Gingersnaps from the Book Basket

Candied Ginger

It has been a while since I spilled the contents of my book basket, but I have to share my latest read.  It is delicious in more ways than one.

Have you heard of Amanda Hesser, American food writer and cookbook author?  Her memoir Cooking for Mr. Latte originally started as a column for The New York Times Magazine.  Later it turned into a skillfully fashioned chronicle of a food lover's courtship.  Best of all, Hesser's witty prose is mixed with accompanying recipes.

I think you will love it.  I reserved this book from the library and patiently waited for 23 days until its arrival.  After retrieval, I immediately stuck a post-it note on the inside cover for notes and scribbles.  By page 50 I had jotted down plenty of recipes to photocopy, including this new version of my favorite cookie.  They turned out quite well!

Mountain Honey Gingersnaps with Candied Ginger

What is your favorite cookie?
What are you reading now?
Cheers to a new week.
Rachel

Restaurant Review: The Friendly Toast

The Friendly Toast

Address: 1 Kendall Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts 

Website: http://www.thefriendlytoast.net/
Tucked away in the heart of MIT-land, The Friendly Toast is the ultimate 1950's diner.
I recommend it with all my heart and stomach.

 Costa Rican 

Black beans and plum tomatoes under melted provolone, two sunny side eggs,
sour cream, potatoes and homemade oatmeal toast.

Pumpkin Pancakes

"Just like pumpkin pie, with Raisinettes inside and neat whipped cream on top."

 

I had the lucky opportunity to brunch at The Friendly Toast several weeks ago.  Plan for a healthy appetite and a little patience, because the portions are large but the wait can be long.  Prepare for a groovy atmosphere, complete with Buddy Holly tunes and a life-size vintage Barbie model.  Need I say more?  Next you will be ushered into the vibrant dining room, bursting with the cacophony of clinking glasses, scraping plates, boistrous laughing, and all the natural sounds of happy people chowing down.

Now to the food.  I've discovered that syrupy bites of pumpkin pancake dissolve easily when mixed with homemade whipped cream.  The experience only gets better when you unsuspectingly chew into a Raisinette. The Costa Rican eggs were equally scrumptious, offering a wholesome feast of savory black beans mixed with runny yolk, complimented with crunchy oatmeal toast.

Aren't the photos gorgeous?  A special thanks to Alan for his DSLR camera!

*Crunch*
The toast was indeed friendly.
-Rachel

Hats Off to National Nutrition Month!

 March is National Nutrition Month! 

To celebrate, the Registered Dietitians and Dietetic Interns at Tufts Medical Center teamed up to present  "Myth Busters: Fact vs. Fiction of Carbs, Protein and Fats."

Renee, one of the intern coordinators, answers questions at the Carbohydrate Table.

Due to the hard work of the planning committee (applause to Renee, Nikita, and Nathalia!), the event featured a fabulous line-up including food displays, a Trader Joe's raffle, and Black Bean Brownie samplers.  

Myth Busters:

Our event featured an interactive "Nutrition Myth Busters" quiz, written by dietetic interns Nikita and Renee.  Here's a teaser of some questions.

1.     True or False?  Protein's main purpose is to build muscle.  False!  Protein has a myriad of functions, including building cells, repairing cells, supporting the immune system, providing lasting energy when consumed with carbs, maintaining muscle mass, and strengthening hair, nails, and skin.

2.    True or False?  Honey is more nutritious than other sugars.  False!  You would have to eat a minimum 1/4 cup of honey to get any other type of nutrient other than carbohydrate.

3.    True or False? Eating too much sugar causes diabetes.  False!  A high sugar diet does not cause diabetes.  The biggest risk factor for diabetes is being overweight.  However if someone is diagnosed with diabetes, sugar and carbohydrate intake does have to be kept in check to manage blood sugar levels.

4.    True or False?  The 2010 Dietary Guidelines recommend that Americans consume 20-30% of calories from fat.  True!

5.    True or False? All saturated fat is bad for you.  False!  One saturated fat, stearic acid, has been shown to have a neutral effect on LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, and can increase HDL (healthy) cholesterol a boost.  Stearic acid is abundant in beef and chocolate.

Black Bean Brownies

Never before has nutrition occupied such a large slice of public attention.  This month the American Dietetic Association's national slogan is "Eat Right with Color," a tribute to the health benefits of a varied diet.  Aim to color your plate with a rainbow of whole grains, lean proteins, healthful fats, fruits, and vegetables.  Enjoy the palette of nutrients found only within whole foods.

Hats off to wholesome eating and healthful living!

How are you celebrating National Nutrition Month?

-Rachel

Truffles: P.S. I Love You

It is nearly two weeks after Valentines, but in our apartment we continue to celebrate with the sheer bliss of velvety chocolate rolled in sweet coconut and walnuts.  In other words, my roommate Nikita made these simple but elegant truffles.  Stunning.
"P.S. I Love You" Truffles
taken from The Joy of Baking
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 Tbsp alcohol (cognac, brandy, rum, bourbon, Kahlua)
Note: Truffle taste directly correlated to quality of the chocolate you use
Coatings for Truffles
Dutch-processed Cocoa Powder
Confectioners sugar
Chopped nuts
Toasted Coconut
Shaved Chocolate

Instructions

1. Place chopped chocolate in a bowl.  Set aside.
2. Heat cream and butter in small saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil.  Immediately pour over the chocolate and stand for a minute or two.  Stir until smooth.
3. If desired, add liqueur.
4. Cover and refrigerate until truffle mixture is firm (several hours or overnight).
5. Place coatings for truffles on a plate.  Use your hands, small ice cream scooper, or small spoon to scoop truffle mixture into small round balls.
6. Roll ball in coatings and place on parchment lined baking sheet or tray.
7. Cover and refrigerate until firm.
8. Can be refrigerated for a couple weeks, or frozen for a couple months.
9. Serve at room temperature.  Makes 30 small truffles.

