November 2009

Thankful For – The 2009 Edition

November 26, 2009

I think it is a pretty safe bet that most of us have food on our mind on this special holiday, but if you are like me, you are equally focused on some of the things you are thankful for. I don’t think there is any question that I have A LOT to be grateful for. We are talking a ridiculous amount. From food, to travel, to once in a lifetime experiences, I’ve been blessed with it all.

So here goes my list for 2009. Of course there is plenty more, but you likely have some eating and napping to get to!

The opportunity to live outside my home country. It is impossible to explain the value of this experience in only a few sentences. I’ve changed and grown in ways I never new possible.

Food blogs! I have discovered so many foods and so many people through food blogs. It is truly unbelievable.

Seeing a new part of the world. This goes for both Brazil and Southeast Asia. I never get tired of discovering what this world has to offer – food, people, culture, etc.

The ability to exercise. This one always ranks high on my list. One of my favorite quotes is: Exercising can actually be a form of prayer, a thanksgiving for the privilege of having a body and for simply being alive. – Regina Ryan and John Travis

A new career path. I love writing and blogging. It brings me joy and excitement that I’m not sure I truly felt in my previous work. I enjoyed that time in my life too, but working from home and being on my own schedule suites me so well and I feel I reach so many more people.

Another favorite quote of mine: It is never too late to be what you might have been. – George Eliot

A husband who supports me and wants me to pursue this path (or any path I choose) even if it means I’m a bit of a starving artist at the moment.

How good my friends and family make me feel when they say, “We’re so glad your back!”

A full size oven, hot water in my kitchen and laundry room, a dishwasher and a very fast washer and dryer. Certainly not necessities, but not having them for two years helps you realize how awesome they really are!

You! Thank you for reading, for your comments and discussion. You always help me keep my thinking and ideas in check while offering me new ones at the same time.

Oh, and last but not least, guess who’s coming home with us after Thanksgiving?!!!

More on Ubud – Crispy Duck and Black Rice Pie

November 24, 2009

In Friday’s post I mentioned that there were more exciting foodie things to cover from our adventures in Ubud, Bali; the first of these being our visit to Bebek Bengil, or the Dirty Duck Diner. This was recommended to me by Selba from Selby’s Food Corner. If you haven’t seen her post about the history of the restaurant, be sure to check it out.

What a great recommendation, although I had no doubt it would be a good one. Not only does this restaurant serve fantastic food, but it has a huge open air seating area in the middle of rice fields. It was so good and had such a nice atmosphere that we went twice during our stay.

Our first visit was for lunch, and while we didn’t need reservations, I can certainly see why it was recommended. We got there about 11:30 a.m. and by the time we left the whole place was full. For our starter I had a roasted duck salad. It was one of the best dishes of our trip for me. The duck was coated in a sweet sauce and topped with peanuts and the plate was beautifully decorated with mango, cucumber and orange.

My husband got one of his favorites, fried calamari. This version came out looking like onion rings and was cooked to perfection, nice and tender.

For our main course we couldn’t pass up the Crispy Duck, the dish the restaurant is known for. It was unlike anything I’ve had before. To say the duck was crispy is an understatement. It was almost like duck jerky and I don’t mean that in a bad way. It was an incredibly unique dish, different from anything else we had on our trip.

It came with some super spicy onions and peppers, and those delicious Balinese veggies topped with grated coconut.

On our second visit the dish I chose caught my eye because of an experience we had the morning before. As I think I’ve mentioned, we took a trek with a guide through a village outside of Ubud to some home compounds, an art school and rice terraces. During this time I took the opportunity to ask a lot of questions about food.

As you can imagine rice was a popular topic and after having a crop of sweet potatoes (the white variety) pointed out to us on the hike I asked how they were used. The guide told us that they are often chopped and mixed with rice for breakfast.

Well, it wasn’t breakfast, but the crispy duck with chilies came with sweet potato rice so I ordered it to give it a try. It’s funny because as a westerner I would automatically think – Gasp! Double carbs. I can’t eat that.

I say forget that thinking! Lots of cultures eat multiple carb sources with their meals and sweet potato and rice is a great combination. The duck was moderately spicy and I enjoyed having it all over again prepared in this fashion.

In all honesty, aside from these special meals I didn’t keep track of where we ate very well in Ubud. A few of the places we ate were highly touristy so while we knew we weren’t getting anything incredibly authentic, that was okay, because at this point in our month long journey we’d already had an amazing amount of true culture.

Take for instance my chicken sate served on a tiny grill. I did think this was a cute idea and I can’t complain about the chicken. We didn’t have bad sate the whole trip.

