Shredded Zucchini and Chick Peas Over Polenta: Zukin' It Out

by Rachel, who is filling in this week for Kris.

My live-in boyfriend, J (the smarty who makes awesome gazpacho) has a delightful younger sister. We'll call her Sassypants.

A few weeks ago, Sassypants came in from Boston to stay with us for a few days. She's a razor-sharp journalist with great style and an awesome sense of humor. Needless to say, we love her bunches. And since Sassypants is in her early 20s and working creative-type jobs, she's also trying to keep her expenditures on the small side. Although we're not exactly heirs to the McDuck fortune, Jeff and I figured it'd be nice to be benevolent older sibling-types and subsidize a chunk of her food and drink.

In the days before she arrived, I was in crunch-mode at the dayjob, and even crunchier-mode at the nightjob. By the time Sassypants' Bolt Bus alit upon Penn Station, I was totally unprepared in the food department. Crap.

We made the most of some inexpensive neighborhood eateries and McCarren Park farmers market and our local cheap-o supermarket, but by the time Sunday night rolled around, I was wiped and fairly out of ideas. Hoping inspiration would strike, I took a look through our pantry, where I spotted two cans of Goya chickpeas. A promising beginning. Then, in the fridge, I found a hidden stash of my homemade tomato sauce, a few medium sized zucchini, some garlic, and a tube of pre-made sundried tomato polenta I'd gotten at the store weeks before. It was languishing behind some goat gouda.*

In a "duh" moment, this recipe came together. It looks fancier than it is, tastes awesome, and gets high marks for the low-fat/high flavor front. And isn't it nice when you can look like a culinary rockstar in front of the in-laws? I say, hells-to-the-yes.

*I often describe myself the same way.


Shredded Zucchini and Chick Peas Over Polenta
Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds zucchini (about 3 medium), ends trimmed and cut crosswise into 2" pieces
1 heaping teaspoon of kosher salt
3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1⁄2 teaspoon olive oil, divided
Cooking spray
1 15-ounce can of chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 scant cup of marinara sauce (NOTE: I used my homemade stash, but feel free to substitute what you've got.)
1 package of pre-made sundried tomato polenta, cut into 1⁄4" rounds (NOTE: I was super lazy, and bought the pre-made, fat-free stuff. You could also easily make your own.)
2 ounces of grated goat gouda (NOTE: I used Arina brand goat gouda.)
Salt and pepper to taste

1) Shred zucchini on the largest setting of a box grater. Toss with a heaping teaspoon of salt, place in a colander set over a bowl, and allow to drain, 15-30 minutes. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

2) Coat a non-stick pan with 1⁄4 teaspoon of the oil with several sprays of cooking spray, and heat over a medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until aromatic and starting to browned, about 30 seconds. Add the zucchini, stir, and cook through, about 6-7 minutes.

3) Add chickpeas, and cook through, 1-2 minutes. Add sauce and saute until heated through, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a separate bowl, and season with salt and pepper.

4) Wipe out the pan, and heat the remaining oil over a medium heat. In several batches, add the polenta rounds, and sauté until just browned (roughly three minutes per side). In the center of each plate, arrange four polenta rounds so that their sides are touching (or in a "diamond" pattern). Top with a light coating of gouda. Mound the zucchini mixture on top, and sprinkle with additional gouda.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving
305 calories, 8.4 g fat, $2.14

Calculations
1 1/2 pounds zucchini (about 3 medium): 109 calories, 1.2 g fat, $1.48
3 cloves garlic: 13 calories, 0 g fat, $0.10
1⁄2 teaspoon olive oil: 20 calories, 2.3 g fat, $0.02
Cooking spray: negligible calories and fat, $0.03
1 15-ounce can of chick peas, drained and rinsed: 350 calories, 7 g fat, $.75
1 cup marinara sauce: 140 calories, 3 g fat, $0.70
1 package of pre-made sundried tomato polenta: 360 calories, 0 g fat, $3.99
2 ounces of grated goat gouda : 228 calories, 20 g fat, $1.48
Kosher salt/pepper: negligible calories and fat, $0.01

TOTAL: 1220 calories, 33.5 g fat, $8.56
PER SERVING (TOTAL/4): 305 calories, 33.5 g fat, $2.14

(Photos courtesy of Flickr members Svadilfari

Monday Megalinks

by Leigh

BoingBoing: Public Fruit Jam at Machine Project in LA
It’s too late to attend, but what a cool idea. Fallen Fruit, an activist art collective, sponsors a jam jam using public fruit and shared jam-making skills. Sweet.

