Test Drive Kitchen

Karen's Kitchen Ambush

2011-04-25T21:32:00.003-04:00

Hello again! Please check out my online cooking show, "Karen's Kitchen Ambush" where I make healthy and delicious dinner for a family from the ingredients found in their pantry and fridge. I was very lucky that this family had a variety of fresh items. I was totally expecting ramen noodles and ketchup! Maybe next time. I hope you enjoy it:

http://947freshfm.radio.com/2011/04/08/karens-kitchen-ambushpotomac-edition-fresh-bites/

Cooking with Karen

2011-04-17T06:55:00.004-04:00

Well, hello there! I wanted to let you all know that I started a business called, "Cooking with Karen." My job as a Healthy Cooking Coach is to show busy folks how to shop, meal plan and cook healthier for themselves and their families. I work in the Washington, DC area, but will be providing classes via Skype soon! While my new website is being constructed, you can learn more by clicking "like" on my Facebook Fanpage. Search for it on Facebook under "Cooking with Karen."

I'm so excited about this new endeavor! I hope we can work together soon. Thanks for reading Test Drive Kitchen. I will be keep this blog up for now and transfer my favorite posts to my future website: http://www.karencooking.com/. I'll update this blog when the website goes live.

All the best,

Karen

Roasterphobic, no more!

2010-01-09T16:02:00.014-05:00

Over the past few years I was buying rotissere chicken at the market and trying to convince myself that is was tasty. Hey, it was easy and quick and poultry. How bad could it be, right? Well, I was definitely kidding myself. The real reason that I ate it was because I was pretty gun-shy about handling a raw chicken and roasting it myself. Okay, gun-shy is putting it mildly. It gave me the willies to think about it. I couldn't even imagine finding the packet of giblets inside the bird. I shuddered. I shoke. I was a serious roasterphobic.

But that's not me, anymore! I didn't even have to go to therapy. I just bit the bullet and started to do it. And I have tried every method under the sun. First, I bought McCormick's roast chicken spice packets, complete with a bag to cook it in. I just didn't trust myself to season correctly, so I left it up to the McCormick family to guide me. But then, I became more confident and started experimenting with different fresh herbs. And then, I bought a roaster pan and got rid of the roaster bag that basically just steamed the bird to submission. Okay, well I didn't buy the pan at first. Initially, I brushed off the incredibly expensive, nuclear fallout shelter-like-wedding present-pan someone gave us for our wedding and tried that. It was so heavy, I could barely move it into the oven. So then came the roaster pan with rack that I bought at Target. And I breathed a sigh of relief because I finally found my preferred tool.

So for about a year now, I probably roast a chicken twice a month and it usually lasts us only about 3 days. Ryan's a big fan of both white and dark meat, so the bird goes fast in this house. I can only 3-4 lb chickens at Whole Foods at about $8 a pop. Well, today I roasted a $19 bird. Yup. You read that right. Double the cost. But what does a $19 bird taste like? And why the mark-up?

Long story, short....My husband and I have been interested in supporting local farmers and organic, humane farming practices. After seeing the movie, Food, Inc., we knew we needed to make choices that reflected our values: such as knowing where are food was coming from exactly and how it was treated. We recently became members of South Mountain Creamery and received our first delivery of whole milk for Ryan, eggs, yogurt and a 5 lb chicken that has been humanely raised and handled. In the picture above, you can see the Whole Foods 4 lb chicken on the left and locally rasied chicken on the right.

Karen's Super Easy, Roaster-phobic No More, Roast Chicken:

Oven preheated to 350F and place the oven rack on the lowest level possible.

Here you go, you've got your dried herbs (sage, rosemary and thyme and salt and pepper), one whole lemon and your fresh herbs: sage, rosemary and thyme. I cut up whatever veggies I had on hand, but the most important to include are 1 sweet onion, a handful of garlic cloves, and celery. Just cut them up or throw in the cloves whole with the peel on! Today I added carrots and parsnips. But you can add anything. I usually have mushrooms and sweet potatos in the mix. Lay everything on the bottom of the roasting pan and season it with the dried herbs to your liking and a little salt and pepper.

For the chicken, reach inside the cavity (yes, if I can do it, so can you), take out the giblets, usually in a plastic bag and toss it or save it for the gravy. Now, this next part is controversial in cooking circles. It's perfectly okay to not rinse the chicken. The heat in the oven will kill all bacteria. But some of us were brought up a certain way and can't resist rinsing the chicken. I'm part of that crowd...I'm not proud of it, it's just what I know. So, take everything out of your sink first of all including the sponge, because no matter what you do, raw poultry juices are going to splash out that bacteria and you don't want it spraying the dishes. Rinse your bird, inside and out and pat dry with a paper towel. Season the inside of the chicken with salt and pepper and cut up one lemon to insert inside. Take your fresh herbs and shove them in, too. Save a few to put under the chicken breast skin, too. Take about 2 T of olive oil and massage the chicken, then add as much dried herbs as you like. Put the rack on top of the veggies and place that bird breast side up just like this:

Roasting time? At 350F, it's 20 minutes per pound, plus 15 minutes at the end. Then, 10 minutes of resting before carving. For this 5 pounder, I roasted it for 115 minutes. Turns out, I probably should have shaved off 5-10 minutes. When time was up and I took it's temperature, I was a few degrees above where I should have been. Ideally, it's 165 F when inserted into the thigh. Mine was 170F. So, I quickly took it out and let it rest. The result? A juicy bird, but a touch too dry in my opinion. I think that every chicken has it's own personality and no two roast chickens come out the same. Even though I went by the book on this one, I probably should have checked it and taken it out a few minutes before. Lesson learned and I'll do it differently next time.

Resting for fifteen minutes and waiting to be carved...

And now it's time for the gravy!! Take the rack off the pan and set it aside. You have all this incredible flavor waiting to be turned into gravy that will rock your world. Grab a sieve and place it onto of a bowl. Carefully pick up the roasting pan and dump everything in and let the sieve separate your veggies from the pan juices. Set the veggies aside for a side dish later. Put the roasting pan onto two burners on your stove top and add 3 T of butter on medium heat. The butter will melt and pick up all the lovely bits of fat left behind. This is the base of your gravy. After the butter melts, mix in 3 T of flour and whisk it up.

Take 2 T of the leftover pan juices and add it to the pan. Save the rest of the juices for a later step. For now, bring the gravy to a boil. It will start to thicken up and become a paste. At this point, you'll need to add some chicken broth to the remaining pan juices sitting in the bowl and stir it up. Start by adding 1 cup of this broth/juice mixture to the roasting pan. Bring both burners down to a simmer. On a low heat, your paste/juice combo will start by looking like a thinner sauce, but will shortly thicken up to a gravy. At this point, taste it and add salt and pepper to season to your liking. If you would like, add more pan juices until you reach your desired consistency. You'll be keeping both burners on low at this point and the sauce will continue to thicken up. Here's what it will look like:

Okay, now it's dinner time at our house and Ryan is in his high chair waiting to taste this chicken. I'll let you know what the verdict is...

Happy Roasting!

To Blog or Not to Blog, that is the question...

2010-01-06T14:10:00.004-05:00

Hello friends,

Wow, it's been almost a year since I've written on Test Drive Kitchen. The blog may have an inch of dust and a few virtual cobwebs, but my real kitchen (in desperate need of renovation) is getting an incredible workout everyday. My son is now 18 months old and I'm introducing him to all kinds of wonderful foods. He tries everything I serve from butternut squash to cauliflower to quinoa. I am so proud! Here's a video starring my son Ryan discovering an innovative way of eating Cheerios:

Besides running after a very fast toddler, there's been a lot of wonderful changes happening in my life over the last year and I'd love to share them with you.

I've successfully kept off over 40 lbs since May 2008! I feel like I have endless energy, I get wonderful, uninterrupted sleep, skin is looking fresh and glowy, but best of all, I learned so much more about myself. Ever since my appearance at "City Hall" in Annapolis where I lobbyed for calorie amounts at chain restaurants, I've become fascinated with food politics. Recently a change my family has made is to buy food from local farmers so we know where our food is coming from and how it is grown. On Thursday, we're getting our first delivery of organic milk, cheese, eggs and a roasting hen. I'll blog all about it!

Also, since April 2008, I've had a radio segment on a DC pop station called Mix 107.3 FM. You can hear me online or if you're local tune in on Monday nights at 8:50 EST (http://www.mix1073fm.com/) The segment is called Mom Gone Wild and I tell real life, mostly humorous stories from mommyhood. It's part stand up and part improv. The DJ Tommy McFly is a friend of mine from when I performed at the DC Improv. I'm having a blast doing it.

I'm continuing to cook up a storm, but now I'm mostly doing my own recipes. I thought I should start writing them down and share them with you. As always, I try to get the most nutritional bang for my buck. So there will be less of testing other's recipes and more of testing my own.

And finally, I have a favor to ask you...I need your help. It's become clearer to me that my career path, while on hold for the moment while I live at Stay at Home Mom-ville, should be focused on helping families incorporate healthy cooking in their lives. Both my happiness and health have benefited greatly from changing my family's diet from processed foods to whole foods. I am tinkering with the idea of starting my own personal consulting business where I assess a family's need and particular obstacles first, then, work with them in organizing their pantry and fridge, take them shopping (in an economical way!) and teach them to plan and cook healthy meals. My husband suggested I start by going on a "listening tour" and ask people what they would find the most helpful from this kind of service. This is where YOU come in. I would love to hear from you via comments or email (testdrivekitchen@yahoo.com). Tell me your frustrations, vent a little or a lot and tell me what your fairy godmother, er, healthy cook consultant could do to make your life easier.

Glad to be back and can't wait to hear from you!!

Best,

Karen

You want the truth? You can't handle the truth!!

2009-03-04T17:05:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I put on my nicest suit, handed Ryan over to Daddy (aka Mr. Mom) for the day, and travelled to Annapolis, Maryland to testify on behalf of House Bill 601: legislation that would make all chain restaurants (fast food, not mom & pop shops) put the calorie count of each item on their menu boards. I walked into a huge hearing room full of 40 state delegates who had the power to keep the bill in committee or send it to the Statehouse for a vote. I wanted to share with you the written testimony I submitted. Here it goes...

Maryland House of Delegates
Health & Government Operations Committee
House Office Building, Room 241
6 Bladen St., Annapolis, MD 21401

Dear Chairman Hammen and members of the Committee:

My name is Karen *****, and I’m a Maryland mom in support of Delegate Niemann’s menu labeling legislation (House Bill 601). I’ve also struggled to maintain a healthy weight throughout most of my adult life. Over the last five months, through mindful eating and moderate exercise, I’ve lost 29 lbs. I’m a new mom with a young baby, and my life is both fuller and more frenetic than ever. I need every resource available to help me stay on track. I want to be a good role model for my son, as well as to stay healthy to see all that he will accomplish in his life. For me and for so many others, staying on top of what we put in our mouths every day helps keep us accountable and able to stave off weight related illnesses. For this reason, I believe it is imperative that Maryland pass HB 601 to ensure that chain restaurants show the calorie counts of every item sold on their menu boards.

Whether I’m working to lose weight or to maintain a healthy weight, I look at calorie intake and output like a daily budget. When I make my food choices, I often think of them as line items. For instance, I have 500 calories to spend on breakfast. That breakfast needs to keep my hunger at bay for three or four hours before I eat again. When I enter an establishment, Starbucks for example, I want to be guided to make the best choice that I can for those 500 calories. If I see that one small muffin is equal in calories to a bowl of oatmeal with dried fruit, I know immediately that the oatmeal will get me to lunch. Alternatively, the muffin will most likely keep me satiated for only an hour. I’ve found that the key to staying committed to a healthy weight is not being hungry. I can accomplish this by making the right food choice for every meal and snack.

It is not enough for this information to be provided on a web site or for customers to have to ask for it in a brochure. Recently I visited a Panera restaurant. Since I hadn’t visited one for a while, I went online to research the options I had. I chose at least 5 menu items I liked that fit within my calorie budget and figured I’d make the final choice when I arrived. To my disappointment, NONE of the items I picked was available. And, of course, there was no nutritional information on the menu boards. With my baby son in tow and in need of his bottle, I needed to make a fast decision and chose a salad which did not look appetizing. In fact, it wasn’t appealing in taste or presentation. This particular experience was one I thought I had planned for well. There are times when I’m in an area I’m not familiar with or I’m stuck at a mall and have limited food choices. These are times when I’m hungry, and I haven’t had the opportunity to plan ahead. In these instances, calorie counts listed on menu boards are my only option to make good decisions. Of course, these are rarely available, and I must limit my food later in the day to make up for undesirable choices earlier. I’ll never forget the time I came home and searched the web to find that the single slice of Sbarro pizza I had eaten contained not only 710 calories, but also 27 grams of fat! Not only that, but the Sbarro website does not display this information. I had to search online for other websites that provided it. Because I do not have access to this important nutrition information, I cannot return to these restaurants until it is made available on their menus.

One stunning fact that is clear to me time and time again is how the power of knowledge affects our perception, as well as our decisions. For years, we’ve been introduced to items like 7 Eleven’s Big Gulp and McDonald’s Supersize fries. Our personal perceptions of appropriate portions were lost when these items became the norm. The simple solution is to offer nutritional information that is accessible and easy for everyone to see. Sometimes basic awareness will lead a person to take the action necessary to make one’s health a priority. In addition, the helpful sign nearby that explains that a 2,000 calorie daily diet is the general rule of thumb for healthy living will give additional perspective to the diner. Perhaps then 388 calories (or approximately 1/5 of an adult’s total calorie needs per day!) for a Big Gulp of soda will seem outrageous to most customers.

With all of this in mind, the restaurants that provide nutritional information on their menus have gained my loyalty. Isn’t creating customer loyalty the whole point of providing a service or a product? Shouldn’t this be in the business plan of all chain restaurants? By providing this information, I have a sense of good will toward the restaurateurs. They are showing me that they care about my health and that of my family. Clearly, they want me to return often.

Finally, as a new mom, I’ve been inundated with retailers telling me which formula is nutritionally the most sound, which bottle is the safest, and even which bassinet and crib will help prevent SIDS. Every commercial, every product packaging, and every radio jingle, promises to keep my child healthy and thriving. So tell me, why is this promise any less important when dining out? In the supermarket, I pick organic foods with wholesome ingredients and limited sugar. I’m able to do this because I read labels on each item before I buy it. Doesn’t it just make good sense for me to continue making these informed choices when ordering at chain restaurants? In conclusion, I need this information presented in a way that I find useful. Juggling a baby, a diaper bag and toys while leafing through a brochure just will not cut it. I need the nutritional information prominently presented next to the item I’m ordering.

I urge you to support HB 601.

Try soup...it couldn't hurt!

2009-01-22T18:42:00.004-05:00

Now that I'm the "jewish mother" I've always longed to be, I'm going to nag you a little. Just a little, I promise. If you're working on your weight loss or simply trying to maintain your weight, trust me on this one. Have a cup of soup at least once a day. I have mine before my main meal, which for me is lunchtime. First of all, you can't stand up and eat soup. Though I'm sure many have tried. Instead, you'll find yourself sitting down and taking your time to savor the flavors. Soup forces you to eat slowly and enjoy your meal. I think eating slowly gives you an opportunity for your belly to tell the brain it's full. These natural cues for hunger and feeling satiated are half the battle when it comes to practicing portion control.

In a pinch, I've tried low sodium canned options like Amy's Organic soups - which are pretty darn tasty, but nothing really compares to the homemade variety. Here's one of my recent favorites. Picture & recipe by Weight Watchers.

Creamy Mushroom Soup

Ingredients

1 spray(s) cooking spray
1 cup(s) leek(s), chopped
2 medium stalk(s) celery, chopped
2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
1 pound(s) button mushrooms, sliced
3 cup(s) fat-free chicken broth, reduced-sodium
3/4 cup(s) fat-free evaporated milk
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste

Instructions

Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and set pan over medium-high heat. Add leeks, celery and garlic; sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms; sauté until they release juice, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add broth to pan and bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat and puree soup in saucepan using an immersion blender. Or puree soup in batches in a blender until smooth (be careful not to splatter the hot liquid) and then return to saucepan. Add milk to pan and simmer 1 minute to heat through. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving. Points value is 2 per serving.

Stew & the slooooow cooker

2009-01-19T08:17:00.006-05:00

Got ten minutes? Great. Then, you've got time to make a fabulous stew. I'm totally serious. All you need is a slow cooker and the confidence to let the cooker do the work for you. And if you've got nerves of steel, leave the house while it's on. I know, I know. That's what they're built for, but I'm a nervous nellie and I don't even leave lights on when I'm heading out the door. But I know YOU can do it. You're probably a lot less anxious than me.

Anyhoo, getting back to this fantastic stew from Weight Watchers. All you need is this:

Middle Eastern Lamb Stew (for the slow cooker) from Weight Watchers

Ingredients

1 pound(s) lean leg of lamb, stew meat, cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 cup(s) canned beef broth
1 large onion(s), chopped
1 large garlic clove(s), minced
14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes, undrained
15 oz canned chickpeas
2 tsp ginger root, freshly grated
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Instructions
Place lamb in a 5-quart slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients (add a pinch of saffron threads to tint stew orange & enhance taste), except lemon juice; stir well. Cover and cook on LOW setting for 7 to 8 hours. Stir in lemon juice and let stand for 5 minutes for flavors to blend.

Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving. Each serving is 6 WW points.

Seriously, the hardest part of this recipe was finding the stew meat. And that wasn't even so bad. I didn't see it out with the rest of the meat at the grocery store, so I just rang the bell for the butcher (insert visual of "Sam the Butcher" from the Brady Bunch) and he brought out a package from the back of the kitchen. He pointed out to me that some stew meat is "marbelized" with fat and that I should use meat that I can trim. Because getting fat out of marbelized meat is impossible. So pick wisely when you have choices.
If you don't have a microplane like me, then you easily pick up minced ginger (near the jars of minced garlic) in the produce section.
When you have a moment, check out http://www.penzeys.com/. I buy most of my spices there and I'm lucky to have a store nearby. But the majority of their customers buy online or through their catalog. I mention this because I truly believe that their cinnamon is superior to anything I've ever had before. And believe me, the scent of that cinnamon through the house while your cooking this stew is worth the price of admission.
For those of you following the Weight Watchers program, 1 1/2 cups of this stew is incredibly filling for 6 points. And the flavor is to die for. I can't wait for you to try it and let me know what you think.

2009: A return to blogging!

2009-01-19T06:22:00.004-05:00

Hello friends,

It's been six months since I've become a mom and so much change has happened in my life. I feel so incredibly fortunate to be Ryan's mom. Happiness & peace have been the baseline of my life since his arrival. These feelings have affected every part of my life. Including how I view my own health and vitality.

Full disclosure now: the first three months of adjustment were not easy. I pretty much gave up on cooking and exercise due to throwing my entire energy into caring for our newborn son. This lack of caring for my own self caused me to drag from lack of energy. As happy as I was to finally be a mom, I wasn't enjoying it fully because I felt...well, crappy. So after the inevitable weight gain, my husband and I made a plan. We would put "me" back on the map and schedule in time for him to take care of Ryan and for me to focus on healthy cooking and moderate exercise. Also I took charge of my own destiny on November 4 and started a food diary which took the form of a wipe off board on my fridge. I'm still cooking with whole grains, lean meats, veggies and fruits, but I'm careful to eat the appropriate portion for my 5'3 stature. All these changes did not happen overnight, but they've been easy to maintain because I didn't go overboard. My mantra is slow and steady wins the race.

The last three months have been infinitely better. First, I lost 20 lbs (Yay!!!) but more importantly, I'm relishing every single moment of being a mom because I have a skip in my step again. It's not over yet, though. You'll start to see some changes in this blog due to my efforts. I'll start to share more about portion control, exercise and finding balance in life. I'm working on learning habits that are realistic and sustainable...I'm definitely not trying to be a perfect person when it comes to food. Just to be more accountable to myself.

I've missed this blog and all of my friends online. I'm looking forward to sharing with you again the adventures of Test Drive Kitchen.

All the best,

Karen

We're all sleeping through the night...and I'm cooking again!

2008-10-16T13:09:00.004-04:00

Hello everyone!!!

Yes, it's been forever since I've posted. My son is 12 weeks old today and I'm finally starting to feel like I can juggle more than one thing. Wow, it's been an incredible three months. We're blessed with the calmest, sweetest baby who has "trained" me very well as a first time mom. He is all smiles now and is started to sleep more now that his tummy can take in more formula.

Here's a picture of our little cookie monster....

My hubby and I have been reeling from the effects of sleep deprivation, lack of consistent excercise and a steady stream of good, wholesome food. The best I could do for dinner most nights was frozen skillet-ready dinners...full of veggies. It wasn't awful, but it certainly wasn't good. Boy, did our taste buds miss the real thing. Hubby promised to spend all of Sunday being Ryan's primary caregiver if I could start cooking for the week again. This week was our first try at this arrangement, and it worked out beautifully.

I had forgotten what a fun experience it was to look through all of my cookbooks - especially Mark Bittman's books - then casually stroll through the Whole Foods contemplating meals. As hard as it is to walk away from Ryan for thirty minutes , I managed to leave him in the care of his capable daddy and just do it already :-)

Fall is my absolute favorite time to cook, because I'm a squash girl. Love it. Any gourd is a friend of mine. Because I was craving it, I had to make the Barefoot Contessa's Butternut Squash Risotto with Saffron. But I also experiemented on my own a bit. I started out making a roasted root vegetable soup and wound up with a cross between a hearty stew and a casserole. Here's what I did:

1 lb of sliced baby potatoes

1/2 lb sliced parsnips

5 cloves of whole garlic

2 T extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

large bunch of kale, trimmed of stems

6 cups of vegetable broth

1 cup of orzo

1 can of White Northern beans, drained

Parmesan, monterey jack and cheddar cheese (as desired)

I started out by placing all the root vegetables (potatoes, parsnips and garlic) in a casserole dish and mixed in the olive oil and my preferred amount of salt and pepper. I also added a generous amount of a spice blend called "Tuscan Seasoning" by Victoria Taylor's Seasoning. I highly recommend that you add your favorite spice blend - I love Penzey's, too - to customize this stew to your liking.

I roasted the veggies at 400F for 40 minutes. Check on it three times and move the contents around a bit. They are finished when you can poke a fork in the potato and it's nice and soft.

Meanwhile I boiled about 2 cups of salted water and put in the strips of kale I had sliced off the stem. I boiled it quickly - about five minutes- to take away the bitterness. I drained the pot, left the kale in, and added the beans and broth. I brought it all to a quick boil, added in the root veggies, and put the temp to low and simmered it for about 45 minutes. I also added in another generous dash of Tuscan seasonings. Then I added in a cup or so of orzo.

Now came the insane part. It literally took me three hours to make this soup from start to finish. Wait! Don't get freaked. This had nothing to do with the complexity of the recipe - which you can see is not at all complex. Did I mention that I tried to make this starting at 4pm on a Tuesday afternoon. Big no-no in this house, as that's the beginning of the "unhappy hour." I had to keep stopping and starting again to feed, change and love (oh so hard, right) a very fussy Ryan.

One thing that went out the window on this meal, was any kind of measurement. I guessed at everything. No time to measure..so that's where my soup turned into a stew/casserole. The orzo took over the whole thing and the broth basically disappeared. Oh well. Still turned out really yummy. Oh, and the cheese? Just add in any of the three, or all of them, when you serve it hot.

What's that I hear? Ryan's waking up from his nap for another bottle. I've got to run. But here's another picture of the future heartbreaker:

Worth the Wait

2008-07-27T11:56:00.004-04:00

My hubby and I are overjoyed to announce the arrival of our son, Ryan Eli on July 24th at 2:32pm. We were fortunate to be there in the delivery to welcome him into the world. I hope you all understand that I disappeared for a while for a good reason...we were frantically getting ready for our son after learning we were going to be his parents just a few weeks ago!

I promise I'll get back to cooking and posting again, but for now, I'm going to be busy being a new mommy.

Well, that's random!

2008-05-29T10:04:00.003-04:00

I'm excited to see that my blog is highlighted today as "Today's Ten Random Blogs" on the Foodie Blogroll. A very warm welcome to my new visitors! Thanks for stopping by. I needed that kick in the butt to write a new post, so I'm going to make this a good one.

Oh boy, you're going to love this.

Chocolate Beet Cake! Let's get ready to rumble!!

This week, I received three beautiful red beets in my CSA box. If you've been to my blog before, you know how much I adore beets, but have only used the golden variety. Honestly, I feel like Lady Macbeth after chopping up a vegetable that oozes red juice everywhere.

However, red beets were present and accounted for and I had to carry on. Carefully.

Recently, I've read that the natural sugar in beets can enhance the flavor of chocolate. Yes, you read that right. So, I found a recipe for chocolate beet cake and decided to give it a go.

