Over the course of many years, and all the delicious meals I've created, even I have to admit to a kitchen-full of not-so-brilliant choices I made that ended up in little disasters (like the time I cooked my first turkey and spent an hour trying to find the cavity and hidden giblets...turns out I had bought a breast of turkey).
These mistakes, however hilarious now they seem to be (and it's not because I'm blond, okay?), are exactly what has led me to some of my most fantastic meals. Example: you might want to book your next Thanksgiving dinner at my house because my turkeys are now mouthwatering masterpieces.
My latest meal masterpiece, which we enjoyed the other night, was the result of an immense error, and lack of judgment (okay, maybe it was a blond thing), that happened a few years ago. My kids will certainly never let me forget it every time I now make it, but I'll take the heat since it is so worth it: Tortilla Soup.
It's not completely my fault, since the recipe neglected to point out this very important step of concocting Tortilla Soup. You see, after I put all the ingredients into the pot and brought it to a boil, the recipe informed me I was to now place the soup into the blender to puree it to a nice consistency (that sounded logical).
Do I sense some of you already chuckling at what is about to happen?
So I got out my nice big blender and poured the soup into it. Then I made sure the lid was on snug and tight...and pushed puree.
Once the kids stopped screaming and I found the Off button, it was too late. And what are the chances that I was also wearing a white sweater?
As it turns out (and as the recipe neglected to tell me), you can't put hot liquid into a blender because it will then explode like an atom bomb from the pressure. My kids moved into emergency mode and grabbed paper towels to try and remove the red kitchen massacre, while I picked hot chunks of tomatoes out of my hair.
I'll tell you what, though, even if it took longer to clean up than it actually took to make the soup (I had to start over since all the ingredients from the first pot were now decorating my kitchen cabinets), it was so worth it. Now it's one of my family's favorites and I find new ways of serving it all the time (adding fresh cilantro, avocado, fresh-baked corn tortilla strips), even at the expense of having to listen to my kids say each and every time: "Remember when the soup blew up, Mama?"
If you're looking for a little adventure in tonight's meal, recipes for Tortilla Soup abound in most cookbooks and all over the Internet. But just in case you get a defective recipe like I did, which leaves out key steps to the process, learn from my errors and cool down your masterpiece before attempting to blend!
And if you have a hilarious food story you'd like to share, I would love to hear it!
Here's wishing you a kitchen-full of laughter, experience, and great food.
Suzanna Quintana, Holistic Health Coach & Certified Foodie
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
Healthy Meatloaf? Depends on the Cow.
I have yet to meet a white man in this country who doesn't love meatloaf (it's not a popular Latin dish, as you might have guessed). And I have yet to meet a man or woman (Gringo or Gringa) who doesn't have a "meatloaf" story from childhood. It's a fact: we love our meatloaf, and we don't care how unhealthy it is, or fattening (everyone knows how bad red meat is for us, right?), cuz it's so damn good, especially when paired with a chunk of homemade mashed potatoes and gravy!
The thing of it is, I cooked up my own loaf of meat last night and not only was it tasty as can be, but it had its health benefits as well (say what?).
My secret? It's all in the cow.
Is beef bad for your heart? Your health? Absolutely...if you're buying it from a grocery store, or getting your burgers from fast food joints, or digging into a T-Bone at most restaurants. Here's why:
Scenario A: calf is born, raised on pasture, shipped to feedlot, fattened up with corn and "byproducts" of corn (you don't even want to know what that includes) as it spends a few weeks standing in its manure and receiving injections of antibiotics before being sent down the line to slaughter.
Scenario B: calf is born, raised on pasture, kept on pasture, no corn, no antibiotics, and not one hoof ever stepping into a feedlot.
The results of these two vastly different ways of producing the meat you put in your meatloaf? A feedlot cow, aside from passing on its hormones and antibiotics to you, is just the red meat your doctor warned you not to eat.
But a grass-fed cow? Totally different story: Especially if the meat is very lean, it can have one-third less fat than a grain-fed cow. More good news? Because meat from grass-fed cows is lower in fat, it is also lower in calories (who'd a thunk it?). Meat from grass-fed animals also has two to four times more omega-3 fatty acids (the good fats...yes there are such a thing), which means it may reduce your risk of cancer. Cool.
But all this makes sense when you think about it, right? We are what we eat, and if we're eating sick and unhealthy cows...you get the picture.
Is organic meat more expensive than regular? You betcha. So here's a double health bonus that I've put to use in my own life: I eat organic meat, but I eat less of it. Besides, I'm a firm believer in the fact that we pay now or pay later. There ain't no gettin' around that fact, as is evident by our exploding obesity crisis and our near-bankrupt health care system (or rather, "sick care" system).
So back to that meatloaf: start enjoying it again (along with all your other favorite meat dishes) and reap the health benefits by using organic grass-fed beef. And if you need a little push in that direction (ooh boy you asked for it!), then watch the movie "Fast Food Nation" to see what's really going on in those slaughterhouses...if you're too squirmish for that, then read the book, that way you'll get the same info without the visuals.
And good luck in your search for a happier cow!
Suzanna Quintana, Holistic Health Coach & Certified Foodie
For more info on how to achieve your best health, become a fan of "The Health Chick" today!
The thing of it is, I cooked up my own loaf of meat last night and not only was it tasty as can be, but it had its health benefits as well (say what?).
My secret? It's all in the cow.
Is beef bad for your heart? Your health? Absolutely...if you're buying it from a grocery store, or getting your burgers from fast food joints, or digging into a T-Bone at most restaurants. Here's why:
Scenario A: calf is born, raised on pasture, shipped to feedlot, fattened up with corn and "byproducts" of corn (you don't even want to know what that includes) as it spends a few weeks standing in its manure and receiving injections of antibiotics before being sent down the line to slaughter.
Scenario B: calf is born, raised on pasture, kept on pasture, no corn, no antibiotics, and not one hoof ever stepping into a feedlot.
The results of these two vastly different ways of producing the meat you put in your meatloaf? A feedlot cow, aside from passing on its hormones and antibiotics to you, is just the red meat your doctor warned you not to eat.
But a grass-fed cow? Totally different story: Especially if the meat is very lean, it can have one-third less fat than a grain-fed cow. More good news? Because meat from grass-fed cows is lower in fat, it is also lower in calories (who'd a thunk it?). Meat from grass-fed animals also has two to four times more omega-3 fatty acids (the good fats...yes there are such a thing), which means it may reduce your risk of cancer. Cool.
But all this makes sense when you think about it, right? We are what we eat, and if we're eating sick and unhealthy cows...you get the picture.
Is organic meat more expensive than regular? You betcha. So here's a double health bonus that I've put to use in my own life: I eat organic meat, but I eat less of it. Besides, I'm a firm believer in the fact that we pay now or pay later. There ain't no gettin' around that fact, as is evident by our exploding obesity crisis and our near-bankrupt health care system (or rather, "sick care" system).
So back to that meatloaf: start enjoying it again (along with all your other favorite meat dishes) and reap the health benefits by using organic grass-fed beef. And if you need a little push in that direction (ooh boy you asked for it!), then watch the movie "Fast Food Nation" to see what's really going on in those slaughterhouses...if you're too squirmish for that, then read the book, that way you'll get the same info without the visuals.
And good luck in your search for a happier cow!
Suzanna Quintana, Holistic Health Coach & Certified Foodie
For more info on how to achieve your best health, become a fan of "The Health Chick" today!
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