“What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;”
~ from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, 1600

Control, sweet control…

There is something screaming from within that every time the food industry pushes unnecessary ingredients on me, I just have to push back. The most recent round came from wanting to buy a jar of Thai-style sweet chili-garlic sauce. Reading the labels just made me want to scream because genetically engineered corn is one of my pet peeves. Just Google it if you want to know more.

US laws don’t require labeling of genetically engineered products, so anything made from corn that isn’t labeled organic is suspect these days. And the thing is, a lot of ingredients in prepared foods don’t actually admit to being or coming from corn.

Every brand of the locally available sweet chili-garlic sauces I could find contained one or more of the following ingredients that are derived from corn:

Xanthan gum: Simply put, this is a byproduct of fermenting cheap sugars (including those from corn) to be used as a thickening agent.

Caramel: Watch this one. It is made by cooking a random sugar source until it browns. The resulting product is added to processed foods as a coloring or flavoring agent. It could be made from corn, but sometimes it is made from milk sugar. If that is important to you, then it is best to be careful and watch for the “May contain traces of milk or egg” disclaimer.

Citric Acid: Is chemically produced in a process using cheap sugar (again with the corn), mold spores, and sulfuric acid. Really guys, you couldn’t just squeeze a lemon for us?

Vinegar (also listed as acetic acid): Unless it is specified otherwise, this is likely to be distilled white vinegar that comes from the fermentation of our old friend corn.

Modified corn starch: Obviously from corn, the “modified” part in the name doesn’t come from it being genetically modified – but also doesn’t exclude it. What it is saying, is that the properties of the corn starch have been changed using an undisclosed process which can be as simple as boiling, or as aggressive as using chemicals. That part isn’t disclosed.

Disappointed, home I went to explore the intricacies of making my own sauce, only to discover how very easy the task is. Boiling to reduce the mixture thickens it naturally, just like a homemade jam, and I was able to use all readily available organic ingredients.

The inclusion of six jalapeno peppers might scare you into thinking this sauce is very hot, but it really has just a tiny bite, controlled by how many seeds you allow in. Go forth without fear!

Thai-style Sweet Chili Garlic Sauce

Makes 1 ½ cup
Time: 5 minutes active prep + simmering and chilling time

6 red jalapeno peppers
2 cloves garlic, peeled
¼ cup organic rice vinegar (we used Marukan)
¾ cup sugar (we used Wholesome Fair-Trade organic)
1 cup water

Cut the tops off the peppers (use gloves and do not touch your mouth or eyes) and remove the seeds as best you can. We aren’t fussy about leaving in a few, but they can add significant heat. Slice the peppers open to get at all the seeds, if that is important to you. Save the tops for another use (e.g., vegetable broth), if you wish.

Put the seeded peppers and remaining ingredients in the blender and cover snuggly. Start at slow speed and work your way up to medium-high and run until the peppers and garlic are very finely chopped – about 30 seconds with an average machine.

Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Stirring often, simmer until the sauce begins to thicken – you will be able to tell by a change in the appearance of the bubbles. Mine took exactly 45 minutes, but it will likely be faster at lower altitude.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Pour into a jar, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use. The mixture will thicken considerably as it cools and tastes best when the flavors have blended overnight.

Use the sauce for dipping fritters or eggrolls, or spoon a bit over a bowl of veggies and rice. Just remember that this is a condiment high in sugar, so easy to overdo – and even easier to become addicted to!

“He who plants a coconut tree, plants vessels and clothing, food and drink, a habitation for himself, and a heritage for his children.” ~ Philippine proverb

Coconut, in its various forms, is a pantry staple for us. Sweet or savory, in drinks or on plates, or even simply in the hand, they just seem to fit into so many places. And it is a food that is known for its sustainability. A coconut tree’s life is 80-90 years and a healthy tree yields up to 75 coconuts each year. It is said that every part of the plant can be used to make something.

I won’t go so far as to promote the various health benefits eating coconut – there are those who have some astonishing claims – however, it is absolutely a healthier choice than eating cholesterol-ridden butter and cow’s milk. For a coconut lover like me, It also has a deliciously sweet, mild flavor.