Nikita, I dedicate this post to you.  Cheers to our living room dance parties, Glee sing-offs, wardrobe consultations, and late night chats.  You are a faithful friend and roommate, and I love cooking shoulder to shoulder in our cozy kitchen. 

P.S. I love you,

Rachel

Winter Wonderland and Cookware Preview

I'm excited to announce another partnership with CSN Stores, an online shopping site that features furniture and home decor.  They offer a variety of useful and luxery items, including anything from swing sets to tea sets, fixtures to jewelry.  The winter has been harsh on my kitchen crew, and several vital members pooped out in the chill (ahem, Mr. Blender).  Stay tuned for a cookware product review!  In the meantime, Boston's winter wonderland is slowly thawing.  It's oh so slow.

 One of the many January storms. Trudging to work; no snow day at the hospital!

October 2010

How is your kitchen crew doing?  

What's #1 on your kitchen wish list?

Rach

The Politics of Eating

Last week I enjoyed reading an opinion piece in The Huffington Post that eloquently debates some hot issues in food politics.  The article was titled, Who will fix food? Obama? Walmart? You?  I felt called to share some of its rhetoric.   

• "We've got to choose food that reflects our values. [...]  We've got to stand together to push for federal policy that serves eaters and farmers before it serves corporations." --Josh Viertel, Slow Food USA President via The Atlantic 
• "Eaters must become more political.  We can't just vote with our forks."  -Wenonah Hauter from Food & Water Watch, spurns USDA regulations such as genetically modified salmon and alfalfa.
• The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy is addressing problems with the current food system in their new Charter for a Healthy Farm Bill .  "As fewer and fewer of us are tied to the land, average citizens don't always see a connection between themselves and policies ostensibly geared toward those who still do raise crops and animals. But we all eat, so the Farm Bill affects all of us. And those of us who still have jobs pay taxes, so we should care about how our tax dollars influence our food systems, too."

Farmers' Market, Union Square, NYC

The fact that I'm even blogging about food politics indicates a change in my own thinking.  In June 2009, I arrived at the dietetic internship and graduate program with a basic toolkit of clinical nutrition.  Yes, I knew the connection between food biochemistry, human health, and disease.  But no, I was clueless to the larger connections between nutrition, food, agriculture, economics, and public policy.

I am thankful for my classmates who expand my mind with their animated opinions and interests.  I am learning that food politics is a turnpike of merging and diverging paths, each topic associated with many implications.  The conversation could start with aquaculture and sustainable fishing, but end up in urban farming, food desserts, economics of fair trade, genetically modified ____ (fill in the blank), the "head to tail" culinary movement, front of package food labeling, international food security, or who knows where else.

Farmers' Market, Point Reyes, CA

I'm a slow learner, but one thing is certain.  If nutrition and food is a business, it sure is political.
What about you? Does this stir up any noble thoughts about ethics, food policy, nutrition, farming, or eating?
As always, thanks for reading.
Happy Presidents' Day!
-Rachel

The Transparency Trend-Empowering the American Grocery Shopper

Photo credit: Whole Foods

Two weeks ago Whole Foods announced the new 5-Step Animal Rating System, a labeling system that will be popping up in meat departments nation-wide come May 2011.  The rating system is a part of the Global Animal Partnership, a nonprofit organization that audits farms and rates their animal welfare practices.  Whole Foods will be offering color-coded labels to guide consumers through the 5-Step certified beef, pork, and chicken products.  Certification indicates that the animals are raised on a vegetarian diet with no antibiotics or added growth hormones (also required by federal regulations).

5-Step Animal Welfare Rating System

Image credit: Whole Foods

A.C. Gallo, the president and COO of Whole Foods Markets comments, "We are proud to adopt this new rating system that helps shoppers make even more informed buying decisions while offering them peace of mind that the animals from our producers are raised with care."

The Transparency Trend
Food labeling is all the rage.  You might recall the hubbub about Smart Choices labels and Fruit Loops last year, and more recently the American Beverage Association announced their new "Clear on Calories" program.  The labeling initiative will display total calories on individual beverages and vending machines.

To address the labeling trend, the Institute of Medicine released Phase 1 of their front-of-pack nutrition labeling report in October 2010, concluding that labeling should focus on calories, saturated fat, trans fat, sodium, and easily understood serving sizes.  Phase 2 of the report is currently under discussion.

photo credit: Eat Drink Better

As companies slap more food labels onto packages and store shelves, I am tempted to applaud the push for "nutrition transparency" and "informed consumer purchase."  However I also wonder at what point too much information burdens rather than enlightens the consumer.  It will take more than color-coded labels to change consumer purchasing behavior and dietary patterns.  I believe proper guidance is needed to accompany these labels.

The transparency trend is exciting, but let's keep our eyes out for emerging research on food labeling and its affect on consumer purchasing.

Do you like the Whole Foods 5-Step initiative?
Your thoughts on food labeling?
Have a sweet Valentine's Day!

-Rachel