Not forgotten! / Veggies / "Organic", he spat.

Not forgotten! / Veggies / "Organic", he spat.

Hello out there (echo echo echo....),

I hope that you have not given up on me yet. I am still trying to get my blogger's legs.

On this visit I would like to discuss veggie dishes.  Then perhaps we I will delve into one of my favorite and, at the same time, my most dreaded topics of discussion – Organic. Lastly we will cover my progress on the “Chocolate challenge”  

 Veggies.  Do you love them, hate them or are you indifferent?  I love them with a passion.  In fact there are very few vegetables that I don’t like (sorry radishes). I feel that pizza gets better with the more toppings you can pile on.  I even like vegetables that I used to not care for in the past.  Perfect examples of this are sweet potatoes and squash.  I thought that they were just this big mushy mess of over brown sugared goop.  But I found out later that they are actually vitamin and antioxidant-packed superfoods that when prepared right are something crave nearly nightly. (Take a look at the recipe attached at the end of this post for one of my favorite sweet potato recipes.)

Do not get me wrong, I love meat too and will create at least one blog post dedicated solely to the carnivores of the world but I have discovered the amazing division of the food market – veggie burgers.  Now, I get it that they do not taste even remotely like a hamburger but they have notched out a nice little place in the heart of my stomach.  The flavor and textures that the food companies have developed are amazing (my favorite is the Morningstar black bean burgers).  The one exception to the rule when it comes to mimicking the real animal flesh version would definitely have to be Boca brand Spicy Chick’n Patties.  These things are fantastic.

So let’s talk about vegetable dishes. As of late I have been preparing an awesome angel hair pasta that incorporates the addition of “noodles” of veggies that I have created using the vegetable peeler and fancy knife work to make long thin strips of zucchini, summer squash, leeks, onion and bell pepper that I sauté in olive oil with plenty of garlic. Once this is all married all together it makes for an incredible frenzy of flavor, texture and mouthfeel that is extremely satisfying. What is the best veggie dish you have ever eaten, ever made, ever wanted to try?

Well is it time to go there? Organic? Are you ready? Ok, Vamos a empezar.

Organic is the root of all evil!  No, I do NOT actually feel that way.  However I worry that some people depend on it way too much.  You see organic is not a silver bullet.  There is no silver bullet.  Organic is not any safer than traditionally processed foods because by taking away certain safety measures like non-fecal fertilizers and pesticides can open up a whole new cadre of problems.  Traditionally processed foods are, generally, very carefully scrutinized for food safety especially microbial issues (I know, I know Peanut Corp of America –PCA but they were incompetent, crooked, putzes).   I just want people that buy organic to know that the significantly higher prices that they pay for what some expect to be a food of superior quality and safety may not be all that.  For example take the juxtaposition of organic fields to non-organic fields. If you have a field of organic crops and you are very careful to follow all of the appropriate organic practices, including using only organic fertilizers and not using pesticides, your efforts may be all for naught if the field next to you is practicing conventional farming practices.  This is because the conventional farming practices would be ok with use of both aforementioned techniques and since the fields are close there could be cross contamination.  For example, the fertilizer used on the conventionally processed field could be washed over to the organic field via the ground water or a heavy rain.  Also, the pesticides could very easily be blown over to the organic field from the non-organic field if they were applied carelessly or during a windy day.  For a very interesting editorial from someone that is very anti-organic check out “David Sheffield '11: Organic Food is Bovine Manure” published Monday, March 15, 2010 in the Brown Daily Herald.  It is especially over the top so it makes me laugh.  

The great Chocolate Challenge – Well, it is at kind of a stalled effort due to time constraints but two good things are happening this upcoming week to help. First, I am scheduling specific time just for cooking because it always helps me relax. Second salmon is on sale at my favorite fish market, St. Paul Fish Company!.  I am still starting with the chocolate lasagna entre and should have pictures and a report for you by next week’s post.  That brings me to my last topic: the frequency of my blog posts.

I have added my FoodSciGuy posts to my schedule so I will now post something every Thursday OR Sunday (to allow for emergencies). I will also make some “rogue” postings as the mood strikes me or if something major happens in the food universe.

These are all just things to think about.  Let me know what you think.  Maybe we will revisit the organic topic again in another issue of FoodSciGuy.

Keep it tasty, Cyberspace,

Eric the Food Sci Guy

Sweet Potato Freedom Bakes Recipe

·         3 large sweet potatoes: peeled and sliced into ¼ x ¼ x 1 inch “sticks”

·         4-5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes: washed and sliced into ¼ x ¼ x 1 inch “sticks”

·         1 large sweet onion peeled and sliced into ¼ inch “quarter-moons”

·         2 tablespoons or extra virgin olive oil

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         1 teaspoon granulated garlic

·         ¼ teaspoon ground red pepper (optional)

Place all ingredients into a large bowl and toss to coat

Place the mixture in one layer onto a baking sheet

Place into a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft on the inside and slightly crisp on the outside.

Add any additional seasoning to taste.

        Try dipping in ketchup or an aioli...Enjoy!