Beans Beans are good for your heart....

I eat lots of beans, and no, it creates no ill-effects on my body. Over time, your body adjusts to the negative effects of beans, and if you soak your beans, you can completely rid your body of gas. In one of my extreme bean phases, in trying to build up my iron to give blood, I tried to cook a new bean recipe every other night. But I read one too many recipes. Thinking I found a golden new recipe, which sounded perfect during the summer, I cooked a gem from the Moosewood cookbook. Two hours later, I realized I made regular old baked beans, which apparently are called Boston Beans. I still shudder at the oops-I-must-be-a-complete-idiot-moment. Although, those beans were nothing like my mother's baked beans, which are famous.

I always loved her baked beans growing up, often requesting them for my birthday, but her beans are mostly famous due to an awkward moment seven years ago. At my twenty-third birthday, AAM. came to my parents house for his first meal, along with fifteen friends. We were all eating classic cookout food, including my mom's beans. All of the sudden, there was that moment of silence, the rhythmic lull in a conversation which naturally occurs every ten minutes. Right at that moment, A. loudly says to my mother in the kitchen "MRS. S. THESE ARE THE BEST BAKED BEANS I EVER HAD!" The entire group started hysterically laughing, but we all know the truth, A. couldn't be more right.

I don't have the exact recipe, but I mimicked it tonight, and we decided they were the best Boston baked beans I ever made.


Vegetarian Baked Beans

• 2 cans of B&M Baked Vegetarian Beans
• 1  chopped  onion
• 1/2 cup of maple syrup
• 1/2 cup of bread crumbs
• 2 cups of shredded cheddar
• 1 stick of butter

1. Preheat the oven at350
2. Pour beans into an oven safe casserole dish
3. Mix in chopped red onion and syrup
4. Melt the butter in a bowl, then mix in bread crumbs and cheese.
5. Place cheese mixture on top of the beans
6. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes
7. Let cool slightly, but serve warm

Before going into the oven 

And after coming out:

Tonight we feasted on...

Shrimp and Asparagus Lemony Risotto

Risotto Liquids:

• 3 cups of veggie broth
• 1/2 cup of white whine
• 2 tb of fresh lemon juice

Other Ingredients

• 1/2 Vidalia Onion
• 1/2 cup of Italian/Flat Leaf Parsley
• 1 lb of Shrimp
• 2 tb of fresh lemon juice
• Olive oil
• 1 bundle of asparagus, chopped
• Salt and Pepper
• Romano Cheese

1. Throw 1 tb of olive oil in saucepan, Heat med. Saute Risotto until it slightly darkens.
2. Steadily pour any of the risotto liquids on top. Stir, whenever the risotto looks dry, add a bit more; the order does not matter. When near the end, add chopped parsley, salt and pepper.
   
3. After 8 minutes on the risotto, add 1 tb olive oil in a different pan, saute shrimp, drizzle lemon juice. Cook until pink, remove from heat. The shrimp can sit in lemon oil and heat a little more.
4. Steam asparagus, you can do this in a steamer or in the microwave (put them in enough water to cover and cook for 2.5 minutes).
5. Mix shrimp, asparagus, risotto, add salt/pepper to taste, and sprinkle romano cheese on top.
   

We enjoyed with champagne to celebrate the end of the school/work year, but that might make a sommelier gasp.

Eating in Ireland.

One month ago, or centuries depending on what time of day you ask, A. and I ventured to my father's homeland, Ireland. Because we pinch every penny, budget every moment, and heavily use trip advisor, A. and I are lucky enough to have traveled to some pretty amazing places. The key to our travels remains budgeting. We realize the importance of a comfortable bed, breakfast/dinner, and good advice. Each trip, we usually save one night for a good, nice meal and the rest or searches for the best tasting pub/brassiere food we can find, which requires tons of research.

In Ireland, we listened to a hotelier in Dublin who told us about a great neighborhood place. In Sligo, we stayed at a bed and breakfast that would not stop sending us food. In Doolin, we ate a gorgeous meal at a B&B with a gourmet cook. The owner sat and talked with us for thirty minutes about politics and life. In Galway, we perused the farmers market. And that night, we tried some very old pubs, some in old churches, and ate at what is considered the best fish and chippery on the west coast. Now, wait, considered? I say considered because only two days later, we were speeding by the Cliffs of Moher. We whipped past small towns, but my stomach started growling. Normally fiscally conservative travelers, we like to grab lunch on the go, a baguette with cheese or a taco. In Ireland, this became harder-- there are no small meals in Ireland. My stomach roared, and we pulled into Vaughns.

Moments later, We sat in the front section of the pub, next to the peat fireplace, and ordered the fish and chips. Now Vaughns is a true neighborhood pub. The men of different ages were loudly debating whether a wall had been built in the last 5 or 30 years, many expletives spouted, two men departed and, the bartender spitting nails, the debate was resolved. After thirty minutes, families flooded in with grandparents and grandchildren, mothers and fathers. Everyone going to the pub to talk, socialize and eat. Most who visit Ireland know that the pub is not a drinking space, but a social space. On that Sunday, it was a way for families to mingle and not have to cook. This atmosphere, amazing in itself, could not even explain the fish and chips. Crisp, hot, and tender. The fish and chips at Vaughns were the best of the trip, and the best I ever consumed. A mammoth plate, normally, I could never finish that much food, but that afternoon, I treasured the entire plate.

