No Meat, No Dairy, No Problem

Last fall, I gave up eating meat. (I don't remember exactly when—it was as soon as I'd finished the last of a package of bacon I had in the fridge).

I did it strictly for animal welfare reasons. Anyone who drinks as much Coke Classic as I do has no standing to declare the decision had anything to do with my health! But I figured if I'm going to spend hundreds of hours a year taking care of baby squirrels and raising them until they're ready to be released into the wild, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to then go out and eat part of a cow for dinner.

I wasn't sure how long I'd be able to do this, since I've always really enjoyed meat dishes, from chicken fingers to barbecued steaks to pork roasts. But it hasn't been as difficult as I thought it would be. When it's not in the house, it's not a problem at all. Fortunately, I already ate a lot of fruits and vegetables, so there was no issue in me having to add them into my diet. And, as a writing colleague said to me, I'm really just cutting out 5 or 6 ingredients from my entire food repertoire.

But without question, one of the reasons it hasn't been so tough is because I still eat eggs and dairy products (which is why I don't refer to myself as a vegetarian), so I can still meet my protein requirements pretty easily. (I only buy those that come from humanely raised animals, so I don't think there's anything wrong with that from an animal welfare point of view.) If I had to cut one of those food groups out entirely, I don't think I'd be able to do it.

A reader of my favourite food blog, Christie's Corner ("Real Food. Real Life. It Ain't Always Pretty."), does have this problem. She wrote in to Charmian last week requesting suggestions for main courses that will also work for her daughter, who is not only vegetarian but lactose-intolerant as well (and, no, I'm not just pointing out this entry because of the adorable squirrel pic!).

Fortunately, I happen to have a great recipe that meets both those requirements, so I'm sharing that here today. Charmian is also posting a recipe for vegetarian chili, and another food writer, Cheryl Sternman Rule, has a vegetable stir fry with tofu and cashews on her blog, 5 Second Rule^*, as well.

My recipe is called El Paso Pilaf, and it comes from Anne Lindsay's Lighthearted Everyday Cooking book. If you don't already have any of her books, I highly recommend them. All of the recipes are based on ingredients you probably have around the house anyway, the instructions are easy to follow, and they're heart-healthy to boot! I have three of her cookbooks and use them often.

For copyright purposes, I can't reproduce the exact recipe here. But it's really one of those recipes where you can add in more or less of a certain ingredient to suit your own taste, so I can give a brief description that will give you a pretty good idea of how to create the dish shown at the top of this post. (And, of course, if you want specific quantities, you can always buy the book! :)

You start by sauteing some chopped onions in olive oil. Then you basically toss all of the following into the pot or skillet: water, long-grain rice, kidney beans, corn niblets, dry green lentils, chunky salsa, and chopped bell peppers. Season with garlic and chili powder. Bring everything to a boil and then let it simmer until all the water has been absorbed by the rice and lentils. (Warning: this smells REALLY good while it's simmering, so you may get a lot of "Is it done yet?" questions from family members...) Anne Lindsay also recommends serving the dish over thick-sliced tomatoes, which I haven't tried myself, but I can imagine that that would be a nice addition as well.

^* P.S. I have decided that, given her name and her specialty, Cheryl has THE best name for a blog ever. But trust me, once you go there, you won't be able to limit yourself to five seconds, especially once you get a load of her stunning photos!

Pick a Can, Any Can

For Father's Day yesterday, my brother the animator posted some sketches for a cartoon episode he's working on based on one of our father's favourite activities when we were growing up.

Back then, grocery stores would sell canned goods whose labels had fallen off for dirt cheap—like 5 or 10 cents. (I don't think they're allowed to even sell them like this anymore, but I digress...) Then, when it came down to choosing a vegetable to go with dinner or some fruit for dessert, he would bring up one of the mystery cans and we'd all keep our fingers crossed that whatever came out of it was something actually edible.

The cartoon tells the story much better than I just did, so I highly recommend you check it out. But even better than the cartoon itself is Dad's comment on it, which John also copied to the end of the post.