In addition, I simply couldn’t pass up this intriguing dessert – Black Rice Pie. Given the crust and whipped cream you could say this was westernized more than a little bit, but it was such an interesting dish and pretty darn good too. Black rice pudding had been sweetened and put into a pie crust, then served with caramel sauce. A few bites were enough and it has lead to some creative thinking regarding black rice and dessert.

For beer, we stuck with something somewhat local and this time tried Bali Hai. Trying beers typical to the area is one of our favorite parts of the traveling experience.

We didn’t make it out to a restaurant to try babi guling (suckling pig) but it was brought to us. Our morning trek included lunch and the place we booked it through gave us the pig as an option. They didn’t make it themselves, but got it from a local restaurant.

We jumped on the opportunity to try it. It was served wrapped in a banana leaf, although it could have been a pandan leaf too. I found it hard to distinguish between the two sometimes. There was rice, pork, crispy pig skin and a lot of chilies. It was an excellent.

To make our food journey in Ubud even better, during our time there we stayed at the Green Field Bungalows and one morning on our walk to breakfast we got to see a local farmer dropping of the produce for the day. There is always something about supporting local business and eating local foods that makes you smile whether you are at home or thousands of miles away.

Bebek Bengil
Jl. Hanoman, Padang Tegal
Ubud – Bali 80571
Tel: (62-361) 975489

Links to a Healthy Weekend Is Back!!

November 21, 2009

Well, hello there! It has been a long time since my last edition of Links to a Healthy Weekend, but I’m back and ready to start sharing the great things I read once again.

Things here are going great! Of course, we’ve been running around like crazy since my plane landed from San Francisco a week ago last Monday, but now we both have vehicles, our desktop is up and running, there are pots and pans to cook in, a kitchen table to eat at, and a TV watch.

Our apartment has an excellent gym so it is making getting back into my regular workout routine very easy. I’m especially glad to be back to weight training. I’m determined to get off some pounds I’ve gained over the past two years and during our recent trip and I’m happy to say I’m down 4 lbs since I’ve been back.

Several months ago I mentioned an ebook I was working on. I’m not sure if you’ve seen the link on my left sidebar, but the ebook I coauthored for Charity Mile is now available! If you are ever involved in planning a charity run/walk event or know someone who is, this guide is designed to help. I am so happy to be a part of it!

To top off all that good news, as you read this I am on my way to Las Vegas for our annual trip. We’ll be spending a few days there before we head to our hometown to celebrate Thanksgiving with our families. I’ve got some posts lined up for next week though and I’ll be checking in.

How are things going for you this holiday season?

On to the links…

SJ Gourmet has me thinking about all things holiday-related with Cream Cheese Cake with Cranberry Chambord Sauce. Not only does that combination sound wonderful, but the picture of the individual cake is beautiful!

ayurveda on my plate has a post about making your own coconut oil. Yes, I said making your own! I never would have considered doing something like that, but this step-by-step guide makes it look doable. Sangeeta was nice enough to link to my post about coconut oil from a while back as well as listing a multitude of uses for coconut oil that I was unaware of. Be sure to check it out!

Trend Central had an informative article about what is new in the world of community-supported agriculture from Frozen Produce CSAs to Alcohol CSAs.

Science Daily recently reported on findings which show that how fish is cooked affects heart-health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids.

Charity Mile, the site I blog and wrote the ebook for, is looking for guest bloggers. If you’ve participated in an athletic fundraising event for charity or have an interest in them check out the guidelines and consider doing a guest post.

Photo of a cute pup who stuck her head out of a housing compound during our visit and trek through a village outside Ubud-Bali, Indonesia.

Feasting for Hours: Rijsttafel in Ubud-Bali

November 20, 2009

I will admit that when we were initially planning our month long trip through Southeast Asia, Indonesia was an afterthought. We had first looked at a package deal for airline tickets which included Bali and that was really the first thought I had given to going there.

When we ended up purchasing our tickets independently we decided to keep Bali on the list, but we still hadn’t decided exactly where we should stay on the island. The research was a bit overwhelming and after hours of thinking about it we finally chose to stick with Ubud, the artistic and cultural center of the island.

I knew nothing about it before I started my research, but the more I looked into the area the more excited I got. When we finally landed and made the drive from Denpasar I could barely sit still. What a beautiful place!

We stayed outside the center which actually consists of other villages and according to what I’ve read is not technically Ubud. Of course, it was still a bit of a tourist area, but more secluded and quieter than the very center of town where market and temple reside.

We ended up having some very delicious and unique meals. It is difficult to say what my favorite food location was the entire trip, but Ubud and the Balinese and Indonesian cuisine we had there ranked high and that was something I certainly wasn’t expecting. I say that because it was the place I researched the least regarding food.

The meals we enjoyed resembled Thai cuisine in some ways, but had a character all their own. There were plenty of flavorful spices, lots of veggies and we ate a fair amount of duck as well.
Let me take you on the food journey we experienced our first night there.

I had seen Warung Enak mentioned in a travel review before we left so I had jotted down some information about it. (Warung is the name for a casual, usually outdoor, restaurant in Indonesia, by the way.) When we arrived I was surprised to find that the restaurant was practically next door to the bungalows where we were staying.

The Rijsttafel was what had my attention. I had wanted to try it from the second I read about it. This meal included not only foods of Bali, but dishes representing all parts of Indonesia. Ours included 18 small dishes split into four courses. Traditionally this meal could include up to 40 dishes served over three to four hours!

As a starter before the starter, we were given a small bowl of fried spinach leaves. Who knew you could fry spinach leaves! They were delicious, like eating a chip with a surprise of dark green veggie in the middle. We also opted for a local beer brewed just outside of Ubud, Storm Beer. I had the Bronze Ale and it was excellent with a nutty, crisp flavor.

Each selection came out in a small dish with enough for a couple bites for each of us. This was such a great way to try to so many foods! We were full by the end, of course, but not disgustingly stuffed.

The starter included four dishes. We began with the Tum Ayam from Bali, a chicken terrine on fern tip salad. On a hike I will talk about in a later post we were able to see these fern tips in comparison to the ferns that wouldn’t be eaten.

Next was the Lumpia Semarang from central Java. This deep fried spring roll included shrimp, bamboo shoots and fermented soy bean sauce. In this same picture to the right you will see the Empek-Empek Palembang from south Sumatra, a deep fried fish dumpling filled with egg and served with on sour palm sugar sauce blended with dried shrimp.

Finally, Asinan Jakarta from Batavia. Yam bean, carrot, cucumber, bean sprouts tofu which were tossed in chili rice vinaigrette and served with fried egg noodles.

On to the soup course. The Soto Betawi was from Batavia as well. It was a beef soup with fragrant spices. I’m not exactly sure what spices, but I can tell you there was kaffir lime leaf that is so delicious in Thai curries. I’ve found some recipes online so I will have to give it a try myself.

Now, onto the main courses and, wow, there were a lot! It was all served in this lazy susan turntable with a candle lit underneath it to keep the foods warm. There was also a beautifully carved decoration on the top. Now that I think about it, I can’t remember if it was a squash or papaya, but looking at the photo again I’m pretty sure it was papaya.

The main courses were served with rice from a bamboo steamer. Half was white rice and half was saffron yellow rice.

We began with the Sate Kambing from central Java. This was grilled lamb with peanut-soy sauce. Call me boring, but sate was my favorite dish while there. I just love the flavor of the meat, the sweet glaze combined with the salty peanut sauce and the simplicity of the whole thing. It was so delicious straight from the source while in Indonesia.

Next up was Woku Blanga Cakal Putri from Manado. This consisted of trevally (fish) poached in a broth spiced up with lemongrass, ginger, chili and pandan-lime kaffir leaf. Given that I already stated that my overall favorite of this stop was sate, this fish came in second for the meal.

The meal also came with lots of traditionally prepared veggies. Sayur Urab from Bali which is blanched mixed veggies topped off with grated coconut. In addition there was Plecing Kangkung from all over Indonesia which was a spicy water spinach.

Semur Tahu from Batavia was a stewed bean curd in soy broth. The bean curd was a common dish throughout our entire trip. It is something I had never had before, but ended up enjoying. Think of it as a tough tofu that has been fried and is crispy on the outside.

My favorite dish of this meal was the Pangek Sapi from Sumatra. This spicy beef stew with sweet basil leaves had simple flavors, but it really stood out among the rest of the dishes. The beef was so tender.

There were a couple other dishes I didn’t get good pictures because we were enjoying our dinner as the sun was setting. The Ayam Madu Katulistiwa from Kalimantan was a pan fried chicken that was marinated in coriander, cumin, honey and palm sugar. In addition, we had Sambal Goreng Undang from central Java, prawn cooked in coconut broth with snow peas, baby potatoes and quail eggs.

Are you full yet? Well, we still have dessert. Dessert with five different dishes to be exact.

Tamarind and coconut cream ice cream. Then Kue Lumpur from Kalimantan, a sultanas (raisins) and young coconut pancake with vanilla and chocolate sauce followed by Dadar Gulung from all over Indonesia which was a banana crepe filled with coconut jam and pandan (tree leaf) sauce.

There was Bolu Tape from all over Indonesia which was a baked fermented cassava cake (shown below) with raisins. As I’ve mentioned before, cassava is mandioca in southern Brazil and in all our time there I never saw it used in a dessert. Perhaps they use it for this purpose in the north of Brazil. I should look that up.

I saved the most intriguing to me for the last, Bubur Injin also from all over Indonesia (shown above). This was a black rice sticky pudding with jack fruit and coconut cream. At first bite I immediately noticed how it lacked an overly sweet flavor. This was actually a very good thing. I got so used to the desserts in Brazil being so overwhelmingly sweet that this contrast was nice. I could be completely wrong is this assessment, but from what we tried, I got the impression that in Bali most of the desserts are only mildly sweet.

That was one long list of food and honestly there was nothing served that we didn’t like. I was going to continue with the rest of our good eats in Bali, but I think I’ll save it for a part 2. I need to tell you all about our visit to the Dirty Duck, a recommendation for Selba at Selby’s Food Corner.

There is a lot more to come on the foods of Southeast Asia! Hopefully after the first of the year I will begin making my own versions of some of our favorites.

Warung Enak Bali
Ubud Bali
Phone: 62 361 972911
Getting there

Pear, Toasted Walnut & Blue Cheese Stuffing

November 19, 2009

This stuffing recipe combines seasonal pears, crunchy walnuts and rich blue cheese!

I enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Every single year my family makes the same exact dishes, and they are all delicious. However, when I started getting into food and cooking I felt the need to rock the boat, or rather the Thanksgiving table.

Don’t get me wrong, I value tradition, but there is also nothing wrong with putting a new twist on things or adding a new dish each year. My first attempt at this was sweet potato casserole. We had never had this growing up. My grandma used to always make the sweet potatoes ones straight from the can, whole with marshmallows on top.

When I first introduced the casserole there was a lot of resistance. So much so that my mom told me only to make a small dish because it probably wouldn’t all get eaten. Well, the size of that dish has grown each year and she just asked me last night if I was planning on making it again this year.

Change is good.

I have similar rock-the-boat tendencies with stuffing. My mom still makes my grandmother’s and it is a coveted side around the table. Let’s just say that the stuffing meets much more resistance than the sweet potatoes ever experienced. Therefore each year I make a small Thanksgiving meal the week before for my husband and me, and one year we invited a small group of friends, a tradition I hope can continue now that we are back in Kentucky.

I happen to love the stuffing recipes from Rachael Ray. I go back and forth between her Apple and Onion Stuffing and her Cranberry-Pecan Stuffing each year. This year, I wanted to try to find a way to put my own twist on it and a familiar combination came to mind.

I really enjoy the pear, walnut and blue cheese flavor combination. I often take a pear slice, top it with cheese, a walnut half and drizzle it with honey for a snack. It is also my go-to salad topping.

So I thought – if apples, onions, cranberries and pecans work in a Thanksgiving stuffing, why not pear, walnut and blue cheese?

Guess what? It does!

Last night I made Pear, Toasted Walnut & Blue Cheese Stuffing and it turned out great. I used both 9-grain and whole wheat bread slices, dried them out in a 200 F oven, and then cut the slices into cubes. I mixed half the blue cheese in the stuffing and pressed the remaining onto the top of the stuffing once I transferred it to the baking dish.

It is officially on the Thanksgiving menu for years to come!

Pear, Toasted Walnut & Blue Cheese Dressing

½ tbsp olive oil
¼ cup butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 large pear, chopped
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 tsp rubbed sage
½ cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
8 cups dried bread cubes
2 – 3 cups chicken stock
1 egg, beaten
½ cup blue cheese, crumbled & divided

Preheat the oven to 400 F and butter a 2 quart baking dish. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and then add the butter. Once melted add the onion and garlic, cook on medium heat for about 3 to 4 minutes. Next add in the pear and cook until tender, about 7 minutes more. Add the salt, pepper and sage and stir to coat the mixture. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Add the bread cubes to a large mixing bowl. Add the onion-pear mixture and stir to incorporate. Stir in the toasted walnuts and add the chicken stock one cup at a time until the stuffing reaches your desired consistency. If you like it dry, add about 2 cups, wet, add all 3. Stir in the egg.

Finally stir in half of the blue cheese and transfer the stuffing to the baking dish, pressing it down gently. Sprinkle the remaining blue cheese onto the top of the stuffing and press the pieces into the top of the mixture. Bake covered for about 30 minutes, remove the top and bake about 15 minutes more, or until the top is browned and crispy.

Note: The baking time has a lot to do with how you like your stuffing. This was my method this time and it was a little wetter than I like it. Next time I would likely bake it uncovered to dry it out more.

Makes 6 to 8 servings depending on how many other sides you have.

