One of Beanie Baby’s new toys. I almost stole it from him.

Beanie Baby’s Zomppa debut!

Join the movement at Healthy Child Healthy World, a great website with lots of information and resources. Watch this Wake-Up Story and sign up!

A Wake-Up Story from Healthy Child Healthy World on Vimeo.

Herminia's strong hands mixing dough

To me, “Baby” is reserved for what moms call their children, from birth to well, my age (no, I will not disclose that information)—and it’s perfectly okay. It’s beyond okay—it’s tender, loving and warm-feeling, sort of like being wrapped in a soft fluffy blanket or like being in a cozy kitchen.

Wrapping the dough to keep it cozy as it rests

“Baby” is also reserved for cookies. Yes, you read right—cookies. We Wanka and Quechua people from the Andean highlands of Peru love our food so much, we do everything short of breast-feed it. That would be weird. But we do love our food, and we do make awesome cookies during Christmas season that we call “wawa” [pronounced wa-wa], which translated from Quechua means quite simply, “baby.”

Masterpieces in the making: My nieces roll out their dough

Wawa are appropriately named because these cookies, like their Euro-American cousins, the gingerbread people, take the form of figures from our daily lives. Wawa cookies can be people, animals, etc, and depending on the cookie-makers like you and me, can be very elaborate, detailed and humorous.

Things that are part of our lives: Birds, donkeys, and dancing men

Making wawas is not as labor intensive as making real wawas. Ahem. Or so I’ve heard—Of course, I wouldn’t know anything about making real wawas because my fiancée sleeps in the bathtub when he visits since we are not yet married. Ahem.

More things that are part of our lives: Cats and fancy round people

Okay, back to wawa-making, the cookies, that is. These cookies are a real treat. They are mildly sweet, baked in big quantities and eaten throughout the season. Children and adults all over Peru adore them, and it’s hard to say what they love most—eating them or making them.

Herminia bakes a first batch

The women in my family got together and made these wawa, and so can you using these simple steps:

1. Make the dough and let it rest
2. Gossip vigorously
3. Haul the dough over to the neighbor’s brick oven
4. Form your wawa
5. Squabble over who’s wawa looks best (remember to bicker until someone cries)
6. Bake wawa and gossip some more
7. Take the wawa out and let cool
8. Eat wawa and make peace by conceding that everyone’s wawa cookies are beautiful (SO not true, but whatever)

Wawa ready for eating!

This article is dedicated to all the moms and dads and wawa in the world. Happy Holidays to you and yours—May you have a generous season filled with love. And cookies.

Wanka Wawa

Wanka Wawas (Brick-oven baked)
(Courtesy of Herminia Salazar Huaman)

Ingredients:
2 kilos of wheat flour
300 grams of vegetable shortening
50 grams of yeast
300-500 grams of sugar
50 grams of salt
10 grams of Anis water mixed with 10 grams of ground cinnamon (see preparation)
Cookie decorations of your choice (e.g. sprinkles, etc)
Beaten egg for brushing on to the cookies (optional)

Preparation for Anis water:
1. Boil anis in water with cinnamon, let cool slightly but keep warm

To make dough:
1. Mix in flour with anis water, slowly
2. Add in yeast, sugar, vegetable shortening and salt
3. Mix to make dough for about 20 minutes or until very smooth
4. Allow dough to rest, covered, for 1 hour
5. To make wawa, form shapes with the dough—be creative!
6. Decorate (or if you choose to brush with a beaten egg, then do so and then decorate)
7. Put into the oven and bake (In a brick oven, this will take approximately 20 minutes. Make sure to watch the cookies carefully as they tend to burn easily in a hot oven.)

Check us out at Hearth n Soul and Real Food Wednesdays and Tip Day Thursdays and Simple Lives Thursday!

