Zacusca

What do Eastern Europeans eat, I'm asked sometimes. Middle Eastern and Greek food are far more popular in the States, and while everybody knows what is a gyro or a shish kabob, few know what is a sarma. In the Balkans, we have a special liking for smelly cheeses, pickles and sauerkraut. But one thing that we really, really love, whether you live in Romania, Bulgaria or Serbia, is zacusca. This, at least, is something that we can all agree upon.

Balkanic people are frugal. They've had to be, because of centuries of foreign rule and imposed austerity. In the States we can have romaine lettuce in the middle of winter for $2.99 a bunch, peppers and tomatoes galore from Mexico, papaya from Belize and more tasty things. But in Romania, there are no such luxuries. Fruits and vegetables are scarce during the cold months, and whatever supermarkets offer comes from far away and is neither fresh, nor affordable. Meal staples during this time are root vegetables (beets, celery roots, parsnips) and legumes (beans, lentils). The only way to remember summer is to have it trapped, with all its marvelous flavors, in a jar. So traditionally, Balkanic families (specifically grandmas) do a lot of canning in the fall. 

In my family, zacusca was a very long and arduous project which grandma would perform stoically throughout an entire day of standing, roasting and mixing in the kitchen. I knew when the zacusca time had come because of the terrific smell of roasting eggplant, which permeated every corner of the house and made us all flock to the kitchen to catch a glimpse of the process. Grandma had enormous pots (or at least they were enormous compared to me, a little child) and she would energetically stir in them for a long time, until zacusca had precisely the right consistency. Then she would can 30 to 40 jars of the stuff and keep it in the pantry for the winter. And boy, was that zacusca a great joy for us in the cold winter months, when there was snow outside and we could sit by the window and pop open a jar of the red deliciousness and spread it on warm slices of freshly baked bread...

Zacusca (Lyutenitsa)

~ makes about 6 cups

2 medium eggplants

2 red bell peppers

1 sweet onion, minced

2 cups (16 oz) chopped tomatoes (I use Pomi, you can also use canned)

1 bay leaf

olive oil

salt, pepper, to taste (if using chile, skip the pepper)

1/4 cup hot green chile or 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, optional

First, we're going to roast the eggplant and peppers. So find yourself a good audio book or podcast, because you're going to be in the kitchen awhile. You can do this in a cast iron skillet or a tortilla pan (or even directly over the fire if you have a gas stove). 

Set the pan on medium-high heat and place the eggplant and peppers inside. Turn them with tongs every few minutes to make sure they're equally roasted on all sides. If the heat is high enough, you'll have to do this every 3 minutes or so.

Note: you can also just bake the vegetables, but they won't have the same delicious roasted flavor and honestly, that's what makes zacusca. So don't be lazy!

When the peppers are done, set them immediately in a pot and cover them quickly. They need to "sweat" in there so you can peel them easily.

In the meantime, peel the eggplants as soon as they're cool enough to touch. Don't use metal utensils at any time to manipulate the eggplant meat, because it will turn dark. Use only wood or ceramic. Peel the eggplant and then chop it horizontally and then vertically lots of times, until you get a mash. I use a large wooden spoon to do this, but maybe you can find an even better tool (not metal!).

Then peel the peppers and chop them very very small. Keep the juice too, it's very tasty!

Heat up some olive oil on low heat and add the onions with 1 tsp of salt. Cover and cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring some. You want to smother, not caramelize it. Then add the peppers and bring to a boil.

Add the eggplant, then the chopped tomatoes, black pepper, bay leaf and chile if using. Mix well, reduce the heat to low and partially cover (it will splatter, so be careful).

Boil for 1 hour stirring frequently, every 5 minutes or so. Season with more salt if you need it.

Eat by itself, on bread, as a snack, with pasta, with potatoes or with eggs, or however else! Zacusca is just awesome!

Recipe adapted from Laura @ Retete ca la mama.

Simple roasted chicken with winter vegetables

If you should decide to have a light New Year's Eve feast and not start 2013 with a food coma, I not only applaud you but can also suggest a fitting meal to go with your admirable intentions. This dish goes very well with some quinoa to which you can add some diced carrots and celery, and spice it with cumin. Yum!

