchini bread, because the summer veggie can easily be replaced with any other squash, most of which are currently in season. the easiest recipe i've found is from how it all vegan, my go-to cookbook for anything/everything i don't know how to make.
1. in a large bowl, sift
1 1/2 c. flour - stick to all-purpose white, as pastry flour is too fine and whole wheat has too much protein, meaning it will make your bread heavy and crumbly.
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 t. spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, even a pinch of cayenne-- whatever you think would taste good with your other ingredients.
*note: it's important to sift or mix the dry ingredients really well when baking something that has to rise because when you add the wet ingredients you won't be able to stir out the lumps, as this sort of thing has to be mixed as minimally as possible when the wet is added, otherwise the product will be flat and hard, not fluffy.
2. to make egg substitute: in a tiny bowl, combine
1 T. ground flax seeds
3 T. water
stir it up a bit and wait at least 2 minutes before adding it to the wet mix. (this is the cheapest egg alternative for baking. the ratio is 3-1 water to flax. this amount equals one egg, in case you want to use something else, like 1/2 banana or 1/4 c. mashed tofu.)
3. in a medium bowl, combine
egg substitute
1/2 c. any sweetener - try using half honey, or, another flavorful and cheap alternative is sorghum, it tastes like a less intense and bitter molasses and is an alternative crop! (replenishes soil nutrients that common crops deplete)
1/3 c. oil
1 t. vinegar - not balsamic
1 t. vanilla - not absolutely necessary, i usually skip it.
4. mix and add
1 1/2 c. grated squash - peel! if using a winter squash but not if zucchini or the like
1 c. any combination of dried fruit and nuts - depends on the kind of squash and sweetener you're using. my favorites are cherries, blueberries, cranberries, sunflower seeds, and pistachios. stick to one of each.
5. with a rubber scraper spatula, add wet mix to dry mix and gently stir until JUST MIXED. use large strokes and scrape bottom to minimize mixing. if you over-mix the batter will lose air and come out hard and flat.
6. scrape into a greased loaf pan or muffin tins. even out the top(s).
7. bake on 350 for 45-50 minutes, 30 for muffins, in the middle of the oven.
to test if the loaf is done, take it out of the oven and close the door, first of all. don't let your heat escape! then, poke a fork or sharp knife into the very middle and carefully pull it out. if there is any wet batter left on it, put it back in for another 10 minutes and repeat. i've found that the "golden brown" rule doesn't always apply for quick breads, especially when using alternative ingredients.
10.12.2009
i love ohio fall!
gah, sorry for the severe lack of posts lately. aside from getting a job since starting this blog, i've been having a hard time deciding what to put next-- it's hard to be objective enough to truly start explaining an entire lifestyle from square one without skipping over some pivotal things. there's a lot to talk about! and a lot i don't know. i think i'm going to keep doing a combination of how-tos, recipes, and other random ideas in no particular order, rather whenever i think of them. i mean, does it really matter if you learn about how to make hummus before how to save water? not really. in fact, this incredibly wide-ranging set of info is, in my opinion, not most effectively presented in blog form because it's chronological whereas the information is not at all. but alas...
let's talk about how DELIGHTFUL this season is! i had a hard time adjusting to the sudden temperature drop but i'm getting used to it, especially now that we finally got a hot water heater (long story) and i can wear my favorite clothes. yesss. but best of all is the FOOD!!! squashes and roots, mmm. there's a reason we think of pumpkin pie and apple cider when we think of fall...
it's important to get into the habit of adjusting your diet with the season. i was a little broken up about the tomato and berry selection dwindling at the farmers market as september went on, but summer foods are being replaced with some equally delicious but different choices. a good indicator of what you "should" be eating (that is, what's most sustainable) is what's at your local farmers market. then you'll get a better feel of what to get and what not to get if you shop during the week. but if you do go to larger groceries, their produce is most likely from a warmer climate where everything's in season anyway, so even if you do get a couple yams this week, they probably aren't local (unless you're lucky, but agro-corporations really do control goddamn everything), so stick to the farmers market as much as possible for produce. i've probably gone on about this before and likely will in the future, but support small-scale farmers and your local economy!! don't buy butternut squash in may or tomatoes in february, no matter how much you want them! it means you are buying them from a corporation and that they are being forcibly grown with sick ass chemicals and that they are traveling 3000 miles or more in a semi-truck to get to you. RESIST!!!
the foods that are in abundance in the fall are more starchy and hearty than they are leafy and juicy like summer foods. that means we must prepare different sorts of dishes in different ways now. some october foods are: apples, [last month for] broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, garlic, leeks, parsnips, onions, mushrooms, pumpkins, squash - many varieties, turnips, yams, sweet potatoes, (yes, they are different) and a good number of others that are just beginning or ending this month. so, it comes as no surprise based on this list and our expectations for fall dishes that we've got to make a transition from everything-in-the-fridge salads into everything-in-the-fridge soups, roasts, breads, and such.
i'm lucky enough to get a ton of free, in-season veggies because my roommate works at a local/organic produce stand, so she brings home ALL of their throw-aways-- even places like that have to toss anything with a brown spot on it-- meaning the 3 of us have to get quite creative in the kitchen when she brings home 4 squashes we've never seen before or 2 pecks of apples. most recently we've had an overabundance of squash, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, and sweet potatoes, plus a few others that are hanging on but won't be around much longer, like kale, cherry tomatoes, sage, basil, and peppers. since i tend to get WAY excited about new and different things, i've been making the same couple of things lately:
-soup with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, black eyed peas, and as many herbs as i can manage.
-oven-roasted veggies (sweet potato, bell pepper, onion, potato, squash)
-mushroom gravy and biscuits
-squash muffins (fall version of zucchini bread)
i'm going to explain how i made them and give some tips, but remember that everything i make is merely a general idea on how to make this stuff. i hope that you will be bold and get creative with your ingredients. it's part of learning to cook. you will mess up a LOT before getting it right, but you just gotta choke it down and try to fix your mistakes next time.
everything-in-the-fridge soup - october version
the trick is knowing when each thing should be added to the pot and how to achieve the right consistency.
1. before anything else, get out your ingredients (carrot, squash, broco, cauli, potato, beans, onion, garlic, herbs) and gauge how much of each you will need for your soup. it usually turns out to be way more when cut up and in the pot, so plan accordingly. keep in mind that if your soup is horrible you still have to eat it or else you're a wasteful and therefor horrible person, so try not to make too much.
2. (this is the rushed way to cook beans): in a medium/med-small pot, put desired amount of beans with a bit of salt and enough water to cover with an extra inch or 2 and turn the burner on medium-high.
3.get out your big *sharp* knife (chef's knife works best) and a paring knife and/or peeler and start cutting up the things that take longest to cook: carrots, potatoes, onion, and squash. don't rush it, as the chunks should be as uniform as possible so they cook evenly. NOTE! don't peel carrots or potatoes but do peel squash! carrots don't actually have a peel; they are ready to eat straight out of the ground. i don't know why we were all taught to peel them but it's just wasteful of carroty goodness and your time. just slice them fairly thinly. potatoes aren't as often peeled but in case you were inclined to, uh, don't. the skins have a ton of fiber and vitamins. without them, potatoes are essentially just taking up space in your stomach. so, with a small knife or the end of a peeler, scoop out the eyes, cut them into 1/2 inch chunks, and they're ready to go. you don't have to gouge deep into the potato (waste!), you can even use your thumb nail if you have one. also, because you're preparing so many veggies, i recommend getting systematic with it by getting out 2 large bowls, one for waste and one for the stuff that's ready to cook and goes in at the same step.
4. dump aforementioned veggies into a large pot with about 2 T. oil (and dry spices if you choose) and turn the heat on medium or medium-high. this heat setting helps the veggies stay together better throughout the soup cooking. if it were on low or med-low, they not only wouldn't have enough chance to cook before other ingredients are added (or else take forever), but they would fall apart after more moisture is added. you don't have to stand over the pot-- you can start cutting the next round of veggies-- but don't walk away completely. stir them around about every 30 seconds to 1 minute.
5. cut up garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, and most other non-starchy veggies, like peas or peppers. once the first round looks most of the way done, i.e. when the onions are becoming translucent, add and stir. another waste note: we've also been taught that broccoli stalks are waste. uhh, no. you don't have to use the whole thing if you don't like how incredibly fibrous it is, but don't just snip off the florets and toss the rest!
6. cook round 1 and 2 veggies with the lid on for about a minute and turn down the heat to low or just above it.
7. add chopped herbs, about 1/2 c. water, and salt. stir and cover.
8. slowly add more water until it's as soupy as you like it. don't add it too fast or the whole soup could take a weird consistency from being cooled while cooking.
9. if you find that it's too thin or kind of flavorless, make kind of a gravy substance to add. place a large handful of white flour in a pan or shallow bowl. add about 1/4 cup of the liquid in the soup to it while vigorously mixing with a rubber spatula. once most of the way mixed, you can add another 1/4 cup while still mixing so it doesn't get lumpy. add as much nutritional yeast as you'd like and mix. when it reaches the consistency of pancake batter or a bit thicker, slowly pour it into your soup while mixing. don't stop mixing til it's completely combined.
10. don't stir the soup too much, too vigorously, or too often or everything in it will fall apart. just mix it enough that pretty much everything is in a different place in the pot so that it all cooks evenly.
11. when the beans are done, drain and add, then cook a bit longer so they take on some of the soup's flavor.
oven-roasted veggies
my mom used to make these every winter. they're SO GOOD and easy.
1. cut into 1/2 to 1-inch chunks any/all of the following: potatoes, yam/sweet potato, any winter squash (remove skin and seeds), bell peppers, onions, carrots, parsnips.
2. set oven to 425.
3. place them in a mixing bowl large enough that there's plenty of extra room to do some stirring. you can use 2, it doesn't matter, they're all going to the same place.
4. pour a generous amount of oil over them-- i couldn't even tell you how much, but to know if it's enough, stir the veggies around until they all have an even coating of oil. there shouldn't be more than about 1 T. left in the bottom. now add 2 or 3 good pinches of salt and stir around again.
5. place them in a single layer on cookie sheets or large baking dishes, preferably oiled for good measure, and bake for 30 minutes. take pans out, close oven!, and with as sharp a spatula as you have, scrape and toss the veggies. try to release them from the bottom of the pan in as few scrapes as possible so they don't fall apart. bake for another 20 or so minutes.
biscuits and gravy
so much easier than they seem! and require very few dishes to boot.
biscuits:
1. set oven to 450.
2. in a large bowl, sift together 2 c. flour, 3 t. baking powder, 1 t. salt until there are no more lumps.
3. add 1/4 c. oil and 3/4 c. water (no more than 1/4 c. more if too dry) and, if you want, flax or sesame seeds. note: if you use butter, melt it first but make sure it's not HOT, and warm up the water a little bit so that the butter won't congeal as soon as you add one to the other in the flour.
4. with a rubber spatula, stir together with big, slow strokes so as to not over-mix. as SOON as it's combined, stop! otherwise they won't be fluffy.
5. with a spoon, scoop batter (smaller than the size of a clementine) onto an oiled cookie sheet
6. bake about 12 minutes or until the edges look crispy. and the bottoms are fairly brown. note: don't open the oven more than once or twice! it wastes a TON of heat, so you're slowing down the baking and using a ton of fossil fuels.
gravy:
1. chop up enough mushrooms to equal about a cup chopped and about 1/2 a medium onion. combine them + 2 or more T. oil (more than you would add for a stirfry) in a medium pot and set to medium heat.
2. sautee them (don't stir TOO much, let them cook) until the onions are translucent. take off the heat and turn down to low.
