Entertaining in the 00′s

Pity the modern hostess. She used to plan an event according to her budget and culinary skills. But now religious restrictions, ethical quandries, and food allergies monopolize her party menu!

With this in mind, I am starting a series on “What Your Guests Won’t Eat”.  I know that many of us truly enjoy the company of people who eat differently than us, and do want to feed them food that they can eat! Hopefully these posts will help you to do just that.

Vegetarianism and Veganism

Most of us know at least a few people who are vegetarians or vegans, and so creating menus to feed people who restrict or eliminate animal products from their diet. Fortunately, however, veganism and vegetarianism are probably the easiest “special” diets to accommodate!

Vegetarians and vegans are people who restrict (or eliminate) animal products from their diet. Vegetarians do not eat animal parts (i.e. meat, fats, or by-products such as gelatin) but they might consume dairy, eggs, and/or honey. Vegans do not consume any product derived from animals: In addition to meat, they will not consume eggs (including fish eggs),  dairy, and (in many cases) honey.

(Note: Occasionally you might know someone who identifies as a vegetarian but who eats fish and/or seafood. These folks are more properly known as pescetarians. In my experience, pescetarians may only eat fish and/or seafood occasionally, so don’t assume that they will expect fish or seafood to be on the menu. Conversely, some people may describe themselves as vegetarian, but are in fact vegan.)

How do I Find out If a Guest is Vegetarian or Vegan

The best way to find out if any of your guests are vegetarian or vegan is to simply ask if they have any dietary restrictions. If you already know that a guest is vegetarian or vegan, you should clarify what they will/won’t eat prior to your event.

Cooking from Scratch

The least expensive way to accomodate a vegetarian or vegan guest is to prepare your meal from scratch. You will have the most control over what goes into the food and will be able to consult with your friend if necessary. There are plenty of vegan/vegetarian recipes online, and there are numerous discussion forums for vegans and vegetarians who will most likely be very willing to assist you in planning your menu.

One thing to keep in mind is that there are many condiments, sauces, and beverages that may appear to be vegetarian or vegan, but do contain animal products. For example, some beers, wines, and spirits are prepared using animal products.

Catering and Prepared Foods

If you are ordering food from a caterer/restaurant or using prepared foods, you need to be careful to make sure that the food is truly vegetarian/vegan. There are a number of food additives and preservatives that may be derived from animal sources. Best to bring a list like this one when you go shopping for prepared foods.

About Fake Meat

There are a number of meat substitutes on the market (i.e. veggie burgers and tofu dogs, etc). But many vegetarians/vegans don’t eat meat because they genuinely don’t care for it (and those who do like meat may not find the fake stuff to be satisfying). So don’t assume that a meat substitute is the best option for your guests.  Again, if in doubt, ask your vegetarian/vegan friend what they would prefer to eat: It may be that an extra veggie side dish or salad would be appreciated more than Tofurky.

Ever wonder why people seem so confused about diet and nutrition “facts”?

Ever consider that part of the problem is the “journalists” who report these “facts”?

For example,  dbTechno and other sites report that a study published in Lancet Oncology, indicates that a vegan diet (along with exercise and relaxation) is important in slowing the effects of aging.

Fair enough.

But then the article explains that the study participants had to take supplements, such as “fish oil”, as part of the study.

Um, what part of “vegan” don’t you folks understand?

Vegans, for those who don’t know, do not consume any animal (and yes, fish are animals) flesh, nor do they consume animal products such as dairy, honey, eggs, or, for that matter, fish oil.

I haven’t read the study itself, so I can’t tell you if, in fact, fish oil was a prescribed supplement in the study.

What I can tell you is that declaring the success of a “vegan” diet study that includes fish oil is sloppy reporting. With this sort of “journalism” it is no wonder that people are so perplexed that they give up on even trying to eat healthily.

Happy Monday!

Despite my fondness for things noodly, I can’t enjoy pasta very often: Carbs settle on my hips, and my mood suffers if I eat too much of the stuff. This is frustrating, because pasta is not only inexpensive and easy to prepare, but its “portionability” is perfect for folks like me who are cooking for one.

