pantry-purging granola bars

I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one with a fondness for anything that comes out of the Smitten Kitchen. (Beware: clicking on either of those links will begin a new obsession for you!)

After an unexpected snow day in Austin, TX, I made it home from work a little early with just enough time to throw something fun together before preparing a heart- and hand-warming soup for dinner. These granola bars were just the thing. In fact, I didn't even take the time to read the entire recipe before tossing remnant trail mixes and such into a bowl. As I went along, thankfully, I had all the necessary ingredients to hold the bars together, but here's the fun part.

These granola bars (of the thick and chewy variety, I'm already a fan) can handle up to three cups of random goodies. We're talking dried fruits, seeds, nuts, wheat germ, and yes, chocolate chips. If you're anything like me, you can open your pantry at any given time to find five separate batches of different trail mixes (thank you, bulk bins).

I had everything from the Women's Organic Vitality Mix (cranberries, soy beans, sunflower seeds, and dark chocolate) to the Student Mix (almonds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, raisins), and more. I wound up with two cups of goodies and 1/3 cup of all-natural peanut butter to help glue it all together.

The result? Tantalizingly delicious breakfast bars that stuck together perfectly. Seriously, my other forays into granola bar-making have not gone nearly as well; but this is a recipe that works.

Since this is Deb's recipe, which she adapted from another site, I'll just give you the link and offer you one good piece of advice: throw in everything but the kitchen sink.

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my conflicted food journey

This whole "vegetarian thing" began as a challenge to myself. In fact, I call it that because I don't feel that I've earned the merit badge to call myself a full-blown vegetarian yet. It's been a year of tackling physical things I didn't think I could: an 85-mile bike ride, a sprint triathlon, and this weekend, a half-marathon with my fiance (I realize I shouldn't go touting its completion when the day has yet to arrive; consider this self-motivation).

So it seemed to follow suit that this would be the year I took my diet to a new level. In the last couple of years, I've been phasing out things I knew were bad: fast food, preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, etc. And since I've made those changes, I've noticed big differences in my physiology. Mainly, my formerly-debilitating headaches don't come around very often any more, if at all. I feel an absolute and measurable difference.

The more reading I did, the more food documentaries I watched, and the more I heard about the impact of meat-eating on the environment, I decided that maybe I could make a stand for all that was right in the world by becoming a vegetarian. It felt like the morally respectable thing to do. It's so cool to say, "I'm a vegetarian, for ethical, environmental, and health reasons." So... pious.

I gave up meat almost four months ago, deciding to herald in the holidays with a no-meat goal. I passed up the Thanksgiving turkey, but failed a little in New York with organic salmon the night we got engaged (and less impressively, with a bite of an authentic NYC hot dog from a street vendor). And then I had a bite, given to me by my concerned grandmother, of prime rib at Christmas.

But the fact that I can count on one hand the number of meat-eating instances in the last four months is pretty impressive, at least for a girl who grew up on a farm and knows what it means when a cow has gone missing from the herd. My dad has been supportive of this decision, but a few weeks in (when he realized it wasn't going away very quickly), asked incredulously, "You did grow up on a farm, right?" Yes. I was raised on the most delicious grass-fed, organic beef you could get your hands on. The cows ate grass and hay from the pastures in our backyard and were butchered at the shop a quarter-mile down the road.

And that's just the thing. I know how sustainable meat is farmed. It's delicious, and my siblings and I are all smart, healthy individuals; surely that's partly a result of the diet we were fed growing up. I can't decide if I'm being a vegetarian to make a point, or because it truly is better for my health, the environment, and ethics.

Sure, eating less meat is good for your body and the environment, especially if you cut out factory-farmed meat, eggs, and dairy. Like Michael Pollan says, ideally, we should, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Our bodies, right down to the length of our digestive tracts and the shape of our incisors and molars, are created to enjoy an omnivorous diet.

Quite honestly, it's not the thought of eating flesh that bothers me, but as another author (Jonathan Safran Foer) puts it, the thought of ingesting "tormented flesh" that truly bothers me. If you saw Oscar-nominated Food, Inc., you know exactly what I mean: the cows and chickens and pigs raised in the despicable environment of a feed lot and fed a completely unnatural diet: that is the kind of flesh that disgusts me.

