A Temporary Arrivederci and Your Top 5 Favorite Vegetables

Sweet readers!It’s me, Kris. Hi!This Sunday, I’m marrying this guy I like, hurricane permitting. And for a few weeks after that, we’re gonna drive around Italy, searching for duomos and large plates of spaghetti. (And wine. Always wine.)During that time, and Leigh (of Veggie Might fame) will be running CHG. The schedule will stay the same. There’ll just be a slightly different voice behind it – namely, a vegetarian one with cute hair and much better cooking skills. I really enjoy keeping this blog, and will miss our discussions while I'm away. In the meantime, hope y’all have wonderful Septembers, and I'll speak to you soon! P.S. Oh, yeah! The results of last week’s Ask the Internet are as follows:36 votes: Tomatoes26 votes: Onions19 votes: Leafy greens (Kale, lettuce, collards, etc.)17 votes:...

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Posted in: Ask the Internet

Green Kitchen: Fresh Garbanzo Beans and the Excitement of New Vegetables

Green Kitchen is a bi-weekly column about nutritious, inexpensive, and ethical food and cooking. It's penned by the lovely Jaime Green.Don't get me wrong – a good chunk of my love for the greenmarket is love of, and belief in the goodness of, local eating. I like meeting my farmers, I like minimizing my food's road trips, I like the dirt on my kale that comes from nearby. (Okay, I did not love the cocooned caterpillar that came along with that local kale and its local dirt this weekend, but that's my own problems with squeamishness. In theory, I loved that caterpillar.)But I also fell in love with the farmers market because, during our early courtship, everything was so new. Kale, collard greens, kohlrabi, lambsquarter, Brussels sprouts still...

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Posted in: Desserts and Snacks,Vegan,Vegetarian

Ask the Internet: Top 5 Fruits?

Sweet readers! The results of last week’s Top 5 Vegetables inquiry are coming a little later today. (Hint: Celery does much worse than expected.) In the meantime, we had a few requests for this follow-up question, which could be even tougher to answer.Q: What are your top five favorite fruits, and why?A: Mine, in order:Cherries. I fear death as a concept in general, but mostly because I wouldn’t get to eat cherries anymore.Pluots. I don’t particularly like apricots, but this plum/apricot hybrid is a genetic anomaly I can get behind.Plums. There's nothing more satisfying than digging into a cold, juicy plum on a hot summer’s day. William Carlos Williams was right on.Bananas. Portable, cheap, and packed with potassium, they're the reliable utility outfielders of the fruit world.Lemons: You can’t...

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Posted in: Ask the Internet

Peanut Butter and Jelly Oatmeal: Quick and Tasty Nostalgia

Today on Serious Eats: Pork Roast en Cocotte with Apples and Shallots – an infallible America’s Test Kitchen recipe that tastes as good as it sounds. I apologize for being horrifically negligent with posting lately. But, woof. Thangz iz crazy here at CHG central. Husband-Elect’s bachelor party was this weekend. Friends and family are already starting to trickle into Brooklyn. And oh, the wedding is Sunday. Mommy?Anyway, I’ve been keeping Peanut Butter and Jelly Oatmeal in my back pocket (um, the recipe, not the food itself) for just such an occasion. It’s the world’s easiest breakfast, and will fill you up clear through the next morning. Not to mention: tasty. There’s the nostalgia thing, too. Like everybody, I’m sure, peanut butter and jelly...

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Posted in: 15 Minutes or Less,Breakfast,Vegetarian

Veggie Might: Oooh, Shiny--Sweet and Spicy Jicama Slaw

Written by the fabulous Leigh, Veggie Might is a weekly Thursday column about all things Vegetarian.You may have guessed by now, longtime CHG-VM readers, that I am most inspired unfamiliar ingredients. I get distracted by anything the least bit unexpected at the market. I’m like the Homer Simpson of home ec. Oooh, shiny.So on recent trips to the farmer’s market and neighborhood grocery, despite list/menu plan in hand, I’ve come home with game changers. That’s the joy of the farmer’s market - you never know exactly what you’ll find. Callaloo was a perfect example. Then it was papalo, a Mexican herb.A few weeks ago, there was a new stand at the market, staffed by a Mexican woman selling the usual carrots, celery, and potatoes, but also poblano...

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Posted in: Sides,Vegan,Vegetarian,Veggie Might

Ask the Internet: Top 5 Vegetables?

Sweet readers, this one was born of a backyard barbecue conversation. It got unexpectedly (and excitedly) in-depth, and it could help to determine future content of the blog (especially recipes).Q: What are your top five favorite vegetables, and why?A: Seems like an easy question, right? But my list took awhile. Eventually I came up with:Sweet potatoes. The candy of the earth.Red bell peppers. So versatile, so delicious.Tomatoes. In any form, any time.Swiss Chard/Kale. Who knew leafy greens could be so tasty?Onions. Is there food that exists without them?Eggplant would have been #6. I don't care for radishes (which is why you almost never see them here), and cauliflower has to be pretty heavily doctored for me to dig in.And with that, I throw it to you. I wonder what will win? We can even...

