milk is good nutrition but so boring to drink. so i make yogurt, one gallon at a time. sometimes strain it and get whey on the side, or if i accidentally overheat it i get quark instead of strained yogurt. i plan to move into cheese at some point, and maybe get a milk goat and/or miniature cow (ha! miniature cow! but they exist).

i just used some yogurt to make mashed potatoes. because it made them sour i added chili pepper paste and it was awesome-- a bit like the base for causa limeña.

this is a photo of a causa limeña:



it's a mashed potato bound with lime, hot pepper puree and oil instead of milk/butter. then stuffed with seafood etc. served cold.

i didn't go that far but more like a hybrid which with a hardboiled egg was plasant on a regular tuesday.


oh hell yes! CONGRATS, CHEF!


for hot weather boil them with garlic and thyme and let them cool-- not too much water to make soup not too little that it toasts instead. between 2-3 times the height of water vs. lentils on the pot (no need to presoak).

then use them for salad with shallots or red onions, olive oil, hardboiled eggs, tuna maybe, anchovies, etc.? side of potato? serve it on some romaine?


ginger and cilantro and lime i've never used with lentils... great suggestions! that would make a good salad too. with roast chicken maybe? with lean pork slices? bit of soy sauce on the pork or no?

so I have a bunch of lentils now to get me through the month. but in honor of my new job monday I made my favorite meal ever, which is my spicy peanut noodles. unf. so good.

apparently too much.
but i think i havent yet gained all weight back -2 pounds only
because its many veggies and no fried stuff.
still cant say no to my daily choco thingies.

also..again..this time its sort of happening..im very close, it is happening..to stop eatng pork.

the magic bullet is AMAZING. you can make killer pesto with it it, too

haha, you americans.

eggs...and pickled carrots.

but why??????????? :(

i came home with a 4-kilo pork loin last night

beautiful

it makes such great meat cookies

some of my favorite dishes come from... ok i disgust myself
for what it is worth, i dont eat anymore bacon so whats the point anyway.

oh, a suckling pig is a most delicious thing

what is so disgusting? you haven't been talking to religious people, have you?

that pork chop is your friend! and bacon is sending you love letters and asking you to take him back.

Cold pizza and a Rogue Double Chocolate Stout to wash it down.

homemade spaghetti bolognese for a Sunday lunch. life is beautiful.

moizeit everyone.
roomie has a goose in the oven.
bit early for goose... i wouldn't do a goose in march.
but yeah. let's see how it comes out.

early or late? still yummy though

===

blueberry yogurt and cocoa-chile granola (2nd breakfast)

early and late :-)
was ok.

I'm sick at home. chicken soup with schöberl.

oooh. i had plain greek yogurt with some raspberries. not as fun. but it filled me up.

granola is really easy to make

heat up oven to 300

in a medium bowl mix:

3 cups rolled oats (regular not instant)
1.5 cups raw seeds (i use pumpkin, sunflower and sesame-- other possibilities are flax etc)
1 cup nuts (i use almonds or peanuts, depending on what i have) (if using walnuts the oven goes at 275)
1 tsp cinnamon (1/2 tsp cardamom, 1 tbs red chile, 1 tbsp cocoa optional)

in a large bowl mix:
1/3 cup oil (i use olive)
1/2 cup honey (easier if the honey is poured into a preoiled cup as it slips out easy)
1-2 tsp vanilla

add the medium bowl into the large one. spread onto parchment on a cookie sheet.

sprinkle 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt on top

after 15' take out and mix

bake another 15'

take out, add 1 cup dried fruit (i yet have to try freeze-dried), press a little, let cool. you can skip the fruit if you want less sweet.

once cool, break & pack. fits into a gallon ziploc & goes a long way.

you can develop your own choices of flavor by mixing the powdered spices, seeds, nuts, etc. i like cardamom with olive oil. e.g., the chile and chocolate i don't always do. originally i used shredded coconut (1/2 cup) but it's hard to find unsweetened at a good price this time of year so i'm skipping it. i use lightly roasted/salted peanuts but raw unsalted almonds-- cuz that's how i buy them for other uses-- but preroasted almonds would burn i suspect.

sounds like fun.

just made orangesalad with quince-pear chutney.



