Confessions of a Foodie

I've never considered myself a foodie. I love food. I love cooking. I really enjoy baking. But when one of my students pointed out to me that I seem to never talk about eating out, I realized just how deep I am into the world of culinary therapy.

I teach students who spend 1/2 their school day working, many in restaurants. As part of my job I have to visit each of these students and thus various restaurants in the area. I never eat when I go though (although, if I have several visits in a row during dinner time I will cave in but this is a rare occurrence). One student said to me this week, "Ms. B. you don't ever eat do you?" And I had to laugh. He meant I never eat out. And they are right. I used to eat out a LOT. But sometime in the midst of having food allergies and then later while I was unemployed after grad school I learned that I really, really like cooking. It started as a safety thing, cooking with things I knew I could eat. Then it became a financial thing, cooking because it was cheaper. Now it has turned into not only a stress-relieving after work activity but a challenge to try new foods and new recipes and on occasion create my own!

My most recent creations were inspired by Jamie Oliver, the British cook once called the "Naked Chef" and who is known in the USA as the Food Revolution guy. He was the person who inspired me to start cooking about 10 years ago when the Food Network was still a fledgling network on cable tv. His Green Chili recipe was absolutely delicious. I've also made some banana bread and pumpkin bread, two of my go-to favorites!

I've begun to investigate using various types of flour when I bake these days. One I want to try is almond flour, made from ground almonds. Not only does it reduce the carbs in your recipes but it ups the protein quotient which is a necessity when you are on a diet that requires a ton of protein. Since I haven't had the extra $$ to buy almond flour, I've been substituting 1/3 of the flour for soy flour, which has a similar affect only a little less of a difference. The smell is not very appetizing but the taste in the bread is no different and makes the breads a little more healthy. Mind you, I still add in chocolate chips because I LOVE chocolate but with nuts thrown in too, they manage to be healthier overall than with plain flour.

Next on my list are a few more Jamie Oliver recipes including a cassoulet (Omitting the mushrooms of course). Ever since spending time in Italy, where pork is huge, I've made more things with pork than ever before. This looks delicious and could fill a few meals over a week. Yum!

So there you go. A quick update on my newest obsession. And in case you were wondering, I've eaten out 3 times in the last 3 weeks. Other than that it has been home sweet home and boy has it smelled good!

Kristen