3. in a pan or shallow bowl, place 2 large handfuls of white flower. 1/4 cup at a time, add water and stir quickly with a flexible rubber spatula (or fork or wooden spoon if you absolutely must) to combine evenly without lumps. when almost totally combined, add the next 1/4 cup, continually stirring and adding water, until it's about the consistency of pancake batter. add as much nutritional yeast as you want, stir completely, and slowly (stirring contents of pot) add to the mushrooms and onions.
4. add salt, chopped sage (the more the better-- it blends in a lot), and ground pepper. make sure to keep the residue on the sides of the pot in the gravy by scraping them downwards with each stir. you no longer have to stir vigorously, just don't leave it for more than 10 seconds or so or it will get a dry coating on the top. be sure to consistently scrape the bottom, too.
5. at this point, you've essentially got gravy, you just have to add more of some of the ingredients you've already added in order to achieve the right consistency. be careful adding too much more flour, though, because as the gravy heats it firms up a lot.
6. it might taste a little floury. try adding more sage, pepper, or nutritional yeast. keep stirring. it should be done within 5 minutes.
let's talk about how DELIGHTFUL this season is! i had a hard time adjusting to the sudden temperature drop but i'm getting used to it, especially now that we finally got a hot water heater (long story) and i can wear my favorite clothes. yesss. but best of all is the FOOD!!! squashes and roots, mmm. there's a reason we think of pumpkin pie and apple cider when we think of fall...
it's important to get into the habit of adjusting your diet with the season. i was a little broken up about the tomato and berry selection dwindling at the farmers market as september went on, but summer foods are being replaced with some equally delicious but different choices. a good indicator of what you "should" be eating (that is, what's most sustainable) is what's at your local farmers market. then you'll get a better feel of what to get and what not to get if you shop during the week. but if you do go to larger groceries, their produce is most likely from a warmer climate where everything's in season anyway, so even if you do get a couple yams this week, they probably aren't local (unless you're lucky, but agro-corporations really do control goddamn everything), so stick to the farmers market as much as possible for produce. i've probably gone on about this before and likely will in the future, but support small-scale farmers and your local economy!! don't buy butternut squash in may or tomatoes in february, no matter how much you want them! it means you are buying them from a corporation and that they are being forcibly grown with sick ass chemicals and that they are traveling 3000 miles or more in a semi-truck to get to you. RESIST!!!
the foods that are in abundance in the fall are more starchy and hearty than they are leafy and juicy like summer foods. that means we must prepare different sorts of dishes in different ways now. some october foods are: apples, [last month for] broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, garlic, leeks, parsnips, onions, mushrooms, pumpkins, squash - many varieties, turnips, yams, sweet potatoes, (yes, they are different) and a good number of others that are just beginning or ending this month. so, it comes as no surprise based on this list and our expectations for fall dishes that we've got to make a transition from everything-in-the-fridge salads into everything-in-the-fridge soups, roasts, breads, and such.
i'm lucky enough to get a ton of free, in-season veggies because my roommate works at a local/organic produce stand, so she brings home ALL of their throw-aways-- even places like that have to toss anything with a brown spot on it-- meaning the 3 of us have to get quite creative in the kitchen when she brings home 4 squashes we've never seen before or 2 pecks of apples. most recently we've had an overabundance of squash, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, and sweet potatoes, plus a few others that are hanging on but won't be around much longer, like kale, cherry tomatoes, sage, basil, and peppers. since i tend to get WAY excited about new and different things, i've been making the same couple of things lately:
-soup with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, black eyed peas, and as many herbs as i can manage.
-oven-roasted veggies (sweet potato, bell pepper, onion, potato, squash)
-mushroom gravy and biscuits
-squash muffins (fall version of zucchini bread)
i'm going to explain how i made them and give some tips, but remember that everything i make is merely a general idea on how to make this stuff. i hope that you will be bold and get creative with your ingredients. it's part of learning to cook. you will mess up a LOT before getting it right, but you just gotta choke it down and try to fix your mistakes next time.
everything-in-the-fridge soup - october version
the trick is knowing when each thing should be added to the pot and how to achieve the right consistency.
1. before anything else, get out your ingredients (carrot, squash, broco, cauli, potato, beans, onion, garlic, herbs) and gauge how much of each you will need for your soup. it usually turns out to be way more when cut up and in the pot, so plan accordingly. keep in mind that if your soup is horrible you still have to eat it or else you're a wasteful and therefor horrible person, so try not to make too much.
2. (this is the rushed way to cook beans): in a medium/med-small pot, put desired amount of beans with a bit of salt and enough water to cover with an extra inch or 2 and turn the burner on medium-high.
3.get out your big *sharp* knife (chef's knife works best) and a paring knife and/or peeler and start cutting up the things that take longest to cook: carrots, potatoes, onion, and squash. don't rush it, as the chunks should be as uniform as possible so they cook evenly. NOTE! don't peel carrots or potatoes but do peel squash! carrots don't actually have a peel; they are ready to eat straight out of the ground. i don't know why we were all taught to peel them but it's just wasteful of carroty goodness and your time. just slice them fairly thinly. potatoes aren't as often peeled but in case you were inclined to, uh, don't. the skins have a ton of fiber and vitamins. without them, potatoes are essentially just taking up space in your stomach. so, with a small knife or the end of a peeler, scoop out the eyes, cut them into 1/2 inch chunks, and they're ready to go. you don't have to gouge deep into the potato (waste!), you can even use your thumb nail if you have one. also, because you're preparing so many veggies, i recommend getting systematic with it by getting out 2 large bowls, one for waste and one for the stuff that's ready to cook and goes in at the same step.
4. dump aforementioned veggies into a large pot with about 2 T. oil (and dry spices if you choose) and turn the heat on medium or medium-high. this heat setting helps the veggies stay together better throughout the soup cooking. if it were on low or med-low, they not only wouldn't have enough chance to cook before other ingredients are added (or else take forever), but they would fall apart after more moisture is added. you don't have to stand over the pot-- you can start cutting the next round of veggies-- but don't walk away completely. stir them around about every 30 seconds to 1 minute.
5. cut up garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, and most other non-starchy veggies, like peas or peppers. once the first round looks most of the way done, i.e. when the onions are becoming translucent, add and stir. another waste note: we've also been taught that broccoli stalks are waste. uhh, no. you don't have to use the whole thing if you don't like how incredibly fibrous it is, but don't just snip off the florets and toss the rest!
6. cook round 1 and 2 veggies with the lid on for about a minute and turn down the heat to low or just above it.
7. add chopped herbs, about 1/2 c. water, and salt. stir and cover.
8. slowly add more water until it's as soupy as you like it. don't add it too fast or the whole soup could take a weird consistency from being cooled while cooking.
9. if you find that it's too thin or kind of flavorless, make kind of a gravy substance to add. place a large handful of white flour in a pan or shallow bowl. add about 1/4 cup of the liquid in the soup to it while vigorously mixing with a rubber spatula. once most of the way mixed, you can add another 1/4 cup while still mixing so it doesn't get lumpy. add as much nutritional yeast as you'd like and mix. when it reaches the consistency of pancake batter or a bit thicker, slowly pour it into your soup while mixing. don't stop mixing til it's completely combined.
10. don't stir the soup too much, too vigorously, or too often or everything in it will fall apart. just mix it enough that pretty much everything is in a different place in the pot so that it all cooks evenly.
11. when the beans are done, drain and add, then cook a bit longer so they take on some of the soup's flavor.
oven-roasted veggies
my mom used to make these every winter. they're SO GOOD and easy.
1. cut into 1/2 to 1-inch chunks any/all of the following: potatoes, yam/sweet potato, any winter squash (remove skin and seeds), bell peppers, onions, carrots, parsnips.
2. set oven to 425.
3. place them in a mixing bowl large enough that there's plenty of extra room to do some stirring. you can use 2, it doesn't matter, they're all going to the same place.
4. pour a generous amount of oil over them-- i couldn't even tell you how much, but to know if it's enough, stir the veggies around until they all have an even coating of oil. there shouldn't be more than about 1 T. left in the bottom. now add 2 or 3 good pinches of salt and stir around again.
5. place them in a single layer on cookie sheets or large baking dishes, preferably oiled for good measure, and bake for 30 minutes. take pans out, close oven!, and with as sharp a spatula as you have, scrape and toss the veggies. try to release them from the bottom of the pan in as few scrapes as possible so they don't fall apart. bake for another 20 or so minutes.
biscuits and gravy
so much easier than they seem! and require very few dishes to boot.
biscuits:
1. set oven to 450.
2. in a large bowl, sift together 2 c. flour, 3 t. baking powder, 1 t. salt until there are no more lumps.
3. add 1/4 c. oil and 3/4 c. water (no more than 1/4 c. more if too dry) and, if you want, flax or sesame seeds. note: if you use butter, melt it first but make sure it's not HOT, and warm up the water a little bit so that the butter won't congeal as soon as you add one to the other in the flour.
4. with a rubber spatula, stir together with big, slow strokes so as to not over-mix. as SOON as it's combined, stop! otherwise they won't be fluffy.
5. with a spoon, scoop batter (smaller than the size of a clementine) onto an oiled cookie sheet
6. bake about 12 minutes or until the edges look crispy. and the bottoms are fairly brown. note: don't open the oven more than once or twice! it wastes a TON of heat, so you're slowing down the baking and using a ton of fossil fuels.
gravy:
1. chop up enough mushrooms to equal about a cup chopped and about 1/2 a medium onion. combine them + 2 or more T. oil (more than you would add for a stirfry) in a medium pot and set to medium heat.
2. sautee them (don't stir TOO much, let them cook) until the onions are translucent. take off the heat and turn down to low.
3. in a pan or shallow bowl, place 2 large handfuls of white flower. 1/4 cup at a time, add water and stir quickly with a flexible rubber spatula (or fork or wooden spoon if you absolutely must) to combine evenly without lumps. when almost totally combined, add the next 1/4 cup, continually stirring and adding water, until it's about the consistency of pancake batter. add as much nutritional yeast as you want, stir completely, and slowly (stirring contents of pot) add to the mushrooms and onions.
4. add salt, chopped sage (the more the better-- it blends in a lot), and ground pepper. make sure to keep the residue on the sides of the pot in the gravy by scraping them downwards with each stir. you no longer have to stir vigorously, just don't leave it for more than 10 seconds or so or it will get a dry coating on the top. be sure to consistently scrape the bottom, too.
5. at this point, you've essentially got gravy, you just have to add more of some of the ingredients you've already added in order to achieve the right consistency. be careful adding too much more flour, though, because as the gravy heats it firms up a lot.
6. it might taste a little floury. try adding more sage, pepper, or nutritional yeast. keep stirring. it should be done within 5 minutes.
9.01.2009
the most versatile dish. ever.
protein. complex carbohydrates. unsaturated fat. vitamins. minerals. we know we need them, but it's an on-going struggle to eat enough of them every day and in the right proportions. i have a loose formula for a meal in which every ingredient can be traded out for another of similar nutritional content, ensuring you can get a wide range of all the aforementioned nutrients. roughly, it's: grain/starch, bean, green veggie, at least another veggie (usually 3).
i'll give a few examples; compare them to see what i mean by substituting ingredients. then i'll discuss when to add many of the common veggies to the fry pan so you can make your favorite combinations without under- or over-cooking anything.
1. cous cous, lentils, onion, garlic, hot peppers, bell peppers, carrot, tomato, kale
2. potatoes, chick peas, garlic, mushrooms, peppers, spinach
3. rice, black beans, corn, onion, tomato, mushroom, peppers, kale
4. cous cous, chick peas, toasted nuts, tomato, spinach, carrot
---------
1. cook cous cous and lentils separately, and separately from veggies.
