Sybaritic in Seattle

Very basic, and very good brownies

On the 4th I had a last minute invite to an impromptu grill at my best friend's house. I scrounged for a very basic brownie recipe so I could have one on hand to manipulate. I do this with recipes, in fact all "new" recipes are just variations on something done before. It's like anything else.

These are in no way healthy. They are decadent though. And mind you while not health food, they are also not fake and toxic, i.e. no trans-nasties or HFCS uggos.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup chocolate chips (for melting)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cups chocolate chips (for chunky mixing)
2 Tblsp Instant espresso

Method:

1 Preheat over to 350 Degrees F

2.Melt chocolate and butter together in a double boiler.

3. Mix together remaining ingredients and stir in chocolate and butter mixture.

4.Pour into a greased 8 inch square pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. .

Variations: Try adding dried cherries, nuts, different flavored chips, peanut butter swirl, frosting, caramel...really you could go on and on. If I had had my way there would have been chili pepper in this puppy.

Healthier Brownies

I cannot say these are "healthy"...but only because of the sugar in the chocolate. The rest is health food, and well, compared to regular brownies these are definitely a healthier option.

I was looking for a recipe that I would be able to eat and would not cause me massive amounts of guilt and feeling like my body is being poisoned by the ingredients. I really think that this is a good place to start. I am going to continue to tweak it though as it is not perfect, yet. I am a sick perfectionist.

So, they also taste healthy, but I actually enjoy that. You don't get that sugar rush, or the desire to stuff your face. The dark chocolate is quite satisfying, and it didn't seem necessary to eat the whole pan in one sitting. Not that they weren't crave worthy, in fact I want one right now, but they were a healthy kind of decadent. Not a sugar coma, must run 15 miles tomorrow kind of decadent.

The base recipe comes from Have Cake Will Travel, but I changed things up so much that it isn't really the same thing. For starters mine is gluten free. Grains are not really healthy at all and so I am trying my best to avoid them as much as possible (though I do imbibe on occasion).  I used coconut flour which is a very good replacement, but from what I have read eggs are necessary when baking with coconut flour, so I had to add eggs...so no longer a vegan recipe. I also swapped agave nectar for sugar, as I want to limit my sugar as much as possible. Anyway, I really enjoyed these. The ones that my friends and I did not at while at the Fremont outdoor movie showing of Superbad will be sent to my friend Julie in San Francisco.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup chocolate chips or other form of solid chocolate, I used 74% cacao

1 cup sweet potato purée (cook the sweet potato and puree with some milk to ease the blending, I used almond milk)
1 Tblsp virgin coconut oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 Tblsp milk (I used almond milk)
3 large eggs
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup coconut flour
2 Tblsp unsweetened cocoa powder
pinch sea salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F

2.Melt 1 1/2 cups of chocolate in a double boiler and set aside to cool. I also added the coconut oil to the c hocolate mixture here. Since coconut oil is solid at room temperature it just makes it easier for blending if it is melted.

3. Combine the eggs, milk, agave nectar, vanilla, sweet potato puree and cooled chocolate mixture (only let it cool enough to not cook the eggs when you combine it with the wet ingredients.

4. Sift together the dry ingredients.

5. Combine the wet and dry ingredients along with the chocolate chips. Stir enough to moisten all the ingredients, but do not over mix. 

6. Pour batter into greased 8x8 cake pan, or into greased muffin tins. If baking in cake pan bake for 28 minutes, if in muffin tin bake for 15 minutes.

Mixing Pleasures

I am an artist at heart, food just happens to be one of my favorite mediums. No surprise that I absolutely adore the work of artist Will Cotton.

He combines 2 of my loves....sweets, and beautiful women, usually eating said sweets...or wearing them, or just lounging around in them. His world is a world of Willy Wonka and sensuality.  A world I would love to be a part of.

Someday I hope to be fluid enough to purchase one of his pieces, but until then I must be content with his website. Be warned, it might make you hungry.

Help No Impact Man Save Us All!