You're shaking your head in disbelief, right? You've shoved your chair away from the computer desk in disgust. Hands thrown in the air in utter contempt. You may even be sticking your fingers in your ears and singing "I'm not listening!" But if you trust me at all. Even the tiniest bit. Please, please make this cake.

Chocolate Beet Cake, posted by Paula Borchardt, Tucson CSA

approximately 1 cup cooked, chopped beets
1/4 cup water
approximately 1 cup applesauce, unsweetened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup chocolate chips

Puree the beets and water in a blender or food processor. Pour into a large measuring container and add enough applesauce to make two cups total. Mix in the vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar.

In a separate bowl, mix all the other ingredients together; fold in the beet mixture and mix all thoroughly. Bake in a pre-greased 9×13″ pan at 325° for 35 minutes.

I boiled one large beet in a saucepan with just enough water to cover it. After I drained the water and pureed it, it was only 3/4 cup. I probably should have thrown in another half a beet to make it 1 cup. Oh well.
Quality ingredients make for a quality end product. I splurged and bought Ghirardelli cocoa and chocolate chips. No regrets here.
The original recipe called for 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour. I decided to take a chance and split that between 1 cup of whole wheat and 1/2 cup of white flour. Don't get me wrong, I love baked goods with whole wheat flour, but it tends to create a denser product. I wanted this cake to be light and moist. It was all that and more.
Notice there's no oil, eggs or milk in this recipe. If you used vegan chocolate chips, you would have a vegan dessert. Remind me to tell you sometime about my trip to San Francisco over a decade ago and my first visit to a vegan bakery (yes, JB, you were with me!) Aah, what a mere child I was then. So much to learn.

Notice there's no picture of the chocolate beet cake in this post.

That's because it's gone. Gone, baby, gone.

Now go make it!

Stress

2008-05-27T09:01:00.004-04:00

I've done a massive amount of cooking (and baking!) over the last few days and have neglected to share it here. I promise that I'll put up the recipes today or tomorrow and share the pictures of this week's CSA box, too. But before I do that, I wanted to share my thoughts with you about a health issue that we all struggle with from time to time: stress.

Stress can be acute for many of us, while for others something that results slowly over the years. I've struggled with how much personal information I've wanted to share here and sometimes when I go silent for a few days it's because I'm not sure if it's even relevant to the blog. But the truth is, no matter how dedicated we are to living a healthy lifestyle, the unexpected can happen and we wind up sidelined.

I've been dealing with some acute stress brought on by the complexity and uncertainty of the adoption process and unfortunately it's manifested into some physical symptoms. Mainly, loss of appetite and energy. Hubby and I have had a very tough few weeks on our road to parenthood. But I'm pleased to say that we've managed far better than I ever expected. Mentally and emotionally, we've tapped our individual and joint strength. I'm so proud of the marriage we've created and our ability to deal with the emotional roller coaster we're on.

With all that said, I've been pretty surprised at my own body's reaction. In fact, I was pretty darn frustrated that my head felt fine, but my body refused to get back in the game. My workouts have been for crap and I've had no desire to eat the wonderful, healing foods I've been making. I thought I could just "will" myself to feel better. But the truth is, stress can be a shock to one's body and no amount of pushing or yelling or encouragement will make healing go any faster. It just takes time and patience and the knowledge that it's just a temporary situation.

Recently, someone offered me a great metaphor for how stress affects our bodies. Imagine a swimming pool full of clear, blue, calm waters. Then, someone spills a bottle of ink in it. You can't just get a ladle and scoop the ink out. It's everywhere and the filters just need time to clean in out.

I'm learning to treat myself more gently and let my body's filters do their job. I'll eat better when my body is ready. I'll have more energy for the treadmill soon. But pushing myself-or judging myself harshly- is like adding another bottle of ink to the pool. It will only make things worse.

So, if you're dealing with stress now, please think about what I said. Whether your stress is the result of work, a sick loved one, buying or selling your house...please be gentle and kind to yourself. Putting high expectations on yourself might only aggravate your health further.

Packing lunch, among other things...

2008-05-23T07:04:00.004-04:00

In my preparation for motherhood, I've been thinking a lot about how kids eat today. If you're a parent or not, you can't ignore the convenience products in bright & fun packaging on grocery store shelves and promoted rather effectively on television. Yogurt in tubes, purple colored ketchup, and cookies in "fun" shapes. Everything possible to entice kids to eat. Except it's so hopped up on preservatives, salt and sugar, that kids today never really know how tasty real food in it's pure form can be. I have some pretty strong feelings about this, so I'm trying to be careful and not go on a rant. I can only tell you that over the last 1.5 years that hubby and I have transitioned from processed foods to whole foods, I've discovered that my palate has suddenly come alive. There's so many flavors that I didn't even know existed. It's enhanced our lives in numerous ways and I doubt we'll ever go back to our old ways.

During the adoption process, hubby and I have been asked to reflect and write down our parenting philosophies. This is such an abstract question and it's really hard to know where to begin. One of the hopes I have when we are parents is that we'll be able to share our joy of nutritious healthful food with our kids. I've been thinking a lot about how to bring up "thoughtful eaters." And I've come to a few conclusions.

1) Plant a vegetable garden. It's incredibly empowering to order seeds, plant them, nurture their life, and eventually harvest them and add them to your meals. I think it instills a sense of wonder to watch it happen before you eyes.

2) Visit an organic farm. Talk about seasonal eating with your kids and let them discover for themselves the difference between a strawberry in January and one picked in the summer.

3) From a very early age, have your child eat exactly what you eat. I've been inspired by some of my friends who are parents who placed steamed broccoli and fresh pineapple on their 2 year old's plates. And when talking about food with your kids, nothing should fall in the "good" or "bad" categories. Just practice moderation. And don't use food as a reward or a punishment. Developing healthy relationships with food at a young age will be the best gift we can give.

4) Even though your young child can't run heavy machinery in the kitchen yet, there's no reason they can't be your sous chef by tearing pieces of chicken apart or separating orange slices for a salad. Involving your child in meal planning and cooking may encourage them try new food you introduce.

5) Pack lunch for your child - even if you do it the night before. It doesn't have to be elaborate, but it will definitely be healthier than those shrink wrapped plastic trays of "food" sold for your convenience.

Now, I know I'm taking a big risk by sharing my theories of parenting a child with you. I don't have a child yet and I'm kind of afraid you'll think I'm making unrealistic suggestions. But I do know that there's nothing more important than our health and well being. I really believe this is a life long gift we can give our kids.

So, I'm getting my practice in now and I've started to pack lunch for my hubby. He's been working very long hours recently and has been eating late. I decide to purchase a modern day "bento box" from Laptop Lunches. You can find their products at www.laptoplunches.com.

Today's lunch consisted of aromatic lime-peanut whole wheat linguine with sugar snap peas, sliced fuji apple, spring mix (from the CSA!) with goat cheese & cranberries and a mix of pistachios, walnuts, pecans and cashews. The little blue box off to the side contains some homemade dressing. Each laptop lunch comes with a case with a place to insert an ice pack inside.

I'm curious to hear what you're doing to encourage your kids to eat well and have a positive relationship with food. Please share in the comments section!

Quick Recap for Week 2

2008-05-20T09:44:00.011-04:00

I'm sorry I've been absent the last few days. I believe I caught a mild bug of some kind. The worst of the symptoms is that I've totally lost my appetite! I've actually still been cooking, just not eating as much. But I don't want these veggies to go to waste, so let me recap you on how I've been using the contents of the CSA box this week.

Even though I didn't get green onions in my box this week, I heard that some others received it, so here's a great way to enjoy a lean chicken burger with that addition.

Chicken Burgers with Peanut Sauce from Cooking Light

Sauce:

2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
1 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced

Burgers:

1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
1 tablespoon chile paste with garlic
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, chopped
Cooking spray
4 (2-ounce) sandwich rolls with sesame seeds
1 cup onion sprouts or alfalfa sprouts

To prepare sauce, combine first 6 ingredients, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Prepare grill. To prepare burgers, place onions and next 5 ingredients (onions through chicken) in a food processor; process until coarsely ground. Divide mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty.Place patties on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until done. Place rolls, cut sides down, on grill rack; grill 1 minute or until toasted. Place 1 patty on bottom half of each roll; top each serving with 1/4 cup sprouts, about 1 tablespoon sauce, and top half of roll.

Yield 4 servings.

I cheated and used the broiler. I have a confession. I've never learned to start a charcoal grill. I'd really like to invest in a gas grill (hubby is a purist and will be hard to convert) just so I can use the grill with ease during the summer. The broiler worked out fine, but I'm sure it would be fantastic on the grill.
Did you notice that lovely romaine leaf added to the burger in the picture? I've noticed recently that it's a lost cause asking for lettuce on sandwiches or burgers when ordering out. You never get a beautiful leaf like the one we received from the CSA this week. Instead, you get shredded iceberg lettuce that basically tastes like water in solid form. Makes for a very sad looking sandwich. Sniff.
To make my life easier, I passed on the food processor and went straight for ground chicken from Whole Foods. It actually was excellent. This dish literally took 5 minutes to put together.
When will I ever learn? I bought chili paste with garlic for this recipe and took a quick whiff and taste before adding it to the burger. I am a wimp. I could not handle the heat and totally skipped it. My throat was literally on fire from a mere pinch of it. Later, while peeking in the fridge, I noticed another opened jar of chili paste with garlic! It was basically full and it dawned on me that I probably just did the same thing twice. Bought it for a recipe, tasted it and never used it again. Classic Karen.
The sauce was decent, but I would add a little more water next time. It was very thick and not very appetizing to look at. But tasty, nonetheless.

Also on the menu this week was Roasted Lemon, Asparagus & Green Garlic - inspired by two bloggers. Lori at The Recipe Girl (http://www.therecipegirl.blogspot.com/) and Laura at The Spiced Life (http://www.thespicedlife.blogspot.com/) both inspired me to try roasting a lemon for the added depth in flavor. I just sliced the lemon and placed it on top of asparagus & green garlic on a baking pan. Before I put the lemon on, I added 2 T of extra virgin olive oil and kosher salt and pepper on the veggies. Then I laid everything flat on a baking sheet and roasted it at 400F for 25 minutes. I paired it with turbot cooked briefly (6 minutes on each side) in a skillet with white wine. I added freshly grated parmesan on everything and enjoyed it immensely! The smell of the veggies and lemon roasting was truly out of this world. By the way, as Laura suggested, don't try eating the lemon. Just squeeze the juice onto the veggies and discard the rest.

One other quick dish I made was a Spinach & Strawberry Salad. We didn't recieve that much spinach this week, but it is so mild and sweet that I prefer eating it raw. I chopped up some spinach, sliced about 4 large strawberries, added 2T of crumbled goat cheese, 1T of sliced almonds and drizzled my favorite balsamic vinegar on everything.

On tap today is soup. We have some amazing collard greens this week. I thought I would create a white bean and greens soup and use the rest of the green garlic, too. I'm totally winging it!

CSA - Week 2! Can you handle this?

2008-05-19T15:56:00.006-04:00

Okay, first off, I'm in love with fresh herbs. Who knew that chives were so darn beautiful?

That picture alone would woo any baked potato with sour cream, in my book.

Okay, here's what's on tap for this week. Clockwise starting at the chives in the upper right hand corner: Spring mix, romaine (but I'm not positive, since the leaves are unusual), radishes, asparagus, rhubarb, spinach, green garlic and in the center, there are collard greens.

You may be wondering how I did getting through the mother load that was CSA Week 1. I'm pretty happy with how it went, considering my hubby ate out for a few dinners and we were gone all day yesterday. I did work pretty hard to get through everything, though. The only recipe that I didn't report on was a spinach-feta turnover that was just "okay"in my book, but my best buddy who dog sat for us yesterday ate one and loved it.

I do have some mint left - which I've been enjoying in iced tea all week. Also, there's a huge head of romaine that I never in touched. So, I'll be serving that with dinner tonight. Oh, and a cup of sliced rhubarb that I'll make into a savory chutney tonight to serve with fish or chicken later this week. My blogger pal Mo at Paws & Pours (http://www.pawsandpours.blogspot.com/) made that great suggestion.

Compliments from the chef

2008-05-19T12:02:00.005-04:00

If you live in the Washington, DC area and happen to find yourself on Rockville Pike take it all the way to The Lemon Tree Mediterranean Market and Gourmet Cafe (http://www.lemontreemarket.com/) and get comfortable for a bit. There's a lot of wonderful meals to sample. We've had great luck there both food and service-wise. A little while ago I was having lunch there with my friend and her baby girl. I soaked in (though thankfully didn't spill a precious drop) their red lentil soup. I went so nuts for it, that for the first time in my life I asked if I could have the recipe. Pretty brazen of me, eh?

About ten minutes later, a lovely man in his seventies came to our table and carefully explained all of the steps for his treasured red lentil soup. He spent thirty minutes with us to make sure I had the recipe down pat. I was blown away by his generosity and kindness. A few minutes later, we received a plate of grape leaves. Compliments from the chef. They were outstanding.

With that in mind, I decided to use the remaining spinach from my CSA box this week to make something similar.

Thank you to Ricki at Diet, Dessert And Dogs for this fantastic recipe for Dolmade Casserole.

Go straight here, do not pass go or collect $200 for Ricki's take on a deconstructed stuffed grape leaves:

http://dietdessertndogs.wordpress.com/2008/05/16/dolmades-deconstructed-mediterranean-rice-casserole/

Hey that's my wedding china that dolmade casserole is on! I took it out last week for a Mother's Day lunch and haven't put it back yet. Guess I better do that before our puppy Sami decides to make us register for one last place setting. Yeah, right.

Putting that "Easy Bake Oven" to shame

2008-05-14T11:17:00.005-04:00

Back in the early 80's, when I was so tiny that I could barely see above the kitchen counter, all I wanted was an "Easy Bake Oven" by Hasbro. I also thought I would die without the Snoopy shaved ice maker, but that's a story for another post. My parents bought one for me - even after I dyed the living room rug pink after an unfortunate Hawaiian punch incident.

There it was...a mini version of my grandmother's oven. I remember that day so well. I chose the brownie mix, placed it gently in the oven (heated by a 100 watt bulb) and waited patiently before I slid the purple plastic spatula in to try my creation.

I enjoyed it so much, that I never ever used it again after that first time. Was the brownie inedible? Did I complain that it was just too much work and I had a pile of bills to get to? I truly have no idea what happened next. But it was never seen again. It found it's way into our basement and I assume it's still there today unless it was picked up by a neighbor after one of our summer yard sales.

Perhaps baking, even the easy bake way, wasn't my cup of tea. Fast forward about 25 years later and I'm still wary about baking. But the rhubarb in my CSA box presented a new challenge to me. I've never had one, but I heard they were pleasantly tart. I was also told that I must balance that tartness out with sugar. So, I located a recipe by a fellow Cooking Light bulletin board participant and gave it a shot this morning.

Oh. My. Rhubarb. Where have you been all of my life! It's an unusual treat for me to get to try a flavor that I've never had before. I'm struggling to describe the exact taste - I would have to say it has a lovely lemony taste to it. Basically, this pudding cake really is a perfect balance of tart and sweet.

Rhubarb Strawberry Pudding Cake from Epicurious

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar

2 cups chopped fresh rhubarb stalks (10 ounces)

1 cup chopped fresh strawberries (5 ounces)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1/2 cup whole milk

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Butter an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish. Stir together water, cornstarch, and 1/3 cup sugar in a small saucepan, then stir in rhubarb. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, then simmer, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in strawberries.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl.Whisk together egg, milk, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined.

Reserve 1/2 cup fruit mixture, then add remainder to baking dish and pour batter over it, spreading evenly. Drizzle reserved 1/2 cup fruit mixture over batter.

Bake until a wooden pick inserted into center of cake portion comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes before serving.

This was ridiculously easy and fast. It took me about 15 minutes to put together. If you see rhubarb in the store, don't pass it up.
I found this dessert very satisfying, but I didn't reach for seconds. Not because it wasn't good, but because it hit the spot without being irresistible. It's just tart, crunchy and interesting.
I can't remember the last time I purchased whole milk. I used fat free milk and it didn't affect the outcome at all.

And now for something completely different

2008-05-13T19:33:00.004-04:00

Okay, I've never in my life tried a radish. In fact, I'm sure I've gone out of my way to avoid them. Of course, I appreciate a lovely garnish as much as the next guy - especially vegetables carved to look like flowers. However, I wasn't about to take out my paring knife and go to town on the 10 little radishes I received in my CSA box this week.

So, I turned to roasting! I quartered the radishes and placed them in a casserole dish mixed with a little extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper & minced shallots (for a touch of sweetness.)

Paired with cooked orzo , goat cheese, and freshly squeezed lemon juice, these little roasted radishes were not half bad. Pretty tasty, actually! There's a bowl waiting for hubby upon his return from work. I'll let you know his verdict later tonight.

Take a looksie...

Yellow & Mellow: a spring risotto

2008-05-13T11:48:00.007-04:00

Little darlin, it's been a long cold lonely winter. Little darlin, it feels like years since you've been here.

Here comes the sun.

Here comes the sun.

And I say, it's alright.

The downpour of the last four days has finally stopped and the sun has never looked better. I was really missing it after several days of gray and dreary. But even through the rain yesterday, I noticed CSA members were all smiles and downright giddy about getting the first box of the season. I even bumped into a dear friend from a job I had long ago - how funny that we would be at the pick up spot at the same time! I'm sure we'll share a few CSA inspired meals now that we found each other again!

Last night after organizing & separating the goodies from the box, I pulled out the green garlic and asparagus for dinner. Green garlic, also known as baby spring garlic are the fresh shoots of an immature garlic plant. They look almost exactly like scallions, but a quick whiff will prove otherwise. While it's certainly milder, there's no doubt it's garlic. I only used the white and pale green parts for the risotto.

Leek and Green Garlic Risotto
Adapted from "Local Flavors" by Deborah Madison

Green Garlic and Leeks:
4 medium leeks, white parts only
3 large heads green garlic
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste

Rice:
6 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 cup chopped chervil or parsley, and/or leftover green garlic tops
Zest of 1 lemon, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Quarter leeks lengthwise, cut them crosswise into 1/4-inch slices, and wash well. Remove any tough papery husks from garlic, then finely chop bulbs.

Melt butter in a sauté pan. Add leeks and garlic, stir to coat, then add wine and cook over medium-low heat until leeks are tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside while you cook the rice.

Have stock simmering on the stove. Melt butter in a wide soup pot over medium heat. Add rice and cook, stirring for 1 minute.

Pour in wine and simmer until it is absorbed, then add 2 cups of the stock. Simmer until it has been absorbed, then raise heat to medium and begin adding stock 1/2 cup at a time. Stir energetically and continue adding liquid after each addition is absorbed. Rice is done when tender with a slight bite, about 35 minutes. Stir in leeks, cheese and herbs.

I didn't have any leeks last night, so I used three small shallots in it's place. I thought it added a lovely sweetness to the dish. However, cutting shallots always makes me cry! No matter what I do...
You know, I usually make risotto on the weekends because of the time factor. But the truth is, once you get the hang of it, it's not so hard to make. You definitely need to commit to standing in one place for 30 minutes. That's for sure. But it's worth the stirring effort. At least I think so.
Don't skip the zest!
I steamed the asparagus - which was absolutely beautiful- sliced it, and added it at the very end.

We're going to need a bigger boat

2008-05-12T16:45:00.005-04:00

May 12, 2008. CSA Week 1

All I have to say is....

WOW.

I'm utterly speechless.

I remember reading somewhere that the first few weeks of the CSA were leaner. If this is lean, I think we're going to need a bigger boat, folks. (What movie, please?)

So, if the picture is a clock face, we've got spring mix at 12:00, then the biggest head of romaine lettuce I've ever seen, rhubarb, radishes, green garlic, unidentified lettuce (this one's a mystery, but it's definitely mild tasting)**, asparagus, and wonderful refreshing mint! And there's another bag of spring mix I couldn't fit in the picture.

To give you some idea of how large the contents of this box is, it takes up half of my dining room table which seats 6 people.

I wish it wasn't so rainy and grey, because the natural light in the dining room is the best in the whole house. So future pictures will look much better than this, I promise!

At some point a few months ago, I read about green garlic soup on someone's blog. If you're out there reading this, be sure to drop me an email, please!

I will take any and all suggestions for recipes, folks. I've done my own research, but I love hearing from other test-drivers out there.

**I'm a doofus. It's spinach.

Today's the day! It's finally here!

2008-05-12T08:22:00.003-04:00

I've been counting the days ever since we sent our application into Sandy Springs CSA in January. Today is the first day of our CSA membership. Around 2pm, I'll drive to my local pick up point and receive my weekly veggie box. I assume today's box will contain asparagus, spring mix and rhubarb.

I realized I didn't update anyone on the actual visit to Calvert Farm - the source of our CSA - last month. Here's a quick recap:

Calvert Farm's owner, Farmer Pam, and her farm manager, an Amish Elder, were incredibly knowledgeable and couldn’t have been nicer. On Saturday, April 17, they gave a very enlightening tour of the organic farm to my group which was made up of five children and several volunteers from Sierra Club’s Inner City Outing (ICO) program. The ICO participants leave their neighborhoods – often some of the roughest and under-resourced areas of DC- to commune with nature on hikes and camping trips. The farm was certainly a new experience for them. Farmer Pam set a beautiful table in the shade for us when we sat down to lunch. She dressed it with mason jars full of fresh apple and pear blossoms. Those fruit bearing trees greeted us as we turned into the farm for the first time. Pam offered us some freshly picked spinach, which was by far the most delicious spinach I've ever had. The adults couldn’t get enough of it, but I believe it might have been the first time these kids have ever tried it.

A few minutes later, we were all standing in the fields where the spinach was growing, learning about the natural ways to battle the weeds around them. First, they use a hot pepper spray made from the peppers grown on the farm. But, one particularly resilient weed to kill was thistle. Farmer Pam explained that they were trying to suffocate the thistle with heat by laying mats on them held down by bricks – allowing the sun to do its job.

As the kids were soaking all the information in, they also tried to keep track of the other tour guides which led them through the farm – 18 friendly cats! Each cat had a different personality. Some brazenly trotted alongside the cauliflower pushing it's away up from the ground. Others slept quietly in the tomato plants. One even sat on a chair with us during lunch like a gracious host.

My favorite moment of the day was when our kids discovered that mint actually grew from the ground. After smelling herbs like rosemary and basil and recalling how they were used in cooking, they were blown away when they caught a whiff of natural mint. You could see the wheels turning in their head, wondering how this scent made its way into a stick of gum!

At the end of our tour, we had the opportunity to plant spring onions. The kids took the job very seriously. They thoughtfully listened to Pam’s instructions and carefully watered the new vegetables after planting them three inches apart.

We were very honored that Pam and her workers took the time out of their packed day to spend a few hours with us. You can see how hard they all work to have a successful farm. It's definitely not a 9 -5 job.

Here's a quick FAQ about our CSA:

What exactly is a CSA?
CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Our CSA is a led by volunteers and receives it's vegetables from a farm less than 100 miles away. It's usually a certified organic (and local) farm which offers shares to it's consumers. By offering shares, the farmers are able to plan their crop, limit waste and pay their expenses up front. Basically, it allows them to make a living with less risk.

Tell me more about this share....
We paid $600 in January for one share. One share provides a weekly box of vegetables and fruit for 20 weeks. With rising food costs, we'll probably be saving money along with supporting a local farm. We won't be able to chose the contents of our weekly box. It's made up of what's been harvested that week. We'll be eating seasonally and trying new things. During the summer, the box will get fulller and fuller as the crops are more bountiful.

How do I find out about a CSA near me?
I found Sandy Springs CSA by going to www.localharvest.org and typing in our zip code. I also asked questions on discussion boards like Chowhound and Cooking Light to read about other people's experiences. I mostly found that the idea was incredibly popular. People were on waiting lists to get a share!

Any other questions?
Please feel free to email me at testdrivekitchen@yahoo.com or leave a comment. I'll be sharing CSA stories on this blog as well as recipes throughout the next 20 weeks.

Chicken or Salmon?

2008-05-08T09:17:00.004-04:00

Yes, it's that time of year again. The flutter of large envelopes falling from mail slots everywhere and landing in your foyer. Pretty stamps, fancy writing and loving words. All enticing you....to pick chicken or salmon. Which will it be?

After attending about 25 weddings in a three year span, I always went with our pink friend from the sea. Why? Because you really have to try hard to mess it up. I mean, you have to have a fish vendetta to make it taste inedible. It's light, it's healthy and it doesn't need much to showcase it's flavors.

If you read any cooking, nutrition or fitness magazine, you're bound to see the benefits of salmon highlighted within the pages. If for some reason you've missed it, here's a great article about salmon's nutritional benefits:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=104

Personally, I've found that eating fish at least 2 or 3 times a week - especially salmon- provides relief from any pain I feel due to inflammation. Fish oil is a natural anti-inflammatory. But why take those horse pills full of fish oil when I can enjoy the actual fish?

When picking salmon from the glass case, I always ask the fishmonger for the tail. It has virtually no bones in it and I enjoy my meal more because of that. I also make salmon the first day I purchase it. I know that it can be frozen, but for me defrosting fish affects the flavor.

Usually when you unwrap your fish when you get home you will notice the portion is uneven. I finally figured out that I must slice through it horizontally to create even fillets. Otherwise, I'm constantly going into the oven and finding a cooked fish all around with a red mushy center. I used to overcook the fish to make sure the center was done, and that led to the worst tasting over cooked meal ever. But this trick has helped (if I remember to do it!.)

I've also been baking salmon at a high heat for a shorter period of time. Try 450 F for 12 minutes and see if you're there yet.

For flavors, I always go very simple. A little white wine and some fresh dill does the trick. But you can do any herbs you like. It's totally up to your preference.

I do have a funny salmon story to tell you. The first year that my hubby and I lived together, he took a ten day trip to Alaska with "the boys." I was bummed because I wanted to go to Alaska on my honeymoon, but he was taking the trip ten months before our wedding. Well, he made it up to me by promising to send fresh salmon that he caught on a fishing trip. I honestly didn't know what to expect when the fed ex cooler was on the doorstep. I honestly imagined a whole fish with blank eyes staring up at me. I was totally freaked and didn't want to open the cooler. So I took everything out of the freezer and tried to stick the entire cooler in. I was short about 1 1/2 inches. I couldn't do it. So alas, I sucked in my breath, put on some latex gloves, peeked through squinted eyes and opened the cooler preparing to see one dead ugly fish.

What?! No scary fish! It was fillets!!! Oh thank goodness. My heart began beating again and I had a good laugh. They filleted them on the dock. I had 18 1lb fillets (we enjoyed them for about six months) not one scary fish like I expected.

Speaking of chicken or fish, weddings and hubby, today is our wedding anniversary. I'm a very lucky girl to be married to such a talented and loving guy. I would love to put up our wedding portrait, but I'm respecting hubby's privacy. But here's a shot of me trying desperately not to lose my veil to the wind before the ceremony:

Guess what? In a few short days - May 12 to be exact - our CSA begins and the blog shifts gears. From May 12-October 20th, we'll be receiving a veggie box from Calvert Farm every week. I'm going to showing you what's in our box every week and letting you know how I use everything and try not to waste a precious morsel. Check back this coming Monday to see the first box!

Behind the scenes

2008-05-01T18:23:00.011-04:00

This week was a perfect time to re-organize my pantry & kitchen. Now that Passover is over, grains and slowly making their way from my secret hiding place (the office) and back into the kitchen. Now is also a great time for me to remember the strategies I've developed to eat healthy and not waste food or money while doing it.

Now, I've never been what you would call "organized." Just ask my mother. Or my hubby. Or my freshman year roommate at college. But, I do like a good system now and then. So, I want to share a few ways that have worked for me this year.

1) First and foremost, I'd be lost without a clean pantry. If I can't see it, I won't use it. Even worse, I'll go out - buy it again - and send it into the darkest corner of the cupboard never to be seen again. Only to start the vicious circle over again. Once or twice a year, it doesn't hurt to take everything out of the pantry, take an inventory of what you have and make an honest assessment of what you really use.

2) I find the fridge much more difficult to keep organized. Up until yesterday I was relying on keeping a note on the door which listed my perishables for the week (which is usually 90% of my groceries!) If you peeked inside my fridge, you would find that the bottom shelf looked like a mosh pit after a Pearl Jam concert. It was impossible to pick out a scallion from a bag of spring mix. Finally, yesterday, I went to mecca (aka The Container Store) and purchased ten different clear containers & lids in various shapes and sizes. I can see what I have now! No more plastic bags! Seriously, this was the highlight of my week.

3) Sunday is my designated grocery shopping day. Back in the day when I wasn't so organized, I meandered into the grocery store say 3 times a week. That would lead to $200 weekly bills and food that would inevitably turn pretty colors before I could use it. But by taking the time to go through my recipe books over the weekend and meal plan for the upcoming week, I can write a reasonable grocery list and not buy in excess.

I've mentioned a few times on this blog that hubby and I have slowly changed our eating habits over the last 18 months by buying less and less processed foods and more whole foods. I'm not going to kid you, it's hard work to use up all of my vegetables, fruits and herbs in a week. But in the end, it's less expensive and far more satisfying. Here's how I get through most weeks:

1) I find a way to include a fruit or a vegetable in every single meal and snack hubby and I eat. The easiest meal in the world is soup. On Saturdays, I will take whatever I have left, put it in a pot and just go for it. As long as I have a can of tomatoes, chicken broth and a few herbs, I'm good to go.

2) To keep your meals interesting, you've got to take some risks and try flavors from around the world. Let your spice rack lead the way. This year I've been experimenting with so many different cuisines, but I have to say South African has been my favorite, so far. I ran out of cumin the other day and without it I felt totally lost.

A quick side note, I'm a big "Top Chef" fan and was particularly excited about this week's challenge. The chefs had to make a healthy meal for 4 people on a budget of $10. TOTAL! They all shook their heads depressed, but slowly realized that it could be done. I smiled as I watched them reach for beets, bok choy, lean chicken, peanut butter and zucchini. I knew they could easily win this challenge and present something fabulous while doing it.

More behind the scenes to come...

April 27, 2005 - A Passover Memory

2008-04-27T13:27:00.008-04:00

As John Lennon beautifully sang, "Life is what happens to you when you're making other plans." I learned that lesson very well three years ago today.

Back in April 2005, I was working as a fundraiser and an event planner for a wonderful nonprofit that mentored teens from disadvantaged areas of the city. I was in charge of a major reception to honor this program which was set to occur inside the U.S. Capitol building on April 27. Needless to say, I was juggling quite a bit to make it a success. Typing emails at 2 am, sitting at a desk all day answering phones and faxing letters, barely eating, sleeping or exercising took a toll on me and I didn't acknowledge the fact that I wasn't feeling well for days. My body was sending me a lot of signals that I ignored - shortness of breath, pain in my leg and a burning sensation in my chest. What did I do? I tried to pretend it wasn't happening because I had the biggest event of my career to plan. I even made sure the catering services prepared kosher for Passover appetizers to serve the guests!

On the day of the event, I decided I couldn't ignore it any longer because I was in bad shape. I took a cab to the hospital (yes I went into work that day!) to just make sure everything was okay before I went to the Capitol. I was still answering my cell phone and giving parking information to guests when the nurses called me in. I was admitted immediately due to blood clots in my lungs that began as a Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) in my leg.

It's April 27, 2005. I am 30 years old and about to married in less than two weeks.

Obviously, I came through okay. More than just okay, actually. I spent a week in the hospital getting better. They found the cause of the clot was my use of the birth control pill. I had absolutely nothing else wrong with me. I walked out of that hospital and never looked back. What a crazy fluke. I'm one of the 1% that gets a clot on the pill! With those odds, I should have bought a lottery ticket, maybe?

What does all this have to do with my blog, you ask? Well, from that day forward I've been learning some very important lessons that I would like to share. Listen to your body and treat yourself really, really well. Be pro-active about your health & be your own advocate. Get eight hours of restorative sleep every night. Take a brisk walk everyday. Eat gorgeous vegetables with most meals. Enjoy dessert in moderation. Love yourself and act like you mean it. And don't believe that the world will come to a screeching halt if you do any of the above. You deserve to live happily and healthily.

To end this public service announcement, I'd like you to do me a favor. I feel I have a responsibility to share with you the causes and the symptoms of a DVT. Will you please go to http://www.preventdvt.org/, read about it, commit it to memory and then go on with your day? It's extremely treatable when caught - but you have to know when to act.

In Judaism, we have a toast. L'chaim. It means, "To Life."

Thanks again for reading today's memory and this week's Passover recipes. I hope you continue coming to my blog to learn about what's cooking in Test Drive Kitchen. Now raise your glass and join me in a toast.

L'Chaim.

Last day of Passover! Where did the time go?

2008-04-27T11:49:00.006-04:00

You know what's strange? I really haven't missed bread at all this week. There was so many fantastic fruit and vegetables available to us this week that I didn't feel denied at all. Last night at the movies I could have used a small popcorn, but that was the only time I felt like I wanted something not kosher for Passover.

I hope you found some recipes this week that helped you to not only "get through" the holiday, but really enjoy your meals. I would love some feedback on any of the dishes you tried.

Sundays are usually our grocery shopping days, so I decided to see what was left in the fridge. Woohoo! We still had our golden beets left. A couple of nice oranges, too. I grabbed a few items like cider vinegar and honey from the pantry and started lunch.

Here we go:

Roasted Beet and Citrus Salad by Cooking Light

1 1/2 pounds small golden beets

Cooking spray

1/4 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon honey

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

4 cups mixed salad greens

3 cups chopped beet greens (about 3 ounces)

1 1/2 cups tangerine or orange sections, halved crosswise (about 8 tangerines) 2 tablespoons shaved fresh Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 400°. Leave root and 1-inch stem on beets; scrub with a brush. Place beets on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat beets with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 45 minutes or until tender. Cool beets slightly. Trim off beet roots; rub off skins. Cut beets in half.

Combine orange juice and next 6 ingredients (through garlic) in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add beets, tossing gently to coat. Remove beets with a slotted spoon, and set aside, reserving orange juice mixture in bowl. Add salad greens and beet greens to bowl; toss well.

Place about 1 cup greens mixture on each of 6 salad plates; top each with about 1 1/2 cups beets, 1/4 cup tangerine sections, 1 teaspoon cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon nuts. Serve immediately.

I confess. I have basically given up on finding a tasty orange. Most of the time, I buy oranges to zest or juice and get rid of everything else. You see, I've been hurt before and I just don't trust that once I peel an orange it will turn into a sublime snack. Usually they are just mediocre. Even Clementines have started to disappoint me. So, imagine my utter shock, when I peeled this orange- said a little prayer- and popped a slice in my mouth. It was fantastic!!! The best orange I've had in years. Seriously. I was so excited. This salad was going to rock. (Yes, I realize we're just talking about an orange here. I should probably not admit to these things.)

I sampled the array of nuts I had left, and truthfully, the pistachios were a lot more appealing than the walnuts. So I used them instead. They were so yummy that I didn't even bother to toast them.

This is the first time I've roasted beets without wrapping them in foil first. Usually when I take them out of the oven and remove the foil, the first layer comes off with it. This time, my heart skipped a beat when I opened the oven and saw charred beets. I burned them! They're ruined! Then I paused a moment and scratched the layer to reveal a perfect golden beet underneath. Now I just feel stupid, but relieved.

You know what they say. Put quality in and quality comes out. I can't even take credit for how amazing this salad turned out. I did nothing but accidentally put the right ingredients in my grocery cart.

Four fruits. One dessert.

2008-04-26T16:45:00.004-04:00

Sweet, caramelized baked apples. What's a more perfect dessert than that? Well, I found a recipe that kicked it up a notch.

This Passover-friendly dessert uses four different fruits: lemon, orange, banana, and of course, the apple.

Here's what you'll need:

Two apples
One ripe banana
Pinch nutmeg
A few drops of lemon juice
Juice of one orange
1 teaspoon sugar

Recipe makes two servings.

Directions:

Mash the banana. Add nutmeg, lemon juice and sugar. Peel the apples and divide into two. Scoop out the centers and fill with the banana mixture. Pour the orange juice over the top.

Bake in a hot oven at 400-degrees for 20 minutes or until the apples are soft. Serve hot.

The flavors were really terrific, but it wasn't as easy to make as I expected. First it took me forever to pare the apple. And I was on the phone talking to my friend at the same time. Accident waiting to happen, right? Next time, I'm purchasing an apple corer.
Then, it took forever for the apple to get brown and caramelize. Twenty minutes just didn't cut it. Even the extra ten minutes I added didn't help much. I used a Fuji apple, my favorite. I wonder if they're just too crisp? Next time I'll try a Granny Smith or a Red Delicious. Don't you love all the different names for apples? I even tried a Pink Lady once (at a farmer's market, not at Rydale High)
I added a 1/3 cup of vanilla ice cream. You really don't need a lot. Trust me. This is good stuff.

Passover memory for today:

It's March 2001 and I'm no longer the youngest child in my family at Passover seder. Being the youngest child meant that every year I'm expected to sing the four questions in Hebrew. The questions are meant to engage meaningful discussions about the Passover story and how we celebrate the holiday. It's an honor to sing it - I've had it memorized since I was 8 years old. This year was different, though. The youngest child is now my three month old niece who is barely awake through dinner, much less ready to test her vocal abilities. She's my parents' first grandchild. We're all in total and complete awe of her.

I took her in my arms, held her in my lap and sang the four questions to her. Welcome to the family, sweet little one.

A milestone and an award

2008-04-25T17:53:00.006-04:00

I started this blog in December as a way to remember all of the hits and misfires (and real fires) that occur in my kitchen. I mentioned it to a few friends, who mentioned it to their friends and I occasionally started to post messages on other people's blogs and get involved with some foodie discussion groups. I never in a million years expected to see 5,000 visits this year. I admit it...I was watching the site meter yesterday as the number rolled over.

It's an old habit. When my dad's cars' odometers showed a number like 99,987, the whole family would pile in the car and drive around the neighborhood to witness it turn to 100,000 miles together. And yes, more than one car of his reached this milestone.

I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for visiting me here. I really love to cook dishes that are good and good for you. And I like to make people laugh. Hopefully you've gotten a recipe or two or at least a chuckle since you've gotten to know me.

And I'm totally humbled by the amazing kitchen feats and adventures my fellow foodie bloggers have achieved. I've seen some incredible dishes out there and I've been inspired more than a few times.

Thank you to one such blogger, Patsyk at Family, Friends and Food- http://familyfriendsandfood.blogspot.com/ -for sharing her "Blogging with a Purpose" award with me.

It's the first blogger award I've received. Now that she's passed it on to me, I will pay it forward to five new recipients. I'll do that on Monday after Passover ends and I've had enough carbs in my system to make a coherent decision.

I'll check in with you tomorrow! G'night.

Only two more days to go (stop staring at that bagel!)

2008-04-25T15:51:00.003-04:00

Hey, this isn't so tough. It's six days into Passover and I'm not even thinking of bread...much.

If you're observing the holiday, I would love to hear how you're "breaking" Passover on Sunday. For us, it's almost always pizza. But this year I'm craving some risotto. Mmmmm. Risotto.

(Looking at watch) Only 50 plus hours to go!

For now, we've got salads. Not a crouton in sight. Sorry.

Ina Garten's Tomato & Feta Salad

3 pints (6 cups) cherry tomatoes
3/4 pound good feta cheese
1 small red onion, chopped
3 tablespoons white wine or Champagne vinegar
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and place them in a large bowl. Dice the feta in 1/4-inch dice, crumbling it as little as possible. Add the feta to the tomatoes and then add the onion, vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, basil, and parsley. Toss carefully and salt, to taste, depending on the saltiness of the feta. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

I skipped the cherry tomatoes because the tomatoes on the vine at Whole Foods have truly been perfect recently. And I'm not a huge fan of raw tomatoes, but honestly I could have bitten into these like they were apples.
I skipped the onions and added a diced yellow pepper and cucumber instead. I also used Champagne vinegar instead of wine. I find that salads like this need to marinate at least an hour in the fridge before serving.
Add some cooked quinoa with this for a meal or spread some on a piece of matzah for a snack.

Mollie Katzen-inspired Pear, Walnut & Goat Cheese Salad

2 cups of romaine lettuce

1/4 cup of crumbled goat cheese

2 T lemon juice (fresh!)

1 pear, sliced

1/4 walnuts, chopped

2 T walnut oil

2 t Champagne vinegar

First I combined the pear, lettuce, walnuts and goat cheese in a bowl and set aside. I whisked the walnut oil, champagne vinegar and lemon juice together for the dressing and drizzled it on the salad.

Mollie Katzen's recipe substitutes feta for the goat cheese, but I've had a lot of feta lately. Also, she suggests marinating the pears in lemon juice first then finishing off the dish with a freshly ground black pepper.

You must try this. I think it's the lemon juice that puts this salad on another level. Or maybe it's the walnut oil? I don't know. Just try it and let me know what you think.

Passover memory for today:

It's April 1983 and my parents are taking us to Disney World for spring break! Epcot Center is unveiling the big silver earth thingy and we're truly excited. However, nobody told sis and I that the week my parents chose to go was (drumroll please) Passover! Yes, we visited Epcot Center's France, Italy and Greece. No pastries, pasta or spanakopita for us! We existed on potato chips. Lots and lots of potato chips.

After a few days in the Magic Kingdom, Mickey Mouse's ears started to look like bagels to me.

I'm not still bitter or anything. But I haven't been to Disney World since.

From Quinoa to Quiche. These are great Scrabble words, don't you think?

2008-04-24T12:51:00.005-04:00

Remember that long list of vegetables I had on the Passover grocery list? Well, it's time to take them out of the fridge. I would suggest you save this recipe for the weekend. It's not a hard to do, it just took longer to prep everything than I expected. I started by taking every single ingredient out and laying it on the dining room table. I almost completely covered the table. Yep, that's a lot of goodness in one spot. I wish I took a picture of it, as it was a sight to behold!

For all of you CSA subscribers out there, this is a fantastic way to use your excess vegetables before your weekly box of produce arrives. In fact, I think my hubby should anticipate this as our Sunday brunch meal for the summer.

Doesn't this look pretty?

Vegetable Quiche from The Healthy Kitchen by Dr. Andrew Weil & Rosie Daley

Ingredients

1/2 cup purified water

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes

1/2 pound asparagus (about 2 cups chopped) or broccoli florets

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, sliced

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 carrot, cut in small cubes (about 1 cup)

5 mushrooms, sliced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, or 1 teaspoon dried

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1/8 teaspoon chili flakes

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 small red potatoes, washed and thinly sliced

1/2 cup grated cheese, Pepper Jack or Swiss

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup low-fat sour cream

6 eggs

1 medium tomato, sliced (seeds squeezed out)

3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375º F. Boil the water, pour over the sun-dried tomatoes, and allow to soak for about 15 minutes until they become soft and plump. Strain off any remaining liquid, and coarsely chop.

Cut off about 1 inch of the coarse ends of the asparagus stalks and discard or save them for soup. Cut the remaining stalks into about 6 pieces or chop coarsely. (If you are using broccoli, cut into florets.) Blanch the asparagus by boiling it in a medium pot of water for 2 minutes or less. Asparagus should be bright green and firm to the bite. Drain, rinse the asparagus in cold water, and drain again in a colander.

Sauté the onions and the garlic in the olive oil over low heat until the onions are transparent, approximately 10 minutes. Add the carrots, mushrooms, basil, parsley, chili flakes, nutmeg, salt and pepper and continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat.

Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Line the bottom with the potato slices, overlapping them slightly.

Whisk together the cheese, milk, sun-dried tomatoes, sour cream and the eggs in a large bowl. Mix in the sautéed vegetables and the blanched asparagus, coating everything with the cheese, milk and egg liquid, then pour into the potato-lined pie pan.

Arrange the tomato slices on top and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 1 hour, covering after 45 minutes if top browns. Completely baked quiche should be very firm. Let cool 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Purified water? I would like to tell you that I went down to the rambling stream by my house, paused to pet a deer and dipped my golden ladel in the water. But that didn't happen. I got it right from the tap.

Instead of blanching my asparagus, I decided to steam it for 2 min. with a Glad Simply steaming bag. I didn't want to wash another pot!

If I had this to do over, I would cut the carrots a little smaller and probably sauteed it a bit longer. Or maybe grating them would have been better? It was still a little too hard when I ate a piece of the quiche. Not bad at all, just inconsistent with the rest of the texture of the other veggies.

I saved some time by purchasing sliced mushrooms. But I'm not going to kid you...this dish took about 40 minutes to prep. It was incredibly simple to put together, though. Oh, and did I mention it is really, really tasty? So please try it. Just do it on the weekend.

To lighten it up a bit, I used three whole eggs and three egg whites. I also chose a lowfat Swiss cheese, but a full fat sour cream. Like Ellie Krieger, I prefer some things full fat, but in moderation.

Passover memory for today:

No one in my family can remember the year, so I'm going to say it's circa 1980. I was very young, possibly 6 years old. We are all gathered at my aunt and uncle's home for seder and there must be 25 people in attendance. The seder goes on as normal- no flaming hairdos to speak of- but one unusual thing did happen. It snowed. Alot. Actually, it was a blizzard. Now this is Philadelphia, mind you, in the Spring. By the end of the seder, no one could get their cars to budge an inch. We were snowed in. All 25 of us had one big sleepover.

Did I mention it was April Fool's Day? I know, I know, it sounds like a joke. But it really happened. I remember thinking my father should keep extra pillows in the car just in case this happens again.

Quinoa. Keen-what?! No, it's keen-wah...

2008-04-23T07:50:00.005-04:00

My breakfast most mornings consists of Bob's Red Mill 5 grain oatmeal with fruits and nuts. But, not on Passover. All the smoothies in the world can't make up for the heartiness of warm oatmeal in the morning. I decided to try a little experiment with a Kosher for Passover seed (not a grain!) called quinoa.

Gourmet magazine said this of quinoa:

"Like the new kid in town rolling up in a shiny convertible, this grain-that’s-not-a-grain is becoming the belle of the Passover ball." Wow, so clearly quinoa is in the running for prom queen!

Actually, quinoa is a member of the beet family and is not related to any of the five grains prohibited on Passover. It's very easy to make and can be used in both sweet and savory dishes.

Here's how you make it:

First, rinse. Repeat. And rinse again. You see, there's a coating on quinoa that can be tough on your digestive system. Rinsing it is the only way to get it off. Remember to use a very thin sieve to drain the quinoa because the seeds are so tiny. Squeeze out any excess liquid, then place in a medium saucepan. Now, toast quinoa in a dry saucepan. Toasting it first brings out a nice, nutty flavor. After toasting for five minutes, add about 2 cups of water. Bring to a rapid boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Now that you have cooked quinoa, what do you do with it? Really, anything you want. Here's one option:

1 cup of cooked quinoa
2 t pure maple syrup
1/2 banana, sliced
large pinch of sliced almonds
10 large golden raisins

And, here was the result:

Looks good, doesn't it? I wish I had a better camera so you can see what cooked quinoa looks like. Basically, it resembles couscous but it's translucent. You can really play with quinoa and make a dish that suits your tastes. If I had any dried cherries, I would have used them instead of the raisins and replaced the maple syrup with pure vanilla extract. Also, I would have traded the almonds for crushed hazelnuts.

Passover memory for today:

It's April 1991 and it's been a long winter for my parents. We had been caring for my ailing grandfather in our home for the last three months. After a lifetime of smoking, emphysema was taking it's toll on him. Even though it was a miserable condition, my grandpop always made others smile and laugh with his flirting, joking and dancing. His knowledge of cards and magic tricks were unmatched. He had one blue eye and one brown eye. And they both sparkled mischievously.

Right before Passover, my grandpop entered a hospice, as we could no longer give him the care he needed. He was always a fixture at Passover seder and it was hard to think about celebrating the holiday without him. Amazingly, we didn't have to. The staff at the hospice cleared out the furniture in their beautiful sun room and set up a long table and chairs for us. About 15 of my family members came with our meal served from tupperware dishes instead of the usual china. With my grandpop at the head of the table, and sunlight streaming in, it was the most beautiful seder table I had ever seen. We concluded the seder with the usual toast: Next Year in Jerusalem!

My grandpop passed away a month later. A man- who only had an eighth grade education - had seen the world by joining the army. My mother and aunt decided the grandkids should honor his memory by going on our own adventures. So, my sister and I both spent the summer in Israel. When we finally reached Jerusalem and gazed at the Western Wall, he was definitely with us.

Peel me a grape

2008-04-22T07:00:00.010-04:00

Shopping for delicious blueberries, strawberries and grapes can be really a hit or miss endeavor. You just never know. You can do your best by shopping for fruit when it's in season. But even then you take a chance. I love those days when I open up a bag of red seedless grapes and every single one of them is sweet perfection. I happened upon a bunch like this yesterday. Today's Passover-friendly recipes are inspired by the grape!

Banana, Berry & Grape Breakfast Smoothie

1/2 frozen banana
1/2 fresh banana
8 red seedless grapes
1/2 cup of blueberries
1/2 cup of nonfat plain yogurt
1/4 cup orange juice
2 t of honey
handful or two of crushed ice

If you have an immersion blender, you can put all of these ingredients in a plastic pitcher to blend. I always put the ice in last since that's what the blade touches first. However, if you have a conventional blender, you may want to blend the ice first, stop and then add the other ingredients before blending again.

Moving on to lunch, I focused on the grapes again and made a Curried Chicken Salad with Grapes and Apples. I adapted this recipe from Gourmet magazine.

