INTERESTING TIMES

Here are Mark Bittman's three easy recipes for people who aren't exactly in the habit of making fresh whole food for themselves.

One could set off a heated argument with a question like, ''What are the three best basic recipes?'' but I stand behind these: a stir-fry, a chopped salad, and the basic combination of rice and lentils, all of which are easy enough to learn in one lesson. (''Lessons'' might be called ''recipes,'' and need no ''teacher'' beyond the written word.) Each can be varied in countless ways. Each is produced from basic building blocks that contain no additives, preservatives, trans fats, artificial flavorings or ingredients of any kind, or outrageous calorie counts; they are, in other words, made from actual food. The salad requires no cooking; the stir-fry is lightning fast; the rice-and-lentils, though cooked more slowly, requires minimal attention. The same can be said for other recipes, of course, but not for all of them, and certainly not for the food that most Americans rely upon most of the time.

I'm a omnivore and opportunivore. Sometimes a cheapivore though occasionally my food makes me feel rich. Tonight I opened the fridge not wanting leftover curry again and made a soup that is so good I have to write it down. The soup itself was premade: Sweet Potato Bisque from Trader Joe's. It was the garnishes that made it delish. I added feta cheese from Israel (the brand is Pastures of Eden, also at TJ), some freshly slivered basil leaves (8 or so) and a bit of sweet red pepper chopped small. In this order: Heat soup, and leave the other ingredients cool. After the soup is hot toss on basil slivers first, then feta, then red pepper bits. Sprinkle a bit of Zatarain's creole seasoning (from New Orleans) over the top, serve. YUM. Won't be an accident the next time.

I wonder how long it will be before cheese from Israel isn't worth the shipping anymore.

Add these regularly to make your food taste better and improve nutrition:
* rosemary and basil for their anti-inflammatory power
* cumin and sage for their dementia-fighting power
* cayenne and cinnamon for their obesity-fighting power
* coriander and cinnamon for their sugar regulating powers
* lemon grass, nutmeg, bay leaves and saffron for their calming effects on your mood
* turmeric for its cancer fighting power
* oregano for its fungus-beating power
* garlic, mustard seed and chicory for their heart-pumping power
* basil and thyme for their skin-saving power
* turmeric, basil, cinnamon, thyme, saffron, and ginger for their immune-boosting power
* coriander, rosemary, cayenne, allspice and black pepper for their depression-busting power

from Mercola at:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/01/08/new-year-younger-you-20-anti-aging-herbs-and-spices-to-add-to-your-diet.aspx

In between everything else I'm up to this evening, I'm cooking. I just put the last few ingredients together and it TASTES like baked beans!! I made up the recipe from what I have in the house. Now that I have tasted it, I'm going to look it up to see what else I should put in.

Here's what's in there so far:
2.5 cups pinto beans, from dry
half a head of garlic
about 1/4 bottle of ketchup
juice of 1 lemon
half an onion (all I had) sauteed in
one breakfast's worth of bacon, chopped
salt
three giant spoonfulls of maple syrup

What else should I add? A little cayenne....some cinnamon??

As you may guess from teh title and the sloppyt typing, my pointer finger is heavily bandaged. I had leftover leg of lamb from the 4th of July and carved off the rest of the meat. Thenn I simmered the bone, and pulled off the last few slivers of meat. The bone went to C's wolf dog. The slivers were simmered down to just meat and fat, then I added coconut oil, onions, garlic, and celery. After those had turned soft and translucent, I added potatoes and carrots, and also the spices. I started with salt and black pepper, and added some cinnamon and cumin. That's not a combination I have ever used before, but I found it in a recipe online. The recipe also called for ginger, but I didn't have any ginger. The dish smelled too strongly of cinnamon, which is not my favorite spice alone, even though Mercola says it helps modulate blood sugar levels. I started digging through the spice bin for something that would balance that cinnamon candy-ness.

I added some berebere chili powder from Ethiopia, and also some turmeric, which contains curcumin, the stuff that makes your food yellow and your cancer shrink. After the spices were heated in oil, I added some hot water and a lid, to cook the potatoes. I also threw in some raisins, a can of tomato sauce and the juice of a lemon. It started to smell good. I chopped some red pepper to throw in later. I chopped up some more lamb to add to the stew, and had chopped about half of the remainder when I missed the meat with my knife.
( The rest of the recipe and curried ruminations. )