So I was limiting my Zoba (a noodle bar) visits to about once a week, when I read about something extraordinary. Something amazing.

Noodles with no (or very few) carbs and no (or very few) calories.

(Naturally I wondered how such a thing could be possible.)

So I did some research and found out that not only could such a thing exist, but that it had existed for quite some time. A traditional Japanese foodstuff, shirataki noodles are made from glucomannan flour which is essentially soluble fiber. (There is also a version that incorporates tofu along with the glucomannan flour. This adds a few calories, carbs and protein to the noodles.)

The healthy aspects of the noodles are best explained by the experts, but I will mention some of the benefits that I have received from eating the noodles:

1. Significant appetite reduction. I am not kidding. These noodles are not only filling, but they really help to stave off hunger pangs.

2. Yes, I have lost weight since I added the noodles to my diet. I am NOT claiming that my experience is typical, but after adding one 7 oz bag of noodles to my daily menu for a week, I dropped 4 lbs.

3. I feel that my blood sugar is more stable, even if/when I eat sugar and/or simple carbs.

But enough of all this “health stuff”. I am quite sure that you are wondering: “Can something with so few calories/carbs actually taste good?”

In a word: Yes.
The traditional shirataki noodle, made only of glucomannan flour, are gelatinous, slightly elastic, with a distinctive texture. I have found them most suited to asian sauces and dishes. They don’t have much of a flavor, but generally take on the flavor of whatever sauce or food they are tossed with.

The part-tofu shirataki noodles, on the other hand, have much more of a traditional pasta-like texture, and I have prepared them with both Asian and Italian sauces, but I really prefer them with Italian (i.e. tomato) sauce. Their texture is firm, but decidedly softer than the original shirataki.

Preparation

Preparation is easy, but it needs to be done properly:  The noodles are typically packed in water, which has a strange, fishy smell. It is important to not only rinse away the smell, but to get the noodles as dry as possible.  Here is how to do it:
1. Put the noodles in a strainer or colander, and drain.
2. Run cold water over the noodles for several minutes until the “fishy” smell vanishes. Shake off as much water as possible.
3. Place the noodles in several layers of paper towels and squeeze gently so as to remove water without breaking the noodles..
4. (Optional, but wise, step.) Bring a pan (nonstick is best) to medium heat on the stove, and add the noodles. Heat and toss for about a minute until any remaining water evaporates.

5. The noodles are now ready to use.

Cooking with Shirataki Noodles

Shirataki noodles come in a variety of shapes and sizes, so it is very easy to use them in any dish that requires pasta. There are three things to keep in mind about shirataki noodles (which, after the rinsing and drying steps, are ready-to-eat out of the bag):

1. Don’t freeze them. Doing so will affect the texture.
2. Don’t overcook them. Add them as the last step to a hot dish or soup, and only heat enough to warm through.
3. Don’t microwave them. Again, this will affect the texture.

A Google search will reveal many recipes for the noodles, though I find that working with them is a matter of common sense. For example: Place part-tofu noodles in a shallow baking dish, top with spicy tomato/meat sauce, and cover with mozzarella cheese. Bake the dish at 400º in a toaster oven, and the result is a freshly baked pasta dish with a fraction of “regular” pasta’s calories and carbohydrates.

Shirataki For Stretching Calories

A little while ago I learned that the average entree at a Chinese restaurant is over 1,000 calories.  Even worse, the white rice served with Chinese food can add as much as 300 calories to the dish! Yikes!

The trick here is to enjoy your Chinese carry-out (i.e. take-away) without doing serious damage to your calorie count. Portion out the entree (say maybe a third) onto a bed of shirataki noodles. At this point you have a substantial, filling meal for under 400 calories, plus food left over to share or for the next day. Pretty neat, eh?

Where To Find Shirataki Noodles

In the United States, Whole Foods Markets carry the part-tofu shirataki in their refrigerated section: It is usually kept near the tofu.  Asian grocery stores also carry them in their refrigerated section (you may have to hunt for them, and they are sometimes called “Yam Noodles”). In addition, a number of online retailers sell them as well.