.....other writers who back eco-eating.....

"Eating is an Agricultural Act."- Wendell Berry.

For more food for thought click here: Wendell Berry, Farmer/Writer.

There is no FOOD in your food...

During lunchtime, I often repeat to my middle school students, "There is no food in your food." When they take out their packaged lunches, packages wrapped in colored plastic, their food becomes an advertisement for preservatives. As a teacher, I get to witness the big sort-- the distribution of what children eat vs. what came in the brown bag. My classroom has a microwave, which means I get an interesting display of packaged dinners, loaded with chemicals and sodium. Paired with trendy drinks, the students lunch on additives on top of additives, and not a fresh veggie in sight. When people wonder about the health of American youth, I immediately think of micowavable paninis and the loss of handmade sandwiches. The students always laugh when a colleague of mine regularly searches through lunch bags, finds an interesting specimen, and holds it up in horror and reads the ingredients. Because of their Health class, taught by the same fantastic teacher, they can regularly chat about ingredients and organics. In fact, my high school students are pretty picky eaters and have a gourmet palate, with understandable lapses in teenage judgment. It is trendy to know what you are eating and try new things, and being urban students they can seek out many affordable outlets for good, real, food. They understand there is no food in their food, but why don't most adults know this?

The phrase, there is no food in your food, could describe the new book by In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan. An easy read, I picked up the book at the airport last night and finished seventy pages in an hour. Although he does not need to convert me, reading Pollan's research behind the legislative and advertising industries, which created a movement away from real food into the realm of processed food, delineates an interesting argument for changing how we eat. In particular, I enjoy his hesitancy to be self-righteous. Pollan admits to eating processed foods, but he creates a fascinating exploration into how we got to where we are, and why we are in the position to change what we eat. For Pollan, the separation of the nutrient from food opened the Pandora's box for the food industry. If they can advertise a certain food as containing a nutrient, or lacking so-called bad nutrients, then consumers will grab the flashy new item. We become alienated from food, because food is a part.

Now, I want to bring your attention to a certain portion of Pollan's argument. He feels that since we focus on subtracting ingredients, such as fat or carbs, we end up not focusing on the right problem. The studies on heart disease, which conflict on the issues of fat, don't examine the type of food people are consuming, just the ingredient. Despite the research on animal protein's connection to heart disease the public focuses on the bad nutrition ingredient, saturated fat. Perhaps, cutting down on meat, and filling our plates with vegetables might help lead to a healthier lifestyle. Pollan's not a vegetarian, but he does raise wonderful points about hormones in our food, and how this could be another link to health issues. He does my favorite approach to statistics, break them apart to show the fallacy of numbers. In the case of saturated fat, it could be hormones in meat and dairy, lack of vegetables or exercise, smoking or drinking, or cultural factors, etc. As he says, "We just don't know. But eaters worried about their health needn't wait for science to settle this question before deciding that it might be wise to eat more plants and less meat." Stop focusing on the nutrient, and eat a diversity in types of food: Real food, no chemicals. We all should have food in our food.

Pescetarian Wisdom from a Chef.

Last weekend, at various events I heard the whisper of sustainable eating. The question became, what is good eating? and how do we qualify it? A true history teacher, my response encouraged us to look backward at our food, towards our grandparents and great-grandparents. Today, our food contains chemicals not nature, and depletes resources at a phenomenal rate. People talk about the emphasis on meat and corn in America, but really all food needs to be consumed responsibility. Vary your ingredients, your palate and the environment will be pleased.

For our anniversary last June, A. and I went to Hook, a sustainable fish restaurant in Georgetown. Started by a high school friend of A., Barton Seaver, the restaurant truly practice what it preaches on conscientious pescetarian living. After leaving the restaurant, Seaver continued his sustainable eating path, with a focus on fish, and opened other venues in D.C. Always an interesting one, Seaver creates a reasonable argument for looking at ingredients.
Take a gander at the article on Barton Seaver in the Washington Post, definitely worth a pause.

AAM's Meal

When I drove to Williamsburg, while AAM attended law school, I often ended up cooking upon arrival, as well as meals for the next week. Throughout those years, AAM worked hard, and I loved learning how to cook, so this was not an odd relationship. However, this became a big focus of time. So, on one visit, he surprised me. AAM called his dear sister, who directed him over the phone on the basics of cooking with this recipe I will always be thankful because she gave us a wonderful weeknight meal, which will always remind me of his triumphant face upon his first creation.

