THE JOY OF ANNIE'S COOKING

 Most of you know that I am pretty food-obsessed. My younger son commented that I was "obsessed by food." Luckily, my darling, mench of a husband said, "I wouldn't say that--I'd say you are passionate about food." I far prefer this. It feels less, well--obsessive.

It is odd because as a child I had little use for food unless it was: raisin-cinnamon bread from Ryebach's; chocolate ice cream; chocolate milkshakes; root beer floats; Christmas candy; Easter eggs; bacon; and oatmeal. I can remember stealing (yes, stealing) a loaf of that glorious raisin-cinnamon bread from the kitchen and running off to our woods with it, to eat, savor, and think about this guilty pleasure. I couldn't finish it. I was a pretty small kid.

 

But then--and I am sure I have mentioned this before--on a date during my Freshman Year at Bates, my then boyfriend and his parents took me out to a grand restaurant in Lewiston where I had Coquilles St. Jacques. ARE YOU F...NG KIDDING ME? I remember saying internally. This is what food is like and can be?  Sign me up, baby!

 

That started a food journey that has lasted until the present and through this dreadful year. I have continued to do Green Chef, mostly vegetarian meals, with the occasional meat meal. The problem with their veggie meals is that they are very high in carbs, so the calorie count is often around 1000 per meal. Too high for me. But I am doing my own recipes now, and want to share one which I posted on FB; "Annie's Stir-Fry." I hope I can capture the picture to insert here. So this is how I made it:

    INGREDIENTS:

--2 long bok choy leaves (not baby), chopped

--half an OG red pepper, sliced in thin strips

--one small yellow onion cut lengthwise, then sliced in strips

--2 cloves garlic, minced

--1 tablespoon (or less) of grated ginger

--1+ cup or more of sliced bellas

--2 tablespoons EVOO

--ramen noodles (If doing keto, substitute kelp or shiritaki noodles)

    SAUCE:

1/ 1/4 cup of good Tamari.

2/ dash shriracha (1/4 tsp.-1/2 depending on your heat tolerance)

3/ dash balsamic vinegar

4/ dash of lemon juice 

5/ Drop of liquid smoke for umami

5/ Stir thoroughly with a wire whisk.

     TO MAKE:

1/ Boil water for noodles; put in enough for 2 folks, cook 9-10 min.

2/ Heat frying pan or wok over medium-high heat and sear pepper and onion for 6-7 min., 'til onion is soft. Stir from time to time.

3/ Add bok choy and mushrooms; cook another 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally; add garlic and ginger, cook 1-2 min.

4/ Add sauce, stir, and let it bubble for 1 minute or so.

  ASSEMBLE:

--drain noodles, put in warmed bowls;

--spoon veggies with sauce over noodles;

--top with toasted pepitas & lots of chopped, fresh cilantro.

    VOILA!

This probably is not your usual Easter meal, but it sure is delicious, and could serve guests too. If doing 4 servings, just increase the amount of veggies and sauce.

What else is Annie-the-food-obsessed doing? I have 2 new cookbooks (among many!) that I love and am using a lot. One is: "Love Real Food," ($14.14 at Amazon) by the food blogger Kathryne Taylor who posts at "Cookie and Kate."

 Like several women food writers I have seen, she had an eating disorder when young, then brought it under control and became a vegetarian. Her recipes are fabulous, and she gives a good grounding in how to cook vegetarian, what it means to be one, and how to make wonderful meals. (Organize your pantry too.)

The second one I am deep into is: "The 30-Day Alzheimer's Solution," by neurologists Dean Sherzai & Ayesha Sherzai, $19.00, Amazon. Some things I love about this are: they are real scientists and have a large data base of written articles as well as patients (over 3,000) to draw on.

 Secondly, their recipes are marvelous, and they incorporate a whole system of living to ward of Alzheimer's including: NEURO--Nourishment, Exercise, Unwind, Restore, & Optimize. All is based on a lot of scientific data and studies which are reassuring to me, at least. Well worth the investment. You will be giving up alcohol, sugar, fake sweeteners, red meat, fish, dairy, white pasta, and a few other things for the 30-day trial.

Then here is the latest twist: about 7 weeks back I decided to try the keto diet again (did it for a few weeks in fall 2019), and ordered--of course--a slew of keto cookbooks from Amazon. This was spurred by reading in an internet search on Peripheral Neuropathy, PN, that a small study with no control group found that the keto diet "could" help folks with PN. Published in "The Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy," do not ask me the month or date, please.

 Here is the skinny, and for sure if you want to lose weight (and I am NOT suggesting you should, sick of our culture's fat-shaming), you will, eating keto. I have found that going off sugar, most meats, all grains and flours, alcohol, and sticking to a low carb, high fat, moderate protein eating plan makes me feel better. Does it help the PN? Not sure, but I do have more energy, breathe more easily, and just feel healthier. Tricky balancing the fat stuff so that you are doing more mono-saturated fats and less saturated fats. Working on it! If you are interested in learning more about keto and my experience with it, feel free to leave a comment, and after vetting it, I will reply. Dr. William Cole's book, "Ketotarian" is one of the best.

That's it for now, except to say if you really adore food and cooking, follow your passion! I adore cooking for family and friends, feeling I am putting healthy, non-toxic food in their bodies, and lifting up their spirits with my care and delicious food. Also, trying to include my food-passion with sticking to the keto plan involves real challenges and organizing. But I am up for it!