Una Picada

I didn’t have it in me to cook dinner on Saturday, so I made una picada instead. Every time we eat like this for dinner we  mumble in between bites of cheese and prosciutto and crackers that we should do this more often. I don’t know why we don’t.

A picada (pee-káh-dah) is something to nibble on before dinner or a main meal. More often than not, the picada becomes the meal and the meal becomes what distends your stomach and gives you indigestion. For my mom, the picada is as important as the meal. She passed that neurosis on to me, so it’s not unusual for me to have 5 or 6 plates of finger foods–not including nuts or cheese–set out before a celebratory dinner.

A typical picada for us will have salami, ham, prosciutto, a plate of cheeses, my mom’s blue cheese spread, hearts of palm with dressing, chips, empanadas, sandwiches de miga, and one or two bowls of nuts because even gluttons need omega-3s, antioxidants, protein, and fiber.

As you can see, Saturday night wasn’t so extravagant. I didn’t even bother to remove the meats, cheeses, and dips from their store packaging and onto my extensive picada serving plates, something I will hear about on my mother’s deathbed if fate is cruel and she sees this picture.  I admit, this is hardly fair representation for Argentina’s version of tapas. I’ll have to redeem myself by hosting, and then posting, a true picada. This was a pale, pathetic excuse for a picada. It was more of a pic…, or as my mother would say, “A tiny little drop in my ocean.”

Clementine and Date Yogurt Cups

Abstaining from flour and sugar doesn’t mean I abstain from desserts. It means I am opening myself up to new flavors and, overtime, tasting food clearly. Never was this more apparent than when I first went sugar and flour free two years ago. Tomatoes were impossibly sweet. Roasted bell peppers tasted like candy. I’m hoping to cleanse my palate to that extent again. It takes time. About a month or two, if I remember.

This is my favorite dessert, my only dessert right now. It’s a Greek yogurt cup of clementines, dates, flax seed, unsweetened coconut, and oil. The boys and I can eat this up morning, noon, and night. The Mister isn’t as big a fan. He can’t get past the texture of yogurt. It disgusts him.

As with most of my recipes, this isn’t much of a recipe. I layered this dessert for the photos, but you know when I make it for myself I dump everything into a bowl and mix it up with a spoon, right? And that all mixed up, it looks like something curdled? I just wanted to make sure.

This yogurt cup, as unattractive it may be in its natural state, fills you up. And while I was joking about layering it to look pretty, I’ve done it twice since then. I forgot flax seeds can be thickeners and binders. I made this yogurt cup in the afternoon and put it in the refrigerator for after dinner. By the time I got to it, the yogurt was impossibly thick. It was almost like ice cream, which is a-okay in my book. So, two things to consider: it can be a meal and tastes even better when you make it ahead of time.

Clementine and Date Yogurt Cups

This recipe is flour free and sugar free, though you can certainly add agave or honey if you are accustomed to sweeter desserts. Try it once plain. Although yogurt can be sour for some, dates are impossibly sweet. If you get a bite of date in every spoonful, you shouldn’t need a sweetener. If 2-4 dates aren’t enough, try more.

1 cup non fat Greek yogurt
1 cup peeled and sectioned clementines, about three
2-4 Medjool dates, chopped
1 tablespoon flax seed, ground or whole
1 tablespoon unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tablespoon Udo’s Oil 3.6.9 Blend (optional, but if you don’t use the oil consider regular fat yogurt)

Dump everything in a bowl. Eat.

Or, if you’re feeling fancy, divide your ingredients by halves or thirds and layer it in pretty glass dishes. Store in refrigerator or eat.

Massaged Kale Salad

I’m over the withdrawal symptoms. Hurray! Just like last time, the worst of it passed on day four. On Sunday night I passed on my own birthday cake with nary a wince. Last night didn’t go as well. The boys were eating Christmas candy from friends at school, and I wanted some even though I don’t like candy. There they were, making all sorts of noise working chocolate covered caramels and lollipops while I tried to focus on my book. After a few minutes I decided they didn’t need me to sit at the table and watch them eat. I didn’t need to sit at the table and watch them eat. I turned to the Mister and the boys and told them I was going to my reading chair. And that was that.

I know why I wanted candy. I wasn’t satisfied with my dinner. It was a haphazard affair constructed from leftovers and quickly sauteed vegetables that left me wanting more.

After a few minutes of reading/stewing in bitterness and resentment, I went to Trader Joe’s to buy ingredients for my favorite sugar free-flour free dessert. It’s nothing fancy, just a yogurt cup, but I love it more than a pile of candy. When the boys have dessert or candy from now on, I’ll be ready…and not so stabby. I’ll be sure to post the non-recipe.

