Creamy Pesto Millet with a Fried Egg

One day I hope to integrate food into elementary schools' curriculum and teach kids to love vegetables. There are organizations that are already doing this, and I like to think it’s only going to gain popularity. When I finally realize this dream, I will also teach these kids about the beauty of grains. For about $0.50 you can buy two servings of millet/quinoa/bulgur from Whole Food’s grain dispensers, and add in whatever your heart desires – and it’s so much healthier than pasta.

After a mental rundown of ingredients I had in the freezer, refrigerator and pantry, I decided on creamy pesto millet and topped it with a fried egg and herbed goat cheese. Anything topped with a runny egg looks good to me, and it jacks up the protein in a vegetarian dish.

Creamy Pesto Millet with a Fried Egg

1/2 cup millet
1/2-2/3 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons pesto
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
2 eggs, fried or poached
red pepper flakes

In a medium pot, add millet and 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce and cover for 20 minutes.

In a food processor, add spinach, yogurt, pesto, garlic, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Turn food processor on and stream in olive oil, then blend until smooth. While millet finishes cooking, fry the egg until white part is cooked and yolk is runny.

Combine millet, peas and yogurt mixture, and top with fried egg and goat cheese. Add red pepper flakes and more salt and pepper if desired.

The Book Club Dilemma

I’m all about eating healthy and proper - if not small – proportions. When I get around a group of girls and a spread of food, this typically goes out the window. It’s something I battle, and I don’t think I’m alone. When delicious looking cheese plates or dense brownies are sitting in front of me for hours on end, I lose willpower and almost unconsciously graze on the food. Knowing this ahead of time, I took some precautions against myself. First, I made an effort to practice ‘mindful eating’ where I consciously decided to fill my plate or not, and enjoyed the food I did eat. Second, I made a health mini-dinner beforehand so I wasn’t starving and could maintain some control.

What did I make? Did you even have to ask. A sweet potato. This version is one of my all time favorites: frozen spinach sautéed in garlic and olive oil, dumped onto a baked sweet potato and topped with herbed goat cheese. Simple and delicious.

Book club was not a let down in the food or discussion departments. There were two fabulous spreads (neither of which I contributed to because of excuses I’ll spare you from). The cheese, truffle honey, apple, pistachio, hummus, chip and carrot spread.

And these popular little pinwheels: crescent dough rolled out, spread with pesto, pine nuts and feta, rolled, sliced and baked. (Courtesy of Mama Hubbard, hostess extraordinaire)

Then the brownie with whip and berries, meringue cookie, and chocolate covered cherry spread. I also discovered my affinity to Smoking Loon wine.

I’m awfully depressed that this was my first and last book club with this new group, and one that I’m sure will be a huge success – especially with hot reads like Fifty Shades of Grey!

Servathon 2012: Volunteering at Anna Cooper House–SOME

This morning I volunteered at S.O.M.E.’s (So Others Might Eat) Anna Cooper House. A group of volunteers from HandsOn Greater DC Cares put together a “Healthy Lifestyles” event for the residents, which entailed making breakfast, setting up for a Zumba class and making lunch. While I loved the idea of serving a couple healthy meals to the residents, there were some debatably healthy menu items. For breakfast, I was in charge of making the smoothies and oatmeal. The oatmeal consisted of boxed individual maple and brown sugar packets, which turned out to be a huge hit with the diners. I was actually proposed to by one of the men. I can be kind of a purist, but I think we could have easily opted for old fashion oats in place of the sweetened instant version. And perhaps lost the almond coffee cake. Still, the spread was impressive: apple sauce, granola bars, chopped fruit, smoothies, oatmeal with fixings, coffee cake, and dry cereal.

For lunch, we made a batch of tuna salad, veggie burgers, simple salad with cucumbers, carrots and tomato, carrot sticks (cut out of the largest carrots I’ve ever seen), leftover fruit, etc. It was incredibly rewarding, albeit disturbing hearing some of the residents say this was the first time they’ve had fresh vegetables in a while. The residents were sweet and very thankful for us.

It made me really excited about my upcoming trip to Ghana this June. I’ll be spending the month volunteering at an orphanage and living in Edem’s house in Kpando. This is Edem:

So, there’s a very real chance that I’ll fall in love with one or more of the orphans and pull an Angelina. It’s definitely an interesting destination for the first time I leave the country, but I can’t freaking wait.

