Great Grains!!

A new friend recently enlightened me about grain, specifically flour, and now I'm on my way to changing one more thing in my life which will help me eat cleaner!

Up until now, I thought that flour was a nutrition-less substance which was only good for making delicious baked goods and thickening sauces.  For a few years now, I've been using 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 white flour.  I thought I was doing a good thing, but I've learned that I could be doing better!

Let me drop some knowledge:

Wheat grains are made up of three parts:

Bran:  the outer layer where all the roughage that helps move unwanted poisons and toxins through your system is found. The bran also contains numerous vitamins, minerals, and proteins.
Germ:  the "health center of the grain", overflowing with vitamins B and E, as well as unsaturated fat and protein
Endosperm: the starchy white center

So, in its purest form, whole grains contains lots of things that are good for you.  However, when grain is milled into flour, if it's not refrigerated the oils from the bran and germ go rancid.  Because of this, the flour we buy in the store is made without the bran and germ, just the endosperm...which has no really nutritional value.  When you see "enriched" wheat on a package, usually that means some of the vitamins have been replaced (obviously this is not done naturally) but not the fiber or protein.

So, bread can be "good for you" she says??


I do say!  If you mill your own wheat you can make flour that still contains all the nutrients it was meant to have! O glorious day! The nutritious possibilities are endless... cakes and cookies with vitamins and minerals....pancakes that don't taste like cardboard, and contain nutrients that don't make you feel guilty.  (Dear reader, I haven't forgotten about the sugar content of these items, I just want to celebrate the small victories...)

Pizza Pie

Last night for dinner I made our usual pizza.  My homemade pizza has been a tradition for us the last two years.  It started because I am a pizza snob a.k.a. New Yorker and couldn't stand eating Dominos or Anthonys (military people, you know what I'm talking about).  I tried a recipe for pizza dough and it was delicious!  Last night, I made the same recipe, using fresh milled flour. Enter snazzy mixer....

From White Girl Gone Green

That beautiful machine was a Christmas present from my mom.  It is the best gift I ever received!  (Sorry, Chris, the diamond earrings were nice, but they can't knead dough for me.)

The pizza was amazing and so was the feeling that I was getting added vitamins, fiber, etc, and less (almost no) grease!  Stay tuned for my next post in which I make pasta sauce!! mmmm....

Source:http://www.homesteadharvest.com/article8.html

Glorious Gazpacho

A while back I made a gazpacho that turned out really good.

Some time back in July I vowed not to turn on the oven EVER.  It was okay to cook on the stove top, but did not bake, broil, or baste a single thing which might add to the furnace that was our apartment.  For a visual demonstration, please refer to Dog Days of Summer.

But I digress....

Back to gazpacho!  It was one of those so-hot-your-bones-are-sweating days in Korea.  I had a gazpacho recipe I found in a great article, aptly named "No Cook Summer Meals."  The colors were so pretty, I had to photograph them.  (Note: I wish I had one of those fancy cameras that takes professional photos that look like you know what you're doing, but really all you are doing is pointing and clicking....)  Here are a few photos to make you crave this amazing cold soup, and make me wish it was summer again.

They are not exactly organic veggies, but beggars couldn't be choosy in the Commissary.

From White Girl Gone Green

All you do is chop, then puree, all of the veggies, then add cilantro.  My kitchen was a mess, but I like the "cooked in" look.

From White Girl Gone Green

There you have it!  Negra Modela is optional, but highly recommended.

From White Girl Gone Green

In conclusion:
Gazpacho is healthy, easy, and environmentally friendly (no stove, releasing energy, just a quick blend). If you like V8, you'll like Gazpacho.

P.S. I love to say Gazpacho.  And if you make it, you will love to say it too.  It sounds very impressive.

Happy Birthday to me!

Hey everyone,

This past weekend was my birthday celebration.  We were up in Baltimore for Loyola's Annual Bull and Oyster Roast.  A lot has changed on campus since I was there last.  I had a blast showing Chris around my old stomping ground!  While exploring the cafeteria, I saw that Loyola is now, not only recycling, but composting as well!  I can only attribute it to the next generation of world changers attending Loyola these days!  How cool is it that they are helping people to see how easy it is to reduce waste!

From White Girl Gone Green

Reducing Food Waste

While living in South Korea I learned a thing or two about food waste....namely, how much of it I waste!!

Recycling Laws in SoKo prohibit you from throwing food waste out with your other non-recyclable garbage.  You must collect it and dump it in the compost bins next to the recycling bins outside of your apartment.  At first I thought this was so gross!  (Imagine:  July, mid-morning, 75 degrees F, 98.9% humidity. Last night's kimchi leftovers and fishbones.)  After I got the hang of it though, I realized that we throw away a lot more than we need too.

Without the local law here, I feel terrible about throwing away compost potential food.  Coffee grinds that could fertilize plants.  (Imagine me now, throwing rotted fruit into the trees behind our house while I pray a stray animal will find dinner...really, ask my husband.)

In honor of my garbage guilt (how's that for a turn of phrase) I have found creative ways to reduce my food waste.  Here are a few:

1. "Kitchen Sink" Pasta. My version of what my mother in law calls "stuff."  It's whatever veggies I have moved to the fridge because their life expectancy is dwindling.  Add onions, garlic and pasta...and voila!  Dinner is never the same twice!

2. Use coffee grounds in potted plants/garden.  Our house produces enough coffee grounds to fertilize a small orchard.  Since we do not have a garden (see also: future goal) we use only enough coffee grounds for Basil (pronounced "Ba-zil") our small basil (pronounced bay-zil) plant.

3. Start your own compost pile.  It is really just that easy.  Composting will reduce the waste that ends up in a land fill and enriches the soil you use in your garden.  If you don't have a garden, you can get with a neighbor who does, and start a community compost!  (I love alliteration!)  Here's a great site with How To Information.  And some time in the near future, I'll post on my adventures in composting...

Also, look how cute composting can be! Compost Collector 

4. Doggy Bag It.  I'm too cheap to EVER leave food behind at a restaurant, but please, take that food home, because it will just go in the trash!  Or, try ordering a smaller portion, or appetizer.  Note:  I might not do this if the restaurant uses styrofoam.  We're gonna need a full entry for styrofoam....

5. Stock your fridge and pantry with newest in the back, oldest in the front.  If it's good enough for the grocery store, it's good enough for me.  When I go food shopping with my mom, she always reaches for the product way in the back of the shelf.  She taught me that the newer milk, eggs, etc are always in the back because people always grab what's in front.  I know there's a fancy name for it, but I don't know it.  Use this mentality when stocking your fridge and pantry.  Put the older items in the front, so that they get used first.

These are really easy ways to get you on your way to reducing your waste!  Which one are you going to try first?  What were the ingredients in your "Kitchen Sink" pasta this week?