Food Rules #43: Have a glass of wine with dinner

This is the last rule of Section 2 of the book Food Rules and maybe I'm biased, but I really really like this rule. And I find it very very easy to follow! Obviously we've all heard about the presence of wine in the Mediterranean diet, particularly France & Italy...and many more of us here in America are incorporating wine into our routines. Decanter Magazine recently wrote an article about US Wine Consumption, stating that it rose 2% in 2009 (I believe that number is smaller than in should be, probably attributed to the recession). We certainly saw and continue to see wine sales grow at our shops. I attribute this to an increasingly-savvy group of wine drinkers! Our weekly wine tastings showcase wines new to the shops, many of unusual or rarely-known varietals. People are trying new things, and are really into all the great wine that's out there. More than ever we're hearing people ask for wines to match with certain dishes. People are really interested in the cynergy between wine & food, and with the weather turning and people cooking more, it's a welcome challenge to us to try to find wines that keep people trying new things but that will also complement the foods they're cooking now: risottos, more meat, fondues, soups, braised anything!

Wine can be so many things to so many people: it can be a complex drink that needs to be dissected with every glass; it can be a way to wind down at the end of a hectic day; it can just be something that complements the food we're cooking and allowing the flavors of the dish to shine through. Regardless, if you're drinking wine, let it be first be in moderation; and let it be something you enjoy! We hope our customers enjoy the $9 bottle as much as the $20 bottle, because wine should hopefully be about pleasure as much as possible!

This rule is the last before the start of the 3rd section of the book, entitled "How Should I Eat? (Not too Much)". You may recall that section 1 was called "What Should I Eat (Eat Food); Section 2 "What Kind of Food Should I Eat? (Mostly Plants)". I hope you'll continue with me on this blog thru the last few rules (there are 64 total). My goal is to wrap those up by year end so I can start a new topic to Blog about in the new year. That topic is still being decided, but it will be something that continues to be relevant to our mission here at PFW!

Food Rules #42: Regard Non-Traditional Foods w/Skepticism

Mmmm...remember Olestra? I found this on the Proctor & Gamble website:

"Olean is Procter & Gamble's brand name for olestra, a food ingredient giving foods great taste and texture without adding any fat or calories. Olestra is known as a fat replacer because it is used to replace fat in prepared foods. And, it is the first ingredient with similar properties to fat. It doesn't "break down" when subjected to high temperatures so it can be used in cooking and frying. But, like the insoluble fiber in apples, corn and bran, it is not digested by the body and passes through unchanged."

Sounds tasty, no? NO! This is essentially a chemical that was developed (in my opinion) to allow people to feel less 'guilt' for eating snack foods. Remember one of my recent posts, "Eat all the junk food you want, as long as you prepare it yourself"? Well, this is a good reason to heed that rule.

Pollan also writes about soy "novelty" ingredients that comprise the label of some foods. Why not just eat soy in it's traditional form, like tofu, tempeh and soy sauce? You'll also notice soy lecithin showing up in a lot of chocolate. This acts as an emulsifier and many small-batch chocolate makers don't use it. And I think they are better off for not doing so. Taste any of the single-origin chocolate bars we carry at the shops (Claudio Corallo, Askinosie & Rogue) and you'll realize chocolate this exquisite (and that is the first word that comes to mind when I taste these chocolates) doesn't need the soy lecithin.

Read more about these amazing chocolates here:

http://www.claudiocorallo.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1&Itemid=2&lang=en

http://www.askinosie.com/

http://www.roguechocolatier.com/about/

Food Rules #41: Eat more like the French. Or the Japanese. Or the Italians. Or the Greeks.

I like this rule. I love all types of cuisine so this rule is easy for me to follow. Pollan's point? That compared to many other food cultures, the Western diet is heavy on processed foods and low on nutritional diversity. We also tend to eat a heck of a lot more often in our cars! Not just that what the bulk of Americans eat is different from other societies (though I am betting the percentage of people eating more processed food in other countries gets larger each year) but that how we eat is very different from other cultures. We always hear how the French and Italian mealtimes are lengthy and slow paced...compare that with the picture many of our commercials paint with mom or dad rushing home from work to put dinner on the table for the family, namely the kids who are rushing in from various activities...it kinda makes me stressed just watching it!