We talk a lot about how to eat healthily and deliciously – being aware of where our food comes from, exploring new foods around the world. Great efforts are being undertaken to incorporate healthy eating. After all, you are what you eat. For example, the New York Times recent article spoke about doctors’ efforts to healthier options in hospitals.

However, we rarely talk about poop. Yes, poop.

Babies have three modes: eat, poop, sleep. Their digestive system are typically so good and pure that what they eat immediately gets absorbed in the bodies (vitamins=good) or expelled (waste=bad).

As we grow older, however, we tend to forget that poop is related to our food. As we get older, we start to eat foods that are not as pure as breast milk and foodstuffs that don’t even resemble real food. Our bodies absorb more toxins and our digestive systems are impacted. So guess what? Our poop changes.

My apologies for being a bit graphic (this is a food magazine right?), but poop isn’t something to ignore if you really want to pay attention to what you put in your body. I was recently in a restroom and there was a young teenager, probably 14 or 15, having the most difficult time doing #2. All I could think was, what in the world is she eating? A diet of fast food and soda? Certainly not real food.

Just think to the recent egg scare. What we poop not only tells you about what you put into your bodies, but it can also indicate food allergens and parasites. What we poop is a good indicator of our health, and could be a warning sign; after all, we should be extremely careful of where our food comes from. Does your poop sink like a rock? Is it green? These all are indicators of your diet. Check out this article for more information.

I felt pretty relieved because I knew that my eggs were not on the “list” of affected producers. My eggs don’t all look the same, have the same color or size, but they are delicious, fresh, and I know from where they come.

I know that when I eat right, my body (and poop) tells me I’m eating right. I also know when I’m not eating right because my body will tell me so. I make an effort to eat – in or out – at places where I know the source of the food.

This is one of the reasons why I love one of my new favorite restaurants in Washington, D.C., Ripple (sorry for the photos – dim room with camera phone!). The smaller serving sizes reminded us that we have gotten too used to super-sized meals. The food is all locally-sourced – and the names of all the producers are listed on the menu. I didn’t have to wonder which industrial slaughterhouse my food came from, but instead celebrated and supported local farmers and producers. The friendly staff offered an extensive and sophisticated cheese and charcuterie menu. (Yes, that says bacon peanuts).

Best of all was the flavor. Start out with good ingredients and the meal is almost guaranteed to be 100x better. The pork belly melted in my mouth, as the quail egg oozed warm yolk over the perfectly seared ahi tuna, complemented by a delightful green soybean salad.

True, Ripple is not inexpensive, but my body knew that the food it was ingesting was good.  As the name of this wonderful restaurant indicates, perhaps places like this is a harbinger of what is to come – that the local, organic, fresh food movement is having a true ripple effect on every part of our society, regardless of class, ethnicity, or politics. We can no longer afford to ignore our food or our poop.

Look, it’s not a pleasant topic, but everybody poops. Pay attention.

Bostonians are a loyal people. They are crazy passionate – yes, that’s a Patriot‘s mobile and if you look carefully, yes, that’s a giant Tom Brady wall decal. The Kid – now nicknamed Bean Sprout aka Beanie Baby – already pledged his fan loyalty before he was even born. Beanie Baby is growing like Jack’s beanstalk and I’m COMPLETELY unbiased, but he is one adorable kid. And the Beanie Baby knows it.

Like other Bostonians, Beanie Baby is likely going to grow up also crazy loyal to his cultural heritages. As the offspring of two very ancient, very loud cultural heritages, he doesn’t have much choice.  Boston, as many of you know, is an amalgam of cultures and ethnicities, full of old and recent immigrants who hold onto the foods of their Mother Land – even if it’s generations later.

Cake Mountain Man and I headed up to the North End, Boston’s Little Italy. Formally separated by an ugly green highway before the ridiculously expensive and corrupt but forward-thinking Big Dig (who thought about urban greenspaces back in the 80s?) that I recall from my childhood, it is now flanked by a beautiful greenway that is filled people picnicking, throwing frisbees, and strolling between Faneuil Hall.

