Stuffed Bell Peppers with Couscous, Feta, and Fresh Herbs

As the end of the week draws near, we look to our emptying refrigerator to see what leftover produce needs to be consumed before they become past their prime.

Our quick, cheap, and incredibly easy last minute meal of choice was Stuffed Yellow and Orange Peppers.

Ingredients (makes 4):

4 bell peppers, assorted colors

1 cup vegetable broth

1 cup couscous

2 Tbsp (approx) extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tomato, diced

1 small onion, diced

2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped

1 cup feta cheese

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Boil broth.

3. Add couscous and stir together.

4. Take pot of couscous off heat and set aside.

5. Heat olive oil in separate pan.

6. Add onions, herbs, and tomatoes.  Cook for 5 minutes.

7. Cut off tops of peppers and remove seeds.  (Optional:  Because we try to use as much of the produce as possible, we used the small bits of pepper near the top and added them to the vegetables)

8. Mix couscous with vegetables.  Add feta cheese.

9. Add mixture to peppers.

10. Bake peppers for 15 mins.

11. Garnished with parsley and serve.

We love this dish because it is very versatile and is a great fridge/pantry cleaner.  You can add olives, other hearty vegetables (mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, etc.), or use other grains (orzo, rice, etc.).  What are your stuffed pepper variations?

Prince Oyster Mushrooms and Broccoli

Mushrooms and broccoli - it's so simple and yet they make for a satisfying dinner.  When I went shopping in Chinatown, I found a package of prince oyster mushrooms.  I had never heard of prince mushrooms before (and these looked a lot like King oyster mushrooms).  These mushrooms were soft, silky, and meaty.  Like a sponge, they perfectly sopped up the sauce we made.  This dish went well with a glass of white wine and was really easy to make.

Prince Oyster Mushrooms and Broccoli

Ingredients (serves 2-3):

3 large prince oyster mushrooms, sliced (can substitute with king oyster mushrooms)

3 cloves garlic, sliced

1/2 cup vegetable stock

1/2 cup water

canola oil for cooking 

 2 tbsp oyster sauce

1/4 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp all-purpose white flour mixed with 2 tbsp water

1 pkg frozen broccoli, steamed

Directions:

1.  Heat some canola oil in a large pan over medium heat and stir fry the garlic until fragrant.

2.  Add mushrooms and stir fry for a few minutes.

3.  Add the stock, water, oyster sauce, and sesame oil to the pan.  Simmer for about 7-10 minutes while the mushrooms soak up some of the liquid.

4. Put the steamed broccoli on a serving plate.  Add the mushrooms on top (but leave the liquid in the pan).

5. Bring the liquid to boil and add the flour mixture. (Make sure to mix the flour and 2 tbsp water before adding to the pan or else it'll be harder to get rid of the lumps).  Simmer until the sauce thickens. Pour the sauce over the mushrooms.

Serve with some steamed rice and a glass or two of riesling (usually always pairs well with Asian food).  We enjoyed a bottle of the off-dry yet crisp 2008 Eroica Riesling from Chateau Ste. Michelle and Germany's Ernst Loosen (we also like the value "Dr. L" Riesling from Loosen which is usually about $9 to $11).

Reminder:  Our Black + Blum giveaway ends in a few hours! Be sure to enter!

Piggie Wonder and Proposition 2 - Animal Confinement

As reflected in previous posts, the treatment of animals in industrialized production draws a great deal of criticism. As many state animal cruelty statutes exempt farm animals from the protection afforded domestic pets, and as federal animal welfare laws also often exclude farm animals, new laws directed specifically at farm animals are gaining ground.

In California, an initiative known as "Proposition 2" is on the ballot this November. Proposition 2 applies to pregnant sows (except during their last week of pregnancy), calves raised for veal, and egg-laying hens. It prohibits their tethering or confinement to a space that does not allow them to lie down, stand up, fully extend their limbs; and turn around freely. Clearly, it is designed to ban some of the most egregious inventions of the factory farm - gestation crates, veal crates, and battery cages.