And with respect to your New Year's resolutions, well... go easy on yourself. If you set unfeasible goals, you're setting yourself up for failure and will inevitably end up disappointed. Try to get at least one nutrition-related goal among your resolutions, though. There are so many worthwhile goals you can choose from. Commit to eating less animal fat, less sugar, more leafy greens, more berries, drink less coffee, cook at home at least every other day, bake instead of frying, or train yourself to like vegetables. Do as much as you can. Be realistic, but also ambitious!

Today, when we know so much about nutrition and what food does to our bodies, when there are vegetables-revering bloggers like me who incessantly advertise healthier recipes and belabor good-for-you tenets, we no longer have any excuse to have crappy diets. So, take all of this and find your own way to healthier eating. Use food for energy and nourishment, not as a filler for other things that may be missing from your life. 

Eat, be merry and have a happy new year, everyone!

Simple roasted chicken with winter vegetables

~ serves 4

3 chicken breasts or 6 thighs

2-3 beets, peeled and chopped

3 large carrots, peeled and sliced

1-2 parsnips, peeled and sliced (you can use whatever roots you can find, really: celery root, turnip, rutabaga, etc)

1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced

1 lemon, cut into wedges

1/2 Tbsp rosemary

1 tsp thyme

salt and pepper, to taste

olive oil, for drizzling

Sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken and massage it into the meat on all sides. 

In a large bowl, mix the vegetables with rosemary, thyme, lemon and olive oil. Add the meat and mix everything together until well coated. 

Pour the mixture into a baking dish and bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until the meat is tender. Cover with lid or foil for the first 30 minutes so the chicken doesn't dry out, then leave uncovered for the remainder. You'll know it's done when the meat has a nice amber color.

Refreshing zucchini and mushroom soup

The holidays are coming, and it's always a challenge to ignore the plethora of cookie recipes coming our way. Everything is about food this time of year. But the problem is, the advertised food is not of the nourishing variety. It's the kind that makes you feel lethargic, that gives you digestive problems, that prevents you in so many ways from being active. It's not the food I yearn to prepare or consume, and certainly not the food I'd like to recommend to others. And for the last time, I don't want to cook my way to "vegan holidays" with a mountain of soy! Generally speaking, soy sucks. To read why you too should stay away from soy, read Kimberly's article. And if you're a Tofu fan, make sure you're sitting down.

This being said, I still enjoy making vegetable soups even now when the weather is getting colder and the said vegetables are not so readily available. Soon we'll have to get creative with roots and mushrooms, the stuff of winter. But for now, as a last adieu to gloriously green zucchini, here is a delicious and versatile blended soup. You can tweak the quantities for any ingredient and the taste will be slightly different, but the duet of zucchini and mushroom is golden every time. You don't need a Vitamix to make this. Any kind of blender will do, and personally I prefer this a little chunky so I don't blend it completely smooth. This will take your mind off cookies and other evils for a little while, I promise.

Zucchini and mushroom soup

~ serves 4

4 zucchini, cut lengthwise and sliced in 1/2 inch half-moons

1 package (12 oz) crimini mushrooms

1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets

1/2 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper, to taste

water or vegetable broth

fresh chopped parsley or cilantro for garnish

Heat coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the mushrooms for about 5 minutes, until they start to soften. Add the zucchini, onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for another 3 minutes. 

Add water or broth just to cover the vegetables, and add the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. 

Add cauliflower and simmer until the florets soften, about 10 minutes. 

Turn off the heat and blend the soup until you get the consistency you like. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parsley or cilantro when you serve.

Recipe adapted from Clean by Alejandro Junger.

Post-Thanksgiving comforting sweet potato soup

Swamped with projects of all sorts, I've been remiss in sharing reports of my cookings. Shame on me. The cookings, however, have happened nevertheless. And lots of them! I am halfway through a cleaning diet that I plan to dedicate an entire post to, soon. It's worth it. 

Lately I have been doing my best to eat more meat (at least once a week) because I've been feeling my strength diminishing at the gym, and I thought a lack of protein might be the cause. Well that isn't it. It may be a lack of Vitamin D!