I discovered this place today:

weirdly enough, the guy who's working at that place I know from the music crowd.
He always comes to our shows and seems to be into it.
didn't know he runs a place that serves weird food, fine coffee and has the best and most impressive assortment of books on food and cooking.
and it's next to the place where I buy my guitar strings.

bought german translation of that Sandor Ellix Katz book on fermentation you mentioned. good stuff!

ooh, that salad looks good, and thanks as always !@# for the recipe. this weekend when i get a day off i'll make it!

i got free curry chicken and beef and broccoli from my job for dinner. and some sushi with tuna and avocado. gonna get fat from work, i'm sure.

i forgot to say that it doesn't have to be honey for granola-- it's that olive oil + honey work well so i use both

but you can use other sweeteners for it like maple, brown rice syrup, whatever/etc.

i had a whey shake and i'm having grapefruit and a strong cup of coffee. it's still dark outside! fuck damn and blast "daylight savings time".

yeah, ill probably use honey or agave nectar. i'm not having intense hunger anymore or sugar cravings like i was a few weeks ago but i think it's also because i'm kinda settled into a workout regiment now.

i hate daylight savings. i like dark nights.

that is good! also, sounds like you're eating better. honey hardens well in granola & makes good clusters. agave is $$!

i'm eating a can of tuna and a boiled potato. oh glory! good enough for the cat who woke up and came to beg (he loves tuna).

this morning, cranky, forgot to say:



that is a beautiful salad! i'd love to eat it with some pork. and i hope you like the book!

my cat i had as a kid loved tuna and sardines. dawww. i miss her, that three legged curmudgeon.

i'm making a stirfry for dinner, because it's all i'm really good at.

i don't know how to deal with that apparently self-deprecatory remark...

let's see...

"BULLSHIT! but stir-fries are good..."

how's that??

hahah, works for me. it is really good. and I use different veggies all the time. I have some asparagus to use up, too.

I had A Thousand Leaves for desert tonight, it was yummy

im having mostly veggie stuff these past months. and very rarely pasta stuff, which is weird for me. but all happened naturally and i like it. just...is it ok..yeah silly question..to eat almost on daily basis, green (various stuff there*) salad?
i think its ok. i do have to get more protein..but i think i m getting fairly enough. --checking online about that atm. :)


* love my veggiefruitsfleamarket man. i love him.



next stop: quinoa and retrying/adding kale.

^^ you need roughly 50g protein per day. more if you train.

of course all vegetables have some protein but the issue is if you're getting enough.

animal protein is the best source (essential aminos, easily absorbable, in the right ratios), but if you really really really don't wanna eat meats for whatever reason--

try eggs & dairy products-- egg is the most perfect protein and milk is best in fermented form (yogurt/cheese) as it's rid of lactose plus it has some added nutrients from the microbes.

if for some kind of reason you really really really don't want to eat from ANY animal sources then you have to be careful with what you eat so you get all your essential aminoacids in the right amount, and then supplement with b-12 and omega-3 (or eat a lot of seaweed which has omega 3 plus EPA and DHA-- i looooooove seaweed salad).

biggest source of vegetable protein are legumes-- soy, all beans, other pulses like lentils and peas, etc. soy is best fermented (eg. tofu, miso, etc) as it get rid of anitnutrients. the jury is still out in it's hormonal effects so eat some but not too much (e.g., tofu is a delicacy in asia not something that gets gobbled 3 times a day).also soy is the most genetically modified of all GMO crops-- so tread carefully there. beans benefit from an overnight soak to remove of the shitty stuff-- i love beans and i eat them almost daily.

then you have nuts and seeds. of the nuts i think the almond is the highest in protein. peanuts are legumes not true nuts but they have good protein too. seeds like pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, etc. also have good protein plus some great minerals. quinoa and amaranth are seeds and have a great aminoacid profile (high in lysine which is rare in vegs). for some reason when i eat quinoa i get hungry right after again-- lately i got a mix of and quinoa with amaranth and millet that sticks to my ribs more.

