Liz’s Artichoke How To
Or, What Liz does when she has a final tomorrow and is procrastinating.
Kim (@ohsosinister) asked me this yesterday:
“Heeeeey Liz: How do you do up your artichokes? I’ve only ever had artichoke hearts from, like, a jar. Ha ha. Teach me your ways and recipes! :)”
Here we go!
Artichokes have been my favorite vegetable since my parents introduced me to them as a kid. They are one of those delayed gratification foods, where each leaf gives you a small taste of the fantastic heart inside. They are very easy to make, low in calories and have some protein and fiber too. This is how I make them:
Preparing the Choke: Slice off the stem so the bottom is even. Believe me, the green stuff in the stem is super bitter and NOT tasty at all.
Optional: Take some kitchen shears and snip off the spikey tops of each leaf. You can use a sharp knife to just slice the top off to make it go faster. I’ll be honest, I don’t really do this anymore. I have a feeling my parents did it because it was safer to serve to us kids, and if I’m in a hurry I skip this step.
Steaming the Choke: I grew up rinsing it under the sink and shaking off the excess water, then wrapping it in plastic wrap and sticking it in the microwave. I know some people have issues with heating plastic wrap so you have 2 options. If you don’t care, use the microwave and cook on high for about 5-7 minutes depending on how hot it gets. Or, use a pot of shallow water with a steaming basket and steam for about 6 mins.
Dip: The best way to eat one of these puppies IMHO is simply pulling off each leaf and dipping the non spikey end in something tasty and scraping the flesh off with your teeth, then discarding it. It takes awhile to eat, but is so worth it. My dips of choice are: 1 part melted butter or margarine, 1 part lemon juice. Or, 1 part balsamic vinegar to 1 part mayo. This one is my new favorite! I was skeptical at first, but when I tried it, I was hooked. You don’t need very much, so don’t feel guilty about the mayo part. I usually use about 1 tbsp of light mayo (which is 45 calories) and it’s the right amount for a normal sized artichoke.
Getting to the Heart: Now this is the tricky(ish) part. Once you’ve gotten to the inside, the leaves will get smaller and sharper and will be about an inch or two in length. These are pretty hard to eat without cutting your mouth up so just pull them off and discard. Underneath is the weird hairy stuff that covers the heart. You can eat this if you want, but I find the texture is weird and removing it is worth it. You have two options to do so:
- Take a paring knife or a spoon and scrape the hairy stuff away from the heart
- If it was cooked well enough, it should just scrape off easily with your fingers, just be careful though, sometimes the top part of the heart will come off with it. It’s messy, so most people prefer using utensils
Once this is done, dip that sucker into your tasty stuff of choice and enjoy!
I hope that was informative!
Paper writing break (a few thoughts on food and poverty)
Even though I’m going for a work out break in 30 mins.
Today has been fantastic. Despite feeling kinda sick and blah in the morning, I took a shower, did my hair and makeup (it’s amazing how good that can make you feel) and went to my class. I ate really well: Cereal for breakfast, rice noodles, veg and chicken for lunch, big salad for dinner and a soy latte (with no added sugar) for a pick me up in the evening. I was also productive at school for once and am really getting into the paper I’m writing.
Some of you may know that I’m in Development Studies, which is hard to describe when people ask me what the heck it actually is. Basically I learn about poverty, social and political issues in the global south and study theories and practices that are designed to fight those issues and improve quality of life around the world. It’s really interesting but depressing as well.
Throughout my studies I’ve become very interested in agriculture and food production and how it relates to poverty and development, particularly in Africa. I hope to learn more about this first hand when we travel to areas outside of Johannesburg in May, since reading about it may be one thing, but seeing it gives you a whole new perspective.
One thing that I believe has also given me new perspective is this health journey I started in January. Being part of this tumblr community, learning about health and food choices has really made me consider branching into nutrition studies to understand more about the nature of food and the importance of food security all over the world. Poverty and hunger are important, interconnected problems that even I forget about when I’m obsessing over calories and fat content. So I’m going to make the effort to think about where my food comes from every time I feel the need to overeat or snack when I’m not hungry and remind myself how lucky I am to have access to food in the first place.
Thoughts
After my interview, which turned out to be less of an interview and more of a 5 minute chat, (but it went well!) I stopped by work to drop something off and started talking to a women who also works in the campus food court area. She mentioned previously that she was on the G.I diet with her fiance and we started talking about food and exercise, what I eat and how I work out etc. She seemed very open but the biggest thing I noticed was how limited her options were with the G.I diet. For example, I mentioned how I like to add banana to my oatmeal in the morning, but apparently they are not allowed because they are too high in sugar. I understand that to some degree, but I just can’t get behind a diet plan that restricts REAL food. This focus on restriction instead of moderation really gets to me, because banana’s are awesome for you. They are high in soluble fiber and potassium and lots of other great stuff.
This is similar to my beef with weight watchers and processed foods. I really believe that if you eat REAL, unprocessed good quality food in moderation it will do amazing things for you in the long run. Weight loss is really just a part of it, think of cancer prevention, stronger bones, eyesight, digestion, energy levels, mental and physical strength and overall, LIVING a longer life.
Believe me, I am not a saint by any means, I crave chicken nuggets, fries, chips and refined sugars as much as the next fat chick. Eating real food is hard because we live in a society where fast and cheap are the norm and everyday foods we eat are full of preservatives and chemicals. Just the other day I searched the grocery store for a loaf of whole grain bread that didn’t have preservatives in it and came up short. The alternative: 5 bucks for a loaf of multi-grain bread from an organic bakery in town, it may be twice as much and I’ll have to freeze it so it doesn’t go bad but at least when I read the ingredients list, I can pronounce and recognize every item. Now that’s real.
