A FAMILY VISIT AND PROJECT: "KITCHEN-FIT GRAND KIDS"

This past month, I had the pleasure of visiting with my son, daughter-in-law, and my three lovely grand children, ages 10, 8 and 5 years. It was an especially joyful time for me because I don´t get to see see them often. I live at the Mexican border and they live at the Canadian border, about 2000 miles away. While the children are always sweet and loving, they are still a bit shy with me. Thus, as a sort of icebreaker, I wanted to do a one-on-one project with each child. After a bit of reflection, I decided to do a cooking project with the children.  My past visits and recent communications had shown me that the grandchildren were way above average, doing a multitude of activities such as soft ball, swimming, gymnastics and community theater. All that was proof of their mental and physical fitness. And I hoped that their days of cooking with Abuela Susan (as they call me) would be ä giant, first step toward "kitchen-fitness".

In preparation for this project, I sent ahead a set of children's cookbooks. A cupcake book for Iris, the oldest, a cookie book for Myra, the second, and a simple snack book for Cruz, the youngest. In my judgement this choice of books would reflect the complexity of the cooking tasks, according to ages. (As related below, my estimation of the relative difficulty of the recipes turned out to be wrong.)

As soon as I arrived, I asked each child to choose one recipe from their book. They seemed eager to get started and, within minutes, selected their recipes. Iris chose lady-like, pink lemonade cupcakes and Cruz chose a fancier sort of grilled-cheese sandwiches, shown crust-less, cut into quarters, and held together with fancy toothpicks. Myra's choice was unexpected. She wanted to make what were the most complicated cookies imaginable. These cookies, called "Treasure Chests", were a quadruple-chocolate concoction with a brownie base, two layers of fudge icing, a chocolate cookie top and MnMs, a child´s version of gold treasure, that fell out of the sides of the "chests". My better judgement should have sent up red flags on Myra's choice but, being still somewhat jet-lagged mentally, I agreed to help her make complicated treat.

The second day of my stay, I went with the family to a neighborhood grocery store and, together, we bought all the ingredients for the recipes. Cruz wanted to make his sandwiches the very next morning. With just a bit of guidance, he was able to do almost all the work. I did the grilling, of course, and he cut them into quarters and placed them on a large platter, toothpicks stuck into each piece. The children and I ate them for lunch and leftovers went kept back for their Mom and Dad. Cruz was very pleased with the favorable comments that were made, and the first project was a resounding success.

Myra was ready to begin her treasure chest making on the third day. The process took more than two hours to complete because everything had to be done in steps.  I helped her with the initial steps of measuring and mixing and put the brownies in the oven. We had to wait for them to cool. And much care was needed to decorate the treasures.

Myra's 600-calorie "treasure chests".

The results were attractive and had a surprising resemblance to those shown in the cookbook. These treasure chests definitely had the wow-factor and received family raves. 

The only unfortunate part of this project was that the children wanted to eat multiples of these 600 calorie creations. I put out one for each of us on a plate and, when I had the chance, hid the rest in two plastic containers in the freezer behind other foods. My idea was to keep them hidden so that each of us could have one the next day. That trick worked, at least partially, and only a few had been stealthily removed from the freezer by the next day.

A few days later, Iris prepared her cupcakes. I taught her how to crack open an egg. She had never tried it before, but, after just one demonstration, successfully opened the remaining two eggs. She also did all the decorating by herself. I just had to oversee her work and helped her with the oven. The cupcakes were quite attractive and good. Also, luckily, they were normal cupcakes so that eating more than one in a day´s time wasn't so much of a worry.

These few days that I spent cooking with my grand kids were priceless to me. It reminded me of my own childhood when my sister and I learned (mostly from our Mom and Aunt Jane) how to make such treats as  popcorn, chocolate fudge, cookies and cakes. With these long-ago memories go warm feelings of family closeness and the joy of cooking adventures.

Project "kitchen-fit grand kids" was wonderful fun. And they radiated confidence what with their new skills of grocery shopping, measuring, mixing, pouring and decorating.  All-in-all, it turned out to be a perfect way to build a great family learning experience -- and all through the art of cooking.

Yes, it was a bit messy and the finished items were not quite as sophisticated as the pictures in their cookbooks. But the very best thing was that the kids felt they did it "for themselves" and, for all of us - especially grandma, we were building family memories. And that was absolutely worth it.

TALES – OLD & RECENT - OF LENTIL-BASED CHUNKY SOUP.

I know it’s mid-summer. And, yes, I’m preparing a hot, chunky soup. I LOVE home-made soup and always have. It's healthy. What's more, this kind of soup is not only filling but also helps make us sweat, thereby cooling the body. All tropical cultures, at least, the ones I know about, eat warm and often spicy foods to create a higher level of perspiration. It’s nature’s own cooling system. So, even though it’s the summer solstice, let’s talk soup –chunky-style, at that.

