Caribbean-Style Kale and Bacon

We are a bunch of tired puppies! Between work, extra work (prepping for workshops we're giving in San Diego and Tampa over the next few weeks), and kid's activities - it's been a busy week.

Tonight we came home from the soccer field tired, bruised (yeah, playing soccer in crocs ... admittedly, not a great idea)... and hungry. It was 7:30, but thankfully we had a plan:

SteamyKitchen!

No, it's not a ventilation problem (though we have that too!). It's a blog that's billed as "fast, fresh, and simple". We discovered it while scrolling through Babble.com's Top 100 Food Mom Blogs. Full disclosure, we were searching for our nomination (we're currently #63 in the free-agent, nominate your favorite blog category -- so there was a LOT of scrolling going on!)

SteamyKitchen is #12. Overall. Like, in the big Top 100 "you should really check out these foodie blogs" list. She's up there with several others we like, such as Smitten Kitchen (check out her Oat and Maple Syrup Scones) and the Pioneer Woman (gotta love a woman who cooks pork butt in Dr. Pepper!)

We cruised through SteamyKitchen and found a recipe that we knew we'd like because it involves kale (in season right now) and bacon (always in season!). And the bonus? It's only 3 steps, so fast and easy.

Caribbean-Style Kale and Bacon

(apparently I was so tired - and hungry - that my hands were shaking while taking this picture)

Ingredients

• 4-6 slices bacon, roughly chopped (we used more... like the whole package)
• 1 Vidalia onion, diced
• 8 cups chopped kale
• 1 cup coconut milk (we used lowfat. you know, to make up for all that bacon!)
• 1 cup broth (chicken, vegetable or beef)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt (1/4 teaspoon table salt)
• freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. In a large saute pan over medium heat, cook the bacon until just begins to crisp. Add the onions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Add the kale and saute until wilted, tossing with the onion and bacon, about 5 minutes.

(Wait! Where's the bacon?!?)

(oh... there it is. Whewh!)

3. Pour in the coconut milk and broth and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Reviews:

Chef Tanya -- Very tasty and so easy. I love kale, but would have never thought of cooking it with coconut milk.

Jason -- Everything's better with bacon. Seriously, everything.

Miranda -- I hate bacon. (clearly, this kid was FedEx!)

Olivia -- I love bacon! The kale, eh...

Hannah -- What do we have for dessert? And how much of this dinner do I have to eat to get dessert?


When I was growing up I remember bacon as a breakfast-only ingredient that occasionally made p.m. appearances on Breakfast For Dinner night. It wasn't till my sister-in-law Robin made us very tasty bacon-wrapped green beans that we realized there was a whole Bacon World out there to explore.

Like Bacon-Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Cream Cheese and Almonds

and Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf with Brown-Sugar Ketchup Glaze (does that one come with an automatic referral to a cardiologist?!?)

And Bacon Pie?!?

(Think we'll skip that one)

What's your favorite bacon recipe? How 'bout the strangest bacon combo you've ever seen?

Culinary SOS!!

So, Olivia's cooking her way through the countries of the world. So far we've visited Afghanistan, Belgium, and Croatia.

Which means she's on to the letter D. We could try Dominican Hard-Boiled Eggs (with Poll) or Danish Meatballs.

But noooo. Jason is campaigning for Djibouti.

Djibouti! (I think he just likes to say it!)

So, dear world-traveling readers... we need your help! What Djiboutian (djibuotan? djiboutite?) recipes would you suggest? SOS!

Food Deserts (not desserts)

This blog is pretty young (just 2 months old!), but I've been writing about food and culture for many years for public radio. I thought I might occasionally share some of those stories with you.

The following story is from a series we produced for WBHMtar called The Price of Poverty, exploring how expensive it can be to be poor. This story is called Food Deserts. While the printed word is great, actually hearing people's voices can be even more powerful (in my opinion). You can listen to the audio version here.

What are the essentials of life? Food, water, and shelter. And to get those you have to have some kind of paying work or be enrolled in a government assistance program. But for the working poor (many of whom don't qualify for government assistance) even the basics can be too expensive. They often cost more for working poor than for middle class people.

In the City of Birmingham, Alabama, there are 23 communities and within those communities 99 distinct neighborhoods. And where someone lives can play a big park in what he eats.