Thursday
So I made it to the gym today. Didn’t go for as long as I wanted but it was either that or miss my 2:30 class which I don’t like doing. I opted for a quick 20 mins on the treadmill at my regular gym instead of an intense hour at 9pm at the school gym I dislike so much. Which I suppose is better than nothing.
Also, I’ve been doing very well food wise the past few days. I need to get more protein in for sure, but blogging on a regular basis has helped me with the junk cravings!
This was my supper between classes. Filled me up nicely, but I was hungry by the time my class was over. (It’s 3 hours long) I need to get the protein/veg/carb ratios down so I don’t feel starved when I get home at 10.
Tomorrow I have the day off from school, I’m going to see my trainer, get my netbook fixed and pick up my eShakti order (woo!) then clean the house and make homemade pasta with Ryan for the Outside the Box challenge. I’ll definitely post pictures.
TTFN
McDonald’s Partners With Weight Watchers
I’m not sure how I feel about this. Wait, yes I am.
This is my one frustration with Weight Watchers. Their tendency to endorse food that is seemingly healthy by being low in points, but is in no means healthful in terms of chemicals, salt, preservatives and additives. Food processed and preserved, frozen and packaged for a generation who wants to lose weight and be healthy as long as it’s CONVENIANT. To me this is the food equivalent of green washing. Just because something has less calories or fat does not mean it is good for you.
(Oops! I should have been clearer in my posting. The news link I found via ilenepowell, the frustrations are entirely mine. hehe)
Breakfast Blah’s
Seriously, what’s with oatmeal? It sucks. Why do we end up choking it down in the morning instead of some tastier breakfast alternatives? Here’s a small list of those alternatives so that when you’re reaching for pasty greyish stuff you can do better!
1. Quinoa with milk, cinnamon and almond or vanilla extract. (I posted the recipe awhile back) 1/2 cup = 3 points
2. Half an avocado, mashed up with some lemon juice and salt/pepper and spread on multigrain toast. (If you like avocados this is tasty and different!) = 4 points
3. 1 cup of Edamame cooked with a little sea salt and a hard boiled egg on the side = 5 points
4. Fruit Smoothie with ground flax seed. Any fruit you’d like, nonfat milk or yogurt and a touch of honey if you want. add a few spoonfuls of the flax for fiber and wizz in the blender. (Also if you use soy milk instead you get a nice dose of protein to keep you full) = 3-5 points depending on serving size
That’s all I can think of for now, but do you notice a common theme? Protein! All of these options are sure to keep you fuller for longer! Quinoa is a super food, the only grain that’s a complete protein and it full of fiber and good stuff that keeps your body going. Edamame has 9 grams of fiber per serving, 11 grams of protein and it’s a source of iron, vitamins A and C. Avocado, which has tons of healthy fats/antioxidants etc but only a few grams of protein is still filling and is full of potassium.
Sure, oatmeal has tons of good stuff in it too, soluble fiber and vitamins etc, but to be honest it just unpleasant to eat and I’d much rather have something flavorful AVD healthy. Breakfast doesn’t not have to be boring people! Mornings are bad enough as it is!
Do you have any oatmeal alternatives?
Homemade Furikake
For all the non bento enthusiasts/japanophiles who read this blog I will give a short intro to Furikake. According to Wikipedia:
Furikake (振り掛け / ふりかけ) is a dry Japanese condiment[1] meant to be sprinkled on top of rice. It typically consists of a mixture of dried and ground fish, sesame seeds, chopped seaweed, sugar, salt, and monosodium glutamate. Other flavorful ingredients such as katsuobushi (sometimes indicated on the package as bonito), or okaka (bonito flakes moistened with soy sauce and dried again), salmon, shiso, egg, powdered miso, vegetables, etc. are often added to the mix.
Essentially it’s a bento staple for making plain rice tasty.
A few years ago I was just starting to get into Bento making and decided to buy some of this from the nearby Asian grocery store. I picked the “Teriyaki Bonito” flavor after listening to people rave about bonito flakes and whatnot on the internet thinking I would enjoy it as well. Wrong. Unfortunately it smelled like fish food and tasted even worse and considering I don’t like fish to begin with I’d say it was a bad choice. I have been reluctant to try any other commercial types of Furikake and to be honest the MSG and preservatives that are used in most brands aren’t what I want to be putting in my body.
So today, I decided to make my own! Mind you this was before I saw JustBento’s whole section on homemade versions which I plan on trying out very soon. It turned out very good and made my plain brown rice very tasty, although it could have had a bit more kick. (I like flavors that punch me in the face, you know.) When I told AJ the ingredients he suggested that it was a very western interpretation of the condiment and I agree with him, but oh lordy dried fish is not something I find appealing!.
The ingredients are simple and I didn’t measure them because I never do.
Roasted sesame seeds, Black sesame seeds, ground ginger, garlic power, mustard powder, dried cilantro, paprika, cayenne pepper, sea salt, black pepper.
Basically spices mixed together and sprinkled on rice, I’m sure the variations could be endless.
“Flat Hair is Sad Hair” Bento with Weight Watchers Points.
This is my first time using my new Hello Kitty Wagara box and I quite like it. Way more room than my last one and very sturdy!
Contents and WW Points Values
Right Tier:
Almond Dessert Tofu with craisins, a lemon slice and a heart shaped jello cube (hard to see with all the yellow) - 2 points
Moro/Blood Orange slices - 1 point
Left Tier:
Brown Rice and Veggie Stirfry underneath. - 4 points
Girl with big hair made from an egg sheet, Nori Face, pickled green bean dress - 1 points
Total - 8 points.
Not bad at all.
The phrase “Flat Hair is Sad Hair” is something I used to say to clients all the time when I was hairstyling and its still true now. Listen to the bento ladies!
