Your Earth Day Challenge

 Today is Earth Day , a day to reflect on our impact on the environment. Instead of thinking, let's do. What can we do in our kitchens to help combat climate change? Let's try to reduce our culinary carbon footprint by large and small actions.

One of the easiest and most delicious ways is reducing your meat intake.Think Beyond Burgers instead of the real beef and turkey ones. Anyone can easily adapt to a meatless diet thanks to such companies as Beyond Burgers, Gardein and Morningstar Farms. Gardein has made the most inroads in the faux meat industry. Try their Chik'n and Rice or Italian Wedding soups. They taste exactly like Campbells and Progresso brands. Their turkey is the best , even beating out the bird itself for flavor. what about reducing our egg and dairy intake? Both industries are off shoots of the meat industry. You're still contributing to hurting the planet by having them. Try Just Egg, which is made from mung beans for your yolk fix. You can make great scrambles and omelets from it along with using it in baking. Almond milk is a great sub in for dairy and there are also other nut and oak milks too. as for the kitchen, reuse leftovers. This has been a common kitchen practice for centuries, yet some have gotten away from it. Use and reuse. For really stale foodstuffs,t hink about giving it to your local wildlife or start a compost heap.

Consider yourself a green  home chef already if you have an air fryer. It may produce more energy than a toaster oven but it's still more energy efficient. This is due to them cooking food faster and no preheating.An air fryer is also fifty per cent less energy consuming than an electric oven and thirty-five more efficient than a gas one. Using your air fryer will also lower your utility bill by a few dollars.You'll also create tastier food too thanks to the air fryer producing crispier foods.As much as people complain about microwaves these do save up to eighty per cent of energy. Try to use it to cook sides and reheat leftovers. It also doesn't heat up a kitchen like a stove does so it does help you cut back on air conditioning.Of course some leftovers and frozen foods do call for the oven. Frozen pizza tastes better if its' been baked in a hot oven as does garlic bread. To save energy while cooking think sheet pan meals. This allows you to cook the main course and sides all together on one pan.

You can easily make your kitchen and eating habits greener. It's easy and delicious. It's just being thoughtful with your choices for ingredients  and how to cook them.

Home Cooking From Afghanistan

 Afghanistan has had an interesting history and cuisine. Is' Silk Road influences are still tasted today in most Asian dishes. Yet its' their own recipes and restaurants that provide comfort to displaced Afghanis looking for a remnant of home in the US.

Regular contributor Brett Anderson wrote about this and the wealth of Afghani restaurants in the DC area in yesterday's New York Times Food section. There has always been struggles in this crux of the Silk Road from Alexander The Great's reign over it to the recent Taliban takeover. That means diasporas. Many have relocated to Maryland, Washington DC and Virginia in modern times. The region is home to one of the largest populations of resettled Afghanis in the US. Many turned to cooking to survive and created thriving businesses for themselves and their children. They are now taking care of the new wave of fellow countrymen who left the country after the Taliban's August takeover. One by one the restaurants took it upon themselves to feed them along with raising money and finding jobs for them. Chef and restauranteur Hamidullah Noori drew strength from these actions. These people have overcome their fears and left one of the worst regimes in recent history.

Afghanistan was on the Silk Road route and traders bought its' variety of spices. Its abundance was in the warm spices of cumin, cardamon, cinnamon and turmeric as recorded in the great cookbook Parwana. It was written by Durkhanai Ayubi  whose family runs a restaurant in Adelaide Australia where they relocated in the late eighties. Cooking was a way for her mother, Farida to stay connected to her heritage. The one s in the DC area feel the same way. They offer such dishes as sabzi, a spinach and dill stew that also has onions and garlic in it and aushak - dumplings redolent with leeks and scallions. There is also Kabuli pulaw a spiced lamb pilaf made with basmati rice and such Silk Road spices as saffron, cumin , cardamon and turmeric. Other restaurants like The Hellmand in Baltimore, one of the older afrghani eateries serves diners dopiazza - a lamb curry The owner, Qayum Karzi is brother of the former president Hamid Karrzi, he started off as a waiter in the 1970's and took it one step further by opening up a place with his American wife Pam.

Afghani food is a way of giving comfort and showing hope to recently arrived refugees. It gives them promise that they too can create a life in America while keeping their heritage. The ancient recipes connect them.

