The Healthy Cooking Coach

Steak & Lamb Tartare

When I was a young child, I loved steak tartare. I still do, and I’ve never gotten sick from it. I’ve eaten kibbeh and kafta (raw lamb dishes) in Middle Eastern restaurants, and I regularly prepare raw meat dishes at home. The key, I think, is to avoid using anonymous factory-farmed meat. For raw meat dishes, I use 100 percent grass-fed beef or lamb that have been previously frozen for at least 2 weeks.

Is there a risk of getting sick?
Yes, there is. There’s a risk of getting sick from cooked meat as well. We engage in activities every day that involve some risk. We get into cars, hop on planes, buses and trains. We take risks when we eat in restaurants. However, the risk of E. coli infection in meat from 100% pasture-raised animals is miniscule. Here’s why: 

According to an article that appeared in Mother Earth News (August/September 2007) by Alison Rogers, posted on AmericanGrassfedBeef.com,  “Grass-fed beef is much less likely to harbor acid-resistant E.coli. A diet consisting primarily of grain creates an acidic condition in a cow's digestive system, and the bacteria that survive this pH level are resistant to a human's stomach acid. The result is not pretty. However, a natural diet of grass does not create this acidic environment, and study after study has confirmed that there is much less E. coli in grass-fed meat products. (Read News from Mother: Why Grass Fed is Best for more information.)”

For charts showing the difference between grainfed and grassfed meat, click here

Why the difference between grainfed and grassfed meat?
“Feeding grain to cattle makes their digestive tracts abnormally acidic. Over time, the E. coli in their systems become acclimated to this acid environment. When we ingest them, a high percentage will survive the acid shock of our digestive juices. By contrast, few E. coli from grass-fed cattle will survive because they have not become acid-resistant. When cattle are fed their natural diet of grass, our natural defenses are still capable of protecting us,” says Jo Robinson, author of Pasture Perfect and Eat Wild, the number one site for grass-fed food and facts.

The choice is yours
If you decide that you want to try raw meat, you will not be alone. Many people do so every day, and many cultures from around the world have been eating raw meat for centuries.  Some traditional raw meat foods include Middle Eastern Kibbeh, French Steak Tartare, Italian Carpaccio, Korean Raw Beef, Spanish Ceviche, Hawaiian Lomi Lomi, Japanese Sushi and Sashimi (the last four all being raw fish). They do it for the flavor, the texture, and the purported health benefits of eating meat that has undenatured proteins and more readily available amino acids.

This is lamb tartare with steamed Brussels sprouts tossed with mustard vinaigrette and steamed carrots doused with flax oil (I was temporarily out of olive oil). I find raw meat and cooked vegetables much easier to digest than the grain and bean-based meals I ate during my vegan years.

This is one of my favorite recipes for making steak or lamb tartare. I frequently vary the fresh and dried herbs, spices, and other flavorings. Sometimes I use recipes for Moroccan or Mediterranean lamb burgers or kafta kabobs, serving them raw (e.g., this recipe makes great Lamb Tartare; I omit the bread crumbs; for the unspecified amount of coriander seeds in Cat Cora's recipe, try 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander).

Steak Tartare

Prep: 15 minutes/ Cooking: 0/ Yield: 3 to 4 servings

Rather than serve this as an appetizer, as is done in fine restaurants and in France and the Middle East, I like to serve it as a main dish on a bed of salad greens tossed with vinaigrette or topped with sliced avocado and salsa, or with parboiled vegetables and a salad dressing. I usually serve fresh raw or poached fruit for dessert.

Note: Transfer frozen meat to a pan in the refrigerator 24 to 36 hours in advance. To grind your own meat, chop tenderloin, top round or sirloin steak into 1/2-inch pieces. Place in a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse on and off until the pieces are about 1/8 inch in size, about 10 seconds. A Vita-Mix also works if you grind small batches.

Ingredients:
1 to 1 1/4 pounds lean ground (grassfed) beef or bison, frozen for at least 2 weeks and completely thawed
1/2 cup minced onions (Walla Walla Sweets or Vidalias are very good) or scallions
1/4 cup minced shallots, optional
1/4 cup minced parsley leaves, no stems
1 to 2 tablespoons prepared mustard:
    Dijon, stoneground, creamy white, Jalapeno-, smoked green chili-, or garlic-flavored
1 to 2 raw egg yolks (they contain lipase, which aids digestion), optional
1/2 teaspoon finely ground sea salt or 1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce, optional
1/4 to 1/3 teaspoon ground black pepper or ground chipotlé, or to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, optional
Hot sauce, optional

1. Combine everything except hot sauce in 2-quart mixing bowl. Mix with fork. Form into a mound in a bowl or shape into 4 smaller mounds or patties on a platter.
2. Serve immediately, or cover and chill for 2 to 4 hours before serving.
3. Cover and refrigerate leftovers and use within 2 days.

