Simple Zucchini Pasta Dish

As it turned out, another side benefit to the aforementioned lousy bout of weather, besides my running more, was that I read more than I probably would've otherwise. I've had a good run of books and have really enjoyed the last five books I've read.
First, was Richard Russo's Bridge of Sighs. I've enjoyed his descriptive style in the past and also his ability to develop characters. This book didn't disappoint. There's typically not a lot of action in his books. They usually take place in some sleepy has-been small town and take a look into the lives of some of the eccentric characters that live there.
Second was a book I picked up in the airport in London, The Gargoyle. The cover looked a bit foreboding - a Gothic style with black edges to the pages. The description made it sound like a fantasy novel and while there was definitely an element of the unreal, it was mostly a love story packaged in a creative tale. It reminded me of The Time Traveler's Wife, which you had to suspend judgment of what's believable to get to appreciate a very touching story of a couple very much in love.
Next was Sarah's Key. This was historical fiction and took place during the Holocaust. It took place in France and relayed the story of a lesser known incident regarding Jews in France in 1942. It is very sad, but well done. There are 2 parallel stories - one current day, and one from 1942. There were many subtle connections throughout between both stories.
Then, for a change of pace, I read a graphic novel which was given to me as a birthday gift. It told the story of a relationship through the eyes of objects. It was set up like an auction guide, and each item revealed something about this relationship. It was very clever and I was surprised at my ability to gain a sense of some of the intimate moments and dynamics of this relationship from the descriptions of these objects. There were some notes and letters dispersed throughout, so that helped a lot.
Then, I pulled out an early Ann Patchett book, The Patron Saint of Liars. I've had it on my bookshelf for years. I really enjoyed her other books Bel Canto and The Magician's Assistant, and again, I was not disappointed. I enjoy her writing as well. This book took place in a home for young pregnant women who were sent away to have their babies and give them up for adoption.
Now, I'm ready for a new book and think it's time for some non-fiction. I haven't had much time to read for the last week and don't anticipate much time this week either, but have to set myself up for vacation, which is just five days away...
In the meantime, I'm trying to utilize the vegetables from my donated farm share. My friends, Wayne and Jean are away and are letting me take their veggies for 2 weeks! I've got a bunch of zucchini and I was tired tonight, so didn't feel like making anything too involved. The recipe I looked at had you boiling the zucchini, which I think is a bad idea. I think it would disintegrate. I read a little about salting zucchini to drain it a bit before cooking and decided to try it. I think it worked well, but don't know how different it would have turned out otherwise. It did seem firmer than times I have cooked zucchini in the past. I added beans to the original recipe and didn't think of it until after, but some lemon would probably be a nice addition as well.

Simple Zucchini Pasta
1/2 tspn (or more) hot chili flakes
1 tblspn olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tspn plus 1/2 tspn salt
3 cups of sliced zucchini
5 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz of bowties
1/2 can (or more) cannelini (white kidney) beans
1/2 cup of grated parmesean cheese

1. Put the sliced zucchini in a colander over a plate or in the sink and sprinkle with salt. Toss it so it's evenly coated. Let it sit for 45 minutes.
2. Put the pasta on to cook. Then, heat the oil over medium heat. Add garlic and hot pepper flakes. Let it cook for a couple of minutes, swirling it around in the pan so the oil gets flavored.
3. Add the zucchini. Cook for about 10 minutes or until tender, but not mushy. Add parsley and beans. Cook for 5 more minutes, until beans heated through.
4. Turn off heat and add grated cheese. Add cooked pasta to pan, mix up and add some salt to taste.

Mom's Potato Salad

Wow. It's been a long time since I've posted anything. I'm not sure why, really. Part of the reason is that work has been busy. But I think the dreary weather has been making me feel a little uninspired in the kitchen. Summer seems to have finally arrived though and we've had some really nice days over the last couple of weeks.
During the painfully long spring we had, I found myself getting back into running. Not that I ever totally gave it up, but I had cut back to try to do some more cycling. Then I got an injury after running the Austin half marathon in February. I couldn't run for 3 months. I think it was an IT band injury that I got as a result of running strangely during the race due to some blisters I had on the balls of my feet. I had a great race though. Three months was the longest I've ever gone without running since I started to run over 15 years ago.
So, thankfully I can run again. Between the rainy weather and long hours in work, I find running easier to accomplish than riding. I can get in a good workout in a shorter amount of time, and I can do it in the dark when I get home late. There's also so much less gear for it. Running is pretty simple in that regard: sneakers and some clothes, that's all you need. I've also been trail running again which I really enjoy. I find running on trails mentally engaging and easier on my body than running on concrete.
Anyway, since cookout season has finally arrived, I decided it was time to make some potato salad. I had bought some of those little potatoes that come in red, white and blue, thinking that would be a fun dish for 4th of July. I searched around for an interesting recipe, but then ended up going with a classic - my mom's potato salad. I don't like eggs and all kinds of goop in my potato salad. This one does have mayo, but it's still on the lighter side as far as potato salads go.

