Nourishing Adventures

Caprese Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 05:20:00 +0000

I couldn't resist the beautiful colors of these organic heirloom tomatoes. I didn't have much luck growing them the last few years because the trees around my vegetable garden area have grown so big that I no longer as much sun in that area as I did when I first set up that area to grow veggies. Less sun makes less than ideal conditions for growing tomaotes, so I have to rely on buying these tomatoes from the farmer's market or at a shop.

When I brought these home I sliced up one of the tomatoes, lightly sprinkled the slices with salt and enjoyed it immediately. So juicy and flavorful I could've eaten another one but I refrained because my intention was to make them the main course for dinner in the evening - which I did.

I prepared a Caprese salad using freshly picked basil from my garden, and fresh mozarella cheese, sliced. I like a semi-generous amount of EV olive oil and a little splash of fine balsamic vinegar and then sprinkled with fleur de sel and freshly ground pepper.

All of the flavors work so well in bringing out the flavors of the fresh tomatoes and it's so easy to prepare. I've got to hand it to the Italians for coming up with such simple yet flavorful dishes such as the Caprese salad.

I know I just did a post on a version of Caprese salad (the bite size appetizer) but I was excited about how beautiful the colors looked in the photos so I was compelled to document this.

Biscotti with Lemon Curd and Fresh Blueberries

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 05:55:00 +0000

Hubby and I went for a long hike up in the hills this morning so we were able to justify dessert. We had a sweet tooth (rather we have a sweet tooth - every day) but nothing interesting in the house.

There was some biscotti in the pantry but knowing they had been there for about a month I perceived them to be stale and tasteless, even though I knew biscotti has a decent shelf life.

I was just about to inform my husband that we had nothing in the house and suggest to him that we travel to our favorite pastry shop, Fleur de Cocoa in Los Gatos, CA (not far from our house). However, as soon as I thought about one of our favorite desserts at Fleur de Cocoa, the lemon & blueberry tart, I was inspired! I had fresh blueberries and some wonderful English lemon curd in the fridge... why not make my own version of that lemon & blueberry tart?

I spread the lemon curd on the biscotti, topped it with the fresh blueberries and voila! We suddenly had a tasty dessert to enjoy with our coffee without having to make the little trek to Los Gatos. Though it wasn't quite the same as Fleur de Cocoa's spectacular tart, I was happy to save the time and money today.

Zucchini flowers (or squash blossoms) stuffed with pesto ricotta

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 06:30:00 +0000

Zucchini flowers, squash blossoms, fiori de zucca... however you prefer to call them is OK by me.

While vacationing in Italy in May 2008 I ate some deliciously prepared "fiori de zucca" at Cafe Perugia restaurant (in the city of Perugia) - stuffed with ricotta cheese and lightly fried in a panko crust.

The distinguished looking gentleman sitting at the table next to me said it was pumpkin flowers, not zucchini flowers - perhaps he thought "pumpkin" was the word for squash and I was thinking that "zucca" was the word for pumpkin. Confusing, I know! Whatever, it doesn't matter. Between his imperfect English and my limited Italian I was not quite understanding because I saw these edible flowers at the tips of zucchini at the Venice market just the week before (the photo here proves it) - which is why thought I was eating zucchini flowers.

Anyway... I learned that many different types of squash flowers can be eaten - raw or cooked - and they all look pretty similarly.

When I saw the squash flowers at the Willow Glen San Jose farmer's market and it brought me back to that wonderful dinner we had in Perugia so I bought a bag and made it my project for that evening.

The flowers are delicate and because they were stuffed inside a plastic bag on a hot day the flowers didn't actually look that great.

I don't think they were too old because there were 2 live bees inside the bag. I let them go in my garden hoping they will pollinate the vegetable flowers.

Next I removed the stamens from the inside of the flower. This was a bit time consuming because I had to be careful not to tear the flowers. Luckily I had some long, narrow and pointy shears that allowed me to easily get to the base of the stamens. Then I carefully washed them and let them dry.

While the flowers were drying I mixed some pre-made pesto into some ricotta cheese. I happened to have both ingredients in my fridge so it was quick and easy, and good. How can you go wrong with pesto?

I used a small spoon to stuff the flowers which made it easier and faster to prepare without tearing the flowers.

Beat 1 egg in a small bowl. Also place some panko crumbs in a separate bowl.

Dip the stuffed flower in the egg and then in the panko crumbs.

Pour a little olive oil in the pan and heat to medium high. Not too much oil because we're not deep frying, just lightly frying.

Cook for about 45-60 seconds on each side. You may need to add more oil along the way if you're cooