Food on a Board

The age-old concept of enjoying food on a board is one that can easily be reproduced at home.  Whether you enjoy a smorgasbord that combines a selection of meats, cheeses, and bread or a range of other foods on a board, the concept is simple to do.  Think of the types of foods that you enjoy, and imagine ways that they could be presented artistically and in a palate-pleasing way.  Find an old cutting board or consider purchasing an inexpensive one from a kitchen or food service vendor.  IKEA sells some simple and reasonably-priced boards that would be wonderful to serve appetizers or other small foods on https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80305422/

The above board is one I assembled with an array of my favorite breakfast treats: scrambled eggs, hash browns, croissants filled with Nutella, and freshly-brewed tea and coffee.  Enjoy the experience of assembling and eating your food board, and as always, stay healthy and happy!

-The Food Pope

Fearless Fusion: Middle Eastern Pizza

Fusion cuisine is taking the world by storm.  The ingredients, flavors, food culture, and presentation style of the foods of very different cultures can be exciting and delicious when combined together.

Looking for a way to create a new dish that honors some of my favorite food cultures, the below Middle Eastern pizza adorned my dinner plate last night.  I started with a Mexican flour tortilla.  This simple "crust" is readily available at many stores and I chose to go with the larger, burrito size.  In classic Italian style, I proceeded to build a pizza on the tortilla, choosing to forgo tomato sauce and instead use hummus.  The Cedars brand hummus that I used spread very well the flavor didn't overpower the finished pizza.

I added green peppers, artichokes, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, and baked for 9 minutes at 350 degrees.  The finished pizza was light, tasty, and delicious when sprinkled with a bit of cumin.

When trying new flavors and meals in your kitchen, be fearless and embrace a fusion of different flavors!

 

Hello Fresh: Food Pope Review

Hello Fresh is currently in the midst of a big marketing campaign to get individuals interested in trying some selections from their menu.  While at the mall, I signed up for an offer to get 2 meals for $10.97.  I thought that the price couldn't be beat, so I signed up and a week later the two meals for two were at our doorstep.

Pros:

• You have everything you need, with the exception of a few ingredients that most individuals will likely already have on hand (such as oil or salt and pepper).

• Foodies can adjust or modify the meal to their liking, creating a dish that is tailored to individual taste.

• The food is really good quality.

Cons:

• There is quite a bit of waste in the packaging.  While many things are recyclable or reusable (for example, I saved one of the freezer packs to use on future shopping trips and recycled one), there is still a fair amount of waste with each order.

Final Review:  Highly Recommended!

All Hail the Unhealthy Pop Tart

What should I buy, I ask myself as I gaze through the plexiglass shield separating me from an array of snacks.
A thermos of hot tea has accompanied me on this trip to the library, but neither woman nor man can live on tea alone.
Roasted almonds beckon me . . .
A granola bar calls for my attention . . .
A chocolate bar yearns for my selection . . .
But no, what I seek is located in section D8

After inserting a dollar, I carefully push the buttons cause a motor to move you forward,
Dropping to the machine's bottom.

The heavenly confection below has has a shelf life of a year, rather than days,
Thanks to the range of preservatives within it.

Sugar, gluten, chemicals, cinnamon, and artificial flavors combine to create this wonderful snack which,
When combined with a cup of hot tea.

Is nothing short of Heaven.

Improving Our Nation's Food Literacy

The next big movement in food will consist of improving our food literacy.  My prediction is that this movement will consist of three distinct initiatives that will make us wiser, more ethically sound, and less wasteful consumers.  These initiatives will ideally consist of:

• Improved understanding of how to cook a range of healthy foods at home.  Ideally, this will be integrated into a middle and high school curriculum so that individuals leave secondary school with a basic understanding of how to cook for themselves.
• Improved understanding of how to read food labels.  This will ensure that consumers are able to choose foods that fit within a healthy, balanced diet.
• Understanding of how to minimize food waste.  This will consist of such skills as how to preserve foods to prevent premature spoilage, how to integrate available ingredients into a range of dishes before they go bad, and how to shop and acquire food that has minimal packaging that will eventually be bound for a landfill. 

 In some cases, these initiatives are already in place.  The popular children's television show Sesame Street has a segment titled "Monster Foodies" that features Cookie Monster and his food-truck colleague Gonger prepare a range of foods.  In the below link, viewers can watch the fur-covered duo visit a cranberry bog to learn how cranberries are harvested for the cranberry muffins Cookie Monster and Gonger bake for a customer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjO6WxENdKQ 

Teaching children about where our food comes from at an early age will guide us towards a great era of culinary enlightenment.  Building these skills into adulthood will lead mankind towards greater health and happiness in the years to come.

Stir Fried Vegetables

One of my favorite foods by far has to be stir fried vegetables with General Tso's sauce.  The crispness of freshly-stir fried vegetables, salty/spiciness of General Tso's sauce, and the lower calories than General Tso's Chicken make it a hit in my household.

For the below dish, I started with baby bok choy, a hot wok, and 2 Tbs of sesame oil.  Heat the oil and add the stalks of the bok choy first.  Cook over medium-high heat until the stalks are tender.

Add the leaves last, as they won't take long to cook.  Scoop your stir fry in a bowl and cover with General Tso's sauce.  Stir quickly and enjoy!

Notes: This recipe works well with broccoli, string beans, eggplant, and a range of other healthy veggies.

Budget-Minded Seafood Sam

As the summer months wane and I prepare for a busy Fall ahead, my mind drifts back many years to family vacations in Maine where lobster roll sandwiches offered tourists a delicious and unique culinary treat.

Searching for a budget-friendly option that captured some of the same flavors and memories, I came up with the below sandwich that consists of imitation crab (leg or flake style both work well), pickles, a hot dog bun, and one of two sauce options listed below:

Maritime Horseradish Sauce
1 tsp mayo
1 tsp ketchup
1 tsp horseradish
Combine together and place on bun with other ingredients

Chesapeake Bay Spicy Mayo
1.5 tsp mayo
.5 tsp. Chesapeake Bay-style seasoning mix
Combine together and place on bun with other ingredients

If asked whether this sandwich rivals a true lobster or crab roll sandwich, the answer would be a definite no.

If asked whether this sandwich is tasty, cheap, and environmentally friendly to marine ecosystems, the answer would be a resounding YES!  Enjoy