Mom's Potato Salad
2-3 lbs of potatoes, chopped into large-ish bite size chunks. The little red potatoes work well, but russet or yukon gold would work fine. You just need to peel those.
1 rib of celery chopped small
4 or 5 scallions chopped finely (more if you like onion. You could also use red onion)
1/4 cup mayo
1 tblspn cider vinegar
1 tspn celery seed
salt and pepper
paprika

1. Boil potatoes till tender, but don't let them get too soft or they'll fall apart when you're mixing everything. Drain and let cool.
2. Put celery and onion in bowl.
3. Mix mayo, vinegar and celery seed.
4. Put potatoes in bowl with veggies. Pour dressing on top, and add some salt and pepper. Mix and top with some paprika.

Sesame Bok Choy and Cabbage

I know it's silly to complain about the weather since we have no control over it, but I think we here in Massachusetts (all of New England?) are allowed to be a bit whiny. In all of June, I think we have had 2 sunny days. The clouds, the gray and the rain are getting old. Real old. Our summer season is so short as it is, to take this much of it away from us is just plain mean. I know it's only been officially summer since yesterday, but the forecast for the entire week ahead is rain. No end in sight. My bed sheets and towels feel clammy and gross. I feel gross. My energy is lower and I find myself wanting to eat lots of carbs - like the large quantity of pizza I ate for dinner tonight - and lay around reading.

Speaking of dinner, I had a most eclectic combination on my pizza this evening. We went to Za, which is in our neighborhood, and they do try to use local and seasonal ingredients. Tonight had two interesting chalkboard specials, and I ended up getting to sample both of them because of an error in the kitchen - they gave me a free pizza! On one was: strawberries, goat cheese, walnuts, caramelized onions and basil. On the other: asparagus, cheddar, Parmesan, rhubarb and caramelized onions. Neither had red sauce. It's not often you get to have strawberries on your pizza, so it was fun as well as tasty. I would definitely have it again, but I think my favorite was the asparagus combo.

At first I was looking at the bright side of the non-summery weather and taking advantage of still being able to turn the oven on. But, I've moved on from that, and I'm moving towards seasonal dishes. For those of you who belong to CSAs, this recipe will come in handy as you are probably getting some bok choy in your share. My friend, Jean, passed this one onto me. It's simple and few ingredients, but a very tasty, quick meal. I served it over brown rice on her suggestion, and I think this is the way to go. I'm not sure white rice would complement it as well. I also added mushrooms to Jean's recipe and thought it worked well.

Sesame Bok Choy and Cabbage

1/2 lb bok choy, sliced
1/4-1/3 head cabbage, chopped
1 c. sliced white mushrooms
2 tblsp canola oil
1 tspn sesame oil
3 cloves garlic
Bragg's liquid aminos to taste (optional)
2 tblsp toasted sesame seeds for garnish

1. In a skillet or wok, heat the canola oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic, mushrooms and cabbage and saute for 5 minutes.
2. Add bok choy, saute another 5 minutes.
3. Turn off heat. Drizzle with olive oil and if you want a little saltier flavor add some Bragg's. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice.

Black Bean Burgers

I'm not sure what's more remarkable about tonight's dinner - that I made homemade veggie burgers for the first time in over 20 years of being vegetarian or that Todd and I ate dinner at 7:30. Since the weather is cloudy (yet again- this is 3 weeks in a row of rainy weekdays) and my Tuesday night group ride was canceled, I decided to just come home and get some things done. My original back-up plan was to go to yoga, and while I can always use more stretching, I can also use a night of reading. Todd and I typically end up eating dinner around 10:00, so I'm guessing I'm going to be hungry again around bedtime. Good thing I have leftovers.

