Corn consumption is rich in family and cultural traditions. Do you use butter and salt? Do you use your knife to apply butter, or do you get up close and personal with it, rolling the cob right on the butter slab? Do you use those little corn holder tines that go in the ends of the corn? (And are they cute – like little cows or yellow plastic cobs with smiley faces?) Or, in your family, do you just grab it and hold it? (And sometimes yell “Ouch”?) There are five ways that I like to cook corn. And I don’t mean frozen corn. I mean the tasty, pick-it-up-from-the- road-side-stand sort of corn that makes living in farm country great. Boil It: This is the traditional way and it is pretty darn good. Don’t add salt when you boil it—adding salt will take out the sweetness. Shuck the corn right before cooking and boil for about 15 minutes. Steam it: Husk it and steam for about 20 minutes. Roast it: Leave the husks on and toss it on your barbeque for about 25 to 30 minutes. Or, remove the husks and toss it on the BBQ for about 15 minutes. I baste it with butter at the end. The kernels brown a bit. Yeah, this one is my favorite! Off the Cob: Cut the kernels off the cob and include in any stir-fry dish or freeze for the winter. Microwave it: Leave it in the husk and microwave for 10 to 15 minutes or until it is steamy inside. Corn is the perfect food to microwave, with its built-in splatter-shield! However you make it, fresh corn says summer....
read more
I went for a hike yesterday that took every bit of me. Before lunch we took a quick trip to Tiffany Falls. It is about 1.2 km and it was an easy walk. After lunch we went on the “long hike.” We went to Sulphur Springs road and we were walking on a loop that circles around the Hermitage Ruins and the Rail Trail Station. What a gorgeous trail with stunning vistas, moss-covered rocks breaking away from the edges of the trail, old forests and wide open meadows. This trail has everything. The sign said it was 3.4 km and I think it was true, except that we missed a turn and got lost. I have had some struggles with walking. In 2010 I hurt my SI joint and then I had a really bad fall. After I thought I had almost recovered, I was walking across the street one day and my leg stopped walking. I was essentially stranded in the middle of the road. I recovered partially, but have been compromised physically since then. Two summers ago we were discussing whether or not we needed to buy a wheelchair as back-up. I believed at that time I would probably never go on a walk again. I had MRIs and saw a specialist. It was unclear what was going on, but I assumed my condition was progressive and I would have to make the best of it. About 18 months ago I lost weight and worked with a nutritionist who hypothesized that I was allergic to corn. I cut corn from my diet and started to recover. I got better. I was able to walk much better last summer but I still wasn’t able to hike. I felt cautious and afraid of strenuous activity. I didn’t venture out much. In February I hired a trainer and started to work out. We are planning a trip to Europe this summer and I set a goal of walking 5 miles before we leave in July....
read more
I love cooking food from the CSA (community supported agriculture) box I get each week. Here’s a video and recipe for my breakfast. It was delicious! 2 Tbsp diced onion 4 radishes, sliced 4 shiitake mushrooms sliced 3 stalks asparagus, sliced 2 eggs 2 heaping Tbsp grated Reggiano parmesan cheese 2 Tbsp sour cream 1 Tbsp chopped cilantro ...
read more
I just spent 10 days in Texas with my 98-year old grandfather, Bubba. “Bubba?” you ask. Yes,that’s what we call him. It’s a nickname he got many years ago when his sister couldn’t say brother. I was in Texas because Bubba recently spent some time in the hospital and I needed to visit him and the rest of the family.
Since we were eating out a lot I got to have some pretty tasty Texas-style food. The Tex Mex Chile Rellenos and BBQ brisket were good, but by far my favourite–for culinary and sentimental reasons–was a nifty little corn tortilla sandwich called a “Chihuahua.”
read more
I love making kale chips and my kids like them too. They are always a hit at a party and people are always a little surprised when they like them. They are great for parties and I use them as a somewhat healthy snack. For me they really do replace chips. I love how my friends eat them skeptically and get a surprised look on their face. “These are really good,” they say. “Yes,” I reply. “No, I mean really really good,” they say “I know. Have I ever served you bad food?” I say. Try them for yourself! 1 Cup Almonds or Cashews, soaked in water for 24 hours, water discarded 2 bunches of Kale, any type 1 Red Bell Pepper 1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast 1/4 cup Wheat-free Tamari 1 Jalapeno, seeded (optional) 1/4 cup Cider Vinegar (optional) Start by soaking the nuts. By soaking them, it accomplishes two goals. The first is to remove an enzyme that makes them harder to digest, the second is to make them soft and creamy for the kale chips. Make sure to discard the water. Next, prepare your kale. You are going to remove the fibrous stem. I fold the leaf in half and use scissors to clip down the back. Tear the kale into bite-sized pieces. Preparing the sauce: I use my Vitamix to blend the rest of the ingredients. If you don’t like spicy, then leave out the jalapeno. If you don’t want tang, then leave out the vinegar. They are also delicious without these ingredients and more kid friendly. Toss the kale in the sauce and spread out on dehydrator trays. Dehydrate under 115 degrees to maintain raw temperature. Keep them in the dehydrator until they “crunch” when you taste them usually about 4 hours. I find it best to flip them around to loosen them from the tray after about 2 hours so they don’t stick to the tray at the end. I keep these in a zip-lock bag in my...
read more
I have an almost illogical love of raw foods. Something about the simplicity of the food arouses my food passions. A few years ago I made my family crazy by feeding my family raw for a month. I stopped because everyone started making excuses to eat somewhere besides our home.
read more