For a Different Reason

November 18, 2009

I found myself standing in the supermarket checkout lane surrounded by candy of every kind. It felt strange at first considering these were varieties I haven’t regularly seen for the past two years. It is amazing how taking note of this tiny experience in my day sent my mind on a journey, evaluating how I’ve changed.

What surprised me about this situation above was that I didn’t want any of the candy. Not even a tiny craving emerged. Why? Well, because I automatically evaluated what it was made of – industrialized, processed ingredients.

Two years ago as when I began my journey to eat fewer processed foods I didn’t have those candies often, but it was for much different reasons. At that time they didn’t represent processed ingredients, they represented calories and fat which my brain automatically equated to weight gain.

This way of looking at these items, of course, didn’t make me want them any less. I just knew I couldn’t have them. I wasn’t giving them up willfully. They were considered off limits. That kind of thinking left me feeling deprived.

Last week in that checkout lane, I didn’t feel deprived at all. I simply didn’t want those processed, industrialized foods in my body.

Let’s be clear, though. I’m not saying I don’t ever, or won’t ever, eat candy (or some of the other foods I plan to mention later). I’m just experiencing a completely different healthy eating perspective which is leading to happier eating and fewer feelings of desiring something I can’t have.

I have new reasons not to want it and it has nothing to do with weight gain or outward appearances. It is almost overwhelming how freeing this perspective feels to me. I no longer feel like I’m denying myself.

And this isn’t just about candy. I feel the same way about almost every aisle in the center of the grocery store. My basket doesn’t turn down the cracker and cookie aisle and the only reason it finds its way to the cereal aisle is to get oatmeal. Is there even a soda aisle anymore? I tend to blow right by it.

The important part is that I’m not purposely doing this. It is happening naturally because of my goals to eat fewer industrialized foods and to know the source of what goes into our mouths. I don’t feel like I’m avoiding a temptation like I used to.

Even though I’m still eating for health, it is a much different force that is driving me. It is true health, not just avoidance of gaining weight, aspiring to lose it, or even reducing risk of a chronic disease. It also goes beyond health. Environment, animal welfare and economics all come into play in my choices these days.

I feel like we ate well in Brazil in terms of health, yet everything was completely new and meals always led to some sort of discovery. I was concerned how it would be when we returned to the US and I fell back into familiar patterns of shopping and cooking. My biggest fear was returning to bad habits that I’ve discovered and identified through all my personal research the past two years.

Part of me is in disbelief of just how easy shopping for food and making choices have been since we returned. When you eat simple, natural foods shopping is a lot less stressful experience. There is no internal struggle of I want this, but I shouldn’t have it. I don’t buy it because it doesn’t align with my beliefs and values, plain and simple. The choices I’m making are for a different reason and that seems to make all the difference.

Have you made any recent healthy changes which ended up being a lot easier than you were expecting?

Photos of rice grains and rice terraces (view from our bungalow) in Ubud-Bali, Indonesia.

This post has been submitted for Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade.

New Kitchen, Back to Cooking – Acorn Squash Soup with Cranberry Sauce

November 16, 2009

I am happy to say that I’m back in the kitchen! I even have enough boxes unpacked to cook an entire meal. I was so excited when I found my Kitchen Aid mixer that I had to announce it on Twitter. I got all kinds of friendly responses.

I tend to spend a good amount of time just staring at my stove with a big smile of contentment on my face. It is actually the exact same model as I had in our house before our move abroad, but now it is like a brand new toy.

I’m just so darn excited here is a picture for you.

Last week I spent some time shopping around for the ingredients that I know I want to cook and bake with. I haven’t been able to find mascavo sugar here, or the exact equivalent, but I did end up trying out demerara sugar, which is unrefined sugar made from evaporated cane juice. The sources I’ve found so far state that it is the same, or very similar to, turbinado sugar.

It is a different consistency than the mascavo sugar I used in Brazil as it has much larger crystals. I know I can order the mascavo online so we’ll see how the demerara does in baking to decide which I like better. For coffee, it works great. (I’m trying to wean myself off adding sugar to my coffee, but I do still like it a little bit sweet. )

Along with my sugar I picked up some fresh cranberries which just happen to be one of my favorite parts of this time of year. I’ll be buying more soon to freeze for later use. I also grabbed an acorn squash. My parents tell me that they have plenty of squash and pumpkin for me at home from the garden, but I just couldn’t wait.

Finally, I found a great deal on grapefruit. After paying about 1 USD each for imported ones which would show up in the Asian market where we lived in Brazil, I gladly handed over $2.50 for a whole bag.

