Coconut milk for the win

This past weekend, as I enjoyed an outdoor concert in the area, a very pregnant lady handed me a little piece of heaven: the SO Delicious mini ice cream sandwich made with coconut milk. It was part of a promotion to share the merits of a vegan lifestyle and they handed out some literature with the treats.

Replacing what can often be pretty unexciting and stale vanilla ice cream with a creamy coconut milk-based faux ice cream is a thought conceived in heaven. I could easily imagine a similar dessert on one of Tom Collichio's plates, but of course his dish's slices of "bread" would be made with chocolate unicorn tears.

My father takes a bite out of his third sandwich 

As I skimmed the pamphlets that Prego McPrego handed me, I thought about how many times, in the process of working on this book, vegetarian and vegan women I know have mentioned that they are worrying about their diets during pregnancy. Sure enough, the literature in my hands addressed this.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is cited three times saying "a well-planned vegan diet is safe for all stages of the life-cyle including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence..." I want to be on board with this, because, again, I like the idea of women having enough information to make intelligent decisions about how they will handle their pregnancies.

But a vegetarian diet is decidedly different from a vegan diet.

One common nutritional concern during pregnancy is vitamin B-12 (cobalamin), and it is most commonly found in what vegans call "flesh foods"--or meat products. Here is the top 10 list of foods highest in B12. Yeah, vegans can't have any of it. And why do we care so much about B12 in particular? Well, for adults it's a pretty great nutrient whose effects range from protecting us against certain types of cancer to potentially reducing depression.

But, for babies in utero, it's pretty crucial. B12 is associated with a lot of the crucial development they need. Neural tubes, for instance. So one of the main concerns with a vegan diet is that vegan mother might suffer from B12 deficiency. One of the most common symptoms of which, by they way, is fatigue and loss of balance--nothing an already pregnant woman needs more of.

The AND endorsement of a vegan diet refers to the American Dietetics Association's position paper on vegetarian diets. In this paper, the ADA actually says that vegan mothers will have special needs and draws an important distinction between vegetarian and vegan diets. A "well-planned diet" for a vegan would consist of foods different from vegetarian diets, namely in its use of "fortified soy and rice beverages, some breakfast cereals and meat analogs, or Red Star Vegetarian Support Formula nutritional yeast [look for a post on this product in the future!]." Coconut milk beverages, to circle back to this elixir of the gods, can be enriched with B12 and a couple of cups can provide your daily nutritional requirement. Alternatively, a pregnant vegan would have to take a daily B12 supplement, not too different from the majority of pregnant women who take prenatal vitamins of some sort.

The position paper provides a pretty great summary of the research done on vegetarianism or veganism during pregnancy. Basically, vegetarians have it pretty easy--you can plan your diets to get enough B12, iron, folate and vitamin D. Vegans, however, have to be particularly diligent on getting the nutrients their baby needs. My take is that it is completely doable. Just do a little research, like the position paper in question.

A quick pickle

I grew up loving all kinds of pickles. The basic ones that came on our McDonalds hamburgers to the ones that were specially steeped with bulbs of garlic and sold on the Massachusetts coast to whale watching tourists. And my brother-in-law and sister-in-law in Charlotte passed on a "fresh" jar of pickled vegetables made by a chef-friend of theirs. They are dilly and delicious.

And then there were Indian pickles (achar). Mango is a popular kind, not only in Indian restaurants in the diaspora, but in Indian family kitchens as well.  While western pickles are mainly brined in an acetic acid like vinegar, Indian pickles are usually cooked with spices and packed with oil and salt (sometimes with an acetic or citric acid of some sort as well). They're then traditionally canned tightly and set in the direct sun for days.

In addition to the basic mango pickle, I love:

Carrot

photo courtesy of www.kitchengardenrecipes.wordpress.com

Garlic

photo courtesy of www.honestcooking.com

Lime

photo courtesy of www.the-dogs-breakfast.com

I also distinctly remember trips home to New Jersey from summers in India when my mother would (close your ears, customs' officials) sneak in some dried prawns (sukat). I fought and threw the teenagiest of tantrums to keep them out of my suitcase--I was convinced, due to the neurosis that comes from growing up in an era before Indian food was the trendy ethnic option it is these days, that it would transfer its pungent, borderline rotten odor onto all of my clothes.

