Dining out ... at the supermarket

Imagine a dining establishment with:

• no need for reservations
• zero tipping for service
• vast choice
• excellent food.

Wouldn't you frequent a place like that? 

Me, too. That's why I'll sometimes grab a meal at the supermarket, often when I'm on the hop between events.

I especially enjoy dining in supermarkets when I travel. It's fun and, for me, there's a sense of mystery about it. Plus, the selection is more exotic than I can find near home.

This past weekend Fred and I dropped by our "local" and split:

• some sushi
• a turkey wrap (wholegrain)
• a blackberry yogurt
• an orange
• a banana.

Not only was the food fresh and tasty, but the entire experience was enjoyable, convenient and good value.

These days, the sit-down area of many grocery stores is downright fine, often outfitted with a microwave oven and sometimes even Wi-fi. Treat yourself: check it out.

Other pluses of supermarket dining include:

• elegant options (deli counter, imported foods, organic section)
• ample supplies of serviettes, plastic cutlery, wooden chopsticks, condiments, etc.
• washroom facilities
• no markup for "restaurant" food
• bonus points earned on your purchases.

Not too shabby.

Adding bounce to banana bread ... with bourbon

OK, OK, there's bourbon inside. Get over it.  :‍-‍)

Now, moving on ...

Besides its all-around yumminess, banana bread can be rather nutritious. I've sometimes baked it for my mother, who's not exactly a fruit hugger. But she adores banana bread, so that's been a great way to sneak her an extra dose of potassium.

Anyhow, I was pleased as puddin' at how this one turned out. On the inside: a moist, yet somewhat robust (i.e. grainy) texture. On the outside: toasty, with a lovely golden color.

Banana bourbon bread

Ingredients

• bananas (3; large and ripe)
• eggs (2)
• bourbon (2 Tbsp)
• canola oil (1/2 cup)
• vanilla (2 tsp)
• multigrain flour (2 cups)
• ground flax seeds (2 Tbsp)
• baking soda (1 tsp)
• brown sugar (3/4 cup; packed)
• chocolate chips (1/2 cup; dark)
• walnuts (1/2 cup; chopped)

Directions

1. In large bowl, mash bananas. Add eggs, bourbon, oil and vanilla.
2. In medium bowl, stir together all dry ingredients (flour, flax, baking soda, sugar, chocolate chips, walnuts).
3. Add contents of medium bowl to large bowl. Mix lightly.
4. Pour batter into 2 small (oiled) loaf pans. Bake at 350°F for 50 minutes.
5. Place pans on cooling rack. After approx 10 minutes, remove loaves from pans. 
6. When fully cool, store in air-tight containers.

Slow-cooked pea stew

Today's recipe is for a small meal that touches on the themes of healthy, inexpensive and tasty. It's vegan, too.

While too thick to answer to the name "soup", this dish does run along the lines of a pea soup. As for me, I think the texture of the stew is divine.

Before I move on to the How-To, some notes:

• The recipe makes approximately 5 quarts, so you may wish to halve — or perhaps double  ;‍-‍) — the recipe.
• As the white wine is simply for flavor, an inexpensive brand (or even homemade) will do fine.
• All veggies should be diced or thinly sliced, with the exception of garlic, the bulbs of which I de-skinned and left whole. One advantage is that this allows the garlic-shy to spoon out individual bulbs from their bowls and pass them over to a friend.
• Goes great with hunks of a rustic bread.

Here we go:

Slow-cooked Pea Stew

Ingredients:

The wet

• vegetable broth (1 quart)
• water (2 quarts)
• white wine (1/2 cup)
• lemon juice (1 Tbsp)
• canola oil (2 Tbsp)

The dry

• onion (1 large)
• garlic (1 bulb)
• celery (8 stalks)
• carrots (4)
• parsnip (4)
• sweet potato (1)
• split peas (2 lbs)

The seasonings

• black pepper (1/2 tsp)
• basil (dried; 1 Tbsp)
• bay leaves (2)

Directions:

1. Toss everything in a slow-cooker.
2. Let it brew overnight, i.e. 8-10 hours. (I used the low setting.)

Optional:

• Stir in some olive oil (2 Tbsp) at the end of the cooking cycle. (Adding the olive oil earlier than this is to risk it breaking down, losing its nutritional value.)
• Tweak it to your personal specifications by stirring in hot-pepper sauce, extra salt, extra black-pepper, etc.

Get yer motor runnin' ...

Cold sort of evening, but the sun was blazing and I hadn't been outside all day. I was just itching to be on the hop. Hmm...

What better thing than a picnic?



Picnic? In winter? With sundown approaching?

