Cooking In When You Can't Eat Out

I have always loved Chinese food. Well, let me clarify. I have always loved good Chinese food. I am not a fan of the heavily fried chicken coated in layers of overly-sweetened gloppy sauce. This doesn't mean I am a snob looking for a fancy restaurant. If anything, I prefer the hole-in-the-wall authentic type of place. So, before children, and even occasionally since, my husband and I would head down to Chinatown, spend a while looking for parking and then indulge in tremendous amounts of food, bringing home the extras in boxes to eat for a few days.

Having young children has made the venture more challenging for 2 main reasons: the drive is too long and, the more somber reality: Raphael's peanut allergy makes it virtually impossible for us to eat at Chinese (or Thai or Vietnamese) restaurants with him.

We feel incredibly lucky to have discovered 2 of our favorite restaurants in our backyard: Sichuan Gourmet and E.O. Noodle in Framingham. For the most part this means that my husband and I can indulge in lunch together while I am on maternity leave or we can take out, using paper plates and plastic utensils to prevent R. from having any contact with peanuts.

But the future is more complicated: I don't want to dangle delicious foods in front of my son while insisting that he can't eat them! So, I anticipate that if his allergy lasts, I will turn to cooking my own Chinese food on a more frequent basis, trying to adapt recipes to meet his needs (no peanuts), that of my husband (who doesn't eat pork or like spicy foods) and my own (I don't fry foods to save a few calories for dessert!)

The reality is that I not only enjoy cooking Chinese food, but I enjoy the pleasure of learning about China, Chinese history and Chinese cuisine. Three of my favorite books on Chinese food have all been by Fuschia Dunlop. She was one of the first non-Chinese to be allowed to train at a cooking institute in Sichuan and has spent significant time studying Chinese cooking. Her biography, Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper is fascinating in learning about the transformation of China in the 1990s and the complexity of Chinese cooking. However, her book on Sichuan cookery, Land of Plenty, is just fantastic. She teaches about China, Sichuan and Sichuanese cooking. She addresses topics from how to cut vegetables to how the Chinese appreciate the texture of ingredients. In addition, her recipes are wonderful. They do require a trip to the Super 88 or CMart, but once you have the ingredients on hand, they are easily doable. However, as they are authentic, they rely heavily on pork, frying and spicy peppers. Unfortunately, then, by the time I have adapted the recipes to meet all of our needs, they lose a significant amount of the essence of the recipe.

So, for most of my Chinese cooking, I have been turning instead to Nina Simonds. She has written a number of books on Chinese cooking, often with the goal of making it not only simple, but healthy. Her recipes are light on oil, most of the ingredients are easily attainable at any grocery store and while flavorful, they can be put together in a reasonable amount of time.

Recently I created an adaptation of Simonds' Tofu-Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce in her book China Express. The list of ingredients for the sauce may look long, but once you have them in the house, you will want to make this over and over. In addition, most of the ingredients (e.g. rice wine) are staples for good Chinese and Japanese cooking. Finally, I altered this so Raphael could still eat it by substituting sunflower butter for the peanut butter (which, for the record, is just delicious and is available at Trader Joe's).

Chinese Chicken Salad with Not-Spicy Not-Peanut Sauce

1 cooked Rotisserie chicken, cut into small pieces
1 thinly sliced cucumber
1 bag of thin noodles, cooked and chilled (spaghetti works well here)

Sesame-Sunflower or Peanut Butter Dressing

1 Tbs minced garlic
1/2 T minced ginger
1/4 cup sunflower butter (you could use peanut here)
2 Tbs sesame paste (I prefer Chinese, but you could also use tahini)
2 1/2 T soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
1 1/2 T rice wine
2 T Chinese black vinegar
1 1/2 T sugar
3 T water
And for those who like it spicy: Chinese spicy oil and/or ground sichuan peppers

Mix the ingredients together and serve over the noodles, chicken and cucumbers.

An Easy Summer Meal

Today, with a friend coming over in an hour, I was able to gather items from the farmer's market and make a fast meal. It is healthy, toddler friendly and definitely colorful.

