Today, Karen went to the 17th St Market and picked up our CSA produce. It was her first time (I’ve gone twice!). She was astounded. The veggies grown by Victory Farms are amazing to behold. Whole Foods and Ellwoods can kiss my grits (no offense). She brought home spinach and the most amazing bunch of “asian greens.” I immediately purged the crisper of the remaining lettuce from last week, rinsed it, spun it, and wolfed it down with olive oil and balsamic. Time to turn over some new leaves.

Can’t you just see the vibrating vitamins in these asian greens itching to fight the maladies in your toxic insides? Okay, maybe that’s particular to me. Still, these guys are reptilian in texture and powerful in their heartiness. I can’t wait to tear into ‘em. Before going to class, Karen took that spinach and made simply the best spinach anything ever. I think she just sauteed it with a little bit of cream, butter, and some grated parmigiano reggiano cheese (light on all of these). The result was dense and chewy bites of greens that bursted with rich and savory juiciness. Keep in mind, this is not baby spinach, like you find in salads or expensive Fresh Express bags at the grocery store. No, you want full grown gnarled and bulbous deep green leaves that don’t look like they’ll be any fun at all. And then, the cooking process needs to be halted at just the right time to give you a texture somewhere between tough and mush. Think: malleable. For me, that’s the spinach that I’d eat like Popey if I knew what was good for me. Restaurants, what’s up? Why no decent spinach? Hire Karen to teach you her tricks.

So, the point of this post is two fold.

1. I’m procrastinating again. I’ve gotta write my last paper of the semester and I have ZERO motivation. Actually, I have so many conflicting motivations, that I could levitate on the surface tension generated by my brain. Yeah, get over it. I know.
2. I love greens. Eureka. That’s the ticket. I dare not speak all the things that this revelation holds in store for me, cuz I’d jinx the potential positive outcomes. I’ve already gone and planted oodles of salad greens in one raised bed, even though I know full well that my CSA will overwhelm me with bigger, better leafies than I will ever grow. And today, I went and bought a bunch of plants at the Lewis Ginter plant sale.  Mostly, what?

Greens

• six arugula plants
• six chard seedlings
• two edible flowering nastertium plants (spicy greens for cute salad garnish)
• six basil plants (three types)
• one of each zuchini and yellow squash

In other words, I’m gonna be cooking/eating greens all spring/summer long. Take that, one million different kinds of cancer. And migraine headaches. And expanding spare tire. Hey, yall know about the secret of the squash, right?  Since bird flu, mad cow, and now swine flu have probably got you all exploring vegetarianism, you’ll want to know what to throw on the grill at the next cookout.  The answer is 1/4″ thick slices of squash (zuchs are best, but any will do).  Toss them with EVOO, salt, pepper, garlic powder and put them on the hot grill ASAP (or the salt will leach the water out of the veggies).  I char’em pretty good, but slowly, by moving them around and moderating the heat exposure.  The inside turns into luscious caramelized lava and the crust is the veggie version of a good sear on a steak. Do the same with some similarly sliced potatoes.

Okay, kick your weekend off with that.  I’ll be at the library.

This doesn’t look like the kinda food that I would make or feature on this site, but it just kinda fell in my lap. Karen told her mom she’d make a strawberry mousse pie and then Jasper’s latest teething episode disrupted her cooking and I wound up carrying out her instructions. Well, we took the tart to Karen’s parents and her mom totally turned her nose up at it, just pushed it around the plate. I don’t even like fluffy/airy desserts, and I know this shit was the bomb. Well, at least Jasper will grow out of his finikiness… (sorry this post is so belated, but I didn’t want the pictures to disappear into my hard drive, forgotten)
Although this isn’t all food related, some is, and I’m just beginning figure out how to upload pictures efficiently to this Wordpress template.

Easter started off with a high energy baby and a groggy daddy.