But once we safely evaded the folks at the airport, friends would line up to get batches of what my mom made with it. There were pulaos, there were stir fries, and, yes, there were pickles.

photo courtesy of www.konkancouncil.org

But pickling takes time! It takes preparation and then fermentation, both of which require forethought. So when you want a nice Indian pickle to cut a curry, or you just want to have some with creamy yoghurt and rice (try it!), it's convenient to have some ready-made on hand. I'm lucky enough to have some ready-family-made, but there are some good options (my favorites are Mother's Recipe or Patak's) in the Indian sections of grocers now.

And then leave it to my mother, a true innovator in the kitchen, to introduce me to a quick pickle tonight. It's simple and relies on the pickle masala to provide the salty, spicy punch of an achar, but doesn't require the fermentation. The raw yellow onion adds nice texture and bite, while the ribboned spinach makes it quite an attractive slaw or relish even. In any case, it was delicious and went perfectly with a rich lamb curry.

Onion and Spinach Achar

• some ribboned spinach
• chopped yellow onion
• finely minced garlic
• achar masala, to taste
• salt, to taste

Combine all ingredients. It's that simple. Enjoy!

Homemade fingerpaints

When it's uncomfortably hot outside, I try to find indoor activities for Desmond. Preferably activities on the less-destructive end of the spectrum, for the good of our sweet little cherub, but also our apartment's security deposit.

Fingerpainting seems like it would violate this guidance, but the highchair with a washable tray is a beautiful thing. So I set about looking for homemade fingerpaint recipes-- turns out cornstarch is handy to have around for more than thickening up the perpetually runny curry. With the simple addition of both hot and cold water, it turns into a surprisingly satisfying goopy substance that kids will love messing around.

Source: www.imaginationtree.com

Given that this substance alone looks disturbingly similar to Desmond's favorite food in the entire world: (yoghurt), I wanted to add some colors and encourage his inner Picasso to shine. But most artificial food coloring creeps me out, and for good reason. Food manufacturers in the U.S. are more lax about adding artificial dyes made from synthetic chemicals to many of our foods, and some of them are beloved to our picky mini-eaters. 

Kraft macaroni and cheese, for instance, has come under fire for using Yellow Dyes 5 and 6, coloring that requires a warning label in other countries. While the studies on these yellows and some other dyes  (particularly Blue 1 and Red 40) are inconclusive, some research links these substances to heightened levels of carcinogens and potential behavioral problems such as hyperactivity. 

So the research is inconclusive, but what bothers me most is that Kraft still refuses to take these dyes out of production in the States. England's version doesn't use 5 or 6, and similar products like Annie's or Back to Nature use natural dyes like carrots or paprika. And, shocker, Annie's matches that gross fake yellow pasta look down to a tee. 

Natural dyes it was, then! I rifled through my fridge and spice cabinet and came up with some colorful additives: 

Raspberries. I always keep some frozen raspberries around for summer snacks or teething episodes, so I knew the reddish hue was one to be reckoned with. Added a bit of boiling water to help the color seep out, and voila! 

Spinach, a great green.

And, speaking of yellows, anyone who has ever come within 10 feet of turmeric knows its power.  After actually stirring this one up, I thought better of giving it to my little painting prodigy because I didn't want his tray permanently yellow. Yes, it's possible to remove turmeric stains (a Hindu wedding  ritual called the haldi ceremony taught me this, after only something like twenty of my relatives got to smear turmeric paste all over my face and hands the day before my wedding. Why? To, ironically, make the bride beautiful and to protect her from evil spirits, who are notoriously Type A about messes it turns out.), but I wasn't feeling up to the scrubbing challenge. Maybe I'll use it to enhance my next batch of mac 'n cheese.

So, all in all, got some nice colors out of some basic foods and spices. Desmond loved it, but a word to the wise: this activity is NOT rug or carpet friendly. 

~

Fingerpaint recipe

*adapted from www.theimaginationtree.com 

• 1 cup of corn starch
• 1/2 cup of cold water
• ~ 2- 2.5 cups of boiling water
• some food colouring

Method:

Mix the corn starch with the cold water and stir together. Pour in the boiling water and stir between each cup. Keep stirring for a bit until it turns into the desired goopy-ness. Separate into jars and add coloring.