My father pointed out to me that someone had added a comment that said, “OMG this is classic, imagine eating becomes an adventure,” which made me realize that this was probably one of our first adventure experiences as a family. :) So the story fits in perfectly with my blog as well.

It then occurred to me that people could still try this one themselves, though in a somewhat limited fashion due to the aforementioned change in store policies. You could simply buy a bunch of canned goods, remove the labels at home, and then just mix them all up on your own shelves. Pick a different one every day and take your chances! As my father points out, you could be in for a very pleasant surprise:

“I'm sure you could come up with quite and adventure, especially, when the cans turn out to have treats, like slices peaches, fruit cocktale, black cherries, etc, occasionally cat or dog food, which was ok as we had one of each those days.”

And if you want to see the inspiration for all this posting, here you go:

Thanks for the blog idea Dad!

Sweet Adventure

Last week, I did a blog swap with Charmian Christie, where she wrote an entry about having her play workshopped for Embrace Adventure, and I wrote one about my first attempt at developing my own recipe for her food blog, Christie's Corner.

This past weekend, I made the recipe again, tweaking a few things based on that first attempt, and now I'm ready to share it with you all!

Black Forest Ice Cream Crepes

Makes about 12 crepes.

NOTE: I got the basic instructions for making crepes from a cookbook I've had for years: Crepe Cookery by Mable Hoffman. (If I'd had to try to figure THAT out from scratch, I'd still be cookin'...)

INGREDIENTS

Crepes
3 eggs
1 C flour
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp cocoa
1-1/4 C buttermilk*
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
2 Tbsp melted butter (cooled)
1 Tbsp melted butter (for greasing pan)

Filling
3-4 squares semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
3-4 tsp vegetable oil
1 jar Utter's Delights Tart Cherry Jam
1 brick vanilla ice cream

Garnish
8 oz. heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Fresh sweet cherries

* Buttermilk can be replaced with 1-1/4C regular milk with 1 Tbsp lemon juice added.

INSTRUCTIONS

In large bowl, beat eggs.

In separate small bowl, mix together flour, sugar, and cocoa.

Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk into eggs. Beat until smooth.

Stir in vanilla and almond extracts.

Beat in melted butter.

TIP: Make sure the butter is completely cooled before adding it to the mix. Otherwise, it will start the eggs cooking and add lumps to the batter. Although, even when I let it completely cool, I still managed to get lumps so, if you have the same problem, simply strain the batter to get out any solid pieces.

Refrigerate the batter for 1 hour.

Use a basting brush to very lightly grease a crepe pan or skillet. Heat pan over medium heat until a drop of water sizzles on it.

Fill a 1/4-C measuring cup about 3/4 full of batter. Lift the pan off the heat and pour the batter close to the far edge from you. Quickly tilt the pan so the batter spreads evenly around the bottom.

Place pan back on burner and allow crepe to cook through (about 1 minute). Using a heatproof spatula, lift the edge of the crepe to see if it's dry. If so, flip the entire crepe and allow to cook on the other side for a few seconds.

Slide the crepe out onto a plate and repeat the process until all the crepes are made.

TIP: If you're having difficulty lifting the edge of the crepe, it's not cooked enough. When it's ready to flip, it's very easy to pick up. It's also very common that the first crepe (or two) will not turn out well. Be prepared to toss that one if it's too lacy or unevenly cooked throughout. Case in point:

While the crepes are cooling, melt the chocolate squares. The box will have instructions on how to melt them, whether it's in a microwave or on the stovetop. You may want to only melt one or two at a time to see how many you'll actually need, which will depend on the size of your crepes and the number you make.

Mix in 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil per square to make it easier for spreading. Using a basting brush, spread a thin layer of chocolate over each crepe.

Spread 2 teaspoons of the cherry jam over the chocolate layer.

Place a strip of vanilla ice cream in the middle or near one edge of the crepe, depending on how you want to present it. (The former is for a folded crepe, the latter for a rolled version.)

Line freezer-safe container with wax paper and place crepes on top. Use wax paper to separate layers. Store crepes in freezer until ready to serve.

