Leena Eats

Gastro Friday: Out with the Baby Food Myths, in with the Global Baby Food!

Leena — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 14:00:42 +0000

After all my research into what I should and shouldn’t feed my baby daughter, the information I found was limiting, bland, and in some cases, problem-causing (remember some foods are movers, and others are slowers!). I had to wonder, What do infants around the world eat? Surely, the rest of world isn’t feeding their baby [...]

Gastro Friday: You Know You’re a New Foodie Mama If…

Leena — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:00:01 +0000

You know you’re a new foodie mama if… 1.Your baby regularly has food particles stuck to them due to hanging out directly below your mouth.New babies like to chill on your lap, especially if they are breastfeeding. And it’s not like I’m NOT gonna eat just because there is a baby there, right? DUH. Hence, [...]

Leena Cooks: Ruth Reichl’s Mushroom Soup

Leena — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:00:35 +0000

Let me be crystal clear here–Ruth Reichl is my Tom Cruise, my Justin Timberlake, my Barbara Streisand. Very few people make me lose my shit. Ruth is one. She is the godmother of modern food writing who lived in the Bay area for part of her life (like me!), loved the world of food and [...]

Leena Cooks: Her Own Ancho Chile Powder!

Leena — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:00:34 +0000

Last week, I was buying ingredients for a new Mexican chicken recipe, and nearly peed and slipped on it. The two chile powders the recipe called for cost a total of $17! Hell no! I decided to hit my local Mexican grocery store, find some dried chiles and make my own chile powder. Screw you, [...]

Leena Bakes: Banana Bourbon Chocolate Muffins!

Leena — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:00:58 +0000

Not too long ago, a pal and fellow food blogger Emily Hanhan of Nomnivorous hosted the first of many supper clubs called Whisky and Salt in the NYC area. In her awesome and drool-inducing post about it, she revealed that she made whisky and chocolate chip muffins as take home gifts from the supper club. [...]

Leena Cooks: Andra’s Killer Veggie Chili

Leena — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:00:29 +0000

For a majority of my life, vegetarian chili has always meant one thing to me: a bunch of beans with some spices cooked in water. Every vegetarian chili I had eaten had been variations on that theme. At my annual chili cookoff, my world was rocked. I was overwhelmed with a plethora of kick-ass vegetarian [...]

Leena Cooks: Pot Roast for Baby!

Leena — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:00:11 +0000

I’m not gonna lie. I’ve tasted the jarred meat baby food–even the gourmet organic brands, and they are all as flavorful as a dirty jockstrap (and that’s putting it lightly). So when it comes to making meat dishes for my baby, I can’t help but feel like I’m cooking for Roger Ebert–pureed foods that just [...]

Leena Eats: Pican, kick-ass upscale Southern food in Oakland

Leena — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:00:58 +0000

I stumbled upon Pican a few months after my daughter was born. My husband and I were desperate for a night out without the baby, and once we had a babysitter, I did a quick yelp search and came up with Pican. Upscale Southern food? Done and done. I became Pican’s bitch shortly after my [...]

Leena Cooks: Baby Veggie Curry!

Leena — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:00:42 +0000

SOOOOO remember all of the blood, sweat and tears I put into those last couple of batches of baby food? Not only did Ella basically reject the sweet potato/spinach mix after a few days of eating it, but then the extra freezer door was accidentally left open, and all of her food, both liked and [...]

Leena Bakes: GF World Peace Cookies!

Leena — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:00:08 +0000

Last year when I had gestational diabetes, I had a real taste of what life is like for people with health-related eating issues–it sucks. Sure, there are “alternative” foods for all your unhealthy favorites (fyi–everything but Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches are CRAPPY), but generally speaking, most of the world, from restaurants to food blogs, [...]