Classics, Azorean Style

You’ve probably all had that experience where you are in one country, but go out to eat the food of another.  I know in the US this happens all the time.  We would go out for Chinese, Indian, Italian, Mexican, and others, and you have to wonder just how authentic the meal really is.  Many times you find there is an American spin on the ethnic food you order.  Sometimes you get lucky and the food is as authentic as it can get without being in that country.

In the Azores, they stick to traditional Azorean and Portuguese foods, but there are some exceptions when dining out.  Two of the meals I have here are non-Azorean cuisines, and then I have one that is a classic Azorean mean that is from one of the best seafood restaurants on the island.

The first meal we had a week or so ago at an Italian restaurant.  They do Italian really well, or at least American Italian, and I must say, as it is a popular choice with Americans, this meal is just what you would expect from an Italian eatery in the US.  I guess the only thing that you wouldn’t find standard in the US are the olives that are served frequently on this island.

 

 

The classic dish here that we always order is the eggplant parmesan.  It is fantastic.  It is also the biggest serving of eggplant I have ever seen.  It makes for a great lunch the next day.

 

The next meal is the island version of Mexican.  This is not nearly as close to the original as the Italian shown above.  The food is fair, but when it is the only Mexican restaurant on the island, when you get a craving and aren’t going to make it from scratch, this works.

We started off with a pitcher of margarita, but they only come frozen.  We may have forgotten this when we ordered.  It tasted like frozen hard lemonade, so I was happy even if it was not really what we think of as a margarita.

 

They have nice homemade salsa (although I have had better), and I think the chips be homemade.  At least the chips come warm.

Ryan had tacos…I think…maybe enchiladas?…ok, I have no real idea, but whatever they are, they are buried under there.

The only thing on the menu I can order is the seafood enchilada, because I do eat fish and seafood, and everything else on the menu has chicken, beef or pork.  The lobster in here would be nice if it was real, but it is the surimi stuff, which I like, but real lobster would make it better.

There is also a Chinese restaurant on the island, and the Indian place closed.  I heard there is a restaurant across the island that does sushi and we plan to check that out soon.  Otherwise, they stick to what they know, and this is seafood.

One of the best seafood restaurants on the island is Beira Mar in Sao Mateus.  The restaurant is right at the end of the marina area in a village that mostly fishes.  So you eat your meal, watching the water and looking at the little fishing boats.  I imagine if you were here during the day you could see the fisherman returning from sea and brining their fresh caught fish to the restaurant.  Not sure, but that is what I imagine when I am there.  This place is so popular that we had the choice of a 20 minute wait, or sitting at a table in a small room attached to the main dining hall, like an overflow dining room.  We went with the small room, which quickly filled up after we sat down.  I was amazed that the server who greeted us in the main dining hall quickly ran to meet us on the other side and bring us menus.  She was back again very quickly to take our order.  I anticipated being “ignored” for a period of time because of how busy they were, but it was fantastic service.

Ryan had the wreckfish.  We have normally seen this served as a steak, but this time was a filet, and not just any filet, but a giant one.  It was even too much for him to finish.  This restaurant also serves brussels sprouts on the side, which is how I discovered that I actually don’t mind them.

 

The server suggested a grilled shrimp and squid kebab, so I went with that.

Remember this whole squid thing is somewhat new to me, but I learned that I actually like it, despite the texture.  The shrimp still freak me out.  It helps to have enjoyed a glass or 2 of wine by the time the food shows up.  It certainly makes me braver.  I like trying things the local way.

After the meal, I stepped back over to the main restaurant to admire their always stocked display case of seafood.  This was what was left towards the end of dinner service on a Friday night.

This is the boca negra, which is probably my favorite fish around here.

These are the kebabs, ready to be grilled.

There is barely any wreck fish and other fish left.

 

For now I will stick with the local food, since once we leave this island I am not sure we will have this food again.  I would not be opposed to coming back to visit the Azores, but there are so many other places I want to visit too.

There are other Italian places on the island, but I think Buzius (where the eggplant was from above) remains my favorite.  When I get a craving for Italian, I’ll head there.  Not much else to say about the Mexican, but it works for when you just want some Mexican.  It is always interesting to see how another culture interprets and prepares the food of another.