TIP: To prevent the ice cream from melting too much, you might want to put together 2 or 4 crepes at a time and freeze them, then work on another batch.

Refrigerate any leftover melted chocolate for the garnish.

Prior to serving, whip the cream. Beat in the sugar and vanilla.

Place one or two crepe squares or rolls on a plate, and add a dollop of whipped cream on the top. Melt the refrigerated chocolate and drizzle over the cream. Top the garnish with a fresh, sweet cherry.

Enjoy! (I know I did... :)

NOTE: If anybody tries making this, I'd really appreciate your feedback, especially if you experience any difficulties with it. (Of course, I'll also be fine if you write to rave about it! :)

The Big Green Huh?

One of the best ways to end a day of adventure is with a really great meal, and one of the best ways to prepare a really great meal is on the barbecue. And, according to one of my friends that I visited with on my recent trip home—and she's a fabulous cook, so I trust her opinion completely—THE best way to barbecue is with the Big Green Egg®!

This ceramic grill, that also doubles as a smoker, is based on an ancient clay cooker, developed in Japan, called a “kamado.” I had a quick look at it at her house (unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to taste anything cooked on it), and it's quite an interesting design.

The EGG® has a flue at the top and a vent at the bottom, both of which you can adjust to allow more or less air to flow through it. It's this design that that lets you choose the optimum temperature setting from 200° for long, slow cooking to 750° for searing the juices inside your favourite cut of steak.

The cooker uses charcoal (which would probably take some getting used to for me, now, since I've become so accustomed to the speed of a gas grill), but my friend swears that she's never tasted a better grilled steak in her life than the one she cooked on her EGG.

Apparently there's also a huge global community of EGGheads who are major devotees of this type of cooking, including someone who bills himself as The Naked Whiz and who is considered one of the main authorities on the subject. The Whiz's Web site offers a plethora of helpful information such as recipes, product information, and even reviews of various brands of lump charcoal!

If any of you have any experience with the EGG, we'd love to hear about them! I also have to say I'm impressed by the company itself. I wrote to their media contact to see if they could provide me with a couple of pics of the product to accompany this post, and I received them in less than 24 hours. I take this as a sign that the quality of their customer service probably matches the quality of their products.

Regardless of what type of grill you do have now, I hope you have an opportunity to take advantage of it while enjoying a fabulous holiday weekend. And since the holiday is Memorial Day, I'd also like to take a moment to express my appreciation to all those members of the armed forces who have selflessly sacrificed their own lives to protect the lives, lands, and liberties of the rest of us.

Blog of the Day

I don't know if she's an EGGhead or not, but I do know that fellow Canadian (yes, another one!) Charmian Christie, who publishes Christie's Corner, is a fabulous cook and food writer, who generously shares many a drool-inducing recipe—like Lemon-Loaded North African Dressing and Mysteriously Good Sour Cream Apple Pie—on her blog.

Also be sure to check out her ongoing mellow-drama about home liquoring, Whisky Works: As the Barrel Turns.

Embrace Adventure Challenge #1

One of the main themes of this blog is that you don't have to spend a lot of time or money or effort to embrace adventure. So, with that thought in mind, once a week I'm going to issue an “Embrace Adventure Challenge” and I hope you'll keep it in mind as you go about your daily business.

You have all week to give it a shot. My hope is that, by the end of the challenge period, you'll report back in to share your experiences with the rest of our community. Did you try it? If not, why not? If so, what were the results—the good, the bad, and the hilarious? And, just in case there's any question about it, I will also be participating in the challenge.

Since my last couple of posts have been food-related, I thought I would start there. So, here goes.

Current Challenge

Eat or drink one thing this week that you've never had before.

Here are just a few examples of really simple things that might trigger your own ideas:

• Mix a different kind of lettuce in with your salad
• Replace your morning OJ with guava/mango/passion fruit juice
• If you always have canned peas, give frozen ones a try
• Buy a different brand of bread or a new type of fresh loaf
• Pick something up from the “scary” ethnic food aisle that you normally walk right by

And here are a few questions to consider while you're chowing down.