-to make cous: in a small pot with a lid, boil 2/3 cup water. when it comes to a rolling boil, take it off the burner and turn it off, add 1/2 cup dry cous cous, shake the pot a bit so that it makes a smooth layer, and (quickly) replace the top for 2-5 minutes.
-to make lentils: i recommend red lentils for this because they cook fast. combine 1/2 cup red lentils in a small pot with 1 cup water. cook on medium heat until soft and creamy, stirring every so often so they don't stick. add more water if they do start to stick.
-order of the veggies mentioned above: in a pan with 1 Tb oil, before starting cous cous (so that you can throw the partially cooked veggies in with the cous cous while it's steaming-- saves energy), sautee on medium-high heat, starting with carrots and onions, peppers and mushrooms after about a minute or 2, then leafies like kale or spinach after another minute or 2.
2. cook potatoes & rest of veggies together, but potatoes a full 2 minutes or more before the rest. i haven't decided if steaming potatoes is faster than sauteeing, but you're welcome to try it either way. potatoes take a pretty long time to cook, so start them at least 2 minutes before the rest.
3. this is my broke ass attempt at something resembling a central american-themed dish if you're into that kind of food like i am.
-i'm assuming you're using canned beans, but if not, soak them in water in a large bowl on the counter in the morning or no earlier than the night before. cook them on medium/med-high heat with lid until soft, usually about 45 minutes? it really depends.
-combine twice as much water as rice in a pot with a tight-fitting lid and cook on low or simmer for about 25-30 minutes. i usually put the heat on high for a minute or 2 and then turn it down. don't stir or check it more than once, you have to keep in the steam.
-in a fry pan, add 1 T. oil and 1/2 an onion, chopped. turn the heat to medium-high (if you want more protein, this is where you could add 1/4 inch cubes of tofu) and sautee for about a minute before adding peppers and mushrooms.
-when veggies are cooked, turn off the heat and while it's still hot, add the beans and corn if you're using the canned versions. if you're cooking them yourself, you don't have to add them while the pan's hot, this is just to use residual heat for things that don't have to be cooked.
-add condiments like cilantro, salsa, citrus juice, nutritional yeast, cheese, vinegar, hot sauce, whatever...
4. i hope by now you get the idea. it won't take long to get a fair idea of the timing of each vegetable and gain and bean.
i'll give a few examples; compare them to see what i mean by substituting ingredients. then i'll discuss when to add many of the common veggies to the fry pan so you can make your favorite combinations without under- or over-cooking anything.
1. cous cous, lentils, onion, garlic, hot peppers, bell peppers, carrot, tomato, kale
2. potatoes, chick peas, garlic, mushrooms, peppers, spinach
3. rice, black beans, corn, onion, tomato, mushroom, peppers, kale
4. cous cous, chick peas, toasted nuts, tomato, spinach, carrot
---------
1. cook cous cous and lentils separately, and separately from veggies.
-to make cous: in a small pot with a lid, boil 2/3 cup water. when it comes to a rolling boil, take it off the burner and turn it off, add 1/2 cup dry cous cous, shake the pot a bit so that it makes a smooth layer, and (quickly) replace the top for 2-5 minutes.
-to make lentils: i recommend red lentils for this because they cook fast. combine 1/2 cup red lentils in a small pot with 1 cup water. cook on medium heat until soft and creamy, stirring every so often so they don't stick. add more water if they do start to stick.
-order of the veggies mentioned above: in a pan with 1 Tb oil, before starting cous cous (so that you can throw the partially cooked veggies in with the cous cous while it's steaming-- saves energy), sautee on medium-high heat, starting with carrots and onions, peppers and mushrooms after about a minute or 2, then leafies like kale or spinach after another minute or 2.
2. cook potatoes & rest of veggies together, but potatoes a full 2 minutes or more before the rest. i haven't decided if steaming potatoes is faster than sauteeing, but you're welcome to try it either way. potatoes take a pretty long time to cook, so start them at least 2 minutes before the rest.
3. this is my broke ass attempt at something resembling a central american-themed dish if you're into that kind of food like i am.
-i'm assuming you're using canned beans, but if not, soak them in water in a large bowl on the counter in the morning or no earlier than the night before. cook them on medium/med-high heat with lid until soft, usually about 45 minutes? it really depends.
-combine twice as much water as rice in a pot with a tight-fitting lid and cook on low or simmer for about 25-30 minutes. i usually put the heat on high for a minute or 2 and then turn it down. don't stir or check it more than once, you have to keep in the steam.
-in a fry pan, add 1 T. oil and 1/2 an onion, chopped. turn the heat to medium-high (if you want more protein, this is where you could add 1/4 inch cubes of tofu) and sautee for about a minute before adding peppers and mushrooms.
-when veggies are cooked, turn off the heat and while it's still hot, add the beans and corn if you're using the canned versions. if you're cooking them yourself, you don't have to add them while the pan's hot, this is just to use residual heat for things that don't have to be cooked.
-add condiments like cilantro, salsa, citrus juice, nutritional yeast, cheese, vinegar, hot sauce, whatever...
4. i hope by now you get the idea. it won't take long to get a fair idea of the timing of each vegetable and gain and bean.
salsa! a summer favorite
first of all... NEVER REFRIGERATE TOMATOES!!!!! EVER!
tomatoes and peppers have a tendency to REALLY grow when they grow, so lots of people growing them literally give away bags to friends and neighbors. so, when life gives you tomatoes and peppers... make salsa! this is a great way to use the bruised ones that still have a few good parts or the ones that are about to go bad or if you dumpster a bunch of them at once. in my case, i dumpstered about a gallon of tomatoes and at least 4 peppers, my roommate has been bringing home both, we're growing both, and so is my mom, my neighbor, and a friend. that's a lot of tomatoes and peppers.
any time other than summer, salsa is simply not good. not only do you have to BUY tomatoes and peppers, but they are often shitty quality because they were grown under lamps in labs in california or shipped in refrigerator cars from mexico. who fucking cares if they're organic if they come from so far away! that defeats the whole purpose of buying organic! as americans, we have been taught that we can have any food from anywhere at any time but we have to learn that is not true. think of how many tanks of gas it takes to get vegetables that grow in ohio in summer to ohio in the winter because we LIKE them and we WANT them. we have to continue to support our local economies and ecosystems if we want anything to change.
aside from being a delicious use for seasonally abundant foods, this salsa is raw, not cooked, which some think is better for you, but i tend to think is only sometimes better for you, as many foods' nutrients are more easily absorbed by your body when cooked. but whatever your raw/cooked persuasion, this is one healthy food with a ton of natural flavor-- no spices needed.
the proportions of each ingredient are totally up to you; there is no way i can rationalize telling you how much garlic to put in it. you could hurt yourself.
1. roughly slice or chop any kind of tomato, onion, garlic, spicy or bell peppers, cilantro or parsley and put them in a colander to drain off any excess water. you can squeeze the tomatoes if you want, but some think the seeds have the most flavor.
*my proportions are generally: 2-3 tomatoes and a few cherry tomatoes, 1/4 bell pepper and 2-3 hot peppers, 1/4 red onion, 4 cloves garlic, a large handful of cilantro.
2. place ingredients in a food processor to at least an inch below the top (you might have to do a few batches) and add 1 Tb olive oil (helps you absorb vitamins and adds flavor) and the juice of half a lime to each batch.
3. pulse for a few seconds until you find the right consistency.
tomatoes and peppers have a tendency to REALLY grow when they grow, so lots of people growing them literally give away bags to friends and neighbors. so, when life gives you tomatoes and peppers... make salsa! this is a great way to use the bruised ones that still have a few good parts or the ones that are about to go bad or if you dumpster a bunch of them at once. in my case, i dumpstered about a gallon of tomatoes and at least 4 peppers, my roommate has been bringing home both, we're growing both, and so is my mom, my neighbor, and a friend. that's a lot of tomatoes and peppers.
any time other than summer, salsa is simply not good. not only do you have to BUY tomatoes and peppers, but they are often shitty quality because they were grown under lamps in labs in california or shipped in refrigerator cars from mexico. who fucking cares if they're organic if they come from so far away! that defeats the whole purpose of buying organic! as americans, we have been taught that we can have any food from anywhere at any time but we have to learn that is not true. think of how many tanks of gas it takes to get vegetables that grow in ohio in summer to ohio in the winter because we LIKE them and we WANT them. we have to continue to support our local economies and ecosystems if we want anything to change.
aside from being a delicious use for seasonally abundant foods, this salsa is raw, not cooked, which some think is better for you, but i tend to think is only sometimes better for you, as many foods' nutrients are more easily absorbed by your body when cooked. but whatever your raw/cooked persuasion, this is one healthy food with a ton of natural flavor-- no spices needed.
the proportions of each ingredient are totally up to you; there is no way i can rationalize telling you how much garlic to put in it. you could hurt yourself.
1. roughly slice or chop any kind of tomato, onion, garlic, spicy or bell peppers, cilantro or parsley and put them in a colander to drain off any excess water. you can squeeze the tomatoes if you want, but some think the seeds have the most flavor.
*my proportions are generally: 2-3 tomatoes and a few cherry tomatoes, 1/4 bell pepper and 2-3 hot peppers, 1/4 red onion, 4 cloves garlic, a large handful of cilantro.
2. place ingredients in a food processor to at least an inch below the top (you might have to do a few batches) and add 1 Tb olive oil (helps you absorb vitamins and adds flavor) and the juice of half a lime to each batch.
3. pulse for a few seconds until you find the right consistency.
cookbooks i recommend
these 3 have inspired me the very most of all cookbooks i've gone through. i don't follow recipes unless i'm making something out of the ordinary like baked goods, but when i do, these are my go-to books. they are a manageable size, which i feel is important. once they pass 400 pages, cookbooks become unwieldy and just plain overwhelming. you don't need 3 pizza dough recipes! just the basics and maybe an alternative here and there. i digress. if you like structure in your life or feel a cookbook would be the best way for you to start/maintain "the lifestyle" (what can i call it that contains fewer than 5 words??) then by all means make them your bible. no shame in following recipes. i do hope you will try something of your own, though!
1. "how it all vegan" by sarah kramer and tanya barnard. practical and easy recipes, and is fairly comprehensive in terms of other ways to live vegan. drawback is that there are no pictures, so sometimes it's hard to tell what you're making.
2. "vegan soul kitchen" by bryant terry. good for the hearty foods addict as a transition into a plant-based diet. the recipes are interesting, as he really integrates african-american traditional cuisine.
3. "vegan with a vengeance" by isa chandra moskowitz. because it's written by a punk, the recipes are cheap. they're practical and easy but also really innovative.
1. "how it all vegan" by sarah kramer and tanya barnard. practical and easy recipes, and is fairly comprehensive in terms of other ways to live vegan. drawback is that there are no pictures, so sometimes it's hard to tell what you're making.
2. "vegan soul kitchen" by bryant terry. good for the hearty foods addict as a transition into a plant-based diet. the recipes are interesting, as he really integrates african-american traditional cuisine.
3. "vegan with a vengeance" by isa chandra moskowitz. because it's written by a punk, the recipes are cheap. they're practical and easy but also really innovative.
8.12.2009
another magical item: baking soda
much like vinegar, i'm amazed by the versatility and effectiveness of this common product we often think of as an ingredient in baked goods. it absorbs odors and scrubs surfaces clean. if used with vinegar for cleaning, you've got all bases covered and your shit's clean without using mysterious harmful chemicals. and it's cheap to boot!
1. deodorize clothes AND remove stains: add 1/2 cup to a load of laundry (1/4 cup for front-loading machines). you can cut down on soap this way, too.
2. dab a pinch on your armpits in the morning. lasts pretty much all day.
3. put out grease fires (never use water!!!) and, (luckily i've never had to try this), other fires like electrical, wood, and clothing. so basically is puts out fires where water can't.