Now, for a bit of personal background lore…
Today, as I prepared what might be my 100th - or more - pot of lentil-based, veggie soup, I found myself a bit misty. Past memories came back to me of a time when chunky soups meant an awful lot in terms of nutrition and comfort. This reminiscence was the product of some Internet news I saw today about not one, but two, tropical storms that appear to be on a target course for Texas or some other Gulf destination.
And I remember a time when my husband, Enrique, his good friend, Bob, and I spent the better part of a month eating chunky soup almost every night. Imagine that, and we didn’t complain a bit, since we considered ourselves more than lucky to have all that soup. It was, back then, when Hurricane Wilma devastated a good part of South Florida, including our own condo and the entire building that we’d been living in for 5 years. Enrique’s friend, Bob, invited us to spend time with him in his condo - nearby - that was not so much affected by the storm. We thought it would be just for a few days or a couple of weeks. But it turned out to be more like eight weeks.

In the first week, we didn’t have electricity and our menus were made up of what Bob had in his pantry and the cans that we’d bought when we knew the storm was approaching. Luckily, Bob had a patio gas-run grill and we were able to heat up essential food and drinks on the grill. Main courses were a bit hard to come up with. Fortunately, we had plenty of cans of chunky soup. So, for that first week, we ate soup out of cans, just warmed over, along with crackers, olives and such in order to conserve cooking gas. Then, in the second week, the electricity came back on. Cooking, was then, less of a problem. Still, we decided to keep our food budget as low as possible, given the economic crunch that we found ourselves in when our work places did not reopen for several weeks. Our answer was to make chunky soup with the addition of white rice and garlic bread as our go-to menu for supper that month. I bought a lot of lentils and other quick-cook and canned legumes, and whatever fresh veggies I could find. The supermarkets, when they reopened, didn’t have a lot of fresh produce – and that lasted for several weeks.

My main productive role during that mostly quiet month was soup cook. I simmered chunky soup all day in the slow cooker. And, with the aid of a large rice cooker, I prepared enough white rice for three days at a time. Plain sandwich bread - the only bread available for some time - was toasted and spread with margarine and garlic salt. We enjoyed our meals and were grateful to be eating well –– or, at least, what we considered correctly – at a time when so many other people were having a hard time feeding their families. So much for reminisces.

Most recent chunky soup
There are a few tried and true soup-making tips that every cook should know. And remembering some of these tips, I've successfully once again made soup – and if I may say so - with great flavor (and as little effort as possible).

 - Sauté all the chopped vegetables to enhance the flavor. But, if you’re short on time, just skip the sauté and add all the vegetables and accompaniments to the pot.
- Use some aromatic vegetables –garlic, onion, leek, etc, among others, and add all the veggies directly into the pot for good flavor and no waste.
- Don’t be shy about using time-savers, including such things as canned beans and frozen veggies.
- Use a stock cube or some soy sauce or pesto to get more flavor into the soup. Any of these can make a big flavor difference.
- Don’t dilute the soup too much when you begin the cooking process. You can always a bit more water later if the soup appears too thick.
- Spices are your friends. Proper seasoning is a must for all dishes and especially so for veggie soups. Salt, pepper, a variety of your favorite spices – even a squeeze of lemon or vinegar - will give some zing to the final product. Just be sure to taste after putting in what seems to be just a little seasoning. Experience has shown that it’s not easy to overcome an over-salted or over-spiced soup.
- Last minute, soup toppings are great, too. A regular tasting soup gets a lift with toppings such as croutons, cut green onions, grated cheese, avocado slices or a few toasted nuts.


So, here’s the recipe for chunky soup that I improvised today, made with fresh veggies and pantry ingredients - no particular recipe consulted. I think this soup would be a winner any time of the year and in all sorts of climate, including hot, cold, stormy and post-stormy weather.

Chunky lentil-based soup, great in all kinds of weather...  (6 to 8 servings)

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves
4 small potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 (18 ounce) can lentil soup
Enough water or broth for thinning
4 ounces of tomato sauce
1 ½ cups of red cabbage, cut up in slices
¾ cup of pasta noodles (optional)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
Toppings: Parmesan cheese, cut green onions, or sunflower seeds

Instructions
- In a large pot, heat olive oil and sauté carrots, cabbage, garlic, onions and potatoes for 5 minutes.

- Add the canned lentils and other ingredients to the pot.

- Bring the soup mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes. Add noodles and cook for another 10 minutes.

- Serve immediately or reheat later with one or more toppings. Leftovers keep well for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator. (Soup is always better the second day.)

Notes
I made this stove-top soup in less than sixty minutes but it cooks just as well in the crock pot. It might take 4 to 6 hours to slow-cook the soup.