Pictures of frightened and distressed animals confined to very small spaces are the most obvious campaign tool for passage of such a measure, and these images are abundantly available.

The folks at Free Range Studios in conjunction with the Humane Society came up with a more upbeat approach with a music video entitled Piggie Wonder's Greatest Hits. It is reported to be the "2008 Farm Music Video of the Year," and it carries its message to vote Yes on Prop 2 with wit and humor.

Setting an ANSI Standard for Sustainable Agriculture

This press release came to me from Tom Redick, via the ABA's listserve for the Agricultural Management Committee. The broader project's page is available at this link.

Apparently, USDA is not happy with the effort and has sought to end it. Leonardo's response can be found here.

Pera - Free wine and meatballs ends today

Free food and free wine - how could we resist?

This is why we decided to meet a friend and visit Pera Mediterranean Brasserie in midtown Manhattan for a quick drink and appetizers.

The restaurant is offering its Facebook fans a free glass of wine and a free meatball appetizer.  All you have to do is mention the Facebook promotion (which ends today, Sept. 30th.)

The meatball dish (reg $7) was small, but tasty and came with a light tzatziki sauce.  We enjoyed our free wine (we were pleasantly surprised that we could choose any wine by the glass on the menu).  We chose the Malbec (reg $12) and were given a generous pour.

We also decided to order the Chef's Meze Sampler ($22) which included a white bean salad, roasted whipped eggplant, anchovies, feta cheese (very light and tangy), humus with pastirma (Turkish prosciutto on top), lamb "Adana" cut roll, crispy calamari, beef and bulghur tartar (grainy texture), and, in the middle, homemade grape leaves.  Overall, it was a fun sharing dish in a beautiful presentation.

Pera Mediterranean Brasserie is located at 303 Madison Ave (btwn 41st and 42nd Sts) in NYC.

NYC Craft Beer Week 2010 and Get Real NY

My husband checks out local brewery and food vendor offerings (just before Le Fooding) at Get Real NY, part of NY Craft Beer Week.

After starting 2010 New York City Craft Beer Week with a stop at The Pony Bar (for Ithaca Brewing's spectacular Brute and the tasty Super Friends Laird's Apple Brandy Barrel), I headed to the first session of Get Real NY, a cask event sponsored by Rattle N Hum with Alex Hall of Gotham Imbiber.

After waiting in line for almost an hour before the doors opened, the first thing I overheard when getting my tasting glass was how much of a disaster ticketing was for this event -- so I was starting to wonder what this event would be like.  But in the end, it turned out to be a great event for beer lovers and definitely one of the better beer festivals I have attended.

I started off with some cask ales from The Bruery: the Seven Grain Saison and Mischief, a strong pale ale.  Some of the highlights of the afternoon for me included:  Tampa's Cigar City Brewing (amazing flavorful beers especially the Guava Grove IPA and Red Oak IPA); Smuttynose Robust Porter (with Apple Brandy Chips); Schlafly Imperial Stout; brews from Heavy Seas (Clipper City); and the River Horse Oak Aged Special Ale (from NJ).

Since the Saturday afternoon session was not too packed, I was able to take a few samples of some of the homebrewers offerings, including an India Black Ale (or Black IPA), which seems to be one of the hot styles of beer being offered these days.  Even local brewery Blue Point Brewing had an India Black Ale, a bitter and toasty delight called 'Toxic Sludge' whose profits go to the Gulf oil spill clean up.  Overall, the selection of cask ales was amazing -- I doubt any beer event in NY before has been as good as this one.

Food options were light, with Luke's Lobster serving up tasty half shrimp rolls (though I wished for their lobster rolls), bite size cupcakes from Kumquat Cupcakery, cookies from Amy's Cookies and cheese from Lucy's Whey at Chelsea Market.

It was definitely worth the visit, I'm already looking forward to next year (hopefully they will do this at least twice a year).  If you like cask ale, or real ale as some people refer to it as, definitely check events like this out or try a pint at your local craft beer bar.

