Hardee's (or rather Carl's Jr.) Yummy Turkey Burger

I want to sing the high praise for Hardee's turkey burger. That thing was delicious and here's why...when you are a small individual like myself that means that some menu items are simply not within the boundaries of a healthy diet even if I was to share it with someone else let alone eating by myself (which is the case during lunch hour). So, when I forget to bring my lunch to work there a limited dining options within close proximity to my office on campus. This means I have to settle for whatever is at the student center. And what exactly are my choices - Carl's Jr., some panini and wrap offering, smoothies, coffee and cupcakes, Taco Bell, Spoons, bagel, Panda Express (gross and overpriced), subway, a pizza place, or the campus bar. These places can be broken down into 3 categories - cheap with some flavor/questionable healthiness; expensive and tasty/not healthy; or expensive with limited taste/healthy.

The turkey burger, however, seems to balance taste, healthiness, and cost. Yay! I was really expecting a fluffy and tasteless wad of meat. Instead I got a dense, char-coaled flavored deliciousness. It was even better than the beef burgers I have had in the past.

Questioning Organic

Among the many things that I read, the most exciting subject I like to read and discuss is food policy. I love everything from discussions of the global food market to whether or not the snack tax is a feasible or even good idea. To be honest, I am surprised that I am even able to eat anything considering what knowledge I have accumulated about food production, manufacturing and handling. The sheer fact that most Americans never get food poisoning is amazing. (Of course, the jury still seems to be out about other health consequences associated with the modern food system including ties to obesity, autism, ADD, and reproductive and immunity complications.)

So, what inspired this particular post? Well, due to a 4th grade science project I found out that organic labeling does not guarantee lack of pesticides. While I have yet to obtain permission to share the e-mail from Driscoll, I will share the details of the science project and summarize the response this 4th grader received from Driscoll when their organic strawberries tested positive for pesticides. When and if I do get permission, I will publish the contents of the e-mail at a later date.

The 4th grade project --
To see how strong a variety of organic and traditionally-grown strawberries tested for pesticide residues. Apparently there is a kit at Lowe's and Home Depot that you can use to test your produce for pesticides.

After testing a variety of traditionally-grown and organic strawberries from such stores as King Soopers, Albertsons, and Whole Foods, all strawberries tested positive for pesticide residue INCLUDING THE ORGANIC VARIETY CERTIFIED AS USDA ORGANIC.

The project coordinator (i.e. the 4th grader's parent) sent an e-mail to Driscoll asking why their organic strawberries tested positive for pesticides. The response was along the line that sometimes it is necessary during the production for an application of pesticides.

So, what does this mean? Well it means that organic isn't necessarily organic. It means that it is healthy to consider if the value-added product (in this case organic certified produce) really lives up to your standards.

Bourbon Chicken

I really love brown sauce used in most Chinese and Japanese restaurants. I adapted this recipe and made it a bit thinner than what others call for. However, next time I plan on adding a tbsp of cornstarch to try a thicker bourbon sauce. This recipe feeds 2-3 people.

Ingredients:
.75 lb chicken pieces
1 chopped green onion
Salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder
3-4 cups of vegetables (we used broccoli, carrots, and yellow onion)
1 tbsp of soy sauce

1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 cup apple juice
2 tbsp natural ketchup
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water (or less if you don't want it thin)
1/3 cup soy sauce (use the low sodium version if you don't want it to be very salty)

 1) Place chicken and green onion in a large greased skillet. Spice, cover, and cook over medium-high heat.
2) While chicken is cooking, mix brown sugar, garlic, crushed red, ginger, onion powder, apple cider vinegar, apple juice, water, ketchup, and soy sauce in small bowl. Set aside.
3) Once chicken has cooked push to one side and add vegetables. Cover.
4) In about 5 minutes, test the tenderness of the vegetables with a fork. If tender remove lid for a minute to evaporate any additional water from the pan. Turn the heat up and sprinkle 1 tbsp soy say sauce and stir for about 3 minutes.
5) Turn down heat and pour in sauce mix. Bring sauce to a boil for 5 minutes then reduce heat. Continue to simmer for 20 minutes.
6) Served best with jasmine or fried rice.

French Toast

While some individuals may reserve this for a weekend activity, I enjoy making French toast on mornings I have more than 10 minutes to eat before I walk out the door. While I may vary how much cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg I mix in on some days, the recipe below is generally how I make it. I have used a variety of breads including plain loaf bread (wheat, white, and multi-grain), French bread, hamburger/hotdog buns, and Italian bread. I typically just top it with just powdered sugar. I try to reserve syrup for special occasions since Alaga Syrup isn't sold in the Mountain West region. (NOTE: The recipe is intended to make breakfast for one hungry person.)