I'm not sure why I've never made veggie burgers from scratch before. I've made mock "meat"loafs which is very similar, and "meat"balls, but never veggie burgers. I think I got veggieburgered out at one point or something. There was a time when it seemed hard to get anything but a veggie burger as a vegetarian when you ate outside your home, so maybe it just wasn't something I was excited to eat. Making them from scratch is certainly far better than the frozen kind.

This recipe isn't going to totally knock your socks off, but it's definitely a good, basic foundation to use that's not that labor intensive. I plan to mess around with it and see what I can do with it. Don't expect it to be a solid hockey puck type thing like a frozen one. They are a little crumbly. We had them with roasted potatoes and the aioli sauce from a couple of posts ago, and some broccoli. It made a nice casual meal.

Black Bean Burgers
1 14 oz can black beans
1/2 bell pepper, chopped small (I used orange, but any color will work)
1/2 onion, chopped small
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg
1 tblsp chili powder
1 tblsp cumin
1 tspn thai chili sauce or hot sauce
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used Panko style)

1. If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and lightly oil a baking sheet.

2. In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty. Add onion, pepper and garlic.

3. In a small bowl, mix egg, chili powder, cumin and chili sauce. Stir into mashed bean mixture.

4. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Add more bread crumbs if necessary. If you are using bread crumbs that are not seasoned, you may want to add a little salt. Form 4 patties using your hands to mash together.

5. If grilling, place patties on foil and grill for 8 minutes on each side. If cooking in the oven, place on baking sheet, and bake 10 minutes each side.

Red Lentil Sweet Potato Curry

I'm 40. Forty. The big 4-0. I think this technically makes me "middle-aged". How did that happen? I know, I know: 40s is the new 30s; It's all how you feel; It's just a number. All that is true. I feel pretty darn good. I am happy. I have a good life. But, I am 40. I have never had any particular plan set for myself, like by the time I'm 40 I'll be making over $100k, have 2 kids, live in a 3 bedroom split ranch in a quiet suburb near the water. None of that. (Which is good, since none of these things are true.) I tend to figure things out as I go along and take experiences as they come. This has worked out o.k. for me so far, but I feel that in my middle-agedness it might be time for me to go about things in a more deliberate manner, because the reality is that I am running out of time to do all the things I want to do in this life! I do set little goals for myself along the way, typically in regards to my physical activities. But, I think it may be time to set some larger goals for myself in order to make sure my next decade of life is a memorable one.

At the moment, however, I am more focused on the physical aspect of things. I spent some time today studying my face in the mirror wondering if I'm aging well, and trying to think of how to get rid of the big crease that runs along the middle of my forehead and the sun spots just above it. Since botox and surgery aren't really viable options for me, I think I just have to live with the current state of things. So, now I just have to go into prevention mode and try to minimize the amount of future wrinkles, spots, etc. I got a facial on my birthday and went from there to a make-up store in the mall where I asked the nice young man to try to make me look 35. And, if he couldn't do that, I asked him to at least make me look less tired. He did have some good suggestions and introduced me to a great under eye concealer and some lip gloss.

So, now it will be time to move beyond the superficial nature of things and figure out some more meaningful goals. On the cooking front, I think my 40s will be the decade of the curry. I have already started exploring that genre and will continue to do so. This is the dish I made on my birthday eve. I cut this recipe almost in half, and it made enough for dinner and leftovers for the both of us.

Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Curry

3/4 cup uncooked red lentils

6 cups water

3 large carrots, peeled and sliced

2 medium sized sweet potatoes, scrubbed and diced

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 cup light coconut milk

1 tblsp yellow curry powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 tblsp chili powder

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 inch chunk peeled and grated ginger

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp lime juice

1 tsp peanut oil

1. Rinse the lentils. Put in a saucepan with 5 cups of water, bring to a boil and then simmer for 10-15 minutes. Red lentils cook very fast so be careful! Drain and set aside.

2. In a dry skillet (no oil) on medium heat, toast the curry powder, garam masala, chili powder, turmeric, and 1/4 tspn salt. Toast until they become fragrant, then pour into a bowl and set aside.
3. Return skillet to heat and cook peanut oil on medium high heat. Add onions and remaining 1/4 tspn salt. Sautee the onions until they just start to brown. Add garlic & ginger and sautee for another minute.
4. Add the toasted spices, carrot and sweet potato. Sautee for 5 minutes, then add 1 cup water. cover and simmer until potatoes are tender about 10-13 minutes.
5. Stir in lentils and lime juice. Then stir in coconut milk. Let cook another few minutes. Server over rice.