1 serving beef (1/4 recipe): 175 calories, 25 g protein, 5 g carbohydrate, 6 g fat, 17 mg calcium, 382 mg sodium

1 serving beef (1/3 recipe): 233 calories, 33 g protein, 8 g carbohydrate, 8 g fat, 23 mg calcium, 509 mg sodium

Variations:

*  Tex-Mex Steak Tartare: Omit shallots, mustard and lemon juice. Mince and add 2 garlic cloves, 2 seeded, finely minced small green chiles (you can leave them out and use ground chipotle in place of black pepper) , plus 1/8 to 1/4 cup lime juice. If desired, replace parsley with fresh cilantro (sometimes I double the cilantro). If you like, add 1 cup peeled, seeded, finely chopped tomato to the meat. Serve over a green salad topped with avocado or guacamole and other colorful vegetables.

*  Lamb Tartare: Replace beef above with ground, 100% grassfed lamb.

Source: The Garden of Eating: A Produce Dominated Diet & Cookbook by Rachel Albert-Matesz & Don Matesz (Planetary Press 2004).

Disclaimer: The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The author attempts to provide the most accurate information; however, she makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the suitability of a particularl dietary practice for any individual. Any reliance you place on such information is, therefore, strictly at your own risk. In no event will she or anyone she quotes be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever arising from or in connection with the use of the information provided on this website.

Healthy Nuts

Nix nuts and seeds from your no-no list! Eating 1-ounce of nuts (about 1/4 cup) at least five times a week may significantly reduce your risk of developing coronary artery disease, according to many recent studies.  

What to avoid
I avoid buying commercially roasted nuts because many companies roast nuts in refined,
often hydrogenated polyunsaturated vegetable oils that can suppress your immune system
and increase your risk of developing a long list of degenerative diseases. Food processors usually use high temperatures that further damage the oil and the nuts. Some companies add salt, sugar, sulfites, and other preservatives that extend the shelf life and stimulate you to eat more of their products. My motto: buy food as close to the way God and mother nature made it as possible. For nuts that means raw––-in the shell or shelled.

Shopping tips for nuts
Look for whole raw nuts or nut halves. Don't buy slivered or crushed nuts and nut pieces because more surface oil exposed means more risk of spoilage. If possible, buy nuts sold in a refrigerated case. There's a store near me that sells them that way and they look and taste fresher than nuts sold at room temperature in other stores. Once home, store all nuts and seeds in the refrigerator or freezer. If they've been out at room temp for 4 to 6 months (2 to 3 months in the summer), I would toss them. They're probably rancid.

Roasting or toasting 
I love the rich flavor of nuts that have been dry roasted or toasted. This takes only a few minutes of hands-on prep. It enhances the flavor of nuts and seeds and actually provides nutritional benefits. Cooking actually nactivates substances in raw nuts that can inhibit your digestive enzymes. You don't need to add oil during this process because nuts already derive 70 to 80% of their calories from fat.

How to expertly toast nuts
1. Remove shelled, raw nuts from the refrigerator or freezer. Allow them to stand at room
temperature for at least 1 hour for uniform toasting.

2. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.

3. Spread the nuts in a single layer in a shallow-rimmed baking pan. If toasting more than
one kind of nut, use a separate pan for each variety. Place the pan in the oven and toast
until the nuts become lightly golden and aromatic. This should take 10 to 15 minutes for
large nuts and 5 to 7 minutes for small nuts such as pine nuts. Because the nuts on the
outside of the pan will toast faster than the nuts on the inside, shake the pan or stir 2 or 3
times during cooking.

4. To check remove a nut from the oven after about 10 minutes and cut it
open. Check every few minutes until they turn a light golden brown all the way through.
Watch closely so they don't burn.

5. Wrap walnuts or hazelnuts in a clean kitchen towel; rub to loosen the skins, and then
remove the nuts and discard the skins. Allow the nuts to cool before chopping or pulsing
in a food processor or a mini-chopper.

6. Transfer cooled nuts to wide-mouth jars, label and date, then cover and refrigerate. If  
possible vacuum seal the nuts in wide mouth quart jars to retain even more freshness. Use
the nuts within 2 to 4 months for the best flavor.

What about soaking and drying nuts? 
Many raw foodists soak nuts overnight or longer before eating. However, soaked nuts still contain enzyme inhibitors that can trigger digestive distress and they lack the crispy
texture and roasty flavor of nuts that have been toasted in the oven. Is there a better way?

Absolutely! Sally Fallon, founder of the Weston A. Price Foundation and author of Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbooks that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition, developed the perfect alternative. Her recipe called for drying the nuts on rimmed baking sheets in a warm oven set at no more than 150˚F for 12 to 24 hours.

About 10 or 12 years ago I read Sally's recipe, loved the idea of it, but I didn't want to tie up my
oven for 12 to 24 hours, so I modified her recipe using a food dehydrator. It worked beautifully and I saved energy and still had use of my oven. These nuts taste like they've been toasted but because they're dried at a low temperature–––200˚ lower than conventional recipes–––more of the fragile fatty acids in the nuts remain intact and undamaged.

