Food Network and bacon

I guess I would just like to talk about the Food Network a little bit. I have to admit that I am a Food Network junkie - my favorite shows being Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, the food competitions, Throwdown w/ BF. Barefoot Contessa. I most DISLIKE Rachael Ray because she gives information that is misleading and incorrect about food and tells all those boring stories over and over and has too many cutesy phrases - can't take it - 5 minutes is all I can stand before I must change the channel. I really don't understand her appeal even in the food aspect - she is not someone I can learn from. Paula Dean because of all the unapologetic unhealthy food when our country is full of obese people - cheering for the butter, bacon, sugar etc is just not nice. I think her shameless flirting with much younger men to be somewhat pathetic - honey, sweetie, baby. I absolutely LOVE the Barefoot Contessa - she uses so many fresh ingredients and her food is always so elegant yet not complicated. She does not necessarily skimp on the butter, fat or sugar, but she doesn't glorify it - it becomes just a part of the entire dinner - it has its place. I also love her relationship with her husband. It is, in a way, so old fashioned, but very modern - a perfect balance. Even though Diners, Driveins and Dives features diner food that does glorify the greasy, meat-packed, cheese loaded type of food, somehow watching Guy visit these places is very entertaining. I wouldn't eat most of the food I see on the program, but he has such a funny and supportive way of presenting the places he visits, I can't help but like the program. I do think that the Food Network since it is about food should take some sort of role in presenting food alternatives that are healthier. If our country is suffering from obesity, lots of people with heart disease, cancer, diabetes, this network should try to provide information in making people healthier. However, what I see is that since their sponsorship is most likely made up of food corporations, they will promote what their sponsors want them to like bacon, bacon bacon, pork broth?, etc etc. There should be more of a balance - I don't see any vegetarian or vegan shows - I guess the tofu people need to sponsor them or something? I do love the food network and must say it has inspired me to learn more about cooking and do more cooking myself. I think watching it has, in a way, made me more comfortable with becoming a vegan - it has given me more confidence to think I can use good ingredients to create the kind of food I want to eat. I know now that seasoning is so important and fat is flavor and that so many things we buy premade in the store can be easily prepared at home. I am now making my own salad dressing with olive oil, lemon juice and seasonings - my own pasta sauce with tomato paste, either fresh or canned tomatoes and plenty of garlic, onions (cooked down for sweetness) oregano, fresh basil from my garden, fresh parsley, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Well, so much for my rant about the Food Network - despite my criticisms - I will watch those shows I like and hope that they begin to offer some alternative programming for those of us who do not eat meat products.

Eating Well

Lately I have been eating so well with my trips to the Fresh Air Market every Saturday - tomatoes, beans, corn, green beans, lettuce (tried red lettuce for the first time), parsley, sweet and regular potatoes. I am even getting basil and now peas from my very own garden. Don't have any tomatoes yet, but I see the green ones coming in from the yellow flowers. How exciting! Since my husband is not a total vegan and does eat some dairy, we got some cheese and butter from the market from cows that were not given hormones or antibiotics. He says that the flavor is so delicious and knowing that it is from a local farm probably contributes to its perceived goodness. Last night I just had to cook for myself and what a feast I had. I had steamed some red potatoes, an ear of corn and green beans. I took the potatoes and fried them up in a pan with olive oil, herbs, orange pepper and onion. At the end I added some fresh basil from my garden. Everything tasted so fresh and delicious, I was so sorry when I ate the last bite. For dessert I took a couple of small slices of stretch bread that we bought at the market, covered it with Earth Balance spread, sugar and cinnamon and toasted it. Such a satisfying sweet end to my meal. Another meal I had in the week included contributions by my daughter and daugher-in-law. My daughter is a vegan and has made me banana muffin s with carob chips that is moist, healthy and tasty AND she has given me the recipe. So, I made up a dozen or so of those - perfect for dessert or snack. The other item was a new way to fix red kidney beans. When we recently visited our son and his wife, she made what she called a Mexican Pizza for us since I am a vegan. She was able to cover 3/4 of it with cheese and 1/4 with soy cheese. My favorite part of this pizza was the beans. Instead of using canned refried beans it calls for taking onions and sauteing them in olive oil for 10 minutes, then mixing in red kidney beans and little water and mashing them all together. This gives them a somewhat creamy texture and delicious taste. It also cuts down, if you rinse the beans well, on sodium which is actually quite high in canned refried beans. I make my beans for my mexican food items this way now. The great thing about all this is that both my daughter and daughter-in-law do not live close by and when I cook/bake the foods that they have shared with me, it makes me think of them and how lucky I am to have them in my life. I have also been thinking lately about how hopeful I am about the progress being made in people demanding better food in their diet both to get more satisfying tasting and healthier food. I see progress every day when I read the news or internet chatting, talking to people I know and hearing this issue on TV and radio. Well, that's it for now since it's time for lunch - what fantastic fresh food will I have?

In Defense of Food

Just finished reading 'In Defense of Food' by Michael Pollan. I must say that since I am a vegan and have done a lot of reading about the state of our food supply and its affect on our environment, health and animal welfare. So, a lot of the info in the book was just an affirmation of what I know and am doing regarding what I put in my mouth. What I did find very interesting was the emphasis in the book on the processed substances that pass as food in the grocery store. When I chose things to eat I think I was already screening out over processed and food filled with extraneous non-food like ingredients. However, it helped to encourage me to kick it up a notch. I have undertaken a more careful examination of the ingredient list to not only screen for meat, dairy and egg, but also for wholesome and a short list of ingredients. It has also encouraged me to use whole foods in the items that I cook. In fact, last night I made a pan of potatoes, black beans, red peppers, onions, couscous, roasted tomatoes, tomato sauce and basil. The potatoes, red peppers and tomatoes were fresh from the farmer's market. I roasted them all myself and the basil was from my own garden. The other ingredients I used that were purchased in a jar or can had very few ingredients. The tomato sauce was a product from a local restauranteur. This was very delicious (especially the basil, of course). I encourage anyone to read this book, because it really makes you think about the ingredients at a very comprehensive level. I have started checking out the ingredients even for items that I know I will never buy and it is quite interesting how many products include a litany of unappetizing ingredients. I think those in the food production business who anticipate that the consumer is going to be demanding better products in the future will find a way to be successful and provide good healthy food to the consumers. In the meantime, I will keep reading those labels and enjoying 'food'.