Random Thoughts On Cooking, Bike Riding, and The Sacred Journey of Everyday Life
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I just finished watching the documentary, Food, inc. I found it both scary and invigorating…I feel like I have to do something at a personal level, every purchase I make counts. I encourage anyone who needs to eat to survive to watch this film. Click here for the movie’s web site; click here to see a trailer.
This is a meal-in-itself rice dish that is easy to make. The ingredients can be changed compliment your personal taste. Here’s how I made this version.
Saute onion, peppers, carrots, smoked sausage, and a clove or two of minced garlic. I seasoned it with cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, and fennel seed.
Stir in a cup of brown rice and 2 1/2 cups chicken broth. Bring the broth to a boil then lower it to a simmer. Cover the pot and simmer it for about 25 minutes.
Carefully remove the lid and add cooked beans, raw diced fish (I used tilapia), and frozen peas…don’t stir the rice; these items will steam on top of the rice as it cooks (if you stir it the rice will become mushy). Cover the pot and allow it to cook for another 15-20 minutes.
Shut off the heat and allow the rice to rest for about 5 minutes. Then gently fold the ingredients together. It’s as delicious as it looks.
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This is a meal-in-itself rice dish that is easy to make. The ingredients can be changed compliment your personal taste. Here’s how I made this version.
Saute onion, peppers, carrots, smoked sausage, and a clove or two of minced garlic. I seasoned it with cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, and fennel seed.
Stir in a cup of brown rice and 2 1/2 cups chicken broth. Bring the broth to a boil then lower it to a simmer. Cover the pot and simmer it for about 25 minutes.
Carefully remove the lid and add cooked beans, raw diced fish (I used tilapia), and frozen peas…don’t stir the rice; these items will steam on top of the rice as it cooks (if you stir it the rice will become mushy). Cover the pot and allow it to cook for another 15-20 minutes.
Shut off the heat and allow the rice to rest for about 5 minutes. Then gently fold the ingredients together. It’s as delicious as it looks.
$58.27 in groceries in a plastic crate.
So there I was as usual…pedaling and coasting down Elmwood Avenue on my way home from the local food co-op. The day was sort of odd…it seemed autumn-like. Anyhow, I was almost to the intersection of Elmwood and North Streets when I hit a small bump in the road (literally and metaphorically). The light was just changing, so like a person in a car not wanting to miss it I stood on the pedals and and pushed through. As I was flying through the intersection I heard something that sounded like a “pop.” As I turned I saw it was a yogurt container that fell out of the crate. I pulled hard on my breaks and screeched to a halt as the container of yogurt (which surprisingly didn’t break) spiraled through the intersection. What surprised me, and what I find truly interesting, is that cars also came to a halt. Drivers stopped to avoid hitting the yogurt, allowing me to retrieve it. I felt a little embarrassed and flashed them the peace sign as I grabbed the container from the intersection. I wished I had my camera with me…I had never saw yogurt stop traffic.
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$58.27 in groceries in a plastic crate.
So there I was as usual…pedaling and coasting down Elmwood Avenue on my way home from the local food co-op. The day was sort of odd…it seemed autumn-like. Anyhow, I was almost to the intersection of Elmwood and North Streets when I hit a small bump in the road (literally and metaphorically). The light was just changing, so like a person in a car not wanting to miss it I stood on the pedals and and pushed through. As I was flying through the intersection I heard something that sounded like a “pop.” As I turned I saw it was a yogurt container that fell out of the crate. I pulled hard on my breaks and screeched to a halt as the container of yogurt (which surprisingly didn’t break) spiraled through the intersection. What surprised me, and what I find truly interesting, is that cars also came to a halt. Drivers stopped to avoid hitting the yogurt, allowing me to retrieve it. I felt a little embarrassed and flashed them the peace sign as I grabbed the container from the intersection. I wished I had my camera with me…I had never saw yogurt stop traffic.
