Expanding Horizons

       I had thought I might also blame Tom for my vegetable-eating issues, since he doesn’t like some of the vegetables I wouldn’t mind eating. For instance, I would gladly eat asparagus or zucchini, which he doesn’t want to touch. And I don’t want to cook things he won’t eat.
       The problem with trying to blame him is that he is willing to eat some of the vegetables I prefer to avoid – things like broccoli and those yucky lima beans.
       This means that we are left with only a few traditional “vegetables” that we may not be wild about, but at least will eat – lettuce, green beans, carrots, bell peppers, potatoes and, and…well, maybe that’s it.
       This, obviously, can get a bit repetitive. So yesterday, I decided to try to expand our repertoire a bit.
       I found a Mario Batali recipe for eggplant caponata that I decided to try. (This recipe is available in his cookbook, Molto Italiano, and on the Food Network web site.) I have never tried one of Chef Batali's recipes before, and have actually had a bit of a grudge against him ever since we saw him behaving badly while he was dining at Chef Ming Tsai’s wonderful restaurant (Blue Ginger) near Boston several years ago. For more about Mario's "larger-than-life" personality and proclivities, check out the book, Heat, by Bill Buford.
       Even worse, I suspected that Tom might not like eggplant (since it is similar in texture to zucchini) and I wasn’t sure I’d be wild about it either. I don’t think I’d ever eaten more than a bite or two of eggplant in my whole life, and now I had two fairly big purple blobs sitting on my counter, waiting to be cooked.
       But I overcame these objections for the following reasons. First, Batali does seem to be an incredible cook. We finally went to one of his restaurants (Lupa) in New York recently, and were pretty wowed – despite the fact that we saw him again that night, and he appeared to be as rude and self-absorbed as before.
       Secondly, caponata was one of the dishes I saw on the antipasto bar at Fiorello’s and I was eager to try to duplicate some of those dishes. And thirdly, the recipe also had ingredients like cinnamon, cocoa, hot peppers and currants – all of which we enjoy.

To be continued...

Mea Culpa

       While working on last night’s posting, I started to have an uncomfortable feeling that maybe I, too, have been passing on questionable eating habits to the next generation.
       Well, it’s not quite the next generation, since I don’t have children. But I do have a wonderful dog, Olympia.
       I don’t treat her like my child exactly. Once I told Tom that if I wasn’t married to him, I would marry Olympia. Recently, I’ve been thinking of her more as a beloved sister.
       I don’t dress her in silly clothes or feed her filet mignon or anything like that -- although I have been known to give her small nibbles of lobster, fois gras or truffle cheese, all of which she loved. Most of the time though, I feed her a super premium dry dog food. And as an inexpensive and plentiful treat, I always carry around bits of Purina Beneful in my pockets. Most of the dogs in the neighborhood love me, because they know I have enough treats for everyone.
       But here’s the thing. At the bottom of every jacket or pants pocket, I always have little green pieces of Beneful left over.
       For those who aren’t dog-food aficionados, Beneful comes in an assortment of colors and shapes. For example, there are red chunky pieces that reportedly are moist and chewy and made with real beef. There are also little golden bone-shaped pieces that apparently signify calcium, brown heart-shaped pieces that signify iron, and so on. And there are little green pea-sized pieces that apparently represent vegetables and important vitamins and nutrients.
       And when I give out treats, not only to Olympia, but to all the neighborhood dogs, I always give out the chunky or bone-shaped or heart-shaped pieces, but never the little peas. I am giving the pieces as treats after all, and without even thinking about it, I suppose I figured that no dog would want a treat reminiscent of vegetables. 

       I mean, imagine a parent considering whether to reward a child with ice cream or broccoli. That’s the choice I was making every single day. And I don’t even know if the pieces actually taste differently, or if the shapes and colors are so designed simply to appeal to a human aesthetic.
       So today, I gathered up a handful of those green pea bits from the bottom of several jacket pockets and offered them to Olympia as we went through our day. And she seemed just as excited to eat them as any other color or shape I had ever given her.
       I had, subconsciously I guess, been trying to protect my furry little sister from something I assumed she wouldn't enjoy either. And let’s face it -- she’s a dog. She chews on twigs and sniffs poop. Was I insane?

