A Grilling Fairy Tale

It's hard to believe it's officially Autumn, especially with the heat wave that many of us are feeling. I hear my friends in Atlanta are just as hot as it is here in Denver (still in the record-breaking upper 80s and low 90s). So in celebration, here's one more Summer-inspired recipe that I've decided to tell in a whimsical way like a food fairy tale picture book!

De-Constructed Grilled Vegetable Salad

Any veggies or fruit that will go on the grill

Your favorite salad dressing or marinade

Your favorite cheese (mine is goat!)

Once upon a time I took carrots, green onion, turnip, mushrooms, whole romaine hearts, zucchini, bell pepper, and a banana pepper and decided they should all live together in food harmony in a warm "salad" type thing. I sliced everything up except the green onions and the romaine hearts which I grilled whole. Using a plastic bag, all those sliced veggies were introduced to my favorite salad dressing/marinade. I used the orignial Newman's Own salad dressing and shook shook shook until all those veggies were evenly coated (but I didn't put any dressing on my green onions or whole romaine hearts). Then everything went on the grill. And then everything went together in a bowl where I ate it (after adding a little bit of crumbled goat cheese)! And then me and my tummy lived happily ever after. The end.

10 Foods You Can Actually Eat

It seems like every time I open a magazine or gaze upon the interweb there is another food that I shudder to think about eating. In the past few years I've discovered that I get sick (stomach ache, gas, or worse) when I eat certain foods. Still others give me hives or headaches. Every one it seems is vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, intolerant, allergic, and still many other adjectives--all of these terms used to describe our relationship to food.

Crack open any Michael Pollan book, as my best friend tells me, and you'll discover all of our food is almost literally made of corn. Staying in tonight with your Netflix account? Food Inc. has made my brother-in-law think twice about purchasing any meat product at a big box store again.

Today another girlfriend posted this link from the Daily Beast, "Dangerous Ingredients," verifying that fake sweetners and processed foods are, shocker, bad for you. Photo galleries like this one help us to make informed decisions about the food we eat--where it comes from and more importantly what it does to our bodies. I am certainly not knocking the new food revolution. In fact, I think I might be part of it.

But, that said, are there any foods we can eat?

For this, I default to my power foods which taste good and are good for me. (For a larger list of other ideas you can check out this Belly Bytes article). The foods below make me feel good when I eat them. Satiated. Even--gasp!--happy sometimes.

1. Eggs
The eggs I eat come directly from the source. These chickens below actually. I know where they live, I know what they eat, and I know who cleans their coop (sometimes it's me!).

2. Avocado
This fruit, high in protein and potassium, is delicious. I cut them in half and eat them with a spoon. They are full of fat--but of the heart healthy kind.

3. Kale
The running joke around here is that this blog should actually be called "Kale & Other Bad Habits" because I eat so much kale and use it often (sometimes it seems in every recipe!). Kale, once used only to decorate plates at the deli, is enjoying its debut as the hottest new "superfood" and is rich in vitamins and antioxidants.

4. Garlic
Garlic is maybe the best thing ever. I mean, what else can so easily add to any dish? But the best part is that beyond its ability to ward off the cast of True Blood, garlic also lowers your cholesterol. If I feel a cold coming on I saute whole cloves and eat them like candy.

5. Ginger Root
Beyond the 2,000 years of Chinese medicine backing it up, eating ginger helps me to digest that giant plate of sushi. It also calms an upset tummy and makes a delightful tea. I just slice off a few slivers and add to hot water to calm my nerves (and any trouble in the soul).

6. Peppermint Tea
It's caffeine free, it settles an upset stomach, it smells really good, it soothes the throat. Should I keep talking?

7. Dark Chocolate
I'm sweet enough as it is (terrible, I know) so I don't often eat desserts. I like sweets, but in moderation. But I can never get enough dark chocolate. The food of the Aztec gods is also rich in antioxidants and may satisfy your sweet tooth more quickly that candies or other processed sugars. It also takes great with ginger or peppermint. How convenient...

8. FishYeah, I know, the oceans are over-fished and mercury is a problem. So maybe I'm a jerk for putting this on my list. But maybe not. Fishes, like salmon or trout or herring, are rich in heart-happy omega-3 fatty acids. Mouth happy and heart happy, a win-win?

9. Water
Your body loves it but most of us run around dehydrated. I've never been a soda drinker and have always been a camel of sorts, drinking glass after glass of good old fashioned H20.

10. Buffalo/Lamb
Protein? Check. Iron? Check? Yummy? Check. Buffalo or bison is a great substitute for ground beef in recipes for burgers or chili as is ground lamb. Both are red meats that provide a nice alternative to beef. Also, it can be easier to find grass-fed buffalo than beef and for a similar price point. Lamb is a lean red meat that beyond being chock full of protein and iron, also contains important amounts of zinc and B-vitamins.

We'll see if anyone ruins my delusion by telling me these foods are bad-bad-bad too!

Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Tacos

Sometimes recipes are inspired by other dishes you've eaten or recipes read. Other times recipes are inspired by a craving for certain flavors or types of cuisine. Still others come about based upon ingredients that are handy. This is one such recipe. Oddly enough, I decided to make these wonderful tacos not out of a craving for Mexican food or a desire to replicate a fajita recipe. Nope. This recipe exists because I had a half a head of cabbage that I was trying to figure out what to do with.

Dear cabbage,
Thanks for the memories,
xoxo, Me.

Now I can't take all the credit because the true moment of inspiration came from my boyfriend. As I was contemplating the many uses for cabbage his sheer genius broke through when he said, "Cabbage tastes good in tacos." That it does, my friend. That it does. So here we are: Fajita Tacos.

This will make classic fajitas or chicken to put on top of salad. I happen to like tacos. A lot. Say no to drugs, say yes to tacos.

The chicken was marinated starting the night before for maximum deliciousness.

Fajita Tacos
--2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
--garlic
--yellow or white onion
--anaheim pepper
--bell pepper
--tortillas
--shredded cabbage

Marinade:
--1 zipper bag, quart or gallon sized
--garlic
--lime juice
--tequila
--soy sauce
--Worcestershire sauce
--orange juice
--olive oil
--cumin
--pepper
--ancho or cayenne or red pepper flakes

The night before:

Place the chicken in a large plastic zipper bag. Use the "pour and pray" method to make the marinade, starting with equal parts of all liquid ingredients and adding more or less of desired flavors. Seal the bag and place in the refrigerator overnight.

Grill the chicken, onion and peppers. Baste with excess marinade as desired. Remove from grill when chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender.

Shred the chicken and chop the vegetables.

Serve in tortillas, top with cabbage. EAT!

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 24 hours with marinating; 20 minutes cook time
Serves: 4 folks, 2 tacos each; 8 tacos total
Calories: 332 per serving (2 tacos); 166 per taco