And now, I'm venturing into another food book: "Real Food" by Nina Planck. Thirty pages in, and she's got me worrying about my protein levels (when, after reading a book by the inventor of the Gardenburger, I wasn't worried in the least about getting enough protein--that's what beans are for). She's got me asking, "Why am I not, at least, a pescetarian?"

I haven't reached a conclusion yet, but I do feel that being educated about nutrition and food, for many reasons (nutritional, environmental, and ethical) is making me a more well-rounded person. For the first time this week, I tried quinoa. I made black bean "burgers" from scratch. I incorporated whole grains into homemade burger buns. But I also stared down a craving for bacon, and felt my mouth begin to water at the thought of baked salmon on a bed of fresh wilted spinach.

To say that one's body "craves meat" may not be the right phrase here; for one thing, it sounds so very carnal and caveman-like. But surely the healthiest cultures, those that have made it through the past and continue to thrive today, have something to show for their omnivorous, whole-foods habits.

I don't think vegetarianism will stick with me, but not because I'll give in to bacon temptation; it won't be that I give up because I'm tired of being teased (happening more than I'd expected, surprisingly), or because I've made my family accommodate me enough (even my younger siblings were sure to buy organic vegetarian refried beans for their Super Bowl party!).

When I do return to meat-eating, however, it's not going to be the willy-nilly meat-eating of my past. I plan on following extremely strict rules. If I don't know where the meat comes from, I won't be ingesting it. There's a fine line to walk between sustainability for earth and body, and ignorance of nutrition for body, soul, and mind.

I'm trying to find where that line lies for me.

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the year of the coupon

I could spend a paragraph or two telling you how much I've missed posting here, but... I'll save you the drama. Suffice it to say... It's been a whirlwind since the holidays and I've been turning to a lot of my staples in the kitchen. Mac and cheese, namely.

I do, however, have some money-saving tips to share. If you live in the Austin area, where natural foods stores have begun running rampant, these tips are for you. But that's not to say you can't adapt them for your area; the basic tenants are to identify what you like to eat, where you can get it, and then begin the search for the best prices and deals. And don't be afraid of clipping coupons!

In the last year, we've shifted all of our food-buying to follow strict guidelines. We no longer put anything that doesn't meet at least one, if not all of these requirements into our shopping basket.

We shop for SOLE foods:

Sustainable

Organic

Local

Ethical

First of all, we ask if we can get the food locally. We get food from my mom's garden when possible, and shop at the farmers' market when we can. But most of our weekly shopping is done at the grocery store, so we follow these ground rules.

1. If local produce is available (local onions, mushrooms, and citrus are widely available at supermarkets), that takes precedence over organic. The environmental impact of getting local food (grown within 150 miles) trumps that of buying organic, ever so slightly.

2. If no local option is available, buy organic. This goes even for things you can peel (i.e., bananas) and especially for leafy greens, etc. Check out this "Dirty Dozen" list for absolute MUST organics if you can't afford to buy all your produce organically.

3. Every product must be sustainable. This means cutting out excessive packaging (individually wrapped things), forgetting all processed items, and generally avoiding buying things you can make at home (bread, tortillas, etc.).

4. Ethical means that the product has been produced in such a way that it considers the environment: we count this as everything from biodegradable shampoo to cage-free eggs.

You may think that our grocery bills would be astronomical by eating this way, but that's where frugality and reality meet, shake hands, and decide to get along.

First of all, determine which stores are most convenient for you. There are five places I like to shop: my neighborhood HEB, Central Market, Sun Harvest, Wheatsville, and Whole Foods. In the last week, a Sprouts has opened in our 'hood, too. We have myriad options for buying all-natural products and foods.

All of the stores now offer bulk selections, and most of them have weekly coupon deals. Here's what I have learned:

• HEB has the best prices on things we still buy in a package, like Kashi brand cereals or crackers. They also carry a selection (albeit small) of locally-grown mushrooms, tomatoes, and grapefruit, and Texas-grown rice. They also carry the Central Market Organics brand, which is by far the best-priced (and best-tasting) organic brand we like for pastas, sauces, beans, milk, butter, and cage-free eggs. The CMO brand ranks high on the World Society for the Protection of Animals' list of "better" food products. Look for coupons throughout the store, and also check the coupons you're handed with your receipt: they're tailored to fit what you bought. Recently, we've been saving about $10 with each trip from HEB coupons alone.

