Food Makes Fun Fuel

Independence Is Overrated

Evan Thomas — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:09:00 +0000

Yesterday, I posted this as my Facebook status

Why do people strive to be independent? It sucks. You have to do everything for yourself all the time; that’s what independency is. Please, someone let me be dependent on them. You can have my right to vote, my right to free speech–just was the dishes and set up the damn TV.

Like everything I say, this was about 90% humor and 10% truth. I hate being independent ~~sometimes~~ most times. I think it’s overrated(PS. I also love it when older people call me honey or darling. If I were a woman I would set women’s rights back 60 years). And when it comes to setting up TV’s, I’m absolutely clueless.

You see, this year we need special cable boxes to get reception. Silly me thought it was just 1 box until I found the myriad of cables I needed to get it all to work. It wouldn’t work no matter what I did; apparently, flipping it the bird isn’t enough of a signal.

So I walked down the street to buy a cable I was potentially missing.

Things quickly deteriorated into this…

I was not happy.

After 2 hours and 3 phone calls home, I finally got the TV working, just in time to catch Dancing With The Stars gossip on Entertainment Tonight.

Some things are more painful than independence. Having to listen to Bristol Palin talk about her outfit choices are one of them.

After dinner(from the dining hall; still can’t cook), the situation brightened up.

I spent the rest of the night watching Tennis just because I could… and because I didn’t know any of the other channels.

Would you consider yourself an independent person? Do you like or dislike relying on others? Are there some things you think you’re better at than others? Obviously, I can cook you a 5-course meal and do the dishes afterwards. But if the garage door ever stops opening, you’re out of luck, honey.

No Laboring Day

Evan Thomas — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:15:32 +0000

(Long) weekend post recap:

I hope you all had a fun long weekend(if you’re in the states). By Sunday night, I had finished all the homework I needed to do(yes, I’m one of those students), so I truly had Monday off. It started with a 5 year old’s birthday party at the zoo; being chased by little kids with bubbles was definitely a new workout to me. After that we went to Whole Foods for groceries + lunch.

1.33 lbs of cooked vegetables have never tasted better than after 5 days of not being able to cook. This was delicious! And definitely filling.

I wasn’t planning on running yesterday, neccesarily, but I was also afraid I couldn’t get a long run in before class today, so I went ahead and gave it a shot.

I’ll take it! The one thing I’ve always felt about long runs is that they never get easier, but they never get less rewarding, either. After that, the rest of the day felt like refueling.

My favorite beer.

And what is Labor Day without hot dogs and baked beans?! These weren’t quite as good as Superman’s Baked Beans, but they’re pretty good. They’re the 365 brand ones from a can. And this is what happens when you forget a can opener:

Yes, stairs work incredibly well for a ~~messy~~ can opener, in case you were wondering.

And for dessert…

The best vegan brownie with peanut butter as a topping. Perfect. Got to eat those 12 miles back somehow

Were/are you the kind of student who did work ahead of time or waited until the last minute?

Lessons Learned From Not Cooking

Evan Thomas — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:00:00 +0000

I’ve been keeping something under my lid lately; I haven’t “cooked” since last Wednesday because the sole kitchen in this dorm has been locked. For the average college student, this might not seem like a big deal; you can always heat ramen in a microwave and move on. For me, however, it’s devastating.

Since then I’ve had a chance to truly realize what cooking means to me. Up until now, I thought it was just something I do. “You cook. You eat. You move on. And when you get a chance to have somebody else cook for you, you grab on and hold tight.” It turns out that that’s not the case, and not what I want. This is what I love to do. For all the reasons I can think of and more, this is a part of me. Here are a few of the lessons that not cooking has taught me.

1. Cooking is my relaxer

At the end of a long, stressful day, there’s always dinner. Chicken made in the microwave doesn’t taste nearly as good as oven roasted. And the process of standing over a stove, chopping onions, and stirring—while tedious—can also be therapeutic.

