I want to ‘play’ In My Kitchen this month, having missed the last one… but I fear I have lost my Kitchen Mojo. Traveling sometimes has that effect on me. Rather than coming home inspired, sometimes I am so sick of eating and foraging, when we get home all I want to do is eat plain, simple, homemade food with blessedly large lashings of vegetables.
Apologies to all my American friends, but traveling in the US and trying to eat out three meals a day, and eat healthily, is hard work. And by healthily I mean, not eat wheat or French fries at every meal. I found myself ordering cole slaw and green beans a couple of mornings at breakfast time, just to get some veggies into myself. Because I have fructose malabsorption I am not able to eat much fruit, and almost no grains. I get vitamins and fibre, mostly, from vegetables. Eating eggs for breakfast is fine, but with no toast, one needs something to eat with them. Yogurt, while healthy, does not qualify as full of fibre or vitamins. One evening at a nice restaurant, the only green vegetable on the menu was spinach. Having had spinach for lunch I was not amused. Such are the travails of the traveller with the ‘tichy tummy’.
We did eat a few nice things, though I have limited photos to show for it. My daughter has shown me the error of my ways (as children often do) when she subtly mentioned reading an article that said taking photos of food in public is not good form. Um… ok. Shortly after she imparted her wisdom, we saw the woman at the table next to us with her iPhone taking a photo of a pile of waffles that would feed a small army. Hmm, point taken, but do I get dispensation in the name of research?
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- Local Cincinnati delicacy known as Cincinnati Chilli–I had a salad
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- Potato pancakes–our daughter’s breakfast
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- Guinness (–a girl has to keep up her vitamin B) with chicken tenderloin and salad
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- Fresh crab at the Shrimp Shack in Savannah, Ga.
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- chicken wings, there was a side serve of greens somewhere there on the table
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- delicious chicken, fennel and pear, roasted pumpkin and walnuts and green beans at National Gallery cafe, Wash DC
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- This is no one’s lunch, but a work of art at the MONA in Hobart!
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- Fresh strawberries as a welcome gift from our dear friend in Hobart
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- My tuna salad
I sneaked in a couple, okay a few, but since I am now confined to home food photography, you will be disappointed for a while, I’m afraid. Since returning, I have been living on lean meats, fish, salads and lots of vegetables… paying for the sins of pork spare ribs, fried chicken… French fries (which if anyone is listening do NOT qualify as vegetables, people!!) and one serving on two separate occasions, of biscuits and sausage gravy. I know, I know… the worst thing for someone who doesn’t digest wheat very well, but oooo, my inner child was so happy. I almost get ‘digestive sweats’ just writing about it.
Recently my husband was effusive over this recipe for kale, so I will leave you with it.
Kale with Chilli and Garlic
1 bunch of fresh kale, leaves stripped from stems
1 clove of garlic (more if you love it), thinly sliced
1-2 medium hot, fresh red chillies, thinly sliced
ghee
Celtic sea salt
- Bring large pot of salted water to the boil. Roughly chop the stripped kale leaves and add to the boiling water. Simmer for 7 minutes. Remove and drain in a colander, rinse with cool water to stop the cooking. This can sit for a little while until just before you want to eat.
- When nearly ready to eat, heat a couple of teaspoons or so of ghee in a good quality frying pan. (Ghee is more stable for frying than olive oil and other oils) Add the garlic and chillies and just as the garlic starts to turn a little golden on the edges (about a minute), add the kale and stir through. Stir every minute or thereabouts until you notice the kale has collapsed a little further and is tender, maybe 6-7 minutes, but depends on how young the kale leaves are. Taste for salt and add a bit more ghee if you wish, stir through, serve immediately.
Put that into you the day after Christmas and you will feel positively virtuous!
Greetings and pleasures of the season to you all, and especially to Celia at figjamandlimecordial.com who hosts IMK each month. We all enjoy the gift of her efforts in our lives.
ardysez 
It is so hard to get enough vegies when travelling in western countries- ie USA, Australia, Most of Europe. This is not a problem in Asia. I only eat vegies and fish, but do have a little bread here and there. And cheese when in France hmmmm.
I know what’s its like to return after a big trip. you lust for your own home cooking but just wish someone, the fairy in the kitchen, would make it for you. And while they’re at it, could they make the bed too.
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Oh, yes, where is that fairy to make me some veggies and a bed???
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I have fructose malabsorption too so I feel your pain Ardys. It’s no fun eating out if there is nothing to comfortably indulge yourself with. I’ve started asking if I’m really cornered and most cafes will oblige with an undressed salad, plain grilled meat or fish, gluten free bread. We saw cafes in Brisbane recently totally dedicated to serving Paleo food so maybe the times are changing. We can only hope! Enjoy indulging in your plain protein and veg….
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Well, Sandra, we are in good company then! I do everything you have listed above whenever we eat out but traveling with three others who could eat anything was quite a challenge. I had my first food problems over 20 years ago and I can definitely tell you things are changed from then!! Thank goodness. Thank you for reading and commenting. x
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Sounds like the travelling was a bit of a trial this time Ardys. I’m glad you’re home safely with access to the foods you like even if it does mean you’re back to washing the pots.
xxx Massive Hugs xxx
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It was a bit of a trial this time, David. At one point my husband and I looked at each other and I said ‘Only eternal optimists would do this travel thing’. He could but agree. Thanks for reading. xx
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What, no salads in the restaurants? Or, was it simply the rather boring iceberg lettuce? I’m afraid this is why most of our holidays are in self catering cottages where we can go to a local market and stock up on fresh local veg. I love eating out, but usually as a special treat. I can see that it would be a problem if you ate all your meals out as it would limit your food choices. Luckily we don’t have fructose malabsorption, so we also eat a lot of fruit while travelling.
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The salads were there but heavily dressed or with ingredients I couldn’t eat, or the dreaded iceberg lettuce. I’ve not seen so much iceberg for a while as we saw there. It is also something I cannot eat due to gastric upset. When traveling here in Australia we often stay in holiday apartment type accommodation so we can at least make our own simple breakfasts. That just wasn’t an option with the type of travel we were doing on this last trip. One either has to put up with the inconvenience or stay home and I’m not quite ready to stay home yet!! Thanks for reading.
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Sigh, those dreaded chips… ugh…. I am like you, I crave fresh vegetables and fruit when travelling… happy cooking at home and hope you get your mojo back love.
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I do love the occasional few chips, but honestly not at every meal. The alternative was usually something else made with potato, too! Thanks Lizzy, I’m sure the mojo is just having a break, I love food too much for it to leave me permanently!
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That’s good to hear! And I was glad to be able to help you with the purchase of some goodies online. Happy cooking my friend : )
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Having to eat out all the time while traveling can be trying, some parts of the US are definitely easier than others. I’m sorry it was so difficult. Things are changing, but slowly. I find that breakfast is almost impossible when you are trying to eat a healthy diet. Without fruit the choices are almost always carb, sugar, and fat laden.
Berkley has been in the center of food revolutions. The Sunday paper highlighted a new paleo take out store and cafe, near Chez Panisse. There is hope.
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You are so right, it depends in what part of the US one is traveling, and also where one is at meal time!! And yes, breakfast is very hard unless you find yourself at a buffet, where I can usually find some alternative to the sugar and carbs. At home I have vegetables with my eggs most mornings, which I know is setting myself up for a challenge when we travel internationally. Here in Australia one can often get eggs with mushrooms, tomato and spinach for breakfast which is helpful. I’m sure with all the work of people like Michael Pollan and Joel Salatin from Polyface farm, not to mention the Paleo movement, things are bound to change for the better. Thank you for reading Liz.
