Wish Upon A Chef

Since starting the October Unprocessed 2013 Challenge, I feel like Old Mother Hubbard.  I can still give my dog a bone because he would sell my soul three times over for a Milkbone, but my cupboards are bare since I committed to removing what processed foods were left from my nearly year-long attempt to change my eating habits. 

You can see what my pantry looked like back in April, and I'm pleased to admit that my shelves are no longer straining under the weight and pressure of entirely too much food for one person.  Ridding my supply of processed items was a huge relief but also scared the pants off of me.  What would I reach for during those moments of weakness when I want something to eat RIGHT NOW?

More than halfway through the challenge I'm pleased to report that I haven't starved to death (yet) but it will probably take me just as long to restock my pantry with the good stuff as it did to rid it of the demons.  There's a lot of label reading involved, alot of products in the stores to weed through and one thing I've learned is that just because it's organic, all-natural or non-GMO doesn't mean it's going to taste good and I'm going to like it.  Some of the things I've tried so far, I would rather starve to death than have it in my pantry again. 

I needed to replace my crack(er) pipe addiction with an acceptable alternative quickly, before I committed really bad food-related crimes.  Of course I could make my own but who the bleep has time for that?  Triscuits were my first attempt at finding an acceptable crack alternative, but after doing some research on canola oil (one of the ingredients in Triscuits) and considering I could consume enough of them to kill a lab rat, I decided to steer clear of them.

Have you ever looked at the ingredients listed on the box of your favorite crackers?  Check out the ingredients on this box of Kashi crackers - a brand that markets itself as a healthy, nothing artificial, whole grain good-for-you product.  More than 20 items listed in something you can make at home with less than 5 ingredients.  And God only know where that "natural flavor" came from.  No thanks. 


I started paying attention to sections of the grocery store that I normally blew past, never giving a second glance or much thought to and the Jewish section yielded some really great cracker finds!  Check out the ingredients on the Streit's 100% Whole Wheat Matzo crackers and the Manischewitz brand of matzo.  Pretty simple stuff, huh?


Now check out the ingredients on the Kavli Crispy Garlic crackers.  While it does contain sugar, there's not even enough of it to even register on the RDA scale so I decided they were acceptable.


Finding good, clean, unprocessed convenience items takes a bit of effort and some thinking and looking outside the box.  If there is a questionable ingredient, look it up online and I guarantee you'll find more than you need to know about it (and if it's questionable to begin with that should tell you something, no?)

It's time to slow down, unwind, unprocess and pay attention to what goes into your mouth.  Treat your body like the temple it is meant to be instead of a make-shift pup tent.  You won't regret it and I can promise there are much-better-for-you alternatives out there to the things you currently love to eat.  If I can clean up my crack(er) addiction,  I have faith that you can too!

Since I pledged to participate in the October Unprocessed 2013 challenge, I've been searching for recipes with lots of bang for the buck when it comes to flavor.  This Rachael Ray recipe for mussels simmered in a dirty martini sauce fit the bill for me.

This may not fit the "real food" model for some people with the addition of alcohol, but it does pass the "kitchen test" and alcohol is addressed in the FAQs.  It wasn't my intention to cut alcohol out of my diet anyway, because the thought of no alcohol forever (let alone for a whole month) fills me with absolute terror. 

I used frozen mussels from the frozen seafood section of my grocery store because I've never had good luck with the fresh mussels actually being fresh.  Plus, I barely have time to shave my own legs in the mornings, so where would I find time to scrub and de-beard a couple dozen crustaceans?  I keep a couple of packs of mussels in my freezer for the occasions when I crave the mussels in spicy tomato sauce or this delicious paella.  

And just like a perfectly mixed martini served in a frosty glass after a hard day's work, this recipe didn't disappoint.  I loved the olive pesto so much that I skimped on adding it all to the dish and ate some with cheese and crackers during the week for a snack.  

Rachael Ray may drive me to drink, but the woman has awesome mussels!


Dirty Martini Mussels
Serves 4

From rachaelraymag.com

1 cup packed flat-leaf parsley
¾ cup pitted green olives
3 tablespoons olive brine
4 cloves garlic, pasted or grated
1 lemon, zested and juiced
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 small onions, chopped
Salt and Pepper
½ cup good quality gin
¼ dry vermouth
3 pounds medium mussels (about 4 dozen) scrubbed and de-bearded
3  tablespoons butter
Warm crusty bread, torn in chunks for mopping sauce

Using a food processor, finely chop the parsley, olives, garlic and lemon zest.  Pour in ¼ cup EVOO and the lemon juice and process into a pesto.

In a large pot or deep skillet with a tight fitting lid, heat the remaining 2 T of EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, over medium high heat.  Add the onions and cook until softened, 5 to6 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir in the pesto.  Add the gin and vermouth and cook until reduced, about 1 minute.

