Simmering...

Hello dear Aliment readers ~

Tamar and I are taking a wee hiatus from Aliment and food blogging. We absolutely love posting and writing about our culinary escapades, but our respective schedules are such that Aliment has to get put on the back burner for the time being. We will be back and are always to be found over on Ladies Holiday. In the meantime please join us there and check here back in a few. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Bon Appetit,

Deirdre & Tamar

 

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

Source: amazon.com via Michelle on Pinterest

For several years now Jamie Oliver (celebrity chef) has been campaigning, first in his native Great Britain, and now here in the US for improved school lunches (and breakfasts where provided.)   I was a hot lunch kid, I remember standing in line for my green tickets, not the yellow ones which were reserved for paying families, nope I was one of millions of children who eat subsidized school lunch every year. Sometimes it was the best or only meal I ate all day. So it follows that school cafeterias provide a substantial amount of food, whether it is nutritious or not to our nation's children. The children who are the future, our future as we age they will be the ones leading, maintaining our infrastructure, teaching and so on. Or not considering obesity and the related ailments are higher than ever in children in the United States. Click here to gain a better understanding of the school lunch program.   I grew up and had the good fortune to taste real food, fresh food from the earth. When I returned to the cafeteria with my own children I was appalled at what I had eaten (it was much the same, chop suey anyone?) and what was being offered my kids.   I joke that I'm a food snob, but I'm not, I just require  prefer to provide and consume wholesome food as close as possible to its natural state as the staples in my diet. Cookie butter on occasion, but after I know that I've had a few square meals under my belt. Food is meant to be fun and pleasurable, but out of the food eaten over the course of the week it is made up of mostly whole grains, greens, fresh veggies, fruit, nuts, seeds, beans with the occasional organic dairy item.   So what my kids, what our kids eat, is important to me so I just on board with Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and you can too!   Click here for the site and to educate yourself, your school system and your community. You won't find any "Go-Go Juice" on this menu.    I encourage parents and people who care to work in your community to make it clear that what we eat matters and why and the positive impact it has, not only on our bodies and health, but on local agriculture, businesses and the future.         Bon Appetit, Deirdre

WIAW~Tamar Learns Her Lesson

     As we do every Wednesday here on Aliment, today it's my turn to participate in the fun of "What I Ate Wednesday" (WIAW), a nifty blog hop hosted by the yummy-maker, Jenn over at Peas and Crayons. So here goes...

                                                                                            Source: lokalty.com via lokalty on Pinterest

  

     Whoever said, "Life is short, eat dessert first" wasn't very smart...wait, I think that was Mark Twain, he was pretty smart and pretty awesome. Ok, fine, the idea isn't all bad...but I learned that for me, eating dessert first might be a bad idea. Why? Because if I'm hungry for a meal and I eat dessert first, then I'm much more likely to eat a larger portion of the sweet stuff than my belly can handle. If you've been following us for awhile then you'll know that my body doesn't respond well to too many sweets, but the other night I took Twain's advice and learned a lesson in moderation.

Let's start with the night before...

 The culprit: Raspberry Shortcake (it was so stinkin' good.)

Should've stopped there...or not inhaled the whole thing in 90 seconds flat.

This was followed by dinner...which was a turkey burger patty, topped with a slice of meunster cheese and a dollop of dijon mustard. Yummy, but no picture. 

Maybe it was just a bad combo, 

or maybe I should've eaten a real dinner followed 

by a smaller portion of the above shortcake. 

Either way, next morning I awoke with a stomach ache!!

I felt like I had a hangover, nausea, slight headache, and just...blahhhh; 

but no alcohol had been consumed, then I remembered dessert.

I felt like I needed a gentle and clean start to my day, which lead to

this very kind breakfast:

Two tall glasses of water and a juicy nectarine later, 

I was feeling less wobbly and my belly was on the mend. 

I was ready for lunch by 11am:

Mmmm. Sprouted grain bread filled with:

Sliced Fuji apples

One slice of Meunster cheese (one of my faves!)

3 thin slices of Applegate Farms Turkey Bologna

Baby Spinach

Dijon Mustard

My belly said "Thank you, I'm back to normal now!"

Tonight, a healthy dinner first...then maybe just a spoonful of Cookie Butter. :)

What's the tastiest thing you've eaten this week?

Whatever it was or will be...

Bon Appetit!

Tamar 

 

Make-at-Home Yogurt Drink

What kid doesn't love a yummy yogurt drink? Yogurt drinks are fun, often portable, and full of tummy friendly probiotics. My beef with the store bought brands though, is that even the organic all natural brands are often packed full of sugar. One I bought not to long ago had a whopping 25 grams of sugar in one small bottle!

I got the following idea from my smarty pants Mama friend, Seana. Making my own yogurt drink at home is easy, cost effective, and I control the contents! I use whole milk, whole milk plain yogurt, all natural juice (just a splash) with no sugar added and a tiny bit of agave. There are all natural, chemical free food colorings you can buy at Whole Foods too if your little one would appreciate a little fun color too. My tot, Violet loves this drink in a spill proof cup with straw. Easy peasy!

Aliment, Copyright 2012

Vi also likes this because she can feed herself, which she loves to do...and I like it because she doesn't quite have the dexterity for spoon feeding herself drippy droppy yogurt yet. 

What little tricks do you use to make your own versions of more sugary store-bought items?

Bon Appetit!