I decided to make a soup with it all this weekend incorporating turkey day flavors, of course. When it comes to Thanksgiving flavors I tend to like them combined in any way possible. I’ll take cranberry sauce on just about anything, add in turkey to my squash side dishes and eat walnuts or pecans on my sweet potatoes.

I’ll admit that this recipe may not be too terribly exciting and is very similar to a butternut squash soup I make regularly. There seem to be a lot of similar recipes out there on the web this time of year as well.

However, it is the first official recipe and meal to come out of my new kitchen so that alone makes is special.

Acorn Squash & Apple Soup with Cranberry Grapefruit Sauce

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large carrot, chopped
¼ cup onion
2 cloves garlic minced
1 medium apple, chopped
¼ tsp ginger
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp demerara sugar (or any type of unrefined cane sugar)
2 cups chicken stock
Flesh of one acorn squash, roasted (about 1 ½ to 2 cups)
¼ cup milk or cream
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

In your soup pot, heat the olive oil, then add the carrot, onion, garlic and apple. Cook on medium heat for about 7 minutes, stirring often. Add in the ginger, cinnamon and sugar and stir to coat the veggies and fruit. Pour in the chicken stock, cover the pot and simmer until the veggies and fruit are tender, about 10 minutes. (This is a good time to make the cranberry sauce.)

Next, stir in the squash until it is smooth and well incorporated. Remove the pot from heat and blend all ingredients using an immersion blender. You can also transfer the soup and blend in a standard blender. I leave mine a little chunky, but you can make it as smooth as you like.

Return to low heat and slowly stir in the milk or cream. Add more or less to reach your desired soup consistency and heat through. Salt and pepper to your taste.

Cranberry Grapefruit Sauce

1 cup fresh cranberries
¼ cup grapefruit juice
2 tsp demerara sugar
Chopped, toasted walnuts for garnish

Combine the cranberries and juice in a small sauce pan and cook on medium heat. Add in the sugar and stir until the cranberries burst. Allow the sauce to thicken to your desired consistency. It gets thicker as it cools. You might also want to add more sugar if you don’t prefer your cranberry sauce tart.

Ladle your soup into bowls. The recipe makes 2 to 3 servings. Top with some cranberry sauce and sprinkle with toasted walnuts.

Searching for Mango Sticky Rice

November 13, 2009

“You have to try the mango sticky rice.”

We heard this numerous times before traveling to Thailand. I knew right away that I would like. Rice turned into a dessert with fresh mangoes. What’s not to like?

What I didn’t know was how different it would be than my expectations, nor just how much I would love it. Add to that just how much we would eat of it during our time in Thailand.

Our first night in Chiang Mai, Thailand we made our way to the Sunday Night Bazaar. It was an outdoor market filled with handmade goods from the people who traveled in from surrounding villages. Along with all the incredible arts and crafts were plenty of foods.

Here are a few shots of table after table filled with noodles, dumplings and other Asian creations. They all smelled amazing!

Despite how good all this looks we didn’t eat much that night. We ended up finding a restaurant a few hours earlier for our first Thai meal of Spicy Green Papaya Salad and Green Curry which I will talk about more when I tell you about my cooking course.

Yes, I know we should have waited for the street food, but we were still very much getting our bearings for Thailand and weren’t sure what to expect at this particular market.

As we walked through the rows of food vendors it took a while to spot the Mango Sticky Rice, Kao Niow Ma-muang (I’ve seen it spelled several ways), but finally all the fresh mangos on the front of one cart gave it away.

We ordered one and the flavor experience began.

It was nothing like what I expected. Firstly, I had never had sticky rice before. My goodness I have been missing out for the past 31 years! Secondly, because the dish is often described as sticky rice pudding, I was expecting something much more like a sweet rice pudding such as what I tasted and made in Brazil.

Well, the sticky rice is just that – sticky. Yet, it remains firm and is somewhat dry, meaning it isn’t wet or pudding-like. It has the most wonderful sweet and nutty flavor. Next to it is a ripe, sweet, fresh mango cut into slices.

These are a different variety than the Palmer and Tommy mangoes I was getting in Brazil. The mangoes in Thailand are all yellow and not the red blending into green colors I was familiar with. I also thought they were a lot less fibrous. I’ve learned they are called Naam Dok Maai which means flower nectar mango.

To top off an already delicious combination, coconut milk is drizzled over the top. Then there is a sprinkle with these sweet, crunchy bits that I have recently learned are stir-fried mung beans. I noticed in the cookbook we received from our cooking course that they substituted sesame seeds. They wouldn’t be quite the same. I’d probably just leave them off all together.

We ate A LOT of mango sticky rice!