An Indigenous Sweet Treat

 After all the gooey cakes and chocolates this week, it's nice to find a dessert a bit more natural. This is in the form of grape dumplings , an Indigenous American treat that several East coast and Midwestern tribes make. It may be a centuries old recipe but it still packs a punch.

Kevin Noble Maillard, author of Fry Bread :A Native American Family Story  and a member of the Seminole tribe wrote about this classic indigenous dessert in today's New York Times Food section. They were originally balls of corn mush boiled in the juice of wild grapes. They represent the evolution of Indigenous foodways, along with forced relocation, cultural exchanges and developments in the food system. Modern chefs and cooks are showing a renewed interest in all things Native American along with eating locally grown foods.Earlier tribesmen saw bounties of all sorts of native fruits and veggies according to Cherokee citizen Elise McMullen-Ciotti an NYU graduate student majoring in food studies. The country held an massive amount of grapes. The original recipe calls for a native one called the possum grape. These were smaller than the European ones and had a tangy flavor. They are small and seedy , growing in wild abundance throughout southeastern US. Nowadays, modern Indigenous chefs use either Welch's Concord grape juice or grapes from their local grocery store.

Mr Maillard borrows his mother, Sharmaine's recipe for this recipe. You could use flour or Bisquick but the truest taste belongs to the ones made with cornmeal. They use blue cornmeal but if you can't find that use a medium grind yellow one. Flour is also added  along with one egg for binding  and melted butter. To sweeten it and give it that rich purple color add in a quarter cup Concord grape juice. (Keep in mind that grape juice does settle so you have to shake it before using.) There is also the addition of sweet agave but it can be omitted. The dumplings are made like any other dumpling, sift all the dry ingredients and then make a well in the middle for the liquid ones. Once mixed then roll the dough out into a rectangle after vigorous kneading.It's then cut into rectangles using a knife or pizza cutter.  prick each piece three times with a fork rinesThe sauce is a mix of cornstarch dissolved in cold water and four cups of well shaken grape juice . You also need to add two cups of dark seedless grapes and agave syrup if you want. bring to a roiling boil and carefully add the dumplings to the juice. They should cook for ten minutes. For the juice to turned into a syrup cook it for an additional five minutes on a low-medium heat. Serve with vanilla ice cream and fresh tarragon leaves. You also have them on their own too.

Grape dumplings are a refreshing way to enjoy dessert and honor the Indigenous People. They are a nice way to enjoy natural ingredients without all that sugar .  Make them for a simple but flavorful dessert.

Spring Light

 One of the best aspects of Spring is that there will be a wealth of green ingredients. It makes for not only fresher eating but also healthier eating too.All those newly sprouted veggies hold the promise of more nutrition along with flavor.

Asparagus is big right now. It's a sure sign of Spring and warmer days ahead.It also makes for a great light eating. One spear is only three calories!!!! One way to have them is grilled after being marinated in olive oil and dusted with sea salt and fresnly ground pepper. A more decadent way is Piedmontese style. It's serving steamed asparagus with  a butter sauce and having the spears topped with grated Parmesan and sliced hard boiled eggs. A healthier spin is using Melt instead of butter and vegan cheese. Nix the eggs.Peas are another Spring veggie thar's light in taste and calories One cup  is only one hundred eighteen calories. A tasty recipe is the Italian risi bisi. This is a delicious marriage of the peas and arborio rice. Chopped onions are also cooked in , first in  olive oil with the rice and then vegetable broth. It's a refreshing change up from the usual tomato risotto. Of course mushrooms are abundant during this season too. You can easily make a risotto with cremini and portobellos. On warmer days, grill them on the barbecue for a flavorful alternative to beef or turkey burgers.

Spinach is also a Spring veggie. This is one of the best green ingredients you could have. It's great for eyes, and skin along with helping in weight loss and reduces hypertension.It is also the most versatile too.  You can easily turn it into a tasty and chic salad. Think of combining it with salmon and hard boiled eggs in a low calorie but protein packed salad. An herb laced vinaigrette is the best dressing for this. Of course there's nothing like a crispy spinach frittata, a take on the classic spinach omelet. Add sliced cherry tomatoes and vegan Parmesan for a tasty and quick lunch.Mix the greens with another Spring classic - mushrooms for a pasta sauce that's different and unique. Saute sliced baby bellas in olive oil and garlic and then add washed and dried baby spinach leaves. Cook until leaves turn dark green and wilt and serve with any kind of pasta. It 's wonderful with angel hair or spaghetti but you could also mix it in with rotelli or penne. Celery and carrots are also Spring veggies that come in the latter part of the season. These are great gracing salads but think of them in light vegetable soups.

