My New Iron BFF.

Sweet potato greens.

I had previously written about how I borrowed my friend's cast iron pan over this summer in order to keep my sanity. I mean, cook.
When I arrived back in Jacksonville and found my own place, I realized that keeping my sanity not only served me well, it was actually quite enjoyable. So I decided to keep on cooking- with my own cast iron pan. A simple 8 inch pan.
My cast iron pan stays on top on my stove. I don't ever put it away, as I use it for pretty much everything I cook. Bacon for the beans, eggs, spanish tortilla, mexican tortillas, granola in the oven,  meat, corn bread, roasted chicken, vegetables, greens... all I need to do, when done cooking, is rinse it, without soap, and put it on the hot burner for half a minute for it to dry. Done. It goes hand in hand with living simply, using my time efficiently, and eating well. Good, wholesome, tasty food that is nourishing, fresh, and free of crap- pesticides, hormones, antibiotics. Food that is not processed.

Roasted chicken.

My challenge living alone, or even when I have my children with me, is to eat a broad, good-quality variety of food, especially when it comes to vegetables. It is so easy to say to myself ''oh, this is so complicated to make, it takes so long, I don't have the time, I need to study, I want to go climb, I just want to go ride or run, I am too tired to deal...''  I don't want to commit to hours in the kitchen. I already must wash all dishes by hand, mine and my kids'- that takes time. I don't want to toil all day in the kitchen, I am done with that part of my life. But I still want, and need for my own and my children's health, to eat well. Bling! Along comes my BFF!

Portabello in coconut oil.

My BFF can cook anything in minutes. Baby spinach that is about to go bad because the package is too goddamn big for me to eat it all as salad? Throw it in the cast iron with butter. Sweet potato greens from the local farm that only last a few days before turning brown? Cast iron with olive oil. Left over mushrooms that my son asked me to buy and never ate? Cast iron with butter. My daughter doesn't want to eat anything for breakfast? Throw her in the cast iron. Just kidding, throw some eggs in the cast iron, and let her cook them. Zucchini, peppers, eggplants, onions, garlic... sautée them with the fat of choice on high heat, and no matter what kind of vegetables they may be, simple or complicated, they are ready to eat in a few minutes. Serve over, or with, quinoa, roasted potatoes, farro salad, rice, chicken, meat, pasta... the choices are infinite.
Thank you, cast iron, for being there for me. Your companionship and loyalty is deeply appreciated. Even if you burn me sometimes- I understand.

Parsley, Sage and Sweet Levain Bakery Copycat Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

A friend brought these cookies to work a while ago... I had never tasted anything like this before; they were so incredible that I asked her what the recipe was. She told me they were Levain Bakery-style cookies, and gave me the name of the blog where she found the recipe. The blog is called Parsley, Sage and Sweet. Lisa does a beautiful job of explaining how to make them, as well as how to adjust the ingredients in order to obtain different textures and variations. With her permission, here follows the recipe and picture of this extraordinary cookie.

Levain Bakery Copycat Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 

Ingredients

• 2 sticks ‘cold and cubed’ unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar – not packed too hard. Just spoon it in the cup(s) and press down lightly when full, sweeping off any extra that runs over.
• 2 eggs
• 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 cups AP flour – Spoon and Sweep method. (feel the dough, it should be moist, kind of like cold cookie dough in a tube.. but not super sticky, so you can portion the cookies with your hands)
• 3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 3/4-1 teaspoon baking powder ( I don’t fill the tsp fully, hence the 3/4 tsp)
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups good quality semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (I usually use half semisweet and half milk chocolate AND, a little birdy told me they use Guittard)
• 1 cup walnuts (Toast the nuts for more flavor, if desired and/or use any kind of nut you like. I love macadamias in these)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle, cream together butter and sugars until well blended and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time.. and beat until well incorporated. 

2. Add flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and mix until just combined. Gently fold in chocolate chunks and nuts.

3. Transfer dough to clean work surface and gently mix dough by hand to ensure even distribution of ingredients. Divide into 12 equal portions, **about 4 oz each..

4. Place each on sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake in the preheated oven 16-23 minutes depending on how gooey and raw’ish you like the middles (I bake mine at 375 for 18-20 minutes, as I prefer a less raw interior), until very lightly browned, taking care not to overbake. Let cool on rack and store what you don’t immediately eat, in an airtight container. To freshen them after a few days (if they last that long), give them a quick nuke in the microwave for 5-10 seconds.

Note – The Levain Bakery doesn’t use vanilla extract in their cookies, as they feel it’s unecessary. However, some feel you need it. You can add 1 tsp to 1 T to each recipe if desired. Just add it after each egg is incorporated.

Note – The Levain Bakery uses 6 oz of cookie dough per cookie. As mentioned above, If you want 12 cookies out of the above recipes, a little over 4 oz per cookie (4.1 to 4.2 oz. Use a kitchen scale) will get you that. If you want to use 6 oz of cookie dough per cookie, you’ll probably get only 6-8 cookies. However, a little over 4 oz makes a cookie just as thick and huge, so you don’t even notice the difference.

