LIKE: Stuffed Peppers with Black Beans and Corn

Oh! Sweet readers, I know it’s enormously self-indulgent to list your LIKES on what’s ostensibly a food blog, but then again, it’s kind of enormously self-indulgent to keep a blog in the first place. And I am nothing if not enormously self-indulgent (also: a lapsed Catholic). So … um … here are some LIKES.LIKE: Tom Waits’ first album, Closing Time. Holy schmoly. The Husband-Elect and I have been listening to this non-stop for the past week. It’s gorgeous and sad, and Waits’ voice doesn’t yet sound like he swallowed a handful of gin-soaked gravel. Due warning: while lovely, don’t play Closing Time when you’re sad/unemployed/nursing a breakup. It’d be like taking downers after your favorite team loses the Super Bowl. (But seriously, it’s tremendous.)LIKE:...

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Posted in: Mains,Sides,Vegetarian

Curried Brown Rice with Tomatoes and Peas. Plus, the Worst Date Ever!

About four years ago, long before the Husband-Elect and I started sucking face, I went on a series of interweb dates. Overall, it was a good experience. Sure, a few nights out were painful, but most of the guys were relatively harmless - nothing to see a psychiatrist over. (P.S. If a dude answers the question, “What was the biggest lie you ever told?” with “I do,” … run, don’t walk.)However, there was an exception.During that heady year, I went on the worst date in recorded human history. I'm not kidding. I tell people about it, and they're all, "You win." The story's a long one, so I'll try to condense it a bit.I: eat breakfast with guy; watch as he has grand mal seizure; call ambulance; watch as he refuses ambulance; discover he can’t move...

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Posted in: Mains,Sides,Vegan,Vegetarian

Veggie Might: Esquites (Divinely Roasted Corn)

Penned by the effervescent Leigh, Veggie Might is a weekly Thursday column about the wide world of Vegetarianism.It’s been a highly politicized year for corn: High-fructose corn syrup wars have been raging, and Food, Inc reminded us that American farmers mostly produce corn that feeds livestock and the agri-industrial complex.But let’s forget all about politics for today. It’s summer; the sun is shining; and, if you can stand the humidity, it’s high time to talk about corn that people eat.Corn is a nearly perfect food. It’s sweet; it’s savory; and it can be cooked a million ways. I’m always on the lookout for a new way to use corn, and New York magazine’s In Season recipe from a couple weeks ago left me all atwitter.I’d never heard of esquites,...

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Posted in: Sides,Vegetarian,Veggie Might

Reader Request: Defining “Healthy”

Every Monday, I pen a cooking column over at Serious Eats called Healthy and Delicious. Usually, those meals are produce focused and naturally low-calorie, meaning there’s little hubbub over nutritional value.Here at CHG, we follow pretty much the same model. It says so right in the FAQ: “Nutrition-wise, we concentrate mainly on recipes with lower calories and fat, and often find those dishes naturally contain more fiber, vitamins, and minerals than most others.” (Yay FAQ!)Occasionally, however, I’ll post a Quick and Easy Apple Tart or a Light Macaroni and Cheese, and the health aspect comes under scrutiny. Sometimes, it’s from readers, and other times, it’s me doing the questioning. Because honestly, these aren’t recipes that’ll strengthen...

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Posted in: Health

Tuesday Megalinks

Amateur Gourmet: Dinner at El Bulli, the Greatest Restaurant in the World30 courses, none of which I’ve ever seen in my life, all presented in awesome comic book form. So neat. (Thanks to Serious Eats for the link.)The American: The Omnivore’s Delusion - Against the Agri-intellectualsAn American farmer fires back against Food Inc., Michael Pollan, and pretty much everybody else who’s like, “the food system is messed up, yo.” It’s nice to get an opposing point of view. (Thanks to Casual Kitchen for the link.)CNN: Muppet DiplomacyNothing to do with food, everything to do with Kermit. Why drop bombs when you can send in Fozzy the Bear?Consumerist: Bring Out Your Pig, The Mobile Slaughterhouse Is Here!Ingenious … or insanity? Either way, there’s...

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Posted in: Links

Tyler Florence’s Mojo Marinade (for Chicken, Carne Asada, etc.)