Foodie Stuff & Food in a Hurry

I am one of those (few) people that look forward to making a time consuming, involved recipe on a weeknight. Maybe it's because I get off at 4pm, maybe it's because I just like cooking. Naturally, I don't always have time for these kinds of meals, but sometimes it actually forces you to be more creative when you don't have time to go to the store and must use what's on-hand. This is when frozen vegetables come to the rescue.

Tonight I had to babysit at 6pm, so I made a "pizza" of sorts. Whole wheat and flax tortilla that I brushed with olive oil and minced garlic and baked for 5 minutes at 400. Then spread with thawed and dried frozen spinach, grated fontina cheese, feta cheese, red pepper flakes and dried basil, and popped it back in the oven to melt the cheese. It was a hybrid between pizza and chip.

In other food news, my life coach mom sent me a fantastic website, fittingly called Good Food Jobs, that lists THE COOLEST jobs related to food by region. Everything from Good Food Awards Organizer, to Sweet Foods Buyer for William Sonoma in San Francisco, to Sustainable Gardening Coordinator. There are some amazing jobs out there. 

On that note (ish), I have a philanthropic weekend planned, involving volunteering for Servathon 2012 at SOME (So Others Might Eat) setting up and running the Healthy Eating & Fitness Fair on Saturday morning. SOME has been feeding and clothing, providing medical care, and providing job training for the homeless and poor of DC for 40 years. I'm excited to actually participate in a community health promotion event. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Millet & Quinoa Stir-fry with Mango and Vegetables, Shrimp Spring Rolls & Dipping Sauce

Easter may not be my favorite holiday, but it doesn’t mean I don’t want a nice Sunday dinner. A few weeks ago, Quin bought soy sauce. Seemed like a good enough reason to make Asian. Or a healthy spin-off of Asian.

We discovered that spring roll skins are pretty nifty things. Can you even see it?

Mango Shrimp Spring Rolls

5 sheets round rice paper
lettuce (we used spinach)
carrots, julienned
1/2 champagne mango, julienned
bean sprouts
shrimp, cooked through and sliced lengthwise
mint, chopped
cilantro, chopped

Red Chili Dipping Sauce

1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon peanut oil
1/2 teaspoon chili sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
green onions

Soak the rice paper sheets in warm water for 15-20 seconds, then spread it out on a paper towel. Stuff with shrimp and vegetables and roll them up.

Millet & Quinoa Stir-fry with Mango & Vegetables

1/4 cup millet
1/4 cup red quinoa
1 tablespoon peanut oil (or olive oil)
2 eggs
1/4 cup carrot, julienned
1/4 cup peas
thawed frozen broccoli
1 champagne mango, diced
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon chili sauce
rice wine vinegar to taste
3 green onions, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, diced
bean sprouts
sugar snap peas, roughly diced
lime slices

In a pot, bring millet and 1 cup of water to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. In another pot, bring red quinoa and 1 cup water to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes, then let sit for 5 minutes.

In a large pan (ideally a wok), heat oil and add carrots and mushrooms, followed by peas and broccoli. Cook until tender, then crack eggs into pan and scramble with vegetables. Combine ground ginger and chili sauce with soy sauce in a small bowl. Finally, add in millet and quinoa into pan, toss together with soy sauce mixture and rice wine vinegar. Stir in mango, green onions, bean sprouts, cilantro, and sugar snap peas. Serve with sliced limes.

How to Eat After a Vacation

When I’m eating out for every meal, it is almost impossible to eat as healthy as I would at home. *For the record, I’m not complaining about my amazing CA meals* But once I get back, I make eating healthy a priority. I am kind of a Breakfast Diva in that I use so many ingredients for just a bowl of oatmeal.

Everyday Oatmeal

1 serving steel cut oats (from a big batch made at the beginning of the week)
2 teaspoons ground flaxseed
cinnamon and salt
1/2 cup frozen berries(TJ’s cherry and berry mix)
1/2 banana
scoop peanut butter
scoop Greek yogurt
shredded coconut

I had a cerebral workout at the library, studying for the GRE, which I oddly enjoy – except this particular morning. I missed the memo that it was “bring your baby to the library” day. Crying babies and quadratic equations have an inverse relationship. I knew meal number two had to involve some of my beloved canned fish (I’m so weird), so I made a salmon salad wrap with slices of fontina cheese with mango butter, and carrots with hummus.