QUESTIONS: What is your favorite ethnic cuisine?  Is there any food or dish that is unique to where you live?  Do you feel like ethnic foods often have an American twist?

Sending You an Island View

I know so many of you are getting some crazy snowfall.  I thought to welcome in the 3 day weekend I would share with you some pictures of the island to brighten your day.  Don’t worry, my weather isn’t all that great right now (today sunny, otherwise it has been very, very windy and rainy).  Most of these pictures were taken in the non-rainy season, AKA the summer time.  I just thought they might cheer us all up to look at and allow for a few minute mini-mind-vacation to the Azores. 

You may not know where the Azores are located, so let me fill you in.  The Azores are a group of 9 islands in the Atlantic ocean, about 900 miles from Lisbon and 2200 from NYC.  We are out there!  Life if different here, with everything on “island time” and some folks still living in what we would consider the olden days, or rather quite ancient.  It is not uncommon for me when driving my car, that I need to turn on my blinker and signal to pass an 80 year old farmer riding down the road on a donkey carrying his 2 jugs of fresh milk, or even the donkey pulling the man in a cart, complete the dog you would expect to see in the movies or old pictures.  Sometimes I think I am stuck in a time warp and it could be the 1800’s (or earlier).  Buildings here carry dates that go back to before Christopher Columbus ever left Europe.  It really is a unique experience to live here and I am glad and lucky to have had this opportunity.  So, I hope these pictures can do some justice to the beauty and culture of the island where I currently live.  Enjoy!

These are some coastal shots.  The island is oval shaped and about 18x12 miles.  We have only 1 real beach here, and most edges are rocky cliffs.

 

 

 

 

Since we have limited beaches, the locals have made natural swimming holes where there is easy access off the rocks and into the water.

 

This was taken a little further inside the island, but still has an ocean view.

This is known as split rock, for the obvious reasons.

Here are some locals preparing for their towns festival during the festival season (May-October).  They are using stencils to be filled in with colorful flower petals to make a design in the road.

From up high you can get great shots of the second largest city on the island, Praia da Vitoria.  There are really only 2 cities, and the rest are towns/villages.

I couldn’t resist sharing some of the beautiful color flowers we have around here.

Or the many colors of fruits and vegetables.  This was taken at a local market in Angra do Heroismo, the capital of the island.

This is not an unusual scene either.  There are tons of cows and bulls roaming around.  Mostly the cows are for dairy. 

This is a pond at the park in Angra do Heroismo.

Occasionally you can spot some wild life.  This was taken in Serreta, which is the main forrest area.  When you are driving along the coastal road and approach this area, the scenery and climate changes drastically.

The island is mostly Catholic, and there are churches all over the place.

This is the local organic farm.  Probably the largest, or at least most well known on the island.

  

Some times, especially in winter, the winds get heavy and you can see waves in what is usually a very calm ocean.

Here are some pictures from driving around.

 

Like I said, they love their cows here.

We even have waterfalls.

 

 

Last, but not least, here is a rainbow to brighten your day.

Happy Friday!

QUESTIONS:  Are you having snow?  Any special plans for the 3 day weekend?

Thursday Thoughts: Meatless

It's Thursday, so you know what that means...

Thursday Thoughts

If you are new to my blog, or haven't been reading on Thursdays, this is a segment where I post my thoughts about various nutrition and health related topics, or maybe even something else if it is really an intriguing topic.  Most of my current views and opinions come from experience working as a dietitian and as college instructor in nutrition courses.  Most of that learning is science based or observational from the clinical setting.  In general, I hate over-generalizations, so for many of the things I post, I expect there is one or two exceptions because broad sweeping generalizations are always bound to miss out on something. 

I know what you are thinking with my choice of topic today.  Nope, I am not trying to convert everyone to a vegetarian diet.  There is more to this, and while not everyone was cut out to be a vegetarian or vegan, there are some plus sides to going meatless.  Here are my thoughts...