Tinto Fino - Best place to Find Spanish Wines in NYC

Searching for the perfect reasonably-priced Spanish sherry brought us to this warm and charming wine shop in the East Village.  Tinto Fino (named for a synonym of Spanish grape Tempranillo) is the destination for Spanish wine lovers. We love Spanish wines because they offer great value compared to most European wines.  It is NYC's first all-Spanish wine shop and features a good variety at various price-points.

The store is neatly organized by region, however, if you need some help, the staff at Tinto Fino are great at offering recommendations.  We also noticed that they never blinked an eye when asked for wines at low price points.

We ended up buying the Lustau Light Fino Sherry NV and the 2001 Lopez de Heredia Vina Boscania Reserva Rioja.  We often find that Sherry is hard to come across other than cheap bottles most people would only use for cooking, not drinking.

Tinto Fino is located at 85 First Avenue (btwn 5th and 6th Sts) in NYC.  It is owned by Mani Dawes, who also owns popular Spanish tapas restaurant Tia Pol in Chelsea.

Extra note:  If you want to immediately open your wine, there's a  nearby Sri Lankan BYOB restaurant, Sigiri, that's worth a visit.

Meet and Greet with Elan McPherson of Flavour Design Studio

I love cute dishes, especially handmade ones.  They can brighten up a boring meal like oatmeal or cereal.  So when I went to last month's New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF), I was like a kid in a candy store.  Brightly colored tabletop and home accessories were everywhere!

NYIGF was also a great venue to directly meet some artisans.  It's where I met the designers behind Black + Blum (remember to enter our giveaway with them!)  I also got to meet Flavour Design Studio's Elan McPherson - stay-at-home mom, entrepreneur, and designer of our fave Oprah-approved Buddha Bowls.  She was so sweet - which wasn't a surprise.  After all, her most popular creation started off as a gift for her grandma.

Elan welcomed me with a hug (she is a fellow Canadian after all!)  I marveled at all of her products.  Elan makes pieces that are both pretty, yet functional.  And chatting with her was like meeting up with a girlfriend over coffee.

Me:  "What's your design philosophy?"

Elan:  "I try to design products that make people say "Why didn't I think of that?"  My pieces aim to be clever, yet elegant and ergonomic.  They should spark conversation or at least make you smile."

Me:  "What was your first piece?"

Elan:  "The Udon and Ramen bowls.  I love eating noodles and I wanted to make something that I could use to easily eat noodles while watching TV."

My husband both uses and models the Buddha Bowl while he rests his injured foot and watches TV.

Me:  "How did the Buddha Bowls and Baby Buddha Bowls come about?"

Elan:  "I actually made it for my grandmother.  She has arthritis in her wrists and couldn't hold chopsticks (for the Udon and Ramen bowls), so I made the Buddha Bowls that were much more comfortable for her.  I made the Baby Buddha Bowls afterward which was perfect to use while feeding my son because I was always on my feet."

Me: "What was it like getting into Oprah's O Magazine?"

Elan: "It was such a surprise. I was just starting out and didn't have any packaging set up.  But it was an honour finding out that Oprah really liked my Buddha Bowls. She has the green one (snowpea colour), which they told me was her favorite colour."

Me:  "What are your new designs?"

Elan:  "The Buddha Belly Plates are plates that you can easily and comfortably carry on one hand. They're perfect for entertaining.  This appetizer dish (with the blueberries) is so new I haven't named it yet.  And the Hot Seat stool is neat because it swivels and uses a 10 qt brazier pot as a seat.  Everything I design is handmade in California or British Columbia (check out these neat "behind the scenes" studio pics) except the bar stool, which I work with partners in France to hand make and produce."

Every product comes with Elan's autograph!

Me: "Thank you so much Elan! It was so nice meeting you!"