4. deodorize your trash can: sprinkle a handful or 2 in the bottom and if you can, scrub it around a little. it helps if you wash it out, too.
5. clean & deodorize your fridge: while vinegar cleans and disinfects a lot of fierce stanky shit in the fridge, baking soda can scrub it off and remove the smell. just sprinkle some on a damp cloth and wash away with a damp cloth.
6. deodorize kitty litter: sprinkle enough to form a full layer on the bottom of the box and add the other stuff on top.
7. deodorize water bottles, tupperware, and other smelly containers: fill it with water, add 1 Tb soda, and soak it for a few minutes or more. if it still smells, either soak it longer or sprinkle on a scrubby sponge (no soap needed), scrub it out well, and rinse.
8. remove stains from counters or floors: sprinkle on a damp sponge or cloth and scrub. if it's really stubborn, coat the surface, sprinkle a bit of water, and scrub.
9. clean bathroom grime: works best when alternated with vinegar treatment. for shower curtains specifically, soak them in a bucket with (warm) water and 1/4 cup (or more?) soda.
10. unclog drains: sprinkle a few Tb in the drain, (if the drain smells, too, let it sit for a few seconds), add 1/4-1/2 cup vinegar, watch the cool reaction, and rinse.
11. relieve sunburn, rash, or poison ivy: add to a bath or apply pinches in the shower.
12. relieve bug bite itch: make a bit of paste with water in a small bowl and rub it gently on the bite. it will stiiiing!
13. deodorize shoes: take out the insoles if you can, coat them with soda and scrub it around with your fingers or a dry cloth.
14. stop heartburn: add 1/2 tsp to 1/2 glass of water.
15. freshen breath: gargle/swish with 1/2 tsp + 1/2 cup water. especially good if you have a canker sore.
16. clean a sponge: we throw them away far too often because they start to smell! put it on a plate, sprinkle soda on the plate, saturate the sponge in vinegar, and coat the top with soda. let it sit for a few minutes and rinse.
17. clean your counter tops: sprinkle a few pinches all around, scrub with a sponge, rinse sponge, wipe away.
18. deodorize compost bucket: after rinsing, sprinkle in the bottom, scrub, rinse.
19. deodorize carpet
1. deodorize clothes AND remove stains: add 1/2 cup to a load of laundry (1/4 cup for front-loading machines). you can cut down on soap this way, too.
2. dab a pinch on your armpits in the morning. lasts pretty much all day.
3. put out grease fires (never use water!!!) and, (luckily i've never had to try this), other fires like electrical, wood, and clothing. so basically is puts out fires where water can't.
4. deodorize your trash can: sprinkle a handful or 2 in the bottom and if you can, scrub it around a little. it helps if you wash it out, too.
5. clean & deodorize your fridge: while vinegar cleans and disinfects a lot of fierce stanky shit in the fridge, baking soda can scrub it off and remove the smell. just sprinkle some on a damp cloth and wash away with a damp cloth.
6. deodorize kitty litter: sprinkle enough to form a full layer on the bottom of the box and add the other stuff on top.
7. deodorize water bottles, tupperware, and other smelly containers: fill it with water, add 1 Tb soda, and soak it for a few minutes or more. if it still smells, either soak it longer or sprinkle on a scrubby sponge (no soap needed), scrub it out well, and rinse.
8. remove stains from counters or floors: sprinkle on a damp sponge or cloth and scrub. if it's really stubborn, coat the surface, sprinkle a bit of water, and scrub.
9. clean bathroom grime: works best when alternated with vinegar treatment. for shower curtains specifically, soak them in a bucket with (warm) water and 1/4 cup (or more?) soda.
10. unclog drains: sprinkle a few Tb in the drain, (if the drain smells, too, let it sit for a few seconds), add 1/4-1/2 cup vinegar, watch the cool reaction, and rinse.
11. relieve sunburn, rash, or poison ivy: add to a bath or apply pinches in the shower.
12. relieve bug bite itch: make a bit of paste with water in a small bowl and rub it gently on the bite. it will stiiiing!
13. deodorize shoes: take out the insoles if you can, coat them with soda and scrub it around with your fingers or a dry cloth.
14. stop heartburn: add 1/2 tsp to 1/2 glass of water.
15. freshen breath: gargle/swish with 1/2 tsp + 1/2 cup water. especially good if you have a canker sore.
16. clean a sponge: we throw them away far too often because they start to smell! put it on a plate, sprinkle soda on the plate, saturate the sponge in vinegar, and coat the top with soda. let it sit for a few minutes and rinse.
17. clean your counter tops: sprinkle a few pinches all around, scrub with a sponge, rinse sponge, wipe away.
18. deodorize compost bucket: after rinsing, sprinkle in the bottom, scrub, rinse.
19. deodorize carpet
vinegar! a wonder product for cleaning, personal, and other uses
vinegar is wicked cheap and has SO many uses outside of food. i've been compiling a list of its various uses from a lot of sources, namely my favorite cookbook, "how it all vegan."
if you want to be REALLY diy, you can make your own vinegar. full explanation here: www.vinegarman.com/VinegarMaking.shtml
1. glass cleaner: pour equal parts water and vinegar in a spray bottle.
2. weed killer: pour or spray on full strength until they die.
3. deter (not kill) ants: spray around doorways or window sills (not the wooden part!) or counters with ant problems.
4. skunk smell remover: rub full strength on area, let sit for about a minute, rinse.
5. cat repellent (haha): train cats not to walk on counters by sprinkling full strength
6. floor cleaner: 1/2 cup per gallon hot water.
7. un-wilt veggies: soak wilted veggies in 2 cups cool water + 1 Tb. vinegar.
8. itch/sting reliever: dab on bee stings (and maybe mosquito bites? haven't tried it yet).
9. sunburn reliever: dab a few times a day to take the edge off
10. dry, itchy skin reliever: add 2 Tb to bath water, or if you don't take baths, fill an empty shampoo bottle with warm water, add 1 Tb, and apply a bit before, during, after shower.
11. dandruff treatment: combine 2 Tb cider vinegar, 2 Tb water, and 2 Tb flax or olive oil into a container with a cap. shake mixture until mixed. massage into scalp, let sit 15-20 minutes, shampoo out.
12. sore throat treatment: pour 1 tsp into a glass of water, mix, gargle, swallow.
13. sinus relief: add 1/4 cup to a vaporizer.
14. drain deodorizer: pour a cup slowly into a drain. don't use the faucet for 30 minutes. if the problem persists, try again a few days later. DO NOT USE VINEGAR COMBINED WITH, BEFORE, OR AFTER CHLORINE BLEACH!! it will produce toxic vapor!
15. disinfect cutting boards: wipe (with a sponge if you choose) with full strength vinegar. tip: to use less, hold the board flat while you wipe instead of pouring vinegar over it while holding it vertically over a sink. this will also disinfect more effectively if it has a chance to penetrate the knife grooves.
16. cut grease: if you do dishes by filling one side of the sink with hot, soapy water, add 1 Tb to the water instead of using more soap.
17. teapot cleaner: for hard-to-remove teapot grime, boil a pot of water mixed with 1/4 cup vinegar, let it sit for a few minutes, pour out, wash pot like any other dish.
18. freshen a lunch box: soak a slice of bread in vinegar, put it in your lunchbox overnight, rinse.
19. fridge cleaner: instead of soap or chemical-y "kitchen cleaner," wash out the inside of your fridge with equal parts water and vinegar and a scrubby rag.
20. unclog a drain: sprinkle a handful of baking soda into the drain, add 1/2 cup vinegar, replace the plug on its closed position or plug with something fairly airtight for 20 seconds. rinse with hot water.
21. clean jars: jars are super useful to keep around to use as cups, fermentation vessels, to keep snacks fresh, etc, but you don't want trail mix tasting like pickles (unless you're into that?), so after you wash it out, fill the jar 1/4 way full of vinegar and shake it. if it still smells, repeat, but let the vinegar sit for a few minutes.
22. clean stainless steel: use full strength with a cloth.
23. remove stains from pots: these stains can hold onto germs and any soap you use in washing, so it's wise to do this when stains build up. boil 3 Tb vinegar per pint of water, boil well and let it sit cooling for several minutes, scrub off.
24. clean/deodorize a microwave: heat a cup of water + 1/4 vinegar and scrub.
25. dissolve rust: soak in full strength vinegar.
26. remove clothing lint: add 1/2 cup vinegar to the RINSE CYCLE of a load of laundry. i haven't tried this, but it apparently helps to brighten color, too.
27. remove clothing stains: softly rub into a stain before washing.
28. remove smoke smell from clothes: this seems like a waste of water and heating energy, but if you think it's absolutely necessary, add 1 cup vinegar to a very hot bath (can be just a few inches deep) and hang clothes, horizontally if possible, close to the water so they absorb the steam.
29. remove stickers: soak in or cover with a vinegar-saturated cloth, full strength, and let sit for a few minutes then wash off. make sure that what you're removing it from won't be destroyed by vinegar!
30. clean eyeglasses. wipe them with a drop or 2.
31. freshen flowers: 2 Tb vinegar + 1 tsp sugar per quart of water.
32. hair conditioner: mix 1 Tb vinegar + 4 cups water in a container. use a quarter to a half (depending on hair length) after shampooing and rinse.
33. unclog shower heads: for metal, mix 1/2 cup per quart hot water. for plastic, equal parts. submerge 15 minutes to an hour.
34. deter fleas? i'm still testing this one out, but so far it seems to be working. after a good vacuum, drizzle full strength vinegar on your carpet. i keep it in a shampoo bottle for this so it can drip evenly instead of pour. i'm not sure that this kills the eggs (does anything??) but it sure seems to be reducing their numbers.
if you want to be REALLY diy, you can make your own vinegar. full explanation here: www.vinegarman.com/VinegarMaking.shtml
1. glass cleaner: pour equal parts water and vinegar in a spray bottle.
2. weed killer: pour or spray on full strength until they die.
3. deter (not kill) ants: spray around doorways or window sills (not the wooden part!) or counters with ant problems.
4. skunk smell remover: rub full strength on area, let sit for about a minute, rinse.
5. cat repellent (haha): train cats not to walk on counters by sprinkling full strength
6. floor cleaner: 1/2 cup per gallon hot water.
7. un-wilt veggies: soak wilted veggies in 2 cups cool water + 1 Tb. vinegar.
8. itch/sting reliever: dab on bee stings (and maybe mosquito bites? haven't tried it yet).
9. sunburn reliever: dab a few times a day to take the edge off
10. dry, itchy skin reliever: add 2 Tb to bath water, or if you don't take baths, fill an empty shampoo bottle with warm water, add 1 Tb, and apply a bit before, during, after shower.
11. dandruff treatment: combine 2 Tb cider vinegar, 2 Tb water, and 2 Tb flax or olive oil into a container with a cap. shake mixture until mixed. massage into scalp, let sit 15-20 minutes, shampoo out.
12. sore throat treatment: pour 1 tsp into a glass of water, mix, gargle, swallow.
13. sinus relief: add 1/4 cup to a vaporizer.
14. drain deodorizer: pour a cup slowly into a drain. don't use the faucet for 30 minutes. if the problem persists, try again a few days later. DO NOT USE VINEGAR COMBINED WITH, BEFORE, OR AFTER CHLORINE BLEACH!! it will produce toxic vapor!
15. disinfect cutting boards: wipe (with a sponge if you choose) with full strength vinegar. tip: to use less, hold the board flat while you wipe instead of pouring vinegar over it while holding it vertically over a sink. this will also disinfect more effectively if it has a chance to penetrate the knife grooves.
16. cut grease: if you do dishes by filling one side of the sink with hot, soapy water, add 1 Tb to the water instead of using more soap.
