the journey to cooking competence

I've always been in awe of my mother's ability to whip delicious meals out of seemingly nothing. I grew up up on home-cooked meals that never got boring and were always nutritious. Because of this, I have a taste for fruit and veggies, a love of whole grains, a preference for dinner over dessert, and I pretty much have to eat some kind of wholesome food for breakfast or else feel crappy the rest of the day. In short, my body not only likes the foods that are good for it, but it expects to be fed these things or it gets tired, lethargic, and generally angry. I have my mother to thank for these things, and her constant quest to find new ways of bringing healthy food to the table in a tasty, interesting way.

The one disservice she has done me, though, is that she makes cooking all these delicious foods look easy. Which is it is really, really not.

  Cooking is work. Learning how to cook well, for me, has been like learning my way around my hometown when I first learned to drive. For years I'd seen homes and trees whiz by as I was driven to school, swim practice, the grocery store, the mall, and my friends' homes. However, that passive observation did little for me when I was finally in charge of steering, and I found that for all I'd seen, I had very little real knowledge of how the streets all fit together.

Cooking has been like that for me. I've seen my mother in the kitchen enough to know how she makes certain things, and I've made meals myself, a few times. But having to create and invent on a daily basis has shown me that there are a lot of minor skills I'm still learning and helpful techniques (such as, having the cover over a skillet cooks the meat more evenly inside) that I need to see in action before I understand how they work and when to use them.

Avocado mac n' cheese.

That said, I can see in my own kitchen competence how much I've grown as a cook between April and today. I think the most important thing I've learned is the usefulness of a recipe, even if it's just a baseline. There are things I can't get easily or cheaply here in Japan like I would in the States, but if I have the foundation of a recipe, I can make guesses on substitutes and still end up with something delicious.

 

Tuna-cucumber sushi, home-made.

Spaghetti casserole with cheese.

Taco salad, with diced onion and cheese.

I hate being hungry, and I dislike eating bland, uninspired, and unfulfilling meals just as much. Learning more about where to find what I need and how to prepare it in a way that is enticing and delicious has helped me steer clear of those days when I avoid eating lunch or dinner because I don't know what to make, and the few options I know of are un-enticing.

Since the beginning of September, I've been following the Blogilates Beginner's Workout calendar, and trying to "eat clean" as well. This means I've been doing my best to eat fresh food and cut out excessive condiments, oil, and sugar. I've also cut out rice as much as I can (it makes me bloated and blocks up my guts painfully if eaten too often), and have been replacing it with oats, oat flour, and recently quinoa, which is quite delicious and versatile. I'm drinking at least one spinach shake a day, adding to the iron my body gets as well as the healthy veggie carbs. I'm looking into whey protein supplements in order to make sure my body gets the protein it needs, since my lunches at school are often hit-or-miss in terms of meat or beans. Getting more involved in my meals this way has helped me be a more effective cook, as well, since I'm having to evolve my way of thinking in addition to my ability to cook. My favorite achievement, I think, is my newfound ability to make really delicious oat-flour and banana pancakes with cinnamon--without a recipe on hand.

Banana-oatmeal cookies, with cinnamon on top.

Home-made hummus.

My morning shakes are made the night before, and usually have yogurt,

frozen spinach, and juice or almond milk. Bananas are usually involved, too.

Oat-flour and banana pancakes, with sliced strawberries and plain yogurt.

Morning oatmeal with raisins, nuts, and almond milk.

As I continue this cooking journey, I have three goals: stay healthy, stay fed, and make sure I enjoy my meals as much as possible. Sometimes I just need the food yummy enough to get me to eat it, but it's good to have moments of ultimate victory once in a while to prove to myself that stupendous meals worth being hungry for are possible.

Salad with Alaskan salmon, nuts, raisins, and lemon dressing. Astoundingly delicious.