Girl Friday

Don't Worry

I'm still here!

This summer is about 75% busier, workwise, than last summer, and that seems to go for just about everyone around me. While I'm happy this means we're all gainfully employed or at least involved in professional projects, it also means I have less time to cook, eat and shop.

Actually, I don't know how anyone can eat in this heat. I've been slurping smoothies at home and merely picking at appetizer plates when I'm out. This has been breakfast every day lately:

1 banana
1/4 frozen blueberries
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon raw honey

It's an awesome smoothie, full of vitamins and protein.

Sh*t, well, I'd type more except my friend Kyle just called, demanding I go out on the lake with him for a couple of hours.

What's everyone been up to this summer? Anyone else busy as hell?

Cactus Salad

I posted a Twitpic this afternoon to help lure my dear friend and neighbor, Ben, to my apartment for lunch. I made cactus salad and tortilla soup for us, but Ben was taking his sweet time and my soup broth was getting cold.

My photo caught the eye of Sheena instead, who spied the plates of cactus salad. She's recently come home from a trip to Playa Del Carmen where she ate cactus every day. Sheena's still craving it and wanted to know where I buy it, and if I could recommend a recipe.

I buy fresh cactus paddles year-round at Cub Foods in Fridley. If there are a lot of Latinos in your neighborhood, chances are you can find it at the Cub closest to you, as well. If your local mercado sells produce, they will most likely have cactus, too. The mercado in my neighborhood on 18th & Central actually cleans, cuts and bags them for you, but I don't mind a little extra effort and it's quick work.

To clean cactus, run a sharp knife (a paring knife is great, my Wusthof 6-inch sandwich knife is a badass here) all the way around the paddle to remove the edges. Then, run the knife flat along each side to remove the rest of the spines. It's been a decade or two since I've fileted a fish, but I recall the movement being similar. Rinse the de-spined paddles and you're ready to cook. For the visual, this short YouTube video is a perfect demonstration.

Cactus is incredibly nutritious, full of fiber and lowers the glycemic effect of meals. It's an abundant food source and can be prepared in endless ways. I have a few favorites, but here is a basic salad. I like to make a batch and keep it covered in the fridge; the roommate and I nibble at it, little plate at a time, for a couple of days until it's gone. She likes to scoop it up with fresh corn tortillas. If I have any feta crumbles in the fridge, I'll top my salad with a spoonful.

Ensalada de Nopales (Cactus Salad)
© 2011 by Alexis McKinnis
Yields about 5 cups

4 large cactus paddles, cleaned and cut into 1/2" x 2" strips (about 4 cups)
1 whole serrano chile, slit on one side
4 whole garlic cloves, peeled
pinch baking soda
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 serrano chile, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup cilantro leaves, chopped to make 1/3 cup
1/4 cup high-quality cider vinegar (I prefer Bragg's)
1/4 cup sunflower or canola oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a stock pot, bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add cactus strips, whole serrano, garlic cloves and pinch of baking soda. Boil 20-25 minutes, until cactus is tender. Drain and rinse under cold water, and discard the whole serrano. Pat excess water with paper towels. In a large bowl, combine cactus and garlic with all other ingredients and toss well. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

You'll notice that fresh cactus has a slightly slimy texture to it, like okra. It also must be cooked thoroughly to get rid of the slime, and that pinch of baking soda helps immensely.

Cilantro haters: Fresh oregano is also delicious in this salad.

If you're in a pinch for time or can't find fresh cactus paddles, you should be able to find a jar of Doña María prepared nopalitos at the grocery store. Be sure to discard the cooked onion and chile in the jar, rinse the cactus thoroughly to get rid of some of the brine, then go easy on the salt.

As I get more recipe testing done, I'll post more things to do with cactus, including my absolute favorite (and the one that brings all the boys to my yard), cactus tacos.

Recipe: Veggie Menudo

Happy New Year's Eve, everyone! I hope you have something fun and glamorous planned for the evening, which will keep you off the slick streets and sidewalks. I left the house last night right before the wind started and, by the time I got home 45 minutes later, my front walk was a skating rink and my storm door had frozen shut.

Since I mentioned making veggie menudo on Facebook and Twitter a few weeks back, I've been asked for the recipe countless times. I'm happy for the interest; this is one of if not my favorite vegetarian reverse-engineered projects to date. This soup cooks up relatively quickly once the prep is done, and it's even better on days 2 and 3. It's best served with griddled warm corn tortillas. I also folded some Monterey Jack into the tortillas to make quesadillas.