Hi everybody! I’m back, and catching up to everything I missed while I was away. Prodigious thanks to both Stan and Leigh, who covered during my absence.While things are a little hectic right now, they should be up to speed soon. In the meantime, I give you Tyler Florence’s Mojo, a lively, tasty Tex-Mex-style marinade for chicken breast and flank steak. Alas, since it’s nearly impossible to account for how much oil the meat will retain, there are no nutritional calculations (though the price math is still listed).If you’re hankering for a solid side dish, check out Avocado and Corn Salsa over at Serious Eats. I posted on it today, and can absolutely vouch for its over-the-moonness.Until tomorrow...Mojo MarinadeMakes about 1 1/4 cupsAdapted...

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Posted in: Dips and Sauces,Mains,Meat and Fish

Veggie Might: Peach, Tomato, and Basil Salad, a.k.a. Salad Redeemed

Written by the fabulous Leigh, Veggie Might is a weekly Thursday column about all things Vegetarian.Like most people, I hate to waste food for fiduciary and children-starving-in-Africa-and-right-here-at-home-reasons. So when I improvise in the kitchen, I stick to a few basic tropes:garlic + greens + beans ginger + vegetable + grain lemon + vegetable + pastaThey all = awesome, and the mixing and matching make me feel like there is variety in my diet.Recently, I picked up some fresh fava beans from the farmers' market. They were a special treat because they were A) expensive and ii) I'd never had them before. Once home, I browsed my cookbooks for guidance. I didn't trust myself to go it alone.Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian had...

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Posted in: Desserts and Snacks,Sides,Vegan,Vegetarian,Veggie Might

GUEST POST: Observations from a Novice Cook

Kris is on vacation. Today's post comes from Stan Laikowski, who sometimes writes or says funny things. He has a brand new blog here: www.bedstan.vox.com. He is always a husband and dad.My young self had big plans for my adult self. I had always seen myself as growing into a jack-of-all-trades, without the “master of none” part. With little effort, and even less time commitment, I was to be a phenomenal drummer, clutch jump shooter, and cutting edge film director. Skate boarder. Novelist. Jet setter. The list goes on. The dusty Tama Swingstar drum set that I finally threw out a few years ago tells a different story, as does the pile of notebooks I have accumulated, each holding dozens of half-finished story sketches. To be fair, I have met...

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Posted in: Cooking

Pasta with Zucchini and Chickpeas. Also ... Squirrel!

Oh, you guys, I love this dish. For real, Pasta with Zucchini and Chickpeas is one of the best, simplest dinners I’ve made in a long time. The zucchini gives it snap, the chickpeas give it heft and fiber, and the pasta … well, pasta is pasta. It’s manna from heaven.The recipe originally comes from Real Simple, and the only change I made was to reduce the olive oil by a tablespoon. The rest was pretty healthy on its own, and under $1 per serving. Plus, it’s excellent for lunch the next day. Just take care to evenly distribute the chickpeas when you’re serving the dish, or the last recipient will get 75% of those suckers. (I learned this the hard way.)Sadly - and here’s the catch - the picture I took is butt-terrible. Moreso than usual, even....

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Posted in: Mains,Pasta,Vegetarian

Veggie Might: Smokin’ Summer Stir Fry

Penned by the effervescent Leigh, Veggie Might is a weekly Thursday column about the wide world of Vegetarianism.I love stir fry. It’s so fast and easy. And you can make it with whatever you have in your kitchen. I especially love green beans in stir fry. So I’ve been having a fantastic summer.When I make stir fry, I usually just throw in a little onion and garlic, a hunk of ginger, a dollop of chili paste, and a few dashes of soy sauce and call it a day. But when faced with the most recent and stunning bounty from the farmers’ market, I wanted something special to fire it up.For the past year, I’ve been addicted to this fantastic smoky miso bizness over at the gorgeous and innovative blog, Vegan Yum Yum. Now, I’ve been eating this on tofu...

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Posted in: Mains,Vegan,Vegetarian

Save Money on Food: Buy it Whole Rather Than Pre-cut, Pre-Cleaned, or Pre-Whatever

When it comes to saving cash on food, hard and fast rules are few and far between. Yes, we should bring our lunches to work. Yes, we should buy from ethnic grocers whenever possible. Yes, we should stick to the handful of ideas mentioned in Spend Less, Eat Healthier: The Five Most Important Things You Can Do (now with flavor crystals!). But beyond that, it’s kind of subjective to a person or family’s needs.Oh, wait! Except for this: buy whole foods.And by that, I don’t mean, “Avoid food that is bad for you.” I mean, “When you purchase a pineapple, get the whole thing. Don’t buy chunks.”See, generally speaking, the more food is manhandled, the more it will cost. Carrot sticks cost more than whole carrots. Grated cheese is pricier than a block...