• How would you describe the flavour and texture of this new food or drink?
• What effect does it have on the other foods you're having at the same time?
• Will this experience inspire you to try other new foods in the future?

And don't forget to check back in and tell us all about it. Good luck!

Food, Glorious Food

One of the easiest ways to add adventure into your life is with food. Think about it. Despite the literally thousands of items sold at your local supermarket, how different does your shopping cart look from one week to the next? If you're like me, probably not much. Same basic assortment of meat, dairy, produce, bread, and packaged goods, with an occasional variation based on seasonality or price. But how hard would it be to toss in something brand-spanking new and give it a try? Or maybe it's something that you were forced to eat growing up and you vowed that, once you became an adult, it would never darken your kitchen's doorstep again. But if I banished everything I hated as a kid, I would never eat broccoli, cauliflower, or asparagus, all veggie staples for me today. (Still “no” on the brussels sprouts...)

It's not just what you buy, of course. You could also try a new way to prepare something familiar. For example, I've always enjoyed raw red bell peppers in my salads. But about a year ago, I ordered some grilled vegetables at a restaurant, and peppers were included in the mix. They were so delicious, I've since added them to my culinary repertoire at home. Admittedly, it took a few attempts to figure out the magic formula for cooking them long enough to maximize their sweetness without crossing the line into “blackened pepper” territory. Oh, but it was sooo worth the wait!

Hungry now.

Hot Enough for Ya?

I was thrilled to get a comment from my friend Christine earlier today, and thinking about our time together in Japan reminded me of one of my favourite stories from back then.

The first year we were there, Christine and I and our friend Kim decided to head to Thailand for our spring vacation. After a couple of days in Bangkok (an experience that will provide fodder for many future posts, I'm sure), we headed to Koh Samet to spend the rest of the week lazing around the idyllic island beaches.

We were having lunch one day and Christine ordered some chicken-and-veggie dish that was listed on the menu as “spicy.” Now, I have almost zero tolerance for chili peppers, but Christine often added hot sauce to her food and was a huge fan of wasabi. So even when the waiter warned her that the dish would be too much for someone not used to “Thai spicy,” she insisted she still wanted it.

Not long after she dug in, Christine became rather quiet and little beads of sweat started forming on her forehead.

“How is it?” I asked.

She shrugged. “It's hot.”

Kim and I looked at each other. She picked up a piece of bread, soaked it in the sauce, and popped it into her mouth. At the same time, I took my fork and placed just the very tip of the tines in the sauce and gently touched it to my tongue.

Well.

You've never seen a basket of bread and pitcher of water go down so quickly. I literally could not speak for about a minute. And I seriously thought we might need to find a defibrillator for Kim.

I stared at Christine. “HOW can you possibly eat that?”

She shrugged again. “I said it was hot.”

Besides having a true spirit of adventure, Christine was apparently also born with a gift for understatement.

What is Adventure?

About a year and a half ago, I had the occasion to interview Phil Keoghan, host of The Amazing Race and author of No Opportunity Wasted, for an article in Real Simple magazine. Here's a quote from him in that article:

“Adventure is anytime you step outside your comfort zone and do something new.”

I couldn't agree with Phil more.

Adventure has a lot less to do with what the activity is than with the attitude that you bring to it. So, for example, if you wouldn't hesitate to jump out of a plane at 10,000 feet, then bungee-jumping or whitewater rafting might not be a big adventure for you. But if you've always avoided speaking in public and you sign up to teach a course at the local community college, voila! You're officially an adventurer.

Here are a few other examples that may or may not qualify as adventures in your life:

• Signing up for a swing dancing class
• Trying a new recipe that calls for ingredients you've never heard of
• Going to a speed dating event
• Going on any date
• Traveling to a country where you don't speak the language
• Writing a letter to the editor
• Volunteering for a committee at work

Oh. And, um...

• Starting a blog :)

What examples do you have? What kind of adventures have you done or hope to do in the future? What is it about them that makes them an adventure in your mind?

Share your thoughts in the comment form below. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!