Poached Chicken:

1 1/2 lb of chicken
4 cups of water
1 3/4 cups of chicken broth
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
7 baby carrots
handful of flat leaf parsley

Add the water, broth and vegetables to a large saucepan and bring it to a simmer. After a few minutes of simmering, add the chicken. Simmer for 6 minutes uncovered, then turn off the heat and move the saucepan to another burner. Cover the pan tightly with foil and a lid and let it sit for 15 minutes. By adding the vegetables to the broth/water mixture, the chicken turned out very flavorful! Thank you to my mother in-law for that suggestion. It made all the difference in this dish.

For the salad:

1 1/2 lb of cooked chicken, cubed
1 cup of red seedless grapes
1/2 cup of toasted & crushed cashews
1 Fuji apple, chopped roughly (you can leave the peel on)
1 celery stalk, diced
1/2 cup of lowfat mayo (kosher for Passover)
1 T freshly squeezed lime juice
1 T honey
5 t curry powder
1/2 t ground ginger
1/2 t salt
1/4 t ground black pepper

Add chicken, grapes, apples, celery and cashews to one large bowl and set aside. In another bowl, whisk the mayo, lime juice, honey, curry, ginger, salt and pepper. Combine the dressing with the chicken mixture. Dish can be served warm or cold.

As you can see from the picture, I'm serving this with a swiss chard leaf. Since you can not have torillas on Passover, I rolled it in the leaf like a sandwich. You can do this with a big Romaine lettuce leaf, too. But I find swiss chard to be heartier and the "sandwich" stays together better.

Finally here's another Passover memory from the past.

It's 1998 and for the first time in many years, my extended family is divided by a large ocean for Passover. Our custom has always been to share the holiday with my mother's sister and her family. My aunt was working at the London School of Economics for four months that Spring. But as a family we were determined to not let that stop us from spending Passover together. So we went to London! My uncle, cousins, their significant others, my parents and I made the trip to be with my aunt for seder. Incidentally, this was my parents first trip abroad which made it that much more exciting. My aunt was renting a flat that happened to be on the fifth floor. No elevator. The stairs were so steep you can literally feel them brushing against your nose as you climbed. You had to be an Olympic athlete to get up those stairs without stopping at each landing. When my aunt called around to rent tables and chairs for seder, there wasn't one company that would make the round trip up and down those stairs. She wound up purchasing everything so they would come! Don't ask me what the owner of flat said when he came back after renting it to my aunt and found the extra furniture.

Ever year on Passover we ask, "Why is this night different than all other nights?" Gathered around that table for seder, in a cramped London flat, was certainly different & one of the most wonderful memories I've ever had. Here were all were in London, thousands of miles away from our homes. But we were home because we were together.

A nice palate cleanser

2008-04-21T06:42:00.006-04:00

Welcome back! If you're celebrating Passover this year, you may already have one or two seders under your belt. Now that the first two nights are over, it's time to put down the brisket and try something new. A nice fish dish.

What's that you say? You've had your fill of gefilte fish and you wouldn't mind if a month passes before you touch any fish again?

Before we get to the recipe, I must take a moment to share that growing up, I experienced what can only be described as a beta version of "Fear Factor." About one or two times a month, my entire family would get together with our grandparents and great aunts and uncles for a Sunday brunch. The buffet table contained many exotic treats including white fish salad and pickled herring. But the piece d'resistance, was a very large, dead and unhappy looking fish with blank eyes. Of course, the fish was used to showcase how fresh it was - but to the kids it only served as the object of many games of "Dare you to try it."

Back to Passover. One of these delectable - daring to some- dishes is of course gefilte fish. Gefilte fish is best described as a sweet fish sausage with carp as the main ingredient. Sounds okay so far, right? If I never saw how it was packaged, I'm sure it would be fine. But if you frequent the Kosher for Passover section at the grocery store, you will see that it's jarred in a congealed jelly.

Enough said.

I've believed for a long time that you either have the DNA strand that indicates whether you will enjoy gefilte fish or if you're destined to hate it. Let me make this clear. I LOVE IT. I can't get enough of it. Hubby hates it. But that's okay because usually he's sitting next to me at seder and I will just eat it right off his plate. Last night, we had a newcomer to our seder at my parents house. I watched out of the corner of my eye as he stabbed the gefilte with his fork, tasted a mere morsel and pushed the plate out of the way. What? You don't like it? No problem. I'll take it.

So, back to a dinner recipe for the post-seder, non-gefilte, mid-Passover week.

Sea Bass (or any white fish fillet) in Lemon Butter Sauce (adapted from Cooking Light)

2 (6-ounce) sea bass or grouper fillets
Cooking spray
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon butter
1/2 cup chopped plum tomato
(6-ounce) bag baby spinach, coarsely chopped

Preparation

Sprinkle fish with salt. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add fish to pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove fish from pan. Place one fillet on each of 2 plates; keep warm.

Add wine and juice to pan; cook over medium-high heat 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in parsley and butter. Drizzle sauce over fillets.

Add the tomato and spinach to pan; cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts. Arrange 1 cup vegetables on each plate.

This really is a delicious and quick dish. I haven't made it with sea bass yet, because it's rather pricey. But I'm sure it would be outstanding. I typically use turbot. But I'm sure any white fish fillet would be excellent. Just make sure it's thin enough (but not too thin because then it would fall apart!) for you to flip it while it maintains it's shape.
Speaking of flipping, run out and get yourself a fish spatula if you don't have one already. It's a flexible spatula that bends at the end- to pick up thin flaky fillets of fish- but it also has wide open slots. Anytime I cook with hot oil, I use it. Basically when I flip, the oil doesn't flip with it. It just slides through the slots. I'm a huge fan of this spatula because I never get splattered anymore.
Please use fresh lemon juice with this recipe. It's the main flavor of the dish and bottled lemon juice will not cut it.

Calvert Farm

2008-04-20T07:45:00.007-04:00

Happy Passover, everyone! If you are celebrating, I hope your first seder was enjoyable and meaningful.

I'm taking a short break from Passover for just a moment to share with you some pictures from our trip to Calvert Farm yesterday.

Here's our group planting onions.

Remember the asparagus recipes from yesterday? Well, here's a lone, tall spear shooting up from the ground!

George, the cat (one of 18 on the farm!), taking a brisk walk through the cabbage.

Dr. Seuss was right. I do like green eggs! Look closely and you'll see green, brown and white eggs. And that fresh spinach was unbelievably delicious.

I'm heading up to New Jersey this morning to help my mother prepare for seder. I'll be back on later to post today's Passover recipe.

First Night

2008-04-19T07:06:00.005-04:00

Tonight, after the sun sets, Passover will finally begin. Later this evening, I will be sitting down with my hubby's family and friends for the first seder of the holiday. But before that even happens, hubby and I are going on a little adventure. We are headed to Calvert Farm, about two hours from our home, to plant some onions and lettuce with a group of children from Inner City Outings. This wonderful program takes children from Washington, DC's low income neighborhoods on outdoor adventures. In the past, they've enjoyed camping in National Parks and hiking on local trails. Today will be their first visit to an organic farm. It's funny that we're planting today, rather than pulling and gathering, as Passover actually marks the beginning of the spring harvest in Israel.

I'm especially excited about our trip today because hubby and I own one share of Calvert Farm and we will begin to enjoy a weekly bounty of vegetables starting on May 12th. In less than a month, the first crop will be asparagus. I find this a particularly versitile vegetable. In fact, it's often one of the side dishes on my parents' seder table.

A quick and easy way to serve asparagus is to roast it. Wash a bundle of it carefully, then individually bend them and let them break naturally. Throw out the bottoms and put the spears in a 9X12 baking dish. Add 2 T of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. The oven should be preheated at 425 F. The asparagus should be ready in 20 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Another, very tasty asparagus recipe can be found here. Be sure to skip the soy sauce, as it is not kosher for Passover. Soybean is a legume, of course!

http://testdrivekitchen.blogspot.com/2007/12/easy-fast-delicious-asparagus.html

Okay, before I head out to the farm this morning, I promised you some stories from Passover past.

It's Passover and I'm a freshman in high school. It's 1989 and I'm from South Jersey, so imagine me with teased bangs and crunchy hair dyed blonde with "Sun-in." My aunt and uncle's seder is always packed with people and that night was no exception. The dining room was tight and was often hard to squeeze past the numerous chairs. I did my best as I tried to move from the kitchen back to my seat at the table, but someone decided to squeeze past me and I had to lean back to let them through. Little did I know that I came too close to the lit candles behind me. The next thing I knew my cousin was up and out of his chair heading toward me with a look of "crazy" in his eyes. He smacked my head numerous times before I could even smell the smoke. Yep. A head full of hairspray is a very flammable thing. The seder had stopped abruptly and everyone stared at me in shock while the fire on my head was put out. I felt absolutely no pain, but I truly thought I would die from embarrassment.

I never wore hairspray again.

Okay, I wore mousse. I had to. They wouldn't let you into my high school without it!

Been there, done that

2008-04-18T06:36:00.007-04:00

Passover is never far from my mind when I'm cooking - even when the holiday is six months away. There have been a few times this year when I've made a mental note when a dish is either kosher for Passover or could be adapted easily for that purpose.

I've gone through my virtual recipe box on this blog and found a few favorites to share. I've made some notes next to the dishes that need some slight alterations to keep within the rules of the holiday.

On Sunday, my hubby and I will be joining my family at my childhood home in New Jersey for the second night of Passover. I'm planning on making one of my absolute favorite side dishes for seder. If you're unfamiliar with a seder, check out this wonderful article (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23884119/)

Here's what I'm making:

Sweet Potato & Cranberry Hash

http://testdrivekitchen.blogspot.com/2007/12/my-favorite-side-dish-of-all-time.html

The next morning for breakfast, this is an easy treat. Serve this fruit mixture over yogurt or cottage cheese.

http://testdrivekitchen.blogspot.com/2008/01/superfoods-for-breakfast-and-dessert.html

This is a very satisfying lunch of root vegetable soup & swiss chard tart - for the tart, you can skip the bread crumbs entirely or use matzoh meal.

http://testdrivekitchen.blogspot.com/2008/01/scrumptious-satisfying-lunch.html

For a snack between meals, I highly recommend these spiced nuts - you will not be able to stop eating these. You've been warned!

http://testdrivekitchen.blogspot.com/2008/02/sweet-and-savory-snack.html

I'll be sharing a variety of salad recipes this week, but here are a few past favorites. Skip the bulgur in this one, but don't skip the Creamy Lime Fig Dressing which is out of this world and livens up anything from spinach to spring mix. Just use olive oil instead of the canola oil

http://testdrivekitchen.blogspot.com/2008/03/splat.html

Seriously, this might be the best salad I've ever tasted in my life.

http://testdrivekitchen.blogspot.com/2008/03/holy-schnikies-thats-one-tasty-salad.html

Of these three beet recipes, only the beet green salad is kosher for Passover:

http://testdrivekitchen.blogspot.com/2008/03/three-beets-three-ways.html

You won't believe how easy this chicken dish is to put together (skip the bulgur, and pass on the yogurt sauce since many observant Jews don't mix dairy and meat products.)

http://testdrivekitchen.blogspot.com/2008/03/pantry-envy.html

Sloppy Joes - skip the corn and use kosher for Passover ketchup. Serve with quinoa, stuff it in a red pepper and roast it for a really amazing treat!

http://testdrivekitchen.blogspot.com/2008/01/favorite-dish-from-childhood-revisited.html

Passover Grocery List

2008-04-17T15:53:00.005-04:00

Now don't think you have to run out and purchase everything on this list right away. When I post a recipe, you may or may not have something on hand. When it comes to quiche, soup or salad recipes, you can definitely make substitutions with what you happen to have. Remember, cooking is not an exact science (like baking!), so if you dislike cilantro -like me- skip it! If you like it hot- add a jalepeno pepper. Oh, and by the way, even though the list of vegetables looks particularly long, believe me, you will go through them very fast.

Every breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack recipe will include the items on this list. Here we go!

For Snacking
Apples (for crisp, sweet ones, try a Fuji)
Pears
Bananas
Baby Carrots
Peaches
Grapes

For breakfast smoothies
Low or nonfat vanilla or plain yogurt
Fresh or frozen berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries)
Pumpkin puree (check the label to make sure it’s only pumpkin)
Honey
orange juice
Crushed ice

Protein
Lean Chicken breasts
Lean ground beef (90% lean or more)
Salmon
White fish fillet, like turbot
Eggs (lots and lots)

For flavoring
Limes
Lemons
Oranges
Fresh thyme
Fresh flat leaf parsley
Fresh mint
Fresh basil
Extra virgin olive oil
Garlic
Ginger
Chicken broth (a lot for soups)
Sun dried tomatoes
Pure maple syrup
Kosher for Passover Dijon mustard
Kosher for Passover white wine (cooking wine is fine)
Kosher for Passover balsamic vinegar
Kosher for Passover red wine vinegar

For salads, soups and side dishes
Golden beets (with their greens attached)
Mushrooms
Spinach
Broccoli
Asparagus
Zucchini
Carrots
Red peppers
Parsnips
Celery
Swiss chard
Scallions
Tomatoes
Yellow onions
Red onions
Sweet potatoes
Russet potatoes
Spring mix or romaine hearts
Quinoa

Dairy products
Low fat sour cream
Unsalted butter
Skim milk
Grated parmesan cheese
Grated swiss cheese
Crumbled goat cheese

Dried Fruit and Nuts (for snacking, salads, sides)
Raisins (golden)
Cranberries
Cherries
Dates
Figs
Pecans
Walnuts
Hazelnuts
Cashews

Passover products
Matzoh meal
Matzoh

I didn't include dry spices on my grocery list, but here's what is in my pantry that I'm bound to use:

Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
thyme
garlic powder
red pepper flakes
chili powder
curry
cinnamon
nutmeg
cumin
oregano
basil
paprika
cayenne pepper

Let's get this party started.

2008-04-17T06:23:00.005-04:00

Here we go! Welcome to Test Drive Kitchen: Passover 2008 Edition. For the next ten days, I will be sharing tips on healthy, delicious, and affordable meals to enjoy during Passover. Why am I doing this? Simply put, this is my all time favorite holiday. It has always meant time spent with my extended family -and believe me, they are a fun bunch. We've had some hiliarious moments over the years during this holiday, and I will share a few with you this week. Also, growing up in a very non-Jewish area of New Jersey, I was often the only kid in the cafeteria with matzoh for lunch. Needless to say, being different wasn't always so easy. I can't help but think back to that time and marvel at my parents. I give them a lot of credit for infusing my sister and I with a strong committment to our Jewish identities.

Passover Basics: The Dos & Don'ts

(the following information was found on www.rabbinicalassembly.org - the Rabbinical Assembly website.)

Let's get this out of the way and start with what we can't have:

Say goodbye (for the week) to leavened bread, cakes, biscuits, crackers, cereal, coffees containing cereal derivatives, wheat, barley, oats, spelt, rye, and all liquids containing ingredients or flavors made from grain alcohol. Pasta is considered leavened, so that's a no-no, too.

Now, as a Jewish person from Eastern European descent (aka Ashkenazi), I will add a few other items to this list. They are: rice, corn, millet, and legumes (although string beans are okay.) This also means no items with corn sweetners, corn oil or soy oil. If you are a Jewish person of Spanish descent (aka Sephardic), you are free to enjoy these products during Passover.

So, what does that leave us with? Well, EVERYTHING!! Fresh fruits and vegetables, poultry, meat, fish, dairy products. Basically, Passover is a great opportunity to kick processed foods out of your life and embrace whole foods. Now do you see why I love this holiday?

I will admit, there are some real challenges. Breakfast is notoriously tough. During the rest of the year, oatmeal is part of my morning ritual. This week, I'll be sharing recipes that focus on fruit, yogurt or eggs. Another task to tackle is packing lunches for your kids. It's definitely a time to get creative.

I bet you wondering why I haven't mentioned matzoh yet. I will confess something to you. I like matzoh. I think it's very tasty. However, matzoh does not like me. Around the third day of Passover, my body starts fighting it (I won't go into details, but a few of you know what I'm talking about.) With that being the case, my hubby and I have only purchased one box of egg matzoh to get us through the holiday. Because I'm not a baker, I probably will not buy matzoh flour. If you're here to find out 1, 003 ways to make a meal with matzoh, you're out of luck.

What you will find here are meals made with real, unprocessed ingredients. You may discover a new vegetable or two along the way.

To all my new friends checking out this blog during Passover: Thank you for stopping by! I hope you take a few helpful tips and maybe a few recipes away from here. Please feel free to email me or leave a comment if you have any questions or just want to say hello.

To my blogger friends: Even if you don't observe Passover, I really appreciate you taking the time to read about something new! Please feel free to ask me any questions about the holiday or why we're doing this.

1) crumb: noun, a small fragment especially of something baked (as bread)

2008-04-14T16:40:00.008-04:00

Wow, it's been a very busy weekend here. Hubby and I are hosting my cousin, his wife and their three wonderful and totally adorable boys (one 8 year old and a set of 6 year old twins!) while they tour Washington, DC for the first time. They've been here since Friday night and I've been cooking up some of my favorite dishes for them to try. Feeding seven people for five days is a great way to use up my remaining bread products - which is one of my goals as Passover steadily approaches. After they leave tomorrow, I will do a major clean up of my pantry (I'm talking industrial strength elbow grease) and make sure I wipe up every last non-Passover friendly crumb. It will be a Herculean task, I'm afraid, because I haven't been keeping it very tidy lately.

Speaking of crumbs, I've baked for my guests and sadly I don't have a picture of my efforts to show you.However, Eating Well magazine's Zucchini Bread and Cooking Light's Oatmeal, Pecan & Chocolate Chip Cookies were so tasty, that my hubby rated them high enough to share.

(Funny story: last week I made a salmon asparagus risotto that my hubby deemed good, but not "blog worthy." Yes, he enjoys the good life, doesn't he?)

Zucchini Bread from Eating Well magazine

1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup pecan halves
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
3/4 cup apple butter
1/3 cup canola oil
3 cups shredded zucchini (about 2 small zucchini)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans cooking spray. Spread oats and pecans on separate parts of a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, 5 to 10 minutes; let cool. Chop the pecans. Stir together all but 2 tablespoons of the toasted oats, the pecans, white and whole-wheat flours, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk together brown sugar, eggs, egg whites, apple butter and oil in another bowl; stir in zucchini. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until well combined. Divide the batter between the prepared loaf pans, smoothing the tops. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the reserved oats on top of each loaf. Bake until the tops feel firm when lightly pressed and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. Let the loaves cool in the pans for 5 minutes; turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

This is the first time I've seen apple butter as a substitute for oil. Usually, recipes call for applesauce in it's place. I just happened to have three jars of apple butter handy (dropped off on my doorstep by ambitious realtors!)
Hubby and I enjoyed one loaf early last week and froze the second loaf for our visitors. I just double wrapped it in foil and put it into a large freezer bag. When I needed it, I warmed it up in the microwave for 1 minute. It was as tasty as the first loaf.
When I reached for the brown sugar, I found it to be brick-like. I recently heard of a novel way to soften it. Apparently, putting a slice of bread in the bag with the sugar does the trick. Has anyone else tried this successfully?

Oatmeal, Pecan & Chocolate Chip Cookies, by Cooking Light

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 5 1/2 ounces)

1 cup regular oats

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 large egg

1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate minichips

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt), stirring with a whisk; set aside. Place sugars and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add vanilla and egg; beat until blended. Gradually add flour mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Stir in pecans and minichips. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until edges of cookies are lightly browned. Cool on pans 2 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks.

To quote my younger self (straight from Jersey): Oh. My. God. These cookies are totally awesome.
The dough can easily be rolled into a log, wrapped in plastic, and saved for a later date. I'm stealing a page from the Small Batch baking playbook by only making a small amount of cookies at one time.

On a completely different note, if you happen to live in the DC area and don't mind laughing until milk comes shooting out your nose, then stop by the DC Improv (www.dcimprov.com) tomorrow night - Tuesday April 15 at 8:30pm. I'm performing in the monthly DC Improv Comedy School cast show. It's the 5th anniversary show- well over 200 cast members have graced the stage. Tomorrow, I'll be one of 15 cast members. We had an all day rehearsal yesterday, and I'm honored to be part of this incredibly talented cast. Hope to see you!

Veggies at Work

2008-04-08T13:57:00.006-04:00

Look at what Jessie at Cakespy (http://www.cakespy.com/) created for me!!! I'm a huge fan of both her blog and artwork. Her paintings of Lil' Cuppie - a very adventurous cupcake- make me giggle on a daily basis. My favorite thing about her work is the attention to details. Just look at the expression on the veggies' faces.

Thank you, Jessie, for beautifully capturing the inner workings of Test Drive Kitchen.

Ding! Round 2 with the Immersion Blender

2008-04-07T18:35:00.005-04:00

It's been five weeks since I sprained my ankle and I'm finally back in fighting form. I'm driving again - sweet freedom! First stop? Whole Foods...yes, I know, you're shocked. Hubby and I brought home a major haul yesterday. Honestly, I may have gone a little overboard. So much that I actually wrote a list of every perishable item and taped it to the fridge. I'll let you know if this little reminder actually works.

Oh! On my way home, we drove past a Penzeys Spice store (how could I have missed that?!) and made a mental note to pay a visit this week. Hey, if you use Penzeys spices and have a favorite, please leave me a comment about it.

So, back to the hand blender. I've had a few people ask me which brand I purchased. It's a Kitchen Aid immersion blender. And I love it. This morning I was trying out smoothie recipes and put strawberries, blueberries, one banana, nonfat plain yogurt, a squeeze of honey and crushed ice into a plastic pitcher. Five minutes later, the hand blender did it's job and there was virtually no mess. Anyone who has spent an hour scrubbing out a conventional blender will tell you that the immersion blender is a great investment.

Tonight for dinner, I used it again to make Sweet Potato Soup. This recipe comes from a book called, "The Superfoods RX Diet" by Wendy Bazilian and Steven Pratt.

Ingredients
1/2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 carrot stick, peeled & sliced
1 t fresh grated ginger
1/2 t ground cumin
4 cups water
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & diced
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice

Garnish:
toasted pumpkin seeds & diced apple

In a stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, celery, and carrots. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the vegetables begin to slighly brown. Add the ginger, cumin, water and sweet potatoes. Stir well and cover the pot. Allow the soup to cook 45 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender. Add the lemon juice. Use the immersion blender to puree the soup. Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds and diced apples. Add a dash of cayenne pepper if you enjoy a little heat!

This was tasty, but if I'm being honest, it paled it comparison to the parsnip-pear soup. I think this soup might benefit by replacing the water with chicken or vegetable broth. Also, what happened to the salt and pepper? A little seasoning in the beginning would have helped.

Don't skip the step of adding toasted pumpkin seeds and diced apples. The apples weren't part of the original recipe, but it seems like a natural pairing to me. The flavor was enhanced greatly with these two items.

Also, the celery is a lot stronger in this soup than I expected. Next time, I will replace one celery stalk with a carrot.

I'm getting the hang of the immersion blender! I found this to be a very easy dish to make and is almost completely hands off once you chop the vegetables. Chop & Blend. That's it.

Look what I made with my new hand blender!

2008-04-03T20:01:00.009-04:00

Does this look good to you?

It sure tastes amazing! I've been eager to try this Pear & Parsnip soup recipe from one of my new favorite blogs, The Perfect Pantry. I'm going to send you right over to her house, because it's fun to peek into another person's pantry.

http://www.theperfectpantry.com/2007/11/garlic-pear-and.html

Even if you've never seen or tried a parsnip in your life (often described as a white spicy carrot), you've got to try this soup. The flavors are indescribably good.

By the way, it was quite comical to watch me use an immersion blender for the first time. My hand fatigued after five minutes! I had to keep stopping and starting and finally decided to leave the soup chunkier because I was so inept.

I'll just tell hubby that I prefer it chunky. Hey, look at that piece of pear. Isn't it pretty? It's supposed to be whole like that...um, garnish. Yep, it's a garnish.

You, yes, you, can make homemade ravioli

2008-04-01T13:03:00.006-04:00

Truth be told, I made this recipe about two weeks ago and considered not putting it on the blog. It was delicious, fairly easy to make, but it was the phrase "1 stick of butter" which stopped me in my tracks.

After making this meal, I realized, a little bit of the sauce goes a very long way. As long as I drizzled and did not "glop" the butter sauce on the cooked ravioli, this was a dish I could stand behind. Make the dish about the ravioli and not the butter sauce, and you will enjoy it tremendously guilt-free.

Oh, and hubby thought this was the most beautiful plate of food I had ever served him. I wish I took a picture of it, but it was eaten that quickly!

Caution ahead: longest recipe title in Test Drive Kitchen history-

Butternut squash, sage, and goat cheese ravioli with hazelnut brown-butter sauce

For filling
a 2-pound butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground sage
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, minced
3 ounces aged goat cheese, crumbled (about 2/3)

60 won ton wrappers, thawed if frozen
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted lightly and skinned and chopped coarse

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°F. and lightly grease a baking sheet.

