Cooking: No Longer Just French Propaganda

Have you ever thumbed through recipes only to see words such as julienne, flambé, or chiffonnade? Now I don’t know about you, but I don’t know French…at all. Before I became the culinary genius that I am today (note sarcasm), I would have felt dumb and skipped to an English recipe, avoiding all of that French propaganda.  

Before my interest and knowledge of cooking grew, my mother always teased me growing up that I couldn’t make a cake that even had the instructions on the box. In my defense, I totally could I just chose not to so I wouldn’t have to do it. Just like whenever I mowed the lawn, I always did a bad job (not mowing in a straight line, getting the mower stuck in the ditch, and occasionally running into trees) so I would not be asked to do it again. If I do say so, those were both pretty smart moves on my part.

Fast-forward about 15 years and I still probably can’t mow in a straight line, but I can hold my own in the kitchen. How did this culinary transformation take place you ask? Well I did take home economics in high school but I really didn’t learn much given that we had what were called free labs where we typically brought in frozen pizza, Lipton noodles, and brownies from a box. Did I learn to cook from my mother or grandmother? Not really unless you count browning hamburger for Hamburger Helper and other very simple things pertaining to cooking meat, which has been lost on me since I am now a vegetarian.

I actually learned quite a bit just solely watching the Food Network and picking up tips from reading cooking magazines. Now that I work closely with our chefs here on campus, if I ever have a question I can just ask them. Unfortunately, many of you do not have this luxury of pestering a chef.

Having watched one of my brothers wave around a knife like a serial killer this past Thanksgiving, I quickly knew that he didn’t learn anything in home economics either. Knowing that my brother isn’t the only one to wave around a knife like a serial killer, this got me to thinking. Aside from taking cooking classes, which can be expensive, how does one learn basic culinary skills?

As always, I have your back on this one. I was perusing through Facebook recently and saw that the New York Times released their Cooking website and app. Big whoop, right? I mean there are a million of websites out there with recipes filled with French propaganda. Upon browsing this new website, I did find one component that I found extremely helpful. They have a collection of videos on basic cooking techniques.

There are videos ranging from how to dice an onion to how to frost a cake. One that everybody should watch, especially if you ever cook in front of me, is how to hold a knife.  You will definitely impress your friends and family with how you properly hold a knife to do this..

Why does cooking matter?

I like to cook for myself for a couple of reasons. Being the pseudo-hippy vegetarian that I am, I can make sure that my food is vegetarian and I can control how much oil, sugar, salt, etc goes into it.  I also don’t have to rely on this as “cooking"…

Instead of relying Hamburger Helper and Chef Boyardee, I can whip up a healthy meal in just as little time that is both healthier and tastier. Now if you will excuse me, I have to use my superior knife skills to open my frozen pizza. Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,

Keep it Green,

Beth

Gardening: Get Your Grandma On

I have a confession to make to all of you. I do not consider myself to be a grandma by any means, but I have a garden. By garden I mean I have like five vegetable plants, which I affectionately call my farm. Am I good at it? Not really. I try to talk like I know what I am doing, but I am really just an amateur. People seem to buy it though and act impressed when I tell them that I have a farm. Does this make me a grandma? I am not sure but without further ado, here is today's blog...

If you google image search gardening you are greeted by images of three types of people. These three types of people portrayed are as follows: grandmas, kids, and hipsters. Case in point….

This picture is starting to change a little bit. Gardening is starting to move away from just being a favorite hobby of grandmas and hipsters and is spreading to the wider public. With the gardening movement coming to campus with the UNC Charlotte Community Garden Club breaking ground on a garden for students this Friday, I figured there was no time like the present to write about gardening and briefly touch on local food.

Why do people garden?

Well, there are quite a few reasons as to why people garden but one of the biggest one is to grow their own fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Yes, there are some people who grow things that are inedible, but my thought is why go through with the whole process if you can’t eat. Anyways, by growing your own produce you save yourself a trip to the grocery store.  With the cost of seeds or seedlings being next to nothing, it is cheaper as well.  Also, there is the benefit of consuming local fruits and vegetables, but more on that later.

Another point of interest is that it is better for the environment. Instead of getting tomatoes shipped from Timbuktu to the local grocery store, then you getting in your car to go store to purchase them, you can just walk out your back door and pick one off the plant.

What if I don’t know how?

There are tons of resources out there.  Some of the ones I would recommend are Master Gardeners and Home Gardening.

What if I don’t have space?

You must have not been on Pinetrest in awhile or watched many infomercials lately. Topsy Turvy anyone?

There are tons of ways to grow fruits, vegetables, or herbs in small spaces. From old shoes, to egg shells and everything in between, you can grow plants in just about anything so you don’t necessarily need splurge on that Chia Herb Garden set.

What if I don’t like bugs?

I am with you on that one. After having some fierce battles with caterpillars like these this past summer and almost being attacked by a praying mantis (why yes I did scream like a little girl during both of these battles), I have started to get a little bit braver, but when I really just can’t, I call upon my roommate. If you need her bug removal services let me know and I will send her your way. She prefers to be payed in Doritos by the way.

By the way, did you know that they have green blood?!?

Isn’t there an easier way?

If you really have a black thumb but still want the benefits of eating locally grown fruits, vegetables, and herbs check out local farmers markets or produce stands. There you will have access to fresh locally grown fruits, vegetables, and herbs without having to get dirty or deal with bugs.

Are locally grown and fruits and vegetables healthier for you?