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I have not travelled in America, but I’m sure it would be very difficult and mostly eating the same things all the time… a girl can only eat so many hot chips 🙂 Thanks for sharing! Liz x
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As my cousin reminded me, we are lucky we weren’t traveling in Wyoming where they still consider Ketchup a vegetable!!! I wonder why vegetables are so hard to get. It must be something to do with either people won’t order them, thinking they are eating out for a treat and so they will give the boring veg a miss, or that there is too much waste. I wish I knew. Maybe it is just habit. One wonders. Thanks for reading Liz. x
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G’day! I know what you meal re the amount of foods and variety of meals in the US being American born and bred, true!
i could not eat anywhere near like I used to do! LOVE Cincinnati chili and thanks for your In My Kitchen post this month too!
Cheers! Joanne
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Oh, wow, someone who knows what Cincinnati Chilli is!! Thank you for reading and commenting Joanne!
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What, French fries aren’t vegetables? LOL! But seriously, I know what you mean about the US and lack of healthy options. We did a road trip for 6 weeks with two kids and struggled to find veggies. Eating out for every meal becomes a real drag very quickly. But you’re home now and can detox with loads of lovely kale.
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Thank you Jennifer. Yes, the road trip is a hard one. If we could have parked ourselves somewhere we would have done better. When we were in Cincinnati for several days we discovered the salad bar at the super Kroger grocery store. That was dinner several times and that was great, but when we were on the road it didn’t seem to be an option. Bought more kale yesterday!
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Yum, I love kale, chili & garlic but my body is less tolerant of chili than it once was 🙂 And while I haven’t investigated fructose intolerance, I suspect it or something like it is an issue for me too. Wheat, sugar, refined carbs and additives make me feel bad. But I can cope with a little for short periods.
Politically incorrect or not, your food photos look delicious.
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If you want to investigate the fructose intolerance thing a bit farther, try Sue Shepherd’s website at http://shepherdworks.com.au/disease-information/fructose-malabsorption She is an Australian dietician and was at the leading edge of the research being done here in Australia. Her list of foods high in fructose was such a help to me, though you have to do your own trial and error as some things will agree and some will not. I feel lucky that mine is not worse. Some people have much worse problems. Thanks EllaDee!
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It is so frustrating when there is nothing fresh on a menu when you find yourself without a kitchen! Thanks for the recipe for the kale salad, one of my favourite things to grow 🙂
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Thanks for reading Tandy. We just ate the kale again night before last and really enjoyed it.
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It’s hard to gert fresh things tio eat while traveling America but i can’t imagine what it is like if you cant eat fruit and grains. you do very well to travel as you do. BTW more people these days take pictures of what they are eating than don’t. I love it..
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It is quite a challenge only being able to eat small amounts of fruit and grains, but I have realised I must be doing a good job as I have just had one of the healthiest years in memory!! Thank you for reading.
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I feel your pain, eating out while traveling is not always a pleasant experience here in the States or Europe. I they to stick to local restaurants that source food locally, obviously that isn’t always an option. I have diverticulosis so I am always in search for fruits and veg also. Sometimes the only way to get it is baked beans which get old fast. Supermarket salad bars are a savior so entires, especially Whole Foods. Enjoy your detox and home cooked foods!
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Diverticulosis is a difficult one so I do feel for you. I can’t eat commercially prepared baked beans as they are high in phytic acid, so there’s another thing I have to eat around. At home I soak all the pulses to reduce the phytic acid, so I can eat them here, but traveling is quite the challenge. Supermarket salad bars were our saving grace, yes, love Whole Foods!!
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Ardys, thank you for taking the time to do an IMK post even when you weren’t feeling much like food – this was such an interesting read! All the meals you photographed in the US look huge! Your kale sounds very yummy! It’s the perfect time of year for lighter, simpler eating. Have a wonderful tummy-settling peaceful and joyous December! xxx
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The servings in the US are fairly large, a shame it doesn’t include much vegetable matter, or should I say non-starchy vegetables! I’m back to my normal brussels sprouts, broccoli and kale consuming self again and thinking about the next trip!! Best to you for the season, as well, and thank you so much for hosting IMK! xx
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Okay, I feel bloated and cement-like just having read about some of the dietary challenges. I may just have to head on out to the late fall garden and scrounge up some leftover, sad looking kale and make your delicious sounding recipe in a desperate attempt to help cleanse you vicariously through my digestive tract. Yeah, that sounded weird even to me. Never mind. But I will make the kale. Yum.