Note – If you want a more ‘caramel-molasses like’ Chocolate chip walnut cookie, increase the brown sugar while decreasing the white sugar, so you still have 1 1/2 cups total sugar. (Like 1 cup brown sugar to 1/2 cup white sugar).

In defense of cheap food.

Brazilian Canjica (Hominy)

I have lived in the States for 25 years now, and have seen so many food fads and diets come and go. The interesting thing about them to me is that they all seem to share one common trait: they are all expensive.

Yes, blueberries are good for you. And so is quinoa,  Greek yogurt, sprouted bread, amaranth, green juice, pomegranate, açaí, coconut water, kefir, almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, granola, canola oil, matte tea, coconut fat, flax seed, chia, salmon oil and avocados.

The thing is, all foods are good for you. Not just a few special ones. We were made to eat everything. We are omnivores who can survive on anything from old soggy potatoes to squirrel meat. Just think for a minute about what people ate during war times, draughts and economic hardships. Porridge of grains, beans, oats, vegetables, whatever meat they found... simple, unprocessed food.

Unprocessed foods don't bring in money to grocers though. Vegetables and fruits spoil easily, and there is little profit to be made from grains and beans. Packaged, processed foods are the ones which market well, and sell for more money. And their packaging can always be changed to fit the fad, like the local Lay's potato chips I found at a gas station the other day.

Think about how much money you pay for that healthy granola. And greek yogurt and kefir... and chia and flax seed.... almond milk, soy and rice milk. And the antioxidant miracle fruit of the year of course.

Now go a few isles down the same market, and check the price of bulk oats and brown rice. Check the price of corn grits, yellow and white. Lentils, black and white beans, chick peans... check also how cheap turnip, mustard and collard greens go for, depending where you are in the country. Cabbage, squash, beets, radishes, celery, parsley, green onions, carrots, onions, turnips, garlic... those are all foods that are incredibly nourishing to the human body, and yet cost relatively little when compared to packaged pasta, packaged couscous, lettuces, tomatoes... which make pretty meals, but don't really give us much in terms of nutrients and health.

I am not advocating against buying granola, kefir (which I love), and all the other beautiful foods that we encounter at the grocery store. But I do want to make a point that, in order to eat well and stay healthy and slim on a lean budget, I can easily find and eat traditional, wholesome, simple foods that my parents, grandparents, and their grandparents, ate.

All I need is a stove, a few pots and bowls, a sharp knife, sea salt and olive oil, and I am ready to take care not only of myself, but those I care for. Because that is the beauty of those foods: they are generous. When I cook them, they expand and give, and it is easy to feed many on little.

Take a meal that I made yesterday: 2 cups of organic brown rice (1 Lb, about 2 or 3 dollars), 2 cups of organic dry black beans (1 Lb, about $3), 1 Lb of local, organic grass-fed ground beef (about $8), corn salad (organic corn on the cob, cheap during the summer: $10 for 48 ears) and a beet salad (a few dollars more)... it fed 8 hungry adults, 5 kids, gave some away, and there is still enough food left to feed myself and my kids for another couple days.

Growing up in Brazil I ate hominy, with sugar and ground peanuts, for breakfast and/or as an afternoon snack. I still often eat it for breakfast, with sugar and chopped nuts- it is so incredibly delicious, filling and cheap. I also ate a lot of polenta, both in Argentina and Brazil; cheaper and healthier than pasta, and so very sustaining. Rice and beans, soups made from the meat and chicken bones, eggs... and an incredible variety of vegetables and fruit.

Of course there is room for granola, as well as all the kinds of different and great foods that I find at the stores. But it is important to not forget that just because one food, like quinoa, is being lauded as the super grain of the year (it is actually a seed), that does not mean that good old corn, oats and rice aren't just as nutritious and balanced a grain as their (seed) cousin. The same goes for beans. Maybe they are not as easy to market because they do make folks kind of gassy, but they really are super foods. And don't forget eggs and butter, which I also remember were replaced at one point by egg whites and... margarine???

Trust your simple, wholesome, cheap foods- they will keep you, your budget, and your overall sanity going strong, lean and healthy.

How to make Brigadeiro...

Start with a can of good quality condensed milk. Go for the whole-fat organic one if you can find it. If not, La Lechera is the best regular (non-organic) one. Stay away from Carnation, it's crap. Why organic? Because you want to avoid feeding yourself and/or your kids bovine growth-hormones with your/their dessert.
Add to the condensed milk about 4 to 5 heaping tablespoons of chocolate powder. Any type of cocoa that you would normally use to make hot chocolate works great. No need to go buy the fancy stuff- keep it simple. If you can, sift it through a colander in order to get rid of small chocolate chunks so that the brigadeiro is smooth.

Put both the condensed milk and chocolate in a small pot, and turn the heat on to medium. Start stirring the minute you turn the fire on, and do not stop until you have the right consistency. This is very important so that the brigadeiro stays smooth and does not burn. You will know you have achieved the right consistency when you can see the bottom of the pot as you stir. This part takes about 10 to 15 minutes to achieve. Important: do not try to taste the brigadeiro, as it will burn your tongue. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, or stick it in the fridge for a few hours. Don't let it get too hard though, or it will feel like you are handling cement.