Tamar

Spork Fed Cookbook Review

If you understand what it is to relish reading a good cookbook, then you'll completely understand why I dove deep into Spork-Fed: Super fun and flavorful vegan recipes from the sisters of Spork Foods by Jenny Engel and Heather Goldberg. Having been a longtime vegetarian leaning towards vegan eater, I appreciate the cooking tips, ingredient suggestions (I'm beginning to master the ingredient swap) and creative approach to this type of diet.

Each recipe has a little preamble with some "Sporkie-Scoops" toward the end outlining ways the food items may benefit your body and mind...fun and informative!

There are also loads of photos. I won't apologize for preferring shiny photos with my recipes. I'm like a magpie that way. The suggested menus page even has little thumbnails with photos of the dish! Joy for the visually inclined!

My family and I tried an assortment of dishes from Spork-Fed and the two my kids enjoyed most were (yes, I do try to be a crowd pleaser:)

Homemade BBQ Sauce Page 114

Tamar inspired me to make my very own barbecue sauce. I could easily have dumped some store bought from a jar and called it a day...but I couldn't. I just couldn't.

And here is the finished product...Barbecue-Style Spelt Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Tempeh Bacon from page 116 (plus asparagus because I can't eat a meal without green.) Oh and corn on the cob, since it was after all, barbecue.

Before the oven...

After...nom, nom, nom...

These Pear, Fig and Sage (fresh from my garden) Tarts with Roasted Garlic Aioli (page 2) were, how shall I put it? The BOMB. They were little parcels of deliciousness. Oh my goodness I didn't know food (that I make) could be so good!

And as for little 'ole me I was swept away in a rhapsody of flavors by the Caribbean Salad with Crispy Plantains and Avocado Mango Salsa in a Light Lemon Vinaigrette (page 26) I have long been a fan of fresh vegetables and this was a delicious representation of what vegan cooking can be. Note...those are peaches in case you noticed. My mangoes were not ripe. Sniff.  

 

This is the meal plated...the Salad, Plantains, Cuban-style black beans and coconut rice with a blue corn tortilla chip garnish. Perfecto!

To be honest, I wasn't familiar with Hearts of Palm before preparing this meal...and luckily Trader Joe's had a jar...similar to artichokes, but with with the texture of cooked leeks. They were good and nicely paired in the salad!


That was my adventure with the Spork Sisters...for more about them visit: Spork Foods where you will find their cookbook, loads of downloadable cooking class videos and lots more!

Bon Appetit,

Deirdre

WIAW with Deirdre

      Here we Wednesday again and in case you're wondering what this "What I Ate Wednesday" hoolabaloo is all about check out Peas & Crayons.   Happy Autumn. It's official. It's here and there is no denying it. Apples, pumpkin, cinnamon, mums, colorful leaves and crisp air.   But there was no way I was going to let that last day of summer slip me by so we went to the beach. It wasn't a sunny day (cloudy when we arrived, sunny when we left) nor was it warm (58 degrees) and by all accounts beach season appeared to be over, but not for us, nope...we savored it until the very last moment.  

  We pulled on our wetsuits, paddled out and rode those waves until our toes were numb and hot chocolate was the only remedy...and maybe some pumpkin bread.   Then we got back in the wild water and rode wave after wave and sat out there watching the water and chatted about everything and nothing. It was beautiful, perfect and warmed me from within.   When the sun started to dip low and we positively couldn't take the air temperature and wind any longer we peeled off our wetties, turned up the heat in the sandy car and went and got some warm butternut squash and cranberry soup in bread bowls...and for dessert, ICE CREAM! It was after all the last day of summer. Why not? And why not fall into the habit of doing what you love despite the odds, ride those waves, whether they be water or painting or writing or dog walking or whatever...do what you love and love what you do.  

  Unfortunately the camera was forgotten as I enjoyed most of this day, food included...so here are a few other items from my week, yes I take photos of what I eat...and no they're not high quality, but it's all part of savoring the flavor...  

Cheers! A week's worth of Sambucol for a cold...Boo Hoo.

Tomato Soup and Gold Fish are good for the aformentioned cold...

I'm a pretty big deal...

Apple Dumpling pre-baked....

Baked with homemade whipped cream...

 

Chard & Ricotta No-Noodle Lasagna with Parm.

Homemade peanut butter - peanut butter cookies...
No, that's not a typo, I made the peanut butter.

    Bon Appetit, Deirdre    
 

Greens with Kick

As promised...

Tamar's Collard Greens with Turkey Bacon

Gather:

 

2 lbs Collard Greens or Kale, washed and cut into 1/2 inch strips

6  slices Trader Joe's Uncured Turkey Bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

 

 

1 Tbs Garlic-Giner paste (or use fresh minced portions of each)

 

Coconut oil (for tossing)

 

Low-Sodium Soy Sauce, to taste

 

Chilli sauce/paste, to taste 

 

Then:

 

 Place greens in a large pot. Boil a kettle of water and pour over greens, 

let stand (poking & tossing occasionally) for 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, fry up bacon in a pan until crispy.

 

Drain water 

(feel free to save this vitamin packed water in a jar for making soup stock later!)

 Place greens and bacon in a bowl, toss with remaining ingredients.

 

Serve alongside your favorite whole grain

(brown basmati rice shown here.)

 

This is a quick, delicious, and nutritious meal. 

Bon Appetit!

Tamar

 

 

*all photos property of Aliment Blog, Copyright 2012