Quick Pickled Onions

Tacos are a household staple around here – probably because they’re so quick and easy to make and we usually have the ingredients on hand. These pickled onions make a great addition to virtually any type of taco. They are perfect for those who don’t like raw onions and they add a fantastic color; I’m a firm believer that you eat with your eyes first.

Ingredients 

½ cup white wine or apple cider vinegar

3 tbs. water

1 ½ tbs. sugar

1 cup thinly sliced onion (a mandoline comes in handy here)

1) Bring vinegar, water and sugar to boil

2) Remove from heat, add onion and let stand 10 minutes

3) Drain

Enjoy on tacos, nachos, sandwiches, salads, and more!

Hey Kale

hahhaha - but seriously, this is how I learned about massaging kale. Have you tried it? A couple-minute rubdown turns coarse, bitter kale into something a little silkier, and a little sweeter. All you have to do is remove the ribs, grab a couple handfuls of curly greens and rub them together...and think about Ryan Gosling. ;)

In Defense of Food

image: Bridgid Gallagher 

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” These seven words have been permanently etched into my mind, and I love it. It's so simple! The last thing I want to do is sound preachy, but this book has opened my eyes to a lot and I wanted to share it..

In the book Michael Pollan tells the story of ‘nutritionism’ and how the American food culture has changed dramatically in the past several decades. ‘Nutritionism’ is a term used often by Pollan, and it describes the shift in the Western diet from real food, to food ‘products’ that are usually slapped with nutritional claims like “fat-free/sugar-free/low in carbs/protein-rich/vitamin-enriched.” The focus has moved from whole food to its parts. But the thing is, our bodies aren't meant to digest food fillers ‘enriched’ with healthy stuff, it’s meant to eat the real thing: REAL FOOD.

I know, there are thousands of health books out there and even more on top of that talking about different diets. But this isn't a diet in the sense of using restriction in order to gain temporary results. This is about the human diet, and getting it back to what it should be. And, thankfully, it’s really easy to follow..

If you can’t decide whether you should eat it, answer these questions: Is it real food? Did it grow from the ground, swim, walk or fly?

So if you're looking to clean up your diet, In Defense of Food is a great way to get started. Check it out, and good luck! Or try this recording from the Free Library of Philadelphia: In Defense of Food Podcast, recorded 1/10/2008