Becoming Your StellarSelf

I Love My Farmers Market

I was so happy. Yesterday was the first day of the full farmers market in my town. While the organizers had kept it open all winter, the first Saturday in May marked the re-opening of the full-size market featuring twice the number of vendors.

While I have to admit that my local farmers market isn't nearly as photogenic as the one in Downtown Portland, I still have a special fondness. As regularly as we can, my husband and I make it our Saturday morning ritual to head over to the farmers market to buy pesticide-free produce, freshly baked bread, free range meats, and hormone-free dairy products. It's always fun to see the vast array of locals with their reusable bags, smiling and thoroughly enjoying the shopping experience. And it's always encouraging to hear how invested the farmers are in their products, how much passion and thought and care goes into the production of their fruits, vegetables, meats, or dairy products. It makes me realize how removed our "normal" food shopping experience is from the source.

Your local farmers’ market is a great source for whole, natural (sometimes organic) foods. Not only are farmers’ markets an excellent way to support healthful farming, and reduced fuel usage (less transportation is involved in shipping the products) you can’t beat the freshness of fruits and vegetables picked that morning. Food from the supermarket just never tastes that flavorful. For a listing of farmers’ markets in your area, look in your local Yellow Pages, or check out the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) interactive map.

Roman Holiday: Campo de' Fiore, Day and Night

By day, Campo de' Fiore features a huge open-air market in the center of the square. Surrounding the market are about a dozen cafes with plentiful outside seating.

At night, the square is cleared of the tables and tents, the remnants of the day's produce are swept away, and Campo de' Fiore is transformed into a lively cafe and bar scene.

From top to bottom: cappucino at Taverna Campo de' Fiore; view from the rooftop of Hotel Campo de' Fiore; the market by day; the cafes at night

Roman Holiday: Aperitivo

We discovered many wonderful things in Rome, but one of our favorites is the tradition of aperitivo. Aperitivo is like American happy hour, only better. Many people eat a late dinner in Rome, so aperitivo begins around 7:00pm and runs until 10:00 or 11:00pm. Typically, you purchase a drink, then are entitled to nibble on a variety of appetizers such as olives, bruschetta, and pasta.

We found the best aperitivo by far at Freni e Frizioni in the awesome neighborhood of Trastevere. For just 5 euros, you can buy a glass of wine, draught beer or apperitif, which comes with Freni e Frizioni's amazing buffet, which contains enough types of food that you could conceivably make a meal of it. In addition to a generous variety of fresh vegetables with about six different dips, they offer pasta, chicken cacciatore, couscous, risotto, grilled vegetables, bruschetta and more, all of it outstanding -- definitely a major improvement over scrawny greasy chicken wings with celery typical of American happy hour.

There is no limit to the amount of food you can take, and you are welcome to sit for as long as you like. We love the unrushed feeling of Roman meals, just as much a social occasion as an opportunity for physical nourishment.

Roman Holiday: Love Potion No. 9

As I mentioned in a previous post, one of the things that has struck me about Rome is the interweaving of the sacred and the profane in every part of the city. An example of this was my discovery of an incredibly unique and wonderful store called Ai Monasteri, which features products made in the ancient monastic tradition. This beautiful store, set up like an old pharmacy, carries a variety of wines, liquors, preserves, honeys, beauty products, candies and teas produced by monks from 7 different monasteries throughout Rome. In addition to these more typical souvenir-type products, they also carry a variety of elixirs and remedies, made from ancient recipes. When the store was established in 1894, herbal remedies were their focus. And many of the products are made from recipes dating back to pre-Christian Rome, which were preserved through the writings of the monks during the Middle Ages.

There are remedies for all that ails you, including stress, joint pain, weight control, melancholy, sleep disorders, fatigue, eyesight, cholesterol, circulation, digestion, skin health, coughing, smoking cessation and much more.

One of the elixirs that caught my eye was the Elixir Dell' Amore, which is described as: "The formula and modus operandi used for this “Love Potion” dates back to the 16th century. It was rediscovered in the Ricettario Senese (Sienese Book of Prescriptions) by one of our ancestors at the end of the 19th century. Only ten bottles of this exclusive liqueur are made each year, as it requires an extremely careful, drawn-out process. People were told to drink this elixir when they were not in the mood for love to arouse desire and give them energy. It is made by carefully adding officinal plants during the long distillation process, making this drink extremely tasty and effective."

The other elixir that sparked my interest was the Elixir Della Felicita', described thusly: "Happiness is quite easy to find. Sometimes, often by chance, our thoughts return to the past and we remember and re-live happy moments. Sitting in a comfortable and quiet corner of your home in a peaceful moment with a glass of this herbal liqueur in your hand will almost certainly help you to dig up such lost moments."