Laying Blame

       For lunch today (or yesterday, since it's after midnight) I tried Nicole’s idea of creating a vegetable-filled wrap (see comments under my April 2 posting). And as she assured me, it was very good. I used a flour tortilla as my wrap, and filled it with avocado, cucumber and red pepper, along with a small amount of cheese and chicken.
       Only a few days into my month, I am already learning that there are vegetables and ways of eating vegetables that I do like.
       This, naturally, got me to wondering who (or what) I could blame for the fact that I thought I didn’t like vegetables. Blaming can be a glorious thing, especially when one is feeling bewildered.
       So, again, I started doing some research. A web site called helium.com offered several articles on why toddlers don’t like vegetables. As I feel somewhat toddler-like in my vegetable dislike, I thought this was a good place to start.
       One article said that because toddlers have a “natural instinct left over from the primal period that ensures they will not eat poisonous foods found in the forest” they often steer clear of sour or bitter-tasting foods like vegetables. So perhaps it is my natural instinct that tells me I don’t like vegetables, even when my modern, sophisticated taste buds tell me that sometimes I do. 

       I’ve never thought of myself as the "natural" type though. I mean, I color my hair; I wear contacts; I use make-up, deodorant and cologne. Perhaps the vegetable-hating me is part of a wild, primordial Brenda that should be explored further. Tom might enjoy that...

       A second article said that toddlers don’t like vegetables because adults don’t like them. “How can a parent convince a toddler that vegetables are delicious, crunchy and better than candy if she or he shudders at the mention of broccoli?” 

       Although my father claims to like vegetables, I’m not sure the same is really true of my mother. So she seems like an easy target for my blame. 

       This article said that parents should consider what they snack on, and what kind of example that sets for children. Are parents snacking on healthy foods like carrots, celery and red bell peppers? 

       I recall that my mother’s favorite snack when I was growing up was Old Dutch potato chips, served with a glass of Coke. This remains my favorite snack too, although I drink Diet Coke, since that, as everyone knows, eliminates all calories from the potato chips.  Now that I think of it, potato chips and Coke was my mother's mother's favorite snack too. 

       So perhaps we can even extend the blame through the generations.

To be continued...

Do Lentils Count?

       Pam, a frequent commenter to this site, posted two lentil recipes last week and I decided to try one of them for lunch today. But before I could start, I found myself pondering whether lentils were even vegetables at all.
       I did some quick internet research, and discovered the following: that if you look for facts on the internet, even for a few minutes, you can easily find conflicting information, even on a topic as obscure as the vegetable-ness of lentils. 

       Sure, some web sites listed lentils as a vegetable. Others said they are fruit. And others insisted lentils are legumes. Based on what I remember from biology class decades ago, I admit they probably are legumes. So does that count as a vegetable for the purpose of my Resolution of the Month?
       Apparently peas are legumes, and I have always thought of them as vegetables. And what about lima beans? Aren’t they legumes too? I hate lima beans, and recall they (and peas) were always part of the canned Campbell’s "Vegetarian Vegetable" Soup I ate as a kid. I point that out simply to draw attention to the fact that it wasn’t called Campbell’s Vegetarian Legume Soup.
       Despite my uncertainty, I decided to try Pam’s recipe for Little Black Dress Lentils (for recipe, click on "comments" under April 2 posting). One of the good things about this recipe is that it also includes onions, carrots, peppers and corn, which definitely are vegetables – except for corn, which actually is probably a grain, even though corn was in the Campbell’s soup tin too. And, now that I think of it, I suppose that peppers are really a fruit. Hmmmm....
       In any case, I happened to have almost all the ingredients in my cupboards, so I proceeded. I used balsamic vinegar though, instead of sherry vinegar, and canned corn instead of frozen. And, since I was hoping the lentil salad would be my lunch, I also added some feta cheese.
       And I have to give Pam credit. The salad was terrific, and beautiful to look at too -- with the colors of the cheese, vegetables (and grains and fruits) contrasting with the darkness of the lentils. I ate around 1/3 of it, and to my surprise, felt completely satisfied with that as a meal. And certain that the salad would be great tomorrow too (and perhaps even better), I put the rest of it in the refrigerator for another day. 