17. teapot cleaner: for hard-to-remove teapot grime, boil a pot of water mixed with 1/4 cup vinegar, let it sit for a few minutes, pour out, wash pot like any other dish.
18. freshen a lunch box: soak a slice of bread in vinegar, put it in your lunchbox overnight, rinse.
19. fridge cleaner: instead of soap or chemical-y "kitchen cleaner," wash out the inside of your fridge with equal parts water and vinegar and a scrubby rag.
20. unclog a drain: sprinkle a handful of baking soda into the drain, add 1/2 cup vinegar, replace the plug on its closed position or plug with something fairly airtight for 20 seconds. rinse with hot water.
21. clean jars: jars are super useful to keep around to use as cups, fermentation vessels, to keep snacks fresh, etc, but you don't want trail mix tasting like pickles (unless you're into that?), so after you wash it out, fill the jar 1/4 way full of vinegar and shake it. if it still smells, repeat, but let the vinegar sit for a few minutes.
22. clean stainless steel: use full strength with a cloth.
23. remove stains from pots: these stains can hold onto germs and any soap you use in washing, so it's wise to do this when stains build up. boil 3 Tb vinegar per pint of water, boil well and let it sit cooling for several minutes, scrub off.
24. clean/deodorize a microwave: heat a cup of water + 1/4 vinegar and scrub.
25. dissolve rust: soak in full strength vinegar.
26. remove clothing lint: add 1/2 cup vinegar to the RINSE CYCLE of a load of laundry. i haven't tried this, but it apparently helps to brighten color, too.
27. remove clothing stains: softly rub into a stain before washing.
28. remove smoke smell from clothes: this seems like a waste of water and heating energy, but if you think it's absolutely necessary, add 1 cup vinegar to a very hot bath (can be just a few inches deep) and hang clothes, horizontally if possible, close to the water so they absorb the steam.
29. remove stickers: soak in or cover with a vinegar-saturated cloth, full strength, and let sit for a few minutes then wash off. make sure that what you're removing it from won't be destroyed by vinegar!
30. clean eyeglasses. wipe them with a drop or 2.
31. freshen flowers: 2 Tb vinegar + 1 tsp sugar per quart of water.
32. hair conditioner: mix 1 Tb vinegar + 4 cups water in a container. use a quarter to a half (depending on hair length) after shampooing and rinse.
33. unclog shower heads: for metal, mix 1/2 cup per quart hot water. for plastic, equal parts. submerge 15 minutes to an hour.
34. deter fleas? i'm still testing this one out, but so far it seems to be working. after a good vacuum, drizzle full strength vinegar on your carpet. i keep it in a shampoo bottle for this so it can drip evenly instead of pour. i'm not sure that this kills the eggs (does anything??) but it sure seems to be reducing their numbers.
8.09.2009
pantry musts
i can't help but notice that seemingly everyone my mom's age is obsessed with keeping a fully stocked pantry... to the point where they could survive a nuclear war. i never understood why my mom insisted on buying 4 cans of beans or 3 bottles of bbq sauce-- just in case, she would always tell me. i hypothesize that it's a 2nd hand symptom from the depression/ww2 generation. this behavior, i've noticed, actually makes people more wasteful because there is a tangible reserve of extra, so, whatever! we've got more! whereas if you only have a bag of rice and a bag of beans, you know you have to make it last. moreover, if you live with a lot of people or have a tiny kitchen, it's important to keep your pantry as simple as possible. though i mentioned a lot of these before, for the sake of completeness i'll repeat them. some of the last-forevers that are hearty, healthy, and cheap as shit:
1. lentils, black beans, pinto beans, white beans, mung beans... any bean. protein! buying them dry is more beneficial, because they last indefinitely, use less packaging, fewer fossil fuels because processing is minimal, no additives, and they're significantly cheaper than canned. only drawback is they have to soak for a while before cooking, (except for red lentils). just put them in a mixing bowl with enough water that they are submerged by 2 inches, leave them in a cool place (counter or cabinet), go to bed, and either drain them when you wake up if you have time to cook them right then, or keep them submerged until an hour or 2 before dinner time. don't leave them much longer than a day. they take different amounts of time to cook. i'll add recipes soon, but just as a general rule, cook them in the same amount of water (new water!) as you soaked them on LOW with the lid on. you don't really have to stir them-- in fact, the more you remove the lid, the longer they take to cook because your letting heat out. cook times vary depending on size of the bean, green lentils taking about an hour, chick peas can take up to 3. so check them every 1/2 hour or so if you're worried.
2. rice, quinoa, amaranth, oats, cous cous... - they don't have to be soaked. eating them with any #1 makes a complete protein. proportions of water to grain vary, so check the package or google your specific grain.
3. nuts of any and all sorts. as i mentioned, if you do self-checkout at a grocery store that carries bulk items, you can ring fancy ones up as peanuts. they last a really long time, especially in a sealed container.
4. dried fruit - same deal; ring up as raisins. if you're trying to break a junk food or sugar habit, this is the way to do it. they have lots of sugar which can satisfy that craving, but also tons of vitamins so your body will in fact stop craving junk when your body is getting all the stuff it needs.
5. white and wheat flour for baking, batter, gravy, thickener for soup - just all around good to have on hand. keep it in a sealed container, like one of those tall glass or ceramic ones with the hook-and-snap lid.
6. whole sugar - aside from coffee and tea, you can use it to ferment tea (recipe to come) and many other uses. look for USA sugar (though it comes from the conquered land of hawaii, it's better than supporting imperialism by buying imported foods), and whole is better than refined because it's in it's most natural state - always healthier and fewer fossil fuels used.
7. herbs and spices - bought in bulk, they are a lot cheaper. some grocery stores carry them in bulk but they're not usually organic. try your co-op. what you buy depends on what you like-- what cuisines do you like? indian, italian, greek? look up online recipes of your favorite meals and see what spices they use. i recommend getting fresh herbs if you can, dried oregano and cilantro don't taste like anything but are amazing fresh and have more vitamins that way. as for spices, you can either get the whole seeds and use a small mortar and pestle or get pre-ground. some of my favorites are cumin, turmeric, curry, coriander, red pepper flakes. spice mixes are usually pretty good...if they're free! i'm not opposed to them, i just like to make my own combination. up to you. i think i'll have to make a whole post on how to use them.
8. bragg's liquid aminos - tastes like soy sauce but contains essential amino acids. good replacement for salt in most dishes. you can get it at health food stores.
9. kosher salt - for some reason it's just better! i like the medium granules the best because you don't get a bomb of salt on your food.
10. onions - they magically last for ages and can be used to bulk up any stir fry, soup, or sandwich.
11. garlic - my favorite! it adds a bold flavor to sometimes boring dishes. i know i preach using unprocessed foods, but i fucking hate cutting garlic and i use so much of it that i would spend more time cutting garlic than... i want to. so, i buy the largest size of spice world pre-cut garlic in brine. pieces this small must be added about a minute or 2 before you're done sauteeing or stir frying.
13. high-heat oil - safflower or canola, but not olive, sesame, or flax! once they reach a certain temperature and/or are cooked for a certain amount of time (i'll have to look up the numbers), they become carcinogenic. so for stir fry, tofu, or anything that cooks more than a minute and higher than medium heat, be sure to have something other than olive oil!
14. a source of straight up protein - like tofu, seitan, tempeh, textured vegetable protein (tvp), or other meat replacers. it's important to make sure you're getting enough protein because without it, among other problems, you can start feeling really tired and hungry. personally, i don't eat any of the aforementioned except for tempeh and tofu because they are the least processed, have the fewest additives, and are the most whole. i choose not to eat fake meat-- they are often made of soy, which i am politically and healthily wary of, plus, they are sooo unnatural. if you choose to eat them, it's your call.
15. nutritional yeast - this mysterious yellow powder is a great alternative to cheese (which is expensive and requires more farty cows to use our arable land). it's a by-product of i think beer-making, so it doesn't require any production itself! it has a salty, cheesy flavor, so it's good to sprinkle on sauteed veggies the way you'd use shredded cheese. it's also commonly used to make gravy because it thickens in addition to being delicious. it's full of iron, too, and if bought in bulk, it's way cheap! what could be better?
16. frozen fruit - don't buy the packaged kind, it's shitty quality and used a lot of fossil fuels from start to finish. freeze your own! fruit is one of the easiest things to dumpster, too, so just cut up a few things and put them in a zip-lock bag. it's good to keep fruit on hand for the winter or to keep around to make smoothies. for quality purposes, i recommend keeping it in the freezer for no more than a season.
17. baking soda - sure it can be used in baking, but it can be used for sooo many more things. there are so many things that can start to smell like shit in the kitchen, sprinkling a little baking soda on them is a very effective way to get rid of smells. for example, sprinkle a tablespoon in your drain, a bit in the bottom of your compost bin after you dump it and wash it, a moldy water bottle (+ a 1/4 c vinegar... more on these to come). unlike chemical-based sprays, it's natural and safe to consume so you don't have to waste a shit ton of water vigorously rinsing whatever you washed.
18. white or cider vinegar - the bigger the better! it's good in food, but better for cleaning. this will require a much longer post.
with all these permanent things in your kitchen scenery, you'll never go hungry!
what i ate yesterday:
out of order, but...
1. green beans with balsamic vinegar glaze and olive oil; corn with butter; sauteed summer squash with hot red peppers and garlic; tofu with bbq sauce. total cost: all from mom's farm share except tofu, so about $0.50.
2. green lentils with potatoes and tomatoes, lots of spices; pita chips. total cost: uhh... a fraction of bulk purchase a long time ago...?, chips free from roommate gone on tour.
3. smoothie made from frozen strawberries and peaches, coconut milk, ginseng powder, ohio whole milk, think that's it. total cost: this is getting tedious. fruit dumpstered, milk, ginseng, and cococnut purchased.
4. bagel (purch), cucumber (farm share), cheese (given).
5. not pictured: my guilty pleasure, coffee and cola!!
1. lentils, black beans, pinto beans, white beans, mung beans... any bean. protein! buying them dry is more beneficial, because they last indefinitely, use less packaging, fewer fossil fuels because processing is minimal, no additives, and they're significantly cheaper than canned. only drawback is they have to soak for a while before cooking, (except for red lentils). just put them in a mixing bowl with enough water that they are submerged by 2 inches, leave them in a cool place (counter or cabinet), go to bed, and either drain them when you wake up if you have time to cook them right then, or keep them submerged until an hour or 2 before dinner time. don't leave them much longer than a day. they take different amounts of time to cook. i'll add recipes soon, but just as a general rule, cook them in the same amount of water (new water!) as you soaked them on LOW with the lid on. you don't really have to stir them-- in fact, the more you remove the lid, the longer they take to cook because your letting heat out. cook times vary depending on size of the bean, green lentils taking about an hour, chick peas can take up to 3. so check them every 1/2 hour or so if you're worried.
2. rice, quinoa, amaranth, oats, cous cous... - they don't have to be soaked. eating them with any #1 makes a complete protein. proportions of water to grain vary, so check the package or google your specific grain.
3. nuts of any and all sorts. as i mentioned, if you do self-checkout at a grocery store that carries bulk items, you can ring fancy ones up as peanuts. they last a really long time, especially in a sealed container.
4. dried fruit - same deal; ring up as raisins. if you're trying to break a junk food or sugar habit, this is the way to do it. they have lots of sugar which can satisfy that craving, but also tons of vitamins so your body will in fact stop craving junk when your body is getting all the stuff it needs.
5. white and wheat flour for baking, batter, gravy, thickener for soup - just all around good to have on hand. keep it in a sealed container, like one of those tall glass or ceramic ones with the hook-and-snap lid.