If you are interested in their products, they can be ordered through the Ai Monasteri website. Their PDF catalog contains detailed descriptions of their many wonderful products.

Roman Holiday: Holy Profiterole-y

Two nights ago, we had an unusual and delightful dining experience in Rome at L'Eau Vive, a restaurant housed in the 16th-century Palazzo Lante della Rovere and run by the Travailleuses Missionaires de la Conception Immaculee (Missionary Workers of the Immaculate Conception), an order of lay Carmelite women from Asia and Africa. The restaurant specializes in French cuisine, but offers daily specials representing different regions of the world including Africa, Asia and the United States.

When we arrived for dinner around 8:30pm, we were lead to the second floor dining area where the high ceilings of the simply decorated rooms are covered with frescoes. We ordered the avocado and mango salad, which sat atop a bed of incredibly delicate butterleaf lettuce and was topped with a drizzle of perfectly balanced vinagrette. Our entrees were duck with orange sauce, pork with prune sauce and salmon with a ginger saffron sauce. The house wine was quite good, and very inexpensive by Roman standards.

Around 9:30, our waitress came to our table and handed us printed cards with the words to Ave Maria in French and in Italian. Part of the dining experience at L'Eau Vive involves
a nightly ritual of pausing the serving of dinner so that all the Carmelites can sing. Patrons are welcome, and encouraged, to sing along. Having read a review of the restaurant in Fodor's Rome's 25 Best, we were aware that this was their custom, so were prepared for this break, and were happy to join along.

After the singing, we finished eating dinner and took a look at the dessert menu, which featured a large selection of French specialties. While everything looked wonderful, we narrowed our choices down to the lemon tarte, the chocolate mousse and the fruit gratin. All were exquisite.

The mission of this group of Carmelites is to spread the Word of God through cuisine. Since food is the international language, and the way to every person's heart is through their stomach, there is definitely something to this, especially if the food is as good as that which we experienced at L'Eau Vive.

You can find a full story on the history of L'Eau Vive, or to read a current New York Times review of the restaurant. L'Eau Vive is located at Via Monterone 85, between the Pantheon and the Piazza Navona.

Becoming Her VeganSelf

The following post was written by guest blogger, Julia Guarino.

When I was five years old, I arrived home one day from kindergarten and announced to my parents that I was going to become a vegetarian. They were surprised, but as I seemed determined, they obliged, asking advice from my pediatrician but not sure how long my desire would last. By ten however, I had completely eliminated the fish and poultry that I sometimes ate, and I have been completely vegetarian ever since. This past year, for my final year of college, I moved into my first apartment, and in the excitement of newly possessing a kitchen, I subscribed to Vegetarian Times. It is full of wonderful recipes and tips on products to buy and restaurants to frequent for both lacto-ovo vegetarians (those who still consume eggs and dairy products), and vegans (those who have eliminated all animal products, including eggs, dairy and honey). I had never really considered becoming vegan. Even though I had long ago chosen to use soy milk over cow’s milk and to replace butter with non-hydrogenated-oil-based margarine (like Smart Balance, which tastes remarkably similar), I knew giving up cheese and eggs would take immense effort, and I wasn’t sure it was worth it. After all, not only did I enjoy these things, but as a vegetarian it was extremely difficult to order a meal at a restaurant with any protein in it that didn’t come from one of these two sources.

However, as the year continued, several articles on the health benefits of veganism published in the Vegetarian Times encouraged me to eliminate more and more animal products from my diet, and the more I did so, the more I realized that it felt really good. I began to do some research. Could I really do this? Did it make sense to become vegan? Would the benefits outweigh the inconvenience?

My research gave me a fairly clear answer: it is difficult, and you have to do it right, but if you’re willing to put it in the effort, it is worth it. I came across several medical studies done on vegan groups, providing evidence that a plant-based diet has enormous health benefits, including helping to prevent cancer, reversing the need for medication in type-2 diabetes patients, and more. Concern over the risks of malnourishment (as in the infamous case of the Queens baby) are not entirely unfounded, but seem to be fairly easy to avoid; as long as attention is paid to the vegan’s consumption of protein as well as some vitamins found in less concentrated amounts in non-vegan diets, such as vitamins B12, iron, calcium and zinc, even children live quite healthily on it.

I can't say that the switch is easy, and I have still not made it completely, but the less eggs and dairy I eat, the better I feel. Perhaps it is simply a feeling of accomplishment, but either way, I know I am doing better for my body, and it is worth it, despite the inconvenience.