1) Having a meatless meal does not make you a vegetarian.  While all vegetarians do meatless meals, not everyone who eats a meatless meal considers themselves a vegetarian.  It is not an all or nothing type of thing.  Everyone is welcome to eat a meal without meat from time to time.  There is no need to label yourself.  Maybe you like to have the occasional hamburger or chicken breast, but the rest of the time really just enjoy meatless meals.  So someone told you that doesn't make you a vegetarian, and if going by textbook definitions, it doesn't, but who says you need a label.  I eat fish, eggs and dairy, but I label myself a vegetarian.  Part of the reason is that I was a stricter vegetarian for years, so it is a habit from earlier times where people understood that to mean no meat and I was therefore not served meat.  The other reason being I find that people understand the term and I have better success not getting served a meal with meat in it or near it.  Yes, I am that picky, I will  not just eat around the meat on a plate.  But this is my preference.  I personally believe there is no need to label if the label makes you nervous.  If you feel like calling yourself a vegetarian means giving up all meat forever or risk being called a phony, fake or hypocrite, skip the label and eat what you want at your meals an snacks.  Eat mostly meatless and don't worry if you want to eat something "un-vegetarian".  Don't let others judge you for your personal choices, especially when it comes to food habits.

2) For all you meat eaters out there, don't overlook a delicious meatless meal.  You can eat a meatless meal and not risk being called a *gasp* vegetarian, or even worse, thought of as "less of a man".  There is no nutritional law out there that states you must eat meat with all meals everyday.  In fact, quite the contrary, and I will reserve that for later in this post.  Eating a meal without meat means little more than you just didn't include meat in your meal.  There are plenty of tasty non meat entrees out there and plenty of ways to get your protein in without the meat.  The key is variety, which you can't get as well with having beef at every meal or chicken at every meal.  Mix it up and don't worry about what people thing about meatless meals.

3) The health benefits support incorporating more meatless meals.  Animal products contain saturated fats, and while a we can have some, sticking to less than 10% for fat daily, less is better in this case.  Now, there are animal products that are lower in fat, so when choosing meats, those are the ones you want to select.  By cutting back on meats and focusing on a more plant based diet, you naturally decrease saturated fat while increasing things like heart healthy fats, fiber and nutrients.  Things like nuts and avocado have those heart health fats and often make their way into vegetarian dishes.  Plant based diets high in fruits, veggies, beans and whole grains will increase your fiber intake.  So when you choose meals based on these items you are going to get an increase in dietary fiber.  Also, by default, you will increase your nutrient intake because of the greater intake of fruits and vegetables that might otherwise be left out from a meal that is based around meat.  I know you are thinking that without the meat you will lose out on some nutrients while increasing the others from your produce, but keep in mind I am only suggesting more meatless meals, so you will still get those nutrients if you are not giving up meat all together.  When you do eliminate those animal based foods, you may have a harder time getting in some nutrients, like iron and B12, but they are not completing missing from a well planned vegetarian diet.  Many foods these days are fortified with those nutrients and often are not lacking in a vegetarian diet.  Someone who eats pizza and French fries and calls that a vegetarian diet will be missing out on key nutrients the same as anyone else who follows the same dietary intake.  

4) More meatless meals mean more fiber, unsaturated fats and nutrients (see above), which means a benefit to your health, especially obesity and heart disease.  Eating meals that promote satiety will help to keep your weight in check.  Changing the types of fats you are eating can improve your risk for developing heart disease, and if you have already been diagnosed with heart disease you will find this helps to improve your condition.  Many vegetarian meals are lower in fat, which helps to keep calories down.  It makes for more nutrients rich choices in your diet, both of which are beneficial for maintaining a healthy weight or promoting weight loss.  Fruits and veggies are packed with antioxidants, and there is some support for vegetarian diets reducing the risk of the development of some cancers.  Even if you are not eating meatless meals 100% of the time, doing it part time still reduces risk.  It does not have to be an all or nothing thing.  You can enjoy meatless meals, improve your health and not have to give up meat forever.

