Super Sweet, Gluten-Free Mesquite

Deglutenized and Delicious

Nobody has written a memorable poem on the mesquite. Yet the mesquite has entered into the social, economic, and aesthetic life of the land; it has made history and has been painted by artists. In the homely chronicles of the Southwest its thorns stick, its roots burn into bright coals, its trunks make fence posts, its lovely leaves wave. To live beside this beautiful, often pernicious, always interesting and highly characteristic tree—or bush—and to know nothing of its significance is to be cheated out of a part of life. It is but one of a thousand factors peculiar to the Southwest and to the land’s cultural inheritance. (J Frank Dobie, Guide to Life and Literature of the Southwest, 1952)

[Mesquite is] “the devil with roots. It scabs my cows, spooks my horses, and gives little shade.” (W.T. Waggoner, pioneer northwest Texas rancher, as qtd on Texas Almanac, texasalmanac.com)
For many…

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Dear TFR, My kid only wants macaroni…

 

Dear Texas Food Revolution,

My kid only wants macaroni and cheese for dinner. I think she’d also be pleased with a straight diet of ice cream. Neither of these are acceptable. We are trying to be a healthy food household but I really don’t want to be a food task master for my daughter! I enjoy healthy fresh food but I don’t to force it upon her and make her not enjoy it and associate good food with authoritative commands.

Please help, thanks,

Madeleine

 

Dear Madeleine,

The underground Mac & Cheese railroad will occur if you force your nutritional will without ingestible reason, and more importantly, fun. I have three tips for you.

The first recommendation, and it sounds like you are already doing this, is to lead by example when it comes to exercise and passion(not annoying dogma) about food. Leading by example also includes keeping the right foods in the house. If you have only one box of mac and cheese for the week, or only one box of cookies for the month, then that is that. When you go grocery shopping, this is a good chance to engage your child in choosing food. They will ask for everything, and some of it may actually be healthy, so when they get back home, there will be certain items that they have chosen and will feel ownership over their “treat.”

The second recommendation, and probably the most rewarding and effective one, in my experience, is to involve them as much as possible. A child who gardens is a child who eats veggies. But it doesn’t have to go so far as gardening, allow your child to make the salad, for example. Call your child your soux chef and talk about what you’re making so they don’t feel so force-fed. They will begin to take pride in the diverse food and unique presentations that don’t exist in something like mac & cheese.

The third recommendation is to step up your dessert game! There’s nothing wrong with decadent baked goods or frozen treats, but let their be an art to it rather than stuffing your face with high fructose corn syrup soda and pastries in front of the tube. There is always the “finish your plate to get dessert,” motivation, and when it comes to dessert there are many healthy options.

Ice, Coconut milk, honey, peanut butter and cacao smoothies, mmmm. Frozen banana puree with something fancy on it, mmmm. Gluten free baked goods, mmmm. Or even the occasional pre-made chocolate chip cookie dough is preferable over a packaged item, in the baking process there is an understanding of the value and effort that goes into the treat. Let the indulgences be mindful.

Engage your child in the food process and step up your own game. Guilt and demands surely never did it for me, anyways, LOVE brought me to local, fresh food, not fear and authority.

Green Papaya Lantern

 Part Batman, part Cantinflas, part Hunger Games, the script for Green Papaya Lantern is rumored to be in the hands of Alfonso Cuarón, director of Y Tu Mama Tambien.  Cuaróns’ agent has suggested that the four-time director and cult film icon isn’t sure what to make of the script yet, because he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the storyline. Six weeks after having read the script for Green Papaya Lantern, Cuarón is rumored to have become obsessed with the storyline of the screenplay.

“A Taquache … which by the way is the  South Texas dialect for Tlalquache, or opossum … becomes the size of a man on each and every nightfall …” Cuarón sputtered quizically to his agent after Cuarón downed his eighth Cuva Libre  within earshot of our source at a casino nightclub in Beliz, where Cuarón placed 37th in January 2014 World Poker Tour event.

“This Hombre de Quache …so to speak,” Cuarón continued  “… searches for unjust children in a steaming hot, yet icy, city of unjustness. And when he finds these children, he tells them stories of courage and despair while the marsupial serves the children green papaya. This makes no sense,” Cuarón continued as he emptied his drink, “yet I can not stop thinking about this story,” Cuaron mumbled frustratedly as he turned away from the dance floor of the fashionable Nighty Room and began ordering Shiner Bock beers on tap the rest of the night from his black granite bar-stool,  failing to acknowledge anyone around him until the bar closed and he needed help to call a cab.

The screenplay is a project of the Texas Food Revolution, a group of renegade chefs who promote the use of food grown, produced or raised within 100-miles or closer of where a person is at.

The screenplay ends when the mayor of Brownsville, Texas declares a day to celebrate the Taquache, with the community promising not to kill North America’s only marsupial for one day within city limits. One year later,  Taquaches for Life is born, a not-for-profit organization that rescues babies from the pouches of their trapped mothers. After the mayor christened the day — to soon be known as Green Papaya Lantern Day — Taquaches quickly experienced a Darwinian mutation that allowed them to remain human-sized throughout the entire day of celebration, and their furs began to take on a glossy black, green and yellow hue, much like the color of The Green Lantern comic book hero’s outfit. Green papaya is at its peak season on the day of celebration, so the day’s title of Green Papaya Lantern Day is apt beyond the obvious reference to the title of the proposed film.