  

A Fresh Start

It’s been a busy couple of years—I got my doctorate, I found a job, I gave up a job, I found another job, I had a son, I quit a job, and now I’m looking for a new job. But I’m back!

In the spirit of new beginnings, I’m repurposing this blog as a place where I think about how to make sense of all the different pieces of my life right now: work (politics), food (recipes), family (kids and products), home (DC), dreams (travel), interests (feminism) and obsession (pregnancy). That last one probably takes a bit more explanation.

My pregnancy with my son Desmond blew me away. I had never exactly looked forward to being pregnant and I had a suspicion as to why. As soon as I became pregnant, it was confirmed. The pregnant 'condition' was one of neurosis, restrictions and warnings. There were a lot of decisions to be made, for sure, but it seemed like women were not in charge of their own pregnancies. I became sort of obsessed with researching the roots of debates—from debates over insurance restrictions that chose obstetricians over midwives, to what sort of deli meats I wasn’t allowed to order at Potbelly’s.

So I’m putting all that work into a book project called The Political Pregnancy.  I tell the story of my nine month pregnancy, discovering a new political debate each month. I look at food and drink restrictions, parental leave entitlements, and childcare preparations, amongst other debates. And I try to explain the politics behind why we are where we are right now. When a Senate candidate can call ‘rape pregnancies’ a gift from God (yeah, what a charmer, right?), there’s no way that everyone thinks a pregnancy should be only a woman’s business—it is political and it is up for public debate. And some people are batshit insane, so I uncover some crazy episodes.

But back to the blog. I’m going to post things here that interest me right now. I’ll continue to post recipes and discuss food. But now I’ll also post some products that I think are cool, places I'd be interested to visit, fun kid-related ideas, and stories I come across while writing my book. It’s basically going to be my head for the next long while. Welcome to the umpteenth narcissistic blog! 

And, I’m not going to lie: a lot of it is going to focus on food!

So, let’s toast to a fresh start.

Fresh Start

A rosemary scented grapefruit cocktail

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2-3 long sprigs rosemary
• 4 cups fresh squeezed grapefruit juice*
• 3 oz vodka
• 2 oz Triple Sec

Photo courtesy of www.whatsheshaving.com

1.     Make the rosemary syrup: In a small saucepan heat the sugar and water until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add rosemary, simmer for 5 minutes and turn off.

2.     Once cool, mix the rosemary syrup with juice, vodka and Triple Sec in a pitcher.

3.     Serve over ice with a rosemary “stirrer.”

*if using store-bought juice, which can be a little sweet, reduce sugar a bit.

Obsessed with Kale

I'm generally irked by phrases such as 'black is the new pink' or '40 is the new 30,' but kale, my friends... kale is the new spinach. And my favorite way to eat it is raw.

Raw kale salads have been popping up with alarming frequency on almost every food blog I frequent. It's one of the healthiest vegetables out there, according to various nutritionists who extol its cholesterol-lowering and cancer-risk reducing effects. I've had requests for more vegetarian/vegan friendly recipes, and while my last post was beef-minded, one of the side-effects of traveling abroad for me is that I hate coming back to meat in the States. The massive hormone-fed drumsticks and flavorless flesh leave quite a bit to be desired, especially after eating far tastier versions abroad, so I take refuge in locally-grown vegetables. And so I thought I'd share one of my favorite (vegan) recipes with you.

I'm happy to say I caught on to kale's wondrousness fairly early in the game, one delightful afternoon in Ithaca, when we hosted a potluck with our neighbors on our porch. One of the neighbors brought a kale salad that had been marinated with nothing more than rice vinegar, olive oil, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and slivers of raw garlic and then tossed with some goat cheese and vegan sausage. Now, if you know me at all, you know it would take something of colossal import to make me partake in something like vegan sausage.

And it was the kale salad that did it. I went back for seconds, thirds and then cried a bit when it was done. I got the recipe and made it so frequently that it was the only thing I had left in my fridge on our moving day; I tried repaying the kindness of a friend, I, who had shown up to help, by forcing him to eat some of this delicious salad. Turns out rice vinegar and garlic don't agree with *everyone* at 10am.

Anyway, my obsession with raw kale didn't end there. I played around with caramelized onions,  learned to love its ceasar salad preparation, and thought it was the best vehicle for mustard vinagrette. But, now, I have found the kale salad that trumps all other kale salads: The Garlicky Kale Salad.

