On Life As A Picky Foodie

Hello Peeps --

I simply can't believe it's March already.  It's madness, I tell you.  

First of all, I'd like to congratulate Liz, the winner of our giveaway!  Liz, please send me your email address via The Picky Foodie Contact sheet and we can take it from there.  I do hope you enjoy Parents Need to Eat Too -- let me know.

Secondly...  hmm... OK... well...

I have something to tell you...

There’s this thing, you see...

I make it thick and dip caramelized sweet potato wedges in it.

I thin it out with lemon juice or water and it dresses my salads well enough to conquer New York by night.

Or I grab my spoon and snack on it straight out of the jar.

The thing with this thing is that I can never make enough.  It seems I am constantly whipping up a batch only to make another because, well, this stuff goes fast around here. 

In case you’re wondering, the family doesn’t eat this quite like I do.  It’s just me, alone, with a spoon and this stuff, or a knife to spread it nice and thick, or a big big bowl of beautiful greens, ready to get gussied up.  Or a sprouted corn tortilla, a sheet of nori, a celery stick. 

Tahini is its nutty, wonderful self.

Miso adds a touch of earthiness.

And apple – cider and vinegar – make it sweet and tangy.

Then we wrap it all up with a nice green cilantro bow for a little left-field depth.

And Bob’s your uncle (or Eric in my case, and I think he’ll like it too)

This isn’t your average little concoction.  It’s rich as an eighties Wall Street Banker, and comforting like when you come home from a long winter hike and someone’s gotten the fire going in anticipation of your return.  It might seem a little strange at first, as if the tastes don’t quite know what to do with one another, but I dare you to stop after a few tastes.  My friend tried it, and while she declared, “this is weird,” she did so while helping herself for the third or fourth time.

Spread it, pour it, drink it.  It’s healthy enough to indulge in and decadent enough to enjoy regardless of how normally eat.

Then comment below, tell me what you think.  And please, be honest.  I’d love to know. 

Tahini Miso Spread

Ingredients:

½ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped (or ¼ cup dried – leaves, not seeds or powder)

1/3 + ¼ cup tahini (I know, weird, but it works)

½ cup apple cider

2 T miso

1 T apple cider vinegar

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1 T water

Directions:

Start by combining 1/3 cup tahini with the apple cider, the vinegar, the lemon juice and the water.  Stir it all together with a fork until the mixture is creamy and smooth.  Then add the miso and the additional tahini and repeat.  You can thin it out until the desired texture is obtained.

Apologies for the change in post.  DWs guest blog will be up next week. 

This week, the kitchen felt more like a blank page when I have writer’s block than a place to come up with loveliness.

Usually, I cook to feel better, to distract myself, to be productive and have some play time.  Cooking is often my only creative outlet.  Best of all, I get to eat my “artwork” in the end.  Once in a while, however, the kitchen is the last place I want to be.  In those rare times, figuring out what to make is a real challenge. 

A lovely man passed away this week.  I didn’t know him all that well and yet I’ve known him all my life.  I have been lucky enough not just to know my grandparents really well, I was also raised around their friends.  This bunch of people have known one another since the nineteen forties.  They have lived through each others’ marriages, the births of their children, wars, farewells and reunions, illnesses, deaths, and everything in between. 

It is a real gift to know people of such a different generation as well as I do, and I feel my life has been immensely enriched because of it. 

A lovely man passed away this week.  He was a part of that generation and a great friend to my grandparents.  Chances are, you didn’t know him but this man had a way of making others feel special.  He remembered everyone’s birthdays.  He welcomed me every time I arrived in Israel.  He called my grandmother on Friday’s to wish her a Shabbat Shalom and every year on the day my grandfather died to say he was thinking of her.

On his death bed, he said “I never knew I was so important.”  Thankfully, people got the time to tell him he was.  Not that it makes his death any easier. 

Nine years ago, my grandfather died.  He went in an instant. Though he didn’t suffer, there were no warnings or goodbyes.  This man, on the other hand, went through universes of pain in the last month of his life.  But he got to say goodbye.  And those who loved him were able to tell him how they felt.

There is no “best” way to die, but there is a “best” way to live.  And this week, with my heart hurting, that is what I am thinking about.  So no, I don’t really feel like cooking.  Instead I want to go for long walks with my daughter and my husband, finish my novel, call the people I love, follow the sunshine.

Existential thoughts aside, however, dinner still has to be put on the table. 

If you read this blog then you know that one of the favourites around here is hummus.  Beans, however, haven’t been going over all that well lately.  In addition, I’m trying to create meals that can be adapted for everyone’s tummy – from the omnivorous Pappa’s, to the novice baby’s. 

I decided to adapt Matt Amsden’s recipe from his book Rawvolution.  The first time I made it, it disappeared like magic and was immediately requested again.  So I made it a second time.

For our supper, I used it as a thick dressing on top of a roasted vegetables and greens.  When guests came for lunch, I served it with crudités and raw crackers.  For my daughter, I mashed it with baked squash.

And the best part?  No soaking, no cooking, no farting. Just measure, chop, blend and serve.

Zuchini Hummus

(adapted from Rawvolution, by Matt Amsden)

-  2 zucchini, chopped roughly (the original recipe calls for peeling them.  I don’t.  It gives the hummus a light green hue, which be a consideration if you are dealing with colour-sensitive eaters) 
-  ¾ cup tahini (I use the unhulled kind due to its nutritional benefits)
-  ½ cup fresh lemon juice
-  ¼ cup olive oil
-  1 teaspoon sea salt
-  1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
-  ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped and a little extra for garnish (optional – see zucchini comment)

Start by blending the zucchini with the lemon juice and olive oil.  Add the rest of the ingredients and blend well.  The result is a lighter than traditional hummus, both in taste as well as in texture.

Note: the original recipe calls for 4 peeled cloves of fresh garlic.  I don’t add any garlic at all, but many people love it in their hummus.  4 cloves is a lot, however.