Stove Top Popcorn

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

I don't know if you've heard, but a study just released by researchers at Harvard found that Americans who snack on potato chips pack on the pounds. Frank Wu, one of the study's authors, said the results help illustrate that there are in fact 'good' and 'bad' foods.

I love potato chips. But with the obesity epidemic raging across the country, perhaps it's time we found a new national snack food. I nominate homemade popcorn. It's crunchy, filling, and fun, and possesses the power to release the inner child in even the grumpiest adult.

Let me clarify what I mean by 'homemade' popcorn. I'm talking about popcorn that is made over the stove or in a popcorn popper layered with a bit of oil. I am not referring to microwave popcorn with its musty, dusty aroma. At my last job, I dreaded mid-afternoons when a very kind-hearted colleague would nuke up a bag and perch it on the edge of his desk. A synthetic smell hung in the air for the rest of the day. At one point, our director burned a bagful of popcorn in the microwave. The smell was so piercing that the maintenance man paid us a visit, fearing a toxin had been released five floors away. An off-putting odor plagued the kitchen for weeks.

The experience makes me worry for people who feed on microwave popcorn. Many brands contain partially hydrogenated oil and other spooky sounding items like TBHQ and propy gallate. (I wish I was making this up.) It costs two to three times as much as homemade popcorn, takes nearly as long to make, and worst of all, pales in taste. Like a bad toupee, microwave popcorn is an obvious impostor that will leave you craving chips.

Americans devour old-fashioned popcorn at the movies and savor it at the park. It's a shame that we shy away from it at home when all it takes to make the playful, fiber-rich treat is a steel pot and lid, some corn kernels, and a dusting of salt. A reasonably priced popper will also do the trick. (I nabbed the Stir Crazy for half price when Carson's closed on State Street a few years ago. I can make a delicious bowl of popcorn with just a dab of oil.) Both options allow you to control the salt and fat content.

The good news is that one you're comfortable making plain popcorn, you can move on to fancier versions. It's lovely popped in flavored oils and encrusted in a sprinkling of sugar. Believe me, once you get going you'll forget the chips.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

STOVE TOP POPCORN

Makes 4 cups

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup corn kernels
Salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Place a steel pot on a burner and coat the bottom of the pot with oil. Heat to medium-high.  

Add the corn kernels and cover.

Listen as the kernels start to pop slowly at first and then rapidly. Remove from heat when the popping slows to about a pop every two seconds. Do not wait until the last kernel pops, as the rest of the popcorn will burn.

Pour the popcorn into a bowl and dust with salt.

Miss Julia's Kale Chips

Honey mustard salmon. Tofu steaks with maple marinade. Whole grain spaghetti with cheesy turkey marinara. Sounds like offerings at one of Chicago's hip cafes. But instead, the dishes are all part of the lunch menu at the Academy for Global Citizenship where students can opt for soy milk. During a recent visit, children from kindergarten to third grade buzzed around me in its edible-school yard. Some watered plants, others pulled weeds, and a handful mimicked the dance moves of a teacher. Hens Rosie, Daisy, and Bluebell shared the green space. When the school's executive director Sarah coaxed them from their coop, the birds nonchalantly pecked about like contented farm animals. Thanks to the trio, the students know where eggs come from. They come from chickens.

The school promotes student health by preparing meals with ingredients free of hormones, pesticides, and antibiotics. And it has bred many discriminating eaters. According to parents, students often grill them at the grocery store.

"Is that organic?" 

"Did you remember the soy milk?"

The school also offers workshops to engage the local community. The workshops include cooking classes and tastings that allow parents to sample school meals for themselves. According to Miss Julia, who leads the workshops, many parents seek information on culinary nutrition.

The school recently created a booklet to share its unique recipes. It includes dishes like tempeh bean chili and breakfast quinoa with dried cherries, raisins, and pecans. It also has instructions for the school's delicious kale chips, which are included below.

MISS JULIA'S KALE CHIPS

Serves 4 adults

This recipe transforms kale's frilly leaves into wispy bites with the lightness of nori. I could easily devour a bowl full. Many thanks Miss Julia!

INGREDIENTS

2 bunches kale

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 to 3 large garlic cloves, minced

Sea salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Rinse the kale and pat it dry. Remove and discard the ribs. Roughly chop the leaves.

Pat the leaves dry again. In a large bowl, toss them with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.