We stopped at Bova’s, the 24-hour bakery known for its Italian bread for over three generations (I told you, Bostonians are loyal).

I’m pretty sure I had the best Italian sub ever.

Then it was across the greenway to the famous Haymarket.  This is not your farmer’s market with $10 tomatoes and $20 goat cheese. This historic open-air market has seen a resurgence since the Big Dig has made it accessible and pleasant once more. Haymarket, open Fridays and Saturdays, is not for the meek.

Many of the vendors have been doing this for generations. Like true Bostonians, they work honestly, fast, and to outsiders – brusquely. These are bargain deals for the locals because there is no middleman. It’s a GIANT marketplace and vendors and stalls selling local cheeses and halal meats vie for your attention – and they will shout at you to stop by and buy their produce. You better bring small bills because this is no place to flash your $50s – they will just refuse your money.

I remember as a kid, you could go near the end of the day and you would be able to purchase a crate of corn or peppers for $3. Even though some of them would be bruised, you’d still end up with plenty for cheap. Those prices are crazy awesome – and yes, those cherries DID taste like candy!

Next was Chinatown, one of the largest and oldest dating back to the 1800s. It used to be intermingled with the Red Light District, and now intermingled with hole in the wall noodle shops, live poultry stores, and bubble tea bakeries. One of these special places is the Gourmet Dumpling House, a must if evidenced at all by its lines outside the street.

Their xiaolongbao, or little juicy dumplings, are…. You just eat them. They are too good for words. They pop in your mouth and this burst of juice…mm.

Culinary tour aside, I wanted to cook a few meals for my sister and put them in her freezer since she and her husband don’t cook (I’m not saying she’s a bad cook, she just doesn’t know how. She asked me how to boil water at 26). Going on the notion of Boston’s rich cultural diversity, I decided to do adapt my own version of doro wat, a traditional Ethiopian stew.

Doro wat is made with berbere spice – you can find a recipe for it here, though I am spoiled and have a jar of a homemade one from a friend of mine. It’s spicy with good things like cumin and coriander and paprika, complex layers of flavor and just gorgeous. It’s also traditionally made with niter kibbeh, Ethiopia’s clarified butter.

My sister lived on frozen meals and take out for years (how are we related?), whereas proximity to a farmer’s market is a must for any place I live for me. So I pushed my agenda with fresh eggs (love the blue shell), my own tomato sauce, and fresh chicken thighs to add to my Doro Wat What (recipe below).

I can’t wait to introduce the Beanie Baby to culinary travels and fresh food.

Doro Wat What

Doro Wat What

1 pound chicken thighs (juicier meat), deboned or boned
1 jar fresh tomato sauce (take 5 fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic, thyme, oregano, rosemary, salt and pepper and cook down until mushy- don’t use paste so it keeps the liquidy quality)
2 TB fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup water or chicken stock
3 heaping tsp of berbere spice (more or less according to heat preference)
2 hard-boiled eggs
Oil (or clarified butter)

1. Heat oil in Dutch oven. Add ginger and garlic and saute for 2 minutes until fragrant
2. Add heaping teaspoons of berbere spice until fragrant – add a bit of water
3. Add chicken thighs (can keep boned or cut into pieces) and brown on all sides
4. Add tomato sauce (you can throw in fresh tomatoes and herbs here if you don’t have a jar available)
5. Add stock or water to cover chicken
6. Boil and then lower heat to medium and simmer for 20-25 minutes
7. Slice eggs and mix into stew
8. Serve over steamed white rice or with flatbread

So I will leave you with some images of our days of fun, sun and VACATION from everything!!!

I’ll see you next time!

As a mom of a child with food allergies, holidays (and quite frankly, most celebratory and social events) also trigger a certain level (although over time this level of anxiety has diminished) of anxiety.  Whether it is a July 4 BBQ or a birthday party, I am constantly faced with the challenge of preparing wheat-free, egg-free, nut-free and most everything-else free cakes, brownies, cookies and cupcakes.