Yup. We tossed supplies in a bag, hopped aboard the Yaris (whoo-hoo!) and enjoyed ... a car picnic.

All we did was motor 5 minutes, to a spot overlooking the city. (Yes, Signal Hill, a national historic site. It also overlooks the north Atlantic.) Perfect.

We ate, we strolled, we enjoyed the sunset — what little of it we could see through the clouds. Sure beat another same-old supper in front of the TV news.

Here's what we packed:

• baked beans
• vegetable chips (in an Anchor Hocking container)
• peanuts
• grapes
• apples
• bananas
• dried figs
• oatmeal cookies
• chocolate (dark)
• tea (of the berry-flavoured herbal variety; in a thermos)

Simple as that.

Drawn like a magnet: once again

I'll be continuing from yesterday's post ... but before I throw open my freezer, allow me to pass on some tips for managing the contents of fridge and freezer. Nothing complex here, but these practices certainly boost the odds of having first-class snack material at hand.

Tip 1: Attach your grocery list to the refrigerator door. Update it immediately upon running low on any given item. Without fail.

Tip 2: Keep a "Leftovers" list. (The fridge door is a good place for this, too.) This list is where, when you open a package of sliced meat, for example, you'd take note of this item. That way, it's less likely to wander off behind a wall of bottles and sprout fur before you can enjoy it.

Tip 3: Package freezer-bound foods (especially those that are prone to sticking together) into single-serving portions before freezing. Voila, just extract and microwave. You'll never have to brandish the ice-pick again.

Simple measures, yes, but believe me, they make a big diff.

Now, here's what's in my freezer today:

• waffles (homemade)
• muffins (homemade)
• bagels (pre-sliced)
• frozen berries (strawberries, blueberries)
• frozen yogurt (vanilla)
• ice-cream (Haagen-Dazs "green tea & honey vanilla")

OK, OK, don't hassle me about that last item. A girl is entitled to a few vices.  ;‍-‍)

That's it — and that's loads. Counting freezer plus fridge plus snackcupboard, I'm certainly not short on quick-bite material.

Yes, a smidge of preparation: I highly recommend it. You'll be grateful for it too, next time the munchies come a-creeping.

Drawn like a magnet

Whenever I need a quick fix, I head to my snack cupboard — except for when I head to my fridge. Yes, I make it a point to keep lots of ready-to-grab goodies in the good-ol' icebox.

Here's an impromtu inventory, to give an idea of what I tend to keep in there:

• cheese (parmesan, blue, brie)
• yogurt (both 1% and 3%)
• milk (0.5%)
• juices (always 100% fruit or veggie)
• rye bread
• tortillas (wholegrain)
• nut butters (peanut, almond)
• apricot jam (high-fruit)
• fruit (oranges, apples, kiwi, grapes)
• vegetables (carrots, spinach [pre-washed], red pepper, tomato, zucchini)
• turkey salami
• tofu sausages
• hummus
• guacamole
• olives
• beans (homemade)
• crackers (homemade)
• oatmeal cookies (homemade)

That's just what I happen to have on hand today. Lots of mix-and-matchables here, so options aplenty. Most of the options are healthy ones, too, without sacrificing a single speck of yumminess.

As you can see, I stockpile representatives from many different food groups, e.g. vegetables & fruit; grain products; dairy; meat and alternatives; healthy oils. Yea, verily, balance is a good thing.

Another good thing: The items on this list require practically zero preparation (the tofu sausages may be the lone exception; and, of course, the beans, crackers and cookies had been made earlier). Zero prep's important in snack food.

If you're prone to lapsing into laziness — as we all can be — and are likely to reach for bags of cookies or chips simply because they're easiest, then items such as baby carrots and pre-washed spinach may present a solution.

Next time, I'll take you on a tour of my freezer. Until then, happy snacking.

Beans bakin' in beer

Yup, beer. What more could you want in a light meal or snack?

This is a slow-cook dish, the kind that'll certainly have you sitting potside, waiting for it to be done.

And the dish couldn't be heartier, tastier or easier. The beans don't even need pre-soaking.

Beans bakin' in beer
Into a slow-cooker (or large pot) dump these ingredients:

• 6 cups water
• 2 bottles of beer
• 2 chopped onions
• 1 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp chili flakes
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 4 cups navy beans (dried)

Cook — covered and on low heat — until tender (approx 10 hours), stirring occasionally.

Variation: Leave out half of the regular molasses and substitute in blackstrap molasses. Going entirely blackstrap may veer the taste toward bitter, so if you choose to do this, consider adding extra brown sugar.

That's it. Just bake 'em slow and spoon 'em up.