Go veggie-crazy and add any of your favorites. Modifications of this kind of soup almost always taste great. You can also use up whatever veggies you find at the end of the week as a version of “refrigerator-stew”.

This lentil-based, chunky soup is perfect for quick everyday lunches and suppers. What's more, I’ve taken similar soups to covered-dish dinners. And it's always "just perfect" for all kinds of weather.

QUICK & TASTY RADISH & CARROT PICKLES

There are a few veggies that are almost always available at markets and remain fairly cheap all year long. A good deal, right? But, on the other hand, we – you and I - may not be used to buying them. For me, radishes were among those veggies. I always found them somewhat overpowering like raw garlic and onions. My own feeling was that radishes were good – finely sliced - in small doses buried in a green salad but, still, the quantity that I could consume was very little indeed. Most every time I bought a bunch of those rosy red roots, I found some left behind in my vegetable bin at the end of the week.

I, of course, knew what to do - serve the remainder to my husband who loves them and can eat them as a snack without anything – not even a dressing or dip. Now, with this recipe that I'm sharing with you, I know how to love those little red goodies and find no obstacle to consuming some of them most any day. I found that I truly like radishes when they pack a vinegary punch. Actually, the recipe is one my husband showed me how to make. I asked him to add the carrots, thinking - correctly, as it turned out - that the sweet of the carrot would combine nicely with the spicy tart of the radish.

So, here's our recipe for crisp, radish and carrot pickles. We made our first batch this past Sunday afternoon. We have pickled other things, before, and I don’t know why we took me so long to make these tasty pickles. They're so easy to make and go great with all kinds of foods, from tacos to salads, to sandwiches and crackers.

We sliced the veggies very thin because that way they soak up the flavors of vinegar and spices in just a few hours. A sharp chef’s knife was the key to getting the thin slices.

A sharp chef-style knife will make the work a lot easier.

The best thing about these quick pickles is that they’re ready munch on right away. We ate some about 4 hours after they were made – still a bit crunchy but good.

Here is the recipe for these tasty pickled radishes and carrots . The recipe as given below yields about 2 to 3 cups of pickles.

Ingredients

1 bunch radishes (should make 1.5 cups when thinly sliced)

2 medium carrots, also thinly sliced (about a cup's worth)

¾ cup balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar

juice of a medium lime (something my husband always adds for extra zip)

2 tablespoons of minced garlic

2 tablespoons of kosher salt

1 cup of balsamic vinegar

1/8 teaspoon of black pepper or a bit of crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

To prepare the veggies: Wash and slice off the tops and bottoms of the radishes and carrots, then use a sharp knife to slice the veggies into very thin rounds. Peel and mince the garlic. Pack the rounds and garlic into a quart-sized canning jar.  

Sprinkle the kosher salt on top and shake the jar to thoroughly salt the veggies. Leave without a top (or cover with a clean kitchen cloth secured to the jar with a rubber band) and let them sweat for, at least, 30 minutes. This step ensure crunchier veggies.

Add the vinegar, lemon juice and pepper. If you use some other kind of vinegar - other than balsamic - you may want to dissolve a couple of teaspoons of sugar with it. Make sure that there is some space between the veggies and the rim of the jar. This allows a space for the good gases produced by fermentation. Shake, again, to make sure you've coated all the veggies. Put a secure top on the jar and refrigerate. They're good to go from the first day.

These pickles keep very well for a week or ten days, and usually will be gone long before that. 

Best of all, you can pickle almost any thinly sliced vegetables in this manner. Try carrots, beets, cucumbers, red onions, cabbage or cauliflower. The thinner you slice the vegetables, the better they absorb the vinegar solution and taste like pickles.

Vinegar is good for us, too. It helps control high blood pressure, improve digestive system, reduce urinary tract infections and strengthen bone. With this pickle recipe, you will have a delicious way to have a little vinegar everyday. So go ahead with confidence and make pickles of all kinds, knowing it's almost impossible to get it wrong, and, for most people, they're a spicy delight. And get ready to for a lifetime (healthy) addiction to homemade pickles.

HEARTY, SUMMERTIME POTATO SALAD

July has reached its last week and temperatures are rising. With all the heat, “regular meals” just don’t entice. That’s when, for me at least, I begin to think of (did I say crave?) how good chilled potato salad is.  And what I have in mind is a truly hearty potato salad.

While picnics are the main reasons that we prepare potato salad - and as a side dish at that - I like to make mine almost whole meal-sized  – filled with cooked and fresh veggies along with a tangy dressing.  

Since there are a lot of fresh produce offerings at this time of year, I let the season - and what's growing in my small summer garden - suggest some fresh things to fill out the salad with. And that includes right now – besides the potatoes, cooked carrots and nopales, some fresh uncooked green onions and baby spinach. The uncooked greens make for a kicky garnish. Here, I pulled it all together with a mustard vinaigrette and opted for fresh squeezed lemon juice instead of vinegar..