I am going to attempt to answer this without jumping on my hippy soapbox. While there is not a huge difference in terms of levels of vitamins and minerals, there is still a difference. For example, a tomato from Timbuktu is picked before it fully ripe to allow it to hold up for the trip to your local grocery store. Since it was not allowed to fully ripen before it is picked and has a trip that is going to take a couple of days if not weeks, it never got to reach the level of vitamins and minerals that would have otherwise and starts losing them once it is picked. On the other hand, local produce found at farmers markets or roadside stands usually is picked within 24-48 hours of when it is sold and there is no thousand mile journey so it can be picked when fully ripe. Now is this difference going to prevent you from getting cancer or becoming overweight? Nope. The main difference is in the taste. I can guarantee you that a locally grown tomato is going to taste better than one from Timbuktu every time. (Note: I do not know if tomatoes can even actually grow in Timbuktu I only use it because that is where my mother always threatened to send me when I was younger)

If you are on campus and want to check out or get involved with garden check them out…

Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,

Keep it Green,

Beth

Natural Sweeteners: Should You or Shouldn't You?

Ahh…fall weather is finally upon us! How can I tell you ask? Well there is the whole slightly cooler temperatures thing, but mostly  because of the return of the infamous psl…

The return of both of these things only mean one thing, longer lines at the cafés. I will admit that I do enjoy a good psl myself, however I limit myself to one (or two if I am good) per season. Yes, they are delicious but they still pack in quite a bit of calories and sugar, so I stick to plain old coffee. Today while waiting in line at the café pretending to be doing something important on my phone (read: checking Facebook), I “overheard” people discussing natural sweeteners.  Was I eavesdropping? Maybe, but to my defense there was nothing new on my Facebook feed since I had checked it 15 minutes earlier and I am only mildly entertained by the same pictures of so and so’s baby, so and so’s engagement, and so and so’s wedding the first time I see them. Anyways, the people I “overheard” talking about natural sweeteners were a bit misguided so I thought I would take this golden opportunity to enlighten you all on them.

Instead of me writing about them, I found this video to be pretty legit. Perhaps a tad drab, but I am not sure how anyone except for Michael Bay could make this entertaining.

Yes, these sweeteners are more natural/do not undergo as much processing compared to white sugar and artificial sweeteners, but they are still sugar, which should be consumed in moderation. Along those lines, natural sweeteners should be used to replace sugar in food or beverages that you would actually put sugar in. For example, putting honey in tea instead of sugar; not dipping your sushi in honey. Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,

Keep it Green,

Beth

Hidden Fruits & Vegetables in Baked Goods: Putting Lipstick on a Pig

I was at a meeting recently where some big whigs in the Charlotte food scene met to discuss how to increase healthy eating in the Charlotte area. Does this mean that yours truly is a big whig? Totes. I mean I do have this blog and all…

Anyways, the discussion came to a point where we were discussing how to get kids to eat healthier, in which the concept of black bean brownies emerged. While it was a comment that was not even given the time of the day for the rest of the discussion, I found myself a little irritated, which leads me to today's blog topic of sneaking fruits and vegetables into baked goods. 

Now, when I said black bean brownies, most of you were probably thinking that I had made a typo because that sounds disgusting. However, it was not. The idea of sneaking fruits and vegetables into desserts is all the rage these days, with tons of recipes on Pinterest. In addition to black bean brownies, we also have chocolate zucchini cupcakes and brownies made with applesauce, banana, or avocado as well. Sounds weird right? In most cases, the predetermined fruit or vegetable is used to replace the fat (oil or eggs) in a recipe; occasionally it is added just for giggles but not often. 

I will admit that I have played around with black bean brownies just to see how they were. They surprisingly weren't bad...even the batter tasted good (don't judge me). Anyways, back to my irritation of black bean brownies and getting people to eat healthier. My thought during that meeting was, “What do black bean brownies have anything to do with getting kids, or adults for that matter, to eat healthier?” Yes, brownies made with black beans instead of oil and eggs are lower in fat and higher in protein, but are they going to magically inspire you to eat more fruits and vegetables? My guess would be no. I mean when I tried them it only made me want ice cream, but that’s just me. All you are essentially doing by sneaking these fruits and vegetables into baked goods is putting lipstick on a pig. 

To help get me point across on this one, I am going to use a gem provided by none other than the always credible Dr Oz. He has a recipe on his website for butt busting brownies. To give you the full effect, I am just going to just copy a little excerpt about these little gems.

“If you think brownies are off-limits when you’re trying to get fit, think again! This no-bake brownie is not your typical dessert. The cayenne revs up your metabolism to get your body moving and the cinnamon helps process sugar intake, which helps keep fat from being absorbed into your bottom. It’s a win-win!”

I really wish that I was making this stuff up. Without even addressing the misleading information about cayenne and cinnamon, WHY WOULD ANYBODY EAT A BROWNIE IF THEY WANTED TO GET FIT? If you really want to get fit and bust your butt how about you try this new thing called exercise and eating these things called fruits and vegetables. Pretty radical I know.

I have no idea if these "butt busting" brownies are good or not, but at the end of the day they are still brownies, regardless of what fruits and vegetables might be snuck in them. I mean I can put my dog in a cat costume and she is still a dog. Even if I put kale in brownies they are still brownies, which are not and never will be a "health" food.

Don’t get me wrong I love me some kale (shocker I know right?), but I do not want kale in my brownies, I would rather have caramel thank you. You really are not doing yourself any favors by sneaking in fruits and vegetables into your baked goods; you are really only sacrificing taste. The next time you treat yo self…

make sure it at least tastes good. Now if you will excuse me, I need to go to Sonic for this milk shake made specifically for health nuts and hipsters.

Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,

Keep it Green,

Beth

Jim Gaffigan on Donuts

With the holiday being on a Monday, I did not have the chance to write you all another enlightening blog. Instead, I will let Jim Gaffigan provide you with some comedic relief on donuts...

Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,
Keep it Green,

Beth