Even when Winter unexpectedly returns for the weekend (that was the case around Easter, if you can recall during the 90 degree eat), Jasper is always happy to go see his ducks at Fountain Lake (the ducks being mostly Canadian geese and seagulls). Rolling away from the bread begging birds, however, always elicits a tantrum, making walks a little bittersweet. The middle part of the day included a strenuous bike ride with a friend and fantastic brunch at Aziza’s. The day culminated in a trip to Mechanicsville for Easter Dinner. Jasper wearing the requisite Easter Outfit for his grandparents. The strawberry dessert soured things a little, but we know it was good and, if you’ve got the time/energy to make it, you’ll probably come to the same conclusion.

On Sunday, April 5th, I sorta reenacted the events of the day after Jasper was born, exactly a year prior in 2008. That is to say, I dug around in the dirt in the raised beds I built in the back yard. Our two dogs have absolutely ruined the soil in the tiny plot we’ve got (ew), so I fenced off a section big enough to build a few raised beds for veggies. Last year, I put mostly seedlings in those beds. With Karen and Jasper still at St. Mary’s (the C-section factory we battled and slayed) I went to the Tricycle Garden in Church Hill, bought some of their baby salad greens starter plants, and put them straight in the ground, “growing my own foodie.”  This year, I aim to feed the plants that I’m rearing to baby Jasper, if he’ll allow it.

It was a hot growing season last year, and I found myself watering the plants way more than I wanted. But, we ate salad like you wouldn’t believe. Those plants from the Tricycle Gardens produced so well, it wore out my salad spinner (maybe cuz I bought it at Marhsalls… and the replacement that I got for it too!). This year, I started from seeds purchased from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. They had a package deal called the “Spring Mesculin Mix“, containing seven greens; including four lettuces, two mustard greens, and spinach.  After almost two weeks of regular watering, and not seeing any sprouts pop up, I was gonna give up, curse mother nature, and buy some Miracle Grow brand plants at Lowes.  Then, each and every seed marched single file, out of the dirt, reaching for the sun with their little green leaves.  Even the seeds that slipped through my fingers – sprouted where they fell between the rows.  Holy shit, I love gardening. The shot above is 17 days after the seeds went in the ground. (obviously, I need to thin these out so they have room to grow: Neighbors, let me know if you want some salad starter plants).

Since we joined a CSA this year, I figure that I can plant crazier stuff and take more risks (like starting from seed without germinating indoors).  With less pressure to produce, I added some funky seeds to my order: Amaranth (really pretty red flowers and a popular grain in that Super Natural Cooking book), Okra (cuz this is the south, yall), fava beans (so I can finally eat one raw), black sunflowers (a nod to the eye-liner I wore with my Nine Inch Nails t-shirt, senior year of high school), and some striped heirloom tomatoes (the gnarlier and more bizarrely colored, the better).  In the picture above, the favas pushed big ol’ leaves out of the ground to match their gi-normous seeds.  They look a bit like the ivy that’s creeping over from my neighbor’s yard.  The other seeds don’t seem to be doing much yet. Grrr.

Lettuce

Mustard

Spinach

I’ve still got another 6×6 raised bed, vacant spots here and there, and some pots that can take seedlings.  Karen set out a packet of “loofa sponge” gourd seeds, but I ain’t touchin ‘em.  I’ve already got a back scrubbing brush for the shower.  However, as we do every year, we’re headed to the Maymont Herb Sale this Saturday.  It’s a fantastic event that figures prominently on the agenda of many local plant nurseries.  The variety of vendors and plants is mind boggling.  From the first year we went, we got hooked on “holy mole” pepper plants that bear fruit like rabbits.  The medium-spicy peppers (probably guajillos) are great grilled and blended into vinaigrettes and marinades.  Even a certified plant-killer would see those things thrive all summer long (visit the vendor selling only pepper plants for these).

The herb sale also sells flowering, non-edible, plants, but those don’t really exist in my world.  Karen will probably buy some and put them around the house in pots that I will never water.  Flowers are pretty and all, not weeds by any means, but definitely free-loaders by my standards.

“Eat food. Not too much.  Mostly plants.” Michael Pollan.

