super sexy quinoa

Keen what??? Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is a highly nutritious seed from the Andes region of South America. It shares this photo with goat cheese. Super sexy? Well, sure it is. Quinoa is mysterious, exotic, the new buzz (chia seeds will be next), great for your body, and uncomplicated (to prepare). Don't you want the scoop?

Quinoa has an excellent nutritional profile

• exceptional source of protein – containing all essential 8 amino acids

• high in iron
• magnesium: relaxes muscles and nerves, helps support healthy bones & keeps blood circulating
• B vitamins: have a host of health benefits, check out www.whfoods.com

Quinoa is easy to prepare Rinse the quinoa, in a strainer and gently rub/agitate it, with cold water until the water runs clear. This process removes naturally occurring saponins which can give the grain a bitter taste. In a saucepan, combine quinoa and liquid (1 cup quinoa, 2 cups liquid), cover and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and keep covered for 15-20 minutes. Remove lid and fluff with a fork.

Just a few ideas for using quinoa

• cook it with seasonings or in broth. Met someone at the wine walk who suggested preparing with pineapple juice and sazon then add pigeon beans

• toss with veggies
• blend or prepare with fruit juice
• add dried fruit, maple syrup or sweet spices
• use it in soups or stews
• makes a great breakfast cereal
• use is as a healthy substitute for rice. Makes a yummy pilaf and compliments a light seafood meal.

date and coconut cookies (vegan, GF optional)

This is a really easy cookie to make. You won't have to wait for butter to come to room temp or pull out the KitchenAid to incorporate all the ingredients. Maybe it is too easy and too tasty but no one has to know but you! When they are just out of the oven the are a tad crispy on the outside and warm and gooey on the inside; they taste like granola bar meets cookie. I enjoyed mine with some steamed soy milk that had a dash of cinnamon and a bit of agave.

I have to share a picture of my nephew after he the tried my cookie. This was the face he made... which was very different from the face he made when I offered him a gumdrop. Maybe I should have put gumdrops in this batch!

Here is the bare bones recipe. Use a bit of creativity, I did with my batch. I like cranberries, pumpkin seeds and some secret spices! some ideas... raisins, chocolate chips, favorite nuts, banana chips, ginger, oats... what do you like in your granola?

Date & Coconut Cookies

• 1/2 C nuts, roasted
• 1/2 C date pieces
• 1 1/2 tsp nutritional yeast
  
• 1/1 C shredded coconut (I prefer unsweetened)
• 2 C unbleached flour of your choice ( I used whole wheat pastry flour)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 C maple syrup
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 C oil, canola or vegetable

preheat the oven to 335 degrees. Chop the nuts and dates in a food processor with a few pulses. Add this nut & date mix to a larger mixing bowl with the yeast, coconut, flour, baking powder, and salt; mix well.

In a small bowl combine the maple syrup, vanilla, and oil. Stir the wet and dry mixes together and spoon onto a greased or lined cookie sheet. Bake for about 20-25 minutes.

cool on a rack and enjoy!

lunch delivery on hold

for 3 weeks! I am a bit behind the times and wish I had shared this earlier... I will be at the fabulous and funky Firefly gift shop on Penn Avenue this Wednesday for the wine walk. I am unsure if tickets are still available but suggest you click through the link on the "wine walk" for further details. I did this with a friends in the fall and had so much fun..

As a tease, here is what I will be sharing with some new folks on Penn:

Quinoa Caviar
organic quinoa, eggplant, onion, garlic, herbs and lemon juice

savory goat cheese balls
herbs from my garden and a citrus zest are in this goat cheese mix that is rolled in nuts

tzatziki
made with local yogurt (cozy corner) and served with fresh veggies

gardening notes: april

This was a long weekend with loads of man & women hours put in outdoors. It was perfect weather. The temps did not get over 60 degrees so it was ideal for doing grunt work without fear of heat stroke. This is the first time I have had so much time to prepare for planting. For the past two years, I scurry around after our vacation, mid-May, getting things into the ground as the weather has already warmed.

This weekend we filled the new garden area with soil, put a tiny wall in that low area, tilled one last time, raked dirt, and framed out my beds. This is exhausting work. Last year I did rows and this time around ... well, we shall see how this turns out.

