I just saw a clip of Honey Boo Boo’s mother making a pasta dish she calls “Sketti,” implying that without road kill, they won't have enough money to get real food from the grocery store this week. Sketti
consists of white spaghetti noodles, coated in a sauce made from butter and
ketchup.
Right, I say to myself. You are earning a boat-load of money
from doing this reality show, which means you have loads of dough in a trust
for the children, which can be removed to purchase things like healthy food for
them, with 10% of that going to you as Honey Boo Boo’s agent, but you still
don’t have enough money to cook a meal with nutritious minerals, vitamins and
fiber?
Apparently not.
Not being a cable subscriber I don’t watch Honey Boo Boo's show myself, but
have watched clips of the family online. From what I can see, the mother is
an intelligent, thoughtful person. She treats her children in a way that they
have respect for themselves and others.
But do they eat nutritious, fibrous foods and exercise? Not on
TV. The little exercise consists of games (which they call “redneck” games) that
include putting on a blindfold and smelling each other’s breath to guess whose
it is.
I know no one would tune in to watch Honey
Boo Boo learn to be a healthy, responsible contribution to society. Wouldn’t it be neat, though, if they lulled Americans
unconcerned about nutrition into watching their show and then got healthier and
healthier -- for example, refusing to drink soft drinks that contain
high-fructose corn syrup -- and in the end, helped to cause a sea-change in the eating habits of
American society?
But if a person isn’t as rich as Honey Boo Boo and really
does need to eat pasta and sauce for a meal with nothing else, here’s what I would recommend to
replace Sketti: Spicy peanut sauce on buckwheat noodles. The combination of
the peanuts and buckwheat makes a complete protein. It’s also gluten-free (or lower gluten, if you prefer the type that has some wheat flour), full
of fiber, and delicious.
Why peanuts, with all the allergy complaints about them these days?
I mean that you should use organic peanuts of course. Peanuts, like soybeans and raisins, are the
most heavily pesticided crops in the world (or were, the last time I checked).
No wonder everyone’s allergic to them! Personally, I get sick from eating
non-organic peanuts. (I even get sick from eating Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups!) So, I only buy the
organic ones and I have no problems.
I make my own, fresh peanut butter in the Vita-Mix (It takes
30-60 seconds) with roasted and salted organic peanuts. But you can buy organic peanut butter in most stores these days,
because of all the problems people have with regular brands.
Spicy Peanut Sauce
Adapted from The Natural Gourmet
¾ cup organic peanut butter
3 tablespoons grade B maple syrup
3 tablespoons Tamari (wheat-free soy sauce)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
Optional: 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper or if available, ground szechuan peppercorns
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
¾ cup water (or to consistency desired)
Cayenne pepper to taste
Chopped scallions and chopped organic peanuts to garnish
1. Combine
peanut butter, maple syrup and tamari, and mix well.
2. Heat
oil until hot in a small frying pan; add garlic, cumin (and if desired, ½
teaspoon ground Szechuan peppercorns or black pepper). Saute for 20-30 seconds, just until cumin releases its fragrance, and remove promptly from heat. Immediately add to
peanut butter mixture. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper, or more if desired.
3. Add
water, a little at a time, mixing after each addition, until it is the
consistency you desire.
Serve over regular or gluten-free buckwheat noodles, garnished with chopped
scallions and chopped organic peanuts.