Spicy Aioli Sauce with Roasted Potatoes

Often when I get invited to a party that has a theme to it I go through this cycle: First, I become excited because I think whatever the theme is a really neat idea (ex. Halloween party with 80s movies costume requirement; dinner party with things made with mango; etc.) Next, I am riddled with anxiety because I can't think of a good idea to fit the theme. This leads to me not wanting to go to the party anymore because I don't know what I'll wear/bring. Then, I typically come up with an idea, not being sure if it's a good one. Last, I get to the party and I'm totally energized and impressed with everyone's creativity.

Last night we were invited to a get together where the theme was "food on sticks". The caveat was that really most anything could count since toothpicks counted as sticks. Todd and I waited until the last minute to pick something (as I was experiencing the aforementioned stages). Often when I go out for Spanish tapas, I get a dish called "spicy potatoes" that I've been wanting to try out at home. We decided to make these and put toothpicks in the individual potatoes with the sauce on the side. It's simple and the result was pretty yummy. The best part was that Todd both did the grocery shopping and prepared the food while I was at work (with his unemployed status he is taking over some different household chores). I walked him carefully through the steps over the phone. I had to chuckle when he was reviewing the ingredients to make sure we had everything and when he got to "minced garlic" asked, "Do we have any of this?" Now, he just bought garlic at the store. So, I said, "Of course we do, once you take the garlic you just bought at the store and mince it." I know some people like to buy that jarred stuff, and I'm sure it's fine, but I prefer to use it fresh. I also hate those garlic presses. I think it's more work to clean it, than it is to just mince it with a knife. Todd went with the garlic press and it all came out great. I have to admit, I think I like him even more today. I keep looking at him and thinking to myself, "he made some damn good potatoes last night and he is all mine."

This sauce would also work really well with other veggies, or on a sandwich or roll up.

Roasted Potatoes with Spicy Aioli Sauce
12-15 small new potatoes (we used a mix of red, white and blue ones - fun!), quartered
1 tblsp olive oil
salt and pepper

1 cup of mayo
1 tspn mild chili powder
1 tspn paprika
1 tspn minced garlic
1/2 tspn salt (maybe a little more to taste)
1/4 tspn black pepper

1. Toss the potatoes in the olive oil and a little salt and pepper, and then put into a baking dish. Cook at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, blend the ingredients for the sauce and chill in the fridge.

Quinoa with Zucchini and Black Beans

Last week, like many others before us, we were impacted by the suffering economy. Todd was laid off from his job, and while I am not panicking, I have certainly become more aware of expenditures. I would prefer to take precautions now, so we don't find ourselves in a place where we have to panic down the road. There are some obvious places to make cutbacks. We will not be going on a guided mountain bike vacation this summer like we were thinking. I had been looking into buying a commuter/winter bike, but will be delaying that. In general, I'll be scrutinizing all purchases differently.

Food is one area where we need to consider modifications. We don't dine out frequently as it is, so don't need to make a lot of changes there. But, Whole Foods will definitely be seeing my face less often. For produce, I'm planning to make my way over to Russo's in Watertown regularly and get to farmers' markets whenever I can. I find this tough because I am typically working during the hours they are held, but I'll have to figure out a way to work it into my schedule. (However, Todd may now have some free time during the day...) I will also shop around a bit to compare prices on things like canned beans and canned tomatoes. It may be time to start getting in the habit of buying dried beans and cooking them myself. I'm sure there's a cost savings there, but I'm not sure how much, and whether it's worth the investment of time. Another thought is buying these types of things by the case. I think Whole Foods even offers discounts if you do this. There are also a lot of frivolous items we can do without. For instance, I'm pretty sure we won't wither up if we don't have Tofutti Cuties or licorice Scotty Dogs. But, certain things I'm not willing to sacrifice, like our favorite brand of yogurt (Wallaby), good bread or certain organic items.

Luckily, we both really like rice and beans. Since it's both an economical and nutritious meal, I'm sure it will be making more frequent appearance on our dinner plates. But, of course, we don't want to over-do it. I will be on the lookout for some more variations of grains and beans. Another of this sort of dish that is an old standby for me is quinoa with black beans. The recipe includes zucchini, but I often make it without it, since I try to buy most veggies mostly when they are in season. It also calls for fresh cilantro, but dried can be used as well.

