Girl Friday

It is time to say goodbye to Felicia.

The next call I make to Felicia's vet will be to schedule the end of her life. In just the last month, she has lost nearly half her body weight. I had been giving her buprenorphine for her pain every 12 hours, but I realized yesterday that I have to increase the frequency as it's become heartbreakingly obvious when it starts to wear off. The kind of cancer she has isn't the growing mass kind, rather the opposite. It has rapidly eaten away at the teeth and upper jaw on the right side of her face, as well as the bone around her eye. It has wiped out a tear duct, so she is constantly weeping out of that eye. There is a large artery nearby, so what I'm most worried about now is for the cancer to eat at that artery, causing her to bleed to death if I'm not here to take her to the emergency room. This cancer is advancing at a rapid rate, so much so that the oncology specialist that saw her yesterday was alarmed at her condition in comparison to the x-rays that were taken just 7 days ago.

Felicia has always been my world. If you know me, you know that. She was part of a pair of kittens that an ex-boyfriend adopted at 10 weeks of age from the Humane Society in St. Paul. Two weeks later, he surrendered to the reality that he was violently allergic to the little furballs, and I took them in. Felicia's brother, Fatboy, disappeared from my front lawn when they were less than a year old. I searched for him for months, checking Minneapolis Animal Control and the nearby shelters every two days, but I never found him. Felicia took the news well, and she and I have been the best of friends ever since. She is a beautiful and intelligent cat with the ability to make me laugh with a look. Over the last 13-plus years, we have lived in countless domiciles and she always adapted wonderfully every time we moved into a new place. She’s never been a furniture scratcher (unless she wants your attention) she’s never jumped on counters (unless there’s heavy cream involved), she’s never bitten anyone (unless you count the vet tech who assisted with her spay) and she’s never been anything less than perfect in my eyes.

There are so many things I will miss about Felicia. Her soft black fur, which I’m stroking now as she sleeps next to me. Her freakishly long whiskers, her bright and shiny green eyes, her purr, the crooked tip of her tail. The way she hates being brushed. The way she patiently stalks the mouse living behind the stove. The way she batted the other mouse that lived behind the stove around this apartment for two hours last Wednesday before it finally died. The way she stared at it incredulously once it went limp. The way she lays on my belly every night until I’m asleep, then moves to her side of the bed.

I’m trying to think of a list of things I want to do with her before I have to make the phone call, but all I want to do is hold her. She stopped playing for the most part about two weeks ago, but I managed to rouse some interest with a cough drop wrapper the other day. She’s always played with her mouth, chomping down on tiny plush toys, sparkle balls and feather sticks (but mostly the stick and not so much the feather). She can’t do that now without pain so I guess I don’t blame her for not having much interest in something she can only paw at. So I will be with her, holding her, every moment that I can, until she lets me know that it’s time to make that call. Taking off of work this weekend is impossible—thanks Red Bull—but I will be home with Felicia whenever I’m not working. My hope is that I have another week with her.

 

Potato Kale Soup

This is the soup I whipped up on Sunday with an hour to spare before heading to Lyndale Tap House to host trivia. It was so easy and so incredibly good (courtesy of a generous portion of garlic, I think) that I thought sharing was a good idea. This soup is addictive; I ate no fewer than 2 bowls in one sitting.

Yukon Gold potatoes are pretty much the only potato I buy. They're not too starchy, a little waxy and cook up nice and creamy. I never miss the heavy cream when I make mashed potatoes with them, and I skipped the cream for this soup, too. My preferred sauteeing mixture is half butter and half olive oil, but replacing the butter with more olive oil will make this soup vegan.

Potato Kale Soup
© 2011 by Alexis McKinnis
Yield: 6 servings

5 Yukon Gold potatoes, cooked and riced*
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 white onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bunch kale, chopped
1 cup water, divided
2 cups vegetable stock (I Use Edward & Sons Not-Chick'n)
Salt and fresh black pepper to taste

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high until butter is melted. Add garlic and onions and sautee until soft. Remove from skillet using slotted spoon or skimmer, keeping as much fat as possible in the skillet. Add kale to skillet and sautee until soft and dark green (add a little more olive oil if necessary). Remove from heat and set aside. Blend sauteed onion and garlic with 1/2 cup of the water until smooth. In a large saucepan or stockpot, heat stock to a simmer. Stir in riced potatoes, onion mixture and kale and remove from heat. Thin with additional water if desired. Season with salt and lots of black pepper and serve.

*I use my microwave. Poke holes in unpeeled potatoes, cook on high until tender (checking every minute or so) and rice. The skins won't pass through the ricer so you don't have to bother peeling the potatoes.

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.

5 Valentine's Day Love Notes

I've been going to a chiropractor the past month after a pretty bad car accident on New Year's Eve (more on that in the next post). He gives me "homework" after each adjustment; do this exercise when you wake up, document your pain level at this time of the day, et cetera. Today, being Valentine's Day, apparently warranted a special homework assignment. I was given the task of writing 5 Valentine notes before the end of the day, so here we go.