So with a view to Thanksgiving, when I'll undoubtedly get my weekly value of protein in one sitting alone, I tried to go totally vegetarian for a few days before the great feast. This cauliflower-sweet potato soup is very tasty, and garam masala plays an important role in its deliciousness, so if you don't have it in your pantry I suggest you acquire it right away. It's a wonderful spice that goes well with sweet vegetables (pumpkin, squash, sweet potatoes), and it's also inexpensive. Let this soup be your own post-Thanksgiving cleansing meal.

Post-Thanksgiving comforting sweet potato soup

~ serves 6 hungry ones

1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets

2 large sweet potatoes (or American yams), cubed

1 sweet onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

olive oil

garam masala, about 1/2 tsp

1 tsp Celtic salt

6 cups water

In a bowl, toss cauliflower with some olive oil until well coated. Place on a tray and sprinkle with garam masala. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes until it looks like this:

In the meantime, get a large pot, set it on medium heat and throw the sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, salt and water in there. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes or so. 

Add the roasted cauliflower. Then, remove from the heat and blend it until smooth with a hand blender. If you like chunks in your soup, transfer only half the soup into another pot and blend it, then return it to the pot and stir well. Reheat the soup if necessary.

Eat and be merry!

Recipe adapted from Manifest Vegan.

2-minute superhealthy avocado soup

The cold came over the city overnight, it felt. One day I stepped outside and it was in the thirties. It's getting harder to peel my eyes open every morning, and prepare to jump on my two-wheeled horse to step into the ear-numbing, face-biting air. Even though I look forward to the snowy outdoors and to Christmas, I find myself terribly nostalgic for summer. Besides, I'm not prepared to switch to my fluffy wardrobe just yet! At least one thing about this transition has me excited though: hot soups. I'm very enthusiastic about attempting lots and lots of soup recipes this coming winter. Something about a steamy bowl of vegetable potion is so comforting, and it always makes me think of home.

As a last homage to summer, here is a soup that's become one of my staples for anti-inflammatory action. This is served at room temperature - it's probably the last recipe of non-hot soup I'm trying this year. I've noticed that many of the foods I eat (and love) cause inflammation in my body. Normally I would just say so what, I'm not going to give up bread and cheese just for the whims of my cells. Except, I have noticed that some foods make my face swollen. Yes, seriously. And I'm not talking about a little "nobody will notice" kind of swollen, I'm talking about froglike, puffy eyes like I'm sick and haven't slept well in weeks. Spicy foods, bread and salt are some of my most uglyfying foods. 

Nobody likes to look Humpty Dumpty-faced, so - enter anti-inflammatory soup. Avocado in particular has many, many nutritional benefits, and one of them is its anti-inflammatory effect. There is an endless list of anti-inflammatory things you can eat for this purpose. But unless you make a habit of targeting those foods specifically, and avoiding the foods that have the opposite effect, you won't see much results because they will cancel each other out. This soup however is definitely a start in the right direction. It's also raw, healthy, quite tasty and of course, beautifying. Make this in a Vitamix or the blender of your choice.

Anti-inflammatory avocado soup

~ serves 2

1 large avocado or 2 small

1 bunch cilantro or parsley (cilantro is better)

2 cups sunflower sprouts, spinach or other wholesome leafy greens

1 cup chopped green onions

2 cups (16 oz) coconut water

juice from 1 lime

Throw everything into the blender and blend away! Serve immediately. Don't store this soup to eat later, because avocado becomes oxidized in time and the soup will not only taste funny, it also will have lost much of its healthy enzymes.

By the way: the site nutritiondata.self.com includes the inflammation factor (IF) for most food items. A negative IF is inflammatory, and the higher the number the stronger the effect (just out of curiosity, look up "bagel"). A positive IF means the food has anti-inflammatory effects, and the higher the IF the more anti-inflammatory the food is. Try to eat more of the foods with high positive IFs, such as avocado, papaya, ginger or turmeric.

Recipe adapted from The Facelift Diet.