First, a great recipe from a great website, Chocolate and Zucchini. This is a salad of grated beets and carrots mixed with oil and vinegar. However, as the author Colette points out, you can add fresh herbs and/or nuts. Since there isn't any mayonnaise you could keep this outdoors and take it to the beach or on a picnic. If her recipe seems at all complicated, just do what I did: peel and grate both fresh (raw!) beets and carrots (you could even just use one or the other) and add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to your liking.

I served it with a delicious fresh mozzarella that I bought from Fiore di Nonno at the Harvard Farmer's Market and bread from B and R Bakery.

For dessert, an incredibly simple fruit crumble from Ruth Reichl, editor-in-chief at Gourmet. FoodieDaddy and I first saw her make this on Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie on PBS. She uses a pie crust, but I eliminated to make it just a bit healthier. (I know, there is a stick of butter in here, but I can pretend!)

I had bought some inexpensive fresh apricots at the Super 88 and had a few leftover local blueberries. Although you could really use any fruit, the pleasure of apricots are many and you can find them at farmer's markets right now. You don't need to peel them and if you just cut them in half, the pit falls right out. I also think that the apricots clinched the dessert as their subtle fruit flavor and tartness prevented the dessert from being too sweet or rich.

You simply halve and pit 2 pounds of apricots (or your mix of fruits) and lay them down in a pan. I used a cast iron skillet. Then, melt 1 stick of unsalted butter in the microwave. Add 3/4 of a cup of sugar and 3/4 of a cup of flour. Mix. Crumble it over the apricots and sprinkle with cinnamon and/or nutmeg. Bake it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 50 minutes or until the top is brown.

Enjoy. It is just as good warm for dessert as it is for breakfast the next morning (if there are any leftovers!)

You Say "Potato", I Say "Plantano"!

Food is incredibly expensive these days and although I am not one of those mothers that is obsessive about buying organic, I do love for my children to be relatively healthy eaters. Ironically, although R. frequently refuses most foods, he absolutely adores most fruits and vegetables. He regularly asks for peas, "mamay" (edamame), stawbewwies and bwoobewies. So, the rising prices of produce (even at the fabulous Russos and Market Basket) makes me turn more frequently to frozen items and the less expensive veggies, such as potatoes and plantains. Molly of the fabulous Orangette offered a delicious and incredibly easy potato dish this week, but although the adults loved it, R. was less than persuaded.


I have had a bit more luck with him eating plantains. You have probably seen them and perhaps wondered why on earth the store is selling incredibly rotten bananas. But, no, they are actually ripe plantains. Incredibly cheap and absolutely delicious. They taste a bit like bananas that are a bit less sweet, but with a firm texture that is almost addictive. At 3 for $1.00, buy them. Now!

Then, take them home and let them get even darker. And darker until they are almost completely black.

Then heat up a skillet on medium heat. I love doing this in my cast iron, but you could use any, preferably non-stick, pan. Pour some vegetable oil on the skillet.

Slice the plantains up and simply saute them on both sides until they are a golden brown and caramelized. Eat them up, hoping that your toddler will also want to share. I highly recommend a sprinkle of salt as it both brings out the sweetness and the flavor.

You can also throw them whole on the grill.

Finally, an odd but recent discovery mentioned in a Cuban food memoir: if you happen to have leftovers just put them in the refrigerator. The next day, after eating a few cold, reheat them in a pan and then pour in some lightly scrambled eggs in and cook it until the eggs are as well done as you like. When it is done, you have a simple plantain omelet. Think of it as a lighter version of a crepe. One more easy meal.

Grilling with Toddlers

In the years before we had children, barbecuing was actually fun. I can't say that we did it frequently. And it was the gas grill rather than the charcoal variety. So, while some would scorn us as not true grillers, it worked for cooking up some salmon, chicken or eggplant.

I have yet to say that I have mastered the art of grilling with young children. On the surface it seems so simple. Go outside, turn on the grill. Go inside. When it is preheated, go outside again and put on the meat or veggies. Go inside. Go outside again and see if it is done.

