Recipe
Hijiki: Surprise in Guanajuato
I haven't had hijiki in about 5 years. In fact, I might have cooked up some of the last hijiki in Canada. Okay, that's probably an overstatement - others probably had a better inventory than I did. I don't think my parents were the only ones who squirreled stuff away, bought a lot on sale, and generally liked to keep a cushion of stuff in the house, a trait I share. Think I once read that holocaust survivors had that tendency, and I wonder if the uprooting and internment of Japanese Canadians - albeit a less devastating event - had a similar effect. But back to the present - last week, I again had hijiki, in a lovely little restaurant in Guanajuato, in the highlands of colonial Mexico. What a delightful surprise - both the restaurant and the hijiki.
Recipe
Lard: Better than butter
One of the reasons I love cooking while we're travelling is so I can participate in the market, not just observe it. I looked forward to two weeks in San Miguel de Allende to shop and cook, as well as to change pace - too many days on the move and we started to ask each other, What city are we in? For the first few days, I went to El Nigromante, the market in the centro historico, the old colonial city. There's another market, El Mercado de los Dios, not any farther from our apartment, but away from the city centre. Down that steep hill there is another world of shops and living, market stalls full of knock-off barbie-pink packages, shoe stores (so many shoe stores everywhere), and a bus terminal. As I walked around, snapping some pix, I heard many say “Chino” (Chinese) to each other; they were looking at me and I was looking at them. Kind of evens things out. Giving back in the amusing things to look at department.
Blood Sugar Blog and More
A recently published study found low-carb ketogenic diet resulted in lower blood pressure than a weight loss regime using orlistat plus a low-fat diet (less than 30% of calories from fat). Orlistat is marketed as Xenical or Alli. It prevents the body from absorbing fat that was eaten. The study subjects were overweight (mean Body Mass Index of 39.3) with a mean age of 52. Although both groups lost about 10% in a year (20-25 lb.), the low-carb group showed better blood pressure results.
In Guanajuato, we had an excellent meal at Las Mercedes restaurant. We had spent the morning walking in the historic centre, seeing museums, and wandering through the tunnels that carry a good amount of vehicular traffic underground. The oldest tunnels were once riverbeds. Antonio Ojeda from Cacomixtle Group told us that the first tunnels were built with many arched bridges over the rivers that once ran through the city. I'll be posting about our trip with Antonio soon.
I can't remember how I first learned about Mexican “crema” - it's thick and creamy - a bit like sour cream, but not so sour, and much richer. My interpretation of the Spanish on the Lala crema is that it's made from acidified pasteurized cow's milk, stabilizer and salt. The Lala plastic tub claims 25% butterfat, and low carbs (2g per 100g/3.5 oz serving). Crema brings everything to a higher level. It makes me glad that I'm on a low carb diet. At home, I looked for something similar.
Asides
Low carb road trip
For the next while, I’ll be posting photos of our travels on the home page. I’m also trying to catch up on autumn posts, and plan to write about how I’m doing a very low carb diet while on the go.
Sea lice from fish farms threaten salmon fry
One to three sea lice can kill a juvenile pink salmon. Now, we have evidence that sockeye are also at risk, as they must swim past fish farms where lice infestations are common. To learn more and send a message to the Federal and Provincial governments, go here: http://www.adopt-a-fry.org/
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Welcome to foodarazzi.com
Curious, questioning, and fairly fearless in the kitchen, I’m exploring the theory and practice of eating well as a diabetic. My eclectic approach includes scientific studies and self-experimentation, translated through basic fresh foods, and ideas from around the world - with delicious results on the table!
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