I just learned the sad news that the chef and restaurateur Rose Gray passed away few days ago. She was chef and co-owner of the River Cafe in London. Amongst the many cooks that have gone through her kitchen the most famous is probably Jamie Oliver…who was just a young lad when he worked for her before he became such a celebrity. I never met her, nor have I been at her restaurant, but her cooking has nonetheless influenced me. She was, I believe, a successor to the long line of great female English cooks and food writers such as Elizabeth David (who, quite literally, changed the way I cook and think about food and food writing). R.I.P. Rose, and thank you for your contributions to the culinary field.
To read her obit in the London Guardian, click here; in the London Telegraph, click here; in the New York Times, click here; and finally, to read a story remembering her life in the Economist, click here.
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I just learned the sad news that the chef and restaurateur Rose Gray passed away few days ago. She was chef and co-owner of the River Cafe in London. Amongst the many cooks that have gone through her kitchen the most famous is probably Jamie Oliver…who was just a young lad when he worked for her before he became such a celebrity. I never met her, nor have I been at her restaurant, but her cooking has nonetheless influenced me. She was, I believe, a successor to the long line of great female English cooks and food writers such as Elizabeth David (who, quite literally, changed the way I cook and think about food and food writing). R.I.P. Rose, and thank you for your contributions to the culinary field.
To read her obit in the London Guardian, click here; in the London Telegraph, click here; in the New York Times, click here; and finally, to read a story remembering her life in the Economist, click here.
I’ve mentioned in past posts (or at least alluded to) that I am a member of Pilgrim-St. Luke’s United Church of Christ (click here to go to our website…you can see me standing on the right with my son). It is, I think, a radically liberal denomination (click here and here), and for that reason I am proud to be part of it. Last year, as part of their God is Still Speaking ministry, the U.C.C. launched a series of television commercials that were somewhat controversial, especially the bouncer and the ejector commercials (click here and here to see them). Today the U.C.C. has released this introspective internet-only video message called the Language of God. It’s not quite two minutes long but it’s moving. Click here to see it at it’s original location.
Urban Simplicity.
>I’ve mentioned in past posts (or at least alluded to) that I am a member of Pilgrim-St. Luke’s United Church of Christ (click here to go to our website…you can see me standing on the right with my son). It is, I think, a radically liberal denomination (click here and here), and for that reason I am proud to be part of it. Last year, as part of their God is Still Speaking ministry, the U.C.C. launched a series of television commercials that were somewhat controversial, especially the bouncer and the ejector commercials (click here and here to see them). Today the U.C.C. has released this introspective internet-only video message called the Language of God. It’s not quite two minutes long but it’s moving. Click here to see it at it’s original location.
Urban Simplicity.
If you’ve never cooked spaghetti squash it can be one of those daunting vegetables make makes you look the other way…but if you try it you’ll find it really is simple to prepare, and fun too. This is a simple recipe that will make even the most mundane vegetable taste great. It’s really a variation on the classic aglio e olio (oil and garlic), and one that I’ve posted on my blog in many variations. One of the differences with this version is that you first have to contend with the spaghetti squash itself…but it’s quite simple and here’s how to do it.
Start by splitting it lengthwise with a sharp knife, taking care not to slip with the knife as some of the squash can be large.
Next, scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
Spaghetti squash can be cooked in any number of ways (boiling, steaming, roasting, etc.) and in the professional kitchen I more often than not roast it, but at home I will usually microwave it for a few minutes (yes two years ago I actually broke down and purchased one). Anyhow, to do this, put a few tablespoons of water in the squash half, place a paper towel on top of it, and microwave it for about 5-7 minutes (depending on the power of your microwave).
Once it is cool enough to handle (I usually pick it up with a towel), pull the innards of the squash onto a plate…it will shred naturally into spaghetti-like strands, hence its name.