We later learned that mangoes weren’t actually in season while we were there. This didn’t surprise me because they have a very distinct season in Brazil as well. In fact, there is a huge mango tree near where we lived there. I passed it just a few days before we left and the mangoes were all over it, but still very tiny and very green. Perhaps they have similar seasons with Thailand.

Some vendors and restaurants still managed to provide it though and the mangoes were still delicious. Much better than any mango you could get in the central U.S. any time of year.

I haven’t made it myself yet, but once I get my hands on some sticky rice I will be giving it a try. Maybe even withough mango until the summer. Did I mention I love sticky rice?

I searched around for a few recipes and found some that appeared more authentic. I like to put twists on things, but for this dish I want it in the original form.

Real Thai Recipes Mango with Sticky Rice
Thai Food & Travel Coconut-Flavored Sticky Rice with Mangoes
Zoe Bakes Mango with Sticky Rice

Foodbuzz Fest: New Friends and Fab Food

November 11, 2009

By now I’m sure you’ve read post after post about the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival. I chose to save my posting until I got back mainly because once I hit the hotel room I was practically asleep both from a food and drink induced coma as well as from my travels beginning to catch up with me.

The event was excellent and exceeded my expectations. I was a little worried about how beneficial it would be going into it knowing it was a festival and not described as an educational conference. It turned out that the networking was fantastic with both vendors and fellow bloggers, and there was ample exposure to efforts going on out there regarding Farm to Table and sustainable foods.

I’m not sure how impressed those on the west coast were considering that all the great food, farmer’s markets and gorgeous atmosphere are common, but for me it was true blessing to be there. I was able to sample foods, wines and beers that I otherwise may have never had the chance. Let me assure you they did not skimp on offering us pure quality and luxury on the menu.

I know there have been a lot of posts highlighting each part of the event so I thought I’d go through some of my very favorites and then, regarding some of those free goodies we got, I may highlight them when I use them.

I must say kudos those who managed to get amazing photos of the event. It was incredibly difficult because we always had our hands full with food, drinks and giveaways. It was hard to balance it all and get a good photo in the process.

Friday night began with a cocktail reception at the Hotel Vitale. I think most attendees would agree that while the atmosphere was gorgeous the space was too tight to do much mingling. That’s something I’m sure will be corrected next year though.

SKYY spirits was a sponsor and I stuck with the Citrus Collins for the night considering I like my spirits with only a few flavors which really stand out. It was a combination of SKYY Infusions Citrus, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup and club soda.

Food was served, but I wasn’t hungry enough to fight my way to it, so I didn’t try any of the appetizers. I did hear that I missed out not having the mac n’ cheese though.

Dinner was centered around a taste of SF street food and was located in an outdoor pavilion. A bit of a elbowing and bumping was necessary to make your way to each station, but that didn’t keep us from grabbing what we wanted though. Such as buttery, flaky veggie pies from the Pie Truck, the Mini Rotisserie Porchetta with curly cress & onion marmalade from Roli Roti, and my very favorite – the tacos from Tacolicious. The first was chorizo and potato and the second beef.

Thirsty Bear beer was on tap. I am now officially a huge fan of their beer. On Thursday my roomie and I, Andrea from Off Her Cork, met LouAnn from Oyster Food and Culture there for lunch. It was such a pleasure to meet and hang out with both these ladies. The beer was a close second to my company. The Valencia Wheat they served at the event was light, crisp and fruity.

The most unique award from me went to the raw lavender cheesecake from Alive. Now I’m not opposed to raw foods, I eat them all the time, but I can’t say I seek them out either nor would I be able to eat only raw foods. Or at least that is what I thought until I tried the cheesecake. It didn’t have that rich, tangy cheesy flavor, yet it was smooth, creamy and thick, and I loved the coconut crust.

At the moment I’m trying hard to remember all of Saturday. It was literally a fest of eating from morning until night. Not to mention the fact that of the 50 vendors we were able to taste from in the afternoon, a large majority were wine along with a few which were beer. I think everyone was feeling it by the end of that afternoon. Naps were certainly needed whether we got them or not.

Among the gourmet appetizers, snacks from vendors on foodzie, luxury chocolates and foods combinations created by fellow bloggers I did manage to pull out a few favorites. Among them included the tart and tender Peruvian ceviche. I’m embarrassed to say I can’t remember the specific chef and restaurant. I thought I could find it in our booklet, but it’s not jumping out at me now. Maybe someone can help.

The mini red velvet cupcakes from Mission Mini’s were delicious and I ran into several people who planned to sample each flavor they were offering. Okay, I’ll admit I had two. The other one was Lemonade, but the photo didn’t turn out well.

The Savory Pumpkin Bread Pudding created by Tri to Cook was excellent. It combined chipotle chicken sausage and Gruyere cheese. It was enough to get you excited about Thanksgiving.