Colin Beavan AKA No Impact Man Needs your help. Next Friday, May 30th, he will be meeting with Representative Nadler of NY's Eighth Congressional District. He will be asking Representative Nadler to support an effective global warming mitigation policy. When he meets with him he would like to take between 350 and 35,00 emails in support of this policy request. So here's what you do...simply copy the  text below into an e-mail, add your name, address, and e-mail address to the bottom of the letter, and send it to :

noimpactman+nadler+pelosi@gmail.com

There is also a reward for this action. Aside from a future for our planet, Colin will be awarding the 1st, 35th, 100th, 350th, and 100th person to e-mail their support with a copy of this lovely DVD.






















Also, please pass this request on to others!



The e-mail:

Dear Representative Nadler and Speaker Pelosi--

Thank you for your hard work on behalf of the people of the United States. It is indisputable that the health, happiness and security of the American people depends upon the well-being of our planetary habitat. It is also indisputable that the anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases is causing changes in our habitat that will adversely effect Americans on every level--from our health to our economy.

On May 30, Colin Beavan aka No Impact Man will visit Representative Nadler to express to him support for a number of climate change mitigation policies that are much stronger than those currently passing through Congress. Please consider this a letter of support for the measures Colin Beavan will be advocating.

Specifically, I support Colin Beavan in requesting that Representative Nadler and Speaker Pelosi both, together or separately:

• Introduce, as soon as possible, a non-binding resolution to the House of Representatives asserting that we need a climate change mitigation policy that accords not with what is politically possible but what is scientifically necessary--a goal of no more than 350 ppm of atmospheric carbon dioxide (read why here). Furthermore, this resolution should assert that the United States must collaborate with the international community to achieve an effective successor to the Kyoto Protocol that will achieve the 350 goal or better (depending on how the science progresses).
• Pledge to support the 1sky.org policy platform that also includes creating five million green jobs (through, for example, weatherizing our buildings and manufacturing solar panels and windmills) and placing a moratorium on the building of new coal power plants.
• Push for the introduction of new and the strengthening of currently pending climate change legislation to reflect the crucial 350 goal. This means, at the very least, aiming for an 80% reduction in climate emissions below 1990 levels by 2050 and a 25% reduction by 2020.

Yours sincerely,

<Your Name>
<Your Mailing Address>
<Your Email Address>

A side note on my daily coffee

I read quite a few blogs. I put them all in my google reader, and they pile up when I can't get to them. There are a few choice blogs that are so special to me that I make sure to keep updated on a daily basis, and they never accumulate. These blogs in particular enhance my life (and I seem to constantly be adding to these). Today I would like to share one with you all because while it isn't a foodie blog, it has changed a part of my day that is food related. Coffee to be exact.

I am a Seattleite after all. Not a native born, no...but a Seattleite nonetheless. Being a Seattlelite I drink an obscene amount of coffee. My day starts off with 2 shots of espresso in my REI travel mug (I would like to get a spill proof stainless steel mug but I:

 A. cannot find one that I like
and
 B. the ones that seem to work are too F*%#ing expensive).

This then progresses (on a work day) to 2 more shots of espresso at the coffee shack next to where I work. I used to waltz over empty handed, get my coffee to go in the happenin' disposable cup with easy sip lid and go on my merry way. Until I started reading No Impact Man. You see, I have been trying to clean up my act. I recycle, I get my CSA box full of organic and local (or so I thought, but that is another blog entirely) produce, I use biodegradable cleaning products, I eat a mostly vegetarian diet, drive a compact car (I would get a hybrid if I thought they were worth it and I could afford it), and I basically try to reduce and reuse. But I never thought twice about my daily disposable coffee cup. It just went with the territory. I am not staying here, therefore I need a "to go" cup. Until I read this blog in particular. You see, even though I have been reading No Impact Man for a couple of months now, I hadn't really picked up on the reusable cup thing. I mean i heard him mention it, but I didn't put 2 and 2 together and use my mug for my espresso shack coffee. I use a reusable water bottle for my water, and even bought a new Klean Kanteen after my plastic bottle got a crack in it, but I didn't switch to a reusable mug. Well. His story about how his wife made her barista stop and think made ME stop and think. I honestly had never thought of it before.

 The next day I took over my mug and asked Troy my barista if he would mind putting my normal lattee in my REI mug.

"Not at all."