Barley with a side of green

A hammock. That’s what I would like. A shaded place to pass Sunday afternoons, remembering college and breathlessly turning page after page of a John Banville novel. Wouldn’t that be spectacular? A few days ago people at work were going bananas over this geek test online, a mile-long list of questions that no doubt had been put together by somebody in some inspiration-spurring place, such as the john. If you read Russian novels for pleasure, you got extra points as a geek. Lucky me, I suppose.

Whatever happened to simple things? Everywhere I look there's a plethora of something. A plethora of cars - just the other day an asshole decided to cut me off and turn left right in my face, and as I squeezed both brakes to avoid slamming my poor mountainbike into his overwaxed truck, I waved the middle finger at the driver without any compunction. A plethora of choices - how many brands of nut butters can there be, really? I know we're trying to be healthy, but come on. A plethora of recipes, too. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed between the things I want to try to make and the perpetually receding time, that I feel like just giving up. The hell with the blog! But it can't just be that easy, can it?

A few years ago I discovered what is now my favorite quick recipe: couscous with peas and mint. I love everything about it: the simplicity, the taste (buttery couscous with crunchy sweet peas go so. well. together.), the color. It's a sexy meal, really. So this time I didn't have couscous at the residence but I had barley, so I gave it a shot for a nice little adaptation. Not as good as the original, but a nice simple meal, in the good ole' Beauty Detox tradition.

Barley with peas and green beans
~ serves 4

1 cup pearl barley (quick cooking)
8 oz frozen peas (half a package)
8 oz frozen green beans (half a package)
4-5 mint leaves, minced
a sliver of butter
salt and pepper, to taste

Put the barley, 2 cups of water and salt in a pot . Boil for 20 minutes or until softened.
In the meantime, set the peas and green beans to boil and if using frozen vegetables boil them for about 8 minutes (you want them to be al dente, not soft). 
Serve the barley with a sliver of butter on top and a side of peas and green beans. Sprinkle mint on the side.

Good luck!

Extraordinary baked summer vegetables

This past week I've been struggling to balance work, cooking... and moving! My kitchen is by far the busiest area of the house, and the most cumbersome to pack. It hasn't been a smooth process. With just work and cooking, I already have my plate full. The commitment to cook everything at home is not one that's easy to keep faithful to. But the essential for me is to not allow myself to become lazy. "Let's just order in" is not in my vocabulary. Whatever I prepare, however simple or elaborate, will be tastier and more nutritious than any ready-made food I could buy. That I know.

So here are some things I've whipped up hurriedly these past few days.

Stuffed peppers! I remember having this meal a lot when I was growing up, and I remember hating it with a passion. This recipe by Kim Snyder, on the other hand, is vegan and actually not bad. The stuffing is made of broccoli, quinoa, carrots, kale and basil. I am trying to find a way to introduce raw goat's milk cheese in here without breaking Kim's protein+starch rule. Just a note about this: for leftovers, make sure to heat these up before enjoying. I tried to eat one cold and it was quite the disappointment :(

I love fruit. If I could eat nothing but colorful fruits all the time I'd be so happy. The summer is great because we can buy lots of local and fresh fruit so inexpensively. So stock up for the winter! In this bowl, some of my favorites: strawberries, apricots (always organic) and kiwi.

This week's recipe turned out so delicious that I had to share it. It was serendipitous, I think, that the spices turned out just right. The mixture has dazzling tamari and rosemary flavors that you don't expect from a bunch of cooked vegetables. For sure, this is the tastiest thing I've made this month.

Extraordinary baked summer vegetables

~ serves 6

4 zucchini, chopped

10 oz asparagus (about 14 spears), chopped

2 large yams, finely chopped

16 oz mushrooms, sliced

8 oz (1/2 package) frozen edamame

8 oz (1/2 package) frozen pearl onions

1 Tbsp dry rosemary

2 tsp dry dill

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup tamari

7 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped

Mix all the chopped vegetables in a large bowl. Add the spices and mix well to coat. This will make a substantial amount of vegetables, so you will probably need two dishes for baking. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, cover the baking dishes (with aluminum foil if you have no lid) and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake uncovered for 15 more minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Serve with a side of brown rice or whole wheat couscous.

