enter the kitchen

day 001

i am not a good cook.

but it's okay. i'm taking lessons on rouxbe and trying to learn more about the "behind the scenes" aspect of how food affects my body, how to get the best food possible, and how to prepare it in a delicious way!

i avoided calling this a "food journal" because i'm not here to count calories or log what i eat. this journal focuses on nutrition, cooking, and everything to do with food. i wanna interact with more healthy produce and food on a deeper level.

i've been raiding the kindle and google play store for book samples lately and there's such an amazing wealth of information out there. because of how the meat industry's run i probably will cut down on or completely eliminate meat from my diet--unless i can find suitable sources elsewhere. a largely plant-based diet seems best suited to my needs, goals, and desires right now.

ultimately i have a duty to care of my body. farmer's markets are nowhere near as expensive as i thought they'd be.

here are some things i learned today!

• several (at least 2) farmer's markets sit within 10 mins of my house
• most farmer's markets seem to open on sundays
• there's a mom's organic market right down the street
• i like indian, mexian, and italian dishes

back to our basics!

day 001

it happened perhaps around middle school. some thoughts occurred to me that, at the time, didn't lead to much introspection or questioning the status quo or my life choices, but recently reoccurred to me and spurred the entire purpose of this journey... and journal.

how come people in the US have a 1 in 3, 1 in 4, 1 in 5, 1 in another single digit number chance of getting so many cancers when that's not true in other countries, especially countries we consider "less developed?"

short answer: our diet sucks and so does our health care system. we're overeating the worst foods and overmedicating for nearly everything.

people long before the advent of modern medicine have been using all kinds of things found in nature to maintain health and heal their bodies. fruits, nuts, seeds, vegetables, herbs and spices--you name it. there are of course dangerous/poisonous/indigestible foods humans can't eat but we have tons of past knowledge to keep us from swallowing anything unsafe.

i've always wanted to have a deeper connection to plants, animals, and nature in general. i wanna be able to identify plants by sight and smell. i wanna  be able to identify an ailment and a proper method of treating it. i wanna feel that bond to the natural world so many other herbalists seem to enjoy. i just wanna enjoy and give back to the earth.

i feel like learning about the medicinal properties of herbs and spices is part of my journey to being a more productive human being and citizen of the world. i want to learn. i want to be stronger, faster, more skilled.

i know i can do this. i know i can. ya Allah, please help me to be the best i can truly be. ameen.

reference {{ favorite foods }}

 

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to the organic market we go!

day 002

went to MOM's organic market for the first time today! appropriately enough, i also went to the store with my own mom. it was closer than i realized. i expected the store to be small, as per the reviews i read on yelp--and it was--but it surprised me to see just how much they fit in the store! so neat and organized. i love it. they have lots of foods and ingredients i enjoy eating.

i didn't get much produce (a bundle of fresh parsley and scallions) but my mom got these delicious organic grapes that are unlike any i've ever had. i usually don't even like purple grapes. but these? these grapes make me wanna keep coming back.

i bought 4 or 5 frozen dinners. i know, i know. not the healthiest. they were all vegetarian/vegan and i believe everything i picked up was organic. i just want to try out different meals and see what i like without having to spend a bunch of time preparing something i may end up regretting.

i tried a kale and three cheese bake (with a healthy dose of parsley) and while i still don't know what kale tastes like itself i'd probably eat it again.

did i mention the carrots i bought? i'd like to use them to practice chopping, stir frying, seasoning, and other moist heat cooking methods. these carrots don't look sad and dry--they look appetizingly crunchy! perhaps i'll try mixing them with some of the scallions or parsley i bought? who knows! i was never a fan of carrots but i want to go outside my comfort zone.

side note: the taste and scent of raw scallions stay in your mouth for-e-ver. next time i'll try eating them at night, or when i don't have to pray. i don't like reciting qur'an with onion breath.

this was my first time having fresh scallions. i ate them raw and like the taste, even though the very tops are bitter. the white bottom is much more reminiscent of that harsh oniony flavor, yet slightly distinct. i could get used to it!

an introduction to parsley!

day 002

while i'm not going to take notes on parsley's health benefits and medicinal properties just yet, i would like to mention that i think i'm developing an affinity for munching on this particular herb.

i don't quite remember what it tastes like in dried form. i don't think there's too much a difference (flavor intensity aside), though i could have just been using old parsley flakes. if i'm correct it has a very mild taste but munching on the whole leaves is pretty fun! i like how it tastes with warm melted cheese. of course i let the cheese cool off a bit and refrained from too much mixing so it didn't get soggy or diminish the fresh taste.

today i also cracked open my encyclopedia of herbs, spices, and flavorings book. lo and behold, the second time around i actually flipped straight to parsley. funny how that works!

i'm starting to become more familiar with parsley. i can almost recognize it on sight, but i still have a long ways to go. until my seeds come in and i incorporate more herbs into my cooking i think parsley's gonna be my short term best friend. toodles!

slow and steady

day 002

not much to report here today except that my seeds and such finally shipped earlier today! processing only took a day i believe.

in a few weeks those little seeds will be mine, inshaAllah!