If this blog post has inspired you to try shriataki noodles, please let me know. I’d love to hear about your experiences with them!

Do you enjoy tea? Are you in Chicago? If so, make your way down to State and Division for a tea shopping experience that you won’t soon forget.

TeaGshwender has been offering fine teas since 1978, and has been expanding its business throughout Europe, The Middle East and South America. TeaGshwender has now begun operations in Chicago, and has been very well-received by both tea novices and afficandios alike.

Unlike Argo Tea, TeaGshwender is not a cafe: You can buy a cup of any of their teas hot or iced, and they will make it up fresh for you. But there is no place to sit and enjoy your brew. TeaGshwender is a tea shop, not a tea room, and its main purpose is to sell you its wonderful teas to take home. The staff is happy to open its large bins for you to sniff and examine their many offerings.

TeaGshwender is big on education: Its sales staff is very knowledgeable, they hold tea cuppings (tastings), their (free) catalog is full of information, and each bag of tea sold contains detailed instructions for its preparation. This is a company that wants its customers to enjoy tea!

I’ve been slowly making my way through TeaGshwender’s teas, and here are a few of my favorites (all of which, incidentally, are really delicous iced):

Elderflower White Tea: I adore white teas, and this blend with elderflower is really scrumptious. This is a good “sipping” tea, as is delicate, floral flavor needs to be savored on its own.

Coconut Green Tea: I asked to smell this tea on a lark and ended up bringing a bag of it home. This tea is so incredibly delicous and yet so subtle that I and my office mates drink it down by the gallon.  This is an excellent tea to drink with chocolate.

East Frisian Leaf Blend: This blend of assam and sumatrian black teas is supposed to be only “medium quality”, but I think it is darn tasty. Serve it as hot as you can stand it first thing in the morning.

TeaGshwender also sells a variety of reasonably priced accessories, including teapots, tea cups, and strainers. Tip: Ask to see the 50% off items. Some great deals are to be had on those shelves.

I love to check out recipe blogs (as well as blogs that just include the occasional recipe). So many very talented cooks and so many incredible sounding (and looking) recipes! Here are five “must try” recipes that I discovered this week:

1. Roasted Radishes with Soy Sauce and Scallions|24Boxes

24Boxes is an interesting blog concept: Blogger J. Noelle belongs to a community shared agriculture program and gets 24 boxes of fresh produce each year. She tries to use everything in the boxes and posts the recipes on her blog. I like raw radishes, but have had them cooked before and they are indeed very tasty. I can’t wait to try this out!

2. Green Bean and Chicken Salad|Wisdom Nutrition Blog

Sara R had some health issues, so she used her science education to develop a way of eating that is low-carb, gluten free, sugar-free, and based on whole foods. Fortunately for all of us, Sara seems to like food that is tasty, as this wonderful sounding recipe demonstrates.

3. Ginger Tea|GroupRecipes.com

GroupRecipes.com is a recipe exchange site currently in beta.  User Pennycandy shares her family’s recipe for a tangy, spicy ginger tea, which sounds to me like a great home remedy for whatever might ail you!

4. Hot Sensuous Coffee|Sensuous Wife

A yummy cold-weather take on coffee. Non-alcoholic.  Incidentally, Sensuous Wife is NOT a food blog, but a blog on intimacy for Christian women.

5. Golden Crusted Brussels Sprouts|101Cookbooks.com

Heidi Swanson’s gorgeous blog always includes amazing recipes along with truly beautiful photographs of what she has been cooking.  Brussels Sprouts are my favorite veggie, and this very simple recipe is a must-try.

Several months ago I picked up a book called The Ultimate Tea Diet. While it may sound cliche’, the truth is that this book really did change my life. Not only have I dropped several dress sizes since following the advice of the book’s author, Mark Ukra, but I have made tea (drinking and educating others about it) my hobby.

In his book, Ukra (also known as Dr Tea), argues that coffee consumption is bad for people who want to lose weight, as its high caffeine levels can cause insulin spikes. (While he is not alone in this caveat, I should note that not everyone agrees with him.)