PS: You’ve read this far and you deserve a tip.  I bought some bargain wine on a tip.  Tasted it last night and really liked the stuff.  It’s a $7/bottle Cote du Rhone, plus shipping.  I’m not super into wine, but I am if it’s good and if it’s affordable.

On Easter Sunday, people tend to go to brunch.  I’m not quite sure why, but I was reminded of the phenomenon when Richmond.com launched their new website and I spotted their list of Easter brunch recommendations.  Now, I have nothing against Richmond.com.  They’ve got one of my favorite foodie stories in their Cheap Date Night list of specials offers from Richmond restaurants and I’ve been using their site for movie listings for as long as I can remember. However, I do have  a bone to pick with the ritual of paying too much for some eggs and calling it a special occasion.  I can handle a few unnecessary traditions and holiday gimmicks here and there, but when it involves crappy comfort food, I just gotta beg for some sanity. Brunch is a beautiful thing. Don’t mess it up.

The aforementioned Eat Beat piece features a tired list of stuffy hotels and bourgie bistros charging $16-$43 per person (not including the standard Strawberry Street Cafe bathtub buffet – yawn).  Even the kids are charged $13 or more by those Easter brunch scams.  I’m sorry. Does organized religion instill gullibility in church-goers, or is the correlation just a coincidence?  When my friend agreed to meet me for brunch that morning after a bike ride, I almost kicked myself.  What was I thinking?  We can’t contend with the Easter brunch crowd.  We’ll be trampled by stampeding lemmings.

Since he was coming from Church Hill, and we were heading out Route 5 (you gotta do this beautiful ride, yall), we met at Globhopper and got caught up over coffee.  While waiting for my buddy to show up, I stuck my head in Aziza’s and introduced myself to Billy.  I asked him if he was expecting an Easter throng and if some sweaty biker dudes would ruin the ambiance for his customers.  He was looking forward to the chaos and invited us to be a part of it.  Then, we hopped on bikes and headed east along the river.  Just before we got to the battlefields, we turned around and headed back, figuring we’d be ravenously hungry if we put eating off any longer.

Aziza ain’t no leper, people

After much huffing and puffing (he was hung-over and I was/am out of shape), we were back on Main Street.  As we passed Millie’s, I pittied the unusually large cluster of people waiting out front.  Back at Azziza’s, we walked past their deli counter (creme puffs!) to find three acoustic musicians strumming away.  But, even more surprising was the nearly empty dining room.  The guitarist picked the opening notes to Nirvana’s “Come As You Are,” briefly underscoring the awkwardness.  Immediately, I trumpeted on Twitter that people needed to get their asses to Aziza’s (even suggesting they leave the line at Millie’s, if any of them are following me).  Billy’s homage to his Lebanese grandmother deserved some Easter consideration.

Once seated, the meal delivered an awesome reward for our calorie burning bike ride.  He got the crab’n’shrimp griddlecakes and eggs and I got black beans, eggs, and salsa on toast.  It sounded so much like huevos rancheros, that I had to have it (new readers: I order huevos rancheros anytime I see it on a menu).  The dish was so good, I sent out another tweet, calling my entree “huevos lebanonos.”  For my money, the real stars of every brunch plate at Aziza’s are the standard sides: mixed greens salad with quality olive oil, balsamic, and kalamata olives and some well seasoned taters.  A heavenly way to start the day for under $10 per person. By the time we left, the scene in the dining room wasn’t much more encouraging. Why didn’t Richmonders skip the pomp and make a pilgrimage to see the new kid on the block? Creme puffs, people! C’mon.  Some things are just beyond me.