Quinoa with Zucchini and Black Beans
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 tblsp olive oil
3/4 cup quinoa (if you want to use more, increase the amount of broth. Use a 1:2 ratio), rinsed
1 1/2 cups of veggie broth
1 tspn cumin
1 tspn dried cilantro or 1/2 cup fresh, chopped
1 pinch cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
1 14 oz can of black beans (or up to 2 cans, depending on how bean-y you want it)

1. Sautee onions and garlic in olive oil until light brown
2. Mix in quinoa, veggie broth, spices (except for cilantro if it's fresh), and zucchini. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes
3. Stir in corn, black beans, and cilantro (if fresh), and cook another 5 minutes until heated through.

Fresh Asparagus Soup

Each season has its good characteristics, and its not so good ones. For spring, on a positive note: the days are longer; nature is very active and there's lots to fill your senses; you can take your wool coat and put it away for a while, and the seasonal food becomes a little "lighter". On its less favorable side: it's hard to have the right wardrobe to dress weather appropriate each day when the temps are up, down and in between; while nature is very active, so are people's allergies; and it starts to get too warm to turn on the oven.

On a bit of a tangent, I wonder if historically people have suffered from allergies to this great an extent, or if because of all the other toxins we are exposed to our bodies are less able to tolerate things like pollen.

Anyhow, when the temps do drop down, I do use that as an excuse to turn the dial on the oven up. I made another pan of roasted veggies the other day, but this time with a blend of winter and summery vegetables. To sweet and white potatoes, I added mushrooms, zucchini, asparagus and tomatoes. I liked that blend a lot. There are also lighter soups that lend themselves well to spring. I made this asparagus soup a couple of weeks ago when we had a few friends over for dinner. It's simple and a fun way to use this spring veggie. I should take this opportunity again to mention how much I adore my immersion blender.

Fresh Asparagus Soup
1 lb fresh asparagus
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup veggie broth
1 tblsp butter
2 tblsp all purpose flour
1 tspn salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups veggie broth
1 cup soy milk (I used rice milk)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tspn lemon juice
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Place asparagus and onion in a saucepan with 1/2 cup veggie broth. Bring the broth to a boil and let simmer until the vegetables are tender.
2. Blend vegetable mixture until smooth
3. Melt the butter in the pan that was used for simmering the asparagus and onions. Stir while sprinkling flour, salt and pepper into the butter. Do not let the flour brown. Allow the mixture to cook only 2 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 1/4 cups veggie broth and increase the heat. Continue stirring until the mixture comes to a boil.
4. Stir in the vegetable puree and milk into the saucepan. Whisk yogurt into the mixture, followed by lemon juice. Stir until heated through. Ladle into bowls and add grated cheese if desired.

Autumn Roasted Veggies with Israeli Couscous

In my last post, a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned I was trying to avoid getting whatever sickness was ailing Todd. I speculated that I may have "jinxed" myself for recently declaring out loud that I hadn't been sick all winter. I also wondered if posting this on the internet could possibly exacerbate the affect of any potential jinxness. Well, I'm here to tell you that I think it did! In a matter of hours I went from the I think I may be getting sick phase to the bed-ridden I want my mommy phase of sickness. I was in bed with a fever and horrible cold, unable to even read a book, for 3 days. I mostly slept, blew my nose and stared at the ceiling. I didn't even get to have any of my Feel Better Soup because I was too sick to go to the store and get the ingredients. I had made some other soup the night before being stuck in bed which was tasty, but didn't have the magical qualities of Feel Better Soup.

Just before getting sick, I had made some roasted veggies with Israeli couscous. It's a very simple dish, but tasty and I think the roasted veggies pair well with this kind of couscous. It's probably the last time this year I will make any winter roasted veggies. The butternut and acorn squashes, and turnips that have been in storage someplace all winter are really getting passed their prime. I will probably try it again with some spring/early summer veggies before it gets too hot to turn on the oven. But, I wanted to make sure I captured this so I remember to make it again next year.