Recognizing that many people have a strong love for coffee, Dr Tea set out to create a coffee replacement from tea. Coffee Tea, as he calls it, is a blend of oolong tea which has been roasted like coffee and hojicha de la creme, a green tea which has also been roasted and then blended with vanilla.

“But wait!”, I can hear you saying, “Doesn’t tea have caffeine too?” Yes it does, however, the amount of caffeine in tea is considerably lower than that which is in coffee. In addition, tea has other properties that can counteract the effects of caffeine.

Having tried several of Dr Tea’s other “craving teas” (flavored teas that are designed to help banish cravings for sweets), I decided to give the Coffee Tea a try.

The burning question: Does it taste like coffee? Will it actually help tame a coffee craving?

My answer to this is mixed: Does it taste exactly like coffee? No. Does it even taste a lot like coffee? No. Does it taste like tea? Not really. Does it have coffee characteristics? Most definately.

What I taste in Coffee Tea is an element of “roastedness”. The vanilla (which is pretty strong) blends nicely with this roasted quality to create a toasty, slightly sweet beverage with no hint of bitterness. It blends nicely with milk and works well hot or over ice.

Will it help tame a coffee craving? It could. I have a fondness for iced latte, and I did find that iced Coffee Tea shaken with milk made for a decent (though not by any means identical) replacement.

My Recommendation: While I don’t think that Coffee Tea truly tastes like coffee, it is a really delicious beverage in its own right. I drink huge amounts of tea during the day, and while I truly love tea, sometimes I want something different. The Coffee Tea is “different” enough to satisfy that desire.

I only have two real complaints about this tea:

1. The Cost. A four ounce can of Coffee Tea is $30(US). While one will get a lot of mileage out of that much high-quality leaf tea, the fact is that $30 is a lot to spend at once, particularly if one isn’t sure if they will even like the stuff. A better option might be to purchase one of Dr Tea’s loose leaf sampler packs, for $18.95, as it contains a sample of the Coffee Tea (along with several other Cravings Teas) for you to try before committing to the purchase of a full can.

2. My second quibble has to do with the can that the tea comes in. I understand the necessity of an airtight container that will keep the tea fresh. Really I do. But when removal of the lid requires such force that the (very expensive) tea flies all over the place, there is a problem. My suggestion is that when you first open this can of tea, you do so with the can, and your hands, inside a bag so that you can easly return the tea to its receptacle.

We have no idea what we are eating. Really.

I was recently sharing my weight loss struggles with a dear friend, explaining that I have to be so very careful when eating prepared foods, whether purchased from a grocery store (i.e. a frozen dinner) or enjoyed in a restaurant. The calorie count in prepared foods (when I could even find the numbers) can be deceptively high.

She was sympathetic and told me about a study in which dietitians and nutritionists consistently underestimated the calories in various meals. She noted that if professionals couldn’t gauge the calories they were eating, the general public could hardly be expected to do better.

Curious about this study, I searched for it. A New York Times article concerning the study and its implications was easily found, though I was shocked to see that the article was published in 1997.

Much in this article confirmed several sneaking suspicions that I have had about the way we as a culture understand nutrition, diet, obesity, and weight loss, namely:

1. We have no idea of what, or how much, we are eating.

2. We don’t know these things because for the most part, we are not preparing our own food nor are we serving our own food. This means that we are allowing others (often with a profit motive) to determine what and how much we eat.

3. Prepared and restaurant foods are designed (emphasis on “designed”) to to “sell”: People typically want to pay for food that is going to satisfy cravings and be a “good value” (i.e. served in large portions). Appropriate nutrition is not usually the goal in designing these foods/meals.

4. Telling people to “weigh and measure” their food, or to “eyeball” their portions is good advice, but it only works to a point. Unless one knows the recipe, there is no real way to determine the exact calorie count of what one is eating.

5. This also means, sadly, that many nutrition/diet studies are of questionable value, because they are often based on self-reporting. But if nutritionists/dietitians can’t determine the calorie count of what they are eating, what makes study directors think that the average study participant can?

