Nourishments—

Simple Foods: The New Food Fad

By Nancy K. Crevier

Every couple of years, a new kid on the block — or a newly rediscovered kid — makes its way to the top of the foodie heap. Whether rocketed to the pinnacle by popular dietary use or as a restaurant sweetheart, it is interesting how eagerly we latch on to the newest fad in food.

Remember oat bran? It was not enough that we ate whole grains; the essence of the grain had to be extracted and lauded as the next breakthrough for all that ails the human race. Soon, everything on the grocery shelf screamed that it contained oat bran. Or rice bran. Or some kind of bran. (The oat bran craze is about to be revitalized: the recently popular French “Dukan Diet” features oat bran as a critical component… I say, “neigh.”)

Bran is good for you, there is no denying. But did we really need it added to our juice?

Kumquats and kiwis were the darlings of the dinner plate in the 1980s. It was nearly impossible to dine out without getting a kiwi sliced, diced, mashed, or pureed at some point in the meal. It was frequently accompanied by its sidekick, the bite-sized citrus kumquat fruit. The kumquat and the kiwi are great sources of vitamin C, and both make a colorful addition to a meal. Kiwis continue to find a place in the produce bins, but are hardly considered the linchpin of  a meal. And kumquats? Wherefore art thou?

Baby vegetables were surpassed by baby lettuces, which continue to make the table rounds.

Yogurt has had an interesting career. Once a “hippie” food consumed at communes, or devoured by Europeans, yogurt got itself a good ad rep and joined the mainstream. The “healthy” part of the dairy product was downplayed, lots of sugar and colorings were added to please the American palate, and it began to not resemble its original state at all. But everyone was loving yogurt. It appeared as a frozen treat, in squeeze tubes, and in tiny little cups just right for lunch boxes, loaded with crunchy, colorful cereal or candy bits.

Then slowly, the real yogurt began a comeback, with “real fruit” touted on the label, and better yet, “living cultures,” which are the backbone of yogurt. Full fat yogurt gave way to lowfat and nonfat varieties, higher in calcium, and emphasizing the original tart flavor.  Probiotics are the buzzword this year, a fancy way of saying “live cultures.”

If you are a food hipster, you know, too, that just plain yogurt is passé. Thick, cultured Greek yogurt is the top dog of the cultured dairy products today.

In recent years, slices of cake — peasant fare — have made way for Queen Cupcake. The bigger the better, and only piles of frosting swirled on top were acceptable in cupcake land. The return of childhood’s after school snack in a starring role meant the return of some of childhood’s nearly forgotten flavors. A party wasn’t a party anymore, without red velvet cupcakes. Apparently, everyone forgave the villainous red coloring, the vital life blood of red velvet recipes,  in order to be part of the in-crowd.

Alas, I hear that cupcakes have had their day. Make way for pie, the cupcake of 2011.

How many of us rushed to add pomegranate juice to our diets, and gobbled blueberries to the point that I wonder what was left for the bears to eat? These “super fruits,” along with other lesser known varieties, such as the acia  and goji berries, do contain plentiful amounts of anti-oxidants, which is a good thing. Unfortunately, some less than scientific assertions were attached to the deeply colored fruits. As usual, moderate amounts lead to a moderate and healthy lifestyle. There is little chance that downing these fruits will get you into the Mensa Society, or put you back into those size 2 jeans you wore in college.

Food fads are hard to avoid, as are the corruptions of perfectly healthy foods — don’t even get me going on corn, beef, and fish. However, I was relieved to read in a January Huffington Post article by Eating Well editorial director Lisa Gosselin, that this year’s fad may finally be one born of common sense. People are seeking out simple foods, meatless meals, and foods grown locally or in one’s own backyard. And more often now, people are demanding that food be much closer to its natural form, not doused with antibiotics and growth hormones, or petroleum based fertilizers. Genetically modified foods are frowned upon. It is a trend I celebrate, having supported it for nearly my entire life.

Food is meant to nourish our bodies and soothe our souls. A hamburger made from grass-fed beef that is ground by your local butcher, and seasoned with just salt and pepper, is satisfying in such a different manner than one in which meat from a faraway continent (ostrich or kangaroo, or one of the other “exotic” meats now sold in some supermarkets) is manipulated with strong spices and doused in saucy sauces.

Food does not have to be complicated or be dressed up as something other than what it is — and that include meat analogs, which only tease the eye and disappoint the palate — to be healthful or satisfying. Even a salad can take on ethereal qualities when made of newly harvested greens, with radishes, beets, and carrots recently unearthed, and tomatoes that still remember the sun.

Embrace the new “old-fashioned” approach to eating this year. Support the local farmers’ markets, grow your own, relish foods in their proper season. Practice moderation and take a taste of life.

My Mac And Cheese

1 lb whole wheat macaroni

½ lb Monterey jack cheese, grated

½ lb medium sharp cheddar, grated

1/3  C grated parmesan cheese

4½-5 C 2 percent milk

1 tsp stoneground mustard

dash Tabasco sauce

½ small onion

5 Tbs flour

5 Tbs unsalted butter

paprika and black pepper

½ C whole wheat bread crumbs mixed with

1 Tbs melted butter

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil macaroni for 8 minutes, until just tender. Drain and set aside.

Heat the milk with the onion, mustard, and Tabasco until scalded. Remove from heat and discard the onion.

Melt 5 tablespoons of the butter in a large, heavy pan and whisk in flour, stirring for a couple of minutes. Whisk in the scalded milk and stir until it thickens. Remove from heat.

Whisk in half of the Monterey jack and cheddar, and the Parmesan. Stir in the macaroni and some black pepper.

In a buttered casserole dish, place half of the macaroni. Sprinkle with the remaining Monterey jack and cheddar.

Top with the other half of the macaroni, sprinkle with paprika and the buttered bread crumbs.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 5-10 minutes. Crumbs should be golden.

Enjoy.  

Spring Salad

Try to find greens and asparagus grown in-state or nearby, in season, as well as other native and organic vegetables and cheeses.

Mixed greens, including a variety of textures and colors: red and green lettuces, radicchio, spinach, curly kale, dandelion greens (picked from unfertilized, unsprayed lawns before the flower forms); tear or cut into small pieces

Thinly shredded red cabbage

Small spears of asparagus, tough ends broken away, brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with salt, and broiled for 6 minutes. Cool.

Thinly shredded red and golden beets, raw; peel away thick or tough sections of skin

Thinly shredded carrots

Thinly sliced radishes

Dried cranberries or blueberries

Crumbled blue or feta goat cheese

Toss the greens, radishes, and red cabbage together and divide among salad plates. Figure on a good handful of greens per person.

Place about one-quarter of a cup each, of red beets, golden beets, and the carrots on top of greens at three different points.

Arrange 6 to 8 spears of asparagus on each plate; the asparagus can be cut into pieces if desired.

Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons cheese on each salad, and sprinkle about 1 tablespoon dried fruit on top.

Provide a simple vinaigrette dressing and serve with warm, whole grain ciabatta bread.