Make filling: Put squash halves, flesh sides down, an baking sheet and roast in middle of oven 30 minutes, or until flesh is very tender. When squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out flesh into a bowl and discard skin. Mash squash with a fork until smooth.

While squash is roasting, in a skillet cook onion and sage in butter with salt and pepper to taste over moderate heat, stirring, 5 minutes, or until onion is golden brown. Stir in garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Cool onion mixture slightly and add to squash. Add goat cheese and stir to combine well.

Bring 5 quarts salted water to a gentle boil for ravioli.

Put 1 won ton wrapper on a lightly floured surface, keeping remaining wrappers in plastic wrap, and mound 1 tablespoon filling in center. Lightly brush edges of wrapper with water and put a second wrapper over first, pressing down around filling to force out air and seal edges well. If desired, trim excess dough with a round cutter or sharp knife. Transfer ravioli to a dry kitchen towel. Make more ravioli with remaining wrappers and filling in same manner, transferring as formed to towel and turning occasionally to dry slightly.

In skillet cook butter with hazelnuts over moderate heat until butter begins to brown, about 3 minutes, and immediately remove from heat (nuts will continue to cook). Season hazelnut butter with salt and pepper and keep warm, covered.

Cook ravioli in 3 batches in gently boiling water for 6 minutes, or until they rise to surface and are tender (do not let water boil vigorously once ravioli have been added). Carefully transfer ravioli as cooked with a slotted spoon to a large shallow baking pan and add enough cooking water to reach 1/2 inch up side of pan. Keep ravioli warm, covered.

Transfer ravioli with a slotted spoon ( letting excess cooking liquid drip off) to 6 plates and top with hazelnut brown-butter sauce.

I have a lot of suggestions for this recipe to make it go smoother. First of all, definitely use squash that has already been chopped and seeded. I find squash to be the hardest of all vegetables to chop and I will gladly spend the extra pennies for someone else to do the work!
Instead of following their suggestion for cooking the squash, I laid all of the pre-cut pieces on a baking sheet and mixed it with 1 1/2 T of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled it with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. I roasted it at 425F and it was tender after 40 minutes.
The wonton wrappers are not tricky to use at all, but I strongly suggest only using 1 t of filling per wrapper and then, folding it over into a triangle. I went through several trials of amounts of fillings versus different folding (hey, I did have a fascination with origami for about six months in 5th grade!) options. It turned out that the ravioli that stayed intact were the ones with less filling and the most basic fold.
In regards to the sauce preparation: first, put the hazelnuts in a ziploc bag and give them two or three "thwumps" with a rolling pin. Very therapeutic! Then, place them in a dry skillet (no butter or cooking spray) for about 4 minutes. Then, add the butter to start the sauce.
I only made 20 ravioli pieces because it was just the two of us. I put the wonton wrappers away for another use and wound up using the rest of the squash filling as a "sauce" for penne pasta later on in the week.
I added fresh sage leaves to the skillet as I was finishing the sauce. This recipe is totally worth the effort for the smell of sage and hazelnuts alone!

Comfort food from South Africa

2008-03-30T21:16:00.007-04:00

As I was putting the groceries away yesterday, I pulled the ground beef out and considered what to make for dinner. We had already enjoyed pumpkin turkey chili last week, sloppy joes recently, so I was considering a meatloaf. However, writing this blog helps to keep me on my toes and serves as a motivator for me to try new things. So, I reached for a cookbook that I had admired for a while but barely used: Chef Marcus Samuelsson's Discovery of a Continent: Flavors, Foods and Inspirations from Africa.

I have to tell you, it's a gorgeous book that's absolutely compelling to read. The pictures tell a story, but so does his narrative about visiting South Africa after years of living in Sweden (he was adopted by a Swedish couple as a young boy.) So, the discovery of Africa and it's diverse cuisine, is not meant just for us the readers, but for his personal journey of self.

Marcus describes a bobotie as the country's national comfort food. To the Westerner, it can best be described as an African version of Sheppard's Pie. But it's that and so much more. This mixture of ground beef with local spices, dried fruits and nuts with a custard topping, is found at many tables but always looks a bit different. Every family passes down a recipe to add to it's uniqueness while staying within a certain formula. It's also a slow cooking dish, so best to try it on a weekend.

Bobotie by Marcus Samuelsson

1 1/4 lb ground beef ( I used 93% lean)

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 T curry powder

1/2 t ground cumin

1/2 t crushed coriander seeds

2 tomatoes, chopped or 1 cup of chopped canned tomatoes

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup crushed peanuts or smooth peanut butter (unsweetened)

2 t salt, divided

1 cup of milk (I used fat free)

2 large eggs

2 egg yolks

pinch of ground nutmeg

Heat a Dutch oven or other large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef and onion and cook, stirring to break up any lumps, until the beef is well browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, curry, cumin, coriander, and tomatoes, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.

Stir in bread crumbs, peanuts, 1 1/2 t of salt, and 1/2 cup of water and cook for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the beef mixture from the pot with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels (too messy for me! I used a colander.) Transfer to a plate and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350F. (At this point the recipe states to use butter to generously coat a 2 quart baking dish. I chose to use cooking spray to coat the pan.) Spread the beef mixture in the bottom of the pan and press down to pack well. Whisk together the milk, eggs, egg yolks, nutmeg, and the remaining 1/2 t salt and pour over the beef mixture.

Set the baking dish in a larger baking pan and add enough hot water to the large pan to come 1 9inch up the sides of a baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes, until the custard topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Makes 6 servings.

I did an internet search of bobotie before starting this recipe. The majority of recipes calls for golden raisins, currants or almonds to be added. This recipe does not indicate that, but I will definitely add it next time.
I fell victim again to neglecting the important role of mise en place (ingredients measured out before beginning recipe) with hilarious results. I took out cumin, curry and coriander and began measuring while the beef mixture simmered and awaited a spicy coating. I felt rushed, so I was impatient when spooning out the curry into a tablespoon and wound up spilling a lot of it on the (freshly cleaned!) counter. I decided to sweep it back into the container. Only...I wound up grabbing the cumin instead of the curry, because they were the same small size and not realizing my mistake until there a lovely curry & cumin trifle was created. You can guess the rest. Loud curse words followed by smacks to head.
I chose to use unsweetened peanut butter rather than crushed peanuts. I definitely hesitated before adding it to the ground beef, onion and garlic mixture. It seemed like such a strange combination of flavors. I had flash backs of playing "chef" as a little girl and making undesirable concoctions which always seemed to include mayonnaise and peanut butter. But, I took a deep breath and had faith in the bobotie, so I added the peanut butter to the beef (don't worry this story ends happily.) I wonder if the genius behind Reese's had the same hesitation before adding peanut butter and chocolate?
A quick tip: if you're out of toothpicks and need to check consistency of a dish, use a broken piece of spaghetti instead.
So...we loved it!! What a fun new way to use lean ground beef. Don't be afraid of the peanut butter. It will all be okay.

Hope Springs Eternal

2008-03-27T11:35:00.004-04:00

For me, Spring is bringing hope, although I'm not sure yet if it will be eternal. I have so much to look forward to right now that I'm having a hard time sitting still (yes the ankle is much better!)

In three weeks, hubby and I are visiting Calvert Farm to plant a row of lettuce. Back in January we joined a CSA and became shareholders. Recently, we contacted the farmers and asked if we could visit and bring a group of kids from a housing project in the city. Hubby has been volunteering with these kids for over five years, taking them on nature hikes and camping trips. Basically getting them in touch with nature, because they barely ever leave their immediate environment. We thought they would like to see where their food comes from, how organic farming works and learn about the life cycle of each vegetable that the farm produces.

That evening when we return home, another spring ritual begins for us. Passover, an eight day Jewish holiday, begins that evening with a dinner (called a seder) where we tell the story of the Israelites fleeing Egypt when they were slaves under the Pharoah. It also begins an eight day period of observing new dietary rules. Because the Israelites left Egypt in a hurry, there was no time for their bread to rise. So we observe the holiday by not eating anything leavened for the whole week. I can not wait to take on the challenge of cooking healthy meals that are kosher (okay) for Passover. For those of you that observe Passover, I hope by sharing and reviewing recipes that your experience will be enhanced. Growing up, there was ALOT of processed and super sugary foods - deemed kosher for Passover- eaten during the holiday. Needless to say, hubby and I will not be going that route. The holiday starts on April 19th, so I'll make a point to post every day during that week.

Another exciting Spring event will be the arrival of our weekly box of produce from Calvert Farm starting on May 20th. Test Drive Kitchen will shift gears at that point and focus primarily on how to integrate these vegetables in every meal without wasting any of them. Also, there will be veggies I've never tried before like radishes and kohlrabi. I can't tell you how excited I am about this upcoming challenge.

Lastly, on a much more personal note, Spring is bringing a revived feeling of optimism to my life. Right now I'm staring outside in my backyard at two beautiful trees slowing coming back to life. A pink & white dogwood and a bright yellow forsythia bush. I can't help but think of the two dreams that are blooming in my own mind. The daughter we're waiting for from China and the infant we're hoping to one day meet through a domestic adoption. Yes, we decided about six months ago to pursue what's called a "concurrent adoption." We've been waiting for over a year for China and it looks like it will be another three years. So recently we decided to diversify our efforts to become parents by updating our paperwork and begin the rollar coaster ride that is domestic adoption. Just this week, we completed a very long application process and a new wait period begins.

And maybe, just maybe, hope will spring eternal and nourish me throughout this journey.

Lights, Camera, Action!

2008-03-23T20:26:00.004-04:00

I can cook. I also dabble in travel photography. But God love me, I am a terrible food photographer. I envy all of the bloggers out there who have mastered it. Please, please share your secrets with me. Perhaps I chose a poor first subject? I guess pumpkin turkey chili isn't the most glamourous subject, but it happened to be what was on the menu this evening.

Turkey-Pumpkin Chili-recipe courtesy of Whole Foods Market

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
2 jalapeños, ribs and seeds removed and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground white or dark meat turkey
1 can (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes
1 can (15 ounce) pumpkin
1 cup water
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 can (15 ounce) kidney beans, drained

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes until tender. Add turkey; cook until browned.

Add tomatoes with juice, pumpkin, water, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Add kidney beans, cover; stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

After a long week of cooking and making a complete mess of the kitchen, there's nothing like cooking a meal that uses only one pot. I know it's the first few days of spring, but today was unseasonably chilly, so I grabbed my chance to make this soul-warming chili with an unusual twist: pureed pumpkin!
It was a pleasing meal, but both hubby and I thought it needed more seasoning. I added a little shredded parmesan before I served it.
Cute story about the green table the chili is displayed on. The table is actually a square piece cut from an old barn door. We spotted it while on vacation in Asheville, NC about five years ago. It wasn't being sold at a store, it was actually the very table we sat at during our last lunch before heading home. That afternoon, after 4 years of dating, I decided to pin the boyfriend down on when exactly we would move in together (and later get engaged.) The conversation went from timing of the move to what furniture we needed. We both agreed that we needed a kitchen table and also were impressed at the uniqueness of the one we were sitting at. We asked the waiter where they got it, and it turned out the owner made them! They sold it to us and shipped it to Washington, DC for a very reasonable price. Now, when we sit down for meals we are at the very table where we decided to spend our life together. Nice, huh?

The Giving Tree

2008-03-20T14:48:00.003-04:00

As I write this post, a loud chainsaw is in the process of cutting down the 50 year old red oak tree- about 1/3 sick & 2/3 dead- in our backyard. As the branches come down, one by one, it eventually became a large tree with no branches. Then it was a large trunk with no treetop, now it's just a stump. As I watched the process, I started to feel a combination of delight, as our yard became a lot sunnier - and a real tug at my heart at the end of its existence. It had a purpose for 50 years, and now it's gone. It brought a lot of shade and beauty to the backyard in its heyday. Just yesterday, we were so worried that big branches would fall on our roof and cause damage due to the heavy windstorms we've experienced. Now, large chunks of trunk are laying on our ground looking a lot less mighty.

What does all of this have to do with healthy cooking, do you ask? I think that my love of real food, whether it's harvested on a farm, plucked from one's garden or born from a tree, has definitely deepened my interest in learning where exactly my food originates from.

Hubby just brought home a jar of Del Monte SunFresh Mangoes. Before popping the top, I wondered which country these mangoes came from - it certainly doesn't say anywhere on the jar. It could be Brazil, but it also could be as far as Thailand. I've never even seen a mango tree in real life. I looked down at the jar and I felt very disconnected to it. Even though it was fruit, it just felt artificial to me.

Still, the mangoes provided the natural sweetening agent for a homemade barbeque sauce for last night's dinner.

Chicken with Mango Barbeque Sauce by Ellie Krieger

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced (about 1 cup)
1 red pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup low-sodium tomato sauce
1 mango, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 to 3 jalapenos, minced
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3/4 pound each)

Heat the oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the red peppers, garlic, salt and pepper, and allspice and cook for 2 minutes more. Stir in the vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice and tomato sauce and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer the mixture into a bender and add the mango and jalapeno. Blend until smooth.

Put 1 cup of the barbeque sauce into a sealable plastic bag with the chicken and marinate for 1 hour.

Preheat the broiler. Put the chicken on a broiler pan and discard the marinade. Broil the chicken on high for about 12 minutes, turning once. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Spoon about 1/2 cup of barbeque sauce over the meat slices and serve.

If you haven't embraced the concept of "mise en place" translated as "everything in its place" this recipe is a good place to start. I usually do it everytime. For some reason, I skipped the important step of having everything chopped and measured before the oil hits the skillet and I paid for it dearly! For one thing, dark sticky molasses made its way onto the floor, cabinets and my shirt while I tried to squeeze a lime with one-handed. It was not a pretty sight. Mise en place from now on. Live it. Love it.
I made the sauce without the jalapenos. I didn't have any on hand and honestly, I really don't like them. However, it does provide some heat that balances the sweet. I guess next time I'll add some red pepper flakes.
My only complaint about this dish is I still can't figure out how to make chicken stay moist after the broiler. The chicken was far from dry, just not succulent. Maybe it's because I always use very lean chicken? I guess a little fat might go a long way (gasp!)

Three Beets, Three Ways

2008-03-19T12:27:00.007-04:00

In the house I grew up in, there was likely to be about fifty cans of beets in the pantry at any given time. My dad just loved them. They fell out of the can in a perfectly cylinder shape with ridges mirroring the shape of the can. They were super sweet, bright red and very, very soft. They were served straight up in a bowl. Basking in the glow of performing solo...no accompaniment. In my parents' defense, it wasn't terrible. I ate them. But I didn't love them and haven't been too keen on embracing them as an adult. Seriously, I had eaten enough beets from ages 7-12 for a whole lifetime.

Fast forward twenty or so years and I'm now re-introducing myself to beets. In real life (non-canned variety), they are pretty darn irresistible. And who can pass up a vegetable where you can eat both the root and the leaves? Now that's what I call efficiency! Hubby brought home three beautiful golden beets from his last grocery trip. I didn't want to deal with red hands, red counter tops and even the dreaded red pee. (yes, I just got the yellow flag for violating the first of rule of cooking blogs: no bathroom humor)

Besides being very tasty, beets offer tremendous health benefits. According to the George Mateljan Foundation, beets are particularly rich in the B vitamin folate, which is essential for normal tissue growth and can prevent birth defects -so they play an important role in the diet of a pregnant woman. Also, your kids will love them because they are so sweet yet low in calories.

So yesterday, I had three perfect beets and their greens to make myself a meal. I was shocked and delighted that I squeezed three full meals out of them.

Karen's Roasted Golden Beets and Goat Cheese Salad

1 roasted golden beet, sliced

1.5 oz of goat cheese, crumbled

1 cup of beet greens

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1 shallot, sliced

Kosher salt & pepper to taste

I cut the greens off each beet and put them aside. Scrub, scrub, scrub those beets. It literally looked like a different vegetable once I got the layer of dirt off. Then, I wrapped all three of my beets in foil tightly. Although this recipe called for one beet, I knew I would use all three at some point this week. I placed the beets on a baking sheet and roasted them for 90 minutes in the oven (400F). It's important to make sure all the beets are about the same size, so they will cook evenly. The beets are done when you can slide a fork or knife until them easily. I let them cool for thirty minutes and chose one for my salad. Remove the foil, and wipe the thin layer of skin off with a paper towel. I then sliced it up and put it aside.

Next, the greens. I washed these very carefully and spun them in my salad spinner. Wheeeee!!! I love to see those greens spin. In a medium skillet, I added the extra virgin olive oil and cooked the shallots on medium low heat for about 4 minutes. Then I added the beet greens. Like Swiss Chard, they are hearty, so it took a while for them to soften bit. They will not wilt like spinach, which is much softer. I cooked them until they were tender. Be sure to add salt and pepper to your liking.

Finally, I plated the greens along with the goat cheese and beet slices. What a lovely lunch it was. Later I realized it would have benefited from a drizzle of my heirloom tomato balsamic vinegar. Oh well. Next time.

Later in the afternoon, hubby was coming home in the middle of the day to take me to the podiatrist. The ankle is healing, thankfully, albeit slowly. I start physical therapy tomorrow! Hubby asked for a sandwich to eat on the way. I put this together and I actually enjoyed it more than my salad.

1/2 roasted golden beet, sliced

1/4 cup of red grapes, halved

4 slices of turkey breast (thin deli slices)

1/2 cup of beet greens (steamed)

1 oz goat cheese crumbles

2 t balsamic vinegar

1 sun dried tomato tortilla

After steaming the beat greens in a Simply Glad steaming bag for a minute, I mixed all the ingredients together in a bowl. Then, I rolled the mixture up in the tortilla. Voila! Lunch on the run. Okay, I admit, I did slice a small piece off to try myself. The sweetness of the beets, grapes and vinegar just hit the spot.

Finally, the third and final dish was Cooking Light recipe.

Pasta with Beet Greens and Raisins

8 ounces uncooked pennette (mini penne)

1/4 cup raisins

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups coarsely chopped trimmed beet greens

2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic

1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Cracked black pepper (optional)

Cook the pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. While pasta cooks, place raisins in a small bowl; cover with hot water. Let stand 10 minutes. Drain.

While pasta cooks and raisins soak, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add greens and garlic; sauté 3 minutes or until greens are tender. Stir in pasta, raisins, almonds, salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper; toss to combine. Sprinkle with cracked black pepper, if desired.

I used whole wheat penne pasta, instead of white. I seriously can not remember the last time I had white pasta. I know it's healthier, but the real reason is it's just simply tastier.
My pantry is now stocked with dried fruits up the whazoo. I use raisins, cherries, cranberries and apricots all the time to add sweetness to savory dishes. I picked golden raisins for this dish and I think it was the right choice.
This was absolutely scrumptious. I saved the best beet dish for last!

After all that, I still have a cup of sliced beets left! If you're watching your budget - as we all should - beets give you the most bang for your shopping buck.

Shortcuts

2008-03-13T10:57:00.004-04:00

It has been a very interesting two weeks here at Test Drive Kitchen. Anyone who has ever been on crutches will tell you the same thing. Sure they can get you somewhere, but what the heck do you do when you get there? Nada. Nothing. Zip. Ever try to hold a cup of coffee while on crutches? Not a pretty sight. I'm thinking of inventing a coffee patch for my forearm.

So, it's been quite a challenge to make any kind of meal without assistance. With hubby gone all day, I've figured out some shortcuts and relied heavily on anything I can roast, simmer, braise or slow cook. Basically recipes that are almost totally hands off and allow me to sit on my tush.

One of my favorite and not at all sprained ankle friendly recipes is risotto. Here is my post about a saffron butternut squash version:

http://testdrivekitchen.blogspot.com/2008/01/whole-pot-of-yummy.html

Since risotto requires stove top hovering, I decided to make a "poor mans" version of this scrumptious dish with similiar flavor - but sadly not the creamy texture.

I toasted a cup of (rinsed) quinoa in a dry saucepan for five minutes, while I prepared previously peeled and cubed butternut squash in extra virgin olive oil, salt & pepper. I put this mixture in a casserole dish, which then went into the oven (preheated at 425F). Meanwhile, I added 2 cups of chicken broth to the quinoa and brought it to a quick boil. Yes, mom, I did sit while I waited for it to boil! After the boil, I covered the pot and let it simmer for 15 minutes. When the quinoa was finished, so was the butternut squash. The squash is finished when brown at the edges and soft and tender to the touch. In hindsight, I wish I put some roughly chopped shallots in the roasting pan, because that would have added a LOT of flavor to my final dish.

For an early lunch today, I took a 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa and 1/4 cup of roasted butternut squash and sprinkled 1 T of shredded parmesan cheese and a pinch of saffron threads. I mixed it together and let the cheese melt.

All in all, it was very satisfying lunch. I didn't expect the creaminess of risotto, so I wasn't disappointed.

Hey, 20 minutes with barely any standing up. I'll take what I can get!

Kitchen Sink? Everything, but.

2008-03-10T09:38:00.006-04:00

Growing up in Southern New Jersey, my family spent many summers "down the shore." My aunt and uncle have a beautiful home on Long Beach Island where my husband and I usually spend a week in August. My favorite thing about LBI is there's virtually no big retail stores. Everything from the grocery stores to the restaurants - all locally run. There's not a TGI Fridays or Giant in sight. Hubby's favorite is an ice cream parlor that's been around for at least 30 years complete with a player piano. I have to say, it's special to see my spouse fall in love with a place from my childhood. He just gets it.

Beyond kayaking in the lagoon and sailing with my uncle, one of the best things about our LBI vacations is definitely the food. My aunt lays out dinners of grilled sweet corn, roasted summer vegetables, fresh herbs (growing on her deck), fish straight from the dock, and fruit from the farmer's markets. Lunch is always something to look forward to. It's composed of what we had for dinner the night before mixed in with fresh greens and balsamic vinegar with olive oil. Her salads opened my eyes to new flavor combinations and has inspired me in my own cooking adventures. Before this year, I was known for my own "everything but the kitchen sink" salads and it was a staple at my dinner parties. It usually included goat cheese, fresh corn shaved from the cob and dates.

Hubby was headed to Whole Foods yesterday, so I decided to use up the remaining vegetables in the fridge to create some room. Rather than a salad, I was totally in the mood for soup. I asked him to pick up some delicious crusty bread of his choice (he knows to look for 3 grams of fiber or more now!) I've also been reading "How to Cook Without the Book" by Pam Anderson which had a very helpful chapter on making soup. First rule? When junk goes in, junk comes out. Basically with fresh ingredients to start, it's easy to make an excellent soup.

Karen's "Everything But the Kitchen Sink" Soup

2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 zucchinis, diced
2 Yukon potatoes, diced
4 carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 large bunch of swiss chard leaves, roughly chopped and stems removed
1 15 oz can cannellini beans
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup bulgur, cooked
48 oz chicken broth (1 ½ cartons)
2/3 cup white wine
1 Chicken/Apple Sausage, thinly sliced
Penzy’s Northwood Spices (mix of coarse flake salt, paprika, black pepper, thyme, rosemary, garlic and chipotle.)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
Shredded Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and let them sauté for 3-4 minutes until translucent. Then, add the remaining vegetables & wine. Spice generously with penzy (or your own mix), salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and let the veggies stew in their own juices, wine and tomatoes for about 10 minutes with the lid tightly on the pot. When veggies are tender, you can add the chicken broth & beans. Taste and season to your liking. Put the lid back on the pot and cook for another 10 minutes (med-low heat). Add previously cooked Chicken Apple Sausage and bulgur at the end. In five minutes, everything will be heated up and ready to serve. Serve with a piece of crusty bread and a pinch of shredded parmesan cheese in the soup.

Recently filed in the Duh! folder: I burned my first pot because I left the oil sizzling on high heat without the onions for too long. It looks terrible, I may not be able to scrub out the scorch mark! First duh, followed by a second...I opened the french doors in my living room leading out to the back yard (unfenced) to clear the very smoked filled kitchen. I thought I tightly closed the doors when I let Sami back in, but a gust of wind blew it open and my puppy almost took off outside without a leash. Thank goodness she had the good sense to be startled and backed away in time for me to close it again! Damn this sprained ankle...yes, I'm blaming my lack of common sense on it.
Hubby brought home an outstanding loaf of oatmeal, flax, honey and date bread. The sweetness of the dates and honey with the savory taste of the soup was an unexpected, yet heavenly, combination.
I can't wait to have this soup for lunch...it's always better the next day.
The best thing about this dish was how quickly it came together. From first chop to in the bowl was approximately 35 minutes. Twenty of which I was sitting watching tv!

Pantry Envy

2008-03-07T08:57:00.007-05:00

I made another new blog discovery! Lydia at The Perfect Pantry (http://www.theperfectpantry.com/) keeps her kitchen well stocked with everything under the sun. Currently, her inventory counter is at 220. Hmmm...mine is at 75. At the rate I'm going, though, I could match that by June! An interesting result from reading stacks of cookbooks is that everytime I'm at the grocery store I pick up an ingredient I remember from a recipe. A few weeks ago, I picked up Coriander but it wasn't until yesterday that I found a reason to use it.