"When you leave here you're going to get in your vehicles and stop by either Publix or Western or Winn Dixie or Piggly Wiggly to pick up a few things for dinner tonight," says Birmingham Mayor William Bell. "But the people who live in La Quemada and neighborhoods like La Quemada, they don't have those options."

Never heard of La Quemada? It's not easy to find on a map (hint: it's behind the Birmingham International Airport). But Birmingham mayor William Bell says it's a small part of town that points to a much bigger problem: Food Deserts.

Now food deserts have nothing to do with cactuses or rolling tumbleweed. Instead, they're large areas with poor access to mainstream grocers offering an array of fresh fruits and vegetables. There may be plenty of food in a food desert, but it's soda, chips, fried food, high-fat, salt-added -- all the stuff we're supposed to avoid.

"If you're getting most of your food at the Dollar Store and the gas station, chances are your diet is not very good and over time, if that's what you're relying on, your health is not going to be as good as it would be if you were eating healthier foods that would support a healthier life."

That's Mari Gallagher. She's a researcher who specializes in food deserts. The group Mainstreet Birmingham hired her to study the city, block-by-block. And what she found was that 88,000 Birmingham residents live on blocks that are food deserts. That's 43 square miles of no easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

But Dr. Jamy Ard isn't so sure the idea of food deserts holds up in Birmingham.

"We like stories that are simple. So we like headlines that say it's a food desert and that's why people are overweight. Those types of things make it easy for us to digest."

Ard says unlike New York City or Chicago, where food desert research was pioneered, 93% of Birmingham residents have a car and can drive several miles to a grocery store.

"The number of people who might be significantly impacted at the individual level I think could be limited."

"Just because you have a car doesn't mean you have the time or the gas money to go two or three times out of your neighborhood, around the mountain ridge to find the healthier store to get the food to bring it back home."

Mari Gallagher says convenience is a huge factor. If a Dollar Store or convenience mart is much closer to a person's home, he's more likely to shop there than travel several miles to a traditional grocery store.

Access is One Issue. Price is Another.

Jamy Ard's research suggests there's not much price difference for fruits and vegetables bought in Birmingham's lower income neighborhoods versus more affluent neighborhoods. But Ard's study didn't look at the quality of fresh produce in those communities and Mari Gallagher says often, in food deserts, it's not as good.

"I was traveling on a project, and I played a little game with myself. I said, let's see if somewhere along my route I can find a banana to have with my lunch. And wow - it was one of the hardest things to find a banana. And when I finally found one it looked like it had been kicked around a little bit. It was kinda half brown already, a little mushy."

People on tight food budgets often complain that fresh fruit and vegetables aren't the best deal because they spoil faster than packaged foods. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, Alabama has some of the higher fruit and vegetable prices in the country. It's also one of only 13 states to tax food. This means Alabama's working poor often pay a greater percentage of their income for food than other more wealthy Alabamians.

Note: Want to geek out on this stuff? You can build your own Food Atlas here.

(originally aired 8/23/10)

Andy's Steak Tacos

You know those days when you wake up tired, drag into work and discover you've lost an important file, spend hours recreating the file, then come home to this...

ARGHGrrr! That's been my day.

So imagine how relieved I was to remember this super easy recipe: Andy's Steak Tacos.

Ingredients and Directions (see... so easy they're combined!)

1. One pound of flank or skirt steak. Cut into strips and marinade in fresh lime juice, olive oil, cumin, salt & pepper, chopped fresh cilantro (just guesstimate quantities. We're having that kind of day.) Cook over medium-high heat.

2. Cut up vegetables (red peppers, onions, etc) and saute over medium heat.

3. Make Jalapeno Sour Cream Sauce by mixing low-fat sour cream with diced jalapeno peppers.

4. Warm up flour tortillas in microwave.

5. Assemble tacos (feel free to add guacamole, shredded cheese, lettuce, or whatever else you've got.)

Eat, smart "mindless TV" (Raising Hope & Traffic Light), then bed.

The day's finally looking up!

3 Easy Steps to a Much Healthier Cupcake

Step 1: Mix ingredients (a box of cake mix and a can of pumpkin) and put in muffin pan.

Step 2: Cook according to cake box directions, adding a couple extra minutes. You'll know they're done when they bounce back when pushed with your finger.

Step 3: Thank Connie for the great recipe and then Eat!

