leigh ahmad

One of the most highly publicized “new foods” for the 2012 MN State Fair are Holy Land’s lamb testicles otherwise known as lamb fries. Hearing about Holy Land’s latest contribution to the MN food culture piqued my interest. “How were fried testicles hailed as a delicacy and what in the world would the precious gems taste like?” I wondered. As with every meaningful interaction, I received my answers plus a greater respect and understanding of the impact one’s passion has on their work. Majdi Wadi, Holy Land CEO's intent is not simply to sell more food, but to share worldly experiences with his fellow Minnesotans, thereby bridging the gap between the us and them.

For the religion of Islam, it is now the holy month of Ramadan, which in its essence is a major fast observed by 1 billion Muslims throughout the world. People typically undergo the purification ritual of fasting as a means to cleanse the spirit, body or both. All major religions throughout the world including Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, and Islam involve some variation of fasting into their religious code of practice. Native American tribes also practice a fast paired with a guided meditation as part of a spiritual ritual. Plainly stated, fasting is the act of intentional abstinence from food and water during a specified period of time, but when done mindfully or with a spiritual purpose, it becomes much more.

It’s clear that we Americans need to select more healthy, natural and whole foods from the grocery shelves. What’s not always so clear are the ways in which we “vote with our dollars” in order to positively influence food policy and invest in the farmers who provide the good food. The farmers of the past, who have traditionally been older men from rural America, are now retiring and making room for two types of modern day farmers: big agriculture giants or young farmers. Many of our young farmers are turning out to be women and/or minorities. My question is: How do we support our small farmers, thereby, voting with our dollars.
 

Cumin adds quite the punch to  food, both exotic and everyday. Come along with this edition of the Spice Odyssey which includes some details about cumin as well as a couple of flavorful Pakistani recipes.
 
Description and Use

More than ⅓ of all American children and adolescents tip the scales and weigh in as obese.

Spices yield depth and dimension to many consumables. In The Spice Odyssey, I shared my family’s journey to America and their unfortunate loss of ethnic cooking and the accompanying spice. One of my greatest gains with marrying someone from South Asia has been an introduction to the vast world of spice.

 My most recent local food discovery commences at the Wilder Forest located in the Marine on St. Croix. From within the forest, one will find a quaint non-profit organization known as the Minnesota Food Association (MFA).

The record breaking temperatures of February and March were delightful for many, but a challenge for those living off the land such as maple syrup crafters. A surge in temperature following a below-freezing night creates pressurized sap lines, which then expand, pushing the sap to flow up the tree toward the branches- the sap is the energy that fuels the trees new growth. A tap is placed into the tree to “capture” some of the sugary sap which is then refined into deliciously sweet maple syrup. With very few cold days and nights occurring during this year’s prime of sapping time, many maple tree taps were churning out a very slow and sparse sap flow.

Salt, pepper, and parsley, otherwise known as the “holy trinity,” were the dominant spices found in the kitchen where I spent my formative years. Fast forward from childhood to present day- I have traveled a bit of the spice route and collected a number of new spice friends along the way. Although it will take me a lifetime to truly master the art of spice I want to share a few facts and common uses for spices in food, starting with nutmeg and mace.
 

 With a mission of “providing access to healthy food for all by cooking and eating together,” Our Community Kitchen