Vegetarian Menudo
© 2010 by Alexis McKinnis
Serves 8

2 Tablespoons oil, divided
8 ounces prepared textured vegetable protein or vegetarian sausage*
4 ancho chiles
1 white onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 Tablespoon ground coriander
2 Tablespoons Mexican oregano
4 cups vegetarian mock beef broth**
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained
1 29-ounce can hominy, drained
Kernels from 2 ears of fresh corn
Salt to taste (I end up using about 1/2 teaspoon)

Garnish:
2 limes, cut into wedges
3-4 serrano chiles, minced
2 Tablespoons Mexican oregano

Tear chiles into large pieces, removing stems and seeds, and place them in a heat-proof bowl. Pour 2 cups of boiling water over the chiles to cover them, loosely cover bowl and let sit for 30 minutes until chiles have rehydrated. Meanwhile, heat 1 Tablespoon oil over medium-high heat in medium skillet. Fry TVP or sausage 8-10 minutes in oil, until brown and firm, and set aside. Once chiles have rehydrated, combine them, the 2 cups water they were in, onion, garlic and tomato in blender and puree until smooth. In large stock pot, heat 1 Tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Fry the chile puree 8 minutes (careful, this will splatter). Add cumin, coriander and Mexican oregano and cook 2 more minutes. Add the broth, garbanzo beans, hominy, corn kernels and 1 cup of hot water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in TVP or sausage. Ladle soup into bowls and serve with limes, chiles and Mexican oregano to garnish.


*Morningstar or Boca crumbles work great here, but I prefer to use Field Roast Mexican Chipotle vegetarian sausage, which tastes damn close to chorizo and can be found at Whole Foods. My next reverse-engineered project is to make my own.

**I strongly prefer Edward & Sons No-beef Bouillon, which can be found at Whole Foods.

 

Eat Your Vegetables!

Anybody catch this story in the New York Times?

Told to Eat Its Vegetables, America Orders Fries

This is a serious health problem in our country right now, and I'm sure everyone is aware of it. I was talking to my dad on the phone yesterday and he said his only vegetable intake is V8 and cole slaw. As horrifying as this was to hear, what's worse is that so many Americans get even fewer vitamins and nutrients because of intentionally poor eating choices. And then they wonder why they fall ill or have chronic health problems. The body needs whole foods to maintain and heal itself. Our reliance on western medicine instead of real medicine is making us unhealthy (not to mention broke).

Case in point, maybe you saw this in Sunday's Star Tribune:

'Little Purple Pill' is Under Microscope

The article is about the over-prescription of heartburn drugs. Doctors hand it out like candy, for just about anything these days. I've experienced this; I had seasonal allergy-related asthma 2 springs ago to the point where I thought I needed an inhaler. Instead, the doctor gave me a pack of Prilosec. I thought he was crazy, but it turns out this is pretty common. Prilosec in particular made $13.6 billion for its manufacturer last year. But one study in 2005 and another this year concluded that the drug is prescribed 53 to 69 percent of the time "for inappropriate indications."

That's insane!

But back to the topic of vegetables. What do you do if you hate vegetables? Well, first of all, nobody hates vegetables, that's ridiculous. Sure, almost all of us have at least one vegetable aversion, but to swear off everything that grows under the sun is just silly. I find fussy eating in adults to be a particular turn-off-- after the age of 9, shouldn't you stop rejecting half of what's put in front of you? Even I'm guilty of discriminating against several members of the root vegetable group, but I can choke down a carrot if it's done right and I always give new preparations a try.

Sometimes our eating habits slip ouf of whack and we end up eating PB&J for breakfast and pizza for dinner, for days on end. Whenever this happens to me and I can't seem to get myself to crave veggies, I remember my friend Christian's advice that he gave me a long time ago: Aggressively start eating vegetables, as much as you can in each sitting, and after only a couple of days, your body will be craving them at every meal. It totally works every time. So what are some ways to make sure each and every meal, and even snacks in between, are full of vegetables? Also, let's not forget fruits. While you should eat more vegetables than fruits, it's still a good idea to include both.

• Buy a juicer. I know they're not cheap, but guess what? It's cheaper than the cost of all that produce that rots in your crisper drawer over the course of a year. If I know Macy's, they'll have juicers on sale starting next month through Christmas. You can get a really good one for around $100. Juicer recipes for vegetable and fruit blends are everywhere online, and every juicer I've seen comes with a recipe booklet.

• Use the pulp from juicing vegetables as filler for richer dishes. The Sneaky Chef has brilliant recipes for various colors of vegetable puree and recipes showing how to incorporate them into things like macaroni and cheese, chili and lasagna. Though she cooks the vegetables first then purees them, you can just as easily cook raw vegetable pulp and puree that.