Why are they healthier?

Most cake box mixes call for at least two eggs (164 calories -- 104 calories from fat) and 1/2 a cup of oil (964 calories -- 100% from fat).

2 cups of canned pumpkin has 166 calories (only 12 calories from fat) and gives you 0 cholesterol, 5 grams of protein, and loads of Vitamin A. Night vision, anyone?

Oh Food Network, You Do Get The Juices Flowing

I have a confession. Sometimes, it's hard to watch cooking shows on TV without thinking about... um, how shall I say this delicately?

Sex. Okay. I said it!

Afterall, the kitchen and the bedroom made a love connection centuries ago. Chocolate, oysters, wine -- all aphrodisiacs. But asparagus? Pine nuts?!? Apparently, yes.

Fast forward to the late 1990's and early aughts, when Food Network brings gastroporn to the masses. Frederic Kaufman provided play-by-play in his fascinating article Debbie Does Salad for Harper's Magazine.

For the past several weeks, (author and porn still photographer) Barbara Nitke had been running porn films side by side with Food Network shows, studying the parallels. She had also been analyzing the in-house ads, like a recent one for the network’s “Chocolate Obsession Weekend,” which promised to “tantalize your tastebuds.” In this spot a gorgeous model pushes a chocolate strawberry past parted lips as she luxuriates in a bubblebath. The suds shot dissolves into Food Network superstar Emeril Lagasse, who shakes his “Essence”—a trademarked blend of salt, paprika, black pepper, granulated garlic, and onion powder—into a pan of frothing pink goo. The camera moves into the frying pan and stays there. “There’s something very visceral about watching the food,” said Nitke. “It’s very tissue-y. It’s hard not to think of flesh when you’re looking at these closeups.”

(I love that line, "Shakes his Essence". I've got boom-chicka-boom soundtrack playing in my head now!)

But seriously, even the more watered down video hints at that other Necessary Pleasure.



The thumb in the mouth. The "mmm, mmm, mmm..."

"Nitke and I watched as Giada (De Laurentiis) prepared some Italian cookies. As usual, she was dressed in a tight, sleeveless top. “Now I can touch the dough and elongate it,” she said. “I’m getting it all over my fingers.” When Giada squeezed a lemon, the camera moved in for a closeup of the abundant yellow stream. “All that juice,” came Giada’s thick voiceover. “Oh my god,” said Nitke. “It’s watersports.”

And that, my friends, is why I cannot cook anything from Giada without thinking of ... well, you know what I'm thinking.

Please know, though, she's not just a pretty face. Girl's got some serious skills! And her recipes are usually very, very good.

So when our friends Andy and Connie suggested we try Giada's Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables we headed straight to Whole Foods to stock up on the ingredients.

• 2 red peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch wide strips
• 2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 summer squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 cremini mushrooms, halved
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch strips
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix or herbs de Provence
• 1 pound penne pasta
• 3 cups marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)
• 1 cup grated fontina cheese(warning!! kinda pricey, but worth it)
• 1/2 cup grated smoked mozzarella
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 cup for topping
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs.

Roast until tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander.

In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the ingredients are combined.

Pour the pasta into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Top with the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and butter pieces. Bake until top is golden and cheese melts, about 25 minutes.

Reviews:

Chef Tanya -- Luh-uh-uved it! Such depth of flavor, great color and very filling. The recipe says it serves six, but it must be six linebackers! We had more than 1/2 of it left. Gonna share with hungry co-workers tomorrow.

Jason -- It was great! But it better be, since it's got $9 million cheese in it.

Hannah -- It was really good. I liked it. I like cheese and it was really, really cheesy. Just the right amount of cheesy. And it had a hint of zesty to it, too. A good kind of zesty. And cheese. And the noodles were cooked just right. And the cheese. (yeah, she won't be going vegan anytime soon!)

Olivia -- It was good. But not good enough to make me forget about the huge spider I caught in my room this afternoon. Ewww. (It was a HUGE freakin' spider. We're usually a trap & release family, but this guy got the death penalty)

Miranda -- (Picked up a snack with friends after studying at the library. Car + debit card = this)

Bonus: This recipe is very flexible. We didn't have penne, so we substituted elbow macaroni (1/2 regular, 1/2 wheat - and the kids didn't even notice the wheat). We had regular mozzarella in the fridge, so used it instead of smoked.