Chief Family Officer: Emergency Funds: Another example of why you need one
As the Sacremento Bee reports that California’s state employees, by executive order of the Governator, are being laid off or having their wages reduced to the federal minimum wage, CFO reminds us that an emergency savings is no good if itdoesn’t exist.

Consumerist: Are You Fighting the War Against High-Fructose Corn Syrup?
The food engineers who bring us HFCS are trying to convince us that it’s natural because it comes from corn. Hmm. Good point. Ethanol comes from corn, so I guess that's okay to eat too.

Consumerist: KFC's "Vegetarian Sandwich" Isn't, Stop Kidding Yourself That Fast Food Restaurants Have Vegetarian Options
Thanks for trying, Col., but a faux chicken patty fried in chicken grease is not vegetarian. This tidbit shows you how hidden ingredients can put the meat right back into a meatless sandwich. Or the meat in French fries.

Consumerist: 15 Victims of the Grocery Shrink Ray
If you’ve never paid attention to unit prices before, now is the time to start.

Dinner Tonight: Smart Ways to Save Money
Lists like these are always worth repeating. (Thanks to Serious Eats for the link.)

Elastic Waist: does your neighborhood affect the size of your ass?
Are you surrounded by fresh, healthy food or miles and miles of fast food? Wait a second; turn around. Oh, I see. Our new friends at Elastic Waist bring to light a study by the CCPHA that correlates available food with occurrence of obesity and disease.

The Kitchen: How to Make Iced Coffee
Save money and the rush-hour stress by making iced coffee at home the night before. That picture is so pretty it makes me want a sip, though I prefer iced tea.

New York Times: Amid Salmonella Case, Food Industry Seems Set to Back Greater Regulation
After the mess the FDA made of the tomato/jalapeno salmonella outbreak, the produce industry is ready for some uniform tracking procedures. Hearings were held Thursday to get things rolling.

Serious Eats: The Great Vegan Honey Debate
If you were ever confused about vegans and honey, this should muddy the water clear things up. In Slate, Daniel Engber breaks down the ongoing controversy within the vegan community over whether to eat or not to eat honey. It is “bee barf” after all.

Serious Eats: In Season: Corn
Corn! Eat it. It’s the best thing about summer. Oh yeah.

Slashfood: Fast-food ban in LA and NY
Holy hot-buttons! With the ban of transfats in NYC and the entire state of California, did we think this was far behind? There have been articles from the “hometown papers” NY Times and LA Times, but here, you’ll get a quick summary and sobering comments. There is also an op-ed in Slate that’s worth reading.

Slashfood: Foods to better your brain
“Dr Fernando Gómez-Pinilla, a professor of neurosurgery and physiological science at the University of California, Los Angeles, conducted research on the way antioxidants and vitamins work with synapses in the brain.” So eat up, and maybe we’ll see each other on Jeopardy!

Slate: Cows or Beans: Which Is the Better Source for Milk?
Slate’s Green Lantern column explores which beverage is more eco-friendly: cow’s milk or soy milk. Taste is another matter altogether. (Go rice milk!)

Small Notebook: July Is No-Spend Month
An inspirational account of putting a halt to aspirational spending.
(Thanks to Get Rich Slowly for the link.)

Washington Post: Buy Better Groceries
Cool interactive tool that lets you compare nutritional information of grocery staples, create a shopping list, and total your selections. Neato.

(Photo courtesy of Flickr member ghholt)

Grilled Honeysuckle Pineapple: Eat This

Hey everybody! Welcome to Friday’s unusually late recipe post. The office has been kind of nuts today, as I’ll be in sunny North Carolina next week, and have been duly pummeled with pre-vacation job responsibilities. Oh, the pleasures of being a working woman.

