For the Health of It

“The food you eat can be the safest & most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison”

— Anne Wigmore

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I reference this quote for a few reasons:

1. I have a special fondness for Ms. Wigmore because I believe she is correct. According to trusty Wikipedia it states that she is known as “the mother of living foods”, she was an early pioneer in the use of wheatgrass juice and living foods for detoxifying and healing the body, mind, and spirit.

2. She is from Lithuania & my last name’s Lithuianan (unless someone lied to me, but I’ll continue thinking that it is). So, this automatically gives her cool points.

3. After enduring winter in Eastern Europe followed by lots of masa’s (parties with LOTS of food) & holiday celebrations, I could feel my body starting to scream for mercy.

Finaalllyyy summer has arrived & we’ve jumped on the “treat-your-body-well-and-be-healthy” bandwagon. The change of seasons is accompanied by many more desirable options at the local piața for a much more reasonable price. This makes us smile because there are now GREEN VEGGIES in our diet and we can save a little more of that Moldovan Lei.

MDL- local currency

Now, that we are making an effort to not consume bread, potatoes, and candy bars- one of our favorite healthy substitues to prepare is what we call a ‘Green Smoothie’. Basically, we pull every green veggie from our refrigerator and blend it together. To be honest, these bad boys do not look appealing at all, but they’re super healthy. Plus, you can mix up the ingredients for variety by adding cayenne pepper or cinnamon.

Now, we understand that making such ‘Green Smoothies’ is not a new phenomenon and not every PCV is fortunate enough to have a blender. However, maybe we can motivate you to jump on the health kick as well and leave the poisoning of our bodies for weekend extravaganzas.

Ingredients:

♦Spinach     ♦Carrots    ♦Lettuce     ♦Cucumbers    ♦Cabbage    ♦Apples    ♦Lemon Juice

The components of our “Green Veggie Smoothie”

Final product of healthiness!

Granted it does not look remotely appealing. But I promise it tastes much better than it appears

 

Now, go eat a salad and save the pizza for another day! Your body will appreciate it and maintaining a healthy diet makes looking at yourself in the mirror much more enjoyable.

Cheers!!

 

Moldovan Winter Survival Guide: 2013

Prior to Moldova, winter was simply that thing that happened to people who decided to live in really cold climates.

Me? Winter only meant we could not sunbathe…instead our  amusement derived from testing our physical skills on the beach….such as cartwheels.

Sullivans Island, South Carolina.
So beautiful!

Then, I applied for Peace Corps. I received my 1st preference for Sub-Saharan Africa where temperatures stay relatively high. I was pleased. However, not everything works out as planned. Joke was on me as I tackled my first “real” winter. Thanks, Moldova. I’m cold….and  I’m hungry.

The land here is beautiful. The nutrients so rich that you can spit a grape seed on the ground…years later a vineyard will appear. The flavor of the produce is succulent and the color beautifully vibrant. Fire engine red tomatoes vivid purple eggplant. Seriously, fruits and vegetables would make Whole Foods surrender and fall to its knees. Our meals come from the gardens we pass on our daily running trails. The juicy grapes that currently occupy a bowl on our kitchen table are cut from the vines of the host family’s terrace.

Personally, we really enjoy going to the piata for fresh produce. Just to elaborate our L.O.V.E, occasionally, we must throw on a ‘restraining order’ on ourselves if visits are reaching day #4 that week.  Note- it’s barely open 5 days-a-week.  The local ladies know us- and yes, I’m disregarding the fact that we stand out like the obvious Americans that we represent. But, we truly enjoy purchasing produce straight from the Baba’s gardens. Actually, this is a prime example of how we can get a bit…carried away….

Lately, our obsessive produce purchasing habits benefited because we are on a mission…

Goal: Survive Winter 2013 in Moldova.

Objective: Take advantage of the current low cost veggies through creative freezing techniques while shoving our faces with stuff that’s still green.

