While helping her grandma put together emergency kits for our family, my daughter asked “Dad, if there’s an earthquake, what would you like for lunch?”

This is a yummy take-off on nuts and bolts. Since my kids won’t eat nuts (and they’re not allowed to take nuts to school anyway), we developed this nut-free alternative. This version is far better than the commercial brands - way less salt and open to endless variations. If you don’t want to make such a big batch, halve all the ingredients. Alternately, if you want a really big batch feel free to double or triple the recipe.
If you don’t have enough grey hairs yet, I highly recommend cooking with your children!

Missy T’s Munchie Mix

Preheat oven to 250 degrees Farenheit.

Ingredients:

2 cups pretzels (stick pretzels, ABC pretzels, mini twists, lower sodium, etc.)

2 cups goldfish crackers (President’s Choice gators, mini Ritz, etc. work well here too)

2 cups Crispix cereal (these get really crispy and yummy)

2 cups Cheerios cereal (can use multigrain or a sweet version like Apple Cinnamon as well)

3 tbsp unsalted butter (I prefer unsalted butter but you could also use a trans-fat free margarine like Becel; keep in mind Becel is saltier)

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (use less if you don’t like it too savoury)

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1. In a 9″ x 13″ pan, mix together the pretzels, goldfish crackers and both cereals.

2. Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave (30 to 60 seconds). Add the Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder. Mix well and pour over the munchie mix. Stir well to thoroughly distribute the liquid.

3. Bake in a 250 degree F. oven for 30 minutes - stir every 5 to 10 minutes.

4. Remove from oven and cool before eating. Warning - this stuff is addictive!

Since this is way too many carbs for my diet I was thinking that a nutty version with similar seasonings may prove to work really well for me. I’ll do my best to develop and post a recipe.

At a recent dinner party this was the most requested recipe.  I adapted it from a recipe in “The Complete Book of Indian Cooking” by Shehzad Husain and Rafi Fernandez.  The recipes are all in the “Balti style” - a quick and easy style of Indian cooking, similar to Chinese stirfrying. 

When I made the beef and carrot version of the recipe it took longer than stirfrying as I used chunks of beef stew meat and simmered them until tender.  You can also use lamb, pork or more tender cuts of beef to cook a faster version of this curry.  Enjoy …

Beef and Carrot Curry

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 large onion, diced

1 piece fresh ginger, 2 inches long, grated or finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

6-8 curry leaves (I used dried ones)

3 tbsp hot curry paste (I used Patak’s brand, it comes in a bottle and is available at most grocery stores)

3 tsp cayenne powder

1 tsp turmeric

salt to taste

2 lb lean lamb, beef or pork, cubed

3-4 medium carrots, peeled and cut in stew size chunks

3/4 cup thick coconut milk

chopped tomato and cilantro leaves for garnish

1.  Heat the oil in a large saucepan or wok and fry the onion, ginger, garlic and curry leaves until the onion is soft, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the curry paste, cayenne, turmeric and salt and cook for a few moments, stirring frequently.

2.  Add the meat and stir well over a medium heat to seal and evenly brown the meat pieces.  Keep stirring until the oil separates.  Cover and cook for about 20 minutes - or longer if the meat is not tender.  I simmered the stew meat for a few hours to tenderize it.  Lamb or pork would cook much more quickly. 

3.  Add the coconut milk, mix well.  Add the carrots and simmer until they are tender - 20 to 30 minutes.  Towards the end of cooking, uncover the pan to reduce the excess liquid.  Garnish and serve hot.

Another yummy one. Looks like a large spaghetti squash on the outside. On the inside looks more like a honeydew melon. Tastes like a cross between a honeydew and a cantaloupe. Has very little rind. Two thumbs up.

In my continuing exploration of the produce department I have forced my family to try chayote squash and charentais melon. First the squash - yum! It looks like a green pear and tastes like a firmer, tastier zucchini. Very easily prepared - I cut it in half, removed the very small pit and then sliced it. We ate it a few times: once it was grilled in our stirfry basket on the bbq - seasoned with salt and pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The second time I stirfried it with a peanut sauce. Both ways were delicious. Very little wastage with this veggie and the peel is also delicious. Apparently you can also eat it raw but I found the peel to be very astringent.  Our squash made its journey here from Costa Rica.
The Charentais melon (said “French Kiss” melon on the label) looks like a smaller cantaloupe but has a greener rind and green lines on it. It tastes like an excellent cantaloupe. I would highly recommend it - ours came from T&T via Arizona.

Geek is one of those childhood insults which is now nouveau cool.

I’ve long enjoyed referring to my husband as a science geek and we have countless friends and family members who are computer geeks. A special thank you should go to my brother here as he is responsible for getting me into the blogging world and slowly away from the tiny scattered scraps of paper on which I write notes and recipes and ideas.

