Amazing Fall Dinner

Oh yum. Tonight I made salmon burgers with pan fried Brussels sprouts and roasted beets. Zach said this looks like a fancy meal you'd get in a restaurant, and honestly, it tasted that good too. I will confess that this was only my second real attempt at cooking Brussels sprouts. They are unbelievably easy and tasty, and even if you don't like Brussels sprouts (I thought I didn't until I tried them made this way) I encourage you to try them and see what you think. The beets are super easy too- they just take some peeling and chopping prep work, but then you just put them in the oven and let them do their thing.

Easy Pan-fried Brussels Sprouts
1 lb Brussels Sprouts
1 Tbs butter
salt and pepper
water
Cut the stems off the sprouts and slice them in half. Melt the butter in a very large frying pan.  Place sprouts cut side down in the pan and allow them to cook over medium-high heat until they begin to brown (I think this was about 10 minutes). Sprinkle salt and pepper on the sprouts. Add a bit of water to the pan (I'd start with a 1/2 cup) and allow the spouts to continue cooking until they become soft enough to piece easily with a fork, adding more water if needed.  These are best served hot out of the pan.

Easy Roasted Beets
2 large beets (I used one red and one gold, but either will work just fine.)
olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450F
Peel beets and cut into bite-sized pieces. (If you've never cooked with beets, just treat them like they are potatoes that want to turn your hands pink). Place in a glass baking dish and pour on oil to coat (I used an 1/8 cup). Toss well. Place in oven and allow to roast for 50 minutes, turning them every 15 minutes or so. On their last cycle in the oven, sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Roasting causes the beets to caramelize slightly, and you will be rewarded with the sweetest and best-tasting beets ever. Serve hot if possible. Also great on a cold salad with salty pungent cheese like feta or gorgonzola.

Neck Update/ 2 new Friends!

I realized I should give an update on the neck problems I was having last week. Last Monday I saw a chiropractor for the first time. I visited Andy Rosser at the recommendation of one of my co-workers. He was kind and gentle and not at all scary. Two things he recommended that have seemed to help were switching from hot packs to  ice packs (my trusty bag of edamame works great!) and using a ball to do stretches on my back muscles. My neck is slowly but surely getting better, and I am finally returning to my normal life.  It's still not perfect, but it's a lot better, and it feels great to be able to do some of the active things I enjoy.

Crossfit?

This week I'm making kind of a weird goal (#47) and that is to go check out the CrossFit gym downtown before February of next year. I am simultaneously intrigued and wary of CrossFit- most of the people I know who do CrossFit are in excellent shape and talk about how much they loooovvvveee CrossFit. I have also met a fair number of people who have gotten injured doing CrossFit, and that is part of what makes me wary.  I've also have gotten the impression that CrossFit gyms can be a little competitive, and as I think I've said before, competitiveness in gyms is something that isn't really a good fit for me. But recently a customer at the Co-op who I really like told me that the downtown CrossFit gym has a beginner program where you learn to do the exercises with other folks who have never done CrossFit before. He claims it's low-pressure, fun, and fairly affordable. I figure it's at least worth checking out and might be a way to keep myself motivated and interested in working out.

Cranberry Crunch

During November, we always have lots of fresh cranberries available in the produce department, which means it's time to make Cranberry Crunch! I love to make this cobbler; it's simple and quick to put together and has less sugar and fat than most cobbler recipes (although I will say it is even more delicious with some vanilla ice cream). The recipe comes from the American Wholefoods Cuisine Cookbook. The cranberries retain their delightful tartness and have an awesome cherry-like texture when cooked as the recipe instructs. I also sliced up a small apple and a fuyu persimmon that had seen better days and added them to the original recipe. Cobbler is the perfect vehicle for using up fruit that is past its prime, so if you ever have apples, plums, etc that need to be used up, throw them into a cobbler with more expensive fruit like berries- they'll blend right in and often add some nice textural contrast too.