Culinary Streets of NY

Looking back at my grad school days at Fordham University in the Bronx, NY, one of my proudest accomplishments is having discovered the amazing resource that is Arthur Avenue. Actually, I was introduced to it by a fellow grad student who had grown up in the neighborhood, and who introduced me to many of the treasures it has to offer. But even if they have never visited this area, just about everyone who lives in the Tri-State area knows of the legendary bread that comes from this culinary street –there is nothing like the crunchy crust and chewy inside of Arthur Avenue's italian loaves. Besides the bread, there are a number of outstanding deli's, restaurants, pastry shops and produce stores. In this neighborhood, food is given the respect it deserves, and it is made and served love.

This past weekend, my husband and I made the journey to Arthur Avenue, having been inspired by a recent episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay featuring the eggplant parmigiana from Mike's Deli. The dish was everything it was cracked up to be, with a perfect balance of sauce, cheese and very thinly sliced breaded eggplant. Deliziosi!

In addition to the eggplant, we bought some stuffed peppers, roasted red peppers, olive oil, and jars of Mike's Deli's tomato sauce (all of these are available to order through their website). Down the street at Madonia Brothers Bakery, we scored a loaf of freshly baked bread and some Italian twist cookies. Around the corner, we stopped at Egidio Pastry Shop for a selection of mini-pastries and the best cappucinos we have ever tasted. For the road, we each got a slice of cheese pizza from Full Moon Pizzeria. While I love living in the DC area, I have not yet found a pizza place that has that authentic New York flavor and texture. [My dear readers, if you know of any authentic-tasting NY style pizza restaurants around here, please let me know!]

If you love food, and have the opportunity, I highly recommend a visit to Arthur Avenue. It's a few blocks from the Bronx Zoo and The New York Botanical Garden, so it's easy to make a fun-filled day of it.

First Foray Into Fondant

Whenever I find myself feeling overwhelmed by the number of things on my plate, I take a step back, re-assess and reprioritize. And one of the things I do to lower my stress level is to take some time out to indulge in something for the pure pleasure of it. One of my simple pleasures is baking. Here is a picture of my first fondant-covered cake, which I made for my sister-in-law's birthday

An Organic Experience

We just returned home from a 10-day trip to Oregon. Half of our time was spent in Portland, and the other half was spent in the Newport Beach area of the gorgeous Oregon Coast. There was an abundance of fresh seafood, and we had many great dining experiences, but the standout restaurant for us was Panache in the Nye Beach area of Newport, OR. Their menu features fresh, local, organic seasonal produce as well as local wild seafood and hormone-free/natural beef, pork, and lamb.

Panache opened two years ago in October. Their mission was to provide a source of excellent, organic food. Ninety percent of the meats they serve are organic grass-fed. And they source their produce from local farmers markets and family farms. They use organic produce whenever it is available. The chefs' enthusiasm for and understanding of the the food results in a creative, modern American menu, beautifully presented. Each component of our meals were fresh and full of flavor, and the combined effect was outstanding.

We had the roasted breast of chicken stuffed with mixed dried fruit and goat cheese, with a strawberry champagne reduction, a green salad with feta and grilled buffalo, and an exquisite dessert of mixed berry crumble (nearby Willamette Valley is considered one of the best sources for all types of berries in the US).

Panache was a perfect representation of the best of Oregon cuisine -- fresh, seasonal, local, upscale, but with a friendly attitude.

To Market, To Market, Again

Today I had the good fortune of visiting one of my favorite places -- the Portland Farmers Market at Shemanski Park between Salmon and Main Streets on Wednesdays from 10:00am to 2:00pm. I discovered the market around this time last year, and sang my praises to it in one of my earliest posts. There are so many reasons to support one's local Farmers Market (e.g., local food tastes better, the markets support the local economy and family-run farms, local food is fresher, has more nutrients and wastes less energy because of shorter transport time).

For the past year, I have been craving one of the most delicious sandwiches I've ever eaten -- a Lamb-kabob pita with garbanzo bean hummus, wheatberry salad and fresh greens from Tastebuds, whose stand sits at the end of the U-shaped market. The Tastebuds staff arrives at the market at 5:00am to begin baking their wholegrain pitas in their mobile brick oven. All of the ingredients are incredibly fresh and they come together in exquisite perfection. Their raspberry lemonade with sparkling water and fresh berries is the perfect accompaniment. As I sat eating the pita, a couple walking by stopped and commented, "Aren't those the best thing you've ever tasted?" I agreed, and they went on their way. A man sitting next to me said, "They are incredible. I can't believe those people walked away when they had a chance to have one!" Just then, the couple turned around. As they passed us, the man next to me smiled at them and said, "I didn't think you could pass up such a rare opportunity."