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Posted in: Buying Food,Frugality

Tuesday Megalinks

This week, it’s the debt-fat relationship, Joy Fit Club transformations (including a lady who’s dropped over 400 pounds), and polar-opposite profiles of Aunt Sandy and Omnivore’s Dilemma spokesfarmer Joel Salatin. I wonder what those two would talk about with over a beer?Casual Kitchen: A Question of Food QualityDan asks a simple question with a difficult answer: was food better way back when than it is today? I say … I’m not sure. I doubt I would have tried Gorgonzola cheese in 1936, but on the other hand a tomato tasted like a tomato. Readers, what say you?Casual Kitchen: What Percent of Your Budget do You Spend on Food?Most commenters seem to hover around 10%, with much of that going towards restaurant meals. It’s slightly higher in the...

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Posted in: Links

Cheap Lobster, Expensive Bacon, Pork Tacos, Multiple Hot Dogs, and a Dozen Summer Squash Cakes: a Weekend in Eating

Between last Sunday and Thursday evenings, the Husband-Elect and I ate no meat. None. Not an errant piece of chicken or a single drop of beef broth. Animals remained unsquished by our grinding mandibles, and we didn’t even realize it until Thursday night, when we tucked into Pork Belly Tacos and a plate of Carne Asada for a friend’s birthday party.(Incidentally, if you’re ever feeling down about life, go to Paladar on Manhattan’s Lower East Side and order a mojito and a pork belly taco with pineapple. Everything will start looking like a Frank Capra movie.)In the four days since, I’ve scarfed enough beef, seafood, and pork to put all of Chicago into a coma. Some of it came from the aforementioned restaurant. More came from a lovely barbecue...

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Posted in: Sides,Vegetarian

J-Lo, Ray-Ray, and Chickpea Salad

The first full year of my career, I spent approximately 95% of my time researching Jennifer Lopez. I am not kidding. While other people were curing cancer, I was studying the star of Gigli. By age 22, I knew EVERYTHING about J-Lo, from her idol (Rita Moreno) to her high school (Holy Family) to the pronunciation of her first husband’s name (“Oh-HAN-ee NOH-ah”). In a roundabout way, the woman practically paid my rent.In that time, I gained a tremendous respect for her. (Again, not kidding.) Whatever you think of Lopez’s movies, clothing line, perfumes, albums, dance shows, or proliferation of Diddy-esque romantic involvements, know this: that woman works her magnificent booty off. She’s been busting her hump since she was a kid, and occasionally,...

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Posted in: Sides,Vegan,Vegetarian

Veggie Might: Chilled Summer Squash Soup/Manifest Soup

Written by the fabulous Leigh, Veggie Might is a regular Thursday feature about all things Vegetarian.Summer squash is not a vegetable that excites me. My experience with winter squash is much more established and deliciously experimental. However, when faced with zucchini, I draw a blank.Perhaps my lack of enthusiasm comes from the perpetuation of the uninspired vegetable plate in New York City restaurants. A vegetarian entrée staple, the grilled or roasted vegetable plate (or sandwich or salad) usually consists of five or six slabs of overcooked zucchini and yellow squash, undercooked eggplant, soggy red pepper, and if you’re lucky, a mushroom. Drizzle with olive oil, serve on a bed of wilted lettuce, charge $12.00, and you have something...

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Posted in: Soups and Stocks,Vegan,Vegetarian,Veggie Might

The FDA and USDA, Explained to the Best of My Ability: A Semi-Coherent Guide to the Government Agencies Regulating Food

They control almost everything we eat, yet we do not know who they are. They essentially make agricultural policy, yet we don’t know if they like vegetables. They oversee every aspect of food safety, yet we don’t know where their office is, or if they work out of a Starbucks.They are your parents the FDA and the USDA.I see these agencies mentioned all the time, in almost every newspaper and online article regarding the regulation of chow. Together, they influence food health, prices, and safety more than any other organizations on Earth. But I’ve always been hazy on what the FDA and USDA actually do, and what separates the two.So, I did a little research, and discovered some surprising things. For example: the FDA oversees makeup but not tap...

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Posted in: Health