2. I don’t enjoy photographing meals I didn’t make

If there was a food photography class, I’d sign up for it in a heartbeat. I loved learning about camera setting at the HLS and plate every meal—even the ones I don’t blog about. But looking at photos of roasted potatoes from the dining hall and rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods is wholly unsatisfying(the photos, not the meal).

2.5. I will potatoes cooked by anybody if they’re roasted

I always buy organic potatoes since they’re part of the “dirty dozen”. But I can’t resist plain old conventional potatoes if they’re roasted and put in front of me. I. Can’t. Resist.

3. Food helps me say hello

I really wanted to bake a batch of chunky monkey nut butter oaties over the long weekend to pass out to old friends, neighbors—whoever. I find it so much easier to say “Hello, here’s a cookie” as opposed to “Hello, my name is…” Food does the talking for me; it’s a universal language that everybody knows and loves and I like to think I’m fluent in it.

4. I have great friends

As in, the kind who say “You can come over anytime and I’ll let you in to use my kitchen.” On second thought, maybe they just want me to cook for them constantly. Let me think about that…

I’m rawsome at “uncooking”

Along with sprouting quinoa in a blender bottle and raw chocolate protein puddings, I’ve been learning to uncook other things, like raw cashew “cheese”. I’ll include a recipe/how-to once I’ve nailed down the process. It’s crazy, involves culturing random bacteria you have no control over, and I love it.

A lot of beans do not agree with me

‘Nuff said.

Do you enjoy to cook? What is cooking to you?

Ps. Here’s a note from my friends at Uncle Sam cereal.

Starting Monday, we are kicking off an American Original sweepstakes. It’s a chance for people to enter and share how they are originals. The prizes are pretty sweet- everything from two random weekly drawings of $100 to a grand prize drawing of $5000 in January. Check it out at www.unclesamoriginal.com and tell your readers / friends! We’ll be posting some of the stories on twitter @amoriginal.

What To Do With Tofu?

Evan Thomas — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 14:48:59 +0000

A reader recently wrote, “I have tofu but no idea what to do with it!” Well, while I’m a wealth of tofu information know, I still had never eaten it just a year and a half ago. I mean, it’s slimy and it jiggles; that couldn’t be good, right? Wrong. The thing I love about tofu is how well it takes on flavors and works with sauces. You can cook it just about every way you can cook something. It’s scary at first, but once you’ve had your hand at tofu a few times you’ll grow to love it. In no particular order, here are my 5 favorite ways to enjoy tofu.

Brown Sugar Garlic Tofu

I’ve forgotten about this recipe over the past two months. But I assure you it does not disappoint. It’s not something to make if you’re planning on a date anytime soon. But for a garlic lover it’s a must. The sugar forms a sort of caramel on the tofu that highlights the savory garlic. Need I say more?

Maple Baked Tofu(pictured with roasted brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes)

This is as simple as a tofu recipe comes. It’s two ingredients, little prep work, and full of flavor. Make this on any Autumn night along with your favorite roasted veggies. The best thing is how no-fuss it is. Just be sure to press your tofu first.

Clean Sweet And Sour Sauce

OK, well this one really isn’t fair because you could put this sauce on anything and it’d be good. But it works extremely well on tofu for a nice Asian dish. Simply heat the tofu in a pan, pour on the sauce, and cover. Delicious!

Sweet Chili Lime Tofu

This is another dish that will have you thinking who needs fancy Asian restaurants? The flavors are potent and delicious. You can’t get past the sauce, but the great thing about tofu is you don’t have to. It just tastes nice and sweet and spicy. What more could you want?

Vegan Tofu Burgers

This just might be my favorite original recipe. For a long time I looked for the perfect veggie burger and the answer was in my own kitchen all along. They’re simple, flavorful, and full of protein thanks to tofu. If you’re looking for a good meal you can make over the weekend and heat throughout the week, look no further.