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Posted in: Ask the Internet

Tomatoes with Balsamic Dressing: A Recipe of Timelessness

Wow, you guys. It’s crunch time. There are less than two weeks to go before our nuptials, and Husband-Elect and I are up to our eyeballs in place cards, strappy shoes (him not me) and various tulle-embellished paraphernalia. The cat must be wondering when he wandered off the streets and on to the set of My Big Fat Swedish Wedding.If you're unfamiliar with the process, planning a large wedding is slightly less logistically complicated than the Rebel Alliance’s attack on the Death Star. But only slightly. We’re attempting to maintain so many piles of Stuff and spreadsheets and word documents (in Gill Sans, The Official Font of Soon-to-be-Married People), any thought of cooking has perished along with the idea of a comfortable, but supportive...

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Posted in: 15 Minutes or Less,Sides,Vegan,Vegetarian

Saturday Throwback: The Problem With Diet Foods

Let’s get this out of the way up front: I eat diet products. I drink Diet Coke, dig low-fat granola bars, and am not ashamed to love No Pudge brownies as if they were my own mother. Moreover, I challenge anyone who insists that their yogurt tastes better than Weight Watchers’ Amaretto Cheesecake brand to an all-out dairy war. (Note: I will win.)Like most people who’re even slightly concerned about the magnitude of their bum, diet products are a part of my everyday life. I buy them regularly because they let me think that I care about what I eat, without actually having to care about what I eat. And in a world of 770-calorie Strawberry Frappuccinos and Deep-fried Cheesecake, doesn’t that borderline awareness count for something?As it turns out,...

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Top Ten Links of the Week: 8/13/10 - 8/19/10

As promised!1) Money Saving Mom: How do You Feed Hungry Teenagers Without Breaking Your Budget?I have never seen a human being eat so much in a single day – or sitting – than my brother did at age 15. Moms, I salute you, and I salute your suggestions in this extensive comment thread. Now, who’s up for half a pizza?2) Village Voice: The 10 Easy Diet Rules of the Sietsema Weight Loss SystemNumber six is a little strange, but this common sense approach to dropping a few pounds from the Voice’s food critic is worth a gander. 3) Lifehacker: Master the Art of Low-Effort CookingBehold! It’s all your rice cooker, microwave, and hot pot questions, answered! If I had read this in college (heck, if the internet existed like this in college), I would have eaten far fewer chicken fingers. 4) Jezebel: The...

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Posted in: Links

Thank You!

Hi sweet readers,Links are coming shortly, but I wanted to thank everyone who wrote in to Monday's kitteh-heavy Ask the Internet. Your suggestions have been invaluable, and in the last four days or so, we:Started feeding Tim Riggins like a nine-pound cat instead of a 35-pound dog. This has already made a Hummer-sized dent in our scooping responsibilities.Are gradually switching him from Target brand litter to Feline Pine. I swear, I could taste the clay dust on my tongue last week, so this has been huge.Combed the pet store, reading ingredient lists on cat food bags. We settled on a small bag of Nutro adult, and will see how he adjusts. (Though, I think we'll be okay. This cat eats anything vaguely food-shaped.)Gave him a wine cork, milk container seal, and a paper towel tube to play with....

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Veggie Might: Traveling While Vegetarian

Penned by the effervescent Leigh, Veggie Might is a weekly Thursday column about the wide world of Vegetarianism.Hello from Canada! Bonjour du Canada! My good pal KC and I are wringing out the last bit of the summer travel season with a road trip along the Bay of Fundy to Prince Edward Island. Almost as much fun as being here (whales! porpoises! seals!), was plotting our course and picking fun things to do with her 6-year-old daughter (whales! porpoises! seals!). My additional task was ensuring there were places for me to eat along the way, here in the land of abundant seafood/fruits de mer. Vegetarian/vegan travel can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be. In my 19 years of vegetarianism, I’ve never gone hungry from lack of choices. There...

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Posted in: Buying Food,Veggie Might

Try This: Salted Watermelon

For their wedding favors, my friends H and I gave each one of their guests a small jar of pink, white, or black high-end salt. Husband-Elect chose the latter, which we weren’t exactly sure how to use at first.Then, a few weeks ago, I bought a 13-pound watermelon. I gutted it, cubed the whole thing, and on a whim, sprinkled a cup with a little bit of the salt. And? It is CRACK. Juicy, salty, sweet, powerful, cheap, healthy crack. Here’s a picture:See? Crack. Go t...

