Tatters

Stove-top Sharla, and oven-Mike. Did you know that sauteeing and stirring your food gives an invigorating effect to the food, and thus the person, where as long, patient cooking in the oven gives a patient quiet quality to the food, and thus person? Perhaps Sharla's cooking is a source for her upbeat energy, and Mike's oven dishes are a source of his... what, am I just going to flatter myself in a blog because I cook in the oven? Whatever, yes, it is a source of my good looks and robust figure. Just kidding... it just makes me really really smart.

I LOVE potatoes, perhaps because this was the staple food growing up for me, and for my parents too, coming from a German background (might be pronounced 'Cherman' at my grandma's house, and washed down with a bratwurst and pint of beer) anyways, I do potatoes, that is my thing. Especially in the colder weather because of the warmth they bring to the body when out of the oven, yet they are one of the best yin-builders known to the Asian (the West still deems this food as unnecessary because of the high starch content, which is ridiculous, just stop eating sugar and crap, and you'll realize potatoes are so nourishing and a far better 'sweet' than any granola bar or any other sweet garbage on the grocery shelf). Yin-building = immune boosting and hormone supporting by the way. Did you know two German lads survived during the war for THREE years on just potatoes alone? JUST potatoes, no health concerns. Or was it three guys for two years? Whatever, that's a long time for just potatoes. I digress...

If cooked for a long period of time, potatoes require almost no seasoning - the time will bring them to life. I cooked these with onion and cumin I believe, and then slipped into the oven for an hour at 350F. Grease is not necessary, just use water.

Home-made Veggie Pate!

As a treat, I occasionally like to get veggie pate from the natural food store and eat in on a sandwich or as a side to something fun, but I'd really like to be able to make it on my own so I can make it as a treat, instead of buy it, even though I like to support folks who make this kind of stuff and make it available in stores - because it is a nice treat!

So it's my first batch, and far from perfection, but this is what I did:

Blend the following in a food processor:

• 1-1/2 cups soaked buckwheat (from 3/4 cup dry)
• 1 cup oat flakes
• 1 cup diced eggplant
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds, ground
• 1/2 cup whole spelt flour, or other
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/3 cup each diced potato, onion, carrot
• 1 Tbsp vinegar
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• Some salt

Oil a casserole dish, and put the blended paste into the dish. .. and I just realize that I didn't write down how long I cooked it for!! But I'm willing to bet it was at 350F for at least 45 minutes.. you could try that - but watch for the browness at the top, that might be an indication of how done it is.

As a side note, I actually bought some veggie pate from the store to compare mine to the "real" thing, and after having one bite of it before making it, I walked away to answer the phone or something, and when I came back, the dog had eaten the WHOLE thing with not a crumb left over. Yes folks.. it's just that good... mine was also very good... but maybe a little drier (I don't like using a lot of oil in my cooking, and I didn't get it so perfectly pureed as I could have.. but it was AWESOME.)

Awesomest Lunch Ever!

Wow. No recipe for this guy - so simple, which is almost the best recipe for whole foods cooking - simple.

Pictured clockwise from bottom to top:

Cooked grains

Gently sauteed veggies

Miso sauce (miso, tahini, shoyu, apple cider vinegar, honey, cumin, etc)

Roasted potato fingers with sesame oil, salt and pepper

Poached egg (we're really into eggs lately... they make our Kidneys happy)

Potato and Carrot Gratin

This was too easy and a little too comforting as well. Comfort food to the bone!

Slice potatoes and root veggies (in this case onion and carrot, but Jerusalem artichoke works too) and put them in a mixing bowl. Using a mandoline makes slicing these guys easy, but you can use a knife too - just be careful!

Preheat the oven to 350F. Combine the veggies with olive oil, garlic, rosemary and salt and pepper. Lay this mixture in a casserole dish (as shown). Then pour the soup stock over the mixture and bake for 1 hour or soft. 

Take the dish out of the oven and cover it with cheese. Bring the oven up to 400F and bake for 10 minutes more!

We ate it with brown rice.. yum yum!

Easy to follow recipe:

Slice 'em up:

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Some potatoes

Some onions

Some carrots or other roots

Some garlic

Mix in:

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3 Tbsp olive oil, or more

2 tsp. rosemary (less if it's dried)

salt & pepper

Pour over:

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1-1/4 cup soup stock or white wine (you might need more)

Add when cooked to finish:

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1/2 cup grated cheese.. like parmesan or something bold and pungent!

Herbs to dress it up later? I'll leave that up to you!! Garnish as you wish!

How Do You Like Your Potatoes?... Crrrrisp!

Why would you eat potato chips when you can just eat these instead?

Finely slice your potatoes using your articulate knife skills, or using a mandolin (not the instrument, but the kitchen gadget) and lay the slices out on an oiled pan (use olive or sesame as it holds up better to heat) and coat the slices with oil as well. Sprinkle ample savoury seasonings onto the slices, such as oregano, thyme, sage, black pepper, and use a little sea salt too. 

Slide 'em into the oven at 350F and cook them until your desired crispiness! Don't cook them too long otherwise the oil with burn and turn bitter and bad for you!

Tip: Try cutting the thickness of the potatoes uniformly so that they cook evenly, otherwise some will burn, and some will be undercooked!

The Whole Root n' Capoodle

Feeling lazy? Do this: wash some roots, toss em in a dish, rub em down with oil, sprinkle them with herbs and spices, and bake them until soft, I'd say 350F for an hour. If pieces are larger then others, cut them so they are similarly sized, otherwise just put them in whole, unpeeled and unchopped.

They reheat nicely too - just keep cooking them and they just keep getting softer!!

You might have to add a little water to the bottom of the pan if they get beyond dry.

Oven baked french fries!

Potatoes are the best food ever. Cut into pieces, rub 'em down with some unrefined monounsaturated oils, sprinkle with spices, or not... and a little salt, or not, bake them on a baking sheet at 350F for 45-60 minutes until they are your desired softness/crispiness and devour! Make a yogurt based dip/sauce for them, because ketchup is terrible for you and not food at all... especially the no-name stuff - it's just liquid sugar. There it is!! Make them tonight and think of the Whole Foodies!! (PS. leave the skins on, unless they're green, then peel 'em)

Anna's Layered Veggie-Rice Bake

Layer in a casserole:

1. Sliced carrots

2. Tomato sauce

3. Thinly sliced potatoes

4. White sauce consisting of sauteed leeks, with butter, whole flour, milk and seasonings

5. Cooked Brown rice mixed with tomato sauce and pepper and sea salt

Bake for 45-60 minutes at 375.  It was heavenly! Hearty, gooey and centering.