The main attraction at the Farmers Market is the vast array of produce, much of it organic or at least pesticide-free. Last year, I did my best to describe the rainbow of colors and variety of textures that were abundant in the market. But mere words cannot do it justice. This time I had the wherewithall to take some pictures, so at least I can share some images with you!

Mouth watering? Even if you don't live in Portland, you can find a farmers market in your area by visiting the USDA's website. And check out the Tastebuds website for several farmers market-inspired recipes.

Fresh Food Inspiration

I love my local farmers market. It's so cool to have access to incredibly fresh, locally produced, often organic or pesticide-free produce. My market also features dairy farms, meat producers, a mushroom farm, bakers and more. There is nothing like an abundance of fresh produce in getting my creative cooking juices flowing. This past weekend, I stopped by my local farmers market and was inspired by the huge variety of fruits and vegetables – it is the peak of the season here in the DC area.

Every week, I let the landscape of the farmers market lead me to my weekend menu. This weekend I bought a bunch of different vegetables and some gorgeous ciabatta and made delicious grilled veggie sandwiches. In the spring, inspired by the brief, but wonderful availability of fresh peas, I created a pea and mint soup. Peaches are readily available right now, and I plan to make several different dishes including grilled peaches, cold peach soup, and peach cobbler.

I am a huge fan of farmers markets for several reasons. They are great for local farmers as it provides a direct-to-consumer outlet for their products. It's great for consumers because we can access fresh produce direct from the growers, and can learn about our food from the actual people who produce it. And it's good for the environment because much less energy is spent in transporting the food.

In looking for the USDA's webpage listing farmers markets throughout the US, I was please to find out that this is National Farmers Market week! So, if there is a farmers market near you, I hope you have a chance to visit and join in celebrating this incredible local treasure.

The Best Breakfast I Ever Had

Recently, I had the pleasure of staying in an amazing bed and breakfast in Saugerties, NY (home of the more recent incarnations of the Woodstock music fests). That area of upstate New York, which runs along the Hudson River, is exceptional not only for the physical setting, but because of the amazing variety of top notch restaurants fed by the close proximity to Manhattan as well as the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), a world-class training ground for chefs. I was very lucky to have found Barclay Heights Bed and Breakfast, which is owned by David and Justine Smythe, two CIA-trained chefs.

Although the rooms are beautifully decorated and feature large jacuzzi tubs, the absolutely best part about my stay was the breakfasts. I can honestly say that they were the best breakfasts I've ever had. David and Justine shop each day for the freshest, best ingredients, organic or locally grown when available, and prepare each part of the elaborate breakfast (made to order) with the utmost attention to detail.

That area of the Hudson Valley is gorgeous, and for years I've enjoyed visiting the Town of Rhinebeck, across the river from Saugerties, which has several outstanding restaurants. But from now on, when I'm in that area, I will make it a point to spend some time at Barclay House.

To Market, To Market

Yesterday I discovered a small, but wonderful farmers' market in downtown Portland, on Salmon Street. It was a total feast for the eyes, with a whole rainbow of colors in the form of a wide array of fruit and vegetable varieties, fresh dairy products, freshly baked breads, grass-fed meats, and even the offerings of a mushroom farm. And most of the products were natural (grown without pesticides) or organic.

According to studies conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, over the past 50 years, conventionally grown fruits and vegetables have shown a six percent decrease in protein; 15 percent decline of calcium, phosphorous and iron; 20 percent decline in vitamin C; and 38 percent decrease in riboflavin. Research conducted by Alyson Mitchell, Ph.D., of the University of California, Davis has shown that organically grown produce is higher in flavinoids (micronutrients instrumental in preventing cancer and heart disease) than conventionally-grown produce.

Eating whole, natural, organic foods is not just good for your health. In the bigger picture, supporting organic farming is good for all of us. By encouraging and enabling more farms to avoid the use of pesticides, we benefit from purer food, cleaner water, and a healthier society. Stanford University biologist Harold Mooney, points out that nitrogen compounds from fertilizer can enter the atmosphere and contribute to global warming, and they also leach out of fields into watersheds where they can cause “biological dead zones” in our rivers. Organic farming can play a role in reducing these problems.

Not only are farmers' markets an excellent way to support healthful farming, you can't beat the freshness of fruits and vegetables picked that morning. Food from the supermarket just never tastes that flavorful. For a listing of farmers' markets in your area, check out the USDA's interactive map.