(Did I just make myself sound like a prostitute with that last sentence? I’m not. I promise.)

(Though … there’s probably less paperwork, so maybe …)

(Anyway.)

While I’m gone, Leigh, Jaime and the effervescent Rachel will be tending CHG – regulating comments, maintaining the schedule, and generally waxing poetic about zucchini, tomatoes, and misleading labels. They are kind, ever-so-lovely souls with finely-honed, ninja-like writing skills, so I’m sure y’all will enjoy their, uh … poetic … waxings.

Before I’m off, I’d like to leave you with a fantastically tasty recipe garnered from this weekend’s potluck. It’s called Honeysuckle Pineapple, and it’s over at All Recipes (of all places). My friend J (she of the earthshaking baklava and sock-rocking grilled peaches) brought it for dessert. I’d already consumed 14 metric tons of barbecue, but found room for it (maybe in my arm or toe or something) and was not disappointed. The light, sweet, sharp flavors ended the eve perfectly, and even made us feel vaguely healthy. Not bad for a single pineapple in the face of all that beef.

As always, if you should give it a try, here are a few things to know:

1) The calculations below are for one whole pineapple, which made twelve large, lengthwise slices. I’m counting each piece as an individual serving, so the numbers are slightly different than those on the All Recipes website.

2) Jen on the booze: “A medium size bottle of Cherry Brandy (which I only needed 6 tablespoons of) was roughly $5.99 at a high end Manhattan Liquor store. I am sure there are smaller bottles and cheaper liquor stores out there, but, I had trouble finding the cherry flavor, so, when I saw it I bought it. (And it won’t go to waste!)” Based on what Jen said, my numbers are for a 375-ml bottle, which is about 25.27 tablespoons at $0.24/each.

3) Once again, my photography skills have failed me, despite what I thought was a newfound mastery over the “Enhance” button in iPhoto. Seriously, a blindfolded four-year-old could have taken a better shot of this food. I promise, it tastes much better than it looks.

4) Don’t fear the fruit! Pineapples are surprisingly easy to cut after you’ve gotten the hang of it. For a brief tutorial, go here.

And that’s it. Hope y’all have lovely weekends, weeks, and next weekends. I’ll think of you while I’m lapping up the warmth on a romantic southern beach.

(Uh … with my parents. So maybe not so romantic.)

(*shudder*)

Grilled Honeysuckle Pineapple
Serves 12
Adapted from All Recipes.

12 (large) slices fresh pineapple
4-1/2 tablespoons honey
6 tablespoons cherry brandy
1 tablespoon lemon juice

1) In a medium or large glass bowl, stir honey, brandy, and lemon juice together. Add pineapple. Mix until coated. Cover and refrigerate for 60 minutes.

2) Preheat grill (medium heat). Lightly brush grate with oil.

3) Place pineapple on grill. Cook 10 minutes, turning a few times. Fruit should be warm and slightly browned when finished.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving
87 calories, 0.3 g fat, $0.34

Calculations
12 (large) slices fresh pineapple: $1.99
4-1/2 tablespoons honey: $0.45
6 tablespoons cherry brandy: $1.42
1 tablespoon lemon juice: $0.20
TOTAL: 1044 calories, 3.6 g fat, $4.06
PER SERVING (TOTAL/12): 87 calories, 0.3 g fat, $0.34

Veggie Might: Desert Island Gadgets

by Leigh

As a wholly self-taught home cook, I had never given much thought to gadgets, small appliances, or even utensils. Most of my supplies were hand-me-downs, gifts, or just magically appeared in my kitchen. Oh sure, I would stare at the utensil wall at Bed, Bath and Beyond but mostly to wonder what the heck most of that stuff was for and who really needs an egg separator? Doesn’t the shell do the job pretty well?

Of course, then I didn’t cook. My first five years in New York, I made my living as a waitron and was fed well by others. When I did cook at home, my culinary adventures never strayed far from ramen noodles, box mac and cheese, and grits. All I needed was a saucepan and a spoon, which my mother had supplied me when I went off to college.