Simple curry with red lentils

I don't know much about Indian food. My first encounter with the notion was at an Indian restaurant in Macon, where after perusing the menu with much dissimulated understanding, I confidently ordered "Tandoori chicken," mostly because it was the only item that I could both pronounce and somewhat guess what it was. The aromas, though, have always mesmerized me. Whenever I'd sit close to my Nepalese friends in college, I could smell all these dazzling fragrances in their hair, on their hands, and I'd wonder what it was. A perfume? Incense? It was maddening.

Since I've had my own place and a kitchen that allows much experimentation, I've taken a special liking to creating curries. I not only like their flavor, but I also digest them well and I don't feel drained of energy after a meal. Indian and Thai curries are my absolute favorites. I especially like the way the house smells afterwards, once the potent fragrances have settled. It smells... mystical.

For longer than I'm willing to admit, I thought that turmeric was an insipid spice, only good to color your food yellow and permanently stain all your cookware. But since I've become more versed in making curries, I also learned that turmeric has many health benefits, as well as a very enjoyable flavor of its own. Turmeric is anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, which makes it especially effective in alleviating joint pain. In fact, turmeric has one the highest anti-inflammatory factor of all spices (1523 per 1 Tbsp), followed closely by ginger (1447 per 1 Tbsp). This makes it especially interesting for those on the Anti-Inflammatory Diet.

This week's recipe is featured in The Food Matters Cookbook, adapted by Joanne and spiced up by Kate with extra lentils and coconut milk. I love lentils and I happened to have some in my pantry, so I followed Kate's suggestion, only instead of black lentils I used red. This curry was marvelous. I could have this for lunch every day and not get bored. Here are the main items you'll need - nothing fancy:

And don't forget the lentils! While virtually fat-free, lentils are full of fiber and protein and are also a good source of iron. Half a cup of cooked lentils gives you 9 grams of protein for less than a gram of fat. And if you're counting, that amounts to a meager 99 calories. How about that?

Simple Curry with Red Lentils
~ serves 6

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp ginger root, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
2 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp brown sugar
5 small potatoes (or 2 large), peeled and chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
3 cups vegetable broth
1 14-oz can light coconut milk
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup red lentils
1 small cauliflower, cored and chopped
fresh cilantro or parsley, for garnish

Put the oil in a large pot over medium heat.  When it's hot, add the onion, garlic, ginger and jalapeno pepper. Cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the curry powder, cumin and sugar. Cook and stir continuously for about a minute.

Add the potatoes and carrot and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring for a minute or two.  Add the broth, 1/2 of the coconut milk and tomatoes with their liquid. Bring to a boil, then add the lentils and lower the heat so the mixture bubbles gently. Cook, stirring every so often, until the potatoes and carrots are soft - about 20 minutes.

Add the cauliflower. Cook until all the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes more. At the end, add the remaining coconut milk. Serve next to brown rice, brown rice curly pasta or couscous and don't forget to sprinkle some cilantro or parsley on top.

Original recipe by Mark Bittman, adapted by Joanne from Eats Well With Others, and perfected by Kate from Cookie and Kate.

Impossibly smooth pea soup

I recently bought a Vitamix blender. I consider it one of the best purchases I ever made. In fact, this photo hardly does this soup justice. The Vitamix is like the Ferrari of blenders. That thing will blend rocks! So obviously, that's how I prepare my Glowing Green Smoothie every morning, and it's also a whole new avenue of experimentation when it comes to blended soups, drinks or ice cream. Mine also came with an entire book of recipes and, leafing through it in the excitement of the moment, I found most of them easy and unpretentious. My favorite kind.

Peas are great for you, by the way. They contain not only lots of fiber, but also iron and vitamin C. Besides, peas have a lot of protein for a plant: 3/4 cup of peas contain 8 grams of protein, more than a whole egg. I like to heat up peas and saute them with minced fresh dill weed and a little butter, which makes a delicious side for any meat of your choice. This soup, though, is vegan and it's something else. I love peas, but this brought peas to another level of awesomeness. I had this soup both hot and cold and to be honest I was partial to the cold version. Sooo refreshing!

