Whole Grain Grub

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Kick rocks Rachel Ray. There’s a new chef in town. (Wow that was corny.) Last week I had the pleasure of attending a cooking demonstration that was part of April’s Black Chef Series hosted by Putnam Park at The House Of Art in Bed-Stuy. The featured chef of the evening was Chef Mustapha (also knows as Chef Mu), who promised to prepare quick, easy, healthy yet delicious food that everyone can make. I love food and I love cooking so I jumped at the chance to attend this event. This was, hands down, one of the best events I have been to in New York. Not only was the event well put together (there was a beautiful, colorful display of healthy fruits and vegetables at the chef’s cooking station), but learned lots and lots and lots of useful information.

Before the event started, we were each handed a well-styled menu that listed the dishes Chef Mu was going to prepare for us. There were seven in total. Seven! And he only had two hours to make it all. On the menu: sweet shrimp (over fried plantains with mango salsa), coconut snapper fingers, curried sweet potato and apple salad, green bean salad with citrus vinaigrette, spiced honey chicken, sesame cabbage with garlic and ginger, and mini-pancakes with mixed fruit compote for dessert. Chef Mu pulled it off…everything was amazing. Like, wow-am-I really-moaning-right-now–soooo-not-a-good-look-dot-com amazing!

While Chef Mu was cooking, he took time to answer our questions. I think I had more questions than anyone else in the room. Some of the most helpful things I learned were: 1. how long you can keep spices before they decrease in quality (90 days), 2. why do onions make us cry (a dull knife), 3. where does one buy a decent knife for a reasonable price (Henckel via Target).

Ok. So. Two days ago I tried recreating three of the dishes on my own. I deviated from the recipes a tiny bit but the results…Not bad.

Pics below and official recipes to come!

fried plantains (green) with a mango salsa...chef Mu's version had an yummy shrimp on top but I don't trust the seafood at my local supermarket

crunchy green beans topped with a citrus vinaigrette...chef Mu's version had raw onions as well.

curry sweet potato and apple salad with arugula, cilantro and peppers. Chef Mu used a red pepper, but I am not ballin' like that (5 dollars a pound by a).

My homegirl Shay Olivarria (owner of Bigger Than Your Block, an organization that provides financial literacy workshops for students) writes a “Money Matters” column for http://squarerootz.net/, my other website. This week’s column is about how to save money on groceries. Very informative. Check it.

Part 1: Money Management in 1 Minute – Save Money on Groceries

We should all be watching our pennies right now so I want to share a few money saving tips:

#1 Look for discounts on groceries by shopping at co-ops and dividing among friends.

#2 Create a small window garden to save on herbs and small fruits and veggies.

#3 Set a food budget and stick to it.

Part 2: Reader Question:

I heard about places that you can buy meat, veggies, etc. from off the farm. What’s that about?

It’s good that you’re thinking about these things. We should all be thinking about where our food comes from and how it’s handled before it lands on our dinner plates. What you’ve heard of is Community Supported Agriculture. It’s a process by which you can pay a farmer for a portion of meat, fruit, and vegetables that you can pick up at designated times during the year. This is good for two main reasons.

The first good reason to go this route is because you’re buying local. Buying local helps protect our environment by spending less on fuels to transport the food which also means less pollution in the air. It also may help you figure out where your food is coming from and how it’s been grown or raised. In case you haven’t heard about Alimentarius Codex there are many people deciding what is and isn’t okay for you to consume. You can find a farmer that is organic by Local Harvest. Making sure that you are aware of what chemicals, hormones, and pesticides are in your food is an important piece in creating a healthy environment for yourself.

The second good reason is that the food is usually much cheaper. Buying directly from the farm helps keep costs low for the farmer. Those savings can be passed on to you. Think about it. You’ll get fresh, delicious meat and produce several times a year cheaper than you could get at the grocery store.

All in all choosing to buy from a local farmer is a good idea. Let me know if you have other tips on saving money at the grocery store.