But wait??? Where are the children during all this? That is the conundrum! Either they are inside which means tempting fate that my toddler won't accidentally smother our infant while giving him a hug or a toy (which can be anything from a rattle to a drumstick). Or, alternatively they stay outside which means covering my toddler with layers of sunscreen and a floppy hat while my infant bakes in his carseat.

So, instead we rely on my husband who while a good griller, doesn't always come home from work (actually just down the stairs as he works on our 3rd floor) until 6- a bit late in toddler world for dinner.

Recently, then, on one of those hot summer nights when it was just too steamy to consider cooking outdoors even without children, I rediscovered an old gadget. A number of years ago my grandmother got me and my mother "grill pans." Really, this is simply a non-stick pan with raised edges. The idea is that you can cook items on the stove and the ridges give it a grilled style.

I had just returned from a Trader Joe's trip and was armed with some frozen kalbi, new mango sausages (already cooked-a great convenience food), organic all beef hot dogs for R. and some tofu.

I threw some rice in the rice cooker, the tofu in a teriyaki sauce and then tossed the meat and then the tofu on the pan. I was, honestly, impressed. The tofu was seared, the sauce caramelized, the hot dog was juicy....and all done in an air conditioned kitchen.

Tofu Teriyaki

One block of firm or extra firm tofu
1/4 cup of rice wine
1/4 cup of soy sauce
2 T of sugar
minced ginger (optional)
sesame oil (optional)

Drain the tofu and wrap it in paper towels. Place a heavy object (a can or a heavy plate or skillet work well) on the tofu and let it drain for about 30 minutes. This will just take away some extra moisture. Slice the tofu in slices. My husband likes when I slice them about 1/4 inch thin so that they get crispy. Mix the remaining ingredients in a large dish and put the tofu in to marinate for about 30 minutes.

Lightly oil and preheat the grill pan on medium heat. Cook the tofu on both sides for about 5-10 minutes each until it is gets a bit dark and hot.

An Easy Snack For When Mommy Is Going Bananas

I do know that I am not the only person with a picky toddler. This foodie/mommy always assumed that my son would be requesting his pasta al dente by the time he was 2, but instead, he prefers yogurt and crackers, chicken nuggets and pizza. However, he is always willing to try foods. So he frequently requests everything from tofu to beets, dosas to sushi. In fact, he loves to go to the grocery store to get bananas.

And, thus, we have many bananas in the house. Now I will confess that I am one of those fussy banana people. It must be pure yellow, not a brown spot anywhere. And there is just so much banana bread that I can make. I have created and found a number of lite banana bread recipes, but sometimes I just can't muster making one more loaf that my husband and I will eat, adding to our non-dietary lives.

So one more banana goes in the freezer. And then recently, as an avalanche of bananas toppled over us when we reached for the ice cream, I decided it was time to ressurrect a childhood favorite: The Banana Shake.

As a kid I would throw a regular banana in a blender with whole milk and vanilla. In the heat of the summer, desperate for a way to rid myself of those frozen bananas, I am using those instead. I simply throw them in the freezer with their skins on and when I am hungry, I defrost them in the microwave for about 30 seconds per banana. I put the peeled banana in the blender with a more mommy friendly liquid (soy milk, rice milk or lowfat). I add whatever extra flavor I am craving: vanilla or nutmeg; frozen strawberries or cinnamon and blend away. It is easy, fast, and just delicious.

Other possibilities include adding frozen fruit such as strawberries or blueberries (I recommend briefly thawing them unless you have a very strong blender); pureed mangoes (available canned at most stores); or freezing them for popsicles for you and your toddler. My husband "foodiedaddy", loves to add yogurt (plain or vanilla) and lots of ice for a very cold treat.

A family that farms together...

I never truly appreciated living in the suburbs until I had my sons. Now, with about 8 different farms within 30 minutes of us and 4 within 10 minutes, I feel incredibly lucky to be able to share this world with them. I am not gardener. I do find the idea of planting and growing appealing. But realistically, the monotony of weeding and the likelihood that I will forget to water makes a vegetable garden out of reach for now.

