Carbohydrate is not a dirty word.
This week I'm eating pretzels, donuts, ice cream, and bread with vegetables, meat and beans in between. Plus recipes for Chickpea Fritters and Salted Peanut Butter Chocolate Squares.
Looking back on this week, the throughway has by and large been Carbs, which I love and fully endorse eating everyday at every meal. Fad diets that don’t work are the only construct that may have you believing otherwise. Your brain and muscle’s preferred source of energy is glucose, which is widely available in our food making carbohydrate restriction a difficult and un-intuitive eating practice that can lead to weight cycling and disordered eating. Allow me to count a few ways I’ve been enjoying my Carbs lately.
My partner and I had a little car date, where we shared an Auntie Anne’s pretzel with cheese dip in the mall parking lot. (Love in the Time of Corona). It’s been almost 20 years since I was behind that same counter twisting pretzels in my first job, but their recipe hasn’t changed and the classic salted pretzel did not disappoint.
Some of us visited the local apple orchard, which just reopened for the season. And though it’s still very much summer we munched on cinnamon sugar, cider donuts while my niece and nephew pet the goats and donkeys, but NOT the llamas since they’ve been spit at before.
We also made ice cream in a bag with the kids this week. I remember doing the Ice-Cream-in-a-Bag Experiment in 7th grade science class, and finding it both fascinating and delicious. Now in my thirties, the results remain the same. Half and half, sugar, and vanilla get sealed into a small ziploc bag, and that bag gets sealed into a larger bag full of ice and salt, which all gets shaken and shaken and shaken until the half and half mixture thickens to the consistency of soft serve.
Everyone had fun DIY-ing their own vanilla ice cream, even though the littles ended up drinking theirs through straws. (The shaking part definitely takes adult strength and focus.) We replaced half and half with almond milk in one bag and it was the first to thicken into ice cream. I’m not sure if that should be attributed to the milk or the person doing the shaking. I can attest to soy milk working for this activity too, which makes me think any dairy-free milk will work. It can all be bit messy with salt water inevitably dripping all over, so if you can, I recommend taking a few spoons (and straws!) outside to enjoy the fruits of your labor.
What I’m Cooking
My nephew and I have started compiling a list of things to make together that ranges from deviled eggs and meatloaf, to cinnamon raisin bread and popsicles. We’ve already checked a few things off, but much like his excitement, the list keeps growing. Highlights in my kitchen this week included
Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread, by far the most successful loaf I’ve made yet. It’s amazing how a few small adjustments can result in major improvements. I read several different recipes and cobbled together my own method for incorporating add ins. I’m now on the path towards more experimental loaves. I am immensely proud of this iteration, and unabashedly sharing the photos to flex (and perhaps inspire).
Salted Peanut Butter Chocolate Squares (recipe below)
Mediterranean Inspired Chickpea Fritters (recipe below)
Greek Inspired Grilled Chicken Kabobs (recipe coming next week, it has lots of lemon and oregano)
Grilled Barbecue Veggie Kabobs
Recipe: Mediterranean Inspired Chickpea Fritters
Makes about 12 Fritters
Ingredients
14 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 large egg
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
zest from 1 lemon
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon white miso paste
1 tablespoon dry oregano
1 teaspoon dry dill
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dry parsley
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Directions
Combine all ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times. Scrape down the sides and pulse once or twice more. The mixture should be very course. If needed transfer to a bowl and stir everything together so it’s well incorporated and won’t become too smooth from the blades of the food processor.
Lightly oil and warm a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Using wet hands, shape the dough into small patties about 1/2” thick and 2” in diameter. You should be able to get approximately 12 fritters.
Arrange the fritters in a single layer in the preheated pan and cook each side until it’s a dark golden brown, approximately 5-7 minutes. The second side will take less time.
Serve immediately with hummus, tzatziki or your favorite dipping sauce.
Recipe: Salted Peanut Butter Chocolate Squares
Makes one 8x8 pan, about 20 small squares
This recipe is flexible and forgiving. I eyeballed the ingredients and the measurements below are approximations.
Ingredients
1 cup chocolate chips (1/2 bag)
1 cup smooth peanut butter
3/4 cup almond flour
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
flakey sea salt for sprinkling
Directions
Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper.
Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler or in the microwave.
In a large bowl, combine all of the remaining ingredients except for the flaky sea salt. Stir until smooth and malleable.
Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
Pour the melted chocolate over the peanut butter mixture and use a spoon or silicone spatula to spread it out evenly. Sprinkle with the flakey sea salt and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the chocolate to set.
Cut into bite sized pieces and store in the refrigerator.
Food News
After 10 weeks of writing this newsletter, I’ve decided to cut the Food News section so I can focus on what I originally set out to do—share recipes, cooking tips, and insights on eating. If you’ll miss these updates here a few resources I recommend to stay in the loop.
This Needs Hot Sauce a weekly newsletter based in New York City, by Abigail Koffler about cooking, dining out, and making the most of it. I have a monthly paid subscription ($5/month).
From the Desk of Alicia Kennedy a weekly newsletter about American food and its constellation of concerns, from politics and labor and hospitality and sourcing and everything else. There’s also a very lively discussion thread on Wednesdays for paid subscribers on whatever topic was covered Monday, and on Fridays, paid subscribers receive interviews with people in food. I paid for the annual subscription ($30/year), which has proven to be an incredible bargain.
Vittles A weekly food newsletter based in the UK covering a wide range of subjects including eating disorders, culinary diasporas, community, and cooking.
Civil Eats for national news on the intersections of food policy, farming, health, and the environment.
Eater for all things food—media, cooking, restaurants, labor issues, new trends, new recipes—all of it.
Food Dive for corporate food industry news bites.
You can also follow my Food News List on Twitter for more resources in one place.
Thank You!
Thanks for spending some time with me on the internet! If you try any of the recipes please share what you think in the comments or reply to this email, and tag me on Instagram! Let me know what you loved (or didn’t!) and how you made it your own. If you like this newsletter, please share it with a friend!
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