Knowing I had a Merlot tasting that afternoon I tried more beers than wine. The Hell or High Watermelon Wheat from the 21st Amendment Brewery had a unique flavor that is hard to describe. It wasn’t your typical citrus-y wheat. That watermelon flavor really did come through.

I had to follow up with Rogue Chocolate Stout, in a wine glass I might add. The chocolate flavor is so prominent unlike some other beers I’ve had before which leave you really searching for the distinct flavors. It has quickly moved up on my list of favorites.

The Merlot tasting provided by Alder Yarrow of Vinography.com was excellent. We got full stories about the vineyards each bottle came from and we were tasting some darn good quality wine. We learned my favorite retails for $65 a bottle! We also got to keep our set of 4 Lenox Austrian Crystal wine glasses.

I’ll cover Saturday’s dinner a bit later because I want to do some more research about the organization that hosted it, but I do need to rave about Sunday’s brunch which was located at Restaurant LuLu. I have been brunch deprived while living in Brazil and I’ve missed it so much.

The buffet was full of wonderful choices including frittata, french toast, panzanella, pear and blue cheese salad and bacon. All the foods were made with products from Kerrygold, Frog Hollow Farm and Nature’s Pride.

I had two favorites. Firstly, the bacon. Yeah, I know. Why bacon? Well, I just finished Nina Planck’s book, Real Food: What to Eat and Why which I’ll recap later, but she manages to glorify real pork products in a way I’ve never heard before and I’ve been craving it ever since. This bacon was good too. Thick cut, cooked perfectly, not too crunchy not too chewy. I saw more than one person go back for seconds.

The other was the French Toast with Kerrygold butter mixed with cinnamon and a fruit compote from Frog Hollow Farms. The bread was from Nature’s Pride. I will say it was good, but it really doesn’t matter how healthy packaged bread is or claims to be I prefer to buy mine from a local bakery or make it myself. The Kerrygold is an entirely different story though. I love their products, and I have to say I was really turned on to Frog Hollow Farms as well.

I can’t forget to mention the build-your-own Bloody Mary Bar. It was stocked with SKYY vodka, juices, pickled veggies and all the spicy stuff necessary for the perfect mid-morning drink.

To sum up this particular post I wanted to mention a few people I had the opportunity to meet on this trip. I met A LOT of people, however, as with most professional get-togethers you tend to meet several people at the beginning and while you mingle you usually end up back with them at the end of the night or for the last meal.

I already mentioned Andrea of Off Her Cork. I’ve been a regular reader for a while and love her tips and reviews. We spent several days around San Francisco seeing the sights outside of the event. This was my first time meeting her and I couldn’t have had a better roomie. When you have a love for dogs, food and fitness in common you just can’t go wrong.

I was also very excited to meet Kathy of A Good Appetite. I love her blog and all the delicious recipes. With travel and food in common we hit it off right away and I really enjoyed spending some time with her and meeting Matt who is the 2nd half of their fabulous blogging effort.

Andrea introduced me to Amanda and Andy of Two Boos Who Eat. I wasn’t familiar with their blog before the event, but I will be a regular reader now. You simply can’t help laughing when you are around these two. They are so much fun.

Outside of the event, I also got to spend a meal with Amy of Delicious by Nature. We had great conversation about healthy eating and I was so happy that I had the opportunity to meet her. She just happens to be one of the most thoughtful people I know. She brought me a bag of Whole Food goodies because she wasn’t sure if I would have snacks having just come from our SE Asia trip.

Then Andrea and I got to hang out with LouAnn as I mentioned above. We had such a great time I think the waitress came up several times just to check on us since we were spending so much time at the restaurant talking. We chatted about food, culture, travel and running and I’m so glad I was able to meet her as well.

If you haven’t gathered as much yet, I highly encourage you to head out for next year’s event. After a few conversations I’m pretty sure it will be in San Francisco again and honestly while I would like to see some regional stuff too, you really couldn’t have it in a better place. All that sustainable food and access to great wine creates the perfect atmosphere for foodies to get together in their ultimate of comfort zones.

It’s Finally Here

November 6, 2009

After a very rainy day in San Fran the Foodbuzz Fest has finally arrived. I thought I would give you all a quick taste of what came in our goodie bags at registration this afternoon. Check out all this stuff!

To name a few items…a cappuccino frother, espresso, Brie, olives, chocolates, a kit of sauces, and lots of kitchen gadgets like spatulas and a whisk. I’d say that is a pretty good start to a foodie weekend!

Considering that I’m moving into a new kitchen in a couple days. I think my favorite item in the bag is this adjustable measuring spoon. I can’t wait to try it out with my holiday baking.