Food Philosophies, or Why I Named the Blog “A Grounded Table”

Most people approach what they eat with some frame of reference or philosophy: eating the right kind of food can help you lose weight or avoid cancer, buying organic food will help save the environment, eating animals is morally wrong, or food is just meant to be enjoyed.

Policy school graduate that I am, I think that I’ve always been a little bit of a dork about “impacts,” so ever since I started cooking I’ve taken a somewhat scholarly approach. But a lot of different ideas have floated around in my head, and I haven’t had a chance to look at things in much depth, especially as they relate to actual cooking and recipes (I wrote some very long papers about agricultural food prices in grad school that I preeetty much understood, but it can be hard to connect that back to what you’re eating that night).

And so even though I’ve been posting recipes on the blog so far, one of the reasons that I wanted to start this was to give myself a chance to research and sort through different food philosophies and see what I thought. In particular, I’ll focus on those related to conscientious eating, meaning considering the environmental, social, and economic factors of one’s food choices. So I’ll plan to interrupt the recipes every so often with a food policy-related post, although hopefully tying some of what I find with specific recipes. This is also the line of thinking behind the title of this blog; trying to ground cooking in a philosophy of conscientious choices considering the role agriculture and food play in the world.

Simple Noodles with Almond Butter

This is a recipe for a very specific type of evening: when you don't have much time to cook, or go to the grocery store, or are having a spur-of-the-moment desire for some really satisfying noodles made with the least effort possible.

I stole the basic idea for this from a co-worker, and it got me thinking about how it's interesting to learn what people who like to cook make when they're pressed for time/energy/money. You can still make some really interesting dishes, and sometimes it's nice to eat something very simple like this.

The ingredients for this dish are (relatively) inexpensive, especially after you make it the first time and have everything on hand. One of the things I'm going to try and write about from time to time are inexpensive recipes that still have a lot of interesting elements and are made out of natural/whole ingredients.

Crucial for its categorization as a last-minute simple dish, this is also a recipe that can be made from entirely non-perishable ingredients (if you use frozen vegetables), so I like to have these ingredients around so I can make it whenever I think of it.

Lastly, it's good either hot or cold!



Simple Noodles with Almond Butter

1/3 C almond butter
2 t soy sauce
8 ounces of soba noodles (whole wheat pasta would also work)
1/3 t chili powder
1/3 t ginger powder
2 C vegetables (I used frozen shelled edamame*, but peas or broccoli would also be good)

1. Boil water and cook the pasta per package instructions. Once tender, drain and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, mix the almond butter, soy sauce, chili powder, and ginger powder. You might have to mash the almond butter a little to get it all to mix together.

3. If using frozen vegetables, microwave or steam them so that they are warm.

4. Mix the noodles, vegetables, and almond butter mixture.

* sold at Whole Foods

Latin Corn Soup

I could wax a little poetic about good relish-dish combinations. Partly because it’s more interesting when you actively combine things as you eat, but I think that relishes must also be important food-chemistry wise in adding that extra “je ne sais quoi” element to an already good dish, therefore making it even better.

This soup recipe is a good example; the soup itself mixes some already interesting flavors: oregano, coconut milk, and radishes, but the avocado-based relish (which is basically guacamole) makes this soup really satisfying. This is also a great end-of-summer soup, because it can be eaten either hot or cold. It’s good both ways, but it’s really refreshing cold.



Latin Corn Soup

Adapted from a Moosewood Restaurant Cookbook recipe

Makes about nine cups

For soup:

2 C thinly sliced onions
1 T olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 fresh jalapeño, minced
2 t ground coriander
1 ½ t dried oregano
1 t salt
2 C water or vegetable broth
¼ C sliced radishes
2 C peeled and diced sweet potatoes
1 C diced yellow or orange bell peppers
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 ½ C fresh or frozen corn kernels
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
2 T fresh lime juice

For relish:

1 ½ T fresh lime juice
2 ripe avocados
½ T salt
1 tomato, chopped
1 ½ T minced red onion

1. In soup pot on medium heat, cook the onions in the olive oil for about 5-10 minutes, until they are softened. Add the garlic, jalapeño, coriander, oregano, and salt, and stir for 3-5 minutes. Stir in one cup of the water/broth and the radishes, sweet potatoes, and bell peppers. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

2. While the vegetables simmer, prepare the relish. Peel, chop, and mash the avocados, and then add the lime juice, salt, tomato and red onion.

3. Once the vegetables are tender in the soup, add the coconut milk, diced tomatoes, and corn, and bring back to a simmer. After simmering for five minutes, add the lime juice.

4. To serve, garnish each serving with the chopped cilantro and a spoonful of the avocado relish.

Can be served either hot or cold.

Corn & Avocado Potato Salad

Even though it's September, it still feels very much like summer here in DC.

So in the interest in soaking up the last bits of summer, I'm going to post some of my favorite summer recipes while I still can!



(This is Minnesota, but suggests my state of mind...)

So it was hot here, and I was thinking about shish kabobs. And how much I love them. I think it's because they combine a lot of fresh elements together into one dish (I like them made with chicken, tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers). And then I thought about how you could mix a lot of those things into a dish without grilling them, and eat it cold. Perfect for a sweltering humid DC night. Below is what I came up with, with some added elements... and it was delicious.

But I can't take too much credit for this, since since I started making it I've noticed that there are actually a lot of "alternative potato salad" recipes out there similar to this one. I think that just goes to show, though, that other people like mayo-free potato salad... and the enduring deliciousness of potatoes with avocados.

I made a vegetarian (and vegan) version of this recipe, but you could very easily make a meat version, and increase the similarity to an actual shish kabob, by adding sliced and satueed chicken breast; you could even make a bit more of the dressing to marinate the chicken in.



Corn & Avocado Potato Salad

Sesame-Lime dressing (recipe below)
1 T olive oil
10-12 red potatoes
Corn sliced from two cobs of corn (or 1.5-2 C frozen corn)
2 C grape tomatoes
1/2 C chopped shallots
2 yellow or orange bell peppers
2 avocados
Optional: sliced sauteed chicken breast

Sesame-Lime Dressing

1/2 C olive oil
1/4 C rice wine vinegar
1 T sesame oil
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
juice of one lime
1 t ground coriander
1 t garlic powder
2 t garlic powder

First, boil the potatoes in salted water until they are just tender but al dente (leave skins on). This should take about 15-20 minutes.

While the potatoes are boiling, prepare the dressing and set aside.

Chop the peppers and shallots, and slice the corn from the raw (not boiled) corn cobs.

In a large saute pan, saute the shallots in the olive oil for about five minutes, and then add the corn. Saute for about five more minutes, and then add the peppers and saute for about another five minutes. The vegetables should have softened, but still have some crispness.



Chop the avocado into medium chucks and set aside.

Once the potatoes are ready, drain them and slice them in half. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes and shallots, peppers, and corn. Add the dressing, and then the tomatoes. Finally, add the avocado, and mix all together with salad tongs.

Put salad in refrigerator until room temperature or cold, depending on preference.

Keeps for several days in the refrigerator and tastes great cold!