So, take a look at this recipe. I’m sure you’ll agree that it's sure to be a summertime crowd pleaser.

I'd better put away some of this before I eat the whole bowl full.

Ingredients

2 pounds small new potatoes, scrubbed and boiled in skins in salted water

1/2 pound peeled carrots cooked in the potato water

1/2 pound cooked and drained nopales or could be cooked green beans as an option

2 cups lightly packed fresh baby spinach, chopped

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons mustard – regular or Dijon

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of mayonnaise – can be the eggless variety if you want

Smoked paprika powder to sprinkle on top

Instructions

In a large saucepan half filled with water, boil whole small potatoes and carrots.

Boil over medium heat until potatoes and carrots are easily pierced by a fork, about 8 minutes.

Hand peel the cooked potatoes (or not if you want). 

When cooked, reserve ¼ cup cooking water, then drain and cool.

Boil the nopales or green beans separately - until tender. Rinse the nopales. Let cool.   

Transfer potatoes, carrots, and nopales  to a large mixing bowl. Then add the chopped spinach and green onions.

   

Blend together with a fork olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, and mayo. Thin the dressing out a bit with some of the reserved cooking water.

Drizzle the veggies with the dressing and mix well.  Let set for at least 15 minutes, tossing it once or twice. 

Notes
If you want to increase the protein in this dish, top it with egg slices, seeds or nuts. I used pepitas (squash seeds - found in almost any store in the Southwest).

Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until you're ready to serve. While best eaten the same day, it can be kept covered for a couple of days in the refrigerator.  

Try it right away to beat the mid-summer heat. I think you’ll agree that this is one super fresh-tasting salad – and much superior to the monotonous usual potato salad most often served up in homes, cookouts, and potlucks.

MAKE PICKLED GINGER IN JUST A FEW MINUTES

My husband did a fast julienne cut - worked just as well as super thin-sliced.

Do you like pickled ginger - that sweet and sour garnish served alongside sushi at Japanese restaurants? Most of it is made with mature ginger covered by tan, dry skin. The skin is cut off and “pickle cooked”.

Pickled ginger is called gari in Japanese. This kind of garnish punches up many foods and warms our bodies. You can find prepared pickled ginger in pink or white at most Asian markets. It costs more than two dollars for just an ounce or two. I think that's too much and prefer to make my own.

My husband loves ginger and eats as much of it as he can.  He likes it in many forms – as tea, glazed sugar candy, and in all sorts of sweets. But most of all, he likes it pickled it, Japanese style, as sushi ginger. He swears that his good health is a direct result of eating a lot of ginger - along with green tea and garlic.

Did you know that an all-natural version of gari is easy to make  at home?

Since today we're having at-home sushi Sunday, I’m making some right now. My husband is the official veggie cutter  - for ginger and for the sushi veggies. So, I think it’s a good time to share my gari  recipe.  When you see how quick and easy it is to make and how fresh and clean it tastes, you may never go back to the store-bought stuff.

Instructions

Preparation Time: 10 to 15 minutes. Wait another couple of hours before eating.

- 1/3 pound fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced very thin against the fiber (The best pickles are made from the firmest ginger.)
- 1 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar, depending on how sweet you like it
- 1/4 cup distilled rice vinegar (If you like, you can use cider vinegar or white wine vinegar instead.)

1) Use an inverted spoon or small paring knife to scrape off the brown skin on the ginger. Then take a very sharp knife to cut the ginger across the grain into super thin pieces.

2) Sprinkle the ginger with the salt and toss thoroughly. Let the ginger sit for 15 minutes. This helps the ginger absorb salt flavor and retain its texture.

3) While the ginger's sitting, combine the sugar and vinegar in a sauce pan. Boil it just briefly and stir until sugar is completely dissolved.

4) After 15 minutes, add the vinegar solution to the ginger and stir it well.

5) Put the ginger and vinegar solution in a small glass jar.

6) Let the ginger sit in the jar for an additional two hours before eating. You'll have a zippy and crunchy pickled ginger. Get ready to enjoy it with sushi. (My husband eats it with just about any kind of food.)

Leftovers can keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks. And don’t throw away the pickling brine. It can be eaten as a spicy dressing for rice or veggies.

FERMENTING CABBAGE TO MAKE SAUERKRAUT

By now, you’ve probably heard about the benefits of probiotic fermentation. It’s a new food “trend” with ancient roots. It refers to a traditional way of preserving food without canning or freezing.

Sauerkraut (German word for sour cabbage) is one of those delicious fermented foods that you can make for yourself in fair-sized quantities. Sure, you would need to do some foot (and hand) work to prepare this healthy food but the results should be well worth the effort.

