Moved to a New Home

You might have noticed that I haven't posted here in a while. That's because I went old school, got offline for a bit, and wrote a book. I'm back online but at a new home: http://tracykrulik.com.

Visit me there to see more recipes, information about my book I Have Cancer. And I've Never Felt Better, and loads of info on nutrition, health, and fitness.

One Great One Bad

Chickpea Curry with Whole Spices

Let's start with the "great." Tonight I whipped up Jack Bishop's "Chickpea Curry with Whole Spices," and we loved it. I haven't made this in a while, so it was nice to have some unfamiliar flavors, and it's a really easy dish to make.

I didn't discuss it with Tommie, but I'm going to give it 5 stars. Easy, tasty, nutritious, how can you go wrong?

Notice the steam coming off the upper right portion of the bowl? That's some piping hot vittles!

Curried Carrot-Apple Soup

Conversely, Jack's Curried Carrot-Apple Soup on p. 18 of the book came out horribly last night. I don't know what I did wrong, but the curry powder was too strong, and I think the apples gave an overly sweet flavor.

I've made this soup before successfully, so I don't know what happened. It is recommended that you saute tofu cubes with it and plop them in the soup, but we opted for sour dough toast instead. The bread helped. I don't know that taking out the tofu was the reason it failed. It just didn't come together quite right.

This one is getting 1 star. Blech.

Warm Greek Lentil Salad with Feta and Dill

Well, if you look closely, you'll notice that this "Warm Greek Lentil Salad with Feta and Dill" has no Feta.

Presenting: The Vegan/Cheeseaphobic adaptation of this recipe.

You can, of course, find the non-vegan version in A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen.





1 1/4 cups dried green lentils, rinsed and picked over to remove any stones
3 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed
3 bay leaves
Salt
3 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (to taste)
1 medium celery stalk, finely diced (about 1/3 cup)
3 medium radishes, finely diced (about 1/3 cup)
3-4 tablespoons minced fresh dill (to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper
8 cups of packed tender salad green (Jack says mesclun; I went with arugula.)

1. Bring the lentils, garlic, bay leaves, and 2 quarts water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer briskly for 15 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt and the carrots and continue cooking until the lentils and carrots are tender but not mushy, about 10 minutes. Drain and discard the garlic and bay leaves.

2. Meanwhile, whisk the oil, lemon juice, and salt to taste together in a large bowl.

3. Add the drained lentils and carrots, celery, radishes, and dill to the bowl with the dressing. Toss to combine and then adjust the seasonings, adding salt and pepper to taste. Let the lentil salad cool for about 10 minutes.

4. Divide the greens among four large plates. Spoon the lentil salad over the greens and serve with toasted pitas.

Fusilli with Green Lentils, Root Vegetables, and Parsley-Caper Puree

I cannot believe there was a time when I used to put bottled tomato sauce on my pasta. It's been years, but I still kinda cringe thinking about it.

Spring is approaching rapidly, so I'm trying to make unfamiliar recipes from the "Winter" section while it's still cold out. Tonight I opted for this pasta dish, which is truly delicious. I made it once a few years ago but then forgot about it. Silly me.

The sweet parsnips and carrots blend perfectly with the tangy lemon, caper, parsley sauce. And to make the meal even better, Jack also includes lentils that have simmered with garlic and bay leaves.

Flavor, nutrients, protein, and easy to make -- we're giving tonight's dinner 4 stars out of 5. Sometimes meals can weigh me down, but I feel great after this one.

Spaghetti with Asparagus, Tomatoes and Lemon

I decided to try another dish from Jack Bishop's cookbook, The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook. Since I like asparagus but have only grilled it, I thought this recipe would be good for our pasta selection this week. I love that Jack has you cook the asparagus for a minute or so in the boiling water, remove it, and then cook the pasta in that same pot. He does the same thing with a pasta and broccoli dish in A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen.

It's an easy dish to make as long as you read through all the steps and plan ahead, and the flavors are nice and clean. I don't think it's as good as Jack's Linguine with Leeks and Tomatoes, but it is still tasty.

I probably won't make this dinner again until summer -- it would be a perfect dish to eat on the patio. I'm giving this one a rating of 3.5 stars.

I Too Am Fed Up With Gluttony

I've given a lot of thought to "gluttony" lately. I have friends who talk about food, usually meat, as if they are describing a Picasso. They search the globe for the most exotic meats and attend private suppers in underground locations. I see others who don't look to food as an elitist club, but instead gorge on snacks and meals that can tally more calories and fat than I consume in a day.

Today I wondered why I get so emotional about this. I wondered if part of me is angry that I live such a clean life (low-fat, vegetarian diet, no alcohol, no cigarettes, workout most days of the week), while my friends consume gobs of grease, sugar, fat, and alcohol, and yet I'm the one with cancer. I'm fighting for my life with every bite I take and every ounce of sweat and the rest of the country is either obese or well on their way to becoming obese. And if I'm being honest, I am angry. It's not that I wish everyone else had cancer; it's that I wish they appreciated their bodies more. I'm frustrated that my friends will discover what mortality means, and it will be too late -- they will have slothed themselves into an early grave. (I did, in fact, just turn "sloth" into a verb. I'm standing behind it.)

I also get angry, though, on behalf of the animals. I've said it over and over and over again, but if we can live our lives in such a way that does not harm another life, why on earth would we not choose to do so? It just seems so selfish to me to murder animals for food, when the evidence is showing more and more that not only can we live without animal protein, but we're actually healthier without it.

Right after I discussed with Tommie this afternoon my concerns about being so angry about gluttony, his March issue of The Atlantic magazine arrived in our mailbox with a teaser on the front cover that reads: "Tasteless: The Moral Case Against Foodies." Kismet!

B.R. Myers' book review, "Gluttony Dressed Up As Foodie-ism Is Still Gluttony," has given me the validation that I truly needed today. I'll let you read the article for yourself and draw your own conclusions, but for me, it felt so wonderful to read this artfully crafted argument against this world of high-brow gluttony.

Indian-Spiced Turnip Cakes with Mango Salsa

We have eaten well today! This afternoon, Tommie and I had lunch at Layalina, a Lebanese/Syrian restaurant in Arlington that our friend Tara had raved about. She was right -- fabulous food. Check it out if you're in the area.

Then tonight, I made this Indian flavored turnip cake recipe for the first time. If I'm being honest, it's a pain in the ass to make. The puree has to chill in the fridge at least four hours prior to forming the cakes, so right there Jack had almost lost me. I went to make the recipe the other night and realized that I needed to pre-make the puree. Grrrr.

Our kitchen looks like a bomb of bowls, pans, and cutting boards exploded, and then to top things off, our smoke alarms sounded while I was making the turnip cakes. That's the one downside to having an open floor-plan home -- the stupid smoke alarms go off all the time.

But, all that aside, this is one delicious, nutrient-rich meal. Sadly, this one gets knocked down due to the pain-in-the-ass factor, so we're giving it a 3.5. Oh, and BTW, I've given up on pinching off the stems of my spinach. You can't really tell when you cook spinach, but I guess for a salad I really should, but that's a pain in the ass too. On that happy note, bon appetit!