mmmm, bread....

now that the weather is colder and i'm having a little more free time on my hands, i've thrown myself into my kitchen. some time ago, i read a fabulous book called the omnivore's dilemma, and it's about the challenges we face in north america as a socitey that is surrounded by so many food options. why is it that we have this abundance of food, and yet our nation is one of the unhealthiest countries on the planet? how does the military-industrial complex play a role in what is served at the dinner table? what are the differences between the industrial, pastoral, and personal food chains? and how has the definition of "organic" changed over time? oh, this book was a real treat, absolutely wonderful to read because i simply adore food and cooking (funny because i am a picky eater, but what i do eat i chose very carefully and am a bit of a food snob) and it shed light on a lot of things. this is a great compliment to fast food nation because it takes things to a bit more of an intellectual and esoteric level, but at the same time is very imformative and completely changed the way i view food.

this book actually sparked my interest in vegetarian cooking for numerous reasons which i will not go into detail right now (the timing was impeccable because i read it right around canadian thanksgiving) and i've always loved to bake. so i've been cranking away in the kitchen, making crispy fried tofu with stir fried greens, vegetarian fried rice, vegetable hot pot with cheese triangles, fresh tomato lentil soup, the list goes on. i've also started up making my own bread now. last week i made a loaf with organic spelt flour and sesame seeds. it's called a grant loaf and the recipe was made accidently by an English woman during WWII. it's fabulous - really easy to make because it requires no kneading and only one rising, and has a very high vitamin B content. it supposedly cured all of the inventor's digestive problems. last week i also made a maple pecan loaf. this one was way more labor-intensive. i had to knead this dough for a good 20 minutes or so before i felt any semblance of elasticity and the dough is so coarse that you really have to work it. what a work out! ah, but it was worth it! my whole house smelled like a bakery for days and i got two loaves from the recipe. makes wonderful ham and cheese sandwiches, too!