But You Eat Chicken, Right?

For the very first time, I decided to make bread at home - the old-fashioned way! I found this recipe online and decided to give it a shot. It turned out beautifully, and we ate it with fresh basil pesto and romaine salad. Delicious! It really was easy to make. Next time, I think I will try to add something sweet, like a little sugar or molasses. I will definitely use less cornmeal for dusting–the picture shows that I went a little crazy in that department.

No Knead, Dutch Oven Bread

1⁄4 tsp active dry yeast
1 1⁄2 cups warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting. You may use white, whole wheat or a combination of the two.
1 1⁄2 tsp salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran for dusting

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the flour and salt, stirring until blended. The dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at least 8 hours, preferably 12 to 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it. Sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or to your fingers, gently shape it into a ball. Generously coat a clean dish towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. Put the seam side of the dough down on the towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another towel and let rise for about 1 to 2 hours. When it’s ready, the dough will have doubled in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least 20 minutes before the dough is ready, heat oven to 475 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and lift off the lid. Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. The dough will lose its shape a bit in the process, but that’s OK. Give the pan a firm shake or two to help distribute the dough evenly, but don’t worry if it’s not perfect; it will straighten out as it bakes.
5. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully browned. Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Yield: One 1 1⁄2-pound loaf.
Adapted from The New York Times.

I just saw this story about Tatiana, an endangered Siberian Tiger that escaped her enclosure at the San Francisco zoo. She killed one young man, mauled two more and was then shot to death by police.

This story is tragic on so many levels.Here is a young guy who probably thought it would be fun to check out some animals at the zoo. Most people go to the zoo simply because they like to see the animals.So he and his friends went on Christmas day, and tragically, he was killed. The other two men were injured, but according to news reports, are going to be fine.

What about Tatiana? An endangered tiger, kept in captivity for her entire life, is shot to death. An unnatural life ends with an unnatural death. Terrible. I have been to zoos, and have always enjoy seeing the animals. Still, I have to wonder after something like this happens… Are zoos really as concerned with the welfare of the animals they keep as much as they are with entertainment, tourism and profit?

“This is a tragic event for San Francisco,” said Lt Ken Smith, a fire department spokesman. “We pride ourselves in our zoo, and we pride ourselves in tourists coming and looking at our city.”

I have no doubt that there are some zoos that exist to nurture animals and place conservation at the top of the priority list. I hear the Bronx zoo is excellent in that respect. However, I would also argue that these zoos are few, and the conservation rhetoric is just that - lip service.

It is tragic that this young man met such a horrific, violent death, but Tatiana’s death was just as horrific and violent. This is a wild animal that had been kept in captivity her entire life, never allowed to run, never allowed to hunt, never allowed to be a tiger - killed for following her instincts. Granted, the police had to do something. The point is, she never should have been there in the first place. Now she and this young man are both dead.

As I said, temporary rehabilitation and conservation is one thing, but keeping these animals in captivity for human entertainment is just wrong. The deaths of this young man and Tatiana never should have happened.

So what do you think, are zoos cruel unless they are used solely for temporary rehab and conservation?

On edit: this was a 17 year old boy who was killed.

Hummus is a staple in this house, as it is in many veggie households. Here is my quick and easy recipe!

You will need:

• 1 can of chickpeas, drained
• 1T of tahini paste
• 2T olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed (more or less, depending on what you like)
• 1t cayenne pepper
• 1/2t cumin
• 2t lemon juice
• 1T soy sauce (reduced sodium!)
• about 1T of soymilk*

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. You can eat it right away, but it’s best after it has been refrigerated for a few hours. The flavors really blend nicely, then.

*I just use a splash of soymilk while it is processing. It gives it a nice, creamy texture.

Serve with veggies or pita bread and enjoy!

This is one of my favorite recipes, and it is so easy to make!

You will need:

• 2 heads of broccoli
• 1 cup of couscous
• 2 cans of veggie broth
• 4T soy sauce (I like to use low-sodium)
• a can of water chestnuts
• bag of Morningstar Farms Chick’n strips
• 1t sugar
• 1-2t cayenne pepper ( I like this really spicy, you may not!)
• 1-2T cornstarch

1. Make couscous using 1C of veggie broth and 1C of couscous. Set aside.
2. Chop broccoli and cook in the other can of broth and the soy sauce in a large saucepan or wok.
3. Add Chick’n strips, water chestnuts, sugar and cayenne pepper.
4. Cook 10-12 minutes, or until broccoli is done to desired “snap,” as I like to call it.
5. Add cornstarch until the broth is thickened to your desired consistancy.
6. Pour over couscous and try not to eat too much!

I really hope you like the recipe! You can play around with it and use your favorite veggies or whatever you like. I made some without the Chick’n tonight, only because I didn’t have any on hand!

Let me know if you make it - I would love to know how it turns out for you!

Happy cooking!