Stay present and embrace Winter fruits!

In our day and age, sometimes it is very difficult to stay present.  So many people live through the Winter just waiting for the Spring. Yet our lives, our health, our relationships and our hearts could really benefit from us taking it all in one step at a time.  Being here, being now.
I propose that we make a pledge to try and bring ourselves back to the present moment at least once a day, everyday. As Paul Simon says "little by little, bit by bit, little bit by little bit". In any way that we wish, at any moment of our day.
Today, I will  start this commitment by embracing the Winter and the fruits that it has to offer.  Over here in Northern California most of those fruits are Citrus.
Today, I bring myself back to this moment, by enjoying the flavors of Blood Oranges, Oro Blanco Grapefruits, and Meyer Lemons.

 

I sliced some of the Blood Oranges into my quick Castelfranco and Treviso Salad that I made myself to calm by hunger (my husband calls it my monster) so that I could actually have a drink to my Grandma (Mo), to Maura and to my friend Robin who all share today as their birthday.

Once I ate my salad, and my stomach was tricked into believing that I wasn't so hungry that I had to eat my cat after all,  I decided to put these gorgeous fruits into a cocktail in honor of the birthday Ladies.

I started with about an ounce and a half of  Corzo Tequila, (it's a long story, but there was actually a shot in the refrigerator, waiting for me since Sunday night!).

                                                                             
Then I added the juice of a one Blood Orange and half of a Meyer Lemon, about a quarter of an ounce of Cointreau, and Agave Nectar to taste.  The cook in me always has to add ingredients to taste.  Otherwise how do we know if it'll be good? I have to taste it at every step of the way.  That way we develop our palate to recognize what is missing, and which ingredients will add which flavors.
Then I poured it into a rock's glass, full of gorgeous little ice cubes (almost perfectly square ones at that!) , with a salted rim.  The salt for three reasons: because I love it, because this cocktail has some of the components of a classic Margarita and it it would benefit from the saltiness, and because the white rim is reminiscent of the snow, and therefore, of the Winter, that I am embracing, with this drink.
                       Here's to you Ladies! Feliz Cumpleanos! Joyeuse Anniversaire! Happy Birthday!

P.S:

Some of you will know that I am not exaggerating when I say, that I am almost always hungry.

Some of you will assume that I am exaggerating, as I am Dominican after all.

I am just telling you what happened, I promise it's not a lie.

After I was done making the cocktail, I had to make myself another snack because once again, my stomach was telling me that my cat might be delicious.

So here is an impromptu, very simple salad, of steamed Chioggia Beets and Oro Blanco Grapefruit segments in Olive Oil.

Enjoy!

                                                            

A meal to be thankful for

  I have never been one to overindulge and then deprive myself as  punishment.  I do indulge, but when I do, I do it mindfully.  I try to be present, and to fully experience every element of whatever it is I am treating myself to.
This is exactly what I did on Thanksgiving. I spent it with a small group of very close friends and my husband J.  It was wonderful! 
  We started early, around 1, with a gorgeous terrine of pork belly, calf's liver and ground pork that J had prepared as a surprise for the group. We enjoyed it with mustard and Cornichons. It was the first terrine he had ever made, and we all think it will be far from his last.
We also had some foie gras mousse that our friend Kevin had brought in from a trip to Bouchon in Napa Valley.
From there we moved on to sweet, juicy stone crabs that our friend Sarah had gotten in from Florida.  Seating around the table, cracking the claws and sending the juices all over was so much more fun than any of us had anticipated.
We then took a break and had some wine and cocktails while catching up.
Then we sat down again for the biggest part of our meal.
   I prepared a beautiful local heritage turkey, braised in Beaujolais Nouveau, with pearl onions and prunes (recipe courtesy of David Lebovitz), as well as French Grandma's artichoke gratin, which I added wild mushrooms and leeks to.
Chris took care of the rest of the side dishes with some delicious stuffing, a cauliflower pie, a rainbow of seasonal vegetables roasted in duck fat, and some gravy.
We took our time, cheered several times, and indulged in this wonderful feast.
After that we took another break, in which some took naps, others chatted joyfully, and yet others went out for a walk and some fresh air. 
When everyone was ready we sat down at the table once again, for a crisp salad of chicories, persimmon and pomegranates with an avocado and watermelon radish vinaigrette.
We finished our savory courses with a medley of perfectly tempered cheeses and  bread.
And onto dessert with Sweet Potato Pie, Pecan Pie, and Chocolate Caramel Tart.
  Now you might be wondering why I am telling you about this meal on a blog that is supposed to be devoted to healthy foods. I know that this meal does not sound very healthy, although it was definitely tasty. However, every dish was prepared from fresh, local ingredients (minus the crabs), with respect,  love and intention, and  the meal as a whole was enjoyed in that same fashion.
 With every bite I took I was grateful for the opportunity of eating these wonderful foods, for the lovely people who had prepared them, and who had now come together to enjoy them.  I was grateful for being blessed with food not only as nourishment, but also as pleasure.  I was grateful for knowing what I know about food, and for understanding that sometimes, healthy for the soul is as important as healthy for the body.
 And today, two days later, I will enjoy some of the leftovers from that meal for dinner, and I will not think that I should be eating vegetables with a little less fat than these drenched in duck grease.  Instead, I will cherish the last tangible remnants of that day, which was filled with so much laughter, joy and  love, that I have no doubt we were all nourished immensely from that food.