If you have questions about the saturated fats in coconut, please check out this Once a Villian article from the New York Times, which explains the history, the science, and the culinary value.

Coconut can be serve fresh in chunks or from dried shreds, the water drawn off from the center for a restorative beverage, the meat pressed to make a rich milk or coconut oil (from the dried meat), or ground into a flour.

When needing a quick, easy dessert, turning to the coconut is a good way to go – especially if you can use organic coconut products.

Coconut Fudge Truffle Tartlets

Makes 10 small tartlets
Time: 20 minutes

Coconut or other oil to grease the pans

Shells:
1 cup shredded, dried coconut
2 tablespoons flour (great place to use gluten-free coconut flour!)
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup coconut milk

Filling:
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (read label to assure it is dairy free)
2 tablespoons coconut milk

Toasted hazelnuts (pictured) or candy sprinkles to decorate as desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease ten sections of a mini-muffin tin or other tiny tartlet pans.

Mix the shell ingredients together until the mass clings together. Spoon two teaspoons of the mixture into each of the pan sections and press down and around the sides to form a crust. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the edges are nicely browned (watch carefully so they don’t burn!). Remove from the oven and cool 5 minutes before removing each shell from the pan to a plate.

While the shells are cooling, melt the chocolate chips with the 2 tablespoons of coconut milk to make the truffle filling. Spoon the chocolate mixture into the shells and garnish with whatever decorations as you wish. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve – the chocolate will get firmer, but not hard.

Here is a fun little You Tube of the Muppets singing about a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts.

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“I want to have fun. I want to shine like the sun. I want to be the one that you want to see. I want to knit you a sweater. I want to write you a love letter. I want to make you feel better.” ~ “All I Want” lyrics by Joni Mitchell, Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter (1943 – )

Recently, two of the folks I work with admitted to having just tried kale for the first time. Imagine that; just when you think there’s nothing new under the sun, someone comes up with a vegetable you haven’t ever tried!

Most people seem to be on either side of the fence with this powerhouse of nutrition. Its mild cabbage-like flavor and chewy texture is off-putting to some. For others (like me!), these are endearing qualities that make me go back for seconds. If you are one who is sharing or finding kale for the first time, there are delightful ways to introduce it. Here is one that is especially flavorful.

Prepare this with leftover rice, or a bag of frozen, pre-cooked rice to make it fast.

Mexcan Kale and Rice Pilaf

Serves 2 as a main course, 4 as a side dish
Time: 15 minutes

2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups coarsely chopped kale leaves (thick center stems removed)
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 tablespoon Taco Seasoning mix  (page 110 in our Mosaic meals cookbook)
¼ cup water

Warm the oil in a non-stick skillet that has a lid. Add the mushrooms and cook over medium heat until they are soft. Stir in the kale leaves and continue cooking until the mushrooms just begin to brown, about 3 more minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, tossing to combine well. Cover with the pan lid and continue cooking for 5 more minutes, until everything is hot through.

In addition to fiber, vitamin A, and protein, kale is strongly anti-inflammatory, which means it helps fight cancer and eases joint pain for those suffering from arthritis. Can’t you just feel the love?

For those who aren’t fans of kale, here’s a little of our favorite Joni Mitchell to help remind you that sometimes we need to get back to the garden, with Woodstock style.

“Mardi Gras is a state of mind.” ~ Ed Muniz, former mayor of Kenner, LA. (1940 – )

Our Sunday dinner with the Mosaic Papa this week was a blend of three holidays in one. For the appetizer, we celebrated Chinese New Year with spring rolls; for Valentine’s day, we had dark chocolate, heart-shaped cookies; and for dinner, we toasted Mardi Gras while enjoying a bowl of Cajun Butter Bean Soup. Mmmmm, that soup was goo-oood!

Every now and then, marketers come up with a more attractive name to promote a food. The slimehead fish became orange roughy, prunes are now known as dried plums, and rapeseed oil is the outdated name for canola oil. Likewise, the lowly and much maligned lima bean hired a publicist, leading the lowly lima to more frequently go by its Southern moniker, the Butter Bean.