• Sun Harvest offers unbeatable weekly deals on a lot of things, including organic produce, but the selection can be quite limited. Go on Wednesdays for double-coupon days. And the wine! Oh my gosh, the wine. There is always something on a 3 for $10 sale. They also carry a selection of natural herbs, vitamins, and alternative medicines.

• Central Market carries the widest bulk bin selection, including organics. We head there for our bread-baking needs, as well as coffee and trail mixes. Sign up for their e-mail list to get special deals on seafood, fresh meats, and more (often a great deal where you can save up to 20%)!

Happy shopping!

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yet another amazing mac and cheese

The holidays! I love 'em! While I've spent countless hours in the kitchen over the last month, it's been about three weeks since I actually cooked dinner. Instead, it's toffee this and chocolate-covered caramels that.

We've been busy these last few weeks: we went to New York City to visit friends, vacation, and get engaged. We came back from New York with lots of laundry (mainly socks) to wash, holiday shopping and cooking to do, and a wonderful story to tell.

So yesterday, when a busy work day left me craving my favorite comfort food (cheese! Need I say more!), I took a mental note of what was in the refrigerator. Side note: last week, I came home to find our fridge completely cleaned out. Ryan took the liberty of nixing all questionable items, and tossing any current science projects—except, thankfully, my sourdough starter. He was able to do what I had a hard time doing: paring down the fridge. And for that, I am eternally grateful.

Back to my mental ingredient check list: cream cheese, parmesan, a little cheddar, some milk, and butter. I found this recipe, but needed to tweak it to be a) healthy and b) a one-pot meal. Here's what I came up with... and the votes are in: It's well worth adding to the weeknight menu rotation. Here's a tip, too: choosing an oven-safe dish will make this a one-pot meal. We used a 2.5-quart Dutch oven (the newest member of the family) and it did everything from boiling the pasta to making the roux to baking the casserole. This also meant that I was able to keep the kitchen nearly spotless while whipping up this dish.

The cream cheese helps this come together as a super-creamy dish, without adding much extra fat. The Dijon, though, is the real star: Ryan and I agreed that it's our new favorite condiment, beating out buffalo sauce by a slim margin.

Dijon Macaroni and Cheese

• 7 ounces whole wheat macaroni or shells
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
• 4 ounces low-fat cream cheese (neufchatel)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 heaping teaspoons Dijon mustard (or to taste)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 2 cups broccoli florets (can be frozen)

In a medium, oven-safe pot, bring 2 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions, undercooking slightly so that the pasta is al dente (it will cook a little more in the oven, so you don't want to overcook it in this first step).

Preheat the oven to 400. Once the pasta is done, drain in a colander and set aside. Using the same pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and mix until a very light roux forms (this will take less than 1 minute; the mixture should be bubbly and smooth). Add the salt, pepper, milk, cream cheese, and mustard, and cook until mixture becomes thick and smooth. Add the cooked pasta, cheddar and parmesan cheeses, and broccoli. Mix until well combined.

Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes, until broccoli is heated through.

Total time: 40 minutes. Serves 3-4 as a meal, or 4-6 as a side.

* If you're a meat eater, adding cooked ham or chicken to this dish when you add the broccoli will make this an even more complete dinner.

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we're all in this together

I'm a month into this vegetarian conversion, and I've got to say... It's going so very well. Last night we had dinner with a handful of some of my very favorite people, including my dear cousin, and the friends hosting us made us the absolute best pot of chili ever. Ryan preempted my request for the recipe written down, proving that he, too, was won over by the meal.

The chili abounded with beans in every size, shape, and color; tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, corn, and, instead of the beef, seitan. (For those of you not familiar with seitan, it's a wheat-based meat alternative. Wikipedia, you can take it from here.)

Our group of seven gathered around a table, placemats and all, beers tucked comfortably into koozies, devouring this amazing vegetarian chili. And over the meal, I felt so very connected to these friends of mine.

