wednesday afternoons

From seventh through twelfth grade, Adriana and I went to an interesting school. Depending on where you're from, you might know the type. It was the sort of place where we were allowed to call our teachers by their first names, where art and foreign language were both core classes, and where you could easily fit our entire graduating class into one small classroom. With room to spare.

One of our school's many eccentricities was the Wednesday Half Day. On Wednesdays, we would only have half of our classes, and we would leave the squat building we called our campus at around 12:30. Adriana tells me this half day phenomenon was intended to give us time for the obligatory community service required by the school's founding principles. Most weeks, the two of us used it to fit in an extra study session. Cool we were not, but at least we got some really good grades.

And so it was that Wednesday afternoons constituted some of our first forays into trying to feed ourselves. If we were at Adriana's house, lunch might consist of Cheese Toast, spongy-sweet potato bread laden with Tillamook cheddar and broiled into open-faced sandwiches of bubbly deliciousness. If we found ourselves at my house, lunch often meant quesadillas we assembled in the microwave or Top Ramen boiled on the stove. While we've come quite a long way since then, both culinarily and nutritionally, there is one creation from that time that I am happy to reprise now: Rice noodles with peanut sauce.

Back then, I boiled the noodles and sparingly stirred in a few spoonfuls of the bottled gourmet peanut sauce I found in the fridge. I never lavished the noodles in quite as much sauce as I would have liked, as that stuff tasted so good to me, it might as well have been liquid gold. These days, I don't want to spend the money or the time seeking out the ideal sauce. I would much rather create one that suits my needs exactly. Throw in a little chicken for protein and broccoli florets to sop up all that flavorful sauce, and I have a delicious and nourishing meal. I love how sometimes, growing up is as easy as realizing you can make a sauce better than the one from the bottle. And serving a cucumber salad alongside your noodles.

Peanut Sesame Noodles

Adapted from Gourmet, June 2002

Peanut Sauce:

1/2 cup smooth, organic peanut butter

1/4 cup low sodium tamari

1/3 cup warm water

2 Tbs. chopped ginger

1 large garlic clove, chopped

2 Tbs. rice wine vinegar

1 1/2 Tbs. Asian sesame oil

2 tsp. honey

1 Tbs. crushed red pepper

1 tsp. dulse flakes

Noodle Salad:

3/4 lb. thin dried rice noodles

4 scallions, thinly sliced

3 cooked chicken breasts

1 head broccoli, lightly steamed or sauteed

3 Tbs. toasted sesame seeds

Whisk sauce ingredients in a medium-sized bowl until they form a thick sauce. Cook rice noodles according to directions on package (usually by boiling about 3 minutes), and drain water from noodles. Add chicken, broccoli, sauce, and most of the scallions and sesame seeds, reserving some for garnish. Stir until noodles, chicken, and broccoli are coated with sauce. Serve on plates or shallow bowls, and garnish with reserved scallions and sesame seeds.

Cucumber Salad

Adapted from Gourmet, October 2001

Ingredients:

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/2 tsp. agave nectar

1 tsp. low sodium tamari

1 tsp. Asian sesame oil

2 medium cucumbers, sliced very thin on a mandolin

Whisk first four ingredients together until agave nectar dissolves. Place sliced cucumbers in a bowl, and pour in enough dressing to coat each slice (you will probably have some dressing left over). Toss the cucumbers to coat, let sit for 15 minutes in the fridge, and toss them again. Serve.

-Kylie

Of Politics and Plantains

I'm not going to lie. Ever since Tuesday night I've been walking on clouds. After all, I was standing amidst a crowd of 175,000 elated, jittery supporters in Grant Park in Chicago when the T.V. flashed the breaking news: Barack Obama Elected President. I've spent a lot of time in the days following thinking about what this will mean for Americans in the next four years. A lot of policy change, for sure, but there's something more...something I couldn't quite put my finger on. "Could it be that, for the first time, I'm...I'm...not actually embarrassed to be an American," I asked myself. The little cynic inside my head seemed blind-sided by the revelation and offered no rebuttal.

These were the thoughts that were running through my head as I flipped through a new cookbook yesterday afternoon in search of dinner. If Barack Obama can take on a war in Iraq, America's broken reputation among the international community, environmental destruction, capital hill corruption, a failing health care system, and an ailing economy, I can probably take on a new recipe. See? This man is an inspiration to us all.

And what better way to celebrate America's triumphant return to the international community than by exploring a truly international dish? The dinner decision had been made: Smokey South-American Chipotle Chicken Stew, coming right up.

I found the original version of this recipe in one of my all-time favorite books, GRUB, by Anna Lappe and Bryant Terry. If you've never heard of this book, and you're even remotely interested in sustainable agriculture, food justice, organics and your health, or just delicious recipes, please, please, please check this book out from your local library (sorry, the Chicago Public Library's copy is taken!) While the stew turned out to be quite delicious, especially after re-heating it the next day, it was cooking the plantains that turned out to be the most fun. If you've never fried a plantain before, go out and get one now. Yes, you. Get yourself a plantain and fry it, because I assure you it's an experience unlike any other. Part culinary challenge and part game, preparing the plantains (and working to keep them from burning) was a bucket of fun. Besides, the plantains turned out to be the one ingredient that really made this sweet, smokey stew something different.

Smokey South-American Chipotle Chicken Stew
Adapted from GRUB
Prep time: 20 min
Cooking Time: 1 hour 10 min

Ingredients
5 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced red onions
2 chipotle chilies, canned in adobo sauce, finely chopped
10 garlic cloves, finely chopped
One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
Coarse sea salt
3 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2 in. pieces
1/3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken meat (I used the breast meat, but thigh would work well too) chopped into small, bite-size pieces
2 large ripe plantains, cut diagonally into 1/2 inch slices
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Step 1: Cook 2 tablespoons olive oil, onions, and chipotles in a medium saucepan over high heat for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for 5 minutes more.

Step 2: Add tomatoes and stir constantly over medium heat until mixture has cooked down to a thick consistency, about 10 minutes. Stir in the vegetable stock and 2 teaspoons salt (or more, depending on your taste).

Step 3: Add the potatoes and chicken, bring to a boil, cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about 45 min to an hour, or until the potatoes have softened and the stew has thickened a bit.

Step 4: While the stew is simmering, prepare the plantains. Warm the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add half of the plantain slices and fry until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Drain the plantains on paper towels. Fry the second batch of plantain slices.

Step 5: Add the fried plantains and cilantro to the stew and simmer for 5 more minutes.

This stew is hearty, spicy, and delicious all on its own, but you can also serve it with a grain of your choice (brown rice, quinoa, and amaranth are all good bets).


Nutrition Note
In writing this post, I did a bit of research on the nutritional value and health benefits of the plantain. There seem to be a number of dubious home remedies associated with this enormous banana, and I can't help but share a few of my favorites with you:

• Banana or plantain has been widely used as an anti-wrinkle treatment. Mash 1/4 banana till it becomes a smooth paste. Cover your face with it and leave it for 15-20 minutes before rinsing with warm water followed by splashes of cold water. Pat it dry.
• You can use banana peel inside out for treatment of warts. Use the peel inside out and cover the wart by taping it. Once the peel turns black remove and continue this for some weeks to get relief from wart.
• If you are pregnant, and want to avoid leg cramps, eat bananas before going to bed.
  

Home remedies aside, the plantain, along with its more conventional banana-cousins, does boast a number of health benefits that are supported by people with an "M.D." after their name. Being rich in vitamin B6, vitamin C, potassium, and manganese, as well as dietary fiber, help give bananas their claim to fame.

-Adriana