Many times I will call the host and ask “So, have you decided on what you plan to offer as a treat for the kids?”  Other times, I make a guess as to what to bring.   I would like to think that besides being driven by my child’s well-being and safety, I also am driven by the idea of helping my child and other children understand more about food allergies, acknowledge their differences and accept them.  As I prepared treats for a BBQ this weekend, I realized that I also just want my child to fit-in.  Unlike the maestro of the Boston Pops, my goal is to help orchestrate a non-event.  From BBQ chicken (having pulled the host aside to ask about each ingredient in the rub) to the cupcakes, I want my child’s transitions to be seamless.

During the last several years, I have tried quite a number of approaches:

(1) “Match Treat” approach – I would call up the host to find out what the treat is and even what color is the frosting. The goal? Typically is to prepare a slice of cake that perfectly matches the main dessert.

(2) “Reasoned Treat” approach -  I usually don’t call the host in advance for a copy of the menu.  Instead, I just make assumptions.  For example, if it is a birthday party, there is a greater likelihood that the main treat will be a cake rather than cookies.  The challenging aspect about this approach is the unpredictability.  I attended a couple of birthday parties armed with vanilla frosting and food coloring in case I had to “mix-to-match” on the spot.

(3)  “Kid-a-li-cious Treats” approach – Instead of baking a piece of cake for just my son, I make treats that all little ones can enjoy.  Although not effective at a birthday party (picture the scenario: Hi, I prepared a cake for your little one’s birthday party just so my kid and your kids can enjoy the same treat), it is a wonderful approach for every other event.

Which one are you? Over the years, I have come to lean more towards the “kid-a-li-cious” approach because it helps with that seamless transition.  Most importantly, the “kid-a-li-cious” approach has a certain flexibility built-in where you  no longer have to uncover the main treat in advance.  Instead, I prepare whatever I like with the idea that my kid and other children will enjoy it!

This July 4 weekend, I prepared butterfly-shaped and ice-cream cone shaped cupcakes using my Nordic cast iron pans.  Unlike the other talented  and lovely contributors to Zomppa who prepare exquisite baked goods from scratch, I am more of a cake mix “plus” type.  You should check out Gluten-free Goddess for awesome recipes from scratch!  I found a cake-mix that is easy to make and very tasty.  In addition, I often will add pure maple syrup, brown sugar, tapioca flour and a touch of fruit juice (i.e., apples or peaches) to the ingredients.

The cupcakes are excellent 90% of the time.  They are fluffy and light – slowly melting in your mouth.  The remaining 10% are less predictable…well, the cupcakes taste more like mini french baguettes (I think it is the tapioca flour – too much of it gives it a gummy consistency!)

Well, regardless of whether your approach is the  “Match Treats”, “Reasoned” or “Kid-a-li-cious”,  I salute you because of your efforts (however tiresome) to normalize your child’s experience and bring that child happiness.  My son’s eyes light up every time I tell him we are going to prepare treats for his friends.  He wants his friends to love his mommy’s cupcakes….I mean, is there a kid who does not share this desire?

At the BBQ this weekend, my butterfly cupcakes were gaily displayed for curious little fingers to capture.  I can’t tell you if the kids ate them or not, but I can tell you that my little guy didn’t even notice…he just seemed content that he can bring something special to the party!

Happy July 4!

While there is debate out there (i.e. T. Colin Campbell’s The China Study – good read if you haven’t yet) about cow’s milk and its benefits and dangers, a lot of us drink milk or at least give it to our children. But do you know where your milk comes from? If you said, cows, you are right. But do you know where those cows come from and how they are raised?

Many of you are familiar with CAFOs and “drugstore cows” and many of you are not. CAFOs are Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, where animals are pretty much confined in small places where they eat, urinate, defecate, and often die all in the same place with little or no grass or vegetation. There are many resources out there (look them up!) and these factory farms are perfect breeding grounds for bacterial growth and who knows what else. According to the CDC, over 75 million Americans get sick from the food they eat.

