Why, hello there...long time no see! I know, It’s been a while since I did one of these, and a lot of things have happened in the world since my last blog post. The holidays have come and gone, we’ve elected a new president, and we are well into a new year. Consequently, lots has happened with me personally as well. Life has been busy, but not necessarily in a bad way. There's also been a recent development with the blog, so continue reading as I unveil a little surprise for all you Fiscally Fit Foodies!
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Ah, rice. It’s a simple, filling, economical, and healthy side item that can take on many flavors and textures. It can be sweet (rice pudding) or savory (charred corn risotto, anyone?) or both at the same time (biryani, for instance). When mixed with beans, it is a powerhouse of amino acids, fiber, protein, and overall tasty goodness. There’s a reason why it’s so prolific in so many different cultures and cuisines. Lots of reasons, actually. Brown rice and white rice are nutritionally pretty similar, although brown rice comes in slightly ahead in what it offers without enhancement assistance. White rice is basically brown rice with a couple/three layers removed and then companies tend to “enrich” these grains to put back some of the nutrients that were lost. So you’re not experiencing a large fall-off in nutrition if you prefer white rice over brown, but it requires a proactive approach from growers/sellers to get there. People often say brown rice is not their favorite thing because it’s bland or dry, but I guarantee you this Cuban mojo-style rice will not lack for flavor and the black bean juice that the rice soaks up ensures that your end product will be anything but dry.  My CSA box has provided me with a steady flow of non-GMO corn the past few weeks and it’s so wonderful that most of it has been consumed as-is. I love the taste of it so much that I don’t even bother to season it half the time. I do enjoy cutting it off the cob and mixing it with other veggies like squash, onions, and tomatoes occasionally, but it’s some seriously good stuff without any accoutrements. Anyhow, one of my favorite preparations with the fresh corn is a shrimp and “grits” (that’s in quotation marks because it is just a chunky corn puree with seasonings). It’s great, and I’ll give you that recipe eventually, but lately I’ve been on a risotto kick. Yes, it’s a little time-consuming and it’s typically not healthy WHEN you get it in a restaurant (see my Eating Out vs Eating in blog post), but it only takes about 35-40 minutes and you can elect not to add tons of butter and cheese if you so choose. Mushroom risotto is one of my favorites and mushrooms go so well with corn, so I brainstormed and came up with a charred sweet corn risotto with marinated portabella mushrooms and herbed goat cheese...and a crispy bread crumb/herb topping. And yes, it’s relatively healthy – pretty exciting, huh? What, you are scared of “charred” corn? You shouldn’t be.  Summer is in full swing, and we all know what that means..........................tomato season! What, you were expecting a list of things like outdoor concerts, beach visits, vacations, and cool/refreshing beverages? I suppose those are okay too, but there’s just something special about a fresh tomato. What people don’t realize is that the majority of the tomatoes they eat (especially during the winter time) have traveled for a while, and naturally they must be refrigerated as they make the trek to your supermarket. The problem with this is that tomatoes are temperamental travelers. Their optimal flavor and texture are forever lost in this chilly environment. Think about it...they thrive in warmer temperatures for a reason, right? 
Obtaining local tomatoes from a farmer’s market or CSA box (which is where I got these from) will lead to the discovery that while the grocery store offers a somewhat decent tomato, there is a far more amazing world of tomato-ey possibilities out there. Excited yet? You should be. It’s 5pm and you’re heading home from work after a long day. You’re starting to get hungry as you sit in traffic and glance over at a fellow traffic-endurer who is working on obliterating a fast food feast and throwing empty wrappers into the ever-growing pile in his back seat. Now you’re tempted to grab something on the way home so that you can plop down on the couch immediately and watch TV until exhaustion sets in and you eventually pass out. Or maybe you call up your spouse and tell them you’re eating out tonight. Eating out is okay if you do it once in a while. We all deserve to treat ourselves occasionally. Let’s be honest though. What percentage of the time do you opt for the eating out over the eating in? Probably more often than you’d like to admit. Convenience? Sure, it’s convenient...but at what cost? What are they actually putting in your food when you eat out? Even if it’s “healthy,” chances are you have no idea. Let’s discuss the implications of your decision.  FIGscally Fit Foodie is continuing for one more post, and today it’s with a minimal effort (and low number of ingredient) masterpiece that I refer to as Spiced Honey Fig Jam. The fig tree in my backyard was kind enough to provide me with an abundance of figs this season, so it seemed fitting to do a savory (see my last post about fig-braised beef) and a sweet preparation that went beyond the normal dehydration or just eating them straight up. 
Shortly after moving into my house in 2010, I planted a fig tree. It was approximately two feet tall, had about three leaves, and there was no fruit in sight. In the early part of 2011, my dogs decided to level the tree and take it down to a nub that was about four inches in height. It was shredded and I figured it was done. I was wrong. After five years, the tree is now about seven feet tall and wide (after having 150 figs harvested from it this season). 
Yep, that's my fig tree - it seems to love this Texas summer heat!
So what do you do with 150 figs in a short period of time? Well, you eat some as-is, of course. You also can dehydrate some for later, grill them, candy them, make a sauce, or make FIG JAM (I’ll give you this little gem in the next post). 2014 was the first year when I got a significant yield from my tree, and I decided to invent a dish that is much more outside-the-box... By now you’ve read my previous blog post about choosing the proper cookware for your kitchen and are no doubt armed with your new primary set of stainless steel cookware, a non-stick pan, and a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven, right? The question we’re addressing today is how do you clean each of these effectively? All three varieties have varying characteristics and therefore cannot be cleaned the same way. We’ll go through each type of cookware and how to clean each one. It’s a good idea to have some hot water, a paper towel, and a towel readily available. For the most part that covers the primary cleaning of all of these, but every so often you neglect the cookware or burn something and have it stick (eek!) and something more drastic is required. Don’t worry, this is fixable. Well, the pan part of that equation is fixable anyhow. You might want to consider starting over on that burnt food, however!  My phone rings and it’s my friend, Michael. He is on his way home from Dallas and has stopped to peruse some peaches that are being sold roadside by a farmer. Suddenly this song came to mind (it's a song, so keep that in mind before you click this at work). Anyhow, he says they’re gigantic and asks if I’d be so inclined to help him and his girlfriend preserve “a few peaches” in whatever way I thought was best (he was referring to making peach preserves and canning them, basically). Little did I know that a literal crate full of these gargantuan fruits were headed my way. He wasn’t wrong about them being gems though...take a look at these beauties:  It came to my attention that after all the savory recipes, you were probably hoping to see a slightly sweet one pop up at some point. Well, it’s your lucky day - it’s cherry season (or the tail end of it anyhow)!  When you think of a sweet something-or-other with cherries, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Close your eyes and visualize it. What did you see? Oh, you were thinking about just plopping them in your mouth and eating them, huh? Nah, you want to do something more creative than that. How about pairing them with some chocolate? Perhaps some vanilla, cinnamon, or almonds? Well, I’ve created a recipe with some version of all of these things which can function as a dessert OR a breakfast. Excited yet? Keep on reading! |
Hey, everyone! I'm James -- a foodie who maintains a healthy lifestyle. A lifestyle that includes the food, fitness, fun, and fiscal aspects of health.
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