some grains are pretty high in protein-- e.g. durum wheat has the most i think, and barley 2nd? (roman gladiators used to eat barley and were actually fat but strong). all other grains (oats, regular wheat, etc.) have it too. in spite of all the gluten hysteria, gluten (a type of protein in grains) is what allowed mediterranean civilizations to thrive. some people have problems with gluten, but they tend to be of irish extraction-- it's genetic.

some greens like kale are actually high in protein-- i like to stir fry kale shake some soy sauce and add some almonds-- potent stuff. but lettuce, tomatoes, etc,-- are not going to be.

the challenge here is to balance the food sources so you get all your required aminoacids and nutrients. for my money, it's easier to follow traditional diets (e.g. indian or japanese) & eat traditional dishes (e.g., hummus which combines a bean and a seed, rice and beans which complement each other's amino profile, etc.) that have already worked out those problems. hummus works better with a hardboiled egg though ;)

[eta: here is an example of getting your full aminoacids with garbanzo as a base: http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/amin...nzos-1495.html ]

your part of the world is full of fantastic choices in that regard-- lots of great traditional vegetarian staples & dishes-- throw in a little sardine here & there (fresh not canned!) just to make sure you're not missing anything, if you can.

last thing to consider as you switch to vegetable protein sources is that they usually come with a sizable amount of carbohydrates per gram of protein; this means that you're going to have to work off those carbs or you'll puff up. i.e., if you'll be eating like a peasant you'll have to work like one a little bit-- do some cardio every day, stay active through the day, etc.

===

im broiling a tray of chicken thighs. rubbed with garlic, soy sauce and olive oil. to eat all week. kinda meh (it's industrial chicken, which sucks the big one, but i had it frozen for backup and now it must go).

oh honey! you wrote all that stuff...thank you. i know most of that stuff...didnt know much about kale :) and yeah i agree about the gluten hysteria. about dairy products, i m trying to avoid cow products (milk, cheese) but i m moderate on that too.
im eating cheese every day - 1-2 eggs per week, chicken once every 10 days, will add more, beans soup and veggie dishes and other stuff too.
however, especially after reading last night, i will take a better look at my daily protein.

also i understood that i do need salt, but aint going back to using it.
i m taking enough by my mom's cooking -she isnt using much- ready products, cheese etc.

good idea to fix smth that lasts you for days - like you do with the chicken.
i sure will have to get organised when the day job starts.

aint quitting meat 100%. eitherway, i wasnt eating much before either.
im quitting pork, but i will have my fav dishes once in while 3-4 times per year, if i still feel like it.

my all time problem is that i dont like fish. every time i say i ll try to add only salmon. dont do it. thats my biggest goal.
-taking pills instead...for the omega.

kale is a cousin of the cabbage. other dark leafy greens like spinach or chard will do you as good. a bit hard to chew, kale, especially the stems. i like it and it grows well in cold weather-- doesn't really like the heat (spring & fall are best, some survive winters). going to grow some this year (fingers crossed).

the cholesterol myth has been finally debunked (took them a long time) but you can eat more eggs now!

salmon is great but you're surrounded by water and don't need an overpriced piece of fish that was flown halfway across the globe-- much less if it's farmed (yuck). sardines and anchovies are great and local; and small fish at the bottom of the food chain has little or no mercury and it's safe to eat and superhealthy. so you can go visit a fish market & see what's good & fresh & cheap. BUT if you don't like fish (dios le da nueces al que no tiene dientes!) omega pills will do, ha ha ha.

industrial chicken in america is a rather nasty product. that tray i baked yesterday oozed more fat than the mutton i had cooked earlier. and it's just a weird-tasting meat (not like free range/ organic chickens, which are delicious). i hope you get good chicken at home. mine was well cooked but... gross. industrial chicken just makes me unhappy.

and yes i cook all weekend for the week-- made a giant onion frittata, tons of granola, a gallon of yogurt, a huge pot of black beans, a tray of bird parts... i'm set ha ha ha.