Now that the mixture is cool enough to handle, take a stick of butter. Smear the palms of your hands with it, and take with a spoon a small amount of the mixture. Gently roll it in the palms of your hands, without pressure, until you turn it into a ball. If you press it too hard, it will stick and smear to your hands; the only way out of this mess is to lick it, wash your hands, and start over with the butter. When you make a ball, drop it in a bowl with sugar until you have about 3 or 4 of them, then gently roll them around in the sugar with the tips of your fingers, so as not to stick. This mixture really is very sticky, as you can see in the handle of the pan. When the little balls are covered in sugar, delicately place them in a plate, so they don't loose their pretty round shape. Enjoy!

How to Make Granola

Granola is so yummy, versatile, and satisfying. You can eat it alone, with yogurt, milk, fruit... but it is hard to find one that is made with high-quality fat at the stores. Most store-bought granolas list canola oil as the fat/oil of choice. The problem with canola oil is that, if it is not organic, it is probably GMO (genetically modified organism) canola. And the chance of finding a granola made with pure, organic butter... is just about nil. Organic sun/safflower oils are good fat choices, but not used very often.


Given the stats... I make my own. It takes about 5 minutes of work, and a total of 15 to cook. With these timings, it would be a ''pecado,'' a sin, not to make your own. I get to choose my own ingredients, and make it whichever way I want = power to myself.


I love finding ways to be more efficient. So this is how I ''simplified'' a recipe that I originally found on Epicurious a couple years ago.


1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.


2. Cut 2 to 3 Tbs (tablespoons) of butter, and place them apart on a 9x13 glass (Pirex) dish. You can find Pirex dishes in most supermarkets, and they are inexpensive. This size works well for me (makes lots of granola, so I don't have to make it often = efficient), but you can use any size you choose, whatever works for you. If you are completely new to cooking, don't bother measuring. Take a stick of butter, use a third of it, cut it up in chunks, and throw it in the glass dish. Or a deep dish made of any other material except Teflon (please refer to past blog posts on Teflon).


3. Place dish in the oven for a couple minutes, or until the butter melts. Take the dish out of the oven, throw some honey on the butter, and mix. The amount of honey depends on how sweet you like your breakfast. I use about 1/4 cup of it, or whatever I'm in the mood for at that moment. You can also use maple syrup, agave syrup... your choice, as long as it is a decent-quality product (aka: not corn syrup!). Again, for those of you who feel utter dread at the mere mention of the word ''1/4 cup,'' just pour as much syrup as you need in order to make your granola yummy.


4. Now that you have a nice butter and honey/maple/agave syrup mix in the dish, throw in 4 cups of oat flakes, or a mixture of rye and oat flakes, and 2 cups of your favorite nuts. I don't bother to chop them, too much work. My favorite are pecans and walnuts, but I also use almonds and raw/unsalted cashews. I also throw in coconut flakes (unsweetened) once in a while, or seeds such as sunflower and pumpkin. I've also used vanilla and almond extract before, but most of the time I forget the extracts altogether, even though they have a lovely scent. Mix everything well, taking care not to let it spill over (easy to do, trust me). If it does spill over, whistle for your dog to come and clean up the mess on the floor.


5. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden. You are done! You can also, midway through baking, take the dish out and stir it, so that all of the oats become golden and crisp. But if you don't have the time or patience for it, don't worry, it will come out just as delicious. Once it is baked, you may add any kind of dried fruit you wish- just don't bake the dried fruit, as it tends to become completely charred.


6. Remember to do 10 minutes of burpees while your granola bakes...

Sofia's Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup organic stone-ground whole wheat flour
3/4 cup organic unbleached white flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) organic butter
2 large organic eggs
2 Tbsp. organic whole milk
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups organic old-fashioned oats
2 cups (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts, pecans, or almonds

Preheat oven to 375ºF
Beat sugar and butter in a mixer until creamy. Beat in eggs, milk and vanilla. Add the flours, baking soda, oats, chocolate chips and nuts (I let the mixer break up the nuts to save time and work). Drop by rounded tablespoons (teaspoons for smaller cookies) onto ungreased (non-teflon) baking sheet or baking stone.
Eat some of the dough just to make sure it tastes good :)
Bake for 9 to 10 minutes

I love these cookies because they are not too sweet, and have good ingredients to back them up. I use them for the kid's school lunch treats, and also for snacks during the day or after concerts- accompanied by coffee or whiskey, respectively...

Scott's Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2C butter (unsalted), room temp
1 1/4C sugar
1 1/4C light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs (large)
4C flour
2 Teaspoons baking soda
1 - 24 ounce package semi sweet chocolate chips 

Preheat oven to 350ºF 

Cream the butter and sugars until well mixed  

Add vanilla and eggs - beat until mixed 

Add flour (a little at a time so as not to make a mess) and baking soda and mix on low speed until well incorporated 

Add chips and beat until combined

Bake them on a baking sheet for 10 minutes, until lightly golden 

Remove them from the sheet and cool them on a wire rack