So far, we are far exceeding our expectations. We have prepared & froze:

• About a dozen jalapeno peppers…that’s a lie. We did this little number as well ‘kitchen décor/future condiment’
• Ratatouille (vegetable bake dish)
• Stuffed Ground Pork Peppers with Hrisca (buckwheat)
• Eggplant
• Green Smoothies (a concoction of green veggies blended with lemon juice & tossed into a ziplock)
• Curried Zucchini Soup
• Cinnamon Zucchini Bread
• Sugar Cookie Dough (This is just a self-defense mechanism so we don’t eat the cookies in 48 hrs)
• Thai cilantro marinade

Now, fellow Peace Corps Volunteers who can manage freezer space or convince your host family to section out a 6 inches of their freezer for you……have fun with these recipes!

Zucchini Soup

*It was not until I picked 3 too many kilos of Zucchini & realized that I needed to do something with this green goddess of a vegetable. Especially, because they’re SO DELICOUS right now! Yeah, that’s right they actually have flavor!

Ingredients:

• Zucchini cut into chunks
• Soup Stock (Veggie or Chicken)
• Onions & Garlic diced
• Condiments- salt, pepper, curry, basil…whatever you please

 

 

The Magic: #1: Look up Zucchini Soup Recipe. Then read how I semi-followed it….

Throw all your diced garlic & onions in a pan & sauté. Dust with salt & pepper. Then add your stock, followed by your zucchini and let all that jazz simmer for….ohh….15-20 minutes? Enough to get the zucchini tender, but not mushy soft. After that add everything into a blender/food processor until a smooth consistency. Put in a pot to cool. Repeat. You’re finished. Yay.

Ground Pork stuffed Peppers with Hrisca

Basically, we took the abundance of peppers, cleaned them out, stuffed them with fully cooked ground pork, mixed with Hrisca (Buckwheat inst of white rice) because we try to be waist-line conscious, stuffed the mixture in the peppers & froze ‘em. When we’re ready to enjoy- all that is necessary is throwing the green guys in the oven until they defrost & the pepper is tender.

Zucchini Bread:

This recipe is amazingly easy and great to prepare since the veggie currently at a low cost!

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 cups grated fresh zucchini
• 2/3 cup melted unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• Pinch salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

For more Pizazz add:

• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 cup  raisins

Mix that stuff together & bake! It’s delish! If you want, it’s possible to also add more nutmeg, allspice, or something wintery along those lines….

The days are slowly getting a bit colder and it’s a Saturday morning. This means, time to get dressed in my finest & hit up the piața and start another day of cooking and freezing in the most valiant attempt to survive this winter.

Cheers!

From Moldova to the “Culinary Never-Never Land of Foodies”

I had the lovely opportunity to jet set back to the states for a little R,R, & FI (Rest, Relaxation, & Food Indulgence) for a couple weeks. This blog is not to discriminate one food culture from another because let’s face it- that’s just not fair. I would be pretty hardcore biased if such a comparison were to go down. Instead, this post is simply to allow for you all to drool and gain a little more appreciation for our personal favorite bites.

First and foremost, I had the pleasure of returning to Charleston, S.C.- the Promised Land for Foodie Lovers. If you want to take a vacation and stuff your face like a fat kid with the most delicious, local grown, innovative, food prepared by award winning chefs- I highly encourage you to take the plunge into the city that makes food ‘Sexy’. Yes, you read it right- Sexy. The food in Charleston is so sexy that it will blow your mind, make you lose all inhabitations, and worst of all the culinary scene there will tease you so much that you’ll succumb to its addictive powers, bow down to the Master Minds of the kitchen and find yourself crawling back for more. Such a tease, isn’t? Not to mention quite embarrassing because this is simply biodegradable matter that people serve and in return as a gesture of appreciation- you’ll simply poop it out. Think about it.