If you have a large food dehydrator with multiple trays, you can make a double or triple batch of a single kind of nut or make a batch of several kinds of nuts at once, placing each variety of nuts on a different tray during drying.  I use an Excalibur Dehydrator, which has a lot of room. I find easy to use and to clean. Before that I used a SnackMaster Food Dehydrator (I wore two of them out!).

Crispy Nuts

Prep: 15 minutes           Soaking: 8 to 12 hours    Drying: 12 to 24 hours    Yield: 4 cups

I love the rich, nutty flavor and crips texture of these soaked nuts dried at a low
temperature. They make a great addition to green salads, chicken or turkey salads, and
fruit salads. They make a great topping (when coarsely chopped) for poached fruit, old
fashioned oatmeal, baked winter squash, roasted sweet potatoes, or steamed or sauteed
carrots. They also taste great served with an apple, banana, or grapes for a snack or dessert.

Note: This is my modification of Sally Fallon's recipe for Crispy Nuts from her book Nourishing Traditions.

FYI: One handful of nuts packs 350 to 400 calories. So go easy if you're not trying to
gain weight or you're trying to lose weight.

Ingredients:
4 cups raw nuts or nut halves, pick one kind:
Almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecan halves, pistachios, or pine nuts
1/2 to 1 tablespoon unrefined sea salt, such as Celti®c, Lima®, or Real Salt® or 1 or 2
tablespoons wheat-free tamari soy sauce
Warm water to dissolve the sea salt + additional water to cover the nuts

1.  Place raw nuts in a 2 1/2- to 3-quart glass or stainless steel bowl. Dissolve sea salt in
1/2 cup hot filtered water, then add 3 to 4 cups additional cool or room temperature
water. Stir and pour over nuts. Add more water as needed to cover.

2.  Let nuts sit out all day or overnight at room temperature, uncovered or topped with a
bamboo sushi mat, which allows air to circulate. Do not cover the bowl with a lid.

3.  Drain nuts in colander (if using large nuts) or a fine mesh strainer (for smaller nuts).
Do not rinse. Spread nuts on food dehydrator trays without overlapping. Dry at 140 to
150˚F for 12 to 24 hours or until crispy.

4.  Allow nuts to cool, then transfer to glass jars. Label and date the jars using masking
tape and marking pens. Cover jars and refrigerate or freeze. If you have a Food Saver
and wide-mouth canning jars, you can vacuum-seal the nuts in the jars to retain even
more freshness. Use within four to six months.

Variations:

*  Crispy Seeds: Replace nuts in the recipe above with green pumpkin seeds or
sunflower seeds. Prepare as directed above using a fine mesh strainer to drain.

*  How to drying: If you do not have a food dehydrator, spread the drained
nuts on rimmed baking sheets at dry in your oven at no more than 150˚ F, stirring
occasionally.

Confessions of a Reluctant Coffee Drinker

I’m never had a coffee habit. As a child, I would occasionally taste my mother’s French Market Coffee, Turkish coffee, or some other variety seasoned with cream and sugar, but I never developed the habit.

Once, in my ignorance, my freshman year of college, I drank 6 tea-size cups (not mugs!) of coffee hanging out with friends in chain coffee shop until midnight. I was thirsty, it tasted sweet, and we were talking for hours. Never again! When I got back to my dorm room, I could felt the blood cursing through my veins. My heart pounded and I wanted to crawl out of my skin. No sleep that night. After that I swore off coffee… until my early thirties when I had what looked like a live or die decision.

Photo credit right Wikipedia

Emergency medicine
Once, many years ago, my husband and I were driving from Seattle to the midwest (or the other way around, I don’t remember) during a snow storm. He was driving a U-Haul jam-packed with everything we owned. I was following behind in my compact car. I couldn’t pick up any radio stations and I didn’t have a cassette or CD player to shout me out of my stupor. You see, we each had a serious case of highway-hypnosis and wondered how we would ever make it safely to our destination. We weren’t about to stop at a motel and hang out for days.

At a roadside stop he suggested we both drink some coffee, a strange idea from one non-coffee drinker to another. When I questioned the wisdom of that he  said, “I’d rather have coffee than an accident!” I had to admit he had a point. We each choked down a wretched cup of jet black, burnt-tasting roadside brew and I wondered why anyone enjoyed drinking this stuff!

Exercise aid?
On several occasions five or six years later, I tried coffee as a pre-aerobic stimulant and fat-burning aid. The thrill of it wore off quickly. I liked the buzz and sharp mental focus, but found it wasn’t worth the jitters, lost sleep, or adrenal exhaustion it brought on.     