• Order salad ahead of your meal. Give up on buying salad fixings at the grocery store if you never get to it before it goes bad. You’re only wasting money. But if you order salad or vegetable soup before your entrée at a restaurant, you’ll eat it all. Why? Because you’re hungry! If you prefer soup, stick to the vegetable ones with no meat or stock (minestrone, tomato basil, etc.)-- many restaurants will have that option. (I had an amazing brothy, tomato, greens and black-eyed pea soup at Gardens of Salonica yesterday ahead of my eggplant moussaka.)

• Go ethnic. With the exception of perhaps South America, cusines in other parts of the world are mostly vegetables and grains, with meat occasionally thrown in, if at all. Curries, stir frys, fried rice, and other one-pot meals all center around flavorful vegetables and spices.

• If you love it cooked, eat it raw, and vice versa. Broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables. I love it raw, dipped in blue cheese, and I also like it roasted with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper flakes.

• For a cheap lunch on the go, my top choice is the #6 JJ Unwich at Jimmy John's, half mayo, half mustard. It's the vegetarian sandwich (provolone, lettuce, tomato, sprouts, avocado) but wrapped in 2 giant lettuce leaves instead of a white bread roll. It's literally a salad in convenient, eat-while-driving, sandwich form. Amazing!

What else? Any other veggie lovers out there have any tips on how to incorporate vegetables and fruits into every meal? I'm admittedly not a huge fruit person, but I do always have bananas around for blending into smoothies (with strawberry yogurt and Odwalla Mango Tango juice, yum) and slicing over cereal when I eat cereal. I like dried fruits and usually have a bag of dried apricots and/or raisins around. Raisins in particular taste delicious when mixed with raw almonds; I eat a handful of that for breakfast every morning. And I'm trying to get in the habit of buying whatever fruits are on sale for the week and incorporating them into fresh juices. I'd forgotten my roomie has a nice juicer so it's been dusted off and is starting to get a regular workout again.

From the Department of Wah-Waaahh

Caloric value and fat content of all your favorite foods at the Minnesota State Fair.

I better not see another article like this again, Star Tribune.

New Gigs, New Restaurants, Farewell to a Minneapolis Favorite

Someone call blog protective services, because I have been very neglectful of poor Girl Friday the past two weeks. In my defense, I've been so busy I also forgot to mail my rent check and send $42.00 to the City of Minneapolis for a minor parking violation. In other run-ins-with-the-law news, I got a speeding ticket two nights ago: 44 in a 35, on Johnson Street coming off the East Hennepin Avenue exit. $145.00. Grrr.

So this is what I've been busy doing:

I now co-host trivia on Monday nights at the Nomad on the West Bank. I joined up with the notoriously gangsta Trivia Mafia, and Matt Perkins and I bring you R-rated Trivia every Monday night at 9:00pm, with 2-4-1s until midnight. What is R-rated Trivia, you ask? Not your mother's trivia, that's what, unless your mother happens to be a porn flick aficionado with vast knowledge of sex, crime and consensual sex crimes, not to mention drugs, booze and the occasional acid flashback. Errrybody has fun, it's free to play, cheap to drink and the prizes are good.

After a nearly 8-year hiatus, I am back behind the bar at a new restaurant in St. Paul. Burger Moe's officially opened Monday across the street from Downtowner Woodfire Grill and next to Tom Reid's. Burger Moe's is owned by Moe Sharif, who also owns the Downtowner. The website isn't up yet, but Burger Moe's is open for lunch and dinner, with an emphasis on hamburgers and hot dogs of all kinds -- yes, there is a tasty house-made black bean veggie burger -- and the kitchen is open until 1:00am. At the bar you'll find 40 tap beers and 20 more in the cooler, with two happy hours daily on taps and rail drinks (3:00-6:00pm and 9:00pm-1:00am). You'll also find me behind the bar a few nights a week, probably working the first happy hour shift. Check out the Pi Press's first impression of Burger Moe's.

Yes, it's true: Azia is closing! But kinda more like moving. Thom Pham secured the space at 6th & Hennepin and has been quietly remodeling the inside in anticipation of a August opening of Wanderers Wondrous Azian Kitchen. That opening will be preceded by Azia's closing, after which most of the staff and a fair amount of Azia's interior will make the trek from Eat Street to downtown.

I know what you're thinking, but don't worry. I'm not spiraling into a depression the depths of which Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio wouldn't even know. This is a good move for the company (the old building is falling apart), a good option for downtown (late-night Asian-fusion, holla) and now it's even closer to me! Congrats to Thom, and best of luck. Read the details of the move on Horgen's blog post at Star Tribune.

Holy Land Deli in NYT

Thank God today's one of those days when I just happen to have a spare lemon lying around. I just read this article about the widespread popularity of hummus, and now a serious hummus and chips jones is happening.

