Eat your vegetables, part 1
My attempts at making sauerkraut without all the self-righteous and time-consuming pounding. This batch got pushed into a jar, covered with water and sea salt and is burbling away on my dresser.
Outside, the Southwest is its typical October showoffy self. The sky takes no cloud prisoners. Colored leaves spin on loosened stems, then twinkle to the ground. The sun is yours if you want it. Each day holds a little less of summer, a little more of winter.
Inside, I prepare food. My current eating regime requires a certain tethering to the kitchen. Any meal or snack falling under “grab and go” is only such because I’ve already chopped an acre of vegetables, coated them in a barrel of fat, stirred, sauteed, roasted, or otherwise prepared a stockpile of food which can be parceled out on a busy Friday. Generally, I like being in the kitchen. It’s command central, in which I’m available to comment on Rose’s latest artistic series of smiley-toothed horses, or spot Col before he sneaks out the door with a lighter and dried bits of flammable shelf mushroom.
Yesterday’s harvest.
My body continues to lean towards healing, though it hasn’t been the linear process I’ve come to expect as an impatient American. This healing is more like a long journey in which the roadmap is written in Swahili and then got accidentally burned by Col and his lighter trigger-finger. I mean, I know where I’m trying to get to, just no idea how long it’ll take. Sometimes it’s a little surreal. I went to a block party last weekend and drank tea while the keg got tapped, flowed and then went dry. Recently, in the car, the Guess Who song No Sugar Tonight came on and Col and Rose asked, sincerely, “is that song about the paleo diet?”
Which is to say, I’m 100% committed. This healing diet, which looks a lot like a paleo diet, which looks a lot like meat and vegetables, is well, a lot of meat and vegetables. I feel most reassured when there is a deep well of prepared veggies in which to dip my thermos. I figure between trying to make a living and becoming kinder and more patient people, we’re also all trying to eat more vegetables, right?
Welcome to my new series (ha! you’ve heard that before, no?) on how to eat more vegetables.
Answer number 1: Roasted vegetables.
It’s just as easy to roast one as four trays of vegetables, as the oven and oil do the work. The veggies keep well in the fridge for days, intensifying in flavor over time. The vegetables go in the oven stern and disparate, and come out like one nation of caramalized and festive people.
Before:
After:
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Our dinner last night was a 10 pound tray of sweet potatoes, white potatoes, onion, garlic, zucchini, sausage and wild-caught shrimp. Oil and salt made the chorus sing beautifully. I contemplated the Brussel sprouts, but I wasn’t for certain if I wanted to share them.
Enjoy your road to healing – can’t imagine how hard the restrictions are, but I do hope the health makes it worth it!
I like the chunky sea salt. Yum :)
Rachel, I’m so sorry you’re not well! Sugar is a killer, woman. I have to lay off with regularity in this cider town, which equals rebellion for me. Sometimes I wonder why we today are becoming a) more sensitive/tuned into what many have been seemingly less reactive to in the past and b) so much more willing to make radical changes in order to take care of it whole and at home.
Either way, I’m sending you lots of loving thoughts as you navigate your health journey. xoxox p
P.S. Miles is a pyro too.
Pixie, I have my theories. We can discuss offline sometime. xo
oh yes, that book is sooooo good!
i love roasted veggies. thanks for the reminder. broccoli is my favorite! with hot sauce or crushed red pepper.
We are still enjoying that crack broccoli recipe you shared last year! I guess you would have to substitute the sugar with something else though. My absolute favorite veggies to roast have got to be beets, garlics, and onions. Keep healing Rachel!
hello! long time, been reading from afar.
so excited to hear you are full steam ahead on your journey to health! more soon…
I love roasting veggies, and I do it with whatever I have left in the fridge; tonight, with our burgers and cucumber salad, I’m roasting the left over broccoli, zucchini and cauliflower from last night’s dinner with the bunch of brussels I have. I usually use olive oil, garlic, onions, salt and pepper- almost any temp works ( I often go higher than 350 if I don’t have tons of time) and I just shake them every few minutes… yum! Of course, my kids love it when I add potatoes- but since tonight is Shabbat, we’ll have our simple carbs in the form of challah and burger buns!
love you Rachel! When are you coming home with the kids? Hope to see you when you do!