I won't even keep you in suspense here. It was crazy good. And unbelievably easy to make. Oh, and I had everything I needed on hand...or so I thought.

Spiced Chicken & Grape Skewers by Ellie Krieger

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

8 (10-inch) skewers

1 1/2 cups seedless green grapes

Cooking spray

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves

1 lemon, cut into wedges

In a medium sized bowl whisk together the oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, coriander, and salt. Add the chicken to the marinade and toss to coat. Marinate the chicken for 20 minutes. While the chicken is marinating, soak the skewers in water if wooden.

Thread 4 pieces of the chicken and 4 grapes onto the skewers, alternating them. Spray a grill pan with cooking spray and preheat over a medium-high heat, or prepare an outdoor grill. Grill the chicken until cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Sprinkle with mint and serve with lemon wedges.

Yes, I'm supposed to be keeping my feet up and the apron off, but it was getting close to 8pm and the metro delayed my hubby. So I chanced it and hobbled around. Thankfully, there were only a few things to grab for the marinade. Hubby came home and took care of the rest.
If you asked me one thing I must have in my fridge at all times, it's lemons. I love to zest. I love to juice. I am a citrus junkie. It just heightens the flavor of everything.
Sadly, I didn't have any grapes. They there were this morning...and then there were gone. Hmm? Healthy burglar? Sneaky dog? Nope. Hubby just took them to work.
I used the broiler instead of the grill. They turned out great! Ten minutes total- turn the skewers halfway through.
For the sauce, hubby clipped some mint leaves from our plant growing in the dining room and added it to nonfat plain yogurt. He squeezed some fresh lemon juice for a final touch.
He served the chicken with cooked bulgur (our favorite grain by far!) the sauce and a handful of golden raisins to make up for the missing grapes.

Riding the Bench

2008-03-06T11:13:00.003-05:00

I hate watching the game from the bench, but that's where I am. For at least two weeks. I'm nursing a grade 3 ankle sprain. It's been a unusual experience handing my hubby the grocery list and giving him cooking directions from the couch. Thankfully, he's totally on board with keeping up our eating habits and hasn't suggested take-out food. The thing is, once you start eating real food made from ingredients one can pronounce, it's nearly impossible to go back to crap. So, hubby is taking on double duty as breadwinner and breadmaker! Oh, and guess what...he made a statement that made me leap with joy from the sofa (almost.) He pronounced Whole Foods produce far superior and will no longer express frustration at our grocery bills.

We're keeping the menu light and easy this week. So far, it's been spinach and mesclun salads with cannellinni and black beans, shaved parmesan and dried cherries, baked fish, roasted cauliflower and raisin salad with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. He gets home between 7:30-8pm, so it's been imperative to make dishes with a shorter prep time. Honestly, I'm ravished by the time he gets home. Maybe that's because I'm sitting here reading cooking websites and Mark Bittman books all day!!

Since I'm determined to keep posting frequently, I'll write some more cookbook reviews and website discoveries (and try not to critique hubby's culinary attempts too much!)

For now, here's something completely different for your amusement. A friend from my comedy class added a video of us performing a few weeks ago on Youtube. The picture quality is not great, but I'm in the one in green pretending to speak in Lithuanian.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR8ueIbhzwE

Enjoy!!

Holy Schnikies, that's one tasty salad!!

2008-03-03T07:49:00.008-05:00

As much as I appreciate delicious food, it's pretty rare for me to have a reaction like I had last night. I was suddenly rendered monosyllabic.

Wow. Whoah. Soooo. Good.

Maybe it's because I was doped up on Aleve for the ankle, but I think I had a religious experience while eating this salad. If you're going to try anything on my blog, TRY THIS.

I stumbled upon this recipe yesterday while surfing the net with my foot propped up on an ottoman under a nice cold bag of sugar snap peas. There's not much I can do right now besides rest and dream of recipes I want to make. My husband has added to his duties of chief taster and clean up visionary (yes, he has many ideas on how to decrease the pileup), to Whole Foods mystery shopper and reluctant sous chef. Seriously, he's the best.

Are your reading Kitchen Queen Victoria? You are going to love this.

Oh, you wanted the recipe already? Here it is:

Spinach Salad with Caramelized Onions and Apples by Alison Anton

CURRIED APPLES AND ONIONS

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 yellow onion, sliced thin

1 apple, sliced thin

1/2 teaspoon mild curry powder

DRESSING

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Pinch salt

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons walnut oil (or use more olive oil)

CANDIED PECANS OR WALNUTS

1 cup pecans or walnuts

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons maple syrup

SALAD

4 handfuls of baby spinach

2 ounces goat feta

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and apple. Saute for 2-3 minutes, turn down the heat to medium-low and cover. Add curry. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 35-45 minutes, until the onions have released their natural sugars and begun to caramelize. They should be a nice caramel color.

In the meantime, prepare the dressing and candied pecans. For the dressing, whisk all of the ingredients together in a small dish. Let the dressing sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.

For the pecans, heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Place the pecans in the pan, stirring and flipping constantly, until the pecans are lightly toasted, about 8 minutes—watch out, they burn fast at the end.

Add the spices and salt; mix about 30 seconds to toast the spices. Turn the heat to low and add the maple syrup. Stir constantly, cooking until the mixture has thickened and is very sticky, about two minutes. Remove to a plate and cool completely.

Place a handful of spinach onto four salad plates. Drizzle with the dressing. Place 1/4 of the warmed caramelized onions over each of the plates of spinach and top with the candied pecans and feta. Give each a grinding of fresh black pepper. Serve while the onions are still warm.

First, check out Alison Anton's blog at http://www.wholegourmet.blogspot.com/. I must have spent an hour perusing it last night. I found at least 10 recipes I want to try.

You know what's great about caramelizing onions? Even though it takes a while, it's pretty effortless and the result is outstanding flavor. I was being careful not to stand up too long, so basically I covered the pan for 30 minutes and checked in only twice for quick stirs.

I highly recommend using walnut oil in the dressing rather than using extra olive oil. It adds a unique touch.

I had both walnuts and pecans on hand, so I used a half cup of each. After we made the spiced nuts, it's amazing that any landed in the salad. They are outrageously good.

I wish I could make this blog "Scratch & Sniff." Remember those stickers? Curry & Cinnamon. Wow. I'm starting to feel monosyllabic again.

When I sent hubby out to Whole Foods yesterday for a grocery run, I armed him with one of my favorite things from www.knockknock.biz:

The Great Shed of 2008

2008-03-02T19:34:00.007-05:00

Dear Karen,

I know that we've been dancing around the subject for the last two weeks, so I thought I would just address it. You've quietly swept and swiffered fruitlessly as I leave new gifts for you. You've used special tools, like the Furminator, to lessen the pile up only to create more mess. Even Dyson's special vacuum - the Animal- has failed to meet your expectations.

Big E for effort, though. You're a trooper.

But seriously, I didn't ask to blow my coat. It's just that the Great Shed stops for no one. Not even the furry inhabitants of Test Drive Kitchen.

Keep your chin up. It's almost over. Oh, and can you pass me your slipper? I wasn't done nibbling on it. Thanks.

I feel better now that we've had this talk.

Love,
Sami

Splat!

2008-03-01T17:41:00.005-05:00

That was the unfortunate sound my body made when it met the ground yesterday. A very well intentioned jog turned into a recipe for elevation, ice and rest. Long story short, I had a great run with a friend of mine which ended with a flying leap off the sidewalk to the grass. I'm told it was quite impressive. So, I'm nursing a sprained ankle at the moment, but still managed to hobble over to the kitchen to make lunch today. I sought comfort in some fantastic blueberries. I'm not a huge fan of them usually, but when they're good I can't resist them. Here's what I did:

1/2 cup of cooked bulgur (made with low sodium chicken broth)
1 cup of baby romaine lettuce
1/3 cup of fresh blueberries
2 T slivered almonds
1 T shredded Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup of steamed broccoli
1/3 cup of chopped orange bell pepper
1 T Newman's Light Balsamic Vinaigrette

I'm optimistic that an infusion of superfoods will accelerate the healing process!!

If I could have maintained my balance longer, I would have definitely made my own dressing. I think Newman's Own and Maple Grove products are pretty decent, but nothing really compares to homemade. Plus I just purchased a bag of limes and lemons for just this purpose this week. Oh well. Best laid plans.

Speaking of limes, this creamy lime-fig dressing is to die for.

Creamy Lime Fig Dressing from Greens Glorious Greens!

3 dried Turkish or Calmyrna figs (stems removed)
3 T Freshly squeezed lime juice
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 T mirin
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup canola or olive oil
3/4 cup of water
salt to taste

To make dressing, place figs, lime juice, vinegar, mirin, garlic, oil, water and salt in a blender. Blend for 2-3 minutes until creamy and smooth.

Figs are a great source of calcium, iron, potassium (which helps control blood pressure) and fiber. I've always been a big fan of fig newtons (not so much of figgy pudding). It's nice to learn they're a nutritional heavyweight!
I usually drizzle this dressing on a bowl of spring mix and fig slices.

One more time for the cheap seats:

SPLAT!

Test Drive Creations

2008-02-24T13:32:00.011-05:00

Ellie, Ina, Mollie, oh my! What will I do without your helpful instructions? Okay, I decided to abandon my beloved cookbooks (at least temporarily) and strike out on my own. It started two days ago when I had four different cheeses leftover from my squash mac & cheese recipe, as well as a bag of red peppers, organic carrots, zucchinis and onions. I knew the clock was ticking and I had to do something before they went to the dark side. Then it hit me...veggie lasagna! However, I didn't have my favorite jar of marinara sauce (Rao's) in the house. For me, lasagna is all about the sauce. So, I peeked in the pantry and saw a nice big 28 oz can of whole tomatoes and decided to just go for it. I wasn't quite brave enough to start winging it without checking with my Cooking Light friends (community.cookinglight.com). I had a few great suggestions, including roasting the veggies first.

Before I post the recipe and results, I have to give a lot of credit to my husband. Not only is he Test Drive Kitchen's chief taster, but he does ALL the dishes. I do the meal planning, grocery shopping and cooking and he deals with my mess. He recently suggested that I rate the pileup I create per recipe. Without further ado, here is the star of the Dirty Dish rating system:

After each recipe, I'll give it a rating - 5 pictures of this guy in a row = colossal mess or 1 picture = nothing to complain about)

Here we go:

Karen's Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Sauce:
28 oz can of whole tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
1 small onion, diced

2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 heaping T of Sicilian Seasonings (Victoria Taylor is the brand)
Kosher salt

Vegetables:
2 Zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch round slices
4 carrots, sliced into 1/4 inch round slices
3 red peppers, roughly chopped
1 large onion, roughly chopped

Cheeses:
4 oz grated Monterrey Jack cheese
3 oz grated Sharp Cheddar cheese
2 oz grated Mozzarella Cheese
¾ cup skim Ricotta cheese

Preheat oven to 425 F and place vegetables in a single layer in 9 X 13 casserole dish. Add 1 T of olive oil and generous pinch of kosher salt and few grinds of the pepper I used two casserole dishes and put them on different shelves. Set timer to 30 minutes. If vegetables are tender and slightly brown on edges, it’s done.

While veggies are roasting, prepare lasagna noodles according to package directions. Next, add 1 T of olive oil to medium sized pot and add onion when it is heated. Saute the onion for 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add can of crushed tomatoes (I only had canned whole tomatoes, so I spent some time mashing them in the pot as they heated up.) Then, add 1 T of olive oil and heaping T of spices. Mix well. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and add salt to your liking.

Add cheeses along with one egg and mix well. Set aside.

When veggies are done, let them cool briefly, then add to the cheese mixture. Take a 9X13 casserole dish and spray with Pam. Start building the lasagna: Sauce, Noodles, Cheese mixture, Sauce, Noodles, Cheese mixture, Sauce, then finally the top layer of Noodles. You’ll want to add a bit more sauce – just a thin layer- to the top. If you’ve run out, use just a plain canned tomato sauce. You don’t need much.

Bake lasagna at 400 F (turn the oven down after the veggies are roasted) for 45 minutes. Cool for ten minutes and serve.

Big thumbs up from my hubby. I really enjoyed it, too. I think this is my "go to" lasagna recipe from now on.

It was pretty darn cheesy and wasn't as "light" as my usual fare. I may experiment in the future with this part of the dish.

My blogger buddies Josie and Joe suggested shredding the zucchini for texture. I'll definitely try this next time.

My Dirty Dish rating:

Medium size mess. 2 pots, three bowls, two casserole dishes, cutting board and knives!

For a much smaller mess and a quick and easy lunch, try my Moroccan inspired Orzo.

Karen's Orzo, Sweet, Orzo

1 cup of cooked orzo (made with chicken broth)

1/2 cup of chickpeas (slightly heated)

3 t of powdered sugar

1/2 T of cinnamon

1 T of sliced almonds

1 T golden raisins

Mix it all in a bowl and enjoy!

Teeny Tiny Dirty Dish rating:

1 small pot for orzo. Voila!

See if you can eat just one

2008-02-22T14:32:00.004-05:00

I'm trying something new and I'm eager to hear what you think. I thought it might be fun to create a recipe card for you to click, print and put right into your recipe box. The size is 4 X 6 and can print right onto an index card.

I don't know about you, but potato chips are my biggest weakness. Hidden deep in the Ellie Krieger cookbook is this fantastic, healthier alternative. Not only is it tasty, but it's so easy and fun to make. And when zucchinis are growing in your garden, it's nice to have a lot of options.

Next time I make these, I'm going to cut thicker zucchini slices. Because these shrink a bit while baking (they looked just like Shrinky Dinks for you thirty-somethings out there!), some of them became too thin and fell apart.
I know it's hard to eat just one, but remember to share with family and friends. But hey, if they're not quick enough, what are you going to do? Enjoy!

Barbara Kingsolver writes about "zucchini wars" in her book - Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I laughed out loud many times while reading about how she dealt with a zucchini surplus. I just found the chapter about her zucchini wars online at this site:

http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=1822

Read it for a great laugh. Just don't drink milk while doing it. You know, too much laughter plus milk equals an embarrassing moment. C'mon, it's happened to all of us at some time.

Right? No? Oh well. Just me.

A Fresh Coat of Paint

2008-02-22T06:42:00.002-05:00

Do you like my new look?

As my Grandmother Sara (who was always very fashionable and was never without a beautiful silk scarf, sparkly earrings and pint of hairspray) might say, "You look stunning! Wear it in the best of health."

Many, many thanks to the very talented Becky from Lady in Waiting Blog Designs (www.ladyinwaitingblogdesign.blogspot.com.) She did a fantastic job giving me more than just a fresh coat of paint, but brought her creative spirit to the job. I'm really blown away. I recommend her services highly!

I have a new list of recipes to try, including something quick and delicious with zucchini this afternoon.

Stay tuned...

Tag. I'm it!

2008-02-19T11:11:00.003-05:00

Last night, after a rousing game of Monopoly with my hubby and his sister that went late into the night (the three of us are so competitive!), I checked my blog and found that I'm part of a new game. This is my first game of "virtual" tag, basically a getting to know you game between like-minded bloggers. I haven't share much here except my passion for healthy cooking, so this is a good opportunity to highlight some others happening outside of Test Drive Kitchen.

Thank you to Josie from 1 Kitchen, 2 Dogs and a Girl (http://2dogsandagirl.blogspot.com/) for tagging me and getting me involved!

Here are my instructions via Josie:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 5 facts about yourself.
3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post and list their names, linking to them.
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

Here we go.....

I grew up in the Southern region of New Jersey, close to the city of Philadelphia. At age 22, I moved to Washington, DC and I'm still trying to lose my accent. I grew up on diner food, spent summers at the Jersey shore, listened to Jon Bon Jovi, and teased my bangs to new heights. I'm a Jersey girl at heart even though I left over a decade ago.
There are certain movie scenes that no matter how many times I've seen them, I cry. Same spot in the movie, every time. Field of Dreams: "Dad, wanna have a catch?" and Rudy getting into Notre Dame on his last attempt to transfer schools and play football are just two examples.
I've been taking classes in improvisational comedy for almost a year. Last weekend, I performed at the DC Improv with my classmates in front of our family and friends. It was a total rush!
I never knew that I would love a dog as much as I do our 1 1/2 year old golden retriever. I didn't grow up around animals, but always wanted a pet. I didn't realize how much of a family member she would become. I can't believe how much fur I kiss a day. If you don't kiss fur, you don't know what you're missing.
And for something very personal (I discussed with my hubby before posting), we are in the process of building our family through adoption. We're under a heap of paperwork right now, so that's why I'm blogging less frequently right now. We can't wait to be parents and I'm excited to one day make healthy meals for my children.

I've tagged the following people:

Vicci at The Days are Just Packed (http://victoriasdays.blogspot.com/). She's always posting great comments on my blog and I love the way she writes about her life!
Ricki at Diet, Dessert and Dogs (http://dietdessertndogs.wordpress.com/). We share the same cooking philosphy.
Kathy at Panini Happy (http://www.paninihappy.blogspot.com/). She's the beautiful wife (and new mother!) of my husband's best buddy. She's cooking up a storm and creating fantastic panini recipes.
Ana at Kitchen Space (http://kitchenspace.blogspot.com/), she's exploring the world of Ellie Krieger. We're both Ellie's superfans. I'm so envious that Ana just met her in person!
Finally, Jessie at Cakespy (http://www.cakespy.com/) Her blog is so amazing. GREAT artwork and just a really fun blog to read. It makes me smile everytime I check it out.

Okay, who's turn is it? Pass me the dice.

Like a kid in a candy store

2008-02-15T10:57:00.007-05:00

Dear Williams-Sonoma,

I love you. Very very much. Your bright and shiny kitchen tools beckon me to enter through your hallowed doorway. You seem to have something new for me everytime. It's like you knew I'd be coming and wanted me to feel welcome.

On this Valentine's Day, I ask you just one thing in return for all the marvelous things you gave (sold) me. For the love of all things holy, please let me go. Please. I simply can't afford you. One day soon when I walk past you in the mall, just look away. Like we never meant anything to each other.

Oh, I love you. And how I'll miss you. But if you ever think of me (by slashing your prices), I'm just an email away.

Warmly (350 F),

Karen

Williams-Sonoma: Essentials of Healthful Cooking:
I can't believe I haven't mentioned this book before! It's absolutely one of my favorites. I go back to it time and time again. If you've tried "my favorite side dish of all time" - sweet potatoes and cranberry hash, then you know that this book contains some real gems.

The recipes, stunning pictures and helpful techinques within this book is just the tip of the iceberg. When I first started out cooking with health in mind, this was my playbook. The first few pages offer an ingredient list for a healthy kitchen. Then later it illustrates which kitchen equipment and tools are essential for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I sincerely believe this is a "must-have."

One last thought, that many of you will appreciate: the pages don't stick! This is a well made book and takes a beating well. Even my puppy has chewed on the hard cover edges and it kept on ticking.

Goat Cheese and Potato Gratin
from Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Healthful Cooking

2 t extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 lb small round white potatoes
2 T finely chopped Italian parsley
1 t fresh thyme
1 T all purpose plain flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 oz crumbled very cold fresh goat cheese (about 3/4 cup)
1 1/4 cups 1 percent fat milk
1 T grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Brush an 8 in. square or other shallow 1 1/2 quart baking dish with olive oil.

Using a mandoline or a large sharp knife, slice the potatoes paper thin.

In a small bowl, stir together the parsley and 1 t thyme. In another small bowl, stir together the flour, 1/4 t s and a grind of pepper. Place the goat cheese in a third bowl.

Arrange 1/3 of the potato slices, slightly overlapping them, in the baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with half of the herb mix, half of the flour mix and one third of the goat cheese. Arrange 1/2 of the remaining potato slices on top, again overlapping them slightly. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining herb mix, flour mix, and half the remaining cheese. Arrange the remaining potato slices in a layer on top and sprinkle with the remaining goat cheese. Pour the milk evenly on top.

Cover the dish tightly with foil. Bake until the potatoes are tender with pierced with a knife. About 1 hour. Uncover, sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano, and continue to bake until golden. About 15 minutes longer. Remove from oven and let stand 15 min. before serving. This will allow it time to thicken.

Garnish with thyme leaves and serve.

Can anything with potatoes and cheese ever be bad? Even if you're not a goat cheese fan, this dish might win you over. Thank you to my hubby for introducing me to goat cheese several years ago. I've loved it - and you- ever since.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.

A Dish Served Best Cold. (Nope, not revenge.)

2008-02-11T09:40:00.000-05:00

Hi folks. Sorry for then lengthy pause between postings. Over the last week, I've made a medley of old favorites - turkey meatloaf, baked turbot with lemon, cauliflower with scallions and orange zest, sauteed broccoli with roasted garlic, poached salmon with wine and dill, roasted root vegetables, mixed greens with hazelnuts and nutty dressing, etc. I even went out to eat (gasp!!) twice. I've posted most, if not all, of those recipes before. However, if you would like to try any and need the link, just leave me a message in the comments section.

I finally cracked a cookbook this weekend and tried a new recipe or two. Basically I surveyed what I had on hand - which was not much. I'm down to just a few bags of fresh produce - swiss chard, kale, italian parsley, scallions, shallots, sweet pototoes plus a garden of fresh herbs growing on my dining room window sill (apple mint, basil, thyme). We were totally out of chicken, ground turkey and fish in our freezer. I'm amazed. I never thought I would be able to clean out our freezer on a monthly basis. Oh, and I used up all of my eggs when I made scrambled eggs with Gruyere and Parmesan for breakfast on Saturday. As you can see, I've been busy. But I was still hungry last night. There was meatloaf left, but one can only have so much in a weekend. Oh, and the last thing I wanted to see on a Sunday night was a sink full of dishes.

So, the challenge was this: easy, fast, vegetarian and limited mess potential. Here we go:

Soba Noodle-Vegetable Salad by Ellie Krieger

4 ounces soba noodles, or whole-wheat spaghetti
1 large shallot, very thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded carrot
1 red pepper, julienne
1/3 cup shredded fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup shredded fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Dressing:
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon walnut oil (or canola oil)
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon lime zest
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce, or 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
Salt
6 large Bibb lettuce leaves

Boil noodles according to package directions. Drain and cool. In a medium to large bowl, combine noodles, shallot, carrot, pepper, basil, mint, and cilantro. Combine all dressing ingredients, season with salt to taste, add to noodle mixture, and toss lightly.

Snap off Bibb lettuce leaves and wash and dry. To serve, scoop spoonfuls of noodle salad into the lettuce leaves.

Having just purchased my herb garden last week and hoping my inner green thumb would surface, I was delighted to see my herbs growing with vigor. It was really gratifying to have enough healthy looking herbs to take a pair of kitchen shears to and cut the amount of mint and basil I needed for this recipe. Our house gets a lot of great light, but the best southern exposure is in our dining room. Here's hoping everything is still thriving next week!
Please don't get angry with me, but I have a confession to make. I really dislike cilantro. I know many cooks out there love it and include it in everything, but the flavor is too strong for me. I usually substitute it with italian parsley. They are in the same family, but the parsley has a more subtle taste.
Do you have a Bloom supermarket near you? If so, I highly recommend you check this chain out. The layout is different than any grocery store I've ever been to (I'm positive the planners were drinking a lot good wine one night and drew up a sketch on a napkin placing the packaged sweet rolls in the middle of the produce aisle and hid the milk to encourage shoppers to take part in a scavenger hunt. But I digress.) There must be some genius to their madness, because the store is doing well. The reason I mention it is because I hit paydirt the other day while looking for some speciality items. They seem to carry everything in this store. This is where I picked up hazelnut and walnut oil. My point...oh, right. This recipe calls for walnut oil!
I used whole wheat linguine instead of soba noodles and I used soy sauce instead of fish sauce here. Did I have fish sauce? Yes. Did I screw up my attempts to open the bottle and was left cursing at the fish sauce even though it was not the bottle's fault? Yes.
Where is my microplane grater?? It wasn't in the dishwasher or any of the drawers. Sadly, my attempts at zesting a lime with a box grater were unsuccesful.
Even with all of these mishaps, this was a nice, light, fresh dish. I mistakenly heated up a bowl for lunch today and found that this salad was meant to be enjoyed cold -hence my post title.
By the way, what a cute idea to scoop it up with Bibb lettuce. Since I was on my own, I nixed this idea, but when company's over this will be fun to try.

Sweet and Savory Snack

2008-02-06T09:39:00.000-05:00

Ellie Krieger has a recipe for Spiced Mixed Nuts that is crazy good. Someone please take these away from me. Lock them up somewhere safe. I'm serious. You should only make the following recipe when you're expecting a lot of people over. Otherwise, I can't be held liable for what might happen in your house.

1/2 cup raw pecans
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/3 cup shelled raw pistachios
1/3 cup raw cashews
1/3 cup shelled raw pumpkin seeds
1 T pure maple syrup
1/2 t curry powder
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t dried rosemary
1/4 t salt
Cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Combine the nuts and seeds in a medium bowl. Add the maple syrup, spices, rosemary, and salt and toss to combine.

Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray, then transfer the coated nuts to the sheet and spread evenly in a single layer. Bake, stirring once, until the nuts are fragrant and lightly toasted. Approx. 15-20 min. Remove from the oven and let cool.

After the mixture cooled, I added dried cherries, cranberries and thin pretzels called "pretzel crisps" to the batch. Last night I ran out to my class (yes, I'm quite the scholar. check out my class at http://www.dcimprov.com/college/learnimprov.htm), with a bag of this for dinner. I normally would never skip a meal, but I lost track of time. I opened my ziploc bag of these during our break and many heads whipped around to see where the aroma was coming from....

Sure, variety is the spice of life. But is it the key to good health, too?

2008-02-05T11:13:00.000-05:00

Most of us who enjoy cooking do so because we get pleasure from the flavors, the aromas, and the textures of food. Certain foods also evoke happy memories because they are part of our cherished traditions and experiences. However, it's occured to me over the last year that I've been drawn to cooking for another reason. I'm totally fascinated by the powerful health benefits derived from using new spices, obscure (until recently) vegetables and even learning which foods can be combined to increase their nutritional potency. It also hasn't been lost on me that by looking at food this way I've put one priority -that's always driven me - aside. And that is....does it taste good? Honestly, there's not always an easy answer to this. I'm learning that my taste buds are not at all objective. They are totally subjective. They have been "taught" to enjoy the same flavors over and over again. And the older I get, the harder it is to change their memory. But just like children can be picky over their food, I know I need to try things multiple times before I learn to like it and one day even crave it. Someday soon my tastebuds will have new memories to draw from, I know I will say a resounding yes to that question - does it taste good - the majority of the time.

Now, why am I'm putting myself through this? Shouldn't I leave my thirty something year old tastebuds alone? It's because I really believe there's more to eating then the intitial "yum" factor. I've already proven to myself that eating differently has had a huge impact on my health. In fact, 2007 was the first year in a decade that I didn't visit my doctor once.

Okay, enough of the build up already...here's what you've been waiting for...

Lamb Curry was the meal of choice for Superbowl Sunday. I've been fascinated by both Chinese and Indian cuisines for a while now. There's a great deal of health benefits found in many of their dishes including curry. Turmeric, the bright yellow spice that gives curry it's vibrant color, is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent.

According to Wikipedia, " In the Ayurvedic medicine, turmeric is thought to have many medicinal properties and many in India use it as a readily available antiseptic for cuts and burns. Whenever there is a cut or a bruise, the home remedy is to reach for turmeric powder. Ayurvedic doctors say it has fluoride which is thought to be essential for teeth. It is also used as an antibacterial agent. It is taken in some Asian countries as a dietary supplement, which allegedly helps with stomach problems and other ailments. It is popular as a tea in Okinawa, Japan. It is currently being investigated for possible benefits in Alzheimer's disease, cancer and liver disorders."

Learn more about the health benefits from turmeric here: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=78

Lamb Curry & Cucumber Raita from Earthbound Farm's Organic Cookbook, "Foods to Live By"

1 lb boneless lamb stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

1/4 cup of canola or olive oil

1 medium size yellow onion, 1/4 inch dice (about 1 cup)

1/2 t of turmeric

1 t ground cinnamon

1/2 t ground cardamom

1/2 t ground cumin

1/2 t ground coriander

1/4 t ground clovees

1/2 t ground cayenne pepper

2 T minced peeled fresh ginger

1 T minced garlic

1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes with their juice

3 medium size (about 1 lb) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice (about 2 cups)

1 cup of fresh or frozen (unthawed) green peas

Season lamb with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a heavy large pot over med-high heat. Working in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding the pot, add the lamb and brown well on all sides. 5 to 8 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the lamb to a bowl and set aside.

Reduce heat to med-low and add the onion and tumeric and stir. Then add the cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, corainder, cloves, cayenne pepper, and 1 t of salt to the pot. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook. Stirring constantly until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Return the lamb to the pot. Add 2 cups of water and the tomatoes with their juice, increase the heat to med-high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the potatoes and cook, covered until the lamb and potatoes are tender, 20-30 minutes. Add the peas and cook until the peas are heated through, about 5 min. Taste for seasoning.

Cucumber Raita (to be served as a cooling flavor to offset the spicy heat of the curry)

2 cups of nonfat or low fat plain yogurt

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and coarsely grated

3/4 t salt

3/4 t cumin

Dash of cayenne pepper

Place all ingredients in a medium size bowl and stir to combine. Refrigerate the raita, covered until the flavors meld, at least 15 minutes. Serve with curry.

This was a surprisingly easy recipe to make. The hardest work is measuring out the spices. I did it all before I even started cooking so I wouldn't forget which spice I had already added to the pot (yes, I've done that a million times before.)

The lamb browned easily on each side. For me it was much faster than the recipe indicated. It took me a total of 5 minutes for the entire package of stew meat. In the end, the lamb was very tender. I think this is my favorite way of cooking it over broiling or grilling. By the way, I'm looking for ideas on how to remain out of harm's way when cooking with hot oil. Does anyone ever use safety goggles?

I used seedless organic cucumbers for the raita. I could skip the step of seeding them and it took no time at all to grate them. Definitely a great addition to the curry.

I originally made a saffron couscous with green onions to serve alongside the curry and raita. However, I found it to be too flavorful. It just competed too much with the maindish. So, I got rid of it and just made plain whole wheat couscous. I'm kicking myself for wasting precious saffron threads, but oh well.

My hands and the kitchen counters were very yellow after I finished preparing this dish. Next time I'll wear latex gloves and cover my counters with plastic wrap!

Are you wondering yet if I thought it tasted good? Let me just say this. I have not been exposed to curry much in my life. When I'm eating it I know it has a very unique flavor profile. Not one I'm used to at all. For now, I can appreciate it. In time, I think I will like it a lot. I just need to keep trying it and give my tastebuds some time to play catch up. The lamb was excellent.

Ladies that Lunch

2008-02-02T08:10:00.000-05:00

Guess what? I'm thisclose to finishing all the fresh produce and veggies in my fridge! I thought it would be a challenge to do so while my hubby is away, but is hasn't been hard at all. I am now down to two heads of Romaine lettuce (lunch today), a large bag of kale (to be sautéed as a side dish for dinner tonight paired with one sliced apple), three medium sweet potatoes (to be made baked into fries for Super Bowl Sunday), two scallions, carrots, and two lemons. Thank you to my friend who left a comment recently suggesting I squeeze and freeze (the citrus fruit, of course). That was a brilliant idea! Oh, and guess what else I'm finally out of? Extra virgin olive oil! I really can't believe it, but I am. When I did my fall inventory, I had six partially used bottles. And now I'm almost out completely.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to cook for two wonderful ladies. One enjoyed what I served, and the other preferred to just sip on her bottle of formula. She's still just a wee one. I decided to make homemade takeout: veggie fried rice and whole wheat linguine in a peanut-lime sauce. I've already posted the fried rice recipe, so here's the noodles:

Aromatic Noodles with Lime Peanut Sauce by - who else - Ellie Krieger

3/4 pound spinach linguine or whole-wheat spaghetti

2 cups (about 9 ounces) broccoli florets

2 cups (about 6 ounces) snow peas, trimmed

2 cups (about 6 ounces) sugar snap peas, trimmed

1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 scallion, cut into pieces

3/4 inch fresh ginger, finely grated

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 cup shelled unsalted peanuts

Cook the pasta in a large pot of water according to the directions on the package. Drain and rinse with cold water. While the pasta is cooking put the broccoli in a steamer basket over a large pot of boiling water and steam it for 3 minutes. Add the snow peas and sugar snap peas and steam for 2 minutes more.

Toast the peanuts in a dry pan over a medium heat until they become fragrant, about 3 minutes. Set them aside to cool. Make the sauce by pureeing the peanut butter, soy sauce, water, vinegar, lime juice, scallion, ginger, sugar and red pepper flakes in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Right before serving, toss the pasta with 3/4 cup of the peanut sauce. Divide into 6 serving bowls and top each serving with the vegetables. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the vegetables. Coarsely chop the peanuts, sprinkle them on top and serve.

First of all, what's better than peanut butter and noodles? With the exception of peanut butter and chocolate, I think this is my favorite way to enjoy it. I recently traded in my Jiff for the Whole Foods nonsweetened version of PB. My hubby was resistant at first, and now he loves it.

If you have kids, I really think this is a winner. You can throw in any vegetables you want because they will gobble it up with this sauce. If they do try it, let me know what they think.

This is perhaps the fastest of all of Ellie's recipes I've tried. The pasta is easy because it's one step. For the steamed veggies, I'm using Glad's Simply Cooking microwave steaming bags. So basically, I'm just cutting them up and placing them in the bag. The most work-intensive part of this recipe is reaching in your pantry for the ingredients and getting out your measuring cups and spoons. I guess what I'm trying to say is this is the ultimate "go-to" dinner. Fifteen minutes tops.

My only suggestion is if there are leftovers (with a family of four, there shouldn't be), don't mix the noodles with the sauce when you're putting it away. I've made this recipe twice now and put it away mixed together. It just doesn't look or taste the same (texture-wise) after being refrigerated and heated up again. It turns out gritty and not at all smooth. Definitely not as beautiful as the first presentation. Oh, and I heard somewhere that if you want to save pasta without sauce and not have it stick together, you should just add a little olive oil to it. I've tried this method successfully.

I think the ginger in the sauce really gives it an extra kick. Even though I'm a recent convert to ginger, as a kid, gingerale was a permanent fixture in our house. I found some interesting information about ginger on Eating Well magazine's website:

Chinese sailors noshed on it to stop seasickness. Ancient Greeks ate it wrapped
in bread to quell nausea after a feast. Now, an increasing number of studies
back ginger’s role in easing queasiness—particularly in pregnant women with
morning sickness. Researchers are also investigating whether ginger may help
relieve nausea caused by chemotherapy. Scientists believe that compounds in
ginger, called gingerols, inhibit serotonin receptors in the digestive and
nervous systems. (Increased serotonin levels in the brain have been associated
with nausea.) Ginger also is known to stimulate appetite. Makes sense: if it
makes you feel better, you may be up for eating again.

And then there were none.

2008-01-30T11:07:00.001-05:00

The only remnants that remain of Ellie Krieger's energy bars are the crumbs on my desktop. Old Mother Hubbard opened her cupboards and found them bare...well, of these scrumptious breakfast bars, anyway. Sigh. It's like they never existed. Here's how it happened: while going through our pantry last fall to do my first ever inventory. I found a very large stack of store bought, highly processed energy bars and jelly beans (yuck, don't even get me started on that.) These went to the pile marked "basement." Even though I didn't want to eat processed food anymore, I wasn't going to deny my hubby everything he was used to - he is a runner and needs these items on occasion, so they remain in our house still.

From then on, I was on a mission to find a way to create a substitute that was even better. More than a necessity item to power up for runs, but something "craveable" as Ellie puts it. Just a few days ago, I went through my nuts, seeds and dried fruit section of the pantry and sadly, 1/3 of it had to be trashed. If they didn't taste superior, they were gone. So I had to slightly alter Ellie's recipe. Here's her original one and I'll include my adjustments in the notes below:

Energy Bars by Ellie Krieger

Cooking spray
1 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup pitted dried dates
1/2 cup powdered nonfat dry milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Place all ingredients except the syrup and eggs in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is finely chopped. Add the syrup and eggs and pulse until the mixture is well combined. It will resemble a coarse paste. Transfer to the baking pan and spread evenly. Bake until just done, about 20 minutes. Cut into 20 squares.

My sunflower seeds went bad, but I had fresh pumpkin seeds leftover from last week's pumpkin muffins.
The recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of dried fruit. Unfortunately, my apricots and dates looked sub par and I was fresh out of raisins. Instead I used dried cherries (I could only find sweetened) and dried cranberries sweetened with apple juice. 1 1/2 cups total (Split 50-50)
After it cooled, I cut it into 12 even bars and wrapped them separately in saran wrap and put them in freezer bags. One bag went to the pantry, the other to the freezer. It is now 48 hours later, and there are all gone. They were so fantastic that I had to share them with friends.
Yes, I know I just posted an Ellie recipe when I said I would hold off, but if you only knew the restraint I was showing! I've made another five or so recipes from her new book and enjoyed them. What can I say? She had me at hello.

Finding new treasures in old friends

2008-01-29T17:08:00.000-05:00

Armed with paperclips, bright yellow post it notes, and an eagle eye, I sat down with three of my cookbooks recently to make some new discoveries. As I cook and learn and gain more confidence in the kitchen, I'm going back to old cookbooks that I thought I had exhausted and finding new gems. I'm really able to chart my own growth this way. Over the last few months, my spice rack has doubled in size and I now have the "international" shelf in my pantry. Last year at this time, I craved sugar in a big way. My nutritionist suggested cooking with new flavors and seeing if I could learn to love those, too. I've taken that advice to heart and it's turned out to be true for me. A little heat from curry. The tanginess from lime juice. The rustic, earthy tones of mushrooms. The richness of gruyere. I crave them all now, and so much more. So, I don't really need to shop for any new cookbooks for all ("Amen to that!" cheers my hubby as reads this..), because there's still so much these hold in store. Currently, on my bedside table lies the following:

The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook's Food to Live By

by Myra Goodman with Linda Holland and Pamela McKinstry

The first twenty pages tells the very compelling story about Myra and her husband starting out their lives by growing, harvesting and selling their organically grown raspberries in 1984. Over the next twenty years, they grew tremendously and now their bagged mixed greens can be found in supermarkets around the country. She writes, "When we first moved onto the property, we knew absolutely nothing about farming. The previous owner gave us a quick course in rasberry horticulture, teaching us how to add chemical fertilizers...but when the time came for us to follow the procedures, we couldn't bring ourselves to do it. We hated the way the chemicals smelled and instinctively we knew they weren't healthy for us, our future customers, or the environment." You can tell they have a passion for what they do. And you can taste it in their recipes. She devotes one whole chapter to raspberry recipes! My favorite section of her book deals with salads and homemade vinegrettes. I've completely given up on store bought salad dressings now that I've had salads dressed with fresh ingredients. It's just no contest.

The Healthy Hedonist by Myra Kornfeld

I would definitely classify myself as a "flexitarian." I prefer meals made of vegetables, fruit, grains and beans. I always make them my main focus when cooking, but I really enjoy a nice piece of fish on a regular basis. This is a wonderful cookbook for the family with a wide range of eating habits. I have to admit when I first looked through the book, I hardly recognized any of the ingredients. I would suggest this book for the more adventurous and experienced cook. If you've been there and done that, this book will take you to new sights! Yesterday, I bought hazelnut oil in order to try this vinaigrette in her section on salads:

3/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 cup toasted hazelnut oil

Salt

Candied Hazelnuts (1 cup of nuts toasted at 350 F with 2 T maple syrup and 2 T of natural sugar -ouch my teeth hurt already!)

Pour vinegar into a small saucepan & bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer rapidly, uncovered, until the liquid is reduced to 1/4 cup, about 10 min. Pour the reduced vinegar into a small bowl and stir in the mustard. Slowly drizzle the hazelnut oil into the bowl, whisking constantly until the oil and vinegar are emulsified.

I think this will be great over a bowl of mixed greens. Delish, no? One more comment about this book, there are no pictures. None at all. This is the one drawback.

A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen by Jack Bishop

This one may already be sitting on your cookbook shelf. It's mentioned often on the Cooking Light Community Boards. I love his philosphy of eating seasonally for so many reasons. Primarily because the food just tastes better. It's as simple as that. The chapters of this book are Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. His family belongs to a co-op and they pick their own produce directly from the farm from May-October! I would love that. When you have that kind of connection to your food, you just want to highlight it's natural flavors. His recipes do just that and are mostly very simple and can be prepared rather quickly. On almost every page, there's a sidebar which explains how best to prepare an ingredient, how to pick it out, or just a general cooking or storing tip. It makes you feel like you're sitting in the kitchen with him getting the inside scoop. One final thought - I love that the majority of the recipes call for ingredients that are already present in my pantry and fridge. I can open this book up in a pinch and make something fabulous with what I have on hand.

Sniff. Sniff. Is this still good?

2008-01-27T10:42:00.000-05:00

My husband has witnessed this scene many times before. It's early in the morning. We've just finished feeding the dog and I'm grabbing the milk for breakfast. The sun is not even up yet and the only light is coming from the open refrigerator door. "Honey, come and smell this!" He swears that something traumatic dealing with cows happened to me in my childhood. I just can't handle milk that's over four or five days old. Yes, I know this is extreme.

Which leads me to my upcoming challenge of the week. He is leaving on a business trip from Tuesday to Sunday. I just came back from grocery shopping with many perishable items. In a few days, I will have no one but the dog to turn to and she is very flexible when it comes to sell by dates.

So I thought I would ask my friends here for some suggestions. I'm definitely going to freeze some things and make half of some selected recipes. Here's what's currently in the fridge tick- tocking away: lemons, limes, oranges (mostly for zesting and juicing purposes), broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, scallions, red peppers, white and sweet potatoes, kale, spring mix, spinach, parsley and romaine. Oh and buttermilk leftover from the muffins I made a few days ago. Thoughts?

Last night I kicked off this week of cooking with two fairly well received dishes.

Curried Potatoes with Kale
from "Greens, Glorious Greens" by Johnna Albi & Catherine Walthers:

2 lbs white, yellow finn or red potatoes, peeled
1 T canola oil
2 t curry powder
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
salt to taste
1 1/2 cups of water
3/4 lb of kale (about 6 cups chopped)
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 lime, cut into 6 wedges

Cut the potatoes into 3/4 inch cubes and set aside. Heat a 10-12 inch skillet over med. heat. Add the oil and swirl in the pan. Add the curry powder and cook for 1 minute, taking care not to burn it. Add the onions and saute over med. heat for 5 minutes, or until they begin to soften.

Add the potato cubes and toss to coat with the curry and oil. Season lightly with salt, add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Meanwhile wash the kale well, then strip the leaves off the stalks. Discard stalks and chop kale into bite size pieces. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a 10-12 inch skillet in a tight fitting lid. Add the kale and cook, covered, over high heat, stirring occasionally, until tender. Approx. 5 minutes.

Stir cooked kale with the potatoes. Heat through and season to taste with pepper and salt (if necessary). Serve hot with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

I used the wrong potatoes here. I went with white when the authors said they favored yukon in this dish because of its creaminess. I bet this would have taken this dish to a different level if I followed their advice. I just used what I had on hand.
Even though this dish was well seasoned, I didn't feel like I was enjoying the curry, as much. I expected it to be the lead actor, but it only had a "walk on" part. Next time I'll add more during the steaming phase.
This dish took a lot longer to prepare than I expected, too. The cooking time was pretty accurate, though. I did add two minutes of microwave time at the end so the pototoes would get a little softer.
In the end, it was just okay. Neither of us reached for seconds. I will try this again with the adjustments I mentioned.
Quick update - I just took this out of the fridge to heat up for lunch and the potatoes will a deeper orange color. I guess they made friends with the curry last night. I added grated Parmesan-Reggiano to it (about 2 T) and heated it up. It was outstanding. Like a completely different dish entirely. My suggestion for this dish is to let it sit in the fridge for a few hours before serving. And add the cheese.

Lemon Orzo with Parsley from Williams-Sonoma's Essentials of Healthy Cooking

1 1/2 cups orzo

Kosher salt

2 T unsalted butter

2 T of fresh lemon juice

2 t of grated lemon zest

1 T finely chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

In a large saucepan over high heat, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Stir in the orzo and 1 t of salt. Cover and reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the water is absorbed and the pasta is tender. About 15 minutes. Add the butter, lemon juice, zest and parsley and stir to blend. Serve warm.

High marks for this one. I absolutely loved it. Have you ever dipped lobster in lemon butter sauce? Okay, so there's no shellfish present here (but it would be great with grilled shrimp), but just a touch of the lemon butter mixture evokes happy memories for me. You don't need a lot. The zest itself is prominent. More flavor. Less calories.
I usually use chicken broth instead of water when I make bulgur, couscous or rice. With this, I took a chance and stuck with water. I figured the sauce might compete too much if the pasta had the broth flavor.
We reached for thirds with this dish. The leftovers are going fast. It won't make it past lunch today.
Quick update: there was about a cup leftover for lunch today, so I dressed it up and gave it to my husband. I added steamed broccoli and crumbled feta cheese. And a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice. He was at the bottom of the bowl before I could ask him how it was...

Looking forward to hearing your comments on how to use up the remaining perishables in five days!

Feeling a little nutty?

2008-01-25T11:04:00.000-05:00

The other day I was perusing Mollie Katzen's website and found a number of recipes that I would like to try. One in particular caught my eye because the flavors sounded just wonderful to me. It was "Wild Rice with Cherries and Hazelnuts."

In my pantry, I am storing a wide variety of all kinds of nuts. I have found that a handful of nuts and dried fruit really satisfy me between meals. This was the first opportunity I've had to use the hazelnuts and dried cherries in a recipe together. According to the Hazelnut Council (which in my mind are just ten squirrels sitting in a board room), hazelnuts are a rich source of dietary fiber, vitamin E, magnesium, and heart healthy B vitamins. They are also rich in antioxidants and disease fighting nutrients.

I didn't feel like waiting the 45 minutes to cook rice according to Mollie's recipe, so I took out my leftover cooked bulgur from the fridge. You can find the recipe for basic cooked bulgur in my post about a Mediterranean dinner.

I had about one cup's worth of cooked bulgur left. So, I took a 2/3 cup of fresh unsalted hazelnuts and placed them in a ziplock bag and smashed them with a rolling pin. That was really fun. I scared my dog, though. Sorry Sami. Then I took about 1/2 cup of dried cherries and roughly chopped them. I added both the chopped hazenuts and cherries to the bulgur and added approximately 2 T of natural maple syrup (Whole Foods brand). I mixed it all together with a pinch of kosher salt and heated it up in the microwave for 45 seconds. The aroma of warm hazelnuts immediately hit me as I sat down at the table for lunch. I love it when a meal engages so many senses. I wasn't prepared for how fragrant this would be so that was a happy surprise.

I can't even begin to describe how delicious this easy, fast and nutrient packed dish was. My mouth was making, how should I put it - yum yum noises.

Aren't I the articulate one?

Mollie's original recipe can be found at: http://www.molliekatzen.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipe=wild_rice_cherries

I'm a joiner

2008-01-24T16:54:00.000-05:00

I've recently joined two communities that I'm very excited about. If you scroll down a bit on the blog and look under the archive of posts, you'll see the Foodie Blog Roll. I'm so honored to be a part of this talented group! It's going to take me a while to visit every blog, but so far I've found a very diverse crowd. From Vegan to Curry to Cupcakes to Sushi. Raw, broiled or grilled. It's food in every form. I hope you enjoy exploring it, too.

I've been waiting to tell you all about another community my husband and I recently joined. I thought I would wait until the Spring, but what the heck. We are now shareholders of the Sandy Spring Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project at the Calvert Farm in Maryland. Their website which includes their harvest schedule can be found at http://www.sandyspringcsa.com./

I love the idea of supporting local farmers. Each share costs a few hundred dollars which goes to their seed money for the year. They plant just enough crop to cover all of the needs of their shareholders. Come May, I'll meet the Sandy Spring staff at a local pickup point for my weekly bounty of veggies, fruit and herbs. Each week will be different from the next. It's a twenty week program, so it will take us all the way through October. What does this mean for Test Drive Kitchen? Well, I'll be planning my meals based on what I receive each week. It will be a new challenge, because I hate to waste food. And with it being just the two of us, I'm going to be working extra hard in the kitchen cooking, freezing and canning. I'm literally counting the days until May. I'm that excited. I'm open to all suggestions from friends of this blog to help me in our efforts to prepare and preserve our food each week. Please share your idea for jarring tomato sauce, too! I want to be well fed in the winter when living off the farm is a just distant memory.

If you would like to locate a CSA in your area, check out http://www.localharvest.org/.

Muffin v. Muffin.

2008-01-24T11:44:00.000-05:00

Okay, let me be clear. I'm not a baker at all. I'm drawn to cooking because I love creativity and art. I like to have freedom. A pinch of this. A dash of that. Baking to me = science, rules and structure. None of which are bad at all. I'm just wired a different way. With that all said, I really wanted to try it. I'm a risk taker, after all. I know it will never be my forte, but I don't want to limit myself by never baking. Cookies don't last long in this house and the brownies were gone before I knew it. So, muffins it is! I tried two recipes from Ellie's new book. By the way, I'm making this promise to all of you that this will be the last post about Ellie Krieger's recipes for a while. I love her. Love her food. But I need to spread my wings a bit.