Blended pea soup
~ serves 4

1 quart vegetable broth
4 medium potatoes, each cut in 4
8 oz frozen sweet peas
1/2 shallot or 1/2 small onion, uncut
1/2 inch piece of lemon peel

Place 2/3 of the broth in a pot together with the peas, quartered potatoes, shallot or onion and bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat until the potatoes are tender (20-30 minutes). 

Then blend the mixture with the rest of the broth and the lemon peel. You can use a hand blender, regular blender, food processor or a Vitamix. You just might end up with a chunkier soup than I did, depending on the device you use. Blend about a minute or so, until you achieve maximum smoothness. Enjoy and thank me later!

Note: try this chilled, too. It will surprise you.

Recipe adapted from Vitamix Whole Foods Recipes.

Unbeautiful vegetarian broccoli casserole

The nutritional plan I'm currently testing categorizes foods very clearly: beautiful and unbeautiful. Broccoli is beautiful; cheese is unbeautiful. Broccoli has vitamin C, calcium, beta-carotene and fiber. Cheese obstructs digestion, but is disarmingly delicious. So I decided to marry the two, mostly because I had a package of cheese left in the fridge that I wasn't going to throw away. So, broccoli casserole it is! A green dish that's not pretty according to Kim Snyder's rules, but that certainly looks pretty on a plate. With this, I'm also going to say goodbye to dairy for a while. So enjoy every bite!

Unbeautiful vegetarian broccoli casserole

3 or 4 heads broccoli, cut into florets
1 can water chestnuts, sliced
1 cup of shredded cheese of your choice (if given the choice, always go for raw goat's milk Cheddar or Jack)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 egg
2 small jalapeno peppers, minced
2 tsp paprika

Mayonnaise:
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp mustard
juice of 1/2 lemon

First, prepare the mayonnaise. I always make my own, and this is how: place the two egg yolks in a glass bowl. Start adding olive oil little by little and stir very fast. It's important to stir this constantly and quickly, otherwise the mixture can get separated and the mayonnaise is ruined (If this happens, add a tablespoon of milk and mix very fast, that should mend it). Stirring constantly, continue adding the oil little by little until you incorporate all of it. The mixture should be creamy but thick. Add the mustard and stir well. Add the lemon juice at the end and mix well. At this point you can actually taste the mayonnaise and add more lemon juice if you like.

Beat the egg well in a large bowl. Add the chopped onion, chestnuts, jalapenos and broccoli florets and mix. Stir in 2/3 of the shredded cheese and lastly, add the mayonnaise. 

Grease a 9 x 13 pan with olive oil and pour the mixture into it. Sprinkle the remaining cheese. Sprinkle paprika on top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes, or until it looks amber and crispy.

Vegetarian fried rice, spring style

I've never been to China, but I've always been fascinated with the variations in flavors and quality at Chinese food restaurants and take-out places. Which one is authentic, I wondered. Now I know that Northerners and Southerners in China eat different things and have different tastes. While in the South the diet is rice-based and peppered with tropical fruit and vegetables, in the North it is wheat-based. Easterners enjoy fish and seafood, while Westerners like rich flavors and hot chilies. And yet, if I were faced with a Chinese dish I'm quite sure I wouldn't be able to tell what cuisine the cook is practicing.

Even in little Macon, it was easy to note a difference between an obscure take-out place like Ming's and a large chain like New China Buffet. I always preferred the former because I found it, intuitively, more authentic, even though the latter had more variety to offer. I remember the house fried rice from Ming's as a delicious treat that rewarded us after arduous exams or long hours of student work, in the library or whatever place they'd assigned us to expiate our tuition costs. They were hard times, and we often sought solace in food. Who could blame us?

I first started stir-frying after a meal at Genghis Grill in Albuquerque. This is an unusual sort of restaurant where you select your ingredients, pile them up in a bowl, wait in a long line and finally when your turn comes the chef cooks your selected meal right in front of you, with your sauce of choice. My meal was delicious, and I wasn't sure whether it was my merit or the chef's. But it was so simple and tasty that it won me over.