A better brew
Two years ago one of my cooking students gave me a few samples of an organic instant coffee mixed with ganoderma (reishi mushroom). The product had less caffeine than regular coffee, a great taste (nothing mushroomy about it!), and provided more than 200 therapeutic compounds shown to improve health. I purchased some of the product and drank it on occasion, then gave it up after a couple of months out of concern that the coffee might stress my already weary adrenals and because the price went way up.

Photo credit for coffee beans right Wikipedia

Recently I’ve seen a lot of reports about the health benefits of coffee. So when I read about NutriCafé in NaturalNews,  a newsletter from Mike Adams, The Health Ranger, I wanted to try it. NutriCafe is a unique brand of Fair Trade organic coffee beans infused with immune-enhancing organic herbal extracts from (Cordyceps sinensis, Ganoderma lucidum (reishi), Coriolus versicolor and Agaricus blazei–– medicinal mushrooms. To read more about the mushrooms click here:

A new kind of coffee
NutriCafe is made and marketed by EnerHealth Botanicals, the only company in the world that has come up with a method for infusing these organic extracts into coffee bean without affecting the taste. Their patented process creates a gourmet-tasting coffee with a lower acid content and less caffeine. Many people who suffer from acid reflux have been able to consume it without discomfort. Others experience more energy without the jitters.

Adventures in coffee making
This is not an instant product. You have to grind the beans, then brew. I purchased a coffee grinder. (The one I already had was reserved exclusively for herbs and spices.) I already had a coffee maker, gifted to me a year ago when one of my cooking students moved back to the U.K. Until this morning I had only used to brew Teeccino, a gluten free herbal coffee alternative. 

Coffee without the side effects
I’m very sensitive to caffeine. I can’t drink green tea or black tea after 1 pm or it disturbs my sleep and I wouldn't dream of drinking coffee at night. So I approached this experiment with  caution. I tried the coffee one morning (it tasted so good I wanted a second cup...and had one). I skipped a day to see if I noticed a difference in the quality of my sleep, then tried one cupful the next morning. It gave me the added focus I needed to tackle a long to-do list.

I didn’t feel jittery nor did I notice any disruption of my sleep. It didn't taste herby or acrid, the way some medicinal teas can. In fact I loved the flavor of it.

A healthy alternative to nondairy creamer
Instead of milk or I added  EnerHealth’s Coconut Powder, a delicious, clean tasting, and very healthful alternative to instant dairy and non-dairy creamers. It contains less than 0.25% sodium caseinate and maltodextrin, used as emulsifiers. I also added vanilla-flavored stevia extract liquid (I like Nu Naturals® and Wisdom Herbs brands). I replaced coconut milk powder with canned, unsweetened, sulfite-free coconut milk in another tasting and enjoyed that as well.

EnerHealth sells two varieties of coffee beans: Immune Support Organic Coffee and Performance-Enhancer-Organic-Coffee. I think they’re both great products for people who are not ready to give up their morning coffee, who want to avoid coffee jitters, need help staying awake when driving, want to take in more antioxidants, and avoid the side effects associated with consuming conventional coffee. I think these products would make great gifts for the coffee lovers.The company has some other products I plan to test soon.

If you’d like to share your experience drinking NutraCafe or using their Coconut Milk Powder, you can post your comments below. If you hear of great products you think I would like, let me know.

Thanks for reading my blog!

Sincerely,

Chef Rachel

Do Looks Matter?

Absolutely! Who wants to eat a monochromatic meal comprised of white meat fish, cauliflower with sautéed onions, potatoes in cashew or cream sauce, and tapioca pudding?  How about an irritatingly red meal made up of grilled salmon in tomato sauce, roasted beets with red bell peppers, with strawberries for dessert? No thank you!

Colorful benefits
Foods with different colors concentrate different nutrients. In the vegetable world, dark leafy greens usually concentrate the most calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and folic acid.  Bright orange, yellow, red, blue, and purple vegetables generally pack more beta-carotene, lutein, zeazanthin, and other health protective phyto nutrients. 

Who colored my cauliflower?
Have you ever eaten purple or orange colored cauliflower? No, not spray painted vegetables, but real food that comes in unexpected colors. Scientists have developed amazingly eye catching variants of cauliflower. They’ve change the traditional white florets to garish green, orange, and even purple. These more colorful florets are supposedly more nutritious.

What do they taste like?
I don’t think rainbow cauliflowers taste any different than the familiar white ones, but they do add a splash of color to your party platters, plates, and meals. That could make them more appealing to children and picky adults–– a good thing.

But are they safe?
Some scientists have even claimed that they are healthier for you. According to Andrew Coker, a spokesman for the plant company Syngenta, the company that is developing these plants in Europe, the colorful cauliflowers are not the result of genetic engineering. Instead, they are the result of decades of traditional selective breeding.

Are they colorfast?
These novel vegetables retain their color even after cooking (I’ve tried them). I think they look best when cut into florets and blanched (dipped in lightly salted boiling water until crisp-tender, then plunged in ice water to stop the cooking and hold the color), and served with an assortment of dips. They really stand out.