Now, I’ve been reminded a lot that people, in general, either really like or are completely disgusted with sauerkraut. Beyond that, cabbage, however it's served up, is cheap, healthy, and available almost any time during the year. And in my opinion, that makes cabbage just about a miracle food. And, for people who like sauerkraut, having a couple of gallons of the stuff in the refrigerator is always a real plus.

And almost all the recipes for this food are simple and have the same few ingredients – salt, cabbage and water.  And that's about as minimalist as any recipe can be. There are, of course, a number of possible additions to the basic recipe and personal experimentation is the best way to go.

I’m including a sauerkraut recipe that I’ve used. Actually, it was a friend's recipe. (Thank you, Beth Ann.) She and her husband visited us for a few days, and this was my motivation for getting all this done. It’s very basic recipe but can be endlessly elaborated on.

Everything in the jar and weighted down. Then, the wait begins.

You’ll need a large fermentation crock or glass jar. Sauerkraut can be started up in just a couple of hours. Chopping is the biggest task. 

If you like sauerkraut with a crunch, you could eat it straight from the jar after about two weeks.
Otherwise, you can taste it from time to time, after the first two weeks, to see when it gets the flavor that you are looking for. You'll find it's in its most traditional form and flavor - salty, pungent and acidic - after settling in for a month or so. And it's so much better than the canned stuff.

Sauerkraut recipe

2 large heads of cabbage

2 large onions

6 garlic cloves

salt (any kind but natural sea salt is best)

filtered water

2 large carrots (optional)

1 teaspoon caraway seeds, celery seeds, or dill weed (optional)

How-to
Cut finely or shred the vegetables into a big pot. Put in an inch or two of veggies into the crock or large glass jar and add a teaspoon of salt, sprinkling it around. Then put in another layer. Add salt and so forth until all the veggies are covered. Add enough filtered water to cover the veggies. Stir the mixture to make sure the salt is evenly spread throughout. 

Press down on the veggies with a small plate and some weighted object (could be a stone) and check every few hours to see that the cabbage water level is above the cabbage. Cover with a cloth to keep out flies and dust. Let stand for two days in an area that is neither hot nor cold. Then refrigerate for a week and taste the product. If it’s tasty enough at that tine, go ahead and start eating it. Or wait a few more days or another week. This fermented food lasts for a month or so in the refrigerator. The longer it sits, the stronger the flavor. 

Hint: A favorite combo in my family is sauerkraut and mashed potatoes with cornbread and pinto beans.

CRISPY, NO-BAKE RICE PUFF TREATS

As my readers know very well, I'm part of a line of self-reliant and anti-consumerism people who stubbornly turn to do-it-yourself gifts. So, I’m always looking for some quick and inexpensive gift ideas. These things have to be - potentially - useful for the gift receiver and something that can be made by my own two hands - and also, if you like, by yours. The results of which, I hope, show my dear ones just how much I care. 

This Valentine’s Day, I wanted to take a break from the same-old candies and flowers routine. So, I geared up by putting on my **no-need-to-bake** kitchen mitts.

The answer was an easily put together recipe of a blend of three of my favorite, from childhood flavors: crispy rice puffs, peanut butter and chocolate. Mom made something like this for us, decades ago and it was delicious. But this updated, twenty-first century version is a bit healthier, I imagine, and also absolutely yummy. Thankfully, it’s just as easy to make today as it was years ago.

The peanut butter treats I'm writing about remind me of my Mom’s variation, but they have a cleaner ingredient list. Back then, people used corn syrup, but that was before all the worry about GMO corn. The new version uses brown rice syrup. It gives these cereal bars their chewy texture and natural sweetness and pairs well with organic peanut butter. And you can even use brown rice cereal, if you want. You can also substitute cashew, or almond butter in for the peanut butter. and it will be just as good.

Here’s the recipe. (Makes nine square treats in a 9-inch square pan)

4 cups crispy rice puffs or any puffed grain cereal
1/2 cup brown rice syrup - could also be honey or maple syrup
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter – organic is best
1/3 teaspoon vanilla – real, not imitation

¼ teaspoon powdered ginger

chocolate chips – maybe, three little chips for each square or just one chocolate drop for each, like I did.

Directions

Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, gently bring the syrup to a boil and allow it to boil for one minute. Remove from the heat and, then, stir in the peanut butter and other flavors until smooth.

Place the cereal in a large bowl, then pour in the peanut butter and syrup mixture. Stir until all of the cereal is thoroughly coated. Don’t over stir. It takes only a minute or two.

Spoon the mixture into the pan, and press – with the back of a large wooden spoon - to pack the cereal tightly. Stick the chips or large chocolate drops on top, arranging them with care for each square. Put the pan in the fridge for about an hour to cool off before slicing.