So there are my 5 favorite tofu recipes. Got a favorite of your own? Link to it in the comments so we all can see!

5 Reasons For Vegetarians To Subscribe To Food Network Magazine

Evan Thomas — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 13:07:00 +0000

When Anna affectionately called Food Network “the Meat Network”, I laughed. But sitting in my room watching Aaron Sanchez put back together a butchered cow on Chef vs. City I couldn’t help but notice how right she was. It made me question whether my buying 2 years worth of Food Network Magazine to start 2010 was a good idea. Over the Summer, I like to think Food Network Magazine has began to redeem itself(though I wish I’d stop getting constant spam mail to renew a new subscription. But you be the judge and tell me how this all reads to you.

1. They’re acknowledging new and different diets

Imagine my surprise of opening up the latest issue of the magazine to find within some of the first pages a spread on raw zucchini pasta. It seems that the Food Network acknowledges that bleached wheat noodles covered in a meaty sauce isn’t what we’re all looking for all the time.

The article goes on to mention Ani Phyo and the raw food movement. Pretty cool, no?

2. They put me in their magazine(and I talked about tofu, too!)

Remember back in June when my comment was in Food Network magazine(reprinted above)? Well, besides the fact that that was generally cool, I was also in because I made a point about the lack of tofu recipes in their magazines. They countered by including 2 recipes with tofu in that issue(and hopefully more to come).

And, yes, you’re going to hear me talk about this until the day I die.

3. Most of the recipes can easily be made vegetarian/vegan

Some animal products are easy to substitute out these days with the countless vegan or vegetarian options becoming available. take the following recipe, for instance.

This curried sweet potato-apple soup(besides sounding ridiculously delicious) seemed veg-friendly enough, until you read down the ingredient list…

Chicken broth. Not a problem, though, to the savvy vegetarian who knows that vegetable broth makes a great substitution to any soup or stew(and if you don’t have either of those like I tend to not, you can substitute 1 cup of broth with 3/4 cup water and 1/4 cup soy sauce). Go the extra mile and make this recipe vegan, too, by substituting Earth Balance for the butter and using a non-dairy milk.

4. They answer health questions for all of us

Some food topics are just universal, like should we eat soy? or which is better for you:: raw nuts or roasted nuts. The answers to both of those and more questions can be found in the September issue of Food Network Magazine.

5. (Vegetable) food porn

Let’s face it: At the end of the day, what are food magazines good for except major, professional food porn? Maybe the beef satay is a little too kinky for you(read: not vegetarian). But the roasted ratatouille, herbed peas and rice, and mashed parsley potatoes still look good enough to make you want to lick your magazine. Would that be so wrong?

What’s your reaction to any/all of this? Are you a vegetarian? Have you been turned off by the Food Network?

Ideas To Brighten Up Anyone’s Day

Evan Thomas — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:05:00 +0000

Before I get to the CSN and Erewhon cereal giveaway winners, I just wanted to list some of the best and most popular ideas you all had to pay it forward. Seriously, if we did any of these once a week the world would be a much brighter place, and it sounds like you all are well on your way towards making that happen. In no particular order:

Bake/cook for families/friends/neighbors/loved ones/strangers <—that was a BIG one
Donate books, either to local programs, libraries, or just friends
Work for a group either formal or informal that gets people into running
Pay for the toll of the car behind you
Buy someone else coffee in the morning(a friend or a stranger)
Donate to the food bank
Give blood
Send a friend or family member a card to let them know you’re thinking of them
Give the women in your life a copy of The Operation Beautiful book <—LOVE this one
Donate old clothes to Big Brother Big Sister/Goodwill/Any organized program
Babysit for someone for free
Help a neighbor move
Offer to carry groceries for an elderly person
Let someone on the highway merge into your lane in traffic <—So simple, yet so appreciated
Adopt a shelter animal
Run a race for a cause or one that supports a cause
Pay someone a compliment <—Simple and effective

And the winners of the two giveaways were Emily for Erewhon cereal, who said “My favorite junk food would be pretzels and popcorn.” and for the giftcard, Hannah from facebook. Congratulations! I’ll send both of you emails to get your information.