The Texas Food Revolution did not return repeated phone calls and emails seeking comment on the screenplay.

Green Papaya

“El Tlacuache”. Publicado por Juan Palomino

The cover jacket of Alfonso Cuarón’s _Mamá_También‎
Wikipedia
Y Tu Mamá También ( And Your Mother Too) 2001.

 

Natchetno Salad

I generally enjoy savory breakfasts like big omelette piles. I don’t usually eat sweet unless I’m indulging in dessert and I usually wouldn’t consider a salad for my first meal of the day. Leave it to a creative TFR captain to push paradigms in delicious ways with something like a Natchetno salad.

Interesting origin: Sharon’s six year old daughter had woken up in the middle of the night and made herself a generous portion of Greek yogurt and honey that stayed in the fridge till morning. This dressing was the unexpected catalyst for today’s breakfast.

This bed of spinach topped with quinoa, yogurt, honey, and berries had the delight and fulfillment of sweet oatmeal, the nutrition and fiber of a salad, and the whole foods boost to start the day. This is certainly a recipe I’ll be repeating for myself an others.

Savoy Breakfast Taco

“I love the tacos, but…”
“I love sandwiches, but…”

Using Savoy cabbage, TFR Captain Sharon really pulled off a nice wrap. The cabbage is durable so as not to split like lettuce, and it actually holds a nice flavor when steamed a moment on the griddle. I’d prefer a savoy wrap over a tortilla any day.

Try growing this kind of cabbage, or find it at the market, and begin enjoying amazing nutritious wraps.

Most of this is pretty self explanatory, but one little trick to get a nice Asian flavor from this wrap is coconut oil and grated ginger in your egg mix, yum!

Herb Trout on Quinoa

I have had the pleasure of staying with fellow Texas Food Revolutionary, Sharon Castillo, the past week. I have known Sharon for years, she is a powerful soul, a hungry mind, and a very dedicated and patient mother of two. In addition to being my fellow philosopher and autonomous comrade, she also believes fresh organic ingredients and an adventurous spirit are the only requisites to be a great chef.

“Whatcha in the mood for?” She asks her husband. “Let’s cook up that rainbow trout.”

And like many improvisations of Texas Food Revolutionaries, her creation was worth repeating with your own style in your own home. I moaned and fawned over her dish, rich in herbal flavors, healthy fats, and subtle spice tones. She dodged my praise, feeling that the cooking process is so natural she could hardly take credit.

Ingredients:
-Rainbow Trout Filets
-Fresh Sage
-Fresh Tarragon
-Grass Fed Butter
-Pink Salt
-Garlic Powder
-Quinoa
-Turmeric
-Cumin
-Ginger
-Avocado

Get the Quinoa started, as usual, 2 parts water to 1 part Quinoa. Add some butter and a little salt. Towards the end of the Quinoa’s cooking add Turmeric, cumin, and ginger powder(or fresh grated) to taste. This should take about 20 minutes.

On a skillet, melt a big tbsp of butter at a low medium heat and sautee the tarragon and sage leaves. Place the trout on top with skin still on. Season the trout with salt and garlic powder on top and then flip when half cooked. When the filets are fully cooked, place them aside and make sure not to waste any of the sauteed herbs in butter.

Place fish, herbs, sliced avocado on top of quinoa and enjoy the omega rich feast. This meal gave me energy and clarity for days and really made me feel warm in the new home.

Farmers’ Market Renovations

If there’s one thing important to TFR, it’s encouraging and promoting attendance at farmers’ markets, the frontline of the struggle to get healthy food in people’s bodies, and to reducing the outflow of chemicals into waterways.  We’ve taken the reigns of farmers’ markets from time to time and tripled attendance, while more than tripling sales for farmers. So if you’d like a little help getting the public to your farmers’ market, please get in touch with us and we’d be happy to start a plan.

Just shoot an email to southtexasnation@gmail.com with some brief info about your farmers’ market along with your website, facebook page, etc. if you already have those set up.

Subsidies for Diabetes and Obesity on the Chopping Block

Did you know that Coca-Cola is a necessary strand of the social safety net? Without access to Coca-Cola, how is anyone expected to pursue life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

A bill was introduced, but not yet passed in last year’s legislative session in Texas. Texas House Bill 751 would prohibit the purchase of tater chips, candy, and sweetened beverages with the federally funded Supplemental Nutritional Aid Program, otherwise known as food stamps.

As I understand it, the bill would introduce a waiver of federal SNAP funds for the products defined in the bill. This is not the first motion by a state to request that the old union stop paying for their citizen’s junk food.