Store in a sealed container in the fridge and serve chilled or at room temperature.For gift giving, place the squares in a tissue-lined decorative can or box and put the individual squares in cupcake baking papers. You can also make a gift label with the recipe on top.

I made similar treats for Christmas goodies this past year. And my husband really liked them. So, I had promised him to make more. Valentine’s Day was my opportunity. He’s already eaten some of his treats and says they won’t last more than a few days. And, hey, I made a double batch. I want to eat some, too.

 

Notes: For more fun, treats can be cut into heart shapes using a cookie cutter. Or you could drizzle melted chocolate on top of the treats instead of using the chocolate chips.

THE SEARCH FOR A BETTER TABLE SPREAD

I'm always looking for ways to prepare and eat REAL FOOD - or, at least, as close to it as we can get these days when so much of the readily available stuff is full of empty calories and toxins. For my own health and that of my family members, I've learned over the years to make most food from scratch. Among other things, it was important to me to have a healthy and tasty spread for my toast and to put on the veggies.

Store-bought margarine was out because it was made from what I consider non-food contents and loaded with chemicals. Of course, I also wanted to keep within a budget - since my household income hasn't increased more than a smidgeon in five years while food costs have doubled - or it seems that way to me. Am I wrong on this?

Obviously, I wanted to use only "natural foods" in my table spread. That pretty well ruled out industrially processed vegetable oils. There are a lot of problems with those oils. One hundred years ago, most people didn't consume any vegetable based oils. Today, US people consume mostly vegetable oils such as canola, corn, cotton seed and soy. The soaring increase in vegetable oils occurred after the 1950s. That's when the government launched a campaign to convince people to eat industrial oils and margarine and thus, avoid butter and other "artery-clogging saturated fats." According to the theory, then promoted, saturated fats were the cause of so many heart attacks and that dietary change was going to change all that. Well, butter and lard in the diet decreased substantially over the years but the use of cheap industrial oils went through the roof - to a current average of 70 pounds per year per person. (For sure, a lot of this has to do with the meteoric rise of the fast food industry where processed foods and cooking grease and oil are the basis of most of what's served.)

Our collective health, as we are well-aware, has not improved over the sixty or more years since that campaign. Instead, as a nation, half or more of us are overweight and have chronic (diet-related) diseases. Part of the reason that we have so much illness comes from the unnatural oils we are consuming. Vegetable oils contain very high levels of polyunsaturated fats, something human bodies can't use well - leaving us fat but not well-fed. Nutritional science knows that saturated- and monounsaturated fats, in modest quantities - is what we need. Another problem is that polyunsaturated fats are unstable and oxidize easily - during processing, by light exposure while sitting on shelves or, later on, in our very own bodies. Oxidized fats cause cell mutation. These mutations cause cellular inflammation and clog arteries. Is it any wonder that we have so much cardio-vascular disease and cancer?

Well, my answer to this dilemma is to make my own tubs of buttery spread. When I first started making this spread I just used olive oil and butter. Later, I added coconut oil to the mix. That gives it a bit more consistency and a lighter flavor.  I like the combo of flavors. My husband doesn't - says he doesn't need butter at all. So, I continue to use my combo for cooking and he uses only olive oil on bread and baked potatoes. Someday I'd like to follow his guidance - less use of dairy products - but haven't done so yet.

In the meantime, I have my own table spread - one that doesn't have a list of ingredients a mile long and is free of potentially toxic additives. It's super easy to make.


A healthy table spread that's easy to make.

Grandma's Own Not-Margarine Spread  (makes about a pound)


Ingredients (organic and extra virgin varieties are recommended)

1/2 pound butter (two sticks)
1 cup olive oil
1/4 cup coconut oil
dash sea salt (or more if you like it salty)

Directions
Put out all ingredients close to the stove to get warm. When all are soft, take a small spatula and whip them together. You could use a blender or food processor to do this but I find it unnecessary. When there are no more important lumps, you've got your spread.

Press your spread into a clean glass jar. Store it in the fridge. The color of course, will tend to be a bit greenish rather than bright yellow. Once, I put some turmeric in the spread thinking that it would look more yellow but that didn't turn out so good. It looked an even brighter green! Also worth noting - not all olive oils are light tasting so plan to try out a couple of different brands until you find what's best. Beyond that, this otherwise good table spread but may not be the best substitute in baking. You'll probably have to experiment with that to find the fats that work for you.

Closing thoughts
With this recipe you can get along without the use of vegetable oils for your table spread. It is also advisable to stop using them for cooking and baking. I use butter, olive and coconut oil for all kitchen uses. On the other hand, a huge challenge still comes from processed foods. If you look on the label of most processed foods, you'll see "partially hydrogenated corn/soybean/etc. oil" or "may contain soybean, canola, or other vegetable oil". These products are not good for you. Stop buying them.  If you're pressed for time during the week, cook up several healthy meals on the weekend and freeze the portions that your family needs. That way you won't be so inclined to buy quick-cook dinners or stop by fast food places.

