Cooking at the Cote's - Welcome!

A self described foodie, I love eating delicious and nutrient dense food, talking about food, reading about food, cooking/baking food, thinking about food, drinking wine...the food related activities are endless! So often I get questions from family and friends about where I get recipes and how I prepare a lot of what my husband and I eat. This blog is meant to share what's cooking in the Cote household - on the stovetop and otherwise - so that you can learn (and share!) tips, inspirations, recipes, resources and other food related tidbits. Nourish your bodies!

A bit of background on my food philosophy.

Over two years ago while reading “Fowl Play,” an article in Self Magazine, I learned about the practices of what I now know to be called Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (learn about CAFOs here). Animals in CAFOs have higher incidences of infection, lethargy, anxiety and premature death. I was appalled to realize that the food industry I had so blindly trusted with my personal health was simultaneously responsible for such atrocities. I was also greatly taken aback that this article was my first exposure to information about the practices of America’s industrialized food system. 

Aside from growing disgusted and angry, since reading that article, I have made it my business to read several other accounts on the topics of locally supported organic and sustainable agriculture, food safety, nutrition and metabolism, and the “slow food” movement. 

I have come to the realization that American food culture has moved away from wholesome, nutrient dense foods – a diet of seasonal fruits and vegetables, legumes and whole grains - to a diet of highly processed foods containing substances foreign to our bodies. These additives, including high fructose corn syrup, monosodium glutamate (MSG) and artificial preservatives among others, provide no nutritional value to our diet and are linked with contemporary illnesses such as Type II Diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. 

Jillian Michaels, in her book Master Your Metabolism, puts it best by explaining that our bodies have not evolved in modern times to be able to process man-made additives. She advises that if a food item doesn't grow from the ground or have a mother...you probably shouldn't eat it. I try to operate under just that philosophy. While following a vegetarian diet, I cook with whole, nutrient dense foods, including mostly: fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains (as unprocessed as possible), nuts/seeds, eggs and cheese. I cook with everything in its most natural, raw/unprocessed form as often as possible.

While you may not love every recipe or share my food philosophy, I hope you take something away from this. Please post comments and enjoy!