Elan: "Thank you. The next time I'm in New York, I have to get your recommendations for vegetarian places!"  (note! I've listed some vegetarian restaurants in my Visitor's Dining Guide to NYC)

If you like handmade products, check out Elan's products both in our shop and more in her studio.

Reminder: Get your Buddha Bowls and other Flavour Design products available in our HLFD shop at 50% off (use code FIFTYHILO at checkout, expires 9/30).

Click here for your chance to win products by another fabulous designer, Black + Blum.  Our Black + Blum giveaway ends 9/30.

Russia's Land and People

Interesting slideshow here.

Part Three: The Relationship Between the Level of Regulation under the FDCA and the Health Status of a Product’s Targeted Population

An Introduction to the History of Quack Medicine



In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries there was a remarkable growth in the marketing of sham products to treat and cure disease.

At that time, the rate at which quack medicines were being introduced into the market far outpaced the development of the science necessary to establish the efficacy and identify the risks associated with each new product. This scientific lag time created a period when there was an information void that

predatory commercial interests were quick to use to their advantage. As the FDA carried the burden of proof to show that a product did not work or was unsafe in order to remove the product from the market, during this lag time predatory commercial interests were able to profit from scientific uncertainty to the detriment of public health.



During this long period in U.S. history, the curative claims of the predatory sham medicine salesmen were limited only by the gullibility of their targets. In many cases, the degree of gullibility was proportional to the level of desperation of the individual for a cure. The more dire the condition, the more vulnerable an individual was to the ‘flim flam’ of the greedy snake oil salesman. And the more dire the condition, the greater the degree of harm when the sham medicine did not work, causing injury over and above the original illness and/or causing a delay in seeking effective medical treatment. Thus, this lag time between initial marketing of a sham product and the development of the science necessary to resolve uncertainties over the new product’s safety and effectiveness was very costly in terms of human suffering and loss of life. Slaying the Hydra: The History of Quack Medicines

In 1962, after a series of highly publicized public health crises, legislation was passed to close this ‘space between’ created by scientific uncertainty by switching the burden of proof for safety and effectiveness from the FDA and onto product manufacturers.



As more fully discussed in the next entries in this series,

it was not until 1962 that legislation was passed that required manufacturers to obtain premarket approval for new drugs from the FDA by producing “substantial evidence” that the product is both safe and effective for its intended use. The Drug Amendments of 1962 allowed the FDA to make the transition

from its former inefficient and costly police role of enforcing specific statutory prohibitions by removing adulterated and misbranded products from the market, to its current gatekeeper role of preventing those products from entering the market in the first place. Thus, from 1962 until 1994, manufacturers were no longer able to ‘play in the grey’ and take commercial advantage of the scientific uncertainty over the safety and effectiveness of a product to the detriment of public health.



The legislative history of the FDCA makes it clear that Congress also intended that weight loss products fall into the same regulatory category as drugs and devices specifically to deal with predatory profiteering by product manufacturers that targeted a vulnerable population of those who were overweight or obese. In the legislative record, members of Congress expressed their intent to deal with the massive number of “worthless” products being marketed for weight loss at the time. Id.

Thus, prior to the passage of The Dietary Supplement Health Education Act (“DSHEA”) and the Nutritional Labeling Education Act (“NLEA”), the FDCA appears to have required that manufacturers of weight loss supplements obtain premarket approval by establishing the safety and effectiveness of their products before distributing them.



However, the passage of DSHEA in 1994 has confused this situation. To date, it appears that DSHEA is being interpreted to shift the burden of proof back onto the FDA with relation to dietary supplements marketed to both healthy populations and vulnerable, unhealthy populations.

With this over broad interpretation, predatory commercial interests are again being allowed to exploit scientific uncertainty. The door has now been re-opened to the same deceptive advertising that ran rampant in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.



And unfortunately, tens of millions of vulnerable and desperate individuals who are overweight and at grave risk of developing a serious, chronic disease are being lured into this predatory playground. The United States has now come full circle and returned to the era of the snake oil salesman. The very public health problem that the FDCA was originally promulgated to deal with, fraudulent and deceptive products that put the nation’s health at risk, has reared its ugly head once again. Id.