GOOD-TASTING VEGAN MEATBALLS.

If you've been following Grandma Susan's Almanac for a while, you know that I’m a convinced vegetarian and, more recently, a vegan wannabee who falls off the vegan wagon, now and again. Yes, it’s been hard to be strictly vegan since my husband isn't. But he is vegetarian and we often compromise, ending up with slightly less than vegan meals. 

Also, as I've mentioned, I keep struggling to adapt some of my earlier recipes to fit our new eating style. What has happened, unfortunately, is that we've tended to eat two kinds of meals: rice – white or whole grain - with veggies or whole wheat spaghetti with veggies along with a lot of hummus along with homemade bread, multigrain crackers or tortilla chips. That makes for monotonous meals and we want to do better.

What’s more, when I do the grocery shopping, most of what I buy is organic. When my husband shops, he comes home with what he likes after looking at the prices. That means a lot fewer organic foods. Anyway, it’s been quite an evolution – “teaching two old dogs new tricks” – kitchen tricks, that is. And, in the process, we've put many of our former comfort foods on hold.

You know what I’m talking about. Some of the food that we liked a lot and ate in our childhood - and later on for years - and that we remember with sentimental fondness. And this is particularly true when situations get out of control and stresses rise. That's when we want to reconnect with comfort foods – along with all those accompanying kitchen smells, tastes, and textures. One important comfort food - from our upbringing - were/are meatballs. But, my husband and I stopped eating them because I hadn't found a vegan way to make them the way we like –juicy, tomato-y, and well molded together. (If you've made vegan meatballs, you may have seen them squishy in the middle and tasting more like cardboard than anything else.) I've been experimenting.  This time I think I've got a good recipe, and I’ll share it with you.

I used a mix of tempeh, bread crumbs, chopped onions, minced garlic, spices, organic marinara sauce and lots of olive oil – even more olive oil on top after formed into balls and a zip of ketchup on top of each one.  I made the mixture in just one skillet, then formed the balls and placed them in a glass dish to bake. They turned out crispy on the outside and dry - not at all mushy - inside. They were husband-approved.

Here’s the recipe I made today. It makes about 10 meatballs. You can see the photo of my yet uncooked meatballs (modified slightly in my usual cartooned style).

Ingredients

Half pound of frozen tempeh, thawed and crumpled

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 slices of whole wheat bread, pulled apart to make crumbs

(Use instant oatmeal instead of bread for gluten-free meatballs)

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Soy or Worcester sauce, 2 tablespoons

½ cup marinara sauce

Dash of black pepper

About 2 tablespoons of ketchup

¼ cup olive oil

Directions

Brown the crumpled tempeh along with the onions and garlic in the olive oil, holding back just a bit for later drizzling.

When the tempeh has browned, let it cool slightly and add marinara sauce, bread crumbs, spices, soy sauce. Form the moist – but not wet – mixture into 1 1/2″ balls.

Place the balls in a greased glass baking pan. Drizzle a bit more olive oil and ketchup on the top to make them crusty. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Serve the meatballs over rice or pasta with or without more marinara sauce. You can also indulge in a meatball sub - with lots of green salad, Italian salad dressing, and slices of cheese or non-dairy cheese.mozzarella. The meatballs can be frozen and reheated in the oven or on the stove top.

The same recipe can be used for meatloaf, just place the mixture in a greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

VEGAN COFFEE CAKE, A GREAT ADDITION TO POTLUCK DINNERS.

Last February, when my husband and I first started with our new diets – vegetarian for him and vegan for me – I quickly adapted any number of cooking recipes to accommodate our new eating style. Still I was at a loss, at first, as to how to make egg and dairy-free desserts. I researched on the Internet and found that many brave cooks were coming up with vegan recipes. After, studying a few recipe posts, I began experimenting and came up with my own. I decided to concentrate on coffee cake.  I’m always looking for a not-too-sweet treat to drink along with my mid afternoon pick-me-up coffee or tea. Coffee cake is my favorite. Luckily, it's really easy to make vegan coffee cake and it really tastes good.

So, for the past six months months, I've been making vegan coffee cake at home. Lately, I started carrying it to the potluck dinners at our meditation group’s weekly meeting – with a lot of success. It has disappeared from the dessert table quickly every time.  Several people have asked me about the recipe, so here I've tried to remember just what I do. I had to sit down and think about it since I almost never follow or write any notes. The truth is that I've have made it a bit differently every time.

Try making a vegan coffee cake. 