The “butter” in butter bean refers to its creamy texture, and that is exactly what we capitalized on in this recipe that is healthy without any compromise. Of course, that might defeat the purpose of Mardi Gras, but nobody will know just by tasting it!

Cajun Butter Bean Soup

Serves 6
Time: 15 minutes active time, cooking time varies by method

1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large russet potato, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 (15 oz) can chopped tomatoes
2 cups (two 15-ounce cans) cooked butter beans
6 cups water
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning blend
Salt to taste

Slowcooker: Measure all ingredients except the optional salt into the slowcooker pot. Stir, cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours, until vegetables are soft. Puree with an immersion blender or in batches using a regular blender. Salt to taste.

Stovetop: Sauté the carrots, bell pepper, celery, and onion in the olive oil in the bottom of a soup pot until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients except the salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer, and cover. Cook for about 1 hour, until vegetables are soft. Puree with an immersion blender or in batches using a regular blender. Salt to taste.

You’ll want to serve this while hot, but the soup gets even better if refrigerated overnight and then reheated the next day, much to the delight of whoever lays claim to the leftovers.

“You doan go diggin’ for gold in an outhouse.” ~ Sandra Hill in Tall, Dark, and Cajun (2007)

Spice and herb blends are a big asset to the time-challenged cook, so it isn’t unusual to find us spending a few minutes mixing up various batches while waiting for the bread to rise or the soup to simmer. The Mosaic Meals cookbook (page 101) has a few in it, and we added Garam Masala to the lineup here.

Our Mardi Gras meal this year is going to have a Cajun theme to honor the Acadian roots that appear on the Viger side of the family. To season it most efficiently, a Cajun seasoning blend is called for and, to be fair, salt is a big part of the authentic flavor. But salt is something I prefer to do on my own terms and all the prepared blends have way too much by my standards. There are such lovely flavors in Cajun food, that it also seems a shame to cover them up with excessive salt.

Flavor aside, seasoning blends that include salt as the leading ingredient (you know that packages list ingredients based on greatest to least by weight or volume, right?) tend to be very overpriced, basing the cost on the most expensive ingredient rather than the cheapest or most prevalent.

Also, blends that we don’t use frequently enough can end up as an expensive waste when the flavors of the herbs diminish. Those that we use liberally can be easily made in greater quantity. We proportioned this blend all in teaspoons, so we can easily substitute tablespoons for the teaspoons to triple the recipe (makes about ½ cup that way).

Such is the case for making our own. Can you smell the party yet?

Salt-free Cajun Seasoning Blend

Makes 8 ¼ teaspoons
Time: 3 minutes

1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon ground black or white pepper
¼ teaspoon dried cayenne (double, if you like it spicy-hot)
1 teaspoon sweet paprika

Measure into a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well to blend.

HINT: Taping a copy of the recipe to the jar makes it super-easy to refill.

Use to prepare a Cajun favorite like this quick and easy one-skillet supper. Since we were fresh out of the traditional smoked alligator sausage, we used plant-based Field Roast…

Cajun Mardi Gras Skillet

Serves 1 (multiply as needed)
Time: 15 minutes

1 teaspoon olive oil
¼ cup chopped red bell pepper
¼ cup chopped onion
1 medium baked* Russet potato (sweet potatoes are also good here)
1 Italian Field Roast sausage links, sliced
½ cup frozen cut green beans
1 ½ teaspoons Salt-free Cajun Seasoning Blend

* If you don’t have one already cooked, scrub the whole potato well, then cook in the microwave according to manufacturer’s instructions. The potato should be cooked through, but not mushy, and cooled at least enough to handle comfortably – a good job to do in the morning while making the coffee, then stick in the refrigerator until supper time.

Warm oil in a non-stick skillet, then add the bell pepper and onion. Cook over medium heat until the onion is soft. Meanwhile, cut up the potato into bite-size pieces.

Add the potato when the onion is soft. Continue cooking, turning with a spatula occasionally, until nicely browned. Add the sausage slices and green beans, and sprinkle with the seasoning blend. Toss with the potato mixture and continue cooking until the sausage is warm and the spices have released their fragrance. Serve hot. Add salt to taste.

Put on a little Cajun music and, “Laissez les bons temps rouler!”