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I thought it only fair I share this kale recipe, I believe you have shared a brussels sprouts recipe that I enjoy. Vegetables are my life. sigh. Thanks Shelley.
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I LOVE seeing photos of food that people order when they’re out! And finally, I’m at an age where I don’t really care if people see me photographing my food in a restaurant. Ha! We’ve traveled to certain states where I felt the same way about the veggie deficit. How do people survive on fried food alone?
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Thanks April. I’ve never been one to eat a lot of fried food, even when I was young and now I have an even lower tolerance for how it makes me feel. Mind you, it is nice for a treat, but so is ice cream and I wouldn’t want to eat that every day either! I’m SO enjoying having loads of veggies at home again.
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Hi Ardys, I found your post very interesting – particularly as we are spending a couple of months in the US next year. I can see that some prior planning around our diet will be beneficial! Love your kale recipe! Thanks for sharing!
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So sorry it has taken me this long to reply to your comment, I lost it and have just now found it again! If you don’t object to the lack of atmosphere, we did find that the large groceries (Whole Foods) that have salad bars were a good resource for the occasional meal when one wanted some fresh veggies. It saved us a few times. Have a great trip, there are some really fun things to see, my blog post today is about our recent trip, in case it is of interest. Thanks, Marian, for reading.
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Hope you had a lovely holiday, it’s good to get away from every day routine every once in a while. I’m not one to take photos of food either but we are foodies and it inspires us, so why not! Everyone else does. Lovely seeing IMK, see you next month
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Thanks for reading. I’ll try and see if I can confine myself to photographing my own cooking, but if that doesn’t work, I will just have to return to my heathen ways!
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My husband hates me taking photos of food when we’re out – now I do it just to wind him up! It is difficult to eat well sometimes when you are away isn’t it – I find the USA particularly difficult with the huge portions but at least you had a great holiday!
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That’s so funny you winding your husband with the food photos. My husband aids and abets my practice and even mentions a ‘finder’s fee’ occasionally, to which I scoff and tell him he gets to keep eating well at home!! Thanks for reading Nancy.
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i love iceberg lettuce! and i am afraid i don’t like that stuff with all the pointy edges that stick in your throat- i call them weeds:) i.e. rocket etc. yes it is hard when travelling to eat well. i really crave fresh fruit and veg., and garlic when i am away.
have a great xmas.
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I notice ‘wedges of iceberg’ are now appearing on restaurant menus. I have seen it twice in the last month, so apparently you are not alone loving iceberg! I just can’t digest it, upsets my tummy terribly, and since it has almost zero nutritional value, I opt for other things. Thanks for reading Sherry.
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Hello Ardys! It’s taken me ever such a long time to get to you this month! I hope your kitchen mojo is back now! I imagine that the food in California is much more healthy given their lifestyle and climate. I much prefer to go self catered if I can for the very reasons you list here – the salad bar at Wholefoods sounds like it was a good find! I have a vegetarian friend who eventually married a Frenchman. The first time she ate at her soon to be MIL’s house she was given an omelette with mushrooms and bacon! That was their take on vegetarian. It soon changed though and the MIL produced some amazing food as time went on. Have a wonderful Christmas, Ardys – all twinkly wishes from my house to yours xx
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Judging from my struggle to make a very simple cake yesterday, my kitchen mojo is still no-go. That is funny about the vegetarian MIL serving bacon. I don’t like labels when it comes to eating, they are inadequate. We should just eat what we feel is good for us, be it good nutritionally, or for taste, or whatever our reason. It is one of the few really individual things we do, so perhaps that was MIL’s take on it too! Wishing you and your family a very peaceful Christmas and healthy, happy 2015 too. Thank you Selma.
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