Why mess with a good thing?
According to David Derbyshire in an article in Mail On Line, "Consumers are looking for ever new experiences on their dinner plates and colour features very large in their desire for different things. In tests, the garish cauliflowers have proved a hit with shoppers.”

He goes on to say that “Until the 17th century most carrots eaten Europe were white, yellow or purple. The orange pigment was added by Dutch plant breeders looking for a way to celebrate Holland's royal family.”

Colorful cauliflowers have been available at farmers’ markets and in some natural foods stores in the U.S. for several years. They’re a new thing for Brits.

What’s in it for you?
Orange cauliflowers contain higher than normal levels of beta carotene, pro-vitamin A (some of which your body can convert into vitamin A under the right conditions). This nutrient is important for healthy skin. Orange cauliflowers grown in America have been found to contain up to 25 times more beta carotene than normal cauliflowers. Purple colored cauliflower contains high amounts of anthocyanins, which may help prevent heart disease by slowing blood clotting.

Don’t forget the fat
By the way, beta carotene absorption is enhanced by fat, so forget fat-free salads and meal. Serve your colorful veggies with butter, aioli (garlic-flavored mayo), vinaigrette, guacamole, hummus, tahini sauce, peanut sauce, in coconut milk, or at least add some olive oil with sea salt and pepper.

Are you ready to try something new? Go ahead, these veggies won’t bite! You’ve got the upper fork and knife.

Your colored cauliflower connection
If you live in Phoenix, AZ, Bob McClendon is the man to see. His farm is called McClendon’s Select. He’s a certified organic grower and member of Slow Food USA & The James Beard Foundation.

You can find McClendon's produce at the new Old Town Farmers’ market every Saturday, with the exception of the Saturdays after Thanksgiving and Christmas. The market run until the end of May, 2009 and is sponsored by the City of Scottsdale, AZ. It is located at First Street and Brown directly west of the old adobe mission.  Hours are 8:30 AM to 1 PM. 

You can also buy Bob's beautiful organic veggies and fruits at the Town & Country Farmers’ Market at 2021 E Camelback Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85016, every Wednesday morning from 9 am to noon in the plaza at 20th street & Cammelback, North of Trader Joes.

Tell him Chef Rachel sent you.

Thanks for reading my blog and being open to new foods!

Sincerely,

Chef Rachel

Meaty Root Vegetable Stew

Winter is the perfect time for making stews, especially hearty beef or lamb stews with root vegetables. You can make a warming, soothing, satisfying bowl of stew the center of a meal, accompanied by a crisp green salad (if you live in Arizona) or a side of steamed, blanched, or sautéed leafy green or mixed vegetables.

You don’t need a hunk, chunk, or slice of bread, although you could serve one. Other options include warm whole corn or brown rice tortillas brushed or rubbed with olive or cocout oil, ghee or butter, or crunchy gluten free crackers. Buy organic corn tortillas because most commercial corn has been genetically modified; eating it will make you part of the largest Frankenfood experiment in history. To learn more about the hazards of eating genetically modified foods, click here. You can also watch a video to learn more about genetically modified foods, why you want to avoid them, and how. To watch a free video on line Click here.

What goes in
Your stew will only be as good as the ingredients that go into it. You want the freshest, most flavorful vegetables you can find. I like to use a lot of locally grown vegetables. I get mine from a local farmer’s market. I have my choice of three of them within about 15 minutes of my home in the Phoenix area.  These veggies are usually much fresher than what I find in stores and I can often find unusual varieties I don’t see in supermarkets or natural foods stores.

I like a colorful mix of veggies. Sometimes that’s a rainbow of four or five vegetables as in the picture and recipe below. Sometimes I have a simple mix of carrots, parsnips, and onions; carrots, potatoes, and onions; or winter squash with onions and celery. That's rutabaga>>>>

Selecting the meat
For the meat, I like to use 100% grassfed beef, bison, or lamb stew meat. If you don’t have stew meat  you can cut a round or chuck roast or steak into 1 1/2-inch cubes. I prefer smaller rather than larger chunks of meat so I sometimes cut the pieces of stew meat I buy in half. If possible buy your meat directly from the farmer. In many cases it will cost you 30 to 50% less than buying it in a natural foods store and it will probably come from a farm closer to home (think U.S. grown vs. Argentina or New Zealand, or your state vs. a few thousand miles away or more). If you have to order by mail, look for a farm as close to home as possible. 

If the meat has some fat on it, don't trim it off! That's good fat! It will moisten the meat, enhance browning and flavor the stew. Meat fat is not the villain it has been made out to be. Did you know that only 47% of the fat in beef is saturated, that its mostly stearic acid, a fat that has no effect on cholesterol levels and actually lowers blood pressure. The idea that saturated fat is bad for your health is a myth created to sell you processed food and expensive drugs and surgeries. You can read more about cholesterol and saturated fat myths in The Garden of Eating.