I hope you all have a great and safe Friday. Right now, the forecast isn’t good for New England…

Good show. Bad hurricane.

What’s the weather like “in your neck of the woods”?

How To Soak Quinoa In A Blender Bottle

Evan Thomas — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Confession: My quinoa obsession has not ceased and shows no sign of weakening.

That would be a salad with spinach, kidney beans, tomatoes, vinegar, and sprouted quinoa.

Yes, my quinoa love might have not gone away, but it’s sure been changed. You see, the only stovetop around here is 2 flights of stairs down. And when it’s in the 90’s like it’s been all this week, slaving over a hot stove hasn’t been appealing. Luckily, I’ve found a new, no-cook way to enjoy my beloved quinoa.

The only equipment you need is a blender bottle. Simple, right? I figure most people who are reading this blog will have one of these or something similar readily available. To start, rinse your quinoa in the bottle(or not. I’ve completely skipped this and it still tastes fine) and cover it in about twice as much fresh water.

When you’ve got your quinoa soaking, put the cap back on tight and put it somewhere in the room where it can just sit.

(I had it hanging out with some raw nut cheese I’m also making. It’s like a raw haven in here). After 12 hours or overnight, lightly loosen the top of the bottle and pour the water down a drain. The cap should be loose enough that all the water will drain out but none of the quinoa or “tails”. When it’s all done, it looks like this:

You can eat this just as is and put it in cold salads. Any uneaten quinoa should be stored in the refrigerator for a day or two.

Have you ever tried quinoa? Like this? And if you haven’t still, have I convinced you yet to do so?

A Healthier Crispy And Cereal Giveaway

Evan Thomas — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:08:00 +0000

I have a bit of a sweet tooth for what is called “organic junkfood”, in case you haven’t noticed. Things like vegan, all-natural Snickers bars and overly-sugary granola bars have such appeal to me. So anytime I can make an old-time favorite natural and even slightly healthy, I’m game.

In our HLS swag bags, we got a coupon for 1 free box of Erewhon cereal. I love their cereals that I’ve tasted because they’re gluten-free and whole grain while still being tasty. So when I saw their cocoa crispy brown rice puffs—chocolaty cereal with an organic label—I knew what had to be done.

Better Rice Crispy Treats

Ingredients:

1 box organic crispy rice cereal
1 cup natural no-stir peanut butter*
1/2 cup honey(no substitutes)

*Natural no-stir varieties are the kind that have added palm oil or palm kernel oil. Smart Balance, Earth Balance, Jif, and Skippy all make this variety. To replicate this, you can use 3/4 + 2 tablespoons 1-ingredient peanut butter and 2 tablespoons coconut oil.

Add the honey and peanut butter to a very large bowl. Gently melt it in the microwave until the honey is thin and the mixture can be emulsified. After doing so, add a box of crispy rice cereal and fold until the whole mixture is sticky and congealed.

Press the crispy rice into a 9 x 11 baking pan and press down to form an even layer. Refrigerate for 3o minutes. With a sharp, serrated knife, cut to form 15 single rice crispy bars.

I think it’s always magical when you can take a childhood favorite and make it just as good, only natural and healthy. These bars are gluten-free and whole grain with organic ingredients, healthy fats, and only honey as an animal byproduct(other recipes will have you using gelatin or butter). And with mix-ins like chocolate chips, raisins, and peanuts, the possibilities are endless!

A Cereal Giveaway

Erewhon has agreed to let a U.S. reader try one of their cereals, too! Just do any of the entries below and let me know in the comments.

1. Take a look at their cereals and tell me which you might get if you win.

2. Commenting telling me your favorite junk food.

3. Enter my CSN giveaway also going on right now and comment letting me know you have.

I’ll pick a winner on Friday when I also pick a winner for the CSN giveaway. Good luck!