Now here’s where the oil and garlic comes in (and you can use this following technique for virtually any vegetable or pasta). Place a couple cloves of fresh minced garlic and a teaspoon of crushed red pepper in a cold pan with some virgin olive oil (yes it should be a cold pan so the flavors slowly leech out as the oil heats. Also add a little sea salt. Cook and stir the garlic and peppers in the pan until the garlic is golden brown. Be careful not to burn the garlic (it goes from browned to burned in seconds).
Add the still-warm squash to the pan and toss and stir it into the flavored oil. If you’d like, chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese are also excellent additions. This makes a great side dish, or even the bed to a main course with sauteed chicken or shrimp. Delicious.
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If you’ve never cooked spaghetti squash it can be one of those daunting vegetables make makes you look the other way…but if you try it you’ll find it really is simple to prepare, and fun too. This is a simple recipe that will make even the most mundane vegetable taste great. It’s really a variation on the classic aglio e olio (oil and garlic), and one that I’ve posted on my blog in many variations. One of the differences with this version is that you first have to contend with the spaghetti squash itself…but it’s quite simple and here’s how to do it.
Start by splitting it lengthwise with a sharp knife, taking care not to slip with the knife as some of the squash can be large.
Next, scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
Spaghetti squash can be cooked in any number of ways (boiling, steaming, roasting, etc.) and in the professional kitchen I more often than not roast it, but at home I will usually microwave it for a few minutes (yes two years ago I actually broke down and purchased one). Anyhow, to do this, put a few tablespoons of water in the squash half, place a paper towel on top of it, and microwave it for about 5-7 minutes (depending on the power of your microwave).
Once it is cool enough to handle (I usually pick it up with a towel), pull the innards of the squash onto a plate…it will shred naturally into spaghetti-like strands, hence its name.
Now here’s where the oil and garlic comes in (and you can use this following technique for virtually any vegetable or pasta). Place a couple cloves of fresh minced garlic and a teaspoon of crushed red pepper in a cold pan with some virgin olive oil (yes it should be a cold pan so the flavors slowly leech out as the oil heats. Also add a little sea salt. Cook and stir the garlic and peppers in the pan until the garlic is golden brown. Be careful not to burn the garlic (it goes from browned to burned in seconds).
Add the still-warm squash to the pan and toss and stir it into the flavored oil. If you’d like, chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese are also excellent additions. This makes a great side dish, or even the bed to a main course with sauteed chicken or shrimp. Delicious.
A double order of General Tso’s chicken. Click here to read a story I wrote for Artvoice a while back delving into the story behind this dish.
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A double order of General Tso’s chicken. Click here to read a story I wrote for Artvoice a while back delving into the story behind this dish.
This is actually an advertisment for the health care company, Kaiser Permanente. And while the company is indirectly advertised, riding a bike is overtly so. What I like about this is that it shows people of all ages riding a bike not just as a “hobby” but as a mode of transport…no spandex, no hunching over curly handlebars, just riding as if it is a natural way to get around…and it is. This short clip echoes one that I posted a few days ago (click here to see it)…freedom. To see the video at it’s original location, click here.
Urban Simplicity.
>This is actually an advertisment for the health care company, Kaiser Permanente. And while the company is indirectly advertised, riding a bike is overtly so. What I like about this is that it shows people of all ages riding a bike not just as a “hobby” but as a mode of transport…no spandex, no hunching over curly handlebars, just riding as if it is a natural way to get around…and it is. This short clip echoes one that I posted a few days ago (click here to see it)…freedom. To see the video at it’s original location, click here.
Urban Simplicity.
Another bike.
One of the (many) unique features of the Mundo is that it has lower side rails that are great for carrying heavy objects, but even better at fitting the front tire of another bike, allowing you to tow it. I’m pretty sure that xtracycle offer this feature but I’ve never ridden one so I can’t vouch for it entirely. Anyhow, I had to take my son’s bike over to his Mom’s house so we could ride home together and this was the best (and most fun) option.
Urban Simplicty