I remember as a kid eating dinner with my family - nothing ever overly-elaborate (Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, anyone?) almost every night (and both my parents always worked). I remember even more fondly going to my grandparents' house in rural Ohio and our big extended family dinners with numerous aunts & uncles and cousins (I remember peeling lots of potatoes, that's for sure!). Dinner was usually prepared for close to 20, including kids and after each meal the adults (& 'big kids') got to sit around afterwards and talk while the younger kids washed dishes. I loved the relaxed feeling those mealtimes - kind of like the long, lingering holiday mealtimes - brought. I enjoy taking my time, especially if I've cooked or helped to cook a meal. I wish I could find a happy medium with some Chicago restaurants with regards to the length of the meal. I want to be able to sit for a few minutes before being bombarded with drink/appetizer/dinner requests. I want the luxury of sitting for a while between courses and not having the server snatch up my plate while there is still food on it, even though I may still be eating. But I also don't want to wait for an hour after the meal to get my check. As usual, I digress...

But to get back to Pollan's point about paying attention to how other cultures eat: mealtimes may take a lot longer but portions are smaller, eating more slowly helps minimize over eating. And I would argue that eating real, whole foods leaves us more satisfied than merely the dinner from a bucket or plastic bag. I am certain the #1 retort to this from many of you would be "But who has time?" I don't have children to get washed and ready for bed at a reasonable hour. I know how to cook with a few simple ingredients and I'm not overwhelmed or intimidated by cooking. But I would argue that a little pre-planning, creativity and sense of humor does wonders! I think the idea should be to just see what things we can easily change with a little planning, with incorporating others into the meal prep and making a point to add conversation and calm into our meal time. That has to be worth something, I'm sure!

Food Rules #40: Be the kind of person who takes supplements - then skip the supplements

Hmmm...so, Pollan says that even though studies tell us that people who take supplements are generally healthier than people who don't, yet that in controlled studies supplements don't appear to be effective. He backs that up with an interesting point, though: that people who take supplements already have an active, healthy lifestyle and diet.

At any rate, you should decide for yourself. Tomorrow, Sept 12, Green Grocer hosts Naturopathic doctor Stephanie Draus for a presentation called "Making Sense of Supplements". I've had the pleasure of working with Stephanie in the past and she knows her stuff! Why not head over to Green Grocer and find out more information on how supplements may or may not be a good alternative for you. The event is free and the shop is great, too!

http://www.greengrocerchicago.com/events.html

Food Rules #39: Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself

So, it's ok to eat "junk food"? "Yes", says Pollan, provided you make it yourself. What we consider junk food has become so cheap and easy to get that many people are eating it on a regular basis - and it's loaded with empty calories, carbs, sugar, HFCS and sodium. I just got back from an amazing BBQ in southern Tennessee where everything was made from scratch - the 24 slow-smoked pork shoulders with BBQ sauce, potato salad, cole slaw - even Jambalaya! I'm not sure if BBQ would be considered junk food or comfort food, but it was so good and not only could I taste the difference between what was served and the store-bought stuff, I appreciated the time and effort put into those dishes. I'll take that kind of junk food any day.

Pollan argues that if we all took the time to make our own junk food rather than buy it, we'd eat a lot less of it (not to mention all the extra "junk" we'd keep out of our bodies). Take mac n' cheese, nachos & pie for example. You can make versions of these at home so easily and I'll bet you'll enjoy these dishes so much more (and impress your friends & family!). Here's how:

1. Use our "Odds 'n Ends" or other small-shaped pasta with a quick bechamel http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/White-Sauce-or-Bechamel-Sauce-40046 sauce and whatever odd pieces of cheese you have in your fridge. Cook the pasta, mix with grated cheeses and bechamel, and bake in a lightly-buttered oven-proof dish at 350 until cheese is melted and top slightly browned.

2. Put a layer of our El Jinete tortilla chips on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil, top with any of all of the following, available at Provenance: shredded cheddar or manchego cheese, Rick's Picks heat seekers (pickled jalapenos), crumbled Dona Juana sobresada, pork rillette, sliced piquillo or red peppers, chopped piparra peppers, Tomato Mountain salsa. Put under broiler til cheese is melted & viola! Top with creme fraiche if desired.

3. Slice fresh seasonal fruit; mix together 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup sugar,
1/2 cup sliced almonds (2 oz), 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Put mixture over fruit in a lightly-buttered oven proof dish; bake at 425 for 20 minutes. Top with creme fraiche or Nice Cream.

How's that for easy junk food!?

Provenance September Staff Selection

Upton's Naturals 10% off All Month Long!