Autumn Roasted Veggies with Israeli Couscous
1 white potato, peeled and diced
1 small sweet potato, washed and diced
1 small turnip, peeled and diced
1 small butternut or acorn squash, peeled and diced
1 medium red onion, diced
2 tblsp olive oil
sea salt
pepper
1 tblsp herbs de provence
1 cup Israeli couscous
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar (or balsamic)

1. Toss all veggies in 1 tblsp of the olive oil (or a little more if necessary). Place on a baking sheet, sprinkle with herbs, salt and pepper, and roast in 400 degree oven until tender and beginning to brown. (Probably 30 to 45 minutes)
2. Cook Israeli couscous: In a 2 quart saucepan, heat 1 tblsp olive oil over medium heat and sautee the cousous until lightly brown. Add veggie broth. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn heat down to simmer. Cook until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
3. In small saucepan, simmer cider vinegar until reduced to a syrupy consistency.
4. Spoon veggies over couscous and drizzle with vinegar.

Feel Better Soup

I made a big mistake the other day. I said, "I have not been sick at all this winter despite all the nasty viruses that were being passed around my office..." I should never have said that out loud. It's not that I'm really superstitious, but it seems I have had other instances where I've said similar things and "jinxed" myself. I believe it was around this same time last year when I said, "I've never taken a spill on my road bike." Sure enough, a couple of weeks later I was practicing cornering next to someone at the spring race clinic, when our bikes touched and I hit the ground hard. My seat came flying off, my helmet broke and I tore my shoe. (Is it worse, I wonder to make statements like this on the internet vs. to just one person? Hmm... I guess I'm going to find out.)

Todd has been home sick for almost a week with a really nasty cold and cough. I'm doing my best to take care of myself and avoid getting this myself. But, just in case I do, I pulled out this soup recipe. I call it my "witches' brew" soup because it really is like a magical potion to ward off illness. It doesn't have any eyes of newt in it, but it is also not a soup that you'll be saying, "Yummy! I can't wait to have this again!" It's not offensive, it's just not delicious. It does work though. There have been many times when I've made the soup at the first signs of feeling sick or when I've been sick, and it's either stopped the cold/flu right in it's track or shortened the life of it. Apparently it's the seaweed that is the magic ingredient. It is also the thing that lends to it's not so yummy taste. The downside is there's quite a bit of chopping, and if you're not feeling well, chopping might not be high on your list of preferred activities. It'd be nice if someone wanted to make it for you.

You might be wondering why I didn't make this for Todd while he's been sick, and the truth is I didn't think of it until today. It's too late in the game for him now. I think it's past the point where it might help him. I've been an o.k. nurse though. I did make him some minestra, and was also a nice vegetarian girlfriend and bought him some chicken soup at Whole Foods.

Feel Better /Witches' Brew Soup
2 tblsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
6 cups veggie broth
2 large bunches watercress, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dried green lentils
1/2 cup raw brown rice
1/3 cup wakame or other seaweed (dried is fine)
1/3 cup chopped kale
1 white potato, cubed
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil over medium high heat, and add onion and celery. Cook, stirring until softened, not browned.
2. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 hours until rice is tender. (The rice will take the longest to cook).

Swiss Chard and Cannelini Bean Soup

Being on Facebook has turned out to be a fun way to socialize. It also has the potential to be a huge time waster if you let it, and there are days I find myself using it to procrastinate doing other, more useful activities. But for the most part, I find it an easy way to stay in touch with people I may not be in as frequent contact with otherwise. It has also allowed me to find people I haven't talked to for many years, reconnect, and learn about their lives. Even the seemingly mundane details can sometimes be interesting, and you can find out little intricacies you have in common with someone. There are, of course, the naysayers who exclaim things like, "Whatever happened to picking up the phone and having an actual conversation?" These seem to be the same folks who don't embrace technology in general, or maybe just don't have enough friends to warrant a Facebook page, and are secretly envious. Let's be real - I have 206 Facebook friends. If not for Facebook, I would be in regular communication with maybe 25% of them, and less frequently with another 25%. And, no, not all 206 of these people are my BFFs. There are probably a good handful that I wouldn't otherwise have any interest in if it weren't for folks just trying to get their friend numbers up. But, I've had lots of pleasant surprises along the way. For example, connecting with a childhood friend who informed me of an epic-sounding bike ride her Dad is doing that I am now planning to do this summer (the D2R2). Or finding out about one of my favorite musicians who was in town because of a friend's status, and then making plans to go to it with her. One of my favorite recent surprises, was finding out my youngest cousin, Stephanie, has taken an interest in cooking. It's funny because although there is a 20 year age difference between us (yikes! I just had to do the math twice to be sure this was right), I have discovered we have quite a bit in common. She actually came across my blog because of a Facebook interaction I had with another of our cousins. This resulted in her making one of my recipes and then passing a favorite soup recipe of hers onto me. I have since made it twice. According to Stephanie, this soup is called Minasta and it is one her mom (my Italian auntie - the only real cook in the family) makes regularly. I did a search on line and couldn't find anything by that name, but did find one called "Minestra" that is similar. So, perhaps as it's gotten passed down through the family, both the recipe itself and its name has morphed a bit. The best thing about this soup is its simplicity. There are no spices, except for garlic, salt and pepper, but it is healthy, filling and comforting, like a cousin to a chicken noodle soup, without the chicken. Twice, I have fed it to hungry cyclists and got a lot of positive feedback, but I need to take that with a grain of salt since they will pretty much eat anything that is made for them after a long, hard ride. 