So, here it is. By popular demand, I’m writing up my favorite recipe for vegan coffee cake. It’s a classic kind of coffee cake, but with a twist, of course. There are no eggs or milk in this cake. The moist sponginess of this cake – traditionally associated with eggs, happening here without eggs - is due to some tricks, including a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and 2 heaping tablespoons of cultured coconut (non-dairy) yogurt, and only one minute of stirring in the ingredients. Over beating the batter will definitely flatten a vegan coffee cake.

My first recipe was for in-season fresh blueberries and it turned out fantastic! But since then, I've used raisins and dried blueberries and even pureed pumpkin as additional flavors. Just about any fruit you have on hand or any combination of nuts will combine successfully in this cake. However you make it, it will go great with coffee (or tea) and it’s an excellent choice as a breakfast treat or a snack at any hour - also guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser at covered dinners. The vegans in your group will love you for it. 

For health sake, organic ingredients, while not required, are highly recommended.

Ingredients

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (choose the non-aluminum kind)

pinch of salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil (I use sunflower seed oil)

2 small, ripe bananas or 1 large one, mashed (Canned pumpkin and applesauce are good alternates.)

¼ cup dried blueberries or raisins

1/4 cup coconut milk (or coconut water)

1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons of cultured coconut non-dairy yogurt, optional

1/4 teaspoon of turmeric

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

juice of half a lime

½ cup of pecan pieces (or walnuts or cashews, etc.)

 Preparation

 Preheat your oven to 350 F degrees and grease an 8” X 8” baking pan (glass or stainless steel is better).

Stir together the flour, soda, and spices, and other dry ingredients. Whisk in the oil, lemon juice, coconut milk, and vinegar in the same bowl. Don't beat it like you would cake batter. When well mixed, fold in the dry fruit and nuts.

Bake on the center rack, until the middle is firm and the top is golden—about 20 minutes.

For topping, I simply drizzle vegan margarine on top of the hot baked cake and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top.

Cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before trying to cut this cake. It’s best to let it cool completely. Otherwise, the cake crumbles and the slices tend to be uneven. 

MEATLESS MONDAYS JUST GOT BETTER WITH THIS POTATO-MUSHROOM SKILLET DISH

I like veggies. Always did. And, it's a good thing, too, since for most of my adult life I've been a vegetarian. Perhaps, for this reason, I'm totally captivated with side dishes. In my experience, veggie side dishes are good substitutes for meat-based main courses and usually easier to prepare.

Thankfully, I’m most of the time at home and love to experiment with veggie dishes in my own kitchen. I make them as hearty as I can so that they can be main courses on their own. (When you don’t eat meat, you go to a lot of dinners with friends or family knowing that the very best you can hope for is a simple soup, a garden salad and a dinner roll.)

I strive to make these veggie recipes - that I bring to the table and share with you, here - to be as important and well made as meat-based main dishes. In this way, meatless meals can still produce raves.

Even, if you’re not a vegetarian, challenge yourself at least once a week with "Meatless Mondays". And I hope these tasty veggie recipes help convince you to try several meals-minus-the-meat during the week. It’ll grow on you as a cook and, soon, you'll be as proud of your veggie dishes as you are of what were your best meat-based dishes. And you'll know that you're doing your part to save the planet, one-meal-at-a-time - all this, while preparing real, sustainable food that satisfies the taste buds and nourishes the body.

I served this potato-mushroom dish with white rice and a green salad.

Recipe for potato-mushroom all-in-a-skillet dish

Here's a recipe that I've made in many different ways over the years. You'll like this one. It's my last variation, served up just this week.  Try it out. You'll find that it's elegant enough for an evening meal - even with company. 

It's totally doable in a stove top skillet or can even be done in a slow-cooker (if you have a lot more time). You won't have to light your oven - a plus in these hot summer months. The top and edges get a bit crispy, but the middle is creamy.

Organic vegetables are the best choices for freshness and for nutrition. For those who want to be even more careful, try the non-dairy substitutes that are mentioned.

Ingredients

1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves of garlic

2 Tbs. olive oil

4 medium potatoes, sliced

2 Tbs. white wine vinegar or 1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar

1/3 c. sour cream or unflavored yogurt (for non-dairy, try unsweetened cultured coconut milk)

2 tsp cilantro, minced

4 ounces button mushrooms, sliced

1 tbs. butter or non-dairy margarine

Salt and pepper, to taste

¼ cup regular or non-dairy Parmesan cheese

Sprigs of cilantro

Instructions

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil a couple of minutes. Add the onions and garlic and cook over medium heat until tender, about 10 more minutes.

In the same skillet, cover the onions and garlic with a layer of potato slices, overlapping them. Sprinkle with the cilantro, and then with salt and pepper. Add all other ingredients except the Parmesan.

Cover with a lid and cook stove top over low heat for 25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Best if served immediately. Top with fresh cilantro sprigs and Parmesan cheese.