What foods are best?

My two girlfriends and I were having a lovely fall gathering this afternoon at one of their homes. We started talking about what she feeds her three year old daughter and began a very interesting discussion on what foods are best for us.
Like many people in our day and age, she asks herself if she should buy organic or local, free range or humanely raised, eggs with omega 3's or pastured ones from the farmers market, and countless other questions about which foods she should provide to her child, in order to offer her the best possible nutrition she can.
As we pondered on the answers she realized, that even though she felt like she knew a decent amount about food, she was not as informed as she thought.
Supermarkets and food corporations are not making these choices easy for us with their marketing targeted to confuse us and grab our attention with slogans like "organic" or "free range". The answers to these questions are not always black or white.  The grey area is vast, and like in many other instances, knowledge is power.  But most people do not have this knowledge, and because of it they are mosre often than not making the wrong choices for themselves and their families.  Even sadder is the fact that many times, like my friend, they are making these choices under the false impression that they are indeed the best choices.
A prime example of this is a family that I am very close to.  They are wealthy, educated, cultured Americans.  They live here in the Bay Area, travel extensively, and eat out often, only at the best restaurants.  They have a five year old daughter, whom like most kids her age is in the "picky eater" stage.  I spend Thursday afternoons with her, and cook her dinner.  A few weeks ago, I got very frustrated when I was trying to figure out what to prepare for our meal.
The fridge was rather full, with things that are staples for them: English muffins, whole wheat bread, coffee creamer, sugar free ice tea, newman's lemonade, non denominated supermarket ground beef (aka feedlot beef), supermarket brand sliced cheeses, hot dogs, Pillsbury biscuits, salsa, old broccoli and old "baby" carrots. Usually I can also find strawberries, apples, blueberries and raspberries, regardless of the season and  I sometimes also find leftover vegetable salads from "whole food's" salad bar, as the mom has been trying to eat " healthy".
As I stared at the refrigerator, I thought of my friend Courtney.  She roasts or sautees seasonal local vegetables, from the farmers market or her own garden, for her baby girl.  She then purees them, freezes them in ice cube trays, and when it's meal time, pops a cube out onto a bowl of cooked quinoa, barley, or another whole grain, sticks it in the microwave, and voila!
Preparing those meals doesn't take more time than preparing a chicken quesadilla, or a risotto, or a hamburger with some carrots and butter, which is what my little friend eats for dinner most nights of her life, yet it provides so many more nutrients for her body to absorb and assimilate.
And to be quite honest, it also tastes a whole lot better!
A lot of it is lack of time, or as my friend said today, lack of cooking knowledge, or creative ideas. A lot of it is misinformation, and marketing.  But regardless of the reason, it pains me to see people that I love spending their money and time in buying and preparing things that are barely providing nutrients, and are instead laden with ingredients that are more of a detriment to their health than anything else.
As my two cents, I vow to to share my knowledge, accompanied with recipes and tips.  I am not in any way an authority on the subject, but I love food, I am constantly reading about which ones are best for us and why, and many would agree that I am a wonderful cook. So keep on reading, let me know what your questions are, and let's try to feed ourselves and our loved ones better, one delicious meal at a time.

Lentil and Brown Rice Salad

This salad is super easy to prepare, very inexpensive and delicious.

Ingredients:
1     cup        Brown rice or a mix of brown and wild
1     cup        French green lentils
1     ea          Pomegranate, seeded
1     clove     Garlic
2     ea          Carrots
1     stalk      Celery
1     ea          Shallot (or a 1/2 of a red onion )
                    A few sprigs of thyme and/or rosemary
                    Olive Oil, Vinegar, salt and pepper to taste
                    Crumbled feta cheese (optional)


Method:
Place the lentils, 1/4 of the onion, the herbs, garlic and the peeled carrots in a pot, and cover with water.  Add a generous pinch of salt  and bring to a boil,  then turn down and cook at a low simmer until the lentils are tender but still have a little bite to them.
Meanwhile, cook the rice according to the bag instructions, or, if you'd prefer, you can bring water to a boil, stir in the brown rice, add some salt, and cook at a low simmer until the rice is done.  Strain and reserve.
Once the lentils are done, slice the carrots, and discard the garlic clove and the onion and herbs.
Dice the rest of the onion, and slice the celery.  While the lentils are still warm, season with olive oil and vinegar to taste.  Don't be afraid to be generous with both of these.  Add the rice, celery, carrots and the rest of the onion, diced.  Finish with the pomegranate seeds.  Mix well, taste, and re season with salt, pepper, vinegar and olive oil to taste.  If using the feta cheese, mix in now.
If you'd like a little extra flavor you can add some chopped cilantro or parsley.  Once cool, label, date and refrigerate.  This salad will hold in the fridge for 5 to 7 days.
Let come to room temperature or heat before serving.  You can always add a little lemon or lime juice right before consuming.