However, visiting farms is a common experience for us. Twice in the last few weeks I have had the pleasure of picking strawberries with my two year old. Granted he tramples on many and picks some very pale white ones, but each time he presents me with a "good one, Mommy," I grin with excitement as he carefully puts it in his "bucket." As scenes from Blueberries for Sal linger in my head, I watch him happily trot down the paths, trying to get another "stwahbewwy" and patiently awaiting permission from me to eat it.

We have also been sharing the fun of a CSA. Essentially we and our good friends share a part of the Dover Farm. Each Tuesday my sons and I go to the farm stand and collect our share. Again, R. grins broadly as I hand him collard greens, radishes, baby turnips and lettuce which he gently lowers them into our bag. At dinner each night I offer him our selection, hoping that his involvement will make vegetables that much more appealing.

Finally, this week was the start of our weekly trips to the Natick Farmer's Market (or the "market farm" as he calls it.) This week was more focused on flowers so we walked away with a few more organic beets and peas, but R. enjoyed each minute.

So 2 simple recipes, inspired by these trips:

Roasted Beets

Simply wrap whole beets in a double layer of aluminum foil. Bake at 425 for 1-2 hours for large beets and about 45 minutes for baby beets. Take out and let sit for about 10 minutes. When you open the packets, you can easily peel the skin away with a fork. Carefully cut up the beets (they will stain everything in site a gorgeous ruby color) and season with salt. You can add olive oil and/or vinegar. Eat warm or cold.



Rachel Ray's Asian Slaw Salad

Chop up carrots and savoy cabbage. Saute briefly in canola or vegetable oil with peapods or peas on high heat. Mix a few tablespoons of honey with rice wine vinegar. When the vegetables are just cooked, add the honey/vinegar mixture and let it coat for 1-2 minutes. You can also add chopped pickled ginger. This is also delicious warm or cold.

3 Easy Recipes for Really Hot Nights

The weather has been oppressive recently and I have had no urge to turn on the oven. When my mother decided to come over for dinner, I was a bit stumped. Luckily she shared a friend's new recipe for a delicious, quick and easy salad. Combined with some adaptations from The Seventh Daughter by Cecilia Chang, we had a meal that required no cooking. Better yet, R. loved the "mahmay and peas."

Wanda's Salad
Can of Black Beans
1 Can of Hearts of Palm
Frozen Edamame
Frozen Peas
Frozen Corn
Sesame Oil
Rice Vinegar

You can either use the black bean can to measure equal amounts of the other vegetables, or just do as I did and add them as you desire. Defrost the frozen veggies in a strainer or a microwave. Mix in a bowl with the black beans and chopped palm hearts. Add a few slugs of sesame oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. I recommend putting this in the refrigerator until you are ready, but take it out about 15 minutes before you serve it to take the chill out of the dish.

Shanghai Asparagus
1 1/2 T soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
2 T sesame seeds
1 1/4 pounds asparagus

Mix the soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar. Blanch the asparagus. Pour over the sauce. Put in the frig til you are ready to devour them. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

Sesame Chicken Salad
2 T Sesame seed paste (Chinese or tahini)
3 T soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
1 T black Chinese vinegar
1 tsp minced ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp. sugar
cooked roast chicken
greens

Mix the first 7 ingredients. Add salt and pepper (or spicy pepper like I do!). Break up the chicken and serve on the greens with the sauce on the side.

An Ode to A Rice Cooker

Since I was a child, food has been one of the loves of my life. My grandmother tells endearing stories of me eating chilled shrimp as a toddler, while I fondly remember creating pancakes without a recipe in her kitchen a few years later. My Easy-Bake Oven was my favorite toy and my idea of fun was cooking for my parents. By my teenage years, my ideal gift was a dinner out and I dreamed of owning my own inn or restaurant. Once the realities of that lifestyle hit, I decided that cooking and eating would remain (for now) a hobby of sorts, though I made sure to find a partner that would indulge as well. And, like any other mom-to-be, I had visions of life with my children. And for me those included using food as a way for my children to experience the world. I imagined us traveling and eating in hole-in-the-wall restaurants, creating pad thai and sushi rolls and jab chae and baking at home.