You could also substitute your own veggies. Like maybe ... phallic shaped asparagus? For more aphrodisiacic (dang, squiggly line tells me that's not a real word) recipes, click here.

Divertitevi!

Oh Croatia ... You're Getting Mixed Reviews

I have to admit that before doing the research for tonight's dinner, the only thing I really knew about Croatia was the War of Independence in the early 1990's. I'm a journalist (and a news junkie), so I'd seen plenty of pictures of soldiers and bombed out buildings.

I had no idea the country was as beautiful as it is! Check this out.

And if you really want to have some travel envy, jump over to HeatherOnHerTravels and see more photos like the one below.

When it comes to Croatian food, each region has its own distinct culinary traditions. Inland, the cuisine hints at Slavic food (think Hungarian, Viennese and Turkish). In the coastal regions you'll find the influences of Greek, Mediterranean, Italian and French cuisine. In this region, the sea rules!

Just like Croatia, there's also a clear line of demarcation in our house. The grown-ups like spicy foods. The kids, not so much. Not sure if that's just our individual preferences or a factor of the age of taste buds.

Tonight's World of Food dinner is a perfect example. After successfully tackling Belgian Moules Marinieres with Frites two weeks ago, Olivia was excited about the chance to torture her little sister with Croatian Baked Calamari and Potatoes tonight.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg (2 lb) calamari, whole (We couldn't find them whole, so bought frozen rings)
• 1 kg (2 lb) potatoes, peeled and cut in round slices
• 2-3 large onions, cut in round slices
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped (We used 1 tsp. dried parsley)
• 100 ml (1 /2 cup) olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine (We used Chardonnay)
• salt, black pepper

"Ooooh! Mom! I don't want to touch it!!"

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 165 C (330 F). (This seemed low to us, so we bumped it up to 350 F)

2. Season potatoes with garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.

3. Arrange 2/3 potatoes in a greased casserole dish. Cover with whole calamari. Top with remaining potato slices and onion. Pour olive oil and wine over it.

4. Cover and bake over a low heat for 1 hour, until the potatoes are tender. Serve hot from the oven.

Chef Olivia with her dish....

So here's where the taste bud demarcation thing comes in. A gambling Mom would've bet that Jason and I would like this dish and this kids would balk... but no!

Reviews:

Chef Olivia -- The calamari was good, even though it didn't taste like anything. I like fried calamari better because it actually has a taste. I didn't eat all of the onions because I didn't have the appetite. The potatoes were good except I cut myself a little bit with a really, really sharp knife.

Hannah -- I liked the Baked Calamari and Potatoes because the potatoes were baked just right. They were not too crispy, but they had a hint of crispy to me. And the calamari - I liked that because it had a different kind of taste, but it wasn't too pizzaz, too much, but it still had a unique taste to it. onions taste good. if you like onions you would like this dish. I really liked the leftover Mac 'n Cheese because it was very cheesy and it had a lot of crunch to it because we added the croutons.

Miranda -- (okay, she abstained from eating & commenting)

Tanya -- I like calamari, but this is a pretty boring dish. It looks boring (white, white, and more white) and tastes boring. Not bad, just not that much flavor. Pretty disappointing, especially given the price. Calamari was $6.99/pound at Whole Foods and only came in a 2.5 pound package. We'll be frying the leftover calamari.

Jason -- It was okay, but I'm going to go out of my way to have calamari, I rather have something else, like fried calamari or basil squid. (If you're ever in Birmingham, Alabama, head down to Mr. Chen's in Hoover for their Basil Squid. Sooo good! In fact, lots of people give Mr. Chen's big kudos for "authentic chinese food".)


Maybe we need a Re-Do, because after doing a little more post-dinner research we found this:

I mean, c'mon! Look at those colors! Doesn't that look infinitely more yummy that our bowl full of white?

I think this might be the key:

"2-3 teaspoons of the Croatian ‘secret spices’ – cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, Chinese Five Spice (that is, approximately ½ teaspoon of each spice)"

Our dish would've tasted sooooo much better with a little zing.

Okay folks, can anyone help redeem Croatia a little more? Got a non-squid recipe to suggest? Because I'm pretty sure the kiddos won't go for the spicier, more squidy-looking version above.