       Frankly, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since then -- either because it was that good, or because I am, after all, on a diet.
       And I figure that whether the various ingredients were (strictly speaking) vegetables, fruits, legumes or grains, I had had a lunch more healthy than what I ordinarily would have eaten, and a meal I would happily eat again. And that is what is important.

Commenters: Please continue sending in your ideas. They seem to be working!

It Tastes Like Chicken

       On Friday, I decided to start my vegetable-eating quest with sweet potatoes. This was, I admit, a bit of a cheat since I already like sweet potatoes – a lot. The problem is that I tend to eat them only at Thanksgiving. I thought it was time to change that.

       I was pleased to find a Rick Bayless recipe that promised bold flavors -- Chile-Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon and Orange.

       For those who aren't familiar with him, Rick Bayless is known for taking traditional Mexican flavors and methods and showing that they can be haute cuisine. He is host of the PBS series, Mexico: One Plate at a Time, and owns two Chicago restaurants – Topolobampo (one of America’s first fine dining Mexican restaurants) and Frontera Grill (which specializes in contemporary Mexican cuisine). Tom and I visit at least one of these restaurants on every trip to Chicago, and we’re not the only ones. Barack and Michelle Obama were reported to have been frequent visitors to both restaurants, and recently Bayless was considered to be a contender for the position of White House executive chef.
       I have tried Rick Bayless recipes before, and know there are no short cuts. A cook has to be in the mood for cooking. And, luckily, I was. We were expecting bad weather Friday night, and I decided to make a roast chicken with the sweet potatoes – comfort food to guide us through the storm. Also, Tom had had a rough week, and I wanted our home to smell absolutely mouth-watering when he walked through the door.
       I dutifully followed the instructions -- pan-roasting garlic, toasting and then re-hydrating ancho chiles, and blending with other ingredients. I added orange rind, orange juice and honey, as directed. And I cleaned and cut the sweet potatoes.
       At this point, I had already spent about an hour on the potatoes, and had used three bowls, two cutting boards, one frying pan and my blender, as well as an array of spatulas, spoons and knives. I couldn't bear the thought of messing up anything else, and decided to skip the step where the chile mixture is pushed through a sieve.
       This was not the kind of attention I was used to paying to mere vegetables.  Tom would be home shortly. And I hadn't even started on the chicken yet.  
       And then it struck me that the richly-colored chile blend I had made for the potatoes would probably be delicious on the chicken!

       Suddenly, all the effort I had made seemed like it might actually be worthwhile.
       No, I didn’t use all of the blend for the chicken. Rather, I poured around 3/4 of it over the sweet potatoes, but set the rest aside. I added some room temperature butter to this final 1/4 of the blend, and to change the flavor profile slightly, added additional dried herbs and some unsweetened cocoa powder. I quickly rubbed this mixture under the skin of the chicken breast and all over the outside of the bird, and put it in the oven at 425 degrees.
        About 20 minutes later, I added the pan of sweet potatoes to the oven -- cooking both dishes together for the last hour. 

        The rain started soon after, but our home was toasty-warm and filled with wonderful scents by the time Tom got home.

        More importantly, both the chicken and the sweet potatoes were absolutely delicious. They were both richly-colored too, and to add still more color, I also served some bright green lamb’s lettuce (mache) with a light olive oil dressing.
       The dinner is something I would gladly make again. I got two great dishes from one recipe.
       And to make things even better, there was enough leftovers of both chicken and sweet potatoes to serve for a yummy lunch Saturday.

