the quest for zest

A food & travel community from The Crossroads of America.

Eat Local. Travel Global.

Going Paleo With Dr. Gladd, Part 1

The Quest For Zest - Main image.

An introduction to the paleo way of eating.

This week, in conjunction with Gladd MD, we begin a three-part video series devoted to “eating paleo” and what that means. I was curious to learn if this way of eating was supported with real science, or if it was just the latest in a chain of flavor-of-the-month diet fads. In this video, Dr. Jeffrey Gladd explains what the paleo diet is, how it can help regulate insulin levels, and how that can, in turn, start to undo the damage from eating a steady diet of highly processed food. In the next two videos, Dr. Gladd will explain why the paleo way of life might be right for you, and how to start eating like a caveman.

read more

Pizza Italiano, Part 2

The Quest For Zest - Main image.

Making the sauce and choosing toppings.

In our last article, “Pizza Italiano, Part 1”, I took you through the steps of making a simple and authentic Italian-style pizza crust. This article gets down to the business of making a sauce and preparing a couple of our favorite toppings. The sauce contains only the essential ingredients, so it can easily be modified to suit a variety of tastes. The toppings for a roasted mushroom, or prosciutto and arugula pizza, are not only quick, but authentically Italian. Required kitchen gear for these recipes is just a food processor to make the sauce, a box grater for the cheese, and a large skillet for the roasted mushrooms.

read more

Clay County Coffee Stout

The Quest For Zest - Main image.

Last of the line.

I recently had the pleasure of sampling a remarkably good beer that was being produced in the central Indiana town of Brazil. It’s called Clay County Coffee Stout and, in my book, it was good enough to hold it’s own against any other well known stout. The important thing to note though, is that I said, “was”. Sadly, the brewery responsible for this marvelous stout, Bee Creek Brewing, has just closed it’s doors.

read more

Pizza Italiano, Part 1

The Quest For Zest - Main image.

Making the crust.

Pizza is one of those foods I, like almost everyone, have enjoyed my whole life. Growing up, Dad would make pizza from scratch a couple of times a month. I can still remember peering over the counter top and stealing a nibble of Italian sausage or shredded cheese before he would shoo me away with a wave of his spatula. Through high school, Pizza Hut was my favored greasy treat which subsequently ensured a constellation of pimples on my face for every yearbook photo. As I got older, I came to love deep-dish Chicago-style pizzas with their cornmeal crusts and chunky toppings held together with gooey layers of cheese.

read more

The One and Only Powers Hamburgers

The Quest For Zest - Main image.

Little burgers, big memories.

As a kid, Powers Hamburgers was one of my dad’s favorite places to take my sister and I. We loved sitting at the counter and drinking a milk shake while we watched our little square burgers being squished down and smothered in a pile of grilled onions. My dad has never met a stranger, so we’d always talk with the cooks and the other customers in the tiny restaurant. It was just one of those experiences of childhood that is seared into my brain.

read more

Bent Rim Black Lager

The Quest For Zest - Main image.

Do Good. Get Bent.

What you are looking at is a half-pint of Mad Anthony Brewing’s Bent Rim Black Lager. As the tagline, “Do Good. Get Bent.” implies, enjoying a pint will not only help you smooth off the edges of a rough week, but part of the proceeds will benefit a good cause. Specifically, to raise money for the bike trail networks in Allen, Dekalb, Kosciusko, and Steuben Counties. Blaine Stuckey and his partners, Todd Grantham and Jeff Neels, are all avid cyclists and their desire to one day see all these northern Indiana trail systems connected, led them to develop this fundraising plan on their own.

read more

Email me when a new article is up.