Red meat is a great source of iron, zinc, B-vitamins, creatine, phenylalanine, and protein (you knew that, right?). It can be a healthy part of your daily diet. You don't have to relegate it once or twice a month. I'll say more about this in another post.

Shopping for root vegetables
Look for firm roots, free of soft spots, fairly unblemished, and unwaxed. The smaller the better. Enormous turnips, rutabaga, and parsnips are usually mealy, dry, and bitter. I find baby turnips more tender, slightly sweet, and without the bitterness of some other varieties. These are Hakurei turnips (picture right), a Japanese variety). You can even use whole red radishes in stews as a stand in for turnips if you need to use them up or can’t find any others.

A word about baby carrots
What most people think of as baby carrots, those perfectly smooth, uniformly shaped, tubular objects sold in 1 sealed plastic bags in supermarkets are not really baby carrots! They’re normal carrots put through a machine that cuts them into those shapes. I don’t like them and I don’t buy them. I think they lose a lot of flavor with all the handling and advance prep they go through. If you want baby carrots, I suggest that you buy the real ones at farmers’ markets and natural foods stores; they will be irregular in size and have point bottoms and you might even find the tops attached. If so, cut the tops off when you get home so they don’t steal moisture and nutrients from the roots.

A word about celeraic if you’ve never purchased it. These large round roots will appear earthy, dirty, irregularly shaped, even hairy on the outside; this is normal. Scrub well and peel just before use. It has a flavor that's kind of like celery, a little like jicama, and slightly starchy.

Here's one of my favorite stews for fall, winter, and early spring. Please, don't let the long ingredient list scare you off or the lengthy instructions; I like to err on the side of more detail for my readers and cooking students who don't have a lot of experience cooking with whole foods.

Beefy Vegetable Stew

Prep: 60 minutes/ Cooking: about 1 1/2 hour /Yield:  8 servings

The key to creating a great stew is to brown the meat and vegetables and deglaze the pan. This takes more time than throwing everything into the pot all at once, but it’s worth it. Your stew will have so much more flavor and richness. You can vary vegetables or replace beef with bison or venison. Use more liquid if you prefer a soupier consistency. Leftovers taste even better the second day and freeze well if allowed to cool to refrigerator temperatre first.

FYI: I rarely use a slow cooker (Crock Pot®) for stews. I find slower cooker dishes less flavorful and I think they’re easily overcooked, despite what many authorities on this topic say). If you use a slow cooker, at least brown the meat before adding it to the pot, then figure about 6 hours on low. If you brown the meat and veggies, as described below, then add them to the slow cooker, your stew will probably be ready after 4 hours on low because your’re basically pre-cooking the meat and veggies when you brown them in the skillet. Note: 1 hour on HIGH in a slow cooker is equivalent to 2 hours on LOW.

Ingredients:
3 to 4 cups homemade chicken, turkey, beef or lamb-based Bone-Building Broth (recipe in The Garden of Eating), or preservative-free chicken, beef broth or vegetable broth or 4 parts broth to 1 part red wine
3 (5-inch strips) kelp or kombu seaweed, cut into 1/2-inch squares (about 1/2 cup)
2 pounds beef, bison or lamb stew meat (see notes above), cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
2 small or 1 large yellow or white onion, cubed
1/2 pound fresh shiitake, cremini, or button mushrooms, wiped with damp cloth, stems trimmed, caps quartered or 1 cup dry shiitake, soaked in warm water to barely cover until tender, stems cut off and discarded, mushrooms quartered
3 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks  (about 2 cups)
2 small to medium turnips, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 2 cups)
2 small or 1 medium rutabaga, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 2 cups)
1 celery root bulb, peeled, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch chunks or 2 to 3 cups additional vegetables, such as carrots, turnips, and rutabaga, or celery cut into thick slices
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 to 4 tablespoon Spectrum Shortening (non-hydrogenated palm shortening), unrefined coconut oil mixed with clarified butter or ghee or extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground black pepper or lemon pepper
1 teaspoon dried sage or dried, crumbled thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
10 unsalted sun-dried tomato halves, quartered, optional
2 tablespoons dried porcini or shiitake mushrooms, powdered in spice-dedicated coffee grinder, optional
1 teaspoon unrefined sea salt or 2 tablespoons wheat-free tamari soy sauce or dark miso (reduce by half if using salted broth, then adjust to taste)

1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons arrowroot dissolved in 1/3 cup cool or room temperature homemade Bone Broth or preservative-free chicken, vegetable, or beef broth, apple cider (not vinegar!) or red wine
Fresh minced parsley, scallions and/or ground black pepper (for garnish)

1.  Add stock or broth and kelp or kombu sea vegetable to 3-quart Dutch oven. Pat meat dry and set aside. Chop vegetables and arrange in separate bowls. Bring stock to low boil, then reduce heat to medium.