Aye-panema

Years ago, there was a brief period when Ipanema served Sunday brunch.  When the chef who spearheaded the effort was out of the picture, the breakfast food party was over before it even got started. Well, the tradition has resumed with a vengeance, and Kendra, with a new egg-cellent chef, kicked off the new bunch service on Easter, relying totally on word of mouth (totally packed, I hear).  After getting a peek at the menu (both egg dishes and tofu/tempeh based entrees) we were really struck by the imagination at play and wide range of dishes.  Eggs en cocotte?  An empanada with remoulade?  Citrusy vegan holandaise?  Incredibly reasonable prices?  A week later, Karen and I brought Jasper down the stairs into Ipamema’s cellar sanctuary for some brunch food. *

On a personal note, even though I always want everything on their menu, Ipanema is kinda weird for me these days.  I spent so much time there from 1998-2003 that every infrequent visit these days feels like I’m walking into my high school reunion (only, the old faces mostly aren’t there). This time around, I had that proud papa feeling, carrying my one-year old son. As Jasper is the great equalizer in all social situations, there were no ghosts of my past to get on my nerves. Anyhow, the food is the point of this visit. I got a tempeh-benedict. Rather than eggs, there were strips of marinated smoked tempeh, rich mushrooms, sauteed spinach, and a drizzling of that holandaise-y citrus sauce. Any vegan would do backflips for this and everyone else would have trouble complaining (until the inevitable stop at Arby’s later that day). Karen’s huevos con chorizo (can’t remember the name) had what I think was Twin Oaks made spicy vegan sausage pieces and a bunch of other wholesome ingredients.

We both felt great after eating. That’s one thing that I can say about Ipanema. It has never struck me as health food, since I was vegetarian before they had first opened their doors. But, Kendra has been kickin’ it Michael Pollan style for a over a decade, way before it was cool. Come to think of it, my overall health has slipped steadily since I started prioritizing decadence over quality meals. And, at brunch’o'clock, you don’t wanna be all bloated and waddling around saying to your self (smack self on head), “Aye!  Coulda had an Ipanema.”

*we passed the usual tangle of bicycles attached to the railing by the stairs to Ipanema. According to the city, Kendra has the green light to set up a patio out front of Ipanema. Sorry altruistic bikers. Outdoor seating is hot and just the lure to bring new customers downstairs to experience the yumminess. If people are willing to sit in a Carytown parking lot amidst the SUVs jockying for parking (CanCan’s patio), then open air eating on Grace Street isn’t just feasible, it’ll be THE place to be seen.

I signed up for a CSA share, in part, to be challenged to try new things.  When I picked up my produce last week, there was a single bunch of radishes available.  Not my favorite veg, but time to give’em another try.  When I got the radishes home, Karen responded the same way, “how can we make these things taste good?”  You don’t cook radishes, to my knowledge.  They’re crunchy and watery and they’ve got this sharp bite that probably serves as a deterrent to insects, rodents and… me and Karen. 

Since Karen took charge of this assignment, I knew it was going to be pretty. She likes cute little food packages and radishes have just the kind of contrast between their variously shaded red skins and stark white centers. As for the flavor, our answer was ginger to compliment the harsh peppery-ness and sesame oil to give some depth and butter, cuz everybody loves butter. In other words, Radish-Chive Tea Sandwiches with Sesame and Ginger.

If you make this recipe, the ginger-sesame butter will be something that you’ll want to put on everything. We didn’t toast the bread, wanting to keep it chewy and showcase the snap of the radish slices. Now, I’m going to start sampling radishes, instead of discretely picking them out of my salads. Of course, a Mechanicsville radish, right outta the ground, probably has a bit more going for it than the standard two-tone salad accessory.

Like the radish, Jasper is a little spicy and difficult, but in the right context (like, whenever there are witnesses to his abusive behavior) he’s a total sweetheart.

However, when we turn our backs for a couple seconds, the little guy causes big trouble. In this picture, Jasper went from sitting on the floor making gurgling sounds, to this…
Usually, when we unload the dishwasher, he pokes at the clean dishes, with his feet on the ground.  This time, he climbed up on the door, stood up, and started flinging tupperware on the floor for Frankie (the pug) to investigate. The sound got my attention and the sight was really alarming. He could have seriously bonked his head from this height. Karen and I both jumped into action to protect him, but not without snapping a picture.

I can’t resist anything that costs less than a dollar and in economic times like these, it’s a good idea to know where to find cheap eats. Why don’t we make a list of the best $1 deals in Richmond? Right now, I’ve just eaten lunch from The Phoenician and the side of “garlic puree” for $.75 totally rocked my world* and put my falafel into the stratosphere (with a little Sriracha).  So good, I almost forgive them for raising the price of their pita sandwiches to $7.50.