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Posted in: 15 Minutes or Less,Desserts and Snacks,Vegan,Vegetarian

Green Kitchen: Gingered Carrot Soup with Lime and Cilantro

Green Kitchen is a bi-weekly column about nutritious, inexpensive, and ethical food and cooking. It's penned by the lovely Jaime Green.One thing I love about eating in season is the way it pushes me towards inspiration. Sometimes it's a beautiful bunch of red kale at a farmer's stand, or stalks of fresh Brussels sprouts in the fall. Or sometimes it's a giant bunch of carrots I bought a week and a half ago and totally forgot about.Nature's bounty and my flightiness would've gotten us nowhere, though – nowhere past weeks and weeks of carrot stick snacks – without a little technological intervention in the form of my brand new immersion blender. Holy goodness, has there ever been a more glorious kitchen invention? Fill a cup with milk and...

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Posted in: Green Kitchen,Soups and Stocks,Vegetarian

Ask the Internet: Feeding a Pet on a Budget?

Note #1: Hello, visitors from Lifehacker! Welcome to Cheap Healthy Good. If you’re new to the site, this post might be a solid way to start. (Or, y’know, just keep reading.) Hope you like the place.Note #2: Today on Serious Eats: Raw Tomatillo Salsa, a.k.a. The Easiest Recipe in the World.Sweet readers, I have to apologize in advance for what might be a spotty couple of weeks. The wedding is approaching at lightning speed, work has picked up, and to top it off, we adopted Tim Riggins four days ago. No, not this Tim Riggins.This Tim Riggins. Last week, Tim was the friendliest young stray cat Husband-Elect and I had ever met. This week, after searching for any sign of local ownership and coming up with zilch, he is our pet. We’ve already...

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Posted in: Ask the Internet

Saturday Throwback: Save Money on Seasonings - MYOM (Make Your Own Mix)

Every Saturday, we post a piece from the CHG archives. This one is from February 2008.The more I learn about saving cash on food, the madder I get with myself when I knowingly waste money. While this holds true for every aspect of grocery shopping, it’s double the fury when it comes to McCormick-style seasoning packets. Why? Well, almost any pre-packaged spice mix, rub, or powder can be made at home for a fraction of the price. Oftentimes, it’ll taste better, too.Case in point: I’ve been running out of chili powder for almost a month now. It occurred to me several times to buy some, but always in places like the Q Train or the bathroom at Barnes and Noble. Finally, last Wednesday, I couldn’t wait any longer. My Turkey Chili with Beans needed...

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Top Ten Links of the Week: 8/6/10 – 8/12/10

It's a thought-provoking roundup today, sweet readers. Grab some coffee and start pondering.1) Wall Street Journal: Changes in Flushing Set Off Food FightMy family hails from this area of Queens, so I find this story of Asian supermarkets edging out traditional grocers just fascinating. If you sell food, do you cater to the residents who have been there for decades, or the exponentially increasing population of new residents, who have entirely different diets? Will old-school folks accept eel as part of their everyday cuisine? Will recent immigrants develop a love of Entenmann’s crumbcake? How does the shifting ethnic makeup of the U.S. play out in produce?2) HuffPo: The Dark Side of Vitamin WaterThis piece has been making the rounds lately,...

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Posted in: Links

Veggie Might: Lunch Buddies—Share Costs and Get Healthy Together

Written by the fabulous Leigh, Veggie Might is a weekly Thursday column about all things Vegetarian.Freelance work is light this month, and I’m finding myself with more time to spend in the kitchen. My good pal JBF, however, is busier than ever. As are most worker bees these days, she is doing the jobs of several, keeping late hours, and coming home exhausted. She manages to cook healthy dinners, but making lunch to take to work is a challenge. She finds herself eating on the run, spending insane amounts of money for midtown Manhattan lunches, and making less than healthy choices that sabotage the good work she is doing in other areas.Since my unceremonious kick to the curb (from the job where I was doing the work of several), I’ve been working...

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Posted in: Buying Food,Organization,Veggie Might

Nutritionism, Your Health, and Your Money

You’ve heard of it. Maybe in a magazine. Maybe in a Michael Pollan or Marion Nestle talk. Maybe on a recent newscast about the lawsuit leveled at Coca-Cola over VitaminWater. But what is Nutritionism? Why does it get a bad rap? Who is affected by it? What does it cost us? How does it affect our health?There are many answers to these questions, and we'll try to address them as best we can here. As always, if you have more to say or I get something wrong, the comment section is wide open.WHAT is Nutritionism?According to food guru/Omnivore’s Dilemma author Michael Pollan, who picked up the term from scientist Gyorgy Scrinis, Nutritionism is, “the widely shared but unexamined assumption that the key to understanding food is indeed the nutrient.”...

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Posted in: Buying Food,Health