School And The Lunchbox Project

Evan Thomas — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:09:00 +0000

School is upon us. How do I know?

I’ve bought books.

I’ve gone grocery shopping.

I’ve ran along the beautiful East Providence path.

And I’ve experienced what it’s like to cook chicken and potatoes in a dorm kitchen and carry it 2 stories.(It’s not as good without fresh rosemary. Let’s fix that.)

But really, why do I need to be reminded that school’s back when The Lunchbox Project is doing such a wonderful job? To quote OpenSky:

The Lunch Box provides schools with free, tangible tools to transform school lunch from highly processed foods to made-from-scratch meals using nutritious, fresh ingredients. It contains tools for real change including school-tested recipes with nutritionals and training tips, financial modeling guides, budget templates, downloadable, customizable calendars, and training videos.

Reminds me of Jaime Oliver’s School Revolution, no? I’m all for helping The Lunchbox Project and OpenSky in this campaign. OpenSky currently hopes to raise $20,000 over the next week. To do so, they’ve pledged to donate $1 for each item-specific sale. One of these items(and the one I have in my shop) is Artisana’s raw almond butter.

Raw almond butter is exactly what it sounds like. Unroasted, unsalted almonds ground into a creamy butter. I’ve tried to make it before in my food processor and it’s just not as creamy as Artisana’s in. It’s perfect for school because most have no-peanut rules to protect allergic students.

I never had any food allergies growing up. I couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to have to avoid gluten in 7th grade. But I did practically live off of Lunchables—not exactly that nutritious. So the mission of The Lunchbox Project is near and dear to my heart.

What could you make with raw almond butter? Well, a raw banana dog for one…

That is, a banana with raw almond butter and a sprinkling of sea salt. 100% raw and peanut-free. How nutritious and delicious is that? I understand raw almond butter isn’t in every student’s budget(I got mine as a sample to blog about and support The Lunchbox Project). But I also wouldn’t write such a salesy-post if I didn’t really believe in the cause. That real food can be cheap food is a fact I live by; my dinner, for instance, was less than $2. Why can’t we give our children that? If you’re looking to support a good cause and get almond butter in the process, here is your chance.

What are signs for you that school is back in session, whether you’re a student, parent, or other?

Moving Day

Evan Thomas — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:19:00 +0000

They say(you know, the proverbial “they”) that the best part of moving day is when it’s all done. Well, I’d have to agree with that for the most part. But finally seeing where I’ll be living for 8 months and being pleasantly surprised with the situation wasn’t bad either.

We loaded up 2 cars(plus 4 people) to make the trip, and everything ended up fitting. Once we finally got there, I eagerly got my key and made my way to the dorm. All I knew was where it was and that it was a single, which I expected to mean that it would be the size of my closet.

Not so. This place is HUGE(at least in terms of dorm-standards, anyway). I’m all moved in, and it still feels a little empty. There’s a big spot on the floor that’s bare where I’m going to put a yoga mat when I get one. Yes, I could easily do sun salutes in here without bumping in to anything. Here’s what it looked like after everything was made.

Some things don’t quite work yet, like the television, and the internet is spotty. But I’ve pretty much got the layout down. There is so much drawer space, I’ve filled the bottom one completely with cooking equipment like a pan, food processor, etc. There’s still a lot to do but I’d say 95% of the hard stuff is done, and I’m totally up for relaxing the next few days.

After all that I was starving for dinner. I ran to the dining hall, avoided all the lines by only eating from the salad bar, and made a bowl when I got back to eat while finishing unpacking.

In there were zucchini shreds, mushrooms, tofu, and soybeans dressed in olive oil. Honestly I scarfed it down fast enough not to taste anything so I have no clue how it was, but it did the trick.

Any awful awful dorm room stories out there you want to confess? Go ahead—get all your pent-up rage out on your 2 annoying roommates in Junior year; they’ll never see this.