Update January, 2021: I have been making this for over a decade now and it never occurred to me until tonight to add lemon at the end. When it was done cooking I zested some lemon on top and then squeezed in the juice of half a lemon. It brightens it right up and I cannot stop eating it! Why didn't I think of this before? Delizioso!

  "Minestra" 

1 large bunch of swiss chard, chopped (kale or escarole could also be used) 

1 medium onion chopped

1 or 2 stalks of celery, chopped

5-6 cloves of garlic, minced 

1 tblsp olive oil 

1 15 oz. can white cannelini beans 

4-6 cups veggie broth (a non tomato base one like No-chicken broth is best) 1/2 to 

1 cup of uncooked brown rice 

salt and pepper to taste

Optional: Lemon zest and juice of half a lemon 

 

1. Heat the oil over medium heat and sautee the onion, celery and garlic for about 5 minutes. Add swiss chard and sautee for a few more minutes. 

2. Add broth. (The amount of broth you use will depend on the amount of rice you are going to include in the next step- the more rice, the more broth you will need. ) Let this simmer on low heat for about an hour. This allows all the flavors to blend. 3. Add the rice and simmer for 40 minutes. You may find you need to add more liquid if it gets too thick. The amount of liquid you add will depend on your desired consistency. 4. Add cannelini beans, salt and pepper. Let cook another 10 minutes until beans are heated through. 

5. Optional: zest some lemon over the top and squeeze in juice from half a lemon, or serve with lemon wedges.

Spiced Lentil Cabbage Casserole

The other day, I was hankering for some cabbage. I had planned to make lentil cabbage pilaf, but wanted to try something different, and found this recipe. Once I assembled in, and was going to put it in the oven, I was thinking, this is going to be pretty boring. Turmeric really doesn't do anything for me as a spice, but I couldn't think of anything to add, so I just went with it. As it turns out, it was pretty darn good. There's something about the combination of brown rice, lentils and cabbage that really works. And sometimes, you just let the ingredients speak for themselves and not add too many spices or complex flavors. I added Bragg's liquid aminos to mine when I was eating it, but Todd did not, and he liked this dish quite a lot, too.

Spiced Lentil Cabbage Casserole
3 cups cooked brown lentils
2 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup veggie broth
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (I used yellow, but if you like green pepper that would work well)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 tspn red chili flakes
1/2 tspn turmeric

1. Cook the brown rice and lentils according to directions in separate pans. The rice will take a little longer than the lentils, so start that first. (For rice, bring 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of water to a boil, then simmer on very low, covered, for 40 minutes. For lentils, clean about 1 1/2 cups dried lentils, put in pan and cover with water, by at least an inch, bring to a boil, then simmer for about 30 minutes).
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chili pepper flakes and turmeric. Stir for 2 minutes. Add garlic, bell pepper, onion and cabbage. Sautee until cabbage is soft, about 10 minutes. Add peas, and some salt.
4. Add vegetables, rice and lentils to casserole dish, mix and add veggie broth. Bake for about 20 minutes.