Cranberry Crunch
adapted from American Wholefoods Cuisine
2 cups fresh cranberries (frozen cranberries that have been thawed will also work)
1 small apple, cut into small pieces (optional)
1 fuyu persimmon, cut into small pieces (optional)
1/3 cup honey plus 2 tablespoons
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbs oil
1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs molasses
Preheat oven to 350F
Combine berries and 1/3 cup honey in a small pot and boil gently until berries pop, about 5 minutes. Pour into a 8 or 9 inch glass baking dish (don't use a metal baking dish, it will make the berries taste metallic).  If you are using the apple and/or the persimmon, stir these in with the cranberries.
In separate bowl, combine oats, flour, and cinnamon, and cut in oil and butter with a pastry blender or wire whisk to an even consistency. Scatter on top of berries. Mix remaining 2 tablespoons of honey with molasses and drizzle evenly over topping.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden on top. Serve warm or room temperature.

Totally Delicious Kale Chips

Although I adore kale, most of the time when I've had or made kale chips I've thought they were ok, but I've never been overly impressed. Never that is until my co-worker Chie shared some kale chips she'd made. They were totally delicious, and when I ate them I suddenly understood why  people have extreme love for kale chips . I asked her what kind of seasonings they had, and the things I remember her telling me are: soaked cashews, lemon juice, garlic, apple cider vinegar, and nutritional yeast. I decided to try making some at home, and while they aren't as good as Chie's (she is a quite elevated and  amazing snack maker!) they are really good. I made a batch last week and another today. This time I forgot to buy cashews, so I substituted tahini, which was a little easier and tasted great, so this is how I'll probably make them from now on.
Garlic Dill Kale Chips
1 large bunch of green curly kale, washed, dried in a salad spinner, and torn into small pieces
1/3 cup tahini
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbs apple cider vinegar
2 tbs tamari
2tbs nutritional yeast
2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dill
Preheat oven to 350F. Whisk together all ingredients besides kale in the largest bowl you have. Add torn up kale pieces, and toss to coat, using hands to massage the mixture into the kale. Lightly oil a large cookie sheet and spread the dressed kale into a single layer (use more than 1 cookie sheet if needed). Bake in the oven for approximately 45 minutes, turning the kale over every 10-15 minutes to prevent it from burning and help it cook evenly. You'll be amazed at how quickly you can eat a whole bunch of kale!

My New (and Hopefully Temporary) Companions

This week I'm feeling a little down about my health and fitness. I have been having discomfort and tightness in my neck and back for about a month, and this week it reached a point where it has become almost intolerable. I haven't been able to meet my goals around working out or doing yoga because much of the time I am in too much pain, and it's really frustrating.
 I can remember the moment when my neck seized up; it was  after an especially stressful meeting at work, and I felt all of my anxiety and stress settling into the muscles in my back and neck. I felt stiff and terrible, but I assumed it would be a short-lived problem. Unfortunately, when I woke up the next day it was worse. Since then it has fluctuated between mildly uncomfortable and very painful. I have gotten some relief from massage, which was awesome, but after a few days it tightens up again. Right now I am trying a combination of hot packs, home massage with arnica oil,  extra sleep, stretching, tylenol/ibuprofen, and lots of water. Since none of this seems to be doing the trick, tomorrow I'm going on my first ever visit to a chiropractor (Eek! I'm scared!).  If that doesn't work, I'm going to visit my doctor and see what she recommends. So my very sad goal for this week ( goal #46) is to figure out what in the heck is wrong with my neck get it resolved ASAP.

Dreamy Orange-Sesame Cabbage Salad

Yesterday I made a cabbage salad that I liked so much that I spent today looking forward to eating it again! Luckily this recipe made a lot, so I have plenty to have for a few subsequent meals. This salad is light, fresh, and crunchy with a lovely citrus dressing that is creamy but not heavy. I changed it up a bit this evening by adding some shredded beets to the top, which was exquisite, but it's pretty great by itself too. Recipe is courtesy of mynewroots.com, I made a few changes to the original  recipe which I've incorporated below.