I found this salad one desperate lunch hour at the Whole Foods near my gym. I usually hate the prepared food bars, even at WF, but once my obsessive eyes spotted kale, I had to give in. I came home, devoured the salad, and swore I wouldn't rest until I figured out the recipe. And the great thing about WF is that they list the ingredients under their dish labels, so it actually wasn't as dramatic as I was prepared for it to be. So, I give you Garlicky Kale Salad and dare you to not LOVE this. And it's gloriously healthy to boot.

Garlicky Kale Salad

Ingredients:
2 cups raw kale, torn off of the stem and chopped roughly
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp tahini
1 Tbsp water
1-1.5 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp soy sauce (WF asks for liquid amino acids, but this works just fine as a substitute)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1-2 cloves garlic, finely grated

Directions:
Drizzle the olive oil over the kale and massage into individual pieces (this helps loosen up the kale and is why you don't need to marinate this salad for the 8 hours that some other kale salads can require). Next, combine the tahini, water, lemon juice, soy sauce and garlic and douse the salad. Again, massage it in. Finally, add black pepper to taste. Refridgerate for 5 minutes and then serve. It will only get better with time, so feel free to make plenty for leftovers.

There are obviously other things on my mind of late, most importantly Japan and the unfolding tragedy over there.  Interesting tid-bit: the Japanese love Kale so much, culinarily and aesthetically, that they introduced it ornamentally to their gardens. The people of Japan are in my thoughts right now, especially the workers at the nuclear plants and the hazards they're facing. If you're looking for some aid organizations to contribute to, here's a short list. (Just a note: I've heard that the phone companies' 'text-to-donate' plans can take up to 90 days to reach folks in need).

Doctors Without Borders
Red Cross
Google's compiled list of resources

Lucking out in Lucknow

I've apologized for my blog's neglect before, by explaining that when I write here I don't write my dissertation. Well, turns out I finished, so now I have no excuses. Not much else has changed--I think it's funny to choose 'Dr.' as a prefix on online surveys and I'm looking for a job because I chose to take a break from academia (more on this later, I'm sure).

I did, however, just get back from a trip to India to celebrate my cousin's wedding. This involved roughly 64 members of our clan flying to Kanpur for a weekend and being graciously hosted by his girlfriend's family. There was excellent food, tremendous fashion and heartening time with our huge family. On the way back to Bombay, a smaller subset of us (18 people) took a detour to Lucknow for 2 days.

There, I ate a damn good meal.

It was a foodie trip for sure. Lucknow, you see, is known for two main things: chikan embroidery work and pretty phenomenal kebabs. My family agreed from the start that we were going to Lucknow to eat, first and foremost, and that we might shop on the side for some chikan gifts for others back home.

We shopped a bit the first evening, where my cousin, L, used her mobile to text pictures back to cousins in Bombay and take their orders if they liked something. It was all very technologically saavy and, in the midst of these Arab revolutions, pretty consistently demonstrated that we've entered an age completely pervaded by social media. In the end, I got a kurta, watched some men blockprint fabric by hand, and played with my nephew.

The rest of the trip was about the food. We were stopped by some disturbance in the streets from going to Tunday Kebabi our first night, but ended up at an excellent dhaba in the middle of a street of streetstalls. We feasted on shaami kebabs and reshmi kebabs, with some tandoori chicken, biryani, and meat "stew" on the side for good measure. The best part of the meal, we all concurred, was the "stew" gravy, which we sopped up with our freshly warm rumali rotis (named after the indian hankerchief).

The genius of our trip was that we made it to Tunday Kebabi the next day and had exactly the same meal there. That's what I love about my family and the way it eats. They love trying new things (my grandmother is particularly fond of beef burgers in the US, it turns out), but they know when something is worth reveling in. It was a comparison of sorts, and we discussed which place had the better of two dishes while reminiscing about the family memories. Both meals were made remarkably indulgent by one of my bhaoji's attentive ordering for the entire table. He stood over us, watched which dishes we loved and devoured and then ordered more immediately. An endless supply of heaven, basically.

I regrettably fell sick with a stomach bug for the second half of my trip, so Bombay was (surprisingly) unable to top Lucknow's meals. If I'd had the tum for it, however, I know Trishna would have done the job. As it is, I'll just have to make sure I get there next time. It's been too long.