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts and Lance Armstrong

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Austin to run a half marathon. I thought training for a February race would be a fun diversion to cycling, yet not interfere with spring training, and keep me in shape throughout the winter. Upon reflection, I can't really say the training was fun. While the long runs were more enjoyable than those I have done in the past because I had Sallie for company, the weather conditions really made it tough. Between snow, ice, wind and really cold temps, it made for some not so pleasant training days. Because of the weather, I also didn't get out for shorter runs as much as I intended, and I only had planned for 2 per week. I finally succumbed to the treadmill in a panic during the last couple of weeks before the race. In terms of keeping me in shape, it turns out that I gained 4 1/2 pounds in the process. I was a bit surprised when I hopped on the scale recently since not only was I training for this race, but still getting on my bike trainer consistently. The race itself was, however, fun. I felt great, had the best time I could've expected, and broke two hours which was my main goal. And, I also got to check out Austin, which is a pretty funky little city.

The day after the race, we went to Lance Armstrong's bike shop, Mellow Johnny's. It's a great shop. We rented some Trek Madones and went for spin around Austin. After riding around in circles for a while and almost getting on the highway, we finally found our way onto a nice bike route. When we got back there was a t.v. camera set up in the shop, and while we were shopping for t-shirts, the woman who was with the cameraman asked if she could interview us for the news. She wouldn't tell us about what because she wanted our answers to be spontaneous.

I should take a moment here to point out that I had just finished a ride, taken my helmet off (think: helmet hair) and had crusty snot on my nose (Sallie later verified this). At least it wasn't my t.v. debut. That was several years ago when I was walking home in my running clothes after doing a road race in the middle of July (think: humid, sweaty hair), and was stopped to be interviewed. I never saw it, but many people I know did and they were all kind enough not to mention my appearance.

After these two experiences, I now understand why people often sound dumb when they are on the news. You are standing there in front of a camera and several people, and expected to spontaneously come up with an answer to a surprise question (while you are pondering the crusty snot on your nose and weather it will be visible to the home viewers). The topic they wanted to discuss at Mellow Johnny's was Lance's $10,000 time trial bike which had just been stolen at the Tour of California. Did we know about it? What did we think about it? He was using Twitter to try to locate it - was that a good idea? So, while it wasn't anything that required any deep thinking, one of my answers still haunts me. When she asked what I thought about his bike being stole I said something like that was too bad that someone would do that and it could mess up his race, but I was pretty sure he could afford a new one. Now, that wasn't very nice, was it? It doesn't really matter if he can afford a new one. The point is that someone stole his property, and not only that, but something that he needed for the race, and would be hard to replace. It doesn't matter who he is or how much money he makes. Well, that was cathartic for me. I've been carrying that around for a couple of weeks. I'm not sure what a really good answer would've been, but I'll ponder that.

In the meantime, my cousin, who also lives in Texas, (wasn't that a fantastic segue?) has asked for the brussel sprout recipe I made for Christmas. Her fiance liked them and so she wants to make some. She's even considering eating them herself. So, of course, I'm happy to oblige and support the eating of brussel sprouts. I wonder if Lance likes them? I'm not exactly sure how I cooked them on Christmas, but it was probably something like this. I like sauteeing them, because it's fast, but roasting them is even more tasty.

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts
Brussel sprouts - I'd probably figure about 6-8 per person, unless they are really small, then a few more
1 tblspn olive oil
water or veggie broth for moistening pan
salt and pepper
a few splashes Balsamic vinegar (optional)

1. Trim the brussel sprout stems. This is a little tricky. You need to cut of the tough part, but I find if you cut off the whole bottom, then the brussel sprouts fall apart as you cook them and you have lots of stray leaves. Once you trim the bottom, peel of and discard at least one layer of leaf and discard. Cut the brussel sprouts in half.
2. Heat a skillet/frying pan on medium heat and add the olive oil. Let that heat up for a minute. (You don't want to make the pan too hot or else the outsides will brown too much before the insides cook.)
3. Add the brussel sprouts. Sautee for about five minutes on one side, then use a metal spatula to flip them and get the other side. If the pan gets too dry, then add splashes of water or veggie broth. Stir every couple of minutes.
4. Cook until tender. This should only take 10 or 15 minutes if the sprouts are fresh. If it's later in the season, it may take longer. After 10 minutes of cooking, if they are not done, you can put a splash of water in and then cover the pan for a minute which will help to steam them. When just about done, add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Optional: when the sprouts are done, splash with a bit of balsamic vinegar, and turn off the pan. This adds a little sweetness to offset the bitter taste. Or, shut off pan and add some grated parmesean.