I am still suffering from the pen and paper addiction as I find it challenging to get computer time most days. Many of my posts are the culmination of hastily written notes which then sit around and gather dust until I can make my way to the computer. Some sense of urgency often forces the issue - recipe requests from friends are a good example.

But back to the geek thing. Lately, I have wondering if I may be nearing food geekdom. Some of my symptoms:

1. I’ll take Wusthof over BMW any day.

2. Karen Barnaby is my hero (I know, I know, I’m sounding a little obsessive over this one).

3. Smoked Alaska black cod makes me swoon.

4. Curtis Stone makes my knees weak (Aussie chef on Take Home Chef).

5. Who needs DeBoers when you can have KitchenAid.

6. I know what time it is by what’s on the Food Network.

7. The thing I miss most when I’m away from home is my gas cooktop.

Not exactly a top ten but definitely getting close. What brings out your inner geek?

On June 30, 2006 I e-mailed Karen Barnaby at the Fish House to regale her with stories of how much I adored her cookbook “the Low Carb Gourmet.” Alas, she never replied. Do I sound like a stalker? Following is a verbatim copy of my e-mail. I’ll let you be the judge …

Dear Karen:

I’m convinced we shared a palate in a former life, or at the very least are identical twins separated at birth.

The reason I say this is because I believe every recipe from your cookbook, “the Low Carb Gourmet” was created specifically for me.

I’ve tried dozens of recipes from your book and have savoured every one! My family is getting used to the “triple threat” - three recipes from your cookbook all in the same meal, and have also begun to refer to you as “mommy’s hero.”

I have hundreds of cookbooks, most of which I use a recipe or two out of, and often have to modify to my own liking. With your book I know I will love the way the recipe tastes before I even make it.

Last night I made the prawns and tomato coconut cream, the cinnamon spiced lemon chicken and the cucumber lime peanut salad. Absolutely delicious. I threw some fresh sugar snap peas from the garden in with the prawn dish - ooh la la, it was incredible.

The night before I made the lamb feta meatballs - but converted them to burgers to cook on the bbq. They were so moist and flavourful - a great summer time meal.

Earlier in the week I made the bbq ribs and the edamame with chili, garlic and soy. Another night I made the Korean style tofu, and pork shiitake meatballs. I could go on and on but it makes me too hungry.

My 5 year old daughter made me some bookmarks just for your cookbook so I can refer to several recipes at once.

What’s also great about your book is all the excellent information on ingredients, low carb-ing, cooking tips and techniques, etc. I only wish there was a photograph for every recipe.

I have NEVER written a letter like this to anyone else before. But I felt compelled to write to you to thank you for your amazing taste, passion and willingness to share your love and knowledge of food through your writing.

I’d love to cook you dinner one day!

Sincerely,

Ellen Kurz

Good news on the Korean melon - very crisp flesh, tastes like a cantaloupe but a bit sweeter, very thin rind so there’s little waste. The flesh colour is white like the inside of a pear. It would be a unique and delicious addition to a fruit platter.

The jicama turned into quite a refreshing summer salad.  After looking at quite a few recipes I ended up just doing my own thing.  Very simple, tart and crisp.  The jicama has a unique peel - I found it easiest to start peeling with a veggie peeler and then pulling the strips of peel off by hand.  The jicama flesh is a bit starchy and leaves a slippery film on your hands.  I’ve heard it described as tasting like green apple but I found it didn’t have as much flavour as a green apple.  It’s more of a crisp texture that needs some zestiness.  The flesh needs to be grated or sliced quite thinly as the texture can be quite woody otherwise.  Anyway, here’s my salad recipe:

Jicama Salad

1/2 large jicama, peeled and cut into matchsticks

(probably about 1 lb)

lime juice - 2 to 3 tbsp

dried red chili flakes to taste

sea salt to taste

2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Put the jicama in a bowl.  Toss with the lime juice, chili flakes and salt.  Garnish with the cilantro.  Chill until serving. 

This salad would go well with barbequed meats, spicy stirfries or Mexican food.  Enjoy!

Even though I eat a huge variety of fruits and veggies already, I’m constantly amazed by the vast amount of different types of produce I have yet to try.

As a lower carb eater, fruits and veggies make up the majority of my food intake. So, one of my goals for the summer is to try a new fruit or veg every week.

Yesterday my husband and I went to T&T in Vancouver and as usual were overwhelmed by the astounding selection of produce. We bought a few items we have never tasted before:

1) Korean melon - yellow and white striped and about the size of a Nerf football.

2) Jicama - kinda looks like a turnip. Supposed to taste like a green apple and is good grated or in matchstix for a refreshing salad. I was able to find several recipes in my collection, most calling for a citrusy vinaigrette.

I’m eager to start experimenting and will let you know how it all turns out!