Damn...yer a smart man symbols.



Anyways I had some barbacoa...delicious.

!!!
never had kale. was der bauer nicht kennt, frisst er nicht.

everyone in europe and their grandmother is afraid of the american chlorine chicken invasion. I have to deal with bad quality chicken on a daily basis, such a weird bone structure - devo-dinosaur mass-produced fucking things.somehow it's

anyways... making a nice batch of chicken stock is my favourite thing on earth.
it's the smoothest of all the stocks there are.

mom made traditional easter fawn on sunday while I had a edible wild herb and plant monday kitchen session at her house.
suprised on how fucking awesome houseleek can turn out. nobody seems to know that you can eat this stuff. it's like a mild artichoke of some kind... basically it pretty much looks like an artichoke without a stem (botanically it's not a thistle though). long live the sedum!





took some of them with the roots with me to vienna now... gonna grow some and continue experimenting.

ha ha ha! i google translated that! "what the farmer does not know, he does not eat".

BUT the farmer might know it already... he might know it as Grünkohl!

o wait wait... maybe not....


damn!


are you guys getting it now? i was hoping you'd keep it banned. it's a monstrosity. the bones underdeveloped indeed, as is the weirdly textured flesh (no discernible muscle fibers), which is also perfumed with an undercurrent of sewer stench. disgusting as it is, i ate some tonight with spinach and potato-- the plants were great, the chicken was... a cheap protein ration.


i just bought 24 baby hens... they live in a camping trailer under a red light... it's going to be some 20+ weeks until they start laying eggs.

if they don't, they will find their way into the stock pot... hmmmm, hen soup!!

to be honest, i don't know if i'll have the balls to execute them if the time ever comes-- i've known them as babies now. but in theory, they are for eggs--many many eggs.

but the thought of a hen broth... my grandmother used to make these epic han soups when we visited. i was too little to remember what went into them but i should investigate + make some phone calls.


you guys ate bambi?? wow!


that looks amazing... reminds me of some desert plants. are they not toxic?

i have been looking for edible plants here in my desert but they are very hard to identify... i even called various park & forestry services and they have no idea (they recommended some books for plant identification, but it's not the same as knowing what can be eaten).

we have piñon, which is a type of pine nut; and we have a bitter juniper that tastes way stronger than the european juniper... there are also tiny wild carrots (very rare) and some kind of wild onions in some mountains, but not much really...

i tried some weird leaves some months ago and later found out they were toxic ha ha ha. ooops! there goes my kidney.

BUT i know if ever stranded in the snow i can eat pine bark (the inside). it has lots of vitamin C. can also be dried up/ground into a flour. hell yes. for now i'd rather buy oranges and not kill a whole pine tree though.

i had roasted potatoes and mushrooms for dinner in a red wine sauce that i made and it was awesome

oh yum.

===

eating a "2nd breakfast" of grapefruit, granola, yogurt, black coffee.

(first breakfast was a banana whey smoothie plus coffee)

i like eating 6 times a day ha ha ha.

i have to or I get cranky.

I got to have my moms cooking tonight and enjoy a glass of wine on the back patio. I miss home

You never had Grünkohl? Isn't that something every parent feeds their children in order to cause severe trauma?

I was gonna make Spätzle mit Linsen und Saiten today, but roomie and her boyfriend had other plans and making that meal just for yourself is crazy.
Looks like this, btw (for the ones who don't know the food of the gods):



Instead I made potato wedges.
Will try to make the Spätzle meal tomorrow. If they have other plans AGAIN I will just make it for myself and eat EVERYTHING and cry myself to sleep afterwards

Tonight we had BLT's for dinner with slices of avocado

SOOO Good!

ah, ok... grünkohl.
always make roulades with it.

spring is here!
made salat with baked red onions, roasted nuts and avocados.

we have to discuss that sometime soon.

how long / what temp / seasonings/ method?

(i have a bunch of red onion bulbs to plant and it's great to look forward to something good)

==

PONY that photo reminds me of your bruised girl story in the other thread lololol (great story but the photo is disturbing)