I'm generally a fairly healthy eater, and I like to cook. By far the biggest things standing between me and cooking all my own meals is time. Not so much time to cook (although that's a factor) as time to shop. But I've recently realized that my workplace has a nearly full kitchen, and is within five blocks of three different produce stores and a Safeway. And I have long breaks. So really, I have no excuse whatsoever. Therefore, today I went shopping for supplies to keep myself away from restaurants and into home cooking.
Most of the small stores in Vancouver are Asian-run, so there are often fun foods to explore. My favourite are the desserts. Giving up gluten rules out most Western sweets, but certainly hasn't done anything to my sweet tooth; and a lot of other culinary traditions use less egg and milk and more rice and other gluten-free flours. My personal favourite are what I believe are called daifuku, or mochi, but please correct me if I'm wrong - balls of sweet rice flour filled with tasty delights like red bean paste or taro or black sesame. I'm hit-or-miss with finding them (which is probably just personal failure at shopping), but when I do I tend to eat them rather too quickly.
A long time ago I made a rule that I wouldn't buy desserts for at home. This rule stemmed from my lack of will-power - it was much easier to exert will-power once every few weeks at the grocery store, rather than every time I'm at home and remember I have sweets. Recently, I've amended that rule - I only let myself buy desserts when I shop if they are something new or novel I've never tried before. Today's shopping trip yielded black sesame candy (basically a thicker version of the sesame seed and sugar waffers that are sold 3/$1 at most grocery stores), and a sample platter of coconut-and-agar puddings (mango, lychee and strawberry). The sesame candy lasted all of a few hours; the puddings I'm hoping to space out over a few days, although we'll see if that holds.
A long time ago I made a rule that I wouldn't buy desserts for at home. This rule stemmed from my lack of will-power - it was much easier to exert will-power once every few weeks at the grocery store, rather than every time I'm at home and remember I have sweets. Recently, I've amended that rule - I only let myself buy desserts when I shop if they are something new or novel I've never tried before. Today's shopping trip yielded black sesame candy (basically a thicker version of the sesame seed and sugar waffers that are sold 3/$1 at most grocery stores), and a sample platter of coconut-and-agar puddings (mango, lychee and strawberry). The sesame candy lasted all of a few hours; the puddings I'm hoping to space out over a few days, although we'll see if that holds.
Also acquired today: copious numbers of fresh herbs, the best part of shopping at produce stores rather than big grocery stores. I made a lentil salad, with tomatoes, cucumber, red and yellow peppers, dried figs (yes, I'm kind of weird in my taste preferences), and fresh thyme and basil. For the first time I think I can say that I actually used too many fresh herbs in something. Live and learn; I had no idea that was possible.
Cooking with any kind of allergies means reading ingredients labels constantly. I've gotten very good at skimming them, but I have to say that after reading labels on 8 different bottles of soy sauce (I was looking for wheat-free Tamari, which I failed to find...time to turn to health stores), I was getting more than a little impatient. I have a personal objection to any product that uses a common allergen when it doesn't need to be there. This used to apply to (wheat) crackers that used milk products. Now, my anger is directed at the makers of Salt & Vinegar Crispy Minis (rice cakes instead of potato chips), and the company that makes almond-based crackers. Both have decided that lactose is a necessary flavouring agent. Given that the number of lactose-intolerant of friends and family members I could name off the top of my head would exceed the number of fingers I have to count with, I really don't understand the rationale that says taking dairy-free food and adding lactose back in is somehow a good idea.
Cooking with any kind of allergies means reading ingredients labels constantly. I've gotten very good at skimming them, but I have to say that after reading labels on 8 different bottles of soy sauce (I was looking for wheat-free Tamari, which I failed to find...time to turn to health stores), I was getting more than a little impatient. I have a personal objection to any product that uses a common allergen when it doesn't need to be there. This used to apply to (wheat) crackers that used milk products. Now, my anger is directed at the makers of Salt & Vinegar Crispy Minis (rice cakes instead of potato chips), and the company that makes almond-based crackers. Both have decided that lactose is a necessary flavouring agent. Given that the number of lactose-intolerant of friends and family members I could name off the top of my head would exceed the number of fingers I have to count with, I really don't understand the rationale that says taking dairy-free food and adding lactose back in is somehow a good idea.
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