Food isn't just about offering sustenance to a hungry body; food has the unique ability to draw people together, in any culture. I was worried that my shift to vegetarianism would begin to alienate me from close friends who didn't eat the way I now do. I couldn't have been more wrong about that.

After making it through Thanksgiving as a vegetarian, and then having this wonderful dinner last night, where everyone cast aside omnivorism and was momentarily vegetarian, I am understanding that it really doesn't matter what dietary restrictions you put in place: food will always bring you together.

So, thank you for a fantastic evening, Kit, Dylan, Callie, Dave, Brian, and Ryan... It was definitely more than just a pot of chili!

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Thanksgiving wrap-up

Look at that spread! To think, this was only one of three Thanksgivings I was blessed enough to enjoy this year. This one was at my mom's house, and what was so outstanding about hers was the fact that all but ONE vegetable came from her garden.

From the top left, clockwise:

Green bean casserole (fresh green beans)

Gravy, turkey, rolls, and dressing

Pecan pie (you guessed it, homemade with home-grown pecans)

Butternut squash pie (I made this with one of mom's squash)

Pickle platter (okra, cucumbers, and tomatoes from the garden; also the one non-garden veggie--olives)

Roasted butternut squash and shallots with fresh rosemary

Garden pumpkin stuffed with wild rice pilaf

Fresh corn (frozen from the summer harvest) with butter and herbs
This was the best Thanksgiving I can ever remember. We had three separate but equally wonderful occasions; one with Ryan's family, one with my dad's side of the family, and one at mom's. In the middle of it all, we celebrated two birthdays. And, unbelievably, I didn't have one bite of turkey!

I had a couple of minor vegetarian slip-ups (the amazing rice pilaf was made with chicken stock, as was the dressing, but that hardly stopped me), but overall didn't miss the turkey this Thanksgiving.

But it's easy not to miss something as trivial as turkey when you're surrounded by people you love. What a wonderful holiday. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's my favorite.

Coming up on my blog: getting deeper into the vegetarian conversion, and, should everything go smoothly tonight, a new recipe for spinach and mushroom enchiladas (with a creamy avocado sauce).

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veggie chili

As the holidays near, time is a precious commodity. I use most of mine cooking and preparing, gluing silver findings on to glass pendants, rounding corners on cardstock, and deciding exactly which recipe to use. This week we're celebrating Thanksgiving three times, and I couldn't be happier about that. I wish I'd had the time and the wherewithall to take pictures of my cooking extravaganza yesterday (homemade stuffing, two sourdough loaves, spinach and artichoke dip, birthday cupcakes with frosting, and more!) but alas—I've found that it's hard enough just to keep up with the to-do list!

In the spirit of not having much time, here's a very quick one-pot meal. This recipe was born out of necessity; I wanted something hot and spicy that wasn't soup, and needed to use up some jalapenos and cilantro in the fridge. Since I keep the pantry stocked with canned beans (let's face it, as much as I try to cook dried beans instead, it just doesn't happen as often as I'd like) and tomatoes, chili was a natural choice. I added a carrot because I like a little extra veggie kick, and it needed to be used up too. If I'd had broccoli and corn, by golly, I'd have thrown that in as well! Chili is like soup, I think: anything goes.

Ryan was skeptical at first, but changed his mind after taking a bite. So if you're short on time, here's a delicious weeknight recipe that will hit the spot for vegetarians and omnivores alike.

Quick Veggie Chili

1 15-oz can organic black beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-oz can organic pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 28-oz can organic whole peeled tomatoes (or diced tomatoes)

1 or 2 jalapenos, seeded and minced

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon cumin

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Garnish: additional cilantro, chopped avocado, and sour cream

Prep the veggies. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot on medium, heat the oil. Add the onions, garlic, jalapeno, and carrots, and saute until the onions become translucent. (If your pan gets too hot and the garlic begins to burn, just add a little of the tomato juice.)

After 3-5 minutes, add the beans, tomatoes, cilantro, and cumin, and stir. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the flavors come together. Serve with chopped avocado, extra cilantro, and a nice dollop of sour cream.

Makes about 6 servings; freezes well.

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