Salmon Salad Wrap

1/2 can salmon
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Thai chili paste (or sriracha)
corn
capers
diced pickle
salt and pepper

arugula
lemon juice
wheat tortilla

Combine first 8 ingredients and mix well. Warm tortilla, spread with salmon mixture and top with arugula and lemon juice.
*Tomatoes would also go well in this

I had a super dorky, but productive and relaxing evening. I started going through my old Bon Appetit’s, Food & Wine and Everyday with Rachel Ray’s, and cut out the recipes I wanted to keep. This is a serious, time consuming activity that cannot be rushed. I’ve been rediscovering gems…

Look familiar? Sweet potatoes are a staple in my diet. Tonight had a little diced apple, cranberries and Greek yogurt with cinnamon and maple syrup.

With the sweet potato, I had an arugula salad with sardines, corn, hummus and goat cheese with fresh squeezed lemon juice on top.

Needless to say, it is far easier eating healthfully at home than at restaurants. I think my convictions get mollified by the “when in Rome” philosophy, and I order richer, less healthy meals at restaurants. It’s something I’m working on. In the meantime, I’ll restrict myself to the economical home cooked meal.

Goat Cheese, Apple & Caramelized Onion Quesadillas

Happy 23 and one day birthday to Quin! I was too busy schlepping across the country yesterday to celebrate with her on her actual birthday, so Kat and I made her dinner and popped some bubbly tonight instead. The menu: goat cheese, apple, fontina and caramelized onion quesadillas topped with lemony arugula salad, with zesty roasted asparagus (courtesy of Alton Brown). 

To drink: Prosecco (Quin's fav) and to finish: cupcakes Quin baked herself.

Goat Cheese, Apple & Caramelized Onion Quesadillas

3 large wheat and flaxseed tortillas
3 ounces goat cheese
1 granny smith apple, thinly sliced
3 ounces fontina cheese, grated
5 basil leaves, julienned
1 red onion, sliced thin
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt 

In a thick bottomed pan, heat olive oil until shimmering. Add in onions and cook over medium to low heat for 10 minutes. Add in a dash of salt and continue to cook for 25-30 minutes until brown and sweet. Set aside.

Spread half of each tortilla with goat cheese, apple slices, basil, onions and fontina. Set in a large pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, then fold tortilla in half and cook until desired brownness.

Zesty Roasted Asparagus

1 bunch asparagus, woody stems removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium lemon, zested
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
sprinkle nutmeg
freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Toss asparagus in olive oil and spread on sheet pan. Roast for 5 minutes, turn and roast another 5 minutes or until tips begin to brown. Sprinkle evenly with zest, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Spring Break in California: Marin County

I don’t know how I spent so much of my life in California without ever crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. On our last day, we made this our mission. But our first stop was the Ferry Building which is a huge, old structure they’ve turned into a foodie playground.

It’s chock-full of specialty food vendors, such as the famous Cowgirl Creamery and Blue Bottle Coffee. Once you step out of the building, you’re on the edge of the bay with a view of the Bay Bridge. It’s no surprise we saw a bride strolling around the building, snacking on samples with bridesmaids and photographer in tow.

We grabbed some espresso chocolate chip cookies for the road, then wove through the city to get to the Golden Gate.

The views were spectacular. Though I grew up as a SoCal hippy child, I think NorCal takes the cake for Best Place to Live. SF’s proximity to the snowy mountains, warm beaches, wine country, and farm country is hard to find anywhere else. A little gem tucked away in the hilly coast north of San Francisco is Sausalito.

This boutique town has one main drag that runs along the water, and right above it are layers upon layers of gorgeous homes with what I imagine are ridiculous views. I’m not sure who lives in these houses, but I’m going to make it a personal goal to befriend one of them and offer to house-sit.

We had lunch at a restaurant right on the water called Salito’s Crab House. I ordered the tomato and goat cheese salad with smoked salmon. I just love smoked salmon. I’d like some now, in fact. Alas, I’m 30,000 feet in the air, flying over Dayton, Ohio with trail mix as my only edible option.

For the rest of the day, I got to hike around Piedmont’s cute neighborhoods, and quickly worked up an appetite for dinner - not that that has ever been hard for me to accomplish. We went to Xyclo, an Asian fusion restaurant on Piedmont Ave. It appears to be a predictable hole-in-the-wall Asian restaurant, but the food blew me away. It started with the papaya jicama salad (check out the waffle-fry shape of the jicama!):

Then the decorative spring rolls with sweet and spicy dipping sauces:

The “birds nest” pasta dish with chicken, prawns and a ton of veggies:

And lastly, the crispy curry fish, which was literally jaw-droppingly tasty. We took a bite and looked at each other like, really?

Needless to say, I ate extremely well on this trip. Thank you mom! I’m not going to lie; I’m craving a big bowl of spinach right about now. But when in Rome, you eat as Julius Caesar does.