The next blog post in this series delves into more details regarding the history of the quack medicines to give additional perspective to the relationship between the FDCA, the FDA and predatory commercial interests.

More Bon Appetit Supper Club pics - Top Chef's Fabio, Iron Chef Cat Cora, and James Beard winner Babbo's Gina DePalma

Last Thursday we went back to the Bon Appetit Supper Club and Cafe to try a few more foods and to meet a couple of TV chef elites - Iron Chef Cat Cora and Top Chef's Fabio Viviani.

Chef Tom Douglas' Rub with Love King Salmon Sandwich ($9.50):  This was a hearty, meaty sandwich complemented by the fennel mayonnaise and nutty arugula lettuce.

Chef Alex Stupak's Yuzu Tart ($3):  If you like lemon, you would love yuzu, a Japanese sour citrus fruit that is used in this tart.  It was airy, silky, and cool.

Baked's Brewer's Bar ($3):  This was rich and dense, filled with pecans and brown sugar.  It was heavier than we expected it to be.

Babbo's pastry chef Gina DePalma shows us how to make Zabaglione, an Italian dessert made of egg and wine.

Here was our individual sample of Chef DePalma's Zabaglione on a hazelnut cake.  This was light, yet satisfying due to the custard-like Zabaglione

Chef Cat Cora, fresh from an appearance at the Today show, shows us how to make her Skirt Steak Tacos with Shiitake Mushroom Salsa

Despite no free samples of this dish, we managed to snag a taco that Cat Cora herself made in the demonstration and offered to us.  The salsa was earthy from the mushrooms yet fresh from the cilantro.  It made this dish.

Chef Fabio Viviani was hilarious - especially when he was confused over how to operate the Induction oven.

The many faces of Fabio:  He emphatically demonstrates how to make his "so easy the 5 guys in the room could make it" pancetta-covered prawns with spinach and polenta.  We loved his charming broken English, which he mentioned was how his cookbook was written.  (His publisher even mentions on the book jacket that no grammatical corrections were made to ensure the authenticity of the chef's voice.)

His completed dish - Chef Fabio Viviani’s Gamberoni In Camicia.  It looked beautiful and seemed really easy to make.  Though we did not get a sample, we managed to get a photo with our favorite Top Chef contestant!

The Bon Appetit Supper Club and Cafe had ended for this year and we look forward to checking out next year's installment.

Le Fooding 2010: NY vs SF

Let the SF vs NYC food battle begin! We've eagerly anticipated the event, Le Grand Fooding 2010 New York vs San Francisco, for a while and it finally happened this weekend.  Held to benefit Action Against Hunger, this event featured celebrity chefs from both coasts offering tastes of their cuisine.

After attending last year, we were ready for the long lines.  Unlike last year, we bought VIP tickets this year that, in addition to unlimited Veuve Clicquot champagne, got us entry an hour before general admission.  Buying the upgrade was definitely worth the price as we were able to try everything (some more than once!) without too much of a wait.

We were amongst the first in line at 5:30pm for the 6pm entry.  Talking to others in line, we thought we had everything planned out.  We would head straight to the burger and pizza tables, get a couple glasses of champagne, then check out more tables. 

The best laid plans often go awry, right? We got in at 6pm, and found many tables (including the pizza and burger tables) unready for service.  So instead, we headed to any tables ready with food.

Our first stop, and one of our favorites of the night, was Blue Hill's Dan Barber's Beet and Pork sausage with condiments.  It was rustic, creative, slightly sweet, and nicely grilled.  The beet sausage went especially well with the grain mustard.  And being personally served by Dan Barber himself was the best treat of all.

Another favorite was Melissa Perello's, of Frances in SF, Suckling pig with summer fruit mostarda.  The pork was juicy and we loved the sweetness of the seasonal peaches.  My husband said he'd be happy eating this moist pork dish all the time if he could.  This was another dish we returned to have again and by the end of the night, the line was so long it snaked around like a snail's shell. 

