Can you tell me what's in this mix: You say France and I whistle, T!Katz, Ice Palace, NASA, Ida Maria, Art vs Science, Dan Deacon, and more

In his book, In Defense of Food (a short synopsis is here if you haven't yet read it) Michael Pollan suggests that some of what we eat can no longer be considered food but more accurately "foodlike substances" because of the amount of science involved in creating them. Whatever the new trend in food intake, be it protein, omega 3's, low carb, artificial sweeteners, or acai speckled beatle dung, science has found a way to inject them into our cereals, pastas, frozen foods, and rices to make us "healthier." It's more science fair project, less nature's manna. Case in point:

textured vegetable protein, soy protein isolate, wheat gluten, wheat flour, iron, thiamine mononitrate, corn oil, corn starch, wheat starch, methylceullulose, artificial vinegar flavor, potassium chloride, garlic, sugar, dextrose, autolyzed yeast extract, natural and artificial flavors from non-meat sources, spices, tapioca dextrin, disodium inosinate, dried yeast, caramel color, maltodextrin, hydrolized soy protein, paprika extract, xantham gum, sodium alginate, cellulose gum, yellow corn flour, inulin from chicory root, onion, annatto extract, nonfat dry milk, dehydrated butter, sodium acetate, malic acid, baking soda, celery extract, wheat fiber, lactic acide, succinic acid, niacinamide, egg whites, citric acid, thiamin mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, vitamin B12, tumeric.

Is this the recipe for a laundry detergent? Perhaps a list of components necessary to produce a weapon of mass destruction? The periodic table of elements? No, this is a short list of the ingredients in one of the foods I found in my freezer. I have no idea what half of the ingredients are and I can't pronounce one-fourth of them. That can't be a good thing, can it?

What has science and corporate America put into my food that someday may come back to harm me? I guess I'll just have to wait and see. While I do so, I'll put on June's playlist. It may not cure the cancer that years from now we find out is caused by pyridoxine hydrochloride but it can take the edge off the wait.

Track Listing:

You Say France & I Whistle-When Lover's Die
T!Katz-3 AM
Ice Palace-Thoughts/Ideas
Fight Like Apes-Something Global
Ida Maria-Queen of the World
N.A.S.A featuring Ol Dirty Bastard and Karen O.-Strange Enough
Kasabian-Fire
Interlude by Australian DJ
Japandroids-Wet Hair
Art Vs Science-Flippers

Fearless Vampire Killers-Fearless Vampire Killers

Dan Deacon-Snookered
Intro and Outro Instrumental-Fucked up-Golden Seal

Download Playlist Here

Mother of All Grains Recipes and Lima Research Society

Let me stave off the cries of one trick pony before they begin. My recent obsession with quinoa are a result of three things:

*I visited Peru last summer and ate a ton of it
*I've been obsessed with New Jersey's Lima Research Society for the past few weeks. Lima, the capital of Peru, naturally makes me think of my trip there, and I revert back to reason one.
*It's just so damn tasty.

Whether these justify it or not I have decided to post two more savory recipes consisting primarily of what the Incans call Chisaya Mama or "the Mother of all grains" as this weeks recipe(s) of the week:

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers (as seen in Veg Times, February 2009)
Printable Version

1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 ribs celery, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1 Tbs. ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup quinoa
3 large carrots, grated (11/2 cups)
11/2 cups grated reduced-fat pepper Jack cheese, divided
4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed

1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and cook 5 minutes, or until soft. Add cumin and garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in spinach and drained tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.

2. Stir in black beans, quinoa, carrots, and 2 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Stir in 1 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour liquid from tomatoes in bottom of baking dish.

4. Fill each bell pepper half with heaping 3/4-cup quinoa mixture, and place in baking dish. Cover with foil, and bake 1 hour. Uncover, and sprinkle each pepper with 1 Tbs. remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and drizzle each with pan juices before serving.

Peruvian Baked Quinoa and Cheese (as seen in Veg Times, April 2008)
Printable Recipe

2 tsp. olive oil
1 medium leek, white and pale green parts halved and sliced (1 cup)
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
2 large eggs
1 cup nonfat milk
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese (4 oz.), plus more for sprinkling, optional

1. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add leek and bell peppers; cover, and cook 5 minutes, or until tender. Stir in quinoa and garlic, and cook, uncovered, 3 to 4 minutes, or until quinoa grains turn opaque.

2. Add 3 cups water, and season with salt. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 3 to 4 minutes more, or until most liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 13- x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Whisk together eggs and milk in large bowl. Fold in quinoa mixture and cheese. Transfer to prepared baking dish, and bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until browned around the edges and on top.

These two, along with the one in my earlier posting (Cauliflower-Parmesan Fritters), complete the quinoa trilogy. At this point I will move on to other projects because everyone knows what happens when trilogies try to become a four piece.

A fun video of Lima Research Society in 2007. Not my favorite song (see May playlist) but still fun.

Beating Like a Hammer (Open-Faced Tomato-Basil Sandwiches with Metric's Help I'm Alive)

Imagine slicing open, what appeared to be a beautiful tomato, and finding it full of tiny moving creatures. That's exactly what happened earlier this week while I was preparing tempeh BLT's. Needless to say the BLT's quickly became BS's (bacon and spinach). So it was with great trepidation that I cut into my second batch of tomatoes in order to prepare this week's recipe of the week Open-Faced Tomato-Basil Sandwiches. Like the chorus of Metric's Song, Help I'm Alive, my heart was beating like a hammer. I didn't want tomatoes to be ruined forever. As I sliced through the flesh my apprehension subsided, the inside allure matched its surface.

Recipe of the Week: Open-Faced Tomato-Basil Sandwiches (as seen in Veg Times, May/June 2007)
Printable Version

1 1/2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 tsp.)
3 Tbs. nonfat plain yogurt
4 English muffins, split
1 large ripe tomato, thinly sliced

1. Blend basil, Parmesan cheese, olive oil and garlic in food processor or blender until well combined. Add yogurt, and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Preheat broiler. Place muffins on baking sheet. Broil 1 to 2 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Spread each half with basil mixture, and top with several tomato slices. Broil 1 to 2 minutes, or until heated through.

I doubled the garlic and basil because I like it strong. Magnificent.

Since I probably won't include it on any future playlists, here is the video for Metric's Help I'm Alive.

Like a splash of burning oil to the wrist mix: P.O.S, Leftover Crack, Lima Research Society, Pope Joan, Bloc Party, Arcade Fire, Lerkruka and more

Refrigerator problems and little patience often lead to avoidable wrist burns. I know this, yet I continue to follow the same pattern. Take out vegetables that are frozen solid (because our fridge does that), contemplate letting it thaw, decide I am too hungry to wait, drop the frozen veggies in the hot oil, watch the oil splatter, and curse that these two important substances don't mix. Maybe you've got the same issues. Maybe your burns are unique. Either way, next time you reach for the treatment, be it cool water or a leaf from the aloe plant growing on your porch, flip on this playlist. It won't heal the burn but it will certainly take your mind from it.

Track Listing:

P.O.S-Goodbye
Leftover Crack-Baby Punchers
Lima Research Society-Our Nature is Relentless
Pope Joan-Centurions
Arcade Fire-No Cars Go
Bloc Party-Banquet
I see Hawks in LA-Slash from Guns n' Roses
BC Camplight-Lord, I'm on Fire
Lerkruka-Lilla Syster

The Decemberists-The Rake Song

Download Playlist Here