I'm a dip

for not posting in so long. I've been with my family and HS' family over the holidays and, in general, I have been eating someone else's cooking rather than my own. I'm looking forward to getting back into the kitchen when I move into my new place this week!

HS and I are planning a simple New Year's Eve dinner of ravioli, salad, and berries for dessert. We'll start things off with this kickin' dip recipe, which will be served on brown rice crackers.

Green olive and artichoke tapenade
14-oz can of artichoke hearts, drained
1 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1 cup pitted green or Spanish olives
1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
black pepper to taste

Put the following in a food processor and mix for a few seconds: artichoke hearts, walnuts, olives, garlic, parsley, lemon peel. Scrape down the sides and add lemon juice and olive oil. Process for a few more seconds. You'll have a rough paste. Add black pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature with crackers.

Food for thought

I'll get back to blogging about food, rather than just about food-related issues, in a week or two. I moved last weekend and real estate transactions are on the horizon; I'm just a little superstitious about them until all's said and done. Those things, combined with not having a stove for nearly 3 weeks, and having a really bad bout of bronchitis, have made it hard to cook much.

This book is on my wish list. The author photographed 30 families from around the world surrounded by the food they ate during a week.

I found this contrast especially interesting.
1. Here is a family from North Carolina who spent $341.98 on food that week:


2. And a family from Chad who spent $1.23 on food that week:

David Blaine: Visionary or Wacko?

(I started writing this post many days ago, hence the back-date.)

In keeping with the topic from my last post, I was intrigued by this news item about David Blaine's next stunt.

He plans to stay awake for at least 11.5 days. Standing up, even. Now, I've read about keeping people awake and on their feet for 36 hours plus: as a torture technique. How is DB going to come through with his faculties intact? It all comes down to diet.

"I'm on a raw diet that includes brown rice. No red meat. No animal products besides cooked fish...we already know dietary restriction is a retardation of aging and disease. When you overeat your body must work and it gets tired. If I eat medicinally, my body will be entire."

David Blaine: proof that a mostly-vegan diet gives you superpowers. (But is he going to eat that brown rice raw?)

Tingle all over!

We caught a great documentary last night: Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox. It was part of a film festival; I don't know when/if it will come to theatres. I'd bought Dr. Bronner soap in the past and attempted to read the bottle, but I learned a lot from the documentary, namely:
--Dr. B was admitted to a mental hospital, underwent shock therapy, then escaped
--He basically abandoned his 3 children (they were raised in orphanages or foster homes) in order to work on "saving Spaceship Earth"
--He claims to be Einstein's nephew
--He called the FBI almost daily for months and his file was put in the "nut cabinet"
--He is Jewish and the original peppermint soap label is blue and white to match the Israeli flag
--Eldridge Cleaver is a fan
--His descendants run the company now and have capped the top salary at 5x the lowest salary
--The company was the first to use 100% post-consumer recycled plastic for their bottles
--The company is the U.S.' largest buyer of industrial hemp

Also, Dr. Bronner credited his longevity (he lived to be 89) in part to his diet. In one passage from the documentary, he talks about his magic food: raw avocado mixed with raw garlic, onion, and lemon juice. Sounds like a garlicky guacamole. I, on the other hand, am eagerly awaiting my new stove tomorrow and am sick of eating raw! Snow is expected for tomorrow and I'd just like to have a baked potato or bowl of pasta. Is that so wrong?