Wow...easy as that. So for the past month that is what I have been doing. I also take it with me to the farmer's markets on the weekends and anywhere else I think I will need coffee to go. Colin recommends a glass jar with a lid, as it is spillproof and is something you are commandeering for another purpose, but I am a total klutz and I just know it would end up in shards all over the ground, so I have to go with the klutz-proof mug. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it does make an impact. The good kind of impact.

He Calls himself "No Impact Man" but I have to disagree.

About Fat

Today's blog is brought to you by the letter F. As in FAT. as in...people for some reason have messed up ideas about which fats are good for you and which are bad for you. For the past 23 months I have been consuming (on average) 2 tablespoons of virgin coconut oil a day. I use it to cook with, to bake with (when I do) and have only rarely had other types of fat. I do this because virgin coconut oil is one of the healthiest oils out there.

What? But it's SATURATED!!!!

Yeah? What of it?



People pay way too much attention to what they think they know because somewhere they don't actually take the time to research and truly think things through. When I decided to change my life I wanted to make sure I was doing it the healthy way, and not the fad way. I researched many sources and made an informed decision about what to put into my body, and part of that was looking into fat. So here is what I found out.

Saturated does not mean evil.
Polyunsaturated does not mean good

OK, I am not going to get into why Coconut oil is incredible for you...mainly because it has been done before, and basically I am both lazy and not a scientist, so I will let those who know the makeup of fats do it for you.

But basically...virgin coconut oil and palm oil are the healthiest oils around. Olive oil is not nearly as healthy for you as these 2. Canola oil is actually BAD oil. So, if you want to start using the truly healthy fats, and be healthier read what these people have to say about fats.


Mark's Daily Apple

Unhealthy Vegetable Oils?

The Truth about Saturated Fat

White beans and nettles

Last Saturday I bought some fresh nettles from the Foraged and Found booth at the University District farmer's market. I had never tried nettles before so I was unsure as to how to prepare them and how they would taste. I talked with Jeremy the Master Forager, and he suggested that I blanch the nettles for 3 minutes (this stops the stinging...and always use gloves when touching  raw nettles), strain them (and keep the blanching liquid as it is a healthy tea), then place the nettles on a cookie sheet and into the freezer, just to cool them off. Then take them out, squeeze out the liquid, and use as you would any cooked green.

Alright. I did that.

I then put them back in the freezer as I had no idea what to make. Well last night I remembered I had some white beans in the freezer as well and thought I would try the two together.

this is what I threw together:
1 quart cooked white beans
maybe 1/4-1/2lb nettles (cooked)
1 clove fresh garlic from my CSA box (YUM)
3 chopped green onions (spring onions)
a few slices of spring garlic (I has some leftover from the stalk of the one I used a few days ago)
about 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Grana Padano cheese sprinkled on top

It was fantastic. The nettles were incredibly mild and worked very well with the other ingredients. I liked it so much I am going to have to buy more nettles this weekend, probably double what I bought last weekend.

Next time I might use this dish with fresh greens and poached or hard boiled egg as a sort of composed salad. I believe caramelized onions would also feature nicely.

I wish I had a photo, but I'm afraid this dish was not the most photogenic of dishes.

Tonight, I shall down that nettle tea.

About those radish tops

I chopped up the radish tops for a lunch sautée (with spring onions and spring garlic) and added some shaved Parmesan. Even if i didn't like radishes cooked..I'd have to buy them purely for the radish tops. They are a bit like swiss chard, but honestly more like a young broccoli. Tender and sweet. YUM!

My weekend bounty!

I went to a total of 3 Farmer's markets this weekend. On Saturday, I went out in the rain to meet my friend Ashley at the University District Farmer's Market. I had never been there and so I didn't know what to expect exactly. To my joy it is an ALL food (well flowers too) market. It has about 3 times as many food stalls than my usual Ballard market, and even in the rain I was able to fill up my basket happily.
Here are my finds...

Stinging Nettles, which I could not photograph out of the bag as I was scared of them :-)

Local and organic asparagus

Brussels sprouts flowers, which amazingly taste more like a sweet broccoli

   

French Breakfast Radishes
and...

their tops, which apparently are a lot like swiss chard when cooked

Spring onions (or green onions)...alas...no ramps to be found!