Add the mussels, cover and steam until opened, 6 to 8 minutes; discard any unopened shells.

Add the butter to the mussels and shake the pan to melt it into sauce.  Serve with the bread for mopping.

I'm convinced that cherry tomatoes are going to one day take over the world as they certainly took over my garden this year.  I even noticed rogue plants springing up in the flower containers where I've used my compost as fertilizer.

I've eaten a ton of them in salads. I've whizzed up countless ones for fresh salsa. My freezer is full of them to be used later for soups and stews.  Tomatoes were taking over my life and I was running out of ideas.  But even with the overrun, I'm sort of sad to see them dwindle away - my plants are still loaded with bright green orbs but I doubt they'll ripen much now that the weather is turning cooler. 

I found this little gem of a recipe in the August 2013 issue of Eating Well magazine and it was the perfect way to finish off my bounty of cherry tomatoes.  I'm too cheap to buy "real" lobster meat and I didn't want shrimp, so I used langostino for this recipe.  It's a lobster-like crustacean and very similar to crayfish (or crawdaddy, if you're from the South.)

This Seaside Tomato Gazpacho would be great for a light meal during the hotter months of summer or a fun party appetizer served in small shot glasses.


Seaside Tomato Gazpacho
Eating Well magazine, August 2013

serves 4 (1-1/2 cup each for entree) or 6 (1 cup each for appetizer)

printable recipe

3 cups low-sodium vegetable juice, such as V8 or R.W. Knudsen Very Veggie
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups diced fennel bulb or celery, plus 1/4 cup fennel fronds or celery leaves, divided
1 cup diced tomato
1/3 cup finely diced red onion
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped cooked lobster from two 1- to 1 1/4-pound live lobsters or 2 cups chopped peeled cooked shrimp
1 avocado, chopped

1.  Combine vegetable juice, bell pepper, fennel (or celery), tomato, onion, vinegar, oil, Old Bay, pepper and salt in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

2.  Top each serving of gazpacho with 1/2 cup lobster (or shrimp) for an entree portion or 1/3 cup for an appetizer serving. Garnish with avocado and fennel fronds (or celery leaves).

Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 1. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Finish with Step 2 just before serving.

The "C" word.

It's a nasty, terrible word. 

A word no one wants to hear uttered, especially in reference to themselves or someone they love.

It's amazing how one filthy word can (if you let it) strip you of your decency and self-respect.  It will also change your outlook on so many things - about life, about yourself, about your family.

I want the "C" word banished forever and I never want to hear it again.

One month ago this week, my parents were finishing up a 21-day safari trip of a lifetime in Africa, the Boy Toy and I were relaxing for a well-deserved week in Mexico and all was right with the world.  Less than 3 weeks later, the terrible "C" word would blindside us. 

Cancer.

That's the word I'm talking about.

Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma to be exact. 

No one knows exactly when the stage 3 cancer manifested itself into my mother's body and no one will ever know exactly what caused it, but I've long believed that the chronic health issues we face today - Alzheimer's, ADHD, autism, obesity and numerous cancers, just to name a few - are ultimately caused/aggravated by the processed foods we eat.  The government regulated, FDA approved, heavily marketed and targeted foods that populate our grocery store shelves. 

Do you really look at the ingredient label on the "food" you are consuming? Does it even register with you that you are not, in fact, actually eating food?

Chemicals. 

Preservatives.

Additives. 

Growth hormones. 

Genetically modified organisms. 

Things you cannot even pronounce.

POISON is what you are actually consuming.  Plain and simple. 

I'm not going to sit here and say that the reason my mother has cancer is because she ate convenience foods from a box or a can. But who's to say that isn't part of the underlying reason? I will say that from the point of October 1, 2013 on I won't give processed foods the chance to repeat history with me personally. 

Since the beginning of the year I have been working to change my diet to more organic items, less refined sugar and no processed items. It's been a work in progress and even after 9 months, I'm still not completely there. So when I ran across the Unprocessed October 2013 challenge, it seemed like the final step in getting myself over the hump of ridding my pantry and recipes of poison and I vowed to take the challenge.  I promised to dedicate 23 of the 31 days to not eating processed foods. The reason for the 8 days of non-participation is because most times on the weekend I am not in charge of my own cooking and I wouldn't dare turn up my nose or impose my standards on someone who took the time to prepare food for me.  And who are we kidding to say that we are NEVER going to indulge in something that doesn't meet the kitchen test or be in a position where we are served food that we have no control over.  But even in these types of situations, I will do my best to make better choices.

It's not too late for you to take the challenge either wholeheartedly or just in an effort to change one small thing about your eating habits.  You have to start somewhere and Eating Rules is a great resource to get you started in the right direction. 

Let's ultimately rid our society of that "C" word one box and one can of processed crap at a time!