The story focuses on the Wadi family, owners of Northeast Minneapolis's Holy Land Deli. I guess they're pitching their 14 favors of hummus to Costco; best of luck to them! CC and I tried the guacamole hummus with blue tortilla chips last week and managed to clear the tub in one sitting (plus salads and a tub of spicy olives from Lund's). Thumbs up.

New York Times: Hummus Catches On in America (as Long as it's Flavored)

Chayote Chopped Salad

Inspired by my dad, who whipped up a chopped salad with chayote last summer. Before that, I'd never thought to eat it raw before; I've always boiled or broiled it.

The prep time is long but worth it. This has fast become one of the most popular things I make. Same-size veggies are key to chopped salad, so go ahead and get anal-retentive. If you're not feeding 4 or more people, keep the dressing on the side. Use a salad spinna to remove any excess water from your veggies; the undressed salad will keep for a few days in the fridge without anything getting soggy. White cheddar is far from Mexican, but I think it works best here.

Chayote Chopped Salad
© 2010 by Alexis McKinnis
Yields: 6 starter salads, 4 as a light meal

Salad
1 head iceberg or romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 chayote, cored and diced
1/4 cup scallions (1 bunch sans tops), chopped
1/2 cup radishes, diced
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
3/4 cup white cheddar, diced

Lime Dressing
1 large-ish lime
Scant 1/4 cup sunflower oil (or other light salad oil)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl, tossing to combine. Juice lime into a clear liquid measuring cup, noting how much juice comes out (kitchen trials indicate it should be just shy of 1/4 cup). Add an equal amount of oil to lime juice. Whisk in salt and sugar. Dress salad and serve.

Congrats to Andrew Zimmern!

A big hug and congratulations to Andrew Zimmern for winning the James Beard Foundation Media Award for top TV Food Personality. Andrew's show, Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, is in its 5th season on The Travel Channel.

I was chatting on the phone with Chandrew the week before the Media Awards weekend and there was no doubt in his mind that Alton Brown or Rick Bayless (both also super dudes with super shows) would win in his category. He didn't think he had a chance.

Goes to show what you know, Lil' A. Congratulations!

Inbox Cleaning: Spring Sales, Dining Out and Doing Good

It's Début Dollars time at Second Début, the Goodwill boutique where all the better brand clothes, shoes and accessories go. For every $50.00 you spend April 18th-May 1st at Second Début (St. Louis Park) and Second Début2 (St. Paul), receive a $5.00 Début Dollar card. Those Début Dollar cards can be redeemed the week of May 9th-15th toward purchases at either store.

This Saturday the 24th is the Northeast Icebreaker Shop Crawl, with discounts at Bibelot, Belle Reve Boutique, Melrose Antiques, Look + See Eye Care, Aveda Institute,  Parc Boutique, Surdyk's Liquor & Cheese Shop, Red Stag Supperclub and more. Saturday only, 10:00am-6:00pm.

Going on today and Saturday is the 2010 Greed Gone Wild Spring Sale in the Patina Props space at 2014 Central Ave NE. 10 vendors selling vintage garden items, antique furniture + lighting, vintage and contemporary clothing, shoes, belts, purses, hats, jewelry, LPs, books, pottery, pillows and dishes. Bring a non-perishable food item and receive 10% off one item, up to $50.00.

Next Thursday April 29th is the Macy's Fashionista Party in the Macy’s Minneapolis Impulse Department (3rd floor). Starting at 5:30pm, get 20% off of your purchase made at the event, a free copy of Metro Magazine, free samples of Hansen's SELF Beauty Elixir and free samples and touch-ups at the Dior beauty and fragrance bar. This same event will also be at Macy's Southdale Impulse department (1st floor) on Saturday May 1st at 1:00pm. 

On Saturday the 24th at 7:00pm, the Bell Museum of Natural History will host an evening with "Hungry Planet: What the World Eats" authors Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio. The pair will discuss why global food knowledge is so important, as well as preview their next book. $12.00 general public, $10.00 members, $5.00 U of M students. Reservation required: 612-624-4112.

Next Thursday the 29th is Dining Out for Life! Have breakfast, lunch and dinner at your favorite participating restaurants and they'll donate anywhere from 10% to 100% of the proceeds to The Aliveness Project, a local organization dedicated to providing education, advocacy, empowerment, wellness services, daily meals and a food shelf for individuals living with HIV/AIDS. I'm volunteering at LUSH Food Bar in Northeast, so grab a friend, come by and have something to eat. LUSH is generously donating 100% of every dinner check to The Aliveness Project. First-come, first-served, LUSH's food menu is available 5:00pm-11:00pm. Booze doesn't count towards the cause, but you can have a charitable dinner and still enjoy $5.00 martinis all night.