(Another pictureless post. My apologies, but I'm there to learn, not to play photographer!)
Today was bean and fats day for my class at NGI! In the morning, we started off with a beans demo, where the instructor showed us how to make several dishes:
- chickpea hummus
- black soybean salad
- edamame
- aduki bean strew
- red lentil soup
- baked beans
It's funny, because I've never been a huge fan of beans (or grains, for that matter), but prepared correctly, these were delicious. Soaking, cooking and preparing beans with the correct ingredients and flavors really makes the canned stuff taste like garbage in comparison. I think the hummus and stew were my favorites...the latter contained chunks of squash, too.
After our lunch break, we came back for a lecture on fats. It started off as more of a biology lesson about their molecular structure- which, I'm sorry to say, I had serious trouble concentrating on and understanding. Afterwards, though, our instructor showed us different oils and fats and explained their purposes in cooking and why certain ones were better than others.
During the lecture, we got a prime example of the real animal food v. fake plant food debate: vegan Earth Balance and organic butter. I've used Earth Balance in a bunch of recipes, but must admit that I've never actually read the ingredients...not too many "earthy" ones. I don't use butter very often, but I think that from now on when I do I might as well just go for the real stuff.
I'm taking it easy tonight, sipping on the Skull Splitter beer I bought a few weeks ago and packing for home. NGI takes a two-week break at the beginning of August, so I'm going back to PA for a few days. I miss Maggie! And my brother and his wife are moving, so I'll lend a hand with my sick guns....or something like that.
Hope you're having a great night- and happy almost Friday!
What's your favorite form of fat or fatty food? Chocolate. Nut butter. Fish. I could go on forever.