The stir-fry was invented out of necessity, to conserve cooking fuel which was scarce during the Tang Dynasty in China. Today our scarcity is quite different - it's not cooking fuel, but time. Our lives are so busy that we hardly remember to eat, let alone prepare our own meals. It's much easier to grab a burrito at a drive-through on your way somewhere. Quicker, agreed. But nutritious? I don't know. For all you busy people, here is a quick recipe that I created inspired by the colors of spring and, well, the contents of my fridge. This makes four generous bowls of fried rice and it keeps very well, so you can double the recipe and make more to last you longer.

1 1/2 cups jasmine or Basmati brown rice, cooked (I use 1 part rice per 2 1/2 parts water)
1/2 package (8 oz) frozen peas, cooked
1/2 package green beans (8 oz), cooked
1 large red pepper, finely chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 eggs
2 Tbsp soy sauce (organic is better!)
2 Tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
olive oil

First, cook the eggs scrambled in a non-stick pan. Meanwhile, set a wok (or a large frying pan) on medium heat and generously coat the bottom with olive oil. 
When the eggs are done, set them to the side. Wait until the wok is hot (2 minutes or so) and throw in the onions and garlic. Saute stirring constantly for 2 minutes or until transparent. 
Throw in red pepper and sesame seeds and cook for another minute, stirring constantly. Throw in the cooked rice, peas and green beans and stir together for another minute. Add the cooked eggs and mix everything together over medium heat for 3 minutes. 
Remove from heat, add soy sauce and mix.

By the way:
Since this is not a spicy dish, it will go well with a dry red wine, medium-bodied as to not steal the show. I had a glass of Slow Paseo, a Tempranillo blend from Trader Joe's.

Two soups for studying

When studying for an exam, there's no better meal to have than soup. Soup is fitting to have in many time-pressing situations, but most of all on those occasions when you need to keep working and focused. It's not pretentious, it's easy to make and it will keep in the fridge for quite a while. If you are like me, and dread the disruption from studying that meals are, then you should seriously consider getting a cookbook for soups. I found such a gem at Barnes & Noble, on sale, and not being a fan of cookbooks at the time I quickly dismissed it. But curiosity pressed, and leafing through the book I discovered the recipes to be rather simple and the ingredients basic. So I bought it.

Ever since, I have been making soup as if to feed a restaurant. One of the things I love about soups is experimenting with spices. Being creative is great too and it can lead to glorious successes - but it can also lead to miserable failures. Following recipes, on the other hand, you learn about flavors and how spices work together. This is especially useful if you are a beginner and don't yet have enough experience cooking to have a knack about what goes with what. Also, following a recipe prevents you from committing serious catastrophes with very potent spices (such as the episode in which my otherwise trustworthy aide doctored an entire batch of black bean soup with two tablespoons of cayenne pepper - more on that in another entry).

For last week, I decided to make two very different soups, back to back. An hour and a half of cooking took care of an entire week's worth of lunches. I love that sort of project where I'm being very productive in a short amount of time. For the first soup, I thought about adding some meat for protein, but I also wanted it to be chunky and rich in vegetables. Turkey soup! I chose a slow cooker recipe because really, it's the easiest way to cook anything - just throw everything in there and leave for the day. By the time you get home from work, you have dinner ready. If you don't have a slow cooker, you can still make this by boiling everything together on low heat until the vegetables are soft but not mushy.

The idea for the second soup arose from my memories of Santa Fe at sunset, of New Mexican food and good company, of delicious vibrant green avocados in the summer. This is a refreshing soup made with fresh tomatoes and topped with cheese and avocados. If I'd grown up in Mexico (which, too often in my dreams, I have) this is what grandma would be cooking in her summer kitchen while the family would be sitting on the veranda, toasting apple cider and gulping down fresh bread with butter.

Santa Fe Tomato Chowder

1 Tbsp butter
5 cloves garlic, minced
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 can (16 oz) tomato sauce
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 ripe avocado, squared and scooped out
1 cup shredded goat cheddar cheese

Melt butter in large saucepan. Saute garlic for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup water, tomato sauce, corn, cilantro, cayenne pepper and chili powder.
Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Spoon soup into serving bowls. Top with shredded cheese and avocado pieces.
Makes 4 servings.

Recipe for Santa Fe Tomato Chowder adapted from Frank's RedHot.
Recipe for Simple Turkey Soup from The Soup Bible.