So, one of the ultimate curve balls that have come my way as a mother has been having 2 children with food allergies. My older son was first diagnosed with allergies to dairy, wheat, eggs and nuts. More in the future.

But when I made the decision to nurse my second child, I knew that I may need to alter my diet slightly: minimal spicy food, caffeine, cabbage. All manageable. Well, one colicky baby later, I have adjusted my diet so that I don't eat soy, dairy or wheat as long as I continue to nurse him.

The reality is that when I first set out to experiment I was at a loss to envision life without cookies, pasta, cereal, toast, steamed buns, tofu, ice cream, cheese, and good butter. Yet, watching my son slowly stop crying, no longer grasping up his little legs nor hollering in pain and seeing him become an angelic little peaceful boy made it worth it.

But it doesn't mean that it hasn't been challenging, especially when I had set out to enjoy food on this time off. The dairy has had its own level of complexity: reading each label not only for the obvious (milk) but for casein-the biggest culprit for gassy babies. I will confess that I have occasionally forgotten (big mistake: Thai iced tea; little mistake: bite of scone). As for the soy, I only eliminated soy milk and tofu, choosing to use soy sauce and soy oils. The wheat-that still remain the hardest as at times I find myself craving, just CRAVING a big cinnamon bun or Chinese noodles or banh mi from Pho Viet in the Super 88 Food Court.

What has saved me? The obvious, of course: that my son is so much happier, more comfortable and content. But on a practical note, there were 3 other things. First: At least I love to cook. Thus, I can adapt recipes so that noodles are now rice noodles, rice milk replaces dairy, oatmeal is my new breakfast treat and I can cook chicken in multiple forms. Ironically, my restaurant crawls have also been helpful as I have rediscovered the world of Asian and Latino restaurants. As both are dependent on rice, rice noodles, corn and beans, they have provided me with many meals. And I have found myself enjoying foods that I never would have otherwise eaten: sweet arepas (without cheese), bowls of Vietnamese bun, gorditas with chicken and sweet rice dumplings for dessert. Finally, I have a new appreciation of rice in all its forms. I have now willingly (and happily) drink rice milk (really not bad!) and eat rice paper, rice noodles, rice crackers, rice chips.

But what I eat most of all is, in fact, rice. I splurged and spent all of $35.00 at Target on an Aroma rice cooker, and another $20.00 on the Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook. Together, my family and I have been well fed, trying Spanish, sushi, Basmati, Thai Purple and Jasmine rice. Every rice dish that I have made in the rice cooker has come out perfectly and I continue to be amazed at the range of tastes and textures that rice provides. In fact, the Thai sticky rice was a revelation: simultaneously sticky, soft and with a subtle tooth that comes from steaming the rice after soaking it overnight. The one dish that hasn't been a true hit, Cuban rice and beans, was the one that I dared to make in my dutch oven. Next time: I am converting it to a rice cooker!

And, most ironically, when I have strayed and eaten a roll, a cookie or noodles, I find myself feeling quite full, as if my body, too, has embraced this new diet. So, can I envision this for my life? Absolutely not. But is it fine for now. And, for my son-it is absolutely worth it!

Today's recipe is one of my staples. Fabulous for when you have leftover rice, it is really a template in that you can adjust this in so many ways.

Incredibly Easy Not-Really Fried Rice

A few cups of cooked, cooled rice (any type will work; leftovers are great here)
About 1 cup of frozen vegetables (peas or edamame I especially good)
About 1 cup diced protein (optional, but I like tofu or leftover cooked chicken)
1-2 eggs, scrambled lightly in a separate dish
2 T Soy Sauce
sesame oil
2 T minced ginger and/or scallions (yup, optional)
hot oil or hot sauce (I love the Korean kind-but again this is optional)


Oil a skillet or wok and heat it on medium high heat. Add the rice until it is warmed through. Add the frozen veggies and protein and again mix until it is hot. Move this to the side of the pan and pour the scrambled eggs in. Let them set for 2 minutes and then mix into the rice. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil to taste, the optional seasonings and try it. Add more soy sauce or sesame oil or hot sauce.