Up on a platform, Coi's Daniel Patterson was making a variety of inventive vegetable snacks.  Since my hubby missed out on my dinner at Coi, he was eager to try out these bites.  Chef Patterson was painstakingly assembling so many snacks, that once a full platter was available for service, everyone clamored for a taste making it difficult to enjoy and savor.  It was a beautiful display nonetheless. 

Despite other samples available, people were waiting for the Black olive, Fresh cheese from Andante Dairy, Tomato jam, and Cilantro.  My husband and I also really enjoyed the Potato chicharrones (tasted just like pork!).  Also available was Popcorn with Escabeche powder (a lemony/spicy Peruvian powder) and Vegetable Leathers of beet/Niabell grape and burnt onion/fig with Almond crisps (adult Fruit roll-ups).

More Coi samples!  Smoke Roasted Roots including Kohlrabi (with romaine, garum - a salty fish sauce, and parsley crumbs), Carrots (with hay and wild garlic), and Beets (with pistachio and wood sorrel).  Vegetable and Seaweed Salad (lime, seaweed powder, mushroom dashi, and seaweed from Monterey, CA).  Plum Consomme (wild mint and sassafras, not pictured)

db Bistro Moderne offered its Camem Burger (grilled sirloin, Camembert cheese, caramelized red onion, toasted black pepper bun).  My husband loved the burger - especially how rare it was!  (It was a little too raw for me)

Though people were lukewarm about Nate Appleman's (Pulino) Beef cooked in beef fat, anchovy crostone, parsley and fried garlic, it was one of the most efficient tables.  My husband liked Pulino's toast (beef over crostini) more than I did, finding it tasty, simple, and enjoying the anchovy and basil.

Brian Leth, from Vinegar Hill House in Brooklyn, made Octopus with charred lemon, yogurt, and tagglasca olives. 

Grilled Octopus

Mourad Lahlou (Aziza, SF) offered Squab with a farro salad.  It was an interesting dish with tons of root vegetables and fresh sorrel.  The squab was properly cooked and my husband thought it would pair well with wine.

Even at 6:45 pm, the event was getting crowded.

We finally headed to the pizza stand and waited patiently in the longest line of the night.  It was strangely ticketed (the only food station that allowed only 1 tasting) and paired with French Cotes du Rhone wines.

Despite the long wait, the staff including Charlie Hallowell, Pizzaiolo's chef, were very friendly and interactive.  We did enjoy watching the pizzas being made and cooked in Pizza Moto's portable oven.

Roasted peppers were passed down the line to satiate the hungry crowd.  Day turned into night when we finally got our tiny slice of pepper pizza.  Though pretty and colorful, it was good but not worth such a wait.  Instead of pairing it with French Cotes du Rhone wines, my husband would have liked would have liked a NY vs. SF craft beer sponsor, since both have such good breweries.  (Of course, he had just gone to the Get Real NY craft beer/food event earlier that afternoon, so I'm not sure how much more beer he needed to taste!)

The SF vs NY battle even extended into cocktails.  We watched Erick Castro from Rickhouse in SF make a Bella Fragolla (raspberry, basil, and vodka).  Very fresh and fruity!

My husband enjoyed meeting Jim Meehan from PDT and preferred his Parkside Fizz (less sweet, crisp, and refreshing).  I also tried a vodka cocktail with vanilla that was pretty tasty and not syrupy at all.

The area ended up getting even more crowded (we went on Sat and heard that Friday's session was even worst).  Again, we were so glad we sprung for the VIP tickets because we left very full and had the time/opportunity to chat with many chefs.  Can't wait for next year!

Reminder: Our Black + Blum Giveaway ends 9/30/10! Click here to enter to win one of their cool products!

Also, our 50% off sale in our HLFD store also ends 9/30/10.  Use coupon code FIFTYHILO at checkout to get your discount on everything in your cart!