Opponents of the bill, such as those in the junk food industry and common citizens who want free candy and coke for their family, claim that “passing the bill would be all hard and complicated and stuff,” “you can’t prove anything,” and “it would be really scary for everybody.” Proponents of the bill, such as health nuts and budding anarchists with an insatiable appetite for reason, claim “why don’t you just use federal funds for cigarettes for down and out smokers, and you can pay for it from revenue gained from kidnapping potheads? Fuck, why is our government such a bunch of pussies when it comes to doing things that make sense?” and various other hyperbolic non-sequiturs.

The next meeting of bureaucrats who determine non-market flows of wealth rolls around about one year from now.

If you want to keep your free candy allowance, or if you fear that your company’s financial interests would feel withdrawals from those extra sweet tax dollars, then it is due time to write your representative and tell him not to pass such stupid legislation and that they are poopyheads and you will hate them if they pass it.

And likewise for all of you LSD licking radicals, if you want to make your fantastic rants about “tax dollars paying big business for both the causes and the effects of disease, from foreign policy to healthcare” be heard; then type your concerns on a nice, clean note or digital text field, and send the letter to your representative.

Make sure to write your local rep.
Here is the bureaucrat who introduced the bill:

Home2

View the bill text here:

ftp://ftp.legis.state.tx.us/bills/83R/billtext/html/house_bills/HB00700_HB00799/HB00751H.htm)

“Selling Food No Longer a Crime”

-So declare saintly bureaucrats of Austin.
Well, some food, in some places.

The Texas Cottage Law, in effect as of September of 2013 has opened things up a bit for law abiding bakers of Texas. The law prohibits a city from outlawing cottage food operations on the basis of zoning, and permits the sale of cottage goods outside the home at fairs, festivals, farmers’ markets, farm stands, and various other culturally appropriate place for such activity.

“The law expands the list of allowable food to include candy, coated and uncoated nuts, unroasted nut butters, fruit butters, dehydrated fruits and vegetables, popcorn, cereal, granola, dry mix, vinegar, pickles, mustard, and roasted coffee or dry tea.” – http://www.texascottagefoodlaw.com.

On behalf of all the cooks at my local farmers’ market I sincerely thank Texas resident and home baker, Kelley Masters, for her four years worth of effort in getting her representative to get this law through Texas legislature. After the bill’s first failure in 2009, Masters rallied support through social media outlets and grassroots campaigns to give the bill the voice it needed.

As of January 1st of 2014, all who sell these cottage goods are legally required to have a food handler’s permit and are subject to inspection or penalty by the local health department.

The red tape and kevlar separating choice and consequence just got a whole lot thinner at the farmers’ market. So what are you waiting for? It’s time to show off your skills.

To learn how this bill affects you please visit
http://www.texascottagefoodlaw.com/FrequentlyAskedQuestions.aspx

And to read the actual bill visit
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/83R/billtext/html/HB00970F.htm

Gumbo on the Cheap

It’s a cold, dank winter day and this revolutionary is strapped for cash. Most of us are. It’s Tuesday, though, and we’re feeding many at our weekly Tune-in-Tuesday Potluck.

I go to the market with $10.

I walk home with a can of crabmeat, a can of clams in clam juice, 2 yellow onions, 1 bunch of celery, 3 ears of corn, and I could even afford some more chili powder for the rack. Spices are scant at the headquarters right now.

I’ve got olive oil, flour, okra, serrano peppers, and carrots already in the kitchen.

I put a gallon of water in the pot. I realize it will be too much. I scoop a big glass of water out and chug it. Gotta stay hydrated. I bring it to a boil.

I cut both onions, the entire bunch of celery, two serrano peppers, and two carrots into thin slices and toss them in the boiling water. This is going to be casual gumbo, no need to rush on a winter day like today. I go ahead and shake some cajun seasoning into the boil.

I cut the corn off the cobs and slice the okra thin, and dice it again.

I feed the cat. I check the email. Some friends arrive and we say some brilliant things, and some silly things.

I heat up the skillet with oil of olive and toss in the corn and okra. I mix this around, tossing in chili powder and hoping for a grilly flavor from the frying. I shake nutmeg in the boiling broth along with some more seasoning salt. When the corn and okra look cooked I toss them in the broth. I open the crab and the clams and drop them into the pot, juice included. The concoction is filling the air with its spice, the soup is coming alive. Roux is the final step.

I keep the skillet hot but turn the heat below medium, I add some liberal splashes of olive oil. I shake in some flour and stir continuously with a wooden spoon. The color is a dijon yellow, mostly from the olive oil. It looks too loose, I add a few more clumps of flour and mush and stir them in. The consistency looks perfect, like mixing clay paints. The edges of the roux bubble. I keep stirring, the yellow turns to an earth tone desert brown. This is a crucial time. The roux is beautiful. How long will I let it wait? How dark do I want the roux today? There it is.

I dump the roux in the stew and I do not know it is Gumbo until the third bite, when I remembered my father’s gumbo and the quintessential taste of a soup arrangement that plays the proud theme, “Gumbo.”

“This soup is amazing, I love spicy-ness,” said Roxanne.
Lana hadn’t tried it yet, “Mmm, like Mexican spicy or like Asian spicy?”
Virginia paused her eating, “Cajun spicy.”