Love, Meredith
Mere! Shabbat Shalom. Love to you all. Not coming home anytime soon. :(
knew i felt a blog becoming when i saw your camera postured beside the cabbage jar…yet another awesome ripple within the soon to become tsunami of Yogini RT! xoxoxo
busted blogging when I was supposed to be babysitting. :)
Oh, the vicarious living I do when I stop by 6512! Roasted veggies are just the ticket for this pot-of-something weather work lunches. Outstanding tip, Rachel! (It could be that Col and I are long lost fire-dazed siblings.)
p.s. Is beet sugar a carb structure that doesn’t react adversely in your system? How wonderful! Beets are yummy and a good veg to eat so many ways. It would be sad to have to give them up!
Roasted veggies! Lord knows those might just be the answer to my prayers right now, rather than the endless stir fries.
roasted veggies FOREVAH. also – i *love* librarians in this totally deep and endless sort of way. they.are.great. xoxoxo
I love to sprinkle diced garlic and chives (if I have them) over most veggies before roasting. Yum.
Love, love, love roasted veggies. Leftover for dinner tomorrow and probably due for another pan (or two or four) in the oven soon. I usually use olive oil and a little kosher salt. I know you recommend coconut oil for many, many things. I’ve loved it in baked goods and with sauted shrimp, but not so much on eggs or veggies—too much coconut flavor. Wondering if you just like the flavor, got used to the flavor, or use some kind of coconut oil without so much flavor.
Sara,
I am so used to the coconut flavor, I really hardly taste it. Also, I like that coconut holds up to high heat. There’s debate about at what temp olive oil changes, losing much of its benefits, some say 300F. But, I must say, getting a 1/2 gallon of lard from $10 worth of local pastured pork fat has knocked coconut oil down a notch in my kitchen.
xo
Caramalized and festive, can we add that to our national anthem?
So glad you are on a road to feeling better. I bought a tagine awhile back. And I have every intention of using it. I gather it needs to be seasoned first. This has been an insurmountable obstacle so far. I like having (but do not currently have) an aerosol olive oil applicator, the refillable kind. I think less oil gets used. I don’t like cleaning blackened oil off of pans, so parchment paper sometimes happens. I have an enable roasting pan that comes cleaner than metal ones, more easily. My daughter eats caramelized roasted broccoli and cauliflower without needing lots of encouragement. I think I am supermama whenever she does.
I recently showed up to my girl’s classroom with pink fingertips from eating whole roasted beets, nothing else. I was impressed that a kid in the class asked me, “Have you been touching beets?” Not something I would have known could even happen, when I was that age. I think they only came in cans, unpalatable, back then…
I had to google tagine. Wow. Cool.
Roasted veggies are a huge hit at our house! Using flavored infused olive oils adds some variety too – lemon, basil or red pepper. I’ve also thrown fruit in like pineapple mixed with bell peppers and onions in coconut oil. Pineapple is probably a no go right now though.
Is cauliflower on your approved list? It is CRAZY good roasted.
We use our leftover roasted veggies (if there is any) in omelettes the next day.
Cauliflower, yes. Pineapple, no. But someday…
Such a beautiful chain of photos of the chickens. Those ladies are sauerkraut top models.
Just stumbled upon this TED Talk on youtube “Dong Woo Jang: The Art of Bow-Making.” A fifteen year old from seoul korea who learned bow making (even though he lives in the city).
I agree with Jessica above: cauliflower! No secret tips to share, though. I only use olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper when roasting vegetables.
I am wondering, though, how you reheat your refrigerated roasted vegetables. I don’t think I’d like them cold.
cast iron or pot, med heat, five minures: done!