5) You might be concerned about protein intake, and you have a right to be.  So much misinformation out there may lead you to believe that you need a lot more of this than you actually do.  The RDA is only 0.8 grams/kg body weight (that's pounds divided by 2.2 to get kg).  We may need a little more just to help us meet our energy needs for the day, but huge increases does not provide us with better nutrition.  There are many ways to get protein in without having it come from an animal source.  It is possible that you have dairy or eggs at the meatless meal (since this falls into the category of a type of vegetarian), but if not, things like beans, nuts, meat substitutes (many products on the market), and even tofu.  There are so many ways to incorporate these into the diet that it makes for endless possibilities.  These meat substitutes have as much protein in them per ounce as meat would (in most cases).  But, there is a concern over the quality of the protein, to an extent.  As with any meal or diet (not the kind to lose weight) variety and balance are key, so this applies no matter what we are talking about.  By eating a variety of foods you can get a variety of the amino acids in from the protein. Meat we consider complete, in that it contains all the essential (must be obtained through the diet, the body can't make them on it's own) amino acids, but plant sources are are incomplete because they are missing one or more of the essential amino acids.  The exceptions being soy and quinoa.  You may have heard the term complementary proteins in the past where proteins were paired to get all essential amino acids in at the same time.  Now, just getting in a variety of plant foods and meat alternatives will likely do the trick.  Many times using a combination of at least 2 of the following: vegetable, legume (bean) and grain, will get those essential amino acids in.  The typical combo that gets brought up a lot is rice and beans.  You can see why grains are an important basis for a vegetarian diet, not to mention everyone else as well.  I could not even imagine a vegetarian trying out a low carb diet! If your otherwise meatless meal includes dairy or eggs, you will get all those essential amino acids from those foods.  In the end, as with anything, variety will make all the difference in the world...and a little planning.  A meatless meal can provide just as much protein as one with meat.  Even athletes can incorporate vegetarian meals into their diet.

There you have my thoughts on meatless.  My overall encouragement with this post is for you to add more meatless meals to your diet without having to go vegetarian 100% of the time.  The health benefits, plus some environmental benefits, make this an easy way to work towards a healthier lifestyle.

QUESTION:  What are your thoughts on meatless meals?

Soup and Asian Noodle Meals

Still sticking to my New Years goal of cooking dinner twice a week!  Since this was something I started just before the end of 2010, I was already in the habit of doing this, so really I have just stuck with it. 

Last week I made 2 great dinners.  One was definitely from scratch while the other was a box mix that my mom sent me from Trader Joe’s.  Let’s start with the entirely homemade soup I made.  I found the recipe in one of the cookbooks Ryan bought me for Hanukkah.  There are so many good vegetarian recipes out there and just not enough time to try them all. 

This soup is a saffron corn chowder.  I liked this recipe because it was practically fat free with the use of fat free milk as the base.  Flour was used to thicken it up, and you could hardly tell it was not made with all the fat.  I also liked how many different veggies this recipe called for, and the use of both fresh and frozen.  I am a big fan of frozen because they are always available when I need them and they aren’t going to go bad because they were pushed to the back of the fridge and I forgot about them.

I started off by chopping the pepper and mushrooms.  I love mushrooms so I added in a few more than the recipe called for.

 

Since this was a saffron soup, I had to crush up my saffron.

The frozen veggies used for this soup were lima beans and corn.  A little while back I made a pita pocket sandwich that called for frozen corn and at that time I thought to myself why I never thought to use frozen corn before.  Canned corn can lead to a major sodium build up in the diet, and I know it is a popular canned item.  I guess I never realized corn came frozen.  Oh well, I have discovered this now, and frozen corn over canned is the way to go for me in recipes from now on.

The onions, mushrooms and pepper went in first.

After a few minutes cooking in oil, I added 2 TBSP of flour before adding the fat free milk and some veggie broth.  The last step was to add the saffron and some black pepper.

I decided to serve the soup with some rolls I picked up from the commissary.

In this picture you can see the yellow hue from the saffron a little better.  I must say this soup was a huge hit and I will be making it again.  This was ready in under 20 minutes, which was great.

The next meal I made was using this Trader Joe’s soba noodle kit.  I happen to have plain soba noodles around, but my mom thought this was cute.  I liked that the prepackaged kit came with suggestions for how to add to the noodles and make it more of a meal.

 

Obviously there is a lot of sodium in here.  I could just tell by the seasoning packet.

To bulk up my dish I added some frozen veggies-the stir fry mix, to keep with the Asian theme.

I will say that this was super easy to cook.

All I had to do was cook the noodles, add water to the powdered sauce packet and then mix them up.  Oh, and add my veggies.  I tossed it all together and we were ready to enjoy.

What was nice about both meals was that we had leftovers for multiple meals.  Most of the time I do that intentionally so we have lunch, but it also has a little to do with the recipes, which are designed to make at least 4 servings.

QUESTIONS:  Do you like soba noodles?  What is your favorite type of chowder?