I am by no means an experienced vegetable gardener. I had to prove myself with a teeny, tiny bed in 2008. It was about 8' x 8'. Dan said if I could master that area he would consider tilling a larger space. I planted tomatoes, arugula, carrots, chard, watermelon, and peppers to name a few.



Dan was surprised. I was hooked.

So, today my beds are ready. I started more seeds and plan on planting the same seeds direct, just in case. Funny thing (to me anyway) is last year's garden was really my first go at such a large space (15' x 20') and everything came in beautifully. I planted right into the soil with some work (tilling and peat moss). I used a plastic cover to help keep weeds at bay between plants and newspaper topped with grass clippings to reduce weeds between rows. (note: if you use grass clippings for the first time and catch a whiff of a death thing... chances are it is the clippings...)

This year's main bed is now 20' x 36' and my mini bed... still 8' x 8'. I plan on incorporating veggies in my flower and herb gardens again.

novice gardener's tip of the day: if you must have a garden tool in your hand...wear gardening gloves



ready to be filled!

gardening notes: mid march

I can't seem to locate my gardening journal from 2008 and 2009 so I will start to note in my blog and hope I never forget my password!

During the first week in March, I tried something new... I started seeds using organic seed starting soil and compostable containers:

• tollies peppers
• ancho chillies
• heirloom Chinese giant pepper
• heirloom cayenne long thin pepper
  
• heirloom golden marconi pepper
• heirloom yellow pear tomato
  
• heirloom Thai pink cherry tomato
• organic Valencia onion
• heirloom, organic Scotland leek
• heirloom red creole onion
• organic Ed's red shallots

I clearly labeled my little gems, kept them moist and in the sun. To easily maintain the moisture level, I put my seed containers in the lidded salad containers from Giant (the 16 oz organic salad greens plastic container)....thought this was pretty genius instead of using trays.

It was exciting to see the little buds emerge (as if I have anything to do with this little miracle). I tried to start seeds a few years back with no success... probably had something to do with that. There are 5 salad containers full of seeds. Almost all the seeds sprouted with the exception of the peppers. I set those containers aside to try some other seeds when I had a minute. 2 weeks later I found a minute and pulled out the containers only to find peppers sprouting! Guess they just needed to be ignored. They are doing well now.

We are still working our soil and waiting a bit before I get these seeds in the ground. They get to keep me company in the house for just a bit longer. Sometimes I let them outside, on sunny warm days. Wonder if I should play music for them so they can enjoy this nice, quiet time before I put them out in the hot sun, amongst all the bugs and they have to start working and producing?

6 week detox/diet completed

just saying... I made it! One slip up, new exercise habits in place and not missing sugar all that much! I say that with a ripe champagne mango in the kitchen that I am ready to peel and eat after finishing this post.

I have not missed the TastyKakes as much as expected but I have been mad for Haute Chocolate. I stopped in on the last day of the diet to indulge in an iced americano; the baked cinnamon rolls looked divine. So when you are in the area, make an appointment to stop by for a coffee, espresso or their signature hot chocolate (yum iced) and enjoy a treat!

p.s. I lost 9 pounds but bigger than that mastered my cravings and replaced it with better habits!

spaghetti squash, it's what's for dinner & gluten free

There is no meat here! I am down to my last week on this no white diet/detox. It has not been as difficult as expected. Have to admit to a minor breach in my resolve but this lapse lasted a short while and I made it worthwhile!

Even though the days are getting longer, in terms of daylight, I feel time is always running short. Had a recipe I wanted to share last week for baked chicken... another day, I suppose.

For dinner, I roasted the last spaghetti squash from my fall harvest. I was short on time and this worked well with a hands-off dinner prep.

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half and seed it. Line a baking/roasting sheet with foil and add 1/4 cup water.
• To add a bit of flavor, coat each half with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Before putting the squash, cut-side down on the roasted pan, tuck in some garlic cloves.
  
• To the finished squash (roasted at 400 degrees for about 1 1/2 hrs) I topped with my tomato sauce. So that protein was covered I made Dan grilled pork chops, seasoned with garlic and oregano. I had fake Italian sausage with my dish.
• Topped with shaved parm it hit the spot with little time over the stove and no wheat products.