Anything But Corn-Fed: Healthy College Cooking in Rural Iowa

I love sharing stories about my food almost as much as I enjoy cooking. After realizing I was e-mailing my mom with descriptions of my meals and new recipes everyday, I thought I must be a prime candidate for food blogging. This is mostly for my family and friends, the people who would be reading my food-themed e-mails anyway (and the occasional beneficiaries of my cooking) but maybe I will inspire some other readers on a budget as well.

Last week I made whole wheat molasses bread, one of my favorite recipes from The Laurel’s Kitchen Bread Book: A Guide to Whole-Grain Breadmaking by Laurel Robertson. It uses very little yeast and has a twelve-hour rise. According to Laurel, this “long, slow fermentation softens the bran particles and gives the dough enzymes a chance to release a wealth of trace minerals.” And it’s just damn tasty.

By this week, the bread was getting a bit dry and, not wanting to waste good mineral-y bread, I have been making french toast for breakfast all week. Normally I would go to The Breakfast Club, a get together for a group of friends I made over the summer (as well as a cult classic film of the 1980s), on a Friday morning. This morning, however, they prepared hot 7-grain cereal from Paul’s Grains in Laurel, Iowa with sorghum. Since I’ve never been able to choke the stuff down, I stayed home and used up the last of my bread.

I love french toast because it is exponentially more delicious than the time you put into it, which is about 10 minutes for me. I use eggs that I buy from my CSA farmer and organic milk from Kalona, Iowa, an Amish community about a half hour away. I just eyeball my measurements but I’ve given you a starting point to play around with.

Caroline’s Single Serving Healthy French Toast

2 slices whole grain bread

1 egg

1 tbl skim milk

1/4 tsp salt

dash of cinnamon (optional)

2 tbl olive oil, for frying

honey, to serve

Beat egg, milk, and salt together in a small mixing bowl.

Dip the bread in the batter, even let it soak for a minute or two. Heat a skillet with olive oil on medium hear. Sprinkle some cinnamon on the bread if you like. Fry the bread and wait for it to brown. I usually do about two minutes per side, but you should check to see how long it takes to brown the first time you make it. Every skillet distributes heat differently and mine are crappy ones I inherited with my rented apartment (along with a George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine). Remove from heat, drizzle with honey (or whatever topping you prefer… honey is a good local option- I can buy it at my farmer’s market- and I like it better than maple syrup), and chow down!

 Me and honey bear in the morning!