But, I digress. It’s your turn to talk. If you add an item in the comments section, I’ll put it in a bulleted list here for future reference. In the meantime, I’m gonna take the rest of this heavenly and smelly aioli to the office kitchen in search of some more pita chips.

*I know my side dish is kind of a cop-out, because you really can’t eat it alone (but damn, could you get more flavor for that price? I dunno). I could have named the $0.85 egg at Moore Street Cafe, or the $1 “Cortadito” (espresso and cream) at Kuba Kuba. I just had to share the imperfect inspiration for this post. Let’s see where it goes… but, I won’t be surprised if no one else out there is cataloging bargain food. It’s kinda my cross to bare.

• Garlic puree at The Phoenician
• One egg at Moore Street Cafe
• Cortadito coffee shot at Kuba Kuba
• Sweet Tea at McDonalds (thecheckoutgirl)
• PBR at 821 Cafe (sprestonduncan)
• The entire “Why Pay More – Value Menu” at Taco Bell, $0.79, $0.89 $0.99
• Sausage breakfast burrito at McDonalds (janet)
• Small Frostie at Wendy’s
  
• Garlic knots at any reasonable pizzeria?
  

This came to me, but it’s really for you too. Our very own senator JimWebb is tackling an issue that is uniquely ours. No state is more excessively invested in the prison industry than Virginia. It’s a sorry identifier to carry around. Read on and find out what’s going on and how you can get involved:

(from ColorofChange.org)

Dear Jason,

When it comes to issues plaguing Black and low-income communities, a
White senator from the South is the last person we’d expect to go out
on a limb and sound the alarm. Senator Jim Webb from Virginia just
did exactly that when he boldly called out the over-imprisonment of
Black folks and the serious problems with our prison system. Most
importantly, he’s demanding big changes.[1]

Now it’s up to us to seize the moment and create the pressure
necessary to achieve true reform.

The first step is publicly thanking Senator Webb. Our praise will
show other politicians that when they take risks and step out on
critical issues like prison reform, we will have their backs. It will
also show that everyday people stand with Webb and are serious about
this issue. Please join us, and ask your friends and family to do the
same:

CLICK HERE TO HELP

In recent years, politicians have lacked the courage to create
meaningful prison reform. They’ve been paralyzed by the fear of being
branded as “soft on crime.” They’ve been held hostage by prison guard
unions and industry lobbies. And the communities most affected–Black
and low-income communities–have had a hard time getting a seat at the
table and making our voices heard.

Our country has a clear problem. With just 5% of the world’s
population, America holds nearly 25% of the world’s reported prison
population. Our prison population has quadrupled since 1984, and most
of the increase comes from people being imprisoned for drug
offenses–mostly minor and nonviolent.[2]

Despite the fact that there is no statistical difference in drug use
between different racial groups, harsh drug laws have had a
devastating, disproportionate effect on Black communities. While only
12% of the U.S. population is African-American, Black people make up
37% of those arrested on drug charges, 59% of those convicted, and 74%
of all drug offenders sentenced to prison.[3]

It’s surprising and encouraging that someone like Senator Webb is
speaking out in this way. Webb is a White politician from Virginia, a
Southern “law-and-order” state that has abolished parole and executed
more people than any state besides Texas.[4] He has nothing to gain
politically from this–it’s an act of true conviction.

By eloquently making the case for reform and calling for a National
Criminal Justice Commission, Webb has created a major opening to
address these issues. And it comes at a time when there are
increasing signs the country is ready for reform. New York’s governor
and state legislature just struck a deal to reform the state’s
“Rockefeller drug laws”–some of the harshest laws in the country, and
a great example of the failed status quo.[5] A panel of federal
judges has just told California it must reduce its prison population
by a third to alleviate the torturous conditions stemming from
overcrowding.[6] And at the same time that more people are
recognizing the deep injustices in our system, the economic crisis is
forcing elected officials at all levels of government to realize they
can’t afford to keep directing so many taxpayer dollars toward law
enforcement, jails, and prisons.[7]

We need to make the most of this moment. Take a minute to thank
Senator Jim Webb for his courageous stand and support his call for a
meaningful commission. And when you do, please ask your friends and
family to do the same.

