COVID-19 Care Package

I drafted this post a few weeks ago intending to publish it in a lull between parks. But since many of us are sequestered in our relative homes I thought a few new recipes might be welcomed! The Muir-N-Slager clan is doing fine. We’ve made some schedule changes to avoid population centers but we are trucking along. I hope all of you are taking care and getting plenty of fresh air and home cooked meals.

Last summer I wrote a blog post bemoaning our tiny kitchen.  I started this trip believing in the 3 C’s of the kitchen – Countertop space, Cabinet space and temperature Consistency. I will end this trip knowing that none of those is essential for good cooking.  We may never win any cooking awards, but I can make delicious, healthy meals and Dan can make an outrageous loaf of bread in an RV kitchen.

Lack of the 3 C’s have certainly come with a learning curve.  I am not kidding when I say we have about 3 square feet of counter space when the sink and stove are in use.  Even with one or both sets of covers on (see pics below) the countertop space is scarce. And our cabinet space is even more limited.  Comparing our RV kitchen to our kitchen in Charlotte is like comparing a standard American kitchen with one in a Barbie Dream Home.  Now that I think of it, an Easy Bake Oven probably holds a more consistent temp than our RV oven.  It isn’t a total stretch of the imagination to think I had comparable cooking tools as an 8-year-old…  But, it’s an old adage that a bad workwoman blames her tools, so this year has been an exercise in using the tools we have.

This year has also been an exercise in moving even further towards a plant-based diet.  If you know me, you know I am a bit of a health nut.  Not to the point of refusing a great cheeseburger on occasion, but I make it a point to buy and cook as much healthy food as possible (see my side bar on buying great food below).  A few years ago, I read The China Study at the urging of my mom.  It’s was a bit of a tome at 400+ research heavy pages, but it was enlightening.  The Cliff Note version goes like this: animal proteins aren’t great for us – there is significant evidence that they “turn on” cancers and other diseases.  I believed the research at the time, but I didn’t make any radical changes to our diet, after all I have always believed in moderation and I thought our meat consumption was reasonable.  Fast forward a few years.  A girlfriend, recently turned vegan, recommended we watch “Forks Over Knives” which features the doctor that co-led The China Study.  A great, great documentary.  I almost guarantee you will like it regardless of your food choices.  Just a fascinating movie.  Cliff Note version is essentially the same as the book – but the presentation is more compelling.

So, the trick for the past few months has been feeding our family of 4 a largely plant based diet that tastes amazing out of a kitchen built for Barbie.  Game on!  We have mostly risen to the challenge.  We aren’t interested in going completely vegan, but we get pretty close most days.  Even on the days that we do eat meat or dairy, we try to incorporate those ingredients the way we use spices – for flavor, not for sustenance.  Below is the menu from the week before last (with recipe links if applicable).  I am focusing on dinners here, but breakfast and lunch follow the pattern with oatmeal, fresh fruits and veggies, hummus veggie wraps and PB&J. Dan has been an advocate and partner on this journey.  The girls are mostly with the program, but Hazel has started to get cross with my soup obsession.  Her last request was something like “mom, please no more bowls!”  Too funny. 

• Monday: Black bean soup with avocado and pickled red onion toppings and Dan’s fresh bread.  The soup is from the NYT.  Beautiful flavor but don’t believe their 2-hour estimate.  The beans either need to be soaked the night before or cooked longer.  Pickled red onions are my new obsession.  Bring a cup of white vinegar and a tablespoon or so of sugar to a simmer/dissolve sugar, pour over thinly sliced red onions and store in fridge.  So amazing. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018592-best-black-bean-soup.
• Tuesday: Pasta and salad, again with Dan’s bread.  This week we used dried pasta and sauce from a jar (I adore Mezzetta brand.  Stupid expensive but their Whole Garlic and Sweet Basil sauce is worth it.).  If we aren’t in the middle of nowhere (read: I can find a Whole Foods or other grocery with local vendors) we often get a fresh veggie-based ravioli – the girls love ravioli.  Salad varies, this week I did kale, roasted pumpkin seeds and diced dried apricots.  Ava makes our dressings – generally olive oil, balsamic, fresh garlic and Dijon.
• Wednesday: We went out to eat in Alpine, TX.  The meal wasn’t memorable, but the Shiner tasted great!
• Thursday: Stir fry. I did use chicken for this.  I cut a single chicken breast into slices and cooked in a skillet.  Removed chicken and de-glazed pan with stir fry sauce.  I have been using this recipe doctored with a little Siracha https://www.tasteslovely.com/best-stir-fry-sauce/.  Then I dump in a bag of frozen stir fry veggies and add the chicken back, shredding it up as I add it.  Serve over a bed of brown rice.  Speaking of which, I generally hate specialty appliances, but I did cave and buy a rice cooker, great purchase!
• Friday: pizza night.  I like Amy’s vegan veggie pizza but Dan and the kids do DiGiorgio’s pepperoni (I keep my trap shut about that cholesterol bomb…)
• Saturday: Buddha bowls.  I really like this recipe.  I generally don’t like chickpeas (unless they are served as hummus!) but this spicy version is nice.  I don’t add the swiss chard b/c the kids would protest. https://pollanfamilytable.com/vegetarian/buddha-bowl-with-roasted-sweet-potatoes-spiced-chickpeas-and-swiss-chard/.  We serve this with Dan’s bread.
• Sunday: Cauliflower soup.  I don’t care much for Cauliflower and was really surprised by how much I like this soup!  Attaching the first version we tried.  We also tried a version from the book Nathan Turner’s California.  It was even better but I can’t find where I stashed the recipe (originally saw it in a book in the Carmel by the Sea home we stayed in).   We served this with Dan’s bread too.  https://cookieandkate.com/creamy-roasted-cauliflower-soup-recipe/
• Dan’s Bread: this bread is such a luxury!  Dan originally learned this from Jim Lahey’s cookbook – a gift from Greg.  It is republished here in the NYT.  Try it, your family will love you for it.  https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11376-no-knead-bread

To all of you that are trying to incorporate as many whole, plant-based foods as practical, I hope these recipes help.  If you have recipes to share, send them via comments so others can enjoy as well!

Side note.. if you live in Charlotte, I strongly recommend buying a CSA share (Community Supported Agriculture) with Bluebird Farms.  They are based up in Morgantown and deliver a box of gorgeous fruits and veggies each week for their CSA customers.  You can also add eggs, beef and honey to the share.  I have been to their farm, it is a very well run operation and you can taste it in their produce.  If you don’t live in Charlotte, please sign up for a CSA where you live.  You will support local farmers and eat great, reasonably priced food.