1. To my nephew, Julian: I love you. It sucks that we're no longer a 15-minute drive apart, but I think about you approximately 50 times a day. Now that I'm working 5-6 nights a week and always on the weekends, it's tough to make time to drive up to North Branch to see you. But know that you'll always be my little buddy.

2. To my Vita.mn readers: You're the best. Thanks for putting up with some pretty mediocre columns since my accident. January was a truly horrible month for me personally, and the damage done to my neck and spine is no small part of that. Again, I'll go into more detail in my next Girl Friday post, but I will say here that the injuries have really affected my ability to write. It's not just physically painful, but it's often just plain difficult due to the type of nerve damage I have.

3. To my Ford Fiesta: I never thought I could love a car the way that I love you. That goes for my first Fiesta that was totaled in my accident, as well as Fiesta 2.0 that I bought last month. You're little, so you can fit in any parking space, which is awesome for someone who sucks at parallel parking. You get like 25 miles to the gallon in the city, so I don't have to spend too much time doing one of my most-hated activities: pumping gas. And your premium sound system rocks my face off.

4. To Prairie Ale House: Unlike the others, I don't just love you for your cheese curds. I love you for having a vegetarian soup option every day (soups courtesy of Chef Seth Bixby Daugherty as of late), I love you for making the best black bean burger I've ever tasted, I love you for stocking real English cider and I love you because I get to see AJ, Chad, Brad and Joe whenever I stop in.

5. To my Shuga: Because, to paraphrase myself, it would be dumb to not acknowledge you today. You might not even see this post, but that's okay. I gave you an earful on the street in front of my house yesterday, and I meant every word. I love being around you and it makes me feel good to do things for you. Things I won't mention here because my mom reads this.

 

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.

 

Unsolicited Pimping: Rituals Bath & Skin Care Products

This blog post is long overdue. Not only because just now have I been able to log into my Typepad account for the first time in weeks, but because Rituals lotions are the best I've ever found and I think you should know about them.

I first tried one of these lotions at a bridal shower that my Auntie Honey threw at her house. She had stuffed a handful of the purse-size versions in gift bags for us to take home. I loved the scent -- Calypso Sunrise, holla -- but after applying it to my hands and washing them once or twice that afternoon, I noticed that my skin was still soft. The lotions and body butters are incredibly emollient without being greasy at all. And both the softness and the scent lasts longer than any other products I've found anywhere near this price point.

When I pull the purse-size lotions out in public, the awesome scents attract immediate attention; all my friends must try it and, once they've worked it into the skin, they must know where I buy it. You can find these wonderful lotions, body butters, balms, soaps, candles, oils and incense -- which come in literally dozens of scents, so be prepared to spend some time picking your favorites -- only at Midtown Global Market. The shop is located almost dead center of the market, adjacent to the large seating area where there is occasionally music and dance performances, and across from Midtown Produce Exchange and La Sirena Gorda.

I have my favorite lotion scents (Cedar Saffron, Bitter Orange and aforementioned Calypso Sunrise) and my favorite lip balm (Brown Sugar), which I love. I recently tried the soy candles, too, which burn long and give a mellow but lasting fragrance. Pick up some goodies for yourself or give some as gifts for Christmas and let me know what you think.

Rituals website

 

 

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.

Pretending to Sound Smart on Fox 9 News

Wow, it only took me 2 days to log into Typepad this week. I better double up on the blog posts while I'm in!

If you didn't catch it, here's me on Fox 9 news the other night looking like I know what I'm talking about.

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/sex-survey-an-eye-opener-for-couples-oct-4-2010

In Season by Don Saunders to Open Early November

Yay, Typepad let me log into day! Seriously, you guys. One of these days I'll stop complaining and actually fill out a help ticket. Although I can see some very slight tweaks in the design as I'm typing right now, so maybe the site just got a little upgrade.

Anyway, I got this in my inbox last week and got very, very excited. My love for the cuisine of Chef Don Saunders is well documented here on Girl Friday. I'm thrilled that, after the closing of our beloved Fugaise in March of last year, Don is opening In Season:

Critically acclaimed local chef Don Saunders is opening a new restaurant in South Minneapolis. The restaurant, which will be called "In Season," is scheduled to open sometime in early November at 5416 Penn Ave South (the former Armatage Room space).

Congratulations to Chef Don on his new venture!

After the Summer of Amazing, I'm getting back on track with the cookbook. I made a superb three-squash soup earlier this week and will post that recipe in the next day or two. My weeks are staying pretty busy thanks to the trivia and bingo gigs. Come on down and say hi one of these nights:

• Sunday: Trivia at The Lyndale Taphouse 7:30pm (we may be pushing it back to closer to 9:00pm soon)

• Monday: R-rated Trivia Mafia at Nomad World Pub at 9:00pm

• Tuesday: BARGO (that's bingo at the bar) at The Lyndale Tap House at 9:00pm

Always free to play, always good prizes, always a good time.