Depressing? Maybe, but this information also gives me some hope. It gets me believing that education, in addition to behavior modification, may be the key to teaching many people what “normal” eating ought to be. It also means means that people will need to learn to cook and serve their own food as part of a “normal” lifestyle. But cooking is both fun and economical, so encouraging people to cook would be a very positive cultural shift.

In any case, I’ll be blogging more about my own weight loss efforts, and l look forward to hearing from readers about their own experiences!

I get asked a lot about places to have a quick lunch in the Chicago Loop (aka downtown Chicago). Most people are sick of fast food, but don’t want to pay sit-down prices. Fortunately, I am able to point them to a good compromise!

The Market Creations (tucked away in the Civic Opera House) offers fresh buffet style food (as well as made-to order sandwiches) for both breakfast and lunch. Menu items are rotated daily, and their meals can be enjoyed at one of their tables in the hallway, or carried back to one’s office.

For breakfast, a decent selection of standard buffet items is available (i.e. biscuits and gravy, muffins, sweet rolls, hash browns, corned beef hash, bacon, etc). For lunch  there is a huge salad bar and a hot buffet. One side of the hot buffet table features Chinese dishes, the other side offers hot “comfort food” dishes which rotate daily (except for the whole roasted turkey, which is always available).

For those with an aversion to steam tables, Market Creations offers a made-to-order sandwich counter (and some of their sandwiches sound pretty interesting). Cookies, chips, drinks, and other prepared nibbles can be retrieved from the tables, shelves, and refrigerator case.

And the food? It is generally tasty, though nothing spectacular. The whole roast turkey is terrific (but avoid the grainy stuffing), occasionally they will have a whole leg of lamb which is also pretty good. The Chinese food is pretty standard, though they occasionally do a steamed sole that I really like. Vegans and vegetarians will likely have better luck at the cold salad bar than at the hot buffet.

Sandwiches, chips, etc, are priced individually. Food from the salad bar and buffet is priced by the pound: $6.25 at lunch, and a little less for breakfast. (Tip: The Chinese food, particularly the breaded chicken wings and orange chicken, is pretty heavy, so the per pound price may not be worth it. Go to Panda Express instead.)

The service is fast and friendly. They have several registers open during lunch hour so that you can get in and out quickly. There are also several other locations throughout the downtown area. Check out their website for details!

Market Creations

Civic Opera House 3rd Floor

Corner of Madison and Wacker

M-F 7:00am – 3:00pm

How do you pick a new restaurant to try?  Like most wired folks, you probably go to Yelp, Citysearch, Metromix, and other online rating sites to check the place out.  Simple, right?

Not really.

While they sound good in practice, the truth is that ratings sites, as opposed to columns written by professional critics, have no real accountability or standards:

Someone who has never even visited a restaurant could praise it to the heavens or slam it.

An utterly miserable customer can manage to wind-up even the most professional staff member, and then turn around and complain of “attitude”.

A kitchen can have a bad night and the average Jane/Joe doesn’t have a food critic’s budget to visit a place more than once.

So how can you get the most out of ratings sites’ reviews?  Here are some guidelines:

1. Identify commonalities between you and the regular reviewers: Do you both have kids? Do you have mobility issues that require special accommodations in restaurants? Do you have food allergies? Are you vegan/vegetarian?  Do you like the same restaurants that you like? If you find a regular reviewer with your tastes and needs, chances are their reviews will be useful to you.

2. Be cautious about restaurants with less than five ratings.

Less than five ratings, unless they are written by raters that you trust, just isn’t a big enough pool to establish quality (or lack thereof). Heck, some professional critics need to visit a restaurant at least five times before writing a review!

3. Learn to distinguish between a legitimate complaint and personal preferences.

Raters, as opposed to professional critics, are mainly concerned with their own experience. Nothing is wrong with this, except you are a different person with your own desires and expectations. Some folks will rant and rave about too-small portions, but for others, the portion size may be dandy. Others will fuss if a dish is not elaborately sauced and seasoned, whilst others will praise its “simplicity”. Some folks want to get in and out of a restaurant, whilst others love to linger. These preferences can, in some cases, unfairly taint a rating.