Dreamy Orange-Sesame Cabbage Salad

adapted from mynewroots.com

4 cups shredded cabbage (green,savoy, purple, or any combination of the three)

2 cups shredded purple lacinato kale


2 cups shredded or finely sliced carrots


2 green onions, finely sliced


1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley


shredded beets (optional)

½ cup sesame seeds

Tahini Cream Dressing with Orange
:

Makes 1 cup


2 Tbsp. olive oil


3 Tbsp. lemon juice



zest of 1 orange

juice of 1/2 an orange

1 Tbsp. liquid honey (or agave, maple syrup)


1/3 cup roasted tahini


couple pinches of salt

Directions:
 Combine cabbage, kale, carrots, green onions, and parsley in a large bowl.

Whisk dressing ingredients together and set aside. Note: The dressing will have a frosting-like consistency. Don't worry, you be adding water to it to thin it down. Toast sesame seeds in a dry skillet until they begin to pop. Remove from heat immediately. Add a bit of the dressing to a large bowl. Add a little water and whisk until it is thined to a consistency that you like. Put in desired amount of cabbage mixture and toss until well coated. Plate the dressed salad and top with shredded beets and toasted sesame seeds. Serve.

This recipe makes a huge quantity of salad. I recommend keeping the vegetable mixture and dressing separate until you are ready to use them.

Stuffed Winter Squash

Last night for dinner we had a dish that has become a fall standby- stuffed winter squash. I learned this dish from my friend Analisa, and I love it because it's a great way to quickly throw together a healthy and tasty meal out of ingredients that I usually have on hand.  If you have a grain dish already made, just add some nuts to it and stuff the squash with that. I stuffed my squash with the rice recipe I made earlier in the day- Rice with Lemon, Parsley, and Walnuts- but even if you don't have a grain dish made ahead of time, this comes together pretty quickly. The basic recipe goes like this:
Stuffed Winter Squash
1 winter squash, cut in half and seeds removed
1 cup cooked grain (brown rice, quinoa, etc.)
1/2 cup toasted nuts
oil
an assortment of finely chopped veggies (I like to use onion, garlic, grated carrot, celery, and finely chopped greens. I bet mushrooms and finely diced zucchini would also work well here)
salt and pepper
dried herbs (I like thyme, summer savory, or dill)
a bit of grated sharp cheese (like cheddar or swiss)
Preheat oven to 350F. Place squash cut side down on a cookie sheet. Add about 1/2 inch of water to cookie sheet. Bake squash in oven until it is soft enough to be pierced with a fork, adding water as necessary to keep the pan from drying out (the water allows the squash to steam). For reference, this delicata squash took about 20 minutes to cook. I made an acorn squash last week that took 40 minutes. Cooking time will vary greatly depending on the thickness and type of squash you are using.
While the squash bakes, prepare the stuffing. Saute the vegetables in the oil, starting with the onions and garlic. Add each vegetable and cook until soft, adding salt, pepper, and herbs to taste. Mix sauteed vegetables with cooked grain and toasted nuts, adjusting seasoning as desired. When winter squash is finished baking, flip it over and fill with the grain-vegetable mixture. Top with grated cheese and put back into the oven and heat until cheese is melted.

Doing What I Love Most

Today I spent much of the day cooking and prepping food for the week, and my oh my, it was fun! I felt productive and happy, and I got to listen to lots of great music too. One of the  things I love best about winter is staying inside and making lots of delicious and healthy food for the coming week. It feels great to open the refrigerator and have so many healthy options to choose from.


Today I made:
Cinnamon Breakfast Quinoa (I substituted apples for the berries)
Quinoa Banana Pecan Bread with Cranberries (I added zest of one lemon and a half cup of dried cranberries)
Rice with Lemon, Parsley, and Walnuts (I substituted a rice-quinoa blend and adjusted the amount of liquid and cooking time)
Washed lettuce for the week
Prepped carrots, celery, beets, daikon radish, cucumbers, and red peppers for salads and snacks
Baked a delicata squash that we'll have for dinner
And there's still time to go for a second walk of the day- yay!!- winter is a cook's best friend!

