Ramblings- Food

Me and Lyndsay- Said Vegetarian- cooking soup mentioned below in Halloween aprons.


So I think I am going to change the blog up a bit. Not so much a journal of everything going on, but just ramblings about whatever is in my head at the moment. I'm going to try to get Philip do do some posts too. We will see how well that works out:)

I think a lot of my ramblings might revolve around food. For a number of reasons, but mainly because 1) I LOVE food and 2) Because I love to cook and 3) I have a husband that also loves to cook and 4) We cook with our neighbors 2-3 times a week and most of them are foodies like us!

Here's a little bit about me and my love of food. I love it! Like really, really love it! I don't necessarily love all foods (mushrooms- yuk! grapefruit- hell no!) but don't consider myself to be a picky eater. Philip, being male, will pretty much eat anything you put in front of him. Except Brussels sprouts. He hates those. What a weirdo.

We consider ourselves to be Flexitarians. It's legitimate, I swear. Basically, we eat meat. Just not a lot of it. I would say 75% of our meals have no meat in them. I'm not willing to go full blown veggie. Way too much trouble for me. However, when I am cooking at home and can control the ingredients, I will probably leave out the meat products. One of our best friends, and someone we cook with a lot, is a vegetarian. Sometimes a pain in the arse. Most of the time, better for my waist line (I'm not always the best with portion control). You'd be surprised how easy it is to make a "meat" meal into a vegetarian meal. For example, I saw this soup recipe on tv last week that I was dying to make it. Sunday nights we usually cook with Said Vegetarian, therefore this recipe needed some changing up. So easy!!! I'll let this be a little test. I'm sure you can figure out the changes that had to be made. Sometimes I think it's fun to try to take a recipe and make it healthier- i.e., vegetarian, less sugar, gluten free.

Sweet n "Saur" Cabbage Soup

Ingredients
•2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
•1/2 pound ham steak, chopped
•1 savoy cabbage, quartered, cored and shredded
•1 onion, quartered and thinly sliced
•1 cup shredded carrots
•2 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
•Salt and pepper
•1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
•2 cups cider
•1/4 cup honey
•1 (14 ounce) can white beans, drained
•1 pound sack sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
•1 quart chicken stock
•1/4 cup chopped dill
•1 cup sour cream, to pass at table
Directions
Heat a soup pot over medium high heat with extra-virgin olive oil. Add ham and lightly brown 2 to 3 minutes. Add shredded cabbage and stir in the onions and carrots as you finish chopping and grating them. Stir in the frozen hash browns and season the vegetables liberally with salt and pepper. Add in a bay leaf, cider, honey, beans, sauerkraut and chicken stock. Place a lid on the pot and bring soup to a boil. Uncover and simmer 10 minutes until vegetables are tender. Stir in dill and adjust seasoning of soup. Serve the soup in shallow bowls and top with sour cream.

We had these sandwiches with it. Holy cow, good!!!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/grilled-cheese-on-pump-recipe/index.html

We are also "those people". I never thought it would happen but then Earth Fare opened and we became "those people" and I am forever changed. When we lived in Birmingham, we couldn't take full advantage of a store like Whole Foods due to the whole one-income-while-the-hubs-is-in-grad-school issue. I also don't think I completely understood the advantages to the products stores like Earth Fare sells. No products with artificial colorings, flavorings, sweeteners or preservatives, no trans-fat, no bleached flour, no animal by-products, etc, etc. Since Earth Fare opened in June, I have only been back to Kroger twice! Nothing against Kroger, but Earth Fare is so clean and pretty. All the hype may be hog-wash but I certainly feel better about myself and what I feed my body. As runners and fairly active peeps, we can both tell a difference in how we feel on runs, bikes, and so on. And I don't feel so bad on those nights we go to Mellow Mushroom or Durangos:) Now one disadvantage I suppose is the price tag. Shopping at these stores is definitely more expensive than your Kroger or Publix. But at this point in my life (only 2.5 mouths to feed), I'm willing to take the hit.

So that's my rambling on food. I have a lot more to say, but this is starting to get long and I feel like I'm loosing all three people that might be reading this.

**** The statements reflected above are strictly my opinion or legitimately random thoughts that pop into my head. I absolutely do not claim to be any sort of expert on food or nutrition.