Ingredients:
2-3 pieces of bread
1 egg
1/2 tbsp milk
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tbsp sugar
Powdered sugar and syrup (optional)

1) Heat skillet on medium-high heat.
2) In a small bowl beat egg and milk. Add vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar. Beat mixture again until well-blended.
3) Lightly grease the bottom of the heated skillet. Dip bread in egg mixture covering all surface area. Place in skillet.
4) Brown each side and serve topped with powdered sugar and syrup.

Chick-fil-A and the Canola Oil

A few months ago I walked into my local Chick-fil-A. Going to order my usual (what use to be the #5 six-pack but has changed since they keep adding new menu items), I noticed that the fries are being advertised as being cooked in canola oil. I cringe at this thought but order anyways assuming that maybe, just maybe, the fries would taste good enough. Did the fries taste good? No. Was I disappointed? Yes. Was I angry that Chick-fil-A turned its back on peanut oil for cooking fries? Yes.

For some of you, you may be thinking "well canola oil is healthier for you." Others may be thinking that I better be glad I haven't faced this Chick-fil-A canola oil problem until now. While each claim has a point here is mine. I wrote the company to tell them that I was angry with change and the flavor of the fries has suffered at their switch. In addition, this is not the first time that the company has made a switch in its product offerings. Several years ago the diet lemonade (less sugar = more delicious) use to be made with real sugar and was then switch to being made with Splenda. I don't consume Splenda and generally avoid all artificial sweeteners.

The response I got from the company went as follows:

"Thank you for taking the time to contact Chick-fil-A.  You are very important to us, and we appreciate your remarks.  We hope the following information will be helpful.

Chick-fil-A has changed from peanut oil to high oleic canola oil for our Waffle Potato Fries and Hash Browns. Canola is vegetable oil having the lowest in saturated fatty acids, is an excellent source of omega-3 (ALA), and a good source of vitamin E. Canola oil is trans fat and cholesterol free and is high in monounsaturated fatty acids which studies show may help lower "bad" LDL cholesterol. 

We will still continue to cook all of our breaded chicken in peanut oil. Peanut oil imparts a great flavor to our chicken that is uniquely Chick-fil-A.

Chick-fil-A made the switch to canola oil for Waffle Fries and Hash Browns in order to support our current and future growth needs for cooking oils and to allow current and future Chick-fil-A customers to continue to enjoy our chicken cooked in 100% refined peanut oil.

Additionally, when we tested our Diet Lemonade made with Splenda versus Equal, we found that the Splenda recipe tasted more like our regular lemonade. We conducted customer taste tests and found that customers preferred the Diet Lemonade made with Splenda over Equal.

Again, thank you for your time and interest in Chick-fil-A."

Really Chick-fil-A? You are going to contradict yourself like that? You can't claim health standards and then come at me with a maintenance of a unique Chick-fil-A flavor when you change the flavor of your fries (for health and $ reasons) and your diet lemonade (to make it taste like original) First, fried food is fried food. I didn't come to your establishment to eat healthy. I came to get my deep-fried greasiness on. If I wanted fries cooked in canola oil there are other places I can go or I can do that at home. Furthermore, the science behind canola oil doesn't suggest that deep-frying with canola oil is a way to stay heart-healthy. Second, if you are going to go healthy (and save money I suppose) adding Splenda to the diet lemonade is contradictory to your switch to canola oil. Splenda and other artificial sweeteners have recently came under fire for a number of health consequences that result from consuming artificial sweeteners. And, if I really wanted the flavor of the regular lemonade, I would have ordered it with the normal amount of sugar. But I don’t want that much sugar and I don’t want that flavor.

About My Blog

Just some FYI when and if you decide to read any of my entries now or in the future. First, I currently live in a high altitude (appx. 5,000 feet). So, not all recipes will be posted for this. I don't plan on living at this altitude forever and will probably be heading back for sea level soon enough.

Second, I like my food spicy and rich. I love flavor. I especially like vinegar, peppers, garlic, dark chocolate, and vanilla beans. What I won't and can't include in any of my recipes are nuts or coconut. On that note, I usually don't eat condiments like ketchup, mustard, etc. unless it is part of a sauce or something along those lines.

Third, on occasion I might post on random foods I love or restaurants that rock my socks (and make me want to be a good cook/baker). I may also discuss food policy events or news.