So my first stop in Charleston was this awesome little joint my buddy Joey Ryan &  Joshua Walker opened called Xio Bao Biscut. Joey is the genius behind the bar & everything front of the house while his partner’s domain is the kitchen and all things that taste delish.  With their powers combined, they’ve got this hot little number hitting the spot. A fav on the menu which basically a cabbage pancake that can be topped with egg sunny side up or sweet pork candy. Now, let me tell ya, these little sweet pork candies are tiny nuggets with a taste that adds an extra spunk to the party that’s already going down in your mouth. So, I tell Joey to order for me- after all he knows best. His expert opinion delivered a bowl of fried rice tossed with pork candies and topped with pan seared local grouper. HOLY. FOOD. HEAVEN. Was this real life? I didn’t stop to pinch myself- I just shoved my face full of food & even helped myself to some of my friend’s cabbage pancake. After all, Sandra was ordered by her doctor not to chew due to some kind of jaw pains. I was being a good friend and helping her out while reminding myself that there are starving children in Africa, therefore, leave no food on the plate.

The next new place I visited was Rarebit. Since I’m a food nerd in love with Charleston culinary scene, I still read the City Paper’s ‘Food  + Drink’ section to get to dirt on all the new, failing, and re-invented restaurants. Their drink menu is top notch with the guidance of my old co-worker Brett Sweatman. Moscow Mule, in the gold tin cup. So classic.

Now, aside from loving the cocktail list I was more than impressed by the menu prices and they server breakfast ALL DAY LONG. Yup, chicken and waffles for dinner with a side of grits. Done. However, this time around I hit up the Patty Melt for $7 with a ginormous side of onion rings for $3.50. All together that can barely get me a tossed green salad at some joints in Charleston. Oh, and I met the owner because he now plays on my old soccer team, Dead Rabbits. Cool guy. Down to earth. I’m glad he brought Rarebit to Charleston. Check out the review http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/charleston/is-the-rarebit-a-stylish-throwback-or-a-brave-step-forward/Content?oid=4556872

In the midst of all this delicious cooked food- I couldn’t leave without getting my raw food fix. Oysters at my old stomping grounds, Amen Street, was a must. The flavor of the local oysters were indeed worth the year’s wait. Also, not to get off topic, but if you’re not familiar with oysters, I would just like to throw out there that not all oysters taste the same. Just like not all red wine taste the same. This may sound a bit biased, but Charleston oysters are definitely some of the most delicious oysters I’ve tasted (aside from Gigamotos). But, that’s like comparing apples to oranges with in the oyster world.

Then my last meal in Charleston was brunch at the regular Sunday Funday gather location- Rue de Jean. I decided if I’m going home, I’m going big and getting my last raw dish for the year, Beef Tartar. Raw beef. Raw egg. Lots of garlic. Accompanied with toast points. Yes, sir. Brunch was served.

Other highlights of my binge eating and lack of calorie counting included Double Chili Cheeseburger “a-plenty” from the famous Beacon in my hometown, Spartanburg, SC. They have  this concoction, which is  a local fav- Chili Cheese Burger. It’s often described as a “heart attack on a plate”. So, deliciously unhealthy that promises you indigestion promptly 1 hr after consumption. Since this was my last Beacon meal in a long while- I decided to make it a Double Chili Cheeseburger. Feeling of victory followed by defeat. Pepto, please.

Also, I couldn’t leave the states without chowing down on some wings. Wild Wings is such a classy joint that they serve up a combo of wings (bone-in) and boneless…..Hm.., so It’s really wings and nuggets, I guess? Anyway, they’re really cool about catering to my special needs of wings only- no drumsticks. (Ugh, I’m that customer…..and I don’t care when it comes to my wings)

After reflecting on all the indulgences, I’m very proud of myself for exercising my butt off and eating only veggies for the 2.5 weeks prior to my vacation because I’ve gained it all back (plus 10). Every bite was well worth it. I’m kinda proud of the little extra tummy fluff……until I return and look at myself naked in the mirror. Oh and if you’re in Charleston check out Social Wine Bar & Proof for excellent cocktails.

Eat. Drink. and high-five a stranger.

-Lindsey