Note: these pigs are NOT from a CAFO – they are being humanely raised by a local farmer.

Drugstore cows are cows raised with unnatural diets and pumped with hormones and antibiotics to speed up their growth, which also speed up the possibility of illness (I actually had an argument recently with a woman who swore that a cow’s natural diet is corn and that the “media” was trying to lie to us that cows ate grass…did she think cows shucked corn with their hooves?). Most Americans are directly and indirectly affected by these hormones and drugs that have longer-term consequences than just a bad stomachache.

According to The Ecologist, the chemical pollutants passed from mother to child through the placenta or breastmilk can last decades…or even a lifetime. The EWG (Environmental Working Group) noted that it takes this long for a child to get rid of 99% of inherited pollution (note: that is not 100%):

• Phthalata platicisers (flexible plastics, etc.): 1 day
• Mercury: 1 year
• Flame retardant and stain-proofing chemicals: 12 – 60 years
• Lead: 166 years

This means generations of your children good be affected, causing permanent genetic changes. Does this mean simply not eating meat or drinking milk? But vegetables are not immune to bacteria and toxins. Recall outbreaks of E.coli in bagged spinach or the recent studies linking pesticides and ADHD. Check out this blog, Are You Sure You Want to Eat That?, for more information. Or what about the scandal of corporate greed and bribes and the sale of tainted foods?

So who is responsible for ensuring the safety of what we eat, meat or vegetable? In 2007, the FDA turned to states to step up their food safety programs. There is an ongoing debate whether federal or state control is more effective at ensuring the food safety of large national and multinational food companies.

Rather than getting caught up in this debate and risk harming ourselves and our families, it’s time that we recognize we are responsible for our food safety…as much as possible.

Buy local. Know where you food comes from. Better yet, know the person who grows or raises your food. If your food is not factory-produced or overly processed, the chances of these contaminants become lower. We cannot rely on some federal or state government regulation to do this for us. We have to take charge of our own lives.

Let’s start with our milk since many of our children drink it daily. where is my milk from? is a great website where you can source most of your dairy products.

Source: where is my milk from?

PS June is Dairy Month! For more and an insightful video, check this out.

A drug-free glass of milk and one of ZomppaPatty’s Whoopie Pies. Now that’s something I can get behind.

Zomppa is in the finals for Stonyfield‘s first annual Barnstorming Tour! As some of you may know, ZomppaB took a couple decades to find her perfect yogurt…YoBaby!

Three lucky winners will get to see organic farming in action, and Stonyfield will donate money to a charity of choice, which Zomppa has selected the World Food Programme, which works to fight hunger worldwide, to receive $5,000! Why do I want to go?

Here’s what I said:

My support for Stonyfield was cemented after 20+ years searching for the right yogurt: YoBaby. Since then, I have converted many yogurt eaters. To be with the families who bring us our food would be incredible. At Zomppa ’ s core is the belief that food is central to every part of life. Without human connection, the meaning of “organic” can get lost in translation. I don ’ t just want to talk about organics, but to truly understand what sets Stonyfield apart from other organic producers, and to learn from those who are passionate about food, flavor, and sustainability.

Voting begins TODAY at 12PM until May 25 at 12PM! You can vote EVERY DAY…please do (once a day!) We appreciate your support! Vote HERE.

Since then, we have had the honor of sharing with you our thoughts and views on food, recipes, travels, musings. Most importantly, we have met and gained a lot of wonderful foodie-friends! So thank YOU for your encouragement, support and friendship.

To learn a bit more about us,  check out our Contributors page.

In addition to year 2 of new blogs, stories, and recipes, this weekend was a happy birthday to other new phases of lives.

Cake from my sister’s shower – baked by a new baker in Massachusetts!