6. whole sugar - aside from coffee and tea, you can use it to ferment tea (recipe to come) and many other uses. look for USA sugar (though it comes from the conquered land of hawaii, it's better than supporting imperialism by buying imported foods), and whole is better than refined because it's in it's most natural state - always healthier and fewer fossil fuels used.
7. herbs and spices - bought in bulk, they are a lot cheaper. some grocery stores carry them in bulk but they're not usually organic. try your co-op. what you buy depends on what you like-- what cuisines do you like? indian, italian, greek? look up online recipes of your favorite meals and see what spices they use. i recommend getting fresh herbs if you can, dried oregano and cilantro don't taste like anything but are amazing fresh and have more vitamins that way. as for spices, you can either get the whole seeds and use a small mortar and pestle or get pre-ground. some of my favorites are cumin, turmeric, curry, coriander, red pepper flakes. spice mixes are usually pretty good...if they're free! i'm not opposed to them, i just like to make my own combination. up to you. i think i'll have to make a whole post on how to use them.
8. bragg's liquid aminos - tastes like soy sauce but contains essential amino acids. good replacement for salt in most dishes. you can get it at health food stores.
9. kosher salt - for some reason it's just better! i like the medium granules the best because you don't get a bomb of salt on your food.
10. onions - they magically last for ages and can be used to bulk up any stir fry, soup, or sandwich.
11. garlic - my favorite! it adds a bold flavor to sometimes boring dishes. i know i preach using unprocessed foods, but i fucking hate cutting garlic and i use so much of it that i would spend more time cutting garlic than... i want to. so, i buy the largest size of spice world pre-cut garlic in brine. pieces this small must be added about a minute or 2 before you're done sauteeing or stir frying.
13. high-heat oil - safflower or canola, but not olive, sesame, or flax! once they reach a certain temperature and/or are cooked for a certain amount of time (i'll have to look up the numbers), they become carcinogenic. so for stir fry, tofu, or anything that cooks more than a minute and higher than medium heat, be sure to have something other than olive oil!
14. a source of straight up protein - like tofu, seitan, tempeh, textured vegetable protein (tvp), or other meat replacers. it's important to make sure you're getting enough protein because without it, among other problems, you can start feeling really tired and hungry. personally, i don't eat any of the aforementioned except for tempeh and tofu because they are the least processed, have the fewest additives, and are the most whole. i choose not to eat fake meat-- they are often made of soy, which i am politically and healthily wary of, plus, they are sooo unnatural. if you choose to eat them, it's your call.
15. nutritional yeast - this mysterious yellow powder is a great alternative to cheese (which is expensive and requires more farty cows to use our arable land). it's a by-product of i think beer-making, so it doesn't require any production itself! it has a salty, cheesy flavor, so it's good to sprinkle on sauteed veggies the way you'd use shredded cheese. it's also commonly used to make gravy because it thickens in addition to being delicious. it's full of iron, too, and if bought in bulk, it's way cheap! what could be better?
16. frozen fruit - don't buy the packaged kind, it's shitty quality and used a lot of fossil fuels from start to finish. freeze your own! fruit is one of the easiest things to dumpster, too, so just cut up a few things and put them in a zip-lock bag. it's good to keep fruit on hand for the winter or to keep around to make smoothies. for quality purposes, i recommend keeping it in the freezer for no more than a season.
17. baking soda - sure it can be used in baking, but it can be used for sooo many more things. there are so many things that can start to smell like shit in the kitchen, sprinkling a little baking soda on them is a very effective way to get rid of smells. for example, sprinkle a tablespoon in your drain, a bit in the bottom of your compost bin after you dump it and wash it, a moldy water bottle (+ a 1/4 c vinegar... more on these to come). unlike chemical-based sprays, it's natural and safe to consume so you don't have to waste a shit ton of water vigorously rinsing whatever you washed.
18. white or cider vinegar - the bigger the better! it's good in food, but better for cleaning. this will require a much longer post.
with all these permanent things in your kitchen scenery, you'll never go hungry!
what i ate yesterday:
out of order, but...
1. green beans with balsamic vinegar glaze and olive oil; corn with butter; sauteed summer squash with hot red peppers and garlic; tofu with bbq sauce. total cost: all from mom's farm share except tofu, so about $0.50.
2. green lentils with potatoes and tomatoes, lots of spices; pita chips. total cost: uhh... a fraction of bulk purchase a long time ago...?, chips free from roommate gone on tour.
3. smoothie made from frozen strawberries and peaches, coconut milk, ginseng powder, ohio whole milk, think that's it. total cost: this is getting tedious. fruit dumpstered, milk, ginseng, and cococnut purchased.
4. bagel (purch), cucumber (farm share), cheese (given).
5. not pictured: my guilty pleasure, coffee and cola!!
starting out: get intimate with your kitchen & make some important investments
i'm practically nomadic. after having lived in so many different spaces with varying since i left the nest, i've been keeping a running list in my head of things i feel every kitchen (and house) should have. the list varies for everyone, of course, based on the foods they eat (i'm vegetarian/freegan) and how well they can adapt to improper equipment, and so on. i guess i'll just dive right in:
1. A GOOD KNIFE SET - this includes a large straight blade, a large serrated, a paring knife, a few "steak" knives. this isn't optional. seriously, you can hurt your wrists and cut yourself if you use dull, cheap knives! invest in a quality set because it will last you so much longer (thus wasting less), and you'll save time and pain because the knives do a lot of the work for you. if you don't know what to look for, try to find a "forged" blade as opposed to a "stamped" blade. they are stiffer, are often more balanced in weight. for whatever reason, stamped blades almost always come on wooden handles, so steer clear of those.
i recommend:
cutco.com
wusthof.com
fdick.com
fallkniven.com
swissarmy.com -> cutlery
jahenckels.com
wessermeister.com
ontarioknife.com/oldhickory.html
2. A TOASTER OVEN - regular toasters don't allow you to toast whole sandwiches, mess with your food mid-toast, or make shrinky-dinks! and to put something small in an oven is a huge waste of non-renewable resources. you can find one at a thrift store for cheap. see if you can plug it in to test it before you buy.
3. A GOOD SET OF POTS AND PANS. some people flip out (pun intended?) about teflon, but i feel like it's... ok?? i mean, as long as you don't put the pan on super high heat or use metal utensils on it, the teflon won't flake off into your food, or so it seems. so, for the sake of convenience, i condone teflon thus far. i can be swayed. anyway, you should have 1 big and 1 small pan. as for pots, you can survive on 2. in fact, it's more efficient to use a properly sized pot-- if you are cooking something small in a big pot, it takes more gas to heat the pot and cook your food. make sure they have well fitted lids and plastic handles! if you have/get metal handles, i recommend sewing an insulated cover because those things get HOT. a dishcloth works, too, just a little inconvenient in the heat of the moment (pun intended!). either way, be careful not to set the towel/cozy on fire.
4. A WOODEN SPOON - won't get hot when stirring a hot pot, the long handle prevents burns, safe on teflon, and easy to clean. i don't have to tell you not to put it in the dishwasher because you shouldn't be using one anyway.
5. A RUBBER SPATULA - good for scraping bowls clean (less waste and cleaning!), mixing, and stirring. if you're using it on a stove, make sure it's something that's been on low heat or cooling (heated plastic is toxic!) like rice.
6. CERAMICS - one of everything: a big and small plate, a pasta plate (plate/bowl hybrid), a 1/2 cup ramekin or bowl, a 1-cup bowl, a larger bowl, a mixing bowl. ceramic, because plastic can't be microwaved and is weaker. ceramic will last. they are never in short supply at thrift stores and asian markets.
7. SPICES - essential for a cheap/veg diet. they make any food taste good (within reason). though it's way cheaper to buy them in bulk, they're harder to keep organized that way. try labeling tupperware and/or putting a riser in the back of the cabinet so no one gets neglected. more on how to use them later.
8. A FOOD PROCESSOR - if you're lucky you'll find one at the thrift, but if not, the small kitchenaid ones (generally for 1 person) are $20 and have very few, easy-to-clean parts. only drawback is it's new and made by a giant, irresponsible corporation. any suggestions for alternatives? this thing is an absolute must! hummus, smoothies, soup... mmm... blenders, though easier to come by, don't yield the same results, especially when you're making thicker stuff like hummus.
9. A STOCK OF BULK GRAINS, LEGUMES, NUTS, SEEDS - they last indefinitely, so if you leave for long enough that you'd be coming back to an empty kitchen, these staples will always be there for you. best place to get them is your local co-op or organic grocery. don't know what to get? try:
-brown/white/wild rice, amaranth, quinoa, cous cous (bulgur), oats, grits, pasta, millet, barley. *remember, whole grains = healthier = less processing = fewer fossil fuels used in production.
-black beans, chick peas/garbanzos, lentils, kidney beans, white/navy/canellini beans, pintos, black eyed peas, split peas, pigeon peas.
-almonds, peanuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios, hazelnuts, chestnuts, brazil nuts, macadamias. you probably noticed these are generally pricey. i recommend, since a lot of corporate grocery stores have started carrying bulk foods, labeling them as peanuts and doing self-checkout.
-sesame, poppy, sunflower, pumpkin, flax.
10. LOTS OF CLOTH TOWELS - NEVER use paper towels again! find the less fluffy, more natural fiber (more absorbent) "tea" towels. these can be used to wipe messes, to pick up hot things, as insulators, and even outside the kitchen.
as for the built-in stuff, a good kitchen should have:
-AMPLE COUNTER SPACE - and keep it clear and clean! if you don't have much, you can build, borrow, barter, or buy one of those cutting board table things, just make sure the height is comfortable and it's stable enough to cut on safely.
-A WINDOW - seems silly or obvious but windowless kitchens exist! and they suck! aside from providing a natural light source, they're great for growing herbs, watching goings on, cooling pies, you know.
-LOTS OF RAISED CABINETS - putting things in cabinets keeps your stuff clean and when they're at eye-level they are less likely to get dingy or house mice. you can also attach things like toaster ovens to the bottom of them to free up counter space. HOWEVER, if you're short or messy (or both), raised cabinets can get disorganized fast. i recommend putting in additional shelves so everything's easier to see. if your kitchen doesn't have many, see if your landlord is willing to put more in or if s/he will let you build one. [anyone know how to build a cabinet? i'll post it!!]
-PLENTY OF DRAWERS - my current house has 1 drawer. ONE! it's a nightmare! with 11 people's stuff clogging it up, it's... ugh. having 2 or more drawers can, again, keep dust off your tools, free up counter space, and allows you to separate them by category. in my last house, the categories were: stuff that can hurt you, misc., wooden spoons & spatulas, eating utensils. if you don't have a lot of drawers, find a good place to put in some nails or hooks to hang stuff. or consider giving away a few things or putting repeats in a box outside the kitchen! i mean, how often do you use your pastry cutter? do you really need 4 bottle openers?
-A GAS STOVE - it's more efficient that electric because the flame is in direct contact with the pan, heating it more quickly, and COAL-FREE.
-A BRIGHT LIGHT - don't wanna hurt yourself! don't forget to use energy efficient bulbs! sometimes your dear landlord will pay for them; it's worth asking.
a few things outside the kitchen that i find absolutely necessary:
-A TOOL KIT - new or used, frankenstein or matching set, as long as they are good enough to get the job done, having tools comes in handy for someone who can't even really fix stuff! this includes but is not limited to: hammer, screwdriver (both types), adjustable wrench, set of allen wrenches, pliers, a few nails, good scissors, strong glue, rubber bands, exacto knife, sand paper, measuring tape.