Then I switched day jobs. Suddenly, I had to either cook for myself or spend my meager earnings on take-out, which, on my receptionist’s hourly wage, meant the former. I got good at creating easy, cheap, healthy meals with the tools I had. Enter a decent paring knife.

Until my pal C (thanks!) got me started watching cooking shows, I didn’t know what I was missing. My thrifty sensibility remains intact, but the gadgets are harder to resist. Some folks have a weakness for shoes or comic books; mine has become kitchen gear.

Oh, I try to play it cool. Alton, I scoff, do I really have to have silicone baking sheet liners? RR, I most definitely do not need a $15 Garbage Bowl™, thank you very much. Even I have a line; and this from a woman who bought a Martha Stewart cookie shooter on impulse.

Close-out stores are a great way to keep the gadget budget in check. Whenever I’m in the market for a new toy, I mean tool, my neighborhood Jack’s World (upstairs from Jack’s 99¢ stores) is the first place I check. Jack’s World is similar to Odd Jobs, Big Lots, and the like. I’ve gotten most of my indispensable implements there. (The cookie press was only $5! How could I resist?)

Factory-reconditioned small appliances can save big bucks when upgrading your kitchen or starting from scratch. You have to do your homework, but a little diligence will pay off. Sites like Amazon and Overstock can have great deals on brand names, and you never know what you’ll find.

I never aspired to KitchenAid appliances. They always seemed the stuff of TV chefs and people with that one-two punch of bridal registries and wealthy relatives. But when my $30 blender flamed out after 6 months of heavy hummus duty, I needed to go one better. On Amazon, I found a reconditioned KitchenAid blender for $50, more than half off the original price, and just $20 more the discount-store brand. Not only does it do an amazing job, it’s so, so pretty.

Now when I find myself leaving a trail of drool through Bed, Bath and Beyond, pooling at the utensil wall, I pull myself together, make a list, and try to contain myself until I can get to budget safety. (Sometimes I will appease myself with a little trinket, like silicone basting brushes or another inexpensive, absolute necessity. C, I really needed those ice cube trays.)

But when it comes down to it, I survived with very little for many years, and could do it again. Here are my desert island kitchen gadgets/tools that I cannot live without. These are the implements I’d save from fire, flood, and locusts. And I paid full price for none of them.

10” cast iron skillet—A cast iron skillet is an indispensable piece of cookware. It stews; it fries; it bakes; it does it all. And you don’t need to spend the college fund on Le Creuset to get a good one. As long as you care for it properly, a cast iron skillet will get better with age and last forever. Close-out store ≈$8

Silicone spatula—When you want something out of a bowl, food processor, blender, pitcher, pan, pot—especially glass—this thing will grab on and get it out. All of it. There’ll be no hummus left in that blender, no batter left in that bowl, no sauce in that pan. I had no idea how much magic this little do-hickey would do. Plus, silicone is heat resistant, so you can use it with your sensitive cookware when it’s piping hot. My cast iron skillet loves its silicone spatula. Close-out store ≈$2

Mini food processor—Because I have a tiny kitchen (my counter-top is about 1’ x 3’), nothing can sit out. The mini food processor is easily stored and is great for mincing garlic and onions, emulsifying, chopping herbs, and the like. It’s a great time-saver and perfect for a small space. Close-out store ≈$12; Factory-refurbished ≈$30

Blender—Shiny. I love my blender. Factory-refurbished ≈$30

Utility knife—For my birthday, my good friend, A, got me a brand-spanking-new knife, and my world has changed for the better. It has a pretty pink handle, it actually cuts (instead of crushes, like most of my crappy old knives do), and it makes me feel like a real chef. Now I understand what all the fuss is about.

What can you not live without in the kitchen? Any tips for finding them on the cheap?

~~~

If you dig this article, you might also like:

• Finding Quality Kitchen Equipment on the Cheap
• The Ultimate Guide to Kitchen Equipment
• The Do's and Don'ts of Buying a Cookbook

(Photos courtesy of Flickr member The Daily Planet and noshtopia.)