Spread the leaves on two large rimmed baking sheets.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every five minutes or so, until the leaves are crisp on the edges and slightly browned.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving.

Strawberry Banana Bread

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

A few weeks ago, I traveled to southern Illinois. For most of the six-hour journey, our train chugged through open prairie. Golden rods layered the fields and, hawks dipped into sight, slicing the air with their broad, scalloped wings. I nodded in and out of sleep soon after we left Chicago. By the time the conductor announced "Effingham, Effingham, Illinois!" I could no longer sleep. I sat up and started scribbling a list of things I wanted to do during my brief visit. It began with picking strawberries.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

As a child, I spent summers catching army green frogs and stirring wild mint with water from the garden hose. At dusk, my friend Annette and I would track lightening bugs with repurposed glass jars, devising new navigational strategies when the sky turned black enough to see the stars.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

During summer vacation, Annette's mom would take us strawberry picking. At the farm, we would hop on to a flatbed waiting in the parking lot and dangle our feet over the edge. Once all the U-pickers had boarded, the truck inched toward the berries, passing a barn, tractors, and maybe a few cows. Soon, rows of strawberry plants appeared. We would hoist ourselves to the ground, cushioned by a light layering of hay, and spend the morning hovered over the plants, pulling back their leaves in search of the colorful, low-lying fruit.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

When I left Chicago, the strawberry plants in the community garden had just unfurled their leaves. It would be several weeks before they grew delicate, daisy-like flowers and even longer before any fruit appeared. In the region of the Bible Belt where I grew up, the strawberry farms would be open for the first round of picking. All winter long, I had longed for the floral sweetness of June bearing strawberries. With a little luck, I would be able to enjoy a bowlful alongside a plate of fried catfish and some sweet iced tea.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

STRAWBERRY BANANA  BREAD

When I tracked down the list of fruits that contain the most pesticides, I learned that strawberries are part of the Dirty Dozen. So be sure to wash them thoroughly before you use them or buy organic strawberries. Do the same with lemons.

Also, try to use strawberries as soon as possible. If you need to store them for a day or two, lay them out in a single layer and refrigerate them. Be sure to throw out moldy berries to keep mold from spreading.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup wheat flour

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup strawberries, finely diced

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

2 tablespoons plain nonfat yogurt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

6 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. 

In another bowl, mix together the strawberries, bananas, lemon zest, yogurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla.

Carefully mix the banana-strawberry mixture into the dry ingredients until the flour is just absorbed. Do not over mix.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake until the bread is golden brown, about an hour. Cool for at least 15 minutes on wire rack.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

Summer snacking

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2009)

Americans get a fourth of their daily calories from snacks. To help guard against diet-related illnesses, consider munching on nutrient rich fruits and vegetables. Vine-ripened grape tomatoes are a delicious choice this time of year. Easy to eat and full of immune boosting vitamin C, they marry well with fresh herbs. For a cool, tangy treat, try pairing them with a serving of basil chive dip.

BASIL CHIVE DIP

2009 Cardamom Kitchen LLC All Rights Reserved

Serves 8

TIP:

- Herbs provide flavor with minimal calories - a gift to anyone watching their weight. In this recipe, chives round out the flavor of sweet basil (a mix of cloves, mint, and cinnamon) with a taste of mild onions.

- Storing tomatoes in the refrigerator compromises their flavor and texture. Keep them on the kitchen counter instead, out of the sun.

INGREDIENTS

5 ounces Neufchatel cheese (room temperature)

1/3 cup light sour cream

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/3 cup sweet basil, finely chopped

3 tablespoons chives, finely chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Blend together the Neufchatel cheese and sour cream.

Mix in the garlic powder, sweet basil, and chives.

Season with pepper.

Serve with grape tomatoes or other vegetables.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2009)

Sweet basil has delicate green leaves. To chop them, gather the leaves in a tight mound and rock a sharp knife over it. Then, hold the knife perpendicular to the original position and rock it over the leaves in the opposite direction.

Basil loses it flavor when subjected to heat. Add it toward the end of a recipe when cooking.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2009)

Chives produce pale purple flowers in the spring and reed like leaves all summer long. The blossoms impart an intense onion flavor so use them sparingly. Discard the tough stems.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2009)

Like basil, the flavor of chives fades when heated. So throw them in at the end of your recipe. Or use them raw. As a mild member of the onion family, they add flavor to salads and Deviled eggs.