Happy Birthday #1: new contributors
With two new regular contributors, the Zomppa ladies bring their multiple voices from different perspectives. We have vastly different experiences and come from all backgrounds, representing every continent (except Antarctica – anyone out there?), ethnicities, religions, professions. Some are married, some have babies, some are single, some have pets, some have plants. What brings us together is our love and passion for food, and belief that, well, food is more than what we eat.

We always welcome new voices from guest contributors, so please let us know if you are interested!

Happy birthday #2: new soon-to-be-life
In addition to Zomppa, happy birthday number #2 came in the form of celebrating soon-to-be-new-life. I’m about to be an aunt for the first time. The Kid decided to keep his gender a secret until Friday (first boy in my family! Yes, my poor dad in a house full of five women….). So months ago, my little sister (aka Monkey) decided on a surprise baby shower – the theme: “It’s Under Wraps.” Get it?

Teresa and Mary, two of the most gorgeous, kind-hearted people I know, hosted. Teresa is one of my sister’s best friends and her sister, Mary, is one of my oldest friends from high school). Confused yet?

Long story short, we spend the last couple months devising a secret shower, complete with a menu of all appetizers “under wraps” (everything had to wrapped, rolled or stuffed like well-kept secrets or swaddled babies).

Unfortunately, due to another set of events , the whole thing almost fell apart because of happy birthday to #3. So instead of the menu I wanted, thank goodness for Whole Foods and their prepared foods section. I was still able to make my smoked salmon pinwheels, but adapted a few items: including sopressata wrapped with Parmagiano-Reggiano, stuffed tomatoes, orzo pasta stuffed in pita, and chicken sausage hoagies. This was topped off by Italian sodas and one of the best cakes I’ve ever had – not too sweet but perfect – baked by Mary’s friend.

For shower gifts, I pushed a bit of my agenda…I made reusable lunchbags out of old burlap coffee bags I got from Counter Culture Coffee. I included bulk items: quinoa, chocolate covered almonds, oats, cherries, sunflowers, and an Odwalla bar…trying to push healthy, economical, and environmentally friendly eating on the new mom and friends!

Although I didn’t get to make everything I wanted to, I have included a couple recipes of EASY party recipes that you can make ahead of time but sure to delight.

Happy birthday #3: new house
I didn’t get to really cook because of happy birthday #3 to new beginnings. After over 30 years, my parents decided this was the weekend to move from my childhood home to be closer to my preggers sister. Instead of hanging out and enjoying the last night, however, I spent 48 hours with 2 hours sleep moving, lifting, moving…I’m still recovering. It was kinda nice to clean out, but wish I had more time to enjoy seeing the old toys and childhood memorabilia before tossing them out.

What a weekend. New beginnings in so many areas – scary sometimes but in the end, always good.

Happy Birthday, Zomppa!

Quinoa Stuffed Pita

Quinoa Stuffed Pita
1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 TB olive oil
1/2 cup chives, chopped
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped
Salt
Pepper

1. Toast quinoa in oven or skillet for a couple minutes (adds great depth)
2. Heat oil over medium heat in skilled
3. Add chives and cook until soft (about 1 minute)
4. Add quinoa and stir for a couple minutes
5. Meanwhile, bring broth to a simmer in a separate pot
6. Add broth to quinoa, season with salt and pepper
7. Reduce to simmer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes until quinoa is tender
8. Add in cherries and pecans

Parmagiano-Reggiano Stuffed Dates
1 chunk Parmaginao-Reggiano
Dates
Marcona almonds

1. Simply put the three together

Smoked Salmon Pinwheels

Smoked Salmon Pinwheels
1/2 package whole wheat Lavash bread
8 oz. smoked salmon
1/4 red onion
1/2 bunch dill
4 oz. organic cream cheese spread

1. Spread cream cheese with hands on Lavash bread
2. Add chopped dill
3. Add chopped red onion
4. Add smoked salmon
5. Roll and slice