Read on for staffer Aaron Golding's selection this month:

"We're eating Satan?" I said. My mind immediately thought of a horned beast on a spit slowly roasting over a fire. "Not Satan, seitan (pronounced say-tan). It's good," a vegan friend said as she placed her version of a sausage, peppers, and onions sandwich in front of me. A few sprigs of arugula lined the opening of the bun. Beyond the arugula foliage I could see the red and green peppers intertwined with the soft and translucent onions.
I lifted the sandwich to have a bite. The Midwestern values instilled in me at birth demanded that I eat whatever was placed in front of me. It would be rude not to. This wasn't my first encounter with faux-meat. I have memories of that one Thanksgiving when a vegetarian family member persuaded me to try the log-shaped tofu-turkey roast. If anything they solidified my love for pork, poultry, lamb, and beef because nothing faux ever seemed to come close to the real thing.

My vegan friend watched me as I took the first bite, anticipating my approval. The sweet scent of sautéed peppers and onions filled my nostrils. Everything seemed right. If I closed my eyes the smell was what I would expect from a sausage, peppers, and onions sandwich. My incisors pierced the bread and tore away the first bite. I chewed. And chewed. And what I pleasantly discovered was a pretty damn good sandwich. The peppers and onions were cooked to perfection. The arugula added a little kick up front. She'd drizzled a little balsamic just over the veggies to give them a little zip. But the star of the show was the meat- I mean, seitan. I was confused. This wasn't the faux-whatever I had encountered before. The texture and flavors were there. "This is really good," I mumbled through a mouthful (another Midwestern faux-pas). I proceeded to devour the sandwich and then inquire as to the possibility of another.

So when I started working at Provenance Food & Wine, I was happy to discover that we carry Upton's Naturals Seitan. I bought a package of the Italian Sausage-Style and recreated at home the sandwich that changed me from a strict meat-a-saurus to an equal opportunity protein eater. Don't get me wrong, I still love steaks and chicken and Carolina-Style pulled pork sandwiches with slaw and just a dab of hot pepper sauce - yum - but now I mix in a little seitan into my diet and am just as happy with my meal as when I am eating meat. Unlike tofu masquerading as meat, Seitan is different. Upton's Naturals describes it as, "a traditional Japanese product made from the protein in wheat (aka gluten). With an impressively meat-like texture and robust flavor, seitan is both high in protein and low in fat without the cholesterol associated with meat." It's its own thing, and dates back centuries to Buddhist Monks looking for a meat alternative.

Upton's Naturals, based in Skokie, IL, uses all-natural ingredients that are GMO-free. It's high in protein and low in all the stuff you'd want it to be low in, like fat and carbs. It gives you a lot of bang for your buck. I use it as a substitute in any dish, mix it in with cheeses to make lasagna, stuffed shells, enchiladas, tacos, and chili. The consistency favors a dish that would have crumbly or ground meat, although I'm thinking of using some egg to hold it together and see if I can create a meatball out of it. I used it as a pizza topping the other night. I fed some to my fiancé, who is strictly a meat-and-potatoes-kind-of-girl, without telling her that it was seitan and not ground sausage. She couldn't tell the difference. Give it a try if you're looking for something different but remarkably familiar.

Italian Sausage-Style Seitan, Peppers, and Onions Sandwich
1 Package of Upton's Naturals Italian Sausage-Style Seitan
1 Onion, sliced
1 Green or Red Pepper. (I like red) Sliced
A hand full of Arugula
A splash of Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
Salt and pepper
Crusty rolls

Heat oil in a hot skillet and then sauté peppers and onions, adding salt and pepper, until onions become translucent and tender. Remove from pan.
Break the seitan into pieces and heat in a pan until hot. This won't take very long.
Assemble sandwich. Line the bottom of the bread with seitan. Stack peppers and onions on top and then add a few sprigs of arugula. Lightly drizzle with balsamic. Enjoy.

Chorizo-Style and Potato Quesadilla
1 Package of Upton's Naturals Chorizo-Style Seitan
4-5 Russet Potatoes
2 Cloves of Garlic
1 Onion, diced
1/2 Onion, sliced
1 tsp. cumin
Salt and pepper
1 avocado
Sliced Cheese
1 package Tortillas (I like to use flour but corn works fine)
Tomato, sliced
1/2 cup salsa
Hot Sauce (if desired)
Oil

In a skillet, heat oil and add, garlic, onion, cumin and salt and pepper until onion starts to look translucent. Add salsa and then potatoes. Cook potatoes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked and edges start to take on color. Add Upton's Natural Chorizo-Style Seitan and cook for a couple more minutes until the seitan is hot.