CLICK HERE TO HELP

Thanks and Peace,

– James, Gabriel, Clarissa, William, Dani and the rest of the
ColorOfChange.org team
April 9th, 2009

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU–your
energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or corporations
and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can
contribute here.

References:

1. “Senator Jim Webb’s Floor Speech to Introduce ‘The National
Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009′,” 3-26-2009

2. “Why we must fix our prisons,” Parade, 3-29-2009

3. See reference 2

4. “Webb Sets His Sights On Prison Reform,” Washington Post,
12-29-2008

5. “More on Albany’s Rockefeller Drug Law Reform,” Village Voice,
3-27-2009

6. “Court Orders California to Cut Prison Population,” New York
Times, 2-9-2009

7. “A Different Drug Czar Signals Shift Away From Emphasis On
Punishment,” Hartford Courant, 3-22-2009

When my coworker asked if I wanted lunch from “Moore Street,” I didn’t know what she was talking about.  She showed me a menu.  I chose the crab-cake sandwich for $5.50 and then I sat in slight disbelief.  Take Roseneath to the Dairy Bar, turn right, and it’s on the left, just before the Boulevard.  Moore Street is one-way, adding to the obscurity, and on the east side of Boulevard, it turns into Leigh.  In other words, you’ll never find it unless you’re looking.

When my crab cake came back, I pushed aside the plain ordinary hamburger bun and regular old lettuce and tomato and there sat a not small at all crab cake that was almost totally without filler.  It looked like the centerpiece of a $10 lunch special.  The flavor was pretty straightforward, moist, with no fancy spices or dijon spiked bread-crumbs.  Before I could finish, I was reviewing the menu to plan my next meal.

The very next morning, I’m standing in front of the old-school counter of this hidden Scott’s Addition diner and I’m just taking it all in.  It’s quiet, but a few old-timers have their breakfast and newspaper spread out on their tables, peeking at me over their glasses.  There’s a woman working the griddle with efficiency and small talk shot in various directions to match.

A VCU student-type tried to take my order and got snared in my confession/question routine.  I told her I’d never been in and asked about their $2.22 breakfast special (it’s in the window, not making this up!): two eggs, two pieces of toast and two pieces of bacon or sausage.  But, she didn’t give me the impression that vegetarian substitions were encouraged.  It was all well enough, because I wanted to throw some money around, like the high roller you all know me to be.  I went with my usual from Hardee’s as a comparison: Two egg and cheese sandwiches on english muffins (instead of Hardee’s instant glue biscuits that I still kinda like).  They totalled under $2 each.  One of them got eaten before I arrived at work.  It was hot greasy perfection.  The nooks and cranies crackled with the essense of that griddle, which must have been salted a bit, and little drips of oil threatened to decorate my work shirt.  Every crunchy cheesy chewy bite burned my mouth, but hardly slowed me down.  I could tell, this really shouldn’t be a long term relationship for me.

It wasn’t long before I was talking up Moore Street on Twitter.  Richmond Goodlife swears by their “Redneck Surf’n'turf Burger” (a hamburger with a crabcake on top).  The next time I went in, I talked to the cashier again.  She’s a vegetarian too (says she eats grilled cheese and oatmeal there).  I went with the tuna melt and liked it a lot.  The tuna salad was ordinary, of course, but the Texas toast was grilled up to a golden crispiness that added magic to the sandwich.  I tried their macaroni salad and it didn’t suck. Usually macaroni salad doesn’t deserve to be eaten.  True to form, Moores is not gourmet in the slightest, but it tastes good.  Probably just salt, pepper and mayo.  No idea what I’ll be having next.  A few trips to the gym, if I know what’s good for me.

Moore Street Cafe

2904 Moore St
Richmond, VA 23230
(804) 359-5970

(breakfast and lunch, only)