-A SEWING MACHINE - like a good set of knives, it will last for so long and save you time, frustration, and money in the long run. for me, the best investment i've ever made. even though i don't buy clothes new, i've saved so much money by using clothes i already have to make different and/or better-fitting clothes. sewing is just a great skill to have. i bought a singer curvy with swiftsmart threading system and it's ridiculously easy! it runs about $300. with sewing machines, you get what you pay for, really. singers are great machines. if you're good with machines or like a challenge, feel free to try one of the vintage ones at a thrift store. or, if you can't afford it right now, ask your partner, best friend, sibling, or parent-- whoever you'll be around for a long time-- if they want to share the cost.
-MILK CRATES - seems obvious or silly, but these plastic baskets come in handy for everything. right now i have 6: 2 turned sideways on top of another as a book shelf, 2 stacked upside down as a chair, and 2 holding sewing supplies. they're the perfect size because no matter what you put in them, it won't be too heavy or awkward to carry when you're moving, then when you settle in, they're furniture! they can also be zip-tied together to make bigger shelves, a coffee table, stools, etc. procure them behind grocery stores and gas stations... but be slick about it-- look on the side of one and you'll see why.
-ALTERNATIVE CLEANING SUPPLIES - i'll elaborate on this later, but this includes white vinegar, baking soda, salt, soft rags (t-shirts), and scratchy ones. there's absolutely no need to spend money on crazy, harsh chemical cleaners, even the "natural" kind when these 3 things can clean just about anything.
what i ate yesterday:
1. pretzels, chips, hummus, sunflower seeds. total cost: $0.50 (1/4 bag of purchased pretzels, the rest dumpstered or given by roommate going on tour)
2. homegrown tomatoes and cucumber on everything bagel with cheese and hummus. total cost: $0.32 (1/2 purchased bagel, cheese given by roommate)
3. local peach! from a farm share delivery
4. tea concoction: green tea, ginseng, thé mariage noir, homegrown mint. total cost: free
5. homegrown tomatoes!
6. leftover rice with farm share cucumber, pickled ginger, coconut milk, red chili paste. total cost: ~$0.50 (ginger, coconut, chili paste purchased)
1. A GOOD KNIFE SET - this includes a large straight blade, a large serrated, a paring knife, a few "steak" knives. this isn't optional. seriously, you can hurt your wrists and cut yourself if you use dull, cheap knives! invest in a quality set because it will last you so much longer (thus wasting less), and you'll save time and pain because the knives do a lot of the work for you. if you don't know what to look for, try to find a "forged" blade as opposed to a "stamped" blade. they are stiffer, are often more balanced in weight. for whatever reason, stamped blades almost always come on wooden handles, so steer clear of those.
i recommend:
cutco.com
wusthof.com
fdick.com
fallkniven.com
swissarmy.com -> cutlery
jahenckels.com
wessermeister.com
ontarioknife.com/oldhickory.html
2. A TOASTER OVEN - regular toasters don't allow you to toast whole sandwiches, mess with your food mid-toast, or make shrinky-dinks! and to put something small in an oven is a huge waste of non-renewable resources. you can find one at a thrift store for cheap. see if you can plug it in to test it before you buy.
3. A GOOD SET OF POTS AND PANS. some people flip out (pun intended?) about teflon, but i feel like it's... ok?? i mean, as long as you don't put the pan on super high heat or use metal utensils on it, the teflon won't flake off into your food, or so it seems. so, for the sake of convenience, i condone teflon thus far. i can be swayed. anyway, you should have 1 big and 1 small pan. as for pots, you can survive on 2. in fact, it's more efficient to use a properly sized pot-- if you are cooking something small in a big pot, it takes more gas to heat the pot and cook your food. make sure they have well fitted lids and plastic handles! if you have/get metal handles, i recommend sewing an insulated cover because those things get HOT. a dishcloth works, too, just a little inconvenient in the heat of the moment (pun intended!). either way, be careful not to set the towel/cozy on fire.
4. A WOODEN SPOON - won't get hot when stirring a hot pot, the long handle prevents burns, safe on teflon, and easy to clean. i don't have to tell you not to put it in the dishwasher because you shouldn't be using one anyway.
5. A RUBBER SPATULA - good for scraping bowls clean (less waste and cleaning!), mixing, and stirring. if you're using it on a stove, make sure it's something that's been on low heat or cooling (heated plastic is toxic!) like rice.
6. CERAMICS - one of everything: a big and small plate, a pasta plate (plate/bowl hybrid), a 1/2 cup ramekin or bowl, a 1-cup bowl, a larger bowl, a mixing bowl. ceramic, because plastic can't be microwaved and is weaker. ceramic will last. they are never in short supply at thrift stores and asian markets.
7. SPICES - essential for a cheap/veg diet. they make any food taste good (within reason). though it's way cheaper to buy them in bulk, they're harder to keep organized that way. try labeling tupperware and/or putting a riser in the back of the cabinet so no one gets neglected. more on how to use them later.
8. A FOOD PROCESSOR - if you're lucky you'll find one at the thrift, but if not, the small kitchenaid ones (generally for 1 person) are $20 and have very few, easy-to-clean parts. only drawback is it's new and made by a giant, irresponsible corporation. any suggestions for alternatives? this thing is an absolute must! hummus, smoothies, soup... mmm... blenders, though easier to come by, don't yield the same results, especially when you're making thicker stuff like hummus.
9. A STOCK OF BULK GRAINS, LEGUMES, NUTS, SEEDS - they last indefinitely, so if you leave for long enough that you'd be coming back to an empty kitchen, these staples will always be there for you. best place to get them is your local co-op or organic grocery. don't know what to get? try:
-brown/white/wild rice, amaranth, quinoa, cous cous (bulgur), oats, grits, pasta, millet, barley. *remember, whole grains = healthier = less processing = fewer fossil fuels used in production.
-black beans, chick peas/garbanzos, lentils, kidney beans, white/navy/canellini beans, pintos, black eyed peas, split peas, pigeon peas.
-almonds, peanuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios, hazelnuts, chestnuts, brazil nuts, macadamias. you probably noticed these are generally pricey. i recommend, since a lot of corporate grocery stores have started carrying bulk foods, labeling them as peanuts and doing self-checkout.
-sesame, poppy, sunflower, pumpkin, flax.
10. LOTS OF CLOTH TOWELS - NEVER use paper towels again! find the less fluffy, more natural fiber (more absorbent) "tea" towels. these can be used to wipe messes, to pick up hot things, as insulators, and even outside the kitchen.
as for the built-in stuff, a good kitchen should have:
-AMPLE COUNTER SPACE - and keep it clear and clean! if you don't have much, you can build, borrow, barter, or buy one of those cutting board table things, just make sure the height is comfortable and it's stable enough to cut on safely.
-A WINDOW - seems silly or obvious but windowless kitchens exist! and they suck! aside from providing a natural light source, they're great for growing herbs, watching goings on, cooling pies, you know.
-LOTS OF RAISED CABINETS - putting things in cabinets keeps your stuff clean and when they're at eye-level they are less likely to get dingy or house mice. you can also attach things like toaster ovens to the bottom of them to free up counter space. HOWEVER, if you're short or messy (or both), raised cabinets can get disorganized fast. i recommend putting in additional shelves so everything's easier to see. if your kitchen doesn't have many, see if your landlord is willing to put more in or if s/he will let you build one. [anyone know how to build a cabinet? i'll post it!!]
-PLENTY OF DRAWERS - my current house has 1 drawer. ONE! it's a nightmare! with 11 people's stuff clogging it up, it's... ugh. having 2 or more drawers can, again, keep dust off your tools, free up counter space, and allows you to separate them by category. in my last house, the categories were: stuff that can hurt you, misc., wooden spoons & spatulas, eating utensils. if you don't have a lot of drawers, find a good place to put in some nails or hooks to hang stuff. or consider giving away a few things or putting repeats in a box outside the kitchen! i mean, how often do you use your pastry cutter? do you really need 4 bottle openers?
-A GAS STOVE - it's more efficient that electric because the flame is in direct contact with the pan, heating it more quickly, and COAL-FREE.
-A BRIGHT LIGHT - don't wanna hurt yourself! don't forget to use energy efficient bulbs! sometimes your dear landlord will pay for them; it's worth asking.
a few things outside the kitchen that i find absolutely necessary:
-A TOOL KIT - new or used, frankenstein or matching set, as long as they are good enough to get the job done, having tools comes in handy for someone who can't even really fix stuff! this includes but is not limited to: hammer, screwdriver (both types), adjustable wrench, set of allen wrenches, pliers, a few nails, good scissors, strong glue, rubber bands, exacto knife, sand paper, measuring tape.
-A SEWING MACHINE - like a good set of knives, it will last for so long and save you time, frustration, and money in the long run. for me, the best investment i've ever made. even though i don't buy clothes new, i've saved so much money by using clothes i already have to make different and/or better-fitting clothes. sewing is just a great skill to have. i bought a singer curvy with swiftsmart threading system and it's ridiculously easy! it runs about $300. with sewing machines, you get what you pay for, really. singers are great machines. if you're good with machines or like a challenge, feel free to try one of the vintage ones at a thrift store. or, if you can't afford it right now, ask your partner, best friend, sibling, or parent-- whoever you'll be around for a long time-- if they want to share the cost.
-MILK CRATES - seems obvious or silly, but these plastic baskets come in handy for everything. right now i have 6: 2 turned sideways on top of another as a book shelf, 2 stacked upside down as a chair, and 2 holding sewing supplies. they're the perfect size because no matter what you put in them, it won't be too heavy or awkward to carry when you're moving, then when you settle in, they're furniture! they can also be zip-tied together to make bigger shelves, a coffee table, stools, etc. procure them behind grocery stores and gas stations... but be slick about it-- look on the side of one and you'll see why.
-ALTERNATIVE CLEANING SUPPLIES - i'll elaborate on this later, but this includes white vinegar, baking soda, salt, soft rags (t-shirts), and scratchy ones. there's absolutely no need to spend money on crazy, harsh chemical cleaners, even the "natural" kind when these 3 things can clean just about anything.
what i ate yesterday:
1. pretzels, chips, hummus, sunflower seeds. total cost: $0.50 (1/4 bag of purchased pretzels, the rest dumpstered or given by roommate going on tour)
2. homegrown tomatoes and cucumber on everything bagel with cheese and hummus. total cost: $0.32 (1/2 purchased bagel, cheese given by roommate)
3. local peach! from a farm share delivery
4. tea concoction: green tea, ginseng, thé mariage noir, homegrown mint. total cost: free
5. homegrown tomatoes!