2.  Heat 1 tablespoon of fat or oil in large heavy cast iron skillet. Add half the meat to skillet. Stir to brown on all sides, about 5 minutes, and transfer to boiling broth. Ladle 1/2 cup broth into skillet, scrape up browned bits and add to stockpot.
3.  Dry the skillet over hot burner (dry with a towel if using a Creuset pot to avoid ruining the finish). Heat 1 tablespoon fat or oil in the same pan and brown the remaining meat, then add it to the simmering broth in the stockpot. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup stock or broth. Add the rowned bits and liquid from bottom of the pan to stockpot.
4.  Dry the skillet over a burner (unless using a Creuset; in this case use a towel). Heat 1 tablespoon of fat or oil in your skillet over medium heat. Sauté and stir the onions and mushrooms until tender and browned, then add them to your stew. Deglaze pan with stock or broth again.
5.  Dry the skillet over burner. Heat 1 tablespoon of fat or oil and sauté the carrots, turnips, rutabaga, and celery root (or additional roots or celery) until lightly browned. Add them to your stew. Deglaze the pan with stock or broth, then return the broth and any browned bits to the stockpot with the garlic, herbs, spices, optional sun-dried tomato, optional dried mushroom powder, and sea salt or tamari. (Note: If using miso wait to add it until just before serving; you'll dissolve it into a portion of the stew; add it to the pot, stir, taste, and repeat as needed.) Cover stew, reduce heat, and simmer the stew for 1 hour, or until the meat and vegetables are tender.
6.  Discard the bay leaves. Adjust the seasonings as desired. Add dissolved arrowroot to the pot and stir gently over medium heat until thick and clear. Remove from heat, ladle into bowls, garnish, and serve. 
7.  Refrigerate leftovers and use within 3 days or freeze. Reheat leftovers in a small pot over medium or medium-low heat or in a heatproof Corningware container in a toaster oven.

1 serving: 242 calories, 22 g protein, 18 g carbohydrate (2 g fiber), 9 g fat, 47 mg calcium, 247 mg sodium

Source: Reprinted from The Garden Of Eating: A Produce-Dominated Diet & Cookbook  by Rachel Albert-Matesz & Don Matesz. You can order directly from our secure on line server using the link above.

Pizza Confusion

My friend, Heather, and I had high hopes as we set out to review a new restaurant: Pizza Fusion. They call themselves the "greenest restaurant in America". They use tables made from reclaimed wood sources, counter tops made from recycled glass bottles, paint without VOCs (volatile organic chemicals). More than 75% of the ingredients in their menu are organic. They use biodegradable utensils and packaging, and deliver their food in hybrid and fuel-efficient cars. They print their artwork and menus on recycled material, build with renewable resources, such as bamboo, use compact fluorescent bulbs, and use low-flow faucets and toilets. They use Certified Humane meat that's free of
nitrates, nitrites, antibiotics. They even offer the option of gluten free (GF) crust.

Wow! What's not to like, right?
Okay, first, the location. It's way out in East Mesa, a trek for anyone living in central Phoenix, West Phoenix, Glendale, Ahwatukee, or Chandler. But wait, there's more. So basically, most of the East Valley.

Promises
Their menu says they offer fresh, organic, earth-friendly food. We left still a little hungry, but it really went down-hill from the beginning. Our server took our drink orders. I asked for hot tea and Heather ordered warm water with lemon. They were out of lemons. That was a first for me, considering every restaurant seems to have endless supplies of lemon to garnish water with.

We ordered a Fusion Salad with a side of chicken and Caesar dressing. We decided to order a "Build Your Own Pizza" with a gluten-free crust. We asked for tomato sauce and ground beef on half the pizza, and pesto sauce with sun dried tomatoes on the other half and caramelized onions and mushrooms over the entire pizza. We assumed there would be a lot of veggies—since they seem to emphasize how healthy their menu is--so we didn't want to go overboard on the toppings ($1.50/ea). They informed us they were out of sun-dried tomatoes too, so Heather asked for artichokes on the pesto side of the pizza. What's an Italian restaurant without sun-dried tomatoes and lemons?

A belated Caesar
The salad was supposed to have spring mix, cucumbers, Kalamata olives, tomatoes, red
onions, and feta. We'd been there for almost 30 mins before it arrived, and with the feta
mysteriously absent! The salad wasn't much to share—really just a few handfuls of lettuce thrown on a large platter, and the dressing had more of a taste and consistency of ranch than Caesar. It lacked the salty, cheesy flavor we had hoped for. I don't know if it contained any parmesan, but I'd guess it was bottled, not home made.