I’m still feeling my way around what to eat, even though I have six months of eating this way two years ago under my belt. I’ve forgotten everything I used to eat! If I’m home, I stick to hearty salads made of kale for lunch. I love kale, cooked or raw. Some people find it too bitter, but it doesn’t bother me in the least. The best part about kale is that its composition is similar to steel or Plastic #7. It’s indestructible. I grab a big bunch of kale, enough for two salads, and dump it in a bowl after a quick rinse. Then I drizzle olive oil or my dressing of choice and a good pinch of salt over the top. Instead of tossing it, I use my hands and massage it as I go. Here’s a video of what I mean. Aarti is using my favorite Lacinato/Black kale.

The kale can stay in the refrigerator overnight fully dressed, unlike salad greens. Cook once, eat twice. I add the salad fixings as needed. The salad in the lead picture has mushrooms, tomatoes, green onions, raw pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, and Trader Joe’s Goddess Dressing.

It was delicious, not that I was surprised. Every time I resume my healthy eating habits I remember how much I love to eat this way. I feel better. I look better. I’m more satisfied. It’s a win-win. What a shame that my broken brain always tries to pull me away from something that is so good for me.

Jane Brocket

It wasn’t until after I baked Digory’s plum cake that I remembered Jane Brocket’s Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer, a treasury of the desserts, confections, and treats found within the pages of classic children’s literature. I gasped when she first revealed her project on her blog. What an amazing endeavor to take on! One part intellectual, one part just plain fun. My favorite kind of project.

I never did buy the book. It’s impossible to find in the U.S. at a reasonable price, and most of the recipes reference classic literature best known to British children. After making the plum cake, I searched online to see if the book was available now, years later. Not for less than $100, it isn’t! Instead, I found an Americanized version called Turkish Delights and Treasure Hunts, a book in a similar vein that draws from classics I remember. Included, of course, is The Chronicles of Narnia. I haven’t seen the book, but I suspect a recipe for plum cake isn’t included. The reference to plum cake was a metaphor, and I believe Brocket only wrote recipes for foods that played a part in their originating stories. She had to draw a line somewhere. Like, maybe, I don’t know…Turkish Delight?

[update: Emily is psychic.]

Food + Foto No. 3: In Defense of Homemade Pancakes

I learned last week one should never post a picture of a carbohydrate without an accompanying recipe. Today my Food + Foto comes with a recipe. (One step forward!) The recipe is for pancakes from scratch. (Two steps back!)

Yes, many people are committed to their store bought pancake mixes, and I’ve heard on more than one occasion about mixes that come with wholesome, organic ingredients. But, I stand firm that those ingredients are the very same ingredients already residing in your cupboards. The only difference is that you are paying someone to mix them all together into more convenient packaging.

The recipe is an adaptation from one found in The Joy of Vegan Baking, my hands down favorite baking cookbook. I’ve baked from this cookbook too many times to mention and the basic, foolproof recipes of treasured classics never fail to deliver. I decided at the very last minute Sunday morning that I should make pancakes. I was halfway through the batch before I remembered that I was out of maple syrup. Then I noticed a little footnote directing readers to make the brown sugar syrup if they suddenly found themselves without maple syrup. Oh, The Joy of Vegan Baking, how I love you.

I’ll be spending the rest of the week cooking up a storm for my family. There will be no shortage of material for Food + Foto next week, that’s for sure. See you next Monday, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving in the meantime.

Homemade Pancakes with Peach Compote and Brown Sugar Syrup

Basic Pancakes
makes 16-20 pancakes

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups nondairy milk (I use almond)
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted (any other oil or butter would work fine)
6 tablespoons liquid sweetener, such as maple syrup, apple juice concentrate, orange juice, agave,

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine the milk, oil, and sweetener.

Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and mix just until moistened. Do not over mix.

Heat a nonstick griddle or sauté pan over a medium high flame. You will not need to add oil to the griddle/pan (I used half the oil listed and had zero problems) but you can if you like your pancakes to have a crispy edge.

Pour batter onto the griddle by the ladle, which should give you pancakes of about 4-6 inches in diameter. Cook until you seem bubbles form and then flip. Cook on the other side for another 2 minutes, bringing the total cooking time to roughly 4 minutes.

Brown Sugar Syrup

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup nondairy milk (I used almond)
3 tablespoons Earth Balance or butter

Combine the brown sugar, milk, and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a full boil and boil for 3 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer vigorously until thickened to a syrupy consistency, 10 to 15 minutes.

Peach Compote

1 10 ounce bag frozen organic peaches

Here’s the thing with the peaches. I forgot to double the recipe for the Brown Sugar Syrup and was afraid the pancakes would be too dry or tasteless. (I should not have worried.) So, at the last minute I found this bag in the freezer and defrosted it, in a bowl,  in the microwave. So, it’s not a real or traditional compote of stewed fruit. Sue me.

All Together Now

pancakes + syrup + peaches.