(Incidentally, burned food, undercooked food,  cold food (when it is supposed to be hot), unreasonable delays in service (particularly after a server has been informed of a time constraint), over seasoning/salting, and rude service are all legitimate criticisms of any restaurant.)

4. Learn to Pick Out a Shill Rater/Hater

If a restaurant has a lot of bad reviews, be cautious about believing a series of “perfect” reviews.  Similarly, if someone completely trashes a place that has otherwise decent reviews, chances are it is someone getting revenge and/or working for a competitor.

5. Consistency is King

All restaurants will have bad nights. Look for patterns in reviews: If a bunch of people complain about slow service, chances are, it is slow.

6. Ignore the Ignorant

Some people are just ignorant about what a restaurant or a cuisine is about, so they criticize those things that they are simply unfamiliar with. I recall reading the ratings for a truly excellent wine/cheese bar and, much to my astonishment, a number of raters actually complained that the place smelled like cheese.

’nuff said.

Juicy Wine Company, my all-time favorite wine bar in Chicago (and everywhere else), is running a don’t-miss special on Tuesday nights: $10 Obama Burgers and 1/2 price American wine (by the bottle or the glass!). What is an Obama Burger? Glad you asked. Here is what Rodney Alex, owner of Juicy Wine Company, had to say in his recent press release:

“But, just like giving your ailing dog a pill tucked inside a scrumptious treat, we’re gonna wrap our unabashedly liberal patriotism in something a thousand times more delicious than a Snausage: The ObamaBurger. But this isn’t just any cheeseburger. Why? Well, other than being named after the next President of The United States, it’s got bacon on it. (Proving Barack Obama is not Muslim. Not that there’s anything wrong with that!) And we’re not talkin’ about just any bacon, here. We’re talkin’ about what may be the best gourmet bacon in the country: Benton’s Smoked Country Bacon…

The audacity of pork

Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Hams has been producing award-winning country hams, domestic prosciutto and bacon in the hills of Madisonville, Tennessee since 1973. In 2007 the Southern Foodways Alliance bestowed Allan Benton with it’s highest honor, The Jack Daniel’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Allan’s meats are served in some of the finest restaurants in the country because of their distinctive, full, mouthwatering flavor.

It’s the ingredients, stupid

But you can’t make a truly awesome burger with just beef, bacon and buns. That’s why we’re piling Benton’s hickory-smoked country bacon on top of a char-grilled mound of juicy, Kobe beef (reflecting Obama‘s Pan-Asian upbringing), topping it with gooey Wisconsin Cheddar, spicy, Michelle-fist-pumped caramelized onions and a dollop of our very own Secret South Side Sauce. We then cram all that goodness between two slices of marble rye (celebrating Barack’s multiracial background) and feed it to our panini press, transforming it into the ultimate patty-melting-pot that is America. Add a heaping side of Harvard Yard Baked Beans (commemorating Barack’s days as the first Black president of The Harvard Law Review) and that, my fellow Americans, is The ObamaBurger.”

After reading this, mom and I naturally had to pay a visit and sample these burgers for ourselves. Yes, they are all that. Really. The burgers are cooked on Juicy’s outdoor grill before they get dressed and pressed, which gives them a wicked beef crust. Yes, Benton’s bacon really is the best, and nestled between two slices of Red Hen Bread‘s marble rye, there is nothing not to love. (The baked beans were likewise delicious, not too sweet and chock full of that lovely bacon.)

But don’t forget the wine, either. Juicy is known for scoring only the tastiest boutique wines, and at 1/2 price, Tuesdays are your chance to try something super special. (We enjoyed a faboo Pinot Noir, and Juicy’s knowledgeable waitstaff stand ready to make suggestions.)

Tips: The Obama Burgers are for dine-in only (no takeouts allowed). For an extra special treat, ask to sit out on their new deck. Also, be sure to get there early before they run out of burgers!

Juicy Wine Co
694 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago IL 60622

(312) 492-6620

Mon – Thurs: 4 pm – 1 am
Fri: 4 pm – 2 am
Sat: 11 am – 2 am
Sun: 11 am – 3 pm