Ten years ago, I worked in downtown Washington DC for a political consultant. There was a coffee shop I frequented that carried a line of yogurt muffins. The baker substituted some oil and butter for yogurt to make it a healthier version. I didn't care for them much and since then I've been hestitant to try anything like it. But I believe in Ellie and decided to make two batches of muffins in her new cookbook. One was a Pumpkin Pie muffin recipe and the other was Apple Pecan. Each batch made 18 muffins. It's just the two of us here so I was already calling up my neighbors asking them to take some off our hands.

Pumpkin Pie Muffin by Ellie Krieger
Cooking spray
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-grain pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsulphered molasses
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
1/4 cup raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole-wheat flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.

In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, molasses, oil and 1 egg until combined. Add the other egg and whisk well. Whisk in the pumpkin and vanilla. Whisk in the flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Whisk just until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan and sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of 1 of the muffins comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them and unmold. Cool completely on the rack.

I highly encourage you to resist using the whole wheat flour in your pantry and go and buy whole wheat pastry flour. I really think the pastry flour, which is a little finer in texture and lighter in taste, made this muffin far more superior than other "healthy" muffins I've tried. It wasn't at all dense like I expected. More light and airy.
There are a lot of different spices in this recipe. I happened to have all of them on hand, but if you don't, I think adding up the fractions and just using "pumpkin pie spice" would be okay. I looked at my pumpkin pie spice last night and noticed that they were all present except the cloves. I know there's not always a lot of leeway when baking, but I'll try this the next time and see if there's a huge difference in taste.
I've had a container of buttermilk powder in my pantry for a while. And sadly, I found it to be inadequate all around. I specifically purchased fresh buttermilk for this round of cooking and was quite pleased with the tanginess it provided. Has anyone had good experiences using the powder?
I loved the taste of the toasted pumpkin seeds on the top of these muffins. Mine were packaged as "pepitas" which I believe are the seeds from any squash. So if there's nothing marked as pumpkin seeds, definitely use pepitas.
Oh, and just for the heck of it, I added semi sweet chocolate chips to six of these muffins. Tasty, but it didn't it. They were delicious without them, too. I gave these to the neighbors kids.

Apple Pecan Muffins by Ellie Krieger

Cooking spray
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 cup natural applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
1 Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch pieces

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 12-capacity muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar, the pecans and cinnamon. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole-wheat flour, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk the remaining 3/4 cup sugar and oil until combined. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in the applesauce and vanilla.

Whisk in the flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Whisk just until combined. Gently stir in the apple chunks.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan and sprinkle with the pecan mixture. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of 1 of the muffins comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them and unmold. Cool completely on the rack.

I used almonds instead of pecans because I have a huge bag of slivered almonds I need to get through. I also used a Fuji apple rather than Golden Delicious because I prefer them as a snack. I know there's a whole school of thought over baking apples and snacking apples. I thought the Fuji worked out really well here, though. And I had them on hand!

Definitely try to find unsweetened applesauce. The muffins would have been over the top sweet if I used sweetened. I used the Whole Foods brand.

In the Muffin v. Muffin challenge, the apple was my favorite. But just by a little. It reminded me so much of my mom's apple sponge cake. It just tasted like home to me.

Here's the nutritional information for both muffins provided by Ellie Krieger:

Pumpkin Pie Muffins:

Serving Size 1 muffin. The recipe said it made 12, but my batter made 18.

Per serving- Calories: 205; Total Fat: 7G (Mono: 3.5 G, Poly: 2 G, Sat:1 G); Protein: 5G; Carb: 32G; Fiber: 2G; Chol: 36 MG; Sodium: 223MG. Excellent Source of Thiamin & Vitamin A. Good Source of Manganese, Protein and Vitamin K.

Apple Pecan Muffins:

Serving Size 1 muffin. Again, I squeezed out 18 muffins. Ellie still says 12. I guess she has bigger muffin pans than I do!

Per serving - Calories: 213; Total Fat: 8G (Mono: 3G, Poly: 1.5G, Sat: 1G); Protein: 4G; Carb: 35G; Fiber: 2G; Chol: 36MG; Sodium: 236MG. Excellent Source of Thiamin.

A Mediterranean meal on a cold winter's night

2008-01-21T19:35:00.000-05:00

Brrrr. Winter has arrived and it's sticking it's heels in deep. Our front yard is frozen solid and we're almost sure to see more snow tomorrow. On a night like this, I just want to escape to a friendlier climate. I don't have enough airline miles saved up yet, so I served up Mediterranean flavors for dinner instead. After a fun (and freezing) day hanging out downtown with my best buddy, I came home too late to consider dealing with the flank steak in the fridge. This is where a stocked pantry and fridge full of fresh veggies has it's benefits! I reached for Ellie Krieger's new book - I know, I know. I'm clearly obsessed with it. An hour later, our dinner plates looked gorgeous. Bright green spinach and chickpea salad with orange infused yogurt dressing. Roasted, carmelized honey sweet potatoes and a side of cooked bulgur. Here we go:

Chickpeas and Spinach Salad
with Cumin Dressing by Ellie Krieger

2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper

4 cups baby spinach leaves

Yogurt with Orange Essence, recipe below, optional

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves, optional

In a medium bowl combine the chickpeas, parsley and onion. In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, zest, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the chickpea mixture and toss to combine. Serve the chickpea salad over a bed of spinach leaves. Top with the yogurt sauce and a sprinkle of mint, if using.

Yogurt with Orange Essence by Ellie Krieger

1/3 cup lowfat plain yogurt

1/4 teaspoon orange zest

2 tablespoons orange juice

1/2 teaspoon honey

In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, orange zest, orange juice and honey.

The more I cook, the more comfortable I am substituting an ingredient that I have on hand for one that's called for in the recipe. Instead of red onion, I went with diced red pepper. A few years ago, I used to run out to the store if I didn't have something!
I used a fresh orange for the juice in the yogurt sauce and it was slightly bitter. I added more honey to balance the taste. This is a good example of letting loose and not always following the recipe directions to the letter (which I always used to do!) All oranges are not created equal, so one must sample and adjust.
After I mixed the yogurt with the spinach and the spinach with the chickpea mixture, I decided this dish would benefit from additional dressing. So, I used organic fresh squeezed orange juice, honey and yogurt in equal parts. It was really sweet, much sweeter than the dressing I used to coat the spinach. I thought it really enhanced the whole dish.
I didn't have any fresh mint available. But I will definitely get some next time. I think it would kick this up a notch.

Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes by Ellie Krieger

2 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into 1-inch pieces and put in a 9 by 13 baking dish. In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, honey and lemon juice. Pour mixture over potatoes and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the salt, and bake, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour, until potatoes are tender.

I really needed to switch gears from my "go to" roasted veggies recipe. I usually only use olive oil, salt and pepper. The honey and fresh lemon really bring out the natural flavor of the sweet potatoes. No one, not even your pickiest eater, will be able to resist this dish.

Basic Cooked Bulgur

2 cups of chicken broth

1 cup of bulgur (rinsed first)

Combine chicken broth and bulgur and bring to a quick boil. Decrease heat to a simmer and cover. Bulgur will be finished in 12-15 minutes. There might be excess broth. Drain and serve.

Bulgur seemed like the perfect grain to balance out this meal. In a way, this whole meal is a de-constructed tabbouleh salad.
My husband encouraged me to "mix it all together" on the plate. He felt the sum was better than the parts.
Superfood alert. Sweet Potatoes, nonfat plain yogurt, honey, spinach, oh my!

It's not easy being green....

2008-01-20T22:56:00.001-05:00

Last year I hired a holistic nutritionist to review what I was eating and offer some insight to help me regain my energy and skip in my step. For six months, she introduced me to a whole new world of nutrient dense food whose purpose was to "nourish" good health. All of my current cooking adventures are a result from this very transformative experience. But I have to tell you, I was kind of skeptical at first. Especially the morning I received a gift from her the first week I signed on.

It was this book:

I was pretty shocked when I looked through it. To me, even the cover picture looked foreign! Each chapter described one new dark leafy green. Swiss chard (was it a cheese?!) Kale- curly and dino! Bok choy. Dandelion greens - um, is that what's growing on my lawn? I thought, what have I gotten myself into?

Truth is, I really trusted my nutritionist. Also, I've never been afraid of trying something new. I started out slowly with something sweet like sauteed kale with pinenuts and raisins. It turned out to be darn tasty. Soon I was learning which dark leafy greens I needed to boil or steam first to make more tender and which benefited from Asian flavorings like dark sesame oil. And just like my foodie mentor promised, I actually started to crave them! To this day, though, I still haven't tried those dandelion greens.

Are you still with me, or do you already miss the post about chocolate and pumpkin?

My favorite leafy green by far is rainbow swiss chard. I'm still trying to get my hubby to like them as much as I do. Yesterday I finally won him over with a bit of a twist on an Ellie Krieger recipe. I replaced the cabbage with chard.

Sesame Stir-Fried Chinese Greens by Ellie Krieger

1 T sesame seeds
2 t canola oil
2 pounds of bok choy or napa cabbage, cut across into 1 inch wide strips
2 T low sodium soy sauce
1 T rice wine vinegar
2 t toasted sesame oil

Toast the sesame seeds in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat until golden, about two minutes, stirring frequently; set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add the bok choy or cabbage and stir fry until it begins to soften slightly, 1-2 minutes. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil and cook until just done, 1-2 minutes longer. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve immediately.

First, I cut the chard leaves off their colorful stems and threw the stems away. I know I could of cooked them too, but I just decided to make this a leafy side dish.
I think that chard can be rather tough if I don't boil them for a few minutes before the stir fry. Just 5 minutes will do it. Drain them well then add them to the skillet.
I served this with baked turbot (white fish fillet similar to sea bass.) The whole meal, greens and all, took less than 20 minutes from prep to table!
If you're interested in buying "Greens, Glorious, Greens, check out this website http://www.simpleliving.net/main/item.asp?itemid=1046
If you're at all curious about what guidance a holistic nutritionist provides, check out her website at http://www.heidirothbard.com/. I didn't meet in person with Heidi, but rather we held our sessions over the phone and by email. It was an extremely effective program which I recommend highly.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

2008-01-18T17:56:00.000-05:00

If you're a child of the 1980s like me, you must remember Linus waiting in the pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin on Halloween and missing all the fun of the holiday. Perhaps, Linus knew something back then that we didn't. That pumpkin is a great big superfood.

From Superfoods Rx, "Pumpkin is extremely high in fiber and low in calories, pumpkin packs an abundance of disease-fighting nutrients, including potassium, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and vitamins C and E."

And guess what? It's mighty tasty, too. I'm a big pumpkin pie fan, but I'm always willing to mix things up. Today I went to Whole Foods (insert angels singing) and purchased four cans of pumpkin puree. I'm on a mission this weekend to expand my pumpkin palate.

You may have seen somewhere on the internet that pumpkin puree can replace eggs, milk and oil when using a brownie mix. I decided to try it so I bought the Whole Foods Organic Brownie Mix. Let me just tell you that it was divine. Totally scrumptious. I cooked it for 40 minutes, then immediately put it in the fridge to cool and turn into gooey, fudgy goodness. The best part? I only ate two small pieces. I was totally full. The fiber in the pumpkin did it's job and helped me to get my chocolate fix while controlling my appetite today.

Quick update: the pan of brownies in my fridge is disappearing fast. One thing I wanted to add was the mix from Whole Foods had chocolate chips in it. So everytime I warm up a small piece in the microwave, it melts. The lucious chocolate mixes with the pumpkin even more. It is reminding me more and more of a warm molten chocolate cake rather than a brownie. Serve this dessert warm with a spoonful of Cool Whip Lite and some fresh berries. This is a winner, folks.

I can't wait to hear what you think about it. Try it, you won't regret it.

Your family will love this dinner

2008-01-18T06:58:00.000-05:00

My final thoughts on Ellie Krieger's new book, is to run, not walk to the bookstore and get yourself a copy. If I was really ambitious, I would make every recipe in her new book this year. Not only is Ellie dedicated to healthy fare, but these recipes have a prep time of 30 minutes or less. She really has written this for parents out there with little time on their hands but a dedication to raising healthy kids. These two recipes below - which can be found in her book and online at the Food Network website - are a perfect example of a weeknight meal for a family of four. Even your most picky eaters will love these dishes. I made the meatloaf last night and I've made the mac and cheese several times in the last few months. My thoughts on each recipe below.

Mom's Turkey Meatloaf by Ellie Krieger

3/4 cup quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup skim milk

1 medium onion, peeled

2 pounds ground turkey breast

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

2 eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, stir together the oats and milk. Thinly slice 1/4 of the onion and set aside. Finely chop the remaining onion. In a large bowl combine the turkey, oat mixture, chopped onion, bell pepper, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, salt and a few grinds of pepper. Mix just until well combined.

Transfer the mixture to a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and shape into a loaf about 5 inches wide and 2 1/2 inches high. Pour the tomato sauce over the meatloaf and sprinkle with the sliced onions. Bake for about 1 hour or until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees.F.
Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 to15 minutes before slicing.

I only had 1 lb of ground turkey meat, so I wound up halving this recipe. This was perfect for a dinner for two. I thought I would have more leftovers, but my husband ate three pieces (that's a good thing, right?) For those of you who want to do the same, bake it for 45 minutes instead of an hour.
Before I set this on the table, my husband was a little skeptical. His memories of meatloaf from the school cafeteria wasn't stellar. And he kept repeating the lines from the movie "Wedding Crashers." Remember that scene when Owen Wilson visits "Chaz" (Will Ferrell) who is a ladies man but still lives with his mother. "Mom! Meatloaf!" Okay, I digress...
We both loved this recipe because it was the most moist (say that three times fast) meatloaf we've ever had. It was the tomato sauce. Don't skip this step. If you have don't have an 80z can of tomato sauce, just use some marinara sauce.
I was missing two ingredients. Usually I would run out to the store, but we were blanketed with snow here yesterday so I made do. I didn't have instant oats because I use the kind that takes 15 minutes. I didn't want to chance it, so I used panko - whole wheat bread crumbs from Japan - instead. I was also missing a pepper since I made the roasted red peppers a few days ago.
In the future, I'm going to add sauteed swiss chard or spinach to the meatloaf.

Macaroni & 4 Cheeses by Ellie Krieger

Cooking spray

1 pound elbow macaroni

2 (10-ounce) packages frozen pureed winter squash

2 cups 1 percent lowfat milk

4 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (about 1 1/3 cups)

2 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated (about 2/3 cup)

1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon powdered mustard

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons unseasoned bread crumbs

1 teaspoon olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until tender but firm, about 5 to 8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, place the frozen squash and milk into a large saucepan and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally and breaking up the squash with a spoon until defrosted. Turn the heat up to medium and cook until the mixture is almost simmering, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the Cheddar, Jack cheese, ricotta cheese, salt, mustard and cayenne pepper. Pour cheese mixture over the macaroni and stir to combine. Transfer the macaroni and cheese to the baking dish.

Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan and oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Then broil for 3 minutes so the top is crisp and nicely browned.

I have to admit that growing up in my parents home, I always thought that mac and cheese came in a box. I never had real, baked macaroni and cheese. I didn't even know what it was! It wasn't until I was in my twenties and a friend's parent treated us to the real thing. I thought I had died and gone to heaven.
Of all the different versions of macaroni and cheese that my hubby and I have tried (that I've made), this is by far our favorite. The squash adds a distinctive and pleasant taste. Plus, we feel great eating a treat like mac and cheese guilt free. When we have a family, we are planning on making this a staple.
Just you know, don't expect this dish to look real cheesy. There's no "gooey-ness." So, when you make it and see what I'm talking about, don't fret. It still tastes divine.
I've made this several times and have used less and less bread crumbs. It just doesn't need it. It even dries it out a little.
Has anyone ever found whole wheat elbow macaroni? I've never ever seen it and I would love to try it.

Ellie Krieger's new cookbook

2008-01-16T13:15:00.001-05:00

There's a wonderful show on the Food Network called, "Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger." Next time you're watching Ina or Rachel or Paula, stay tuned for Ellie, because she breathe of fresh air. She educates without sounding condesending and lets everyone know that cooking healthy doesn't mean tasteless and unappealing food. I think her recipes allow the natural flavors of whole foods to jump out while they do their job and nourish our bodies with much needed nutrients. I'm a big fan of her philosphy and show. Can you tell? So, when I heard she had a new book out, I actually pre-paid to get it as soon as it came out (I've only done this once before and that was Harry Potter!)

Imagine how giddy I was when the postman dropped this on my doorstep yesterday. I've already taken out some chicken breasts from the freezer this morning and I'm planning on trying her Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo this evening. Dear hubby, if you're reading, I promise I'll get some nice chunky whole grain bread to serve with this soup.

Here's the recipe for now and add my comments later this evening:

Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo by Ellie Krieger

4 t olive oil
8 oz skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into small chunks
pinch of salt, plus more to taste
1 medium onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 stalks of celery, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 medium carrot, diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 t chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 t dried
6 cups of low sodium chicken broth
1 cup orzo, preferably whole wheat
2 large eggs
3 T fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat 2 t of the oil in a soup put over med- high heat. Season the chicken with salt, add to the pot and cook, stirring a few times until just cooked through. About 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a side dish and set aside.

Add the remaining 2 t oil to the pot. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and thyme and cook, stirring over med-high heat until the vegetables are tender. About 5 minutes. Add 5 cups of the broth and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and let simmer until tender. About 8 minutes. Turn the heat down to low to keep the soup hot but not boiling.

Warm the remaining 1 cup broth in a small saucepan until it is hot but not boiling. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Gradually whisk the lemon juice into the eggs. Then gradually add the hot broth to the egg-lemon mixture, whisking all the while. Add the mixture to the soup, stirring well until the soup is thickened. Do not let the soup come to a boil. Add the cooked chicken to the soup. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Before I tie the apron on and start this seemingly easy and tasty recipe, I just wanted to thank all of my new friends who have visited my blog recently. It was an amazing day yesterday when I saw my number of visitors increase every minute. I love to cook and I adore talking about it. Thank you so much for giving me a forum to do so. If you have the time, please leave a comment and let me know a little about yourself and be sure to share your recent kitchen adventures.

We just finished our dinner of this marvelous spin on chicken soup. Here are my thoughts:

You are going to love how easy this is to make. Everything on this list is present in my freezer, fridge and pantry at all times - so yay, no trip to the grocery store tonight. I'm the girl who decorates her house with vases full of lemons or limes when I run out of recipes for their zest and juice.
The lemon juice and egg mix Ellie suggests in this recipe is a Greek way to thicken soups. It's called avgolemono. I love that name, don't you? Avgolemono. It's important to heed the recipe's instructions for this part. The reason you add the lemon juice and eggs to a separate dish of chicken broth is so the mixture can adjust to the heat before going in the soup on the stove. This is to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
My husband and I thought this soup with very tasty. But like most soups, we expect it to be even better tomorrow. We finished off the dinner with a dessert of clementines.
More thoughts on Ellie's new book tomorrow. I'm taking it to bed to read before going to sleep. Does anyone else do this? Read cookbooks outside the kitchen?

A favorite dish from childhood - revisited & revised

2008-01-15T09:22:00.001-05:00

I grew up in South Jersey, just 20 minutes from Philadelphia. Land of the steak sandwich (wiz or no wiz?), hoagie and definitely the "sloppy joe." I often remember sloppy joes being served in the cafeteria at school. I'm sure they used a commerical mix like Manwich. But this fantastic recipe is from Weight Watchers - and it might be the most delicious recipe in their whole cookbook. I lost my cookbook a while ago and wasn't able to recreate this recipe from memory. But thanks to another blogger (foodfashionista.blogspot.com) I found it again and made it the other night for my husband. This recipe contains a lot less sugar (sugar mainly from the ketchup) and a great deal more veggies. Next time I'm putting in diced carrots. Oh, and thank you to Food Fashionista for suggesting another way to eat this if I wanted to lay off the bread. She suggested stuffing a mixture of quinoa and sloppy joe mix into a red pepper and baking in the oven at 450 F for 15 minutes. The quinoa gets a little toasty and nutty and the red pepper shell bursts with flavor. I'm filing this meal under the "Passover" files, too.

2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion(s), chopped
2 medium celery stalks, chopped
1 medium bell pepper(s), chopped
1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
20 oz canned crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
1/4 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

Heat oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and bell pepper and sauté until tender, 3 minutes. Add turkey and sauté until browned, breaking up the meat as it cooks, 5 minutes. Add chili powder, basil, salt, black pepper and cayenne; stir to coat. Add crushed tomatoes, ketchup and mustard; mix well. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Stir in corn and simmer 2 minutes to heat through.

In the past, I've made this dish with ground turkey meat. But a friend reminded me this week that eating red meat from time to time is a good idea. Just by looking at my fingernails, I can tell I'm low on zinc (white spots visible on the nail.) So, I went out and purchased organic, very lean ground beef (93%) for this recipe.
Again, I will tell you that the vegetable chopper I purchased from Williams Sonoma for $30 has dramatically changed my prep time. And it's fun! I chopped the onion, celery and pepper into tiny cubes, all exactly the same shape. This looks pretty, but also allows the veggies to cook evenly.
I used Birds Eye Sweet Corn in a bag and steam it. The corn is so crispy and delicious. Much better than any canned corn that I've purchased in the past.
Usually when we make sloppy joes, I'm always trying to think how to serve it. With whole wheat buns? Toasted oatmeal bread? In a spinach torilla? This time, I nixed all the bread products and made a side of quinoa. Quinoa needs to be rinsed in water first, then I made it with chicken broth. I usually don't love quinoa, but truth be told I haven't experimented with it much. But the sloppy joe and quinoa mix was a hit. My husband and I thought it was a fantastic way to enjoy the nutritional benefits of quinoa while savoring the flavors of this sloppy joe recipe. I highly recommend this combination.

Divide and Conquer

2008-01-14T13:08:00.000-05:00

For me and other foodies, portion control can be a problem. I haven't talked much about "dieting" on my blog, because I truly believe in living a healthy lifestyle. The word "diet" to me feels like something temporary. I've made a few changes in my life that seem simple but help me reach my goal of moderation and find a balance between eating and exercise.

If you're utilizing healthy cooking techinques such as grilling and steaming your lean proteins and vegetables, trying out new grains and making your meals as colorful as possible, you're already taking great steps and I'm sure you're appreciating the benefits. I love good food and I love to eat, so I started to make eating meals a special occasion, by setting my table with beautiful linens, shutting off the television and planning to spend thirty minutes at the table. This way, I eat slowly, drink my water and savor the food that's in front of me.

I've left measuring and weighing food behind me and now I just divide and conquer...my plate that is. Here's a visual for you courtesy of Eating Well magazine:

Eating Well magazine suggests the following:

"Fill one half with vegetables and divide the other half into two quarters. Fill one quarter with lean protein, such as fish, skinless poultry, lean beef, beans or tofu. Fill the other quarter with a grain-based or starchy side dish, preferably a whole grain like brown rice, whole-wheat pasta or a slice of whole-grain bread. If you focus on making most of your meals look this way, you’ll automatically be following healthy eating guidelines and choosing appropriate portions—without having to pull out a calorie counter or a measuring cup every time."

I would add to be aware of your dish size. Quartering your plate is great, but don't go over the plate rim! Also, I have a selection of bowls that range from a 1/2 cup to a full cup. I use these when enjoying yogurt, cereal and yes, even ice cream. Doing this helps me to not feel deprived because I get to fill up my plate or bowl. Surprisingly I don't even reach for seconds, because I feel satisfied.

Since I cook the majority of my meals, I don't usually eat out. But I have to share some information about a local restaurant (Bethesda, MD and downtown DC) that's getting it right. Their delicious, healthy fare is presented beautifully AND is appropriately sized. They even include the nutritional information for each appetizer, entree and dessert on their menus. Check out http://www.rockcreekrestaurant.com/ when you get a moment.

A Light Refreshing Salad

2008-01-14T12:41:00.000-05:00

There's nothing like a bright beautiful green salad that isn't overpowered with dressing to make me feel like I'm on the right track. I cook with spinach a lot, but for a long time I wouldn't touch it raw. Ever since I found this recipe, it's now one of my weekly staples. Also, I am a big fan of making my own salad dressing. Now, I just need to buy a salad spinner and my life will be that much easier. Make this recipe on a Sunday and enjoy it throughout the week as a starter before your main meals.

8 cups baby spinach (or spring mix)
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) shaved fresh Parmesan cheese
2 tbsps red wine vinegar
1 tbsp Dijion mustard
2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp sugar

Combine 8 cups salad mix (arugula or spinach preferred) and 1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) shaved fresh Parmesan cheese, and toss well. Combine 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon Dijion mustard, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon sugar, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle juice mixture over salad; toss gently.

Not sure how to shave parmesan cheese? I use a vegetable peeler to create thin, long slices from a nice chunk of parmesan. It's so much prettier than using grated cheese in this salad.
Turn this side salad into a main course by adding grilled chicken or fish.
Yum...I'm enjoying this salad for dinner tonight. I added chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and they bring much needed texture to this dish. I also think a crumbled hard boiled ege would be delish, too.