It's Spring. It's a time for fresh and lighter eating. Use the bounty of spring for this greener, healthier way of cooking.

All Those Easter Leftovers

 The day after Easter means ones thing -- leftovers. what do you do with all that ham, lambs and sides? What about that extra candy and sweets? Get creative ? THere's a ton of new recipes you can try with all that food.

Ham can be turned into tasty hot Croque Monsiurs or a cold, refreshing salad. For the French classic, you can cut the ham extra thick for a heartier sandwich.It would also go well in a grilled cheese too.As for a ham salad, prepare it like you would  a tuna salad. Add mayo along with chopped celery and onions. For added flavor serve on Hawaiian rolls. Their sweetness will offset the ham's saltiness. You can also turn it into a main meal by combining it with rotelli or elbow macaroni. Add peas, chopped carrots and broccoli florets to round it out. As for the dressing you can stick with just mayonnaise or create an Italian dressing to pour over it. What to do with that leftover lamb? Shepherd's pie is a nice way of repurposing it. You can even use those leftover mashed potatoes as the crust. Fill it with chopped carrots and onions along with celery and thyme. A lamb curry is also a great recipe for what's left of that roast leg. It's a great time to experiment that garam masala and curry powder. Serve with warmed naan and yogurt for a different spin on dinner.

You probably also have all that leftover candy too. it may sound strange but you can add chopped jelly beans to a cookie recipe. You could also incorporate them into a fudge if you like a super sweet bite. What about those other super sweet Easter treats - Peeps. A really neat idea is Peeps popcorn balls. This is melting down those chicks and adding plain salted popcorn. To make them even more fun, put  a lollipop stick in them and have a new kind of treat. What about Peeps s'mores? Use that leftover chocolate along with the Peeps on a skewer(think rotisserie Peeps, heated to gooiness over a stove top. Serve on either plain or chocolate Graham crackers. You could also heat just the bottoms and place on cupcakes for a different kind of topping. if those bunnies and eggs  haven't been completely devoured, break them into little bits and serve over anything and everything. They're fun mixed in with hot oatmeal or cold cereal. A layer of them is an extra kick in an ice cream parfait or sundae.

Those holiday leftovers can be repurposed into new and exciting meals and desserts. it's a fun way to reuse them and enjoy them a second time.  Try them  to still celebrate the holiday in a new way.

Little Lamb

  It is hard not to thin k of William Wordsworth's famed poem "The Lamb"with it being Easter Saturday, and baking lambcakes. It's a beautiful poem, that tells a little lamb how it was created and its' Creator was also called a lamb for His meekness and mildness.

Today I finished baking the second lamb, a chocolate one.

Yesterday I baked the vanilla one for friends. Today was frosting. The vanilla one got the traditional vanilla one. The chocolate got the strawberry made with fresh pulverized berries.

It is labor intensive with cutting the berries and then finely mashing them in my chopper. Three tablespoons were added to the frosting mix of confectioner's sugar. Melt plant butter and Crisco vegetable shortening. I added a small amount of vanilla for flavor .The recipe, which originally from Wilton called for a quarter cup of milk . I cut that back to a scant one eighth sinces the berries' juices act as the liquid. The color was a gorgeous shade of pastel pink.

It was tasty too. All in all it was a busy two days, filled with baking measuring, whipping and blending.

Little lamb who made thee? Wordsworth  line echoed today as did the meaning of Easter. The cake and his sweet, amazing poem serves as a reminder of the importance of the Easter story and Jesus's example of kindness and love.

Good Friday Prayers

 it is Good Friday , the holiest day of the Christian calendar. All of our prayers should go to those suffering around the world and especially in the Ukraine and those displaced elsewhere. 

Hope and pray that they can enjoy their Palm Sunday and Easter without fear and with a good meal. The same goes for those observing Passover. 

Some of us have already begun our Easter baking yet our prayers are not only for a well turned out cake but for everyone to enjoy a holiday full of sweets and Spring hopefulness.