Do the Best You Can and Don't Worry

Recently when I was looking for a birthday card, I found a postcard that has a message that I think is a really important to keep around: "Do the best you can and don't worry".  I can think of few phrases that hold as much personal meaning for me as this one. It is a horrible habit of mine, and I suspect of many people, to dwell on the ways that I'm not successful or on things that might go wrong rather than focusing on what I have accomplished and all of the wonderful people and experiences I have in my life. The saddest part of this habit is that when I spend my time worrying about what might happen or focus on the ways I feel like I've failed, I don't get to fully enjoy or embrace the life I'm living right now. I put the post card on my refrigerator to look at when I start to feel anxious or when moments of self-doubt start to cloud my thoughts. I kind of wish I had a whole box of these postcards so I could give one to everyone I know, since it seems like many of us could use the reminder.

Fall Fruit Salad: Starring a Fuyu Persimmon

Photo from Sigona Farmer's Market

Even though summer is long gone, there are still days when I want fruit salad. With all of the spectacular fall fruit that's available right now, there's no reason not to make one, and today I did. The star of today's salad is the squatty and unassuming Fuyu persimmon.  We sell two types of persimmons at the Co-op- Fuyu and Hachiya. Fuyus are the ones I prefer; they are sweet and firm, with a unique flavor/texture profile that (to me anyway), tastes kind of like a cross between a pear, an apricot, and a mango. Fuyus are ripe when they are firm, so don't wait until they are soft to enjoy them. If you've never used one before, don't be shy... they're easy! Just cut the top off to remove the leaves, and then slice into little wedges. In this salad, I also added some pomegranate seeds which provided a nice textural contrast to the apples and pears. If you decide to be brave and try a persimmon, do make sure you pay attention to which type you're buying. Hachiya persimmons must be very soft (almost gelatinous) before you can eat them, otherwise you will end up with a horribly astringent flavor in your mouth. To eat a Hachiya, slice the top off and scoop out the gelatinous fruit with a spoon.The photo above shows the differences between Fuyus and Hachiyas.

Quinoa Banana Pecan Quick Bread

I'm teaching a quinoa cooking class this Sunday, and I wanted to try out a recipe I saw recently that sounded intriguing. The original calls for using sprouted quinoa, and being the slightly lazy cook that I am, I decided to try it with raw quinoa just to see if that shortcut would work out.  My verdict? It's tasty, but a little weird...
This bread is dense, sweet,and filling, with a flavor that reminds me of a nourishing bowl of sweetened oatmeal. Using the uncooked quinoa gives the bread a slightly crunchy and seedy texture. I think it would be really good topped with a little blackberry jam and/or some dried cranberries and lemon zest thrown into the batter, but it's also pretty good on its own. Overall, this is a really nice substitute for a less healthy pastry or dessert, but trust me, you will feel like a total hippy when you're eating it.

Quinoa Banana Pecan Quick Bread
 recipe by Brandi Evans

1½ cups whole-wheat pastry flour

1 cup quinoa (sprouted or not)

½ cup sprouted (or nonsprouted) oats

1½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ cup chopped pecans

2 ripe medium-sized bananas, mashed

1 cup buttermilk

¾ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons oil or melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Stir together the flour, quinoa, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pecans in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix the mashed bananas with the buttermilk, brown sugar, vanilla, and oil or butter.

Add banana mixture into the flour mixture, and fold together until the batter is just combined.

Pour batter into a greased 9 × 5 loaf pan (or use a 10inch springform cake pan like I did) and bake until the top is golden and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the loaf (mine took 35 minutes and probably should have stayed in for 5 more minutes). Cool for a few minutes for easier slicing.