Ingredients

• 1 lb of wild shrimp
• 2 broccoli stalks
• 2 cups of rice (whole or white)
• 1 bag of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 tb mesquite seasoning
• salt and pepper
• Gratin Container (Crate and Barrel makes wonderful and affordable gratins, which I use all the time for different dishes)
  

1. Cook the rice.
2. With 5 minutes left, steam the chopped broccoli.
3. When finished, mix the rice with 2 cups of cheddar cheese
4. Peel shrimp, put in bowl, and mix with mesquite/Cajun/or spicy seasoning
5. In a gratin individual container, put 1/2 cup of rice mixture, broccoli, and top with 5 or so raw shrimp. Sprinkle with cheese.
6. Cook @375 for 15 minutes. **Be sure to use an oven mitt to remove gratin containers.

Cooks for 5 or 6 .... or for 2, and then lunch for a few days.

Growing your Goods.

I gardened yesterday. Yes, I, did. In high school, under the 90 degree D.C. heat, I used to proclaim: I will never garden. Cursing my parents enormous yard, I declared their desire to have a beautiful garden an abuse of plants and children. Up to a year ago, I would tell friends about mowing the lawn before or after running four races in track meets, in order to garner sympathy due to my obviously abusive parents. However, I turned a new leaf (haha, puns are annoying).

I can blame basil, really. When A. and I lived on the thirteenth, yes the thirteenth, floor of an Arlington building, I planted my first basil to save money. I became oddly proud of our freakishly large plant. Look! I can keep a plant alive! Considering, I managed to keep two cats alive, one who needs a daily I.V, one would think this wouldn't be a hard feat. However, I never managed to keep plants alive. When we moved to our townhouse, our deck became littered with odd herbs. At first, I could only keep edible plants alive. However, last year, my mom came and helped me plant our front lot. I realized I could keep all sorts of plants alive, and became obsessed with my hydrangea. A., look at my beau-ti-ful hydrangea! Isn't it gorgeous! Do you think it will grow to be a huge hydrangea? huh? huh? He almost issued divorce papers.

This year, I am taking the jump, plunging into the deep, taking a risk. A friend negotiated a plot at a community garden for me. The past three weeks I weeded for hours, mowed, mulched, planted marigolds, A. even helped. Now, I am ready to plant my veggies. I could not be more excited to have homemade organics. So, I guess this the spot where I need to say, I am thankful for knowing the pleasures of gardening. OK, Mom and Dad, you win.

Entering the Public Sphere

The past semester, I spent much time, perhaps too much time, contemplating the role of citizens in the public sphere. In class, we debated the role of government and the individual, as well as whether subjects have agency. We talk about humans as bodies, which live in a system that controls our cultural trends. We become bodies of consumption. Always the optimist, I do not like the concept of bodies who can not dialogue with the state structure. I will not remain a victim of institutional problems.

I believe that blogging is a moment to pass information, with the hope for agency. My students blog about their readings in my history class, which they analyze scholarly works and their frustrations with history. I started debating blogging five years ago. About that time, seems a world away, I learned that I needed to modify my eating in order to lead a normal, less uncomfortable life. When my diet changed, there was much confusion about what I could and could not eat, and I thought about writing about my diet problems. However, in the meantime, I discovered a blog by an old housemate, someone who I don't speak to anymore. She wrote a rather mean story and comment about me on the internet. It hurt. I was frustrated. The internet creates a permanent, but fluid, forum for people to express their ideas. There is always the possibility for recourse and written revenge. Her blog raised issues I put to bed years ago. C. and F., my dear sister and best friend, calmed me with their words about how pathetic it must be to still be saying horrible words about people 8 years later. I agreed, and worried that a blog could hurt anyone unknowingly. I do not want to participate in negative dialogue. Blogs can replicate divisive social politics, which hold us in our social stagnation.

So when deciding to blog, I thought about the things in my life that I love, and create positive change. There are so many things, but most would bore everyone to death. I mean, I love sewing, but I am sure no one I know will want to hear how to make a cute onesie or pocket quilt. My PhD program teaches me so many fascinating ideas about how people operate, but I am not comprised of a bunch of theories. My life as a high school teacher makes each day an amazing adventure, but those moments are between my students and myself. However, in my life, food centers our conversation. Food bonds people. I created a wonderfully strong relationship with my mother-in-law over our love of cooking. I taught my sister how to cook when we lived together. My friends and I discuss great recipes, or have each other over to share good food. My best friend from high school peruses my cookbooks, made our dinners as teens, or cooks feasts for his adult friends.

How we cook and eat is a moment of agency as well. When you purchase an ingredient or meal, you create a small ripple in the economy towards that product. As consumers, we can create trends, and the market, even the shaky market, will follow. When I buy organic or buy groceries with no meat on the conveyor belt, I am making a statement about what people should be eating. If people stop buying processed food or meats, we can demand a better food choice. That is not to say I am a perfect consumer. There are moments that I create fissures in my movement towards positive eating. I have been known to eat Taco Bell or even, as my father loves to remind me, eat Five Guys (I was sick for 48 hours over that crack). The important message is to return to your goal the next meal. To become an agent in change, improve the condition of animals, and send a message about how you feel about your body. To eat well is to care about your body and your environment. How do you ensure change in your daily consumption?