A charred awakening
After sitting with a clean salad platter for about 15 mins and hungrily awaiting the main
event, our pizza came to the table charred––black and crispy around the edges and along the bottom. Our waitress was embarrassed to even let us see it. She said she didn't want to serve it and that she would have them re-do it. About a minute later, a guy who was probably the floor manager came out and told us something like "...without cheese the gluten-free crust burns easily." He looked and sounded defensive and made it sound like it was our fault that it burned because we ordered it without cheese and that it wasn't possible to get it to come out right without a big layer of moo-goo on top! He really made no sense in his defense of our burnt pizza. I shook my head politely and told him there's
gotta be something in between raw and burned. We said we'd rather have it a little doughy than charred.

A second try
While we waited for them to build and bake our new pizza the owner walked by and recognized me from a Celiac support group I'd recently spoken to. She said their GF (gluten-free) personal pizza crusts come from a local bakery and their large GF crusts come par-baked (that means half-baked) and they're shipped (frozen) from Connecticut. They don't make GF crusts in house because they want to avoid cross contamination with their wheat, a serious problem for people with Celiac Disease.

While it is commendable that they are aware of the serious dangers of cross-contamination for their Celiac guests, how "green" is it to ship pizza crusts from Connecticut to Arizona? I highly doubt they drive them cross-country in hybrid cars...and what about their emphasis on "fresh"?

When our pizza finally arrived for the second time we'd been there for about an hour and 15 minutes, and we were starving. The first thing we noticed was the thin sauce that barely covered the crust and the scanty smattering of vegetable toppings. The side that was supposed to have ground meat had barely any. Heather asked for an extra side of pesto hoping to add more flavor. When it came, it didn't look like pesto and didn't really taste like it either. It tasted flat and without any of the traditional garlic, basil, cheesy, or salty flavors that make pesto pesto! And we couldn't discern any pine nuts in it either, which is traditionally the base of most pestos.

Heather said, "What are those tiny bits? Do you think that's garlic?"
"No, I don't think so," I said, "They're long and thin bits and don't look anything like garlic."
"Do you think that's spinach?" Heather asked.
"Maybe," I said. "This is the weirdest pesto I've ever had."
"It isn't really even pesto. I don't know what it is, or what it is supposed to be." Heather finally stated.
We tried to dissect it with our forks and our taste buds. We were at the point of laughter
because we were trying our hardest to define what we were eating. A game that two foodies usually never have to play. We finally decided that it must be frozen spinach with commercially shredded flavorless cheese bits. That was the best we could do. The picture I took of it didn't turn out so you'll have to use your imagination.

We thought the pizza tasted flat. Heather said, "This crust tastes like something frozen from a box, like frozen pizza from when I was a kid, or school cafeteria lunches." "Yeah, you're right," I said. "That is basically what it is since it was frozen and flown
from Connecticut!"

Impersonal pizza
The manager never came back to see how our pizza was or if we were enjoying it. The owner never came back to check to see how we were doing either. Normally if a restaurant screws up your order they give you extra attention to make you a happy customer. Not here. No one offered to comp our pizza. No one offered us free drinks or free dessert. Most places, at least, ask if you want dessert even if they don't burn your food. They didn't offer us a gift card to redeem on a future visit. We've been in other restaurants that have made amends when the kitchen made a mistake and had to redo the
order.  And looking back at those times, the amends made out-weighed the minor kitchen mistakes, and were given with a smile.

Now, you have to get that Heather eats out a lot. She's generally very forgiving, and she knows what great service is. She's worked in restaurants as a server and a chef, and she tips well when she gets good service, even if the food isn't great (because it isn't the server's fault if the chef messes up).

I don't eat out a lot but I've had more than my share of pizzas in my life and I've made more than a few pizzas from scratch, including gluten free pizzas. I worked i the kitchen of my own natural foods cafe in my early 20s and I recognize good service when I see it and I didn't see it here.

We didn't go away angry though. We had a great sense of humor (maybe the yoga class before lunch helped) and we laughed it off as I gave my credit card for our $24 pizza, $9 salad, $2 herbal tea, plus tax. So I spent $38 and we were there for nearly two hours and we had a mediocre meal. I was taking one of my best friends out for a belated birthday lunch, we were enjoying our time together and talking about where we would go next time we want gluten free pizza–––Picazzo's Pizzeria or my house.

Ammends?
After my 45 minutes drive home I realized I left my jacket at the restaurant. I had work to do and I wasn't about to drive back that day. I called and asked them to mail it to me. When the person on the other end of the phone sounded a little reluctant (I didn't want to have to pay for shipping on top of the lunch bill), I said, my friend and I were served a burned pizza and we were there for almost 2 hours for lunch. The manager came on the phone, apologized, and agreed to send me my jacket. When it arrived a couple of days later I found a $15 gift card in the pizza box with my  jacket. I would have preferred that they comp our pizza or our meal that day.

“Will you go back,” Heather asked. "Yes, I said, but I'll give them about 6 months to iron out the rough spots and I'll make sure I have some other appointment in that end of town." Stay tuned. I'll report on my return visit.

Note: We're not trying to put anyone out of business. We didn't have a good experience, but maybe you did. Have you eaten here? What was your experience? Please post comments below.