I just don't have the time!

Whenever I am talking to a friend about eating healthy, or preparing foods at home, or anything on the subject, it seems as if the common response is always: I just don't have the time!
I used to think that too.  Restaurant jobs (or at least kitchen ones) are unfortunately not very "life" friendly.  Meaning, they don't usually leave that much time for your actual life.  So I used to not cook at home that often, and sometimes weeks would go by without me cooking anything at all other than at work.
That all changed when I broke my leg, and couldn't go to work for a few months.  In order to not loose my mind, and to cope with the limitations from my injury, I would cook and I would bake.
As a result, there were always leftovers in the fridge. There was always food ready to go.
I definitely got used to it, and so did my body. I had more energy when I ate my home cooked meals than when I ate at work or bought random sandwiches or salads.  I felt better.
  Shortly after my injury, I completed a yoga teacher training program, and in an effort to take better care of my body and myself, I stuck to my new found habits of always having home cooked meals in the fridge for a quick reheating.  It has been four years since then.  We have moved four times, to four different cities, I have had at least six different jobs, and three periods of unemployment, but I have kept on with the lifestyle of  mostly consuming meals that I have prepared for myself.
  It hasn't always been easy.  It has been a long process of working out the kinks and figuring out what the best way was  for me to be able to prepare my meals every week, while maximizing my free time.
These days however, it is just a part of my life.  Like practicing yoga, or having my coffee every morning.
If you have at least one day off a week, you can do this too.
Here are the steps that I have set up for myself  to make it work:

1)  Set aside one of your days off to cook all your meals for the week.

2) Ideally, go shopping the day before, either on your other day off, or before or after work one day, so that on the day of cooking, you don't have to worry about having to go to the store first.  Everything is already there.

3) Prepare two large dishes, that will last most of the week, for your dinners. Preferably one pot meals that have several different "food groups" like a casserole or a stew.

4) Prepare 2 or 3 different salads for your lunches, based on whole grains or beans, that can be eaten either cold or hot, depending on where any given work day might take you.

5) If you are not a morning person, make a large fruit salad, that you can just add a little yogurt and nuts to in the morning for breakfast.  Try to get seasonal fruits, so that you switch it up every months, that way you will have less chances of getting bored with it.

If you follow these steps, you might spend a few hours of your day off cooking, but you will be rewarded with ready to go, amazingly delicious food, for every meal of your week.
Try it out and see how you feel.  You might even come up with more ways to simplify the process,
and you will definitely gain energy from more nutritious foods and a more balanced diet.
Good luck, and let me know how it works out for you!

It all started...

...this morning. 
  My husband and I recently quit our jobs to embark on a wonderful new adventure with some friends who were opening their own restaurant.
For countless reasons that I will not bore you with, we both knew that it was the right decision.  However, we also knew that in leaving our very stable source of income (and by ours I mean his), we were taking a giant risk.
A few months later, we are in the dreaded period of: business is not that great yet, but we love being a part of this project, but we are not making enough money, but this is my favorite job I've ever had (and it's in my line of work), what the f.... are we going to do?
I've never been one for wondering, so I did what I had to do:  I got another job to supplement our income.
I am a few weeks into that new job, and once they paychecks start coming in, we will have a little more breathing room. 
 Meanwhile, the last couple of weeks got me thinking about other times in our lives when we weren't very financially stable.  One particular time came to mind, late fall, early winter of 2008.  We had just moved to Boston, after traveling and spending time with our families for six months.  When we rented our sublet, we had enough money left for first and last month, and that was about it.  I got a job as pastry cook at "one of the best restaurants in Boston" where I was under payed and overworked (both of those are understatements) but I would be actually making money, so it was better than nothing.
Needless to say during those first months in Boston, we were in a very tight budget.  As a cook, who is also very interested in nutrition and in sustainability, feeding myself and my husband is at the very center of my existence.  So, I got creative and figured out how to get delicious and nutritious meals on our scarce budget.  I often think of one of the dishes that we ate so much that winter, because of how tasty and heart warming it was.  It was a beautiful stew of tomatoes (canned), garbanzos (canned as well) and squash (very abundant in the winter in Massachusetts).  On good weeks, I would add some sausage to it. On other weeks,  kale or spinach were the new ingredients.  We would eat it over brown rice, and in that bowl, we were getting a complete meal, or as my husband likes to say: food groups.
Inspired on that dish, and by a dear friend who is a single mother of a lovely three year old little girl, I decided to try to document all the wonderful meals that I have come up with that fit the label of cheap, delicious and nutritious.
When we can, we get our fruits, veggies, meat and eggs at the farmers market.  But when we can't, we shouldn't compromise our taste buds or our health.