In honor of Lucknow's upset victory, I'm making reshmi kebabs for dinner tonight. Here's the recipe I use:

Reshmi Kebabs

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
• 3 green chilies, chopped
• 2 tbsp cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1/2 cup onion, pureed
• 1 tbsp ginger, pureed
• 1 tbsp garlic, pureed
• 1 tsp all spice powder
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• Salt to taste
• Oil to pan fry

Directions:

• Mix all the spices, cilantro, green chillies, breadcrumbs and eggs in the minced beef and make elongated kebabs or patties.
• Pan fry till dark golden brown on each side.
  

North Korea, Iran and Bulgogi Leftovers

North Korea qualified for the World Cup this year? Really?

Source: BBC Sport

Does anyone detect the sweet irony of this situation? The only reason North Korea squeaked by was because Iran failed to beat South Korea, meaning that North Korea only needed a draw with Saudi Arabia. But WHY Iran failed to beat South Korea is amazing, in my book at least. Six of the Iranian players (including the Captain) chose that game to protest Iranian presidential election results. They wore green arm bands, a very visible protest and reminder to the Iranian audience that was watching it telecast at home on state television that they supported the opposition candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi.

They came out for the second half without the armbands. Apparently they'd been told to remove them. So, let me get this straight. These men chose to defy what can only be called a rogue regime, and chose very publicly to do so on television worldwide, and then someone tells them during halftime that they really should take them off (if they know what's good for them, that is). And then they come out for the second half and go on to draw 1-1, failing to win one of the four automatic qualification spots for Asia. Are you kidding me? They must have been so damn scared, knowing that they were going to have to go home after that match, that I'm surprised it was 5-1--and not in their favor. Seriously, watch the video in this report--scroll down and please ignore the inane commentary about 'detecting protest.' Those are terrified men on that field.

South Korea got really lucky in that match. It's not like they were really preoccupied with a terrifying regime at home. After all, it's not like they're North Korea, right? Some of that luck ended up wearing off on North Korea too though, which is the irony. Players who bravely protested a terrifying regime ended up pushing through players from another terrifying regime. North Korea and Iran--now that would be a match.

And I'll bet that when you saw it was a post about North Korea, you thought I was going to talk about the Chinese individuals who were paid money to appear as North Korean fans.

In all fairness, since I like to use World Cup games as inspiration for meals, I now have double the reason, with both North and South Korea qualifying, to make bulgogi. I think I stumbled upon a very satisfying recipe the other day, and it was delicious. And because my very considerate mother knows how much I love bulgogi, she always picks up about 2 extra pounds of the thinly sliced ribeye when she shops at her local Korean grocer, since I can't seem to get anyone to cut it that thinly up here.

When you consider how much thinly sliced meat constitutes 2 pounds, you'll understand we had a lot of leftovers. After a couple of meals of bulgogi and brown rice, I decided to whip up something new, using the leftover meat. What came together was amazing--the bulgogi had soaked up juices over 2 days, and, what's more, the fresh cabbage, peppers and scallions over rice vermicelli made it taste refreshingly Vietnamese, and the peanut chili sauce reminded me of Thai noodles. All in all, a party in your mouth and definitely one I'd host again. Enjoy!

Bulgogi part 3: Peanut Chili Noodles

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound of leftover bulgogi
• 2 red peppers (thinly sliced)
• 1/2 head of purple cabbage (thinly shredded)
• 4 scallions, white and green parts (chopped)
• 1 tbsp garlic (minced)
• 2 tbsp ginger (minced)
• 10 oz. rice vermicelli
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter (if using regular peanut butter, just omit 1tbsp sugar)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup-1 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1 tbsp red chili flakes
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp sesame oil

Directions:
Submerge vermicelli in boiling water for 6-7 minutes. Then flush the noodles with cold water for one minute. Drain and keep aside. Add vegetable oil to a pan and saute the garlic until fagrant. Saute the red peppers and cabbage in this oil for 3-4 minutes and then add green onions and saute for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.

Combine peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and red chili flakes in a saucepan. Slowly add chicken brother, making sure to continue stirring so it doesn't congeal. Stir for 10 minutes, allowing it to simmer, but continuing to add broth so it doesn't become too thick. Toss the vermicelli with the sauce.

Serve topped with peppers and cabbage mixture, and top that with some heated leftover bulgogi. Serves 6.