6. leftover rice with farm share cucumber, pickled ginger, coconut milk, red chili paste. total cost: ~$0.50 (ginger, coconut, chili paste purchased)
let me introduce myself.
hey! i'm olivia. thanks for checking out my blog. i never thought i would ever have something to blog about, but i began to realize that instead of a million sticky notes and word docs with thoughts and recipes and project ideas, a blog is the perfect way to channel my creative energy into something i can even share with people.
my background is, well, it's been a roller coaster. let's start with my mom. FEM-I-NIST. she's a hardcore 2nd-waver and passed on some of her principles to me. unfortunately, she has had eating/body image issues i think most of her life and passed those on to me, too. my sister and i remember little things she did that we now recognize as her being on a diet. monkey see, monkey do-- often unconsciously.
the first time i remember thinking i was fat or restricting food was around age 14. i remember i carried around a notebook and wrote down everything i ate with the number of calories and totaled them each day. because my mom and i have always butted heads (both alike and different in all the wrong ways), i felt deeply oppressed by her (the media certainly didn't help) and food was the only thing i felt i could control between us, so my almost benign issue exploded into a full-blown eating disorder about a year later. i remember the day, the moment, the thought: my mom grounded me for the rest of the summer after finding a bottle of vodka in my room. i literally made the decision to commit to weight loss and promptly got on the internet to look up crash diet tips. i was going to eat next to nothing. try to control this, mom!
for a while i refused to eat dinner, pretending i was pissed at something they did, then took to pushing food around my plate, taking more veggies than meat or bread, throwing food away, lying about food, fat/sugar free everything, no thanks i'm not hungry, i joined a food diary site and obsessed over measurements and calorie counts, i joined anorexia online communities to find tips and support, everything. in retrospect, i think the online communities helped because i saw girls who had it so much worse than me and that scared me-- their goal weights were crazy numbers like 80 or 90 pounds. but they also gave me emotional support when no one else understood what i was experiencing.
against my better judgment, i started purging during junior year. i think because i was so hungry after such a long period of starving my growing body i couldn't stop myself from eating. but that wasn't acceptable. i was so mad at myself for it. but, i didn't do it often because i hated doing it, i could easily get caught, and i had a boyfriend who hated that i did it, but i was definitely went through a bulimic period with consistent anorexic tendencies.
summer before senior year, i was on a purity kick too, ("orthorexia" i'm told), so i decided to go vegan. it was another way for my mom to fuck off-- she didn't know how to cook vegan! i could eat alone like i wanted, i could cut out more fat, and so on. it got out of control. i lost 20 pounds in a semester, maybe less. every waking moment i was consumed by my thoughts about food and eating. i fasted for days, did tea cleanses, liquid diets, cut out this and that, eating just enough that i wouldn't pass out at the gym. i was obsessed with restrictions and discipline. i don't remember how much i weighed before it all started-- i was regular with a little baby fat-- but by december of senior year, i weight 109, my lowest. i was so deeply depressed. i cried every day. i was starting to even scare myself, but i didn't know how to deal with it-- weighing more was not an option. my parents essentially ignored my problem, but then i found out from my sister they were thinking about sending me to a hospital to get help. what an effective and supportive way to deal with a dying daughter! to this day they haven't confronted the issue.
so, i let myself gain about 5 pounds over the next few months but i was pissed about it. i felt OBESE. in retrospect it's outrageous that i ever thought that, but something was telling me i was fat. after that i started to punish myself in other ways. it could have gotten way out of control-- i had already started having ocd tendencies too-- but real pain freaked me out so i stuck to general self-loathing which was fueled by the aftermath of a traumatic event a few years prior that was still eating at me (so to speak). suicide wasn't an option, either. i considered it for a hot second but i knew there was something to live for. i felt like i was stuck in this vicious routine, like someone or something was holding me there. (mom!) i couldn't get out of it and if i could, i didn't know how. i knew it wasn't how i was supposed to be! i'm a happy person! somewhere!
finally, i went to college, which gave me a lot of relief, but was also a huge change in terms of eating. our dining hall was buffet-style and had nooo vegan options, so i starved myself as well as i could, but also there was so much junk food and so much drinking. i gained the freshman 15, which i was FURIOUS about, and was having a harder time than ever losing it. duh, growing body!
sophomore year started out with another tragic event that sent me over the edge, but with the help of a healthy, happy friend, an epiphany was ignited and literally, as fast as it started, i said to myself, you're ok. stop doing this. i got happy! i still don't know where that came from but it saved my fucking life. i started doing normal things like drinking juice, using salad dressing, working out less, eating proper portions. then, over winter break my family and i went to italy. my mom told me in advance i had to start getting used to cheese again (my being vegan was always such a stressful inconvenience for her.) so i did. easy! the plague miraculously dissolved. i was able to go HOURS without even thinking about how i looked or what i had eaten. i knew i was gaining a bit more weight than i had to, but i felt like i was on my way to finding balance and having a healthy attitude toward food. all the while, my friend who had helped me also got me into political activism and i started dating this really great guy, so i really had something positive to channel my emotional energy into. activism soon became my life.
junior year was the first time i got to cook without a disorder and i was eating vegetarian with a goal of being healthy, cheap, and politically sound, so i was excited to get creative with MY food WHENEVER i wanted on MY terms. how liberating and empowering that felt. i started spending hours in the kitchen with my roommate, talking politics and observing her kneading technique and use of spices. i only got more radical as time went on. i got into dumpstering, buying local, buying seasonal-- essentially understanding the politics behind food more and more and more.
now, food is one of my greatest pleasures. i've graduated and don't have a job, so i can really devote time and emotional energy to cooking projects and things like this. it's liberating! it feels like my ED days were ages ago, but scrolling up makes me realize it was so recent and so fast that this all happened. i knew i had it in me.
when i was starting out as an activist, i began questioning all my previous beliefs. my mom had planted a staunch 2nd-wave seed that blossomed into something totally different that either of us expected. whereas she resents cooking, accuses my dad of expecting things of her, and gives men an all around hard time as some sort of revenge, i've taken a very different approach to domesticity, connecting many issues to one another. i believe that we CAN cook if it makes us happy, SOMEONE has to do the laundry... regardless of gender. we can't abandon our homes to make a point; we CAN make domestic activities gender equal, and move far beyond that into focusing also on reducing and rethinking our consumption. we have to apply the knowledge and skills that were handed down to us and not only share them with men so they won't rely on women or corporate boxed food for dinner, but also to see how we can improve them, make them more environmentally friendly, or throw them out altogether. there are a lot of social and ecological issues attached to the traditional household model, and i think some of us are on our way to questioning/reforming/revolutionizing our lifestyles, such as housing co-ops, intentional communities, etc. this blog is to show the ways i've been hoping to, planning to, trying to, and sometimes actually doing just that.
my background is, well, it's been a roller coaster. let's start with my mom. FEM-I-NIST. she's a hardcore 2nd-waver and passed on some of her principles to me. unfortunately, she has had eating/body image issues i think most of her life and passed those on to me, too. my sister and i remember little things she did that we now recognize as her being on a diet. monkey see, monkey do-- often unconsciously.
the first time i remember thinking i was fat or restricting food was around age 14. i remember i carried around a notebook and wrote down everything i ate with the number of calories and totaled them each day. because my mom and i have always butted heads (both alike and different in all the wrong ways), i felt deeply oppressed by her (the media certainly didn't help) and food was the only thing i felt i could control between us, so my almost benign issue exploded into a full-blown eating disorder about a year later. i remember the day, the moment, the thought: my mom grounded me for the rest of the summer after finding a bottle of vodka in my room. i literally made the decision to commit to weight loss and promptly got on the internet to look up crash diet tips. i was going to eat next to nothing. try to control this, mom!
for a while i refused to eat dinner, pretending i was pissed at something they did, then took to pushing food around my plate, taking more veggies than meat or bread, throwing food away, lying about food, fat/sugar free everything, no thanks i'm not hungry, i joined a food diary site and obsessed over measurements and calorie counts, i joined anorexia online communities to find tips and support, everything. in retrospect, i think the online communities helped because i saw girls who had it so much worse than me and that scared me-- their goal weights were crazy numbers like 80 or 90 pounds. but they also gave me emotional support when no one else understood what i was experiencing.
against my better judgment, i started purging during junior year. i think because i was so hungry after such a long period of starving my growing body i couldn't stop myself from eating. but that wasn't acceptable. i was so mad at myself for it. but, i didn't do it often because i hated doing it, i could easily get caught, and i had a boyfriend who hated that i did it, but i was definitely went through a bulimic period with consistent anorexic tendencies.
summer before senior year, i was on a purity kick too, ("orthorexia" i'm told), so i decided to go vegan. it was another way for my mom to fuck off-- she didn't know how to cook vegan! i could eat alone like i wanted, i could cut out more fat, and so on. it got out of control. i lost 20 pounds in a semester, maybe less. every waking moment i was consumed by my thoughts about food and eating. i fasted for days, did tea cleanses, liquid diets, cut out this and that, eating just enough that i wouldn't pass out at the gym. i was obsessed with restrictions and discipline. i don't remember how much i weighed before it all started-- i was regular with a little baby fat-- but by december of senior year, i weight 109, my lowest. i was so deeply depressed. i cried every day. i was starting to even scare myself, but i didn't know how to deal with it-- weighing more was not an option. my parents essentially ignored my problem, but then i found out from my sister they were thinking about sending me to a hospital to get help. what an effective and supportive way to deal with a dying daughter! to this day they haven't confronted the issue.
so, i let myself gain about 5 pounds over the next few months but i was pissed about it. i felt OBESE. in retrospect it's outrageous that i ever thought that, but something was telling me i was fat. after that i started to punish myself in other ways. it could have gotten way out of control-- i had already started having ocd tendencies too-- but real pain freaked me out so i stuck to general self-loathing which was fueled by the aftermath of a traumatic event a few years prior that was still eating at me (so to speak). suicide wasn't an option, either. i considered it for a hot second but i knew there was something to live for. i felt like i was stuck in this vicious routine, like someone or something was holding me there. (mom!) i couldn't get out of it and if i could, i didn't know how. i knew it wasn't how i was supposed to be! i'm a happy person! somewhere!
finally, i went to college, which gave me a lot of relief, but was also a huge change in terms of eating. our dining hall was buffet-style and had nooo vegan options, so i starved myself as well as i could, but also there was so much junk food and so much drinking. i gained the freshman 15, which i was FURIOUS about, and was having a harder time than ever losing it. duh, growing body!
sophomore year started out with another tragic event that sent me over the edge, but with the help of a healthy, happy friend, an epiphany was ignited and literally, as fast as it started, i said to myself, you're ok. stop doing this. i got happy! i still don't know where that came from but it saved my fucking life. i started doing normal things like drinking juice, using salad dressing, working out less, eating proper portions. then, over winter break my family and i went to italy. my mom told me in advance i had to start getting used to cheese again (my being vegan was always such a stressful inconvenience for her.) so i did. easy! the plague miraculously dissolved. i was able to go HOURS without even thinking about how i looked or what i had eaten. i knew i was gaining a bit more weight than i had to, but i felt like i was on my way to finding balance and having a healthy attitude toward food. all the while, my friend who had helped me also got me into political activism and i started dating this really great guy, so i really had something positive to channel my emotional energy into. activism soon became my life.
junior year was the first time i got to cook without a disorder and i was eating vegetarian with a goal of being healthy, cheap, and politically sound, so i was excited to get creative with MY food WHENEVER i wanted on MY terms. how liberating and empowering that felt. i started spending hours in the kitchen with my roommate, talking politics and observing her kneading technique and use of spices. i only got more radical as time went on. i got into dumpstering, buying local, buying seasonal-- essentially understanding the politics behind food more and more and more.
now, food is one of my greatest pleasures. i've graduated and don't have a job, so i can really devote time and emotional energy to cooking projects and things like this. it's liberating! it feels like my ED days were ages ago, but scrolling up makes me realize it was so recent and so fast that this all happened. i knew i had it in me.
when i was starting out as an activist, i began questioning all my previous beliefs. my mom had planted a staunch 2nd-wave seed that blossomed into something totally different that either of us expected. whereas she resents cooking, accuses my dad of expecting things of her, and gives men an all around hard time as some sort of revenge, i've taken a very different approach to domesticity, connecting many issues to one another. i believe that we CAN cook if it makes us happy, SOMEONE has to do the laundry... regardless of gender. we can't abandon our homes to make a point; we CAN make domestic activities gender equal, and move far beyond that into focusing also on reducing and rethinking our consumption. we have to apply the knowledge and skills that were handed down to us and not only share them with men so they won't rely on women or corporate boxed food for dinner, but also to see how we can improve them, make them more environmentally friendly, or throw them out altogether. there are a lot of social and ecological issues attached to the traditional household model, and i think some of us are on our way to questioning/reforming/revolutionizing our lifestyles, such as housing co-ops, intentional communities, etc. this blog is to show the ways i've been hoping to, planning to, trying to, and sometimes actually doing just that.
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