On Sunday i took my mother to the Ballard market. It was bright and sunny, a perfect day. Too sunny in fact as my chest got a bit of a sunburn. I had filled my fridge the day before, so I wasn't after much. I still ended up getting these though as the price was right and I was doing hungry shopping (not wise).

Spring garlic

Red Cabbage flowers (I refuse to call it cabbage "rabe" as there is no such thing!

Arugula flowers...I am not an arugula fan (too bitter) but the flowers are less intense, and when cooked, sweet.

A HUGE bunch of Rosemary, which was FREE. I overheard a woman speaking about an overabundance of rosemary in her yard, and you know...had to do my part to help her out ;-) She was also kind enough to give me a potted rosemary that was already well established, so I hope to have rosemary on hand at all times from now on.

The third market was a food disappointment, only 1 stall selling anything in the way of produce. The rest were devoted to thrift store finds and arts and crafts.

Sunday evening I did a sautee of the red cabbage flowers and arugula along with 2 spring onions and 1 spring garlic...and about a tablespoon of virgin coconut oil.

I topped it off with some cherry tomatoes from Trader Joe's and some Grana Padano cheese....is it lunchtime yet?  *grumble*

Braised Radishes from "The Kitchn"

I have never liked radishes. I have wanted to, keep trying them thinking maybe my tastes have changed...but alas, no. I don't know exactly what it is about them. I enjoy spicy food so the "peppery" flavor shouldn't be the problem. I think the proper description should be "horseradish-y" rather than "peppery" as I don't like horseradish (except in cocktail sauce).

It's Spring, the Farmer's Markets in Seattle are littered with Spring veggies and radishes are plentiful. I see the beautiful colors and I desire them. Crave them...I think about the story of Rapunzel and wish I could enjoy the glorious orbs that enticed her mother enough to sell her to the witch. But no, every time I stick a raw radish into my mouth my response is the same...spit into hand and toss.

A week or so ago I was reading a blog from The Apartment Therapy Kitchen (or The Kitchn) about braised radishes.

What?? COOK radishes??? I had never heard of such a thing!

Apparently, when you cook the radishes...they lose a bit of their bite. So I thought maybe I could enjoy these lovelies once cooked.

I bought some French Breakfast Radishes (which are already less intense than other types) and last night I followed (sort of) the recipe for braised radishes from The Kitchn.

Here is their recipe:
Spring Radishes Braised with Shallots and Vinegar
2 large bunches of radishes, about 1 pound
3 large shallots
1 tablespoon butter
2 ounces salt pork, slivered into small slices
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 small bunch Italian parsley, leaves chopped into about two handfuls
Salt and pepper

Trim away tops and bottoms of the radishes, reserving for soup or discarding to compost. (Ours were not in good shape so we let them go.) Slice each radish in half from top to bottom. Peel the shallots and slice into thin rings.

Heat the butter and salt pork over medium heat in a large heavy skillet - preferably cast iron. When the pork is starting to curl up at the edges and the butter has foamed and subsided, add the shallots and cook, stirring, until they start to brown slightly. Add the radishes, placing each cut side down in the skillet. Let them cook undisturbed for about 2 minutes or until the bottoms just start to color.

Add the balsamic vinegar and the water - the water should just come up around the sides of the radishes. Cover, lower heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Remove the cover and continue to simmer for about 3-4 minutes, or unti the water has reduced into a syrupy sauce. Add the the parsley and sauté for about a minute or two, until it's wilted.

Season with salt and pepper and serve.

I modified it a little...I used Spring garlic instead of bulb garlic, and I basically cut the recipe in half as I only had 1 bunch of the pretties. I did still use 3 shallots though, as I adore shallots. I omitted the salt pork (as I don't eat pig), and also did not have any fresh parsley on hand. I also did not salt and pepper them, though I probably will next time...and there will be a next time. I LOVED them! They did not have the same bite and they were just...lovely to eat. I had them with steamed asparagus and artichoke hearts with poached eggs. It was an incredibly satisfying Spring dinner :-)

P.S. Did anyone else watch Faerie Tale Theatre's Rapunzel? I used to watch the mother eating the radishes and just want them. Great show by the way, adding it to the wish list.