       My first experiment was a success!

Going on a Diet

       Thank you commenters, for your suggestions to make this month’s resolution more palatable (click on comments under April 1 post). I did not know that about the enzymes, Pam. I don’t think I’ll have sufficient time in one month to work on developing a taste for enough vegetables, though. I like the suggestion about adding vegetables to things like muffins, and I certainly love the suggestions from Nicole and Voncey to add cheese on top of whatever vegetables I’m trying to gag down.
       But here’s the thing. I’d also like to lose some weight. Somehow (although it’s possible the giant fried cheese ravioli had something to do with it), I have managed to put on around 15 lbs this winter. And I’m not happy about it. So I have to find a way to eat vegetables that won’t mean eating things like muffins and extra cheese.
       Karen’s nutritionist’s suggestion -- about eating vegetables before eating anything else – is intriguing. So before eating lunch today, I munched down five baby carrots – taking them like vitamins (as suggested by Voncey). A good thing about this suggestion is that it also should help me feel more full, which is always a good thing for a dieter.
       But I really do want to find a way to make vegetables palatable enough that I’ll gladly make and eat them as healthy side dishes. I don’t mean to boast, but I’m a pretty good cook. I put a great deal of effort into making delicious entrees. I make some great one-pot meals with vegetables in them too. But I make and serve vegetables on the side solely out of a sense of duty. I’d like to find some way to enjoy them for their own sake. And hopefully, by the end of the month, I’ll have several recipes or ideas that I’ll be pleased to make even after the month ends.
       So I am going to revise my resolution for this month. This month, I’m going to try an “Eating my Vegetables Diet". Here is my plan. I’ll diet, which is a total drag, but clearly necessary. I’ll eat all the boring stuff I usually eat on diets. But I want my vegetables to not be boring. I want them to be the one thing that’s different each day – the one thing so delicious and flavorful that it makes up for the fact that I’m dieting.
       Is that too much to expect out of vegetables? Maybe, but I’m going to give it a try, anyway.

       And thank you to those "anonymous" commenters who add their names to the end of their comments.  It is definitely more fun to have names to connect to suggestions. Please keep those comments coming!

Vegetables Are Yucky!

        Like many four-year-olds, I have an issue with vegetables. You’d think I might have grown out of it by now, but that simply is not the case. Sure, I eat green salads occasionally, but that can get a bit repetitive. I also consume foods with a lot of vegetables in them: vegetable soup, a chunky tomato sauce, vegetable stew. I even drink V-8 sometimes, in a lazy attempt to have a minimal number of vegetable servings a day.
       But the thought of eating vegetables as a side dish turns me off. Steamed broccoli, carrots or beans, even sprinkled with nuts or glazed with maple syrup, are still, simply… yucky! Sure, I’ll eat a bite or two if they’re put on my plate, but since I do most of the cooking around here, that doesn’t happen a lot.
       A few years ago, I put Tom in charge of my vegetable consumption. He was to pester me until I ate a suitable amount. You can imagine how well that turned out. At least our marriage survived.
       Then, last week, I had an idea. We were in New York City for a few days, and had dinner one night at Café Fiorello, across from Lincoln Center.
This restaurant has an impressive antipasto bar – a vast and colorful array of dishes like caponata, caramelized fennel, cauliflower Milanese, Tuscan white bean salad, and so on. I didn’t eat any of it, of course, choosing a giant fried cheese ravioli as my appetizer instead. Indeed, anything covered or stuffed with cheese wins my vote, every time. But my point is that the dishes at the antipasto bar looked good enough to eat!
       So here is my resolution for the month – to learn how to prepare vegetable dishes that I might actually enjoy eating.
       Now that my home is cleaner (and greener), and my posture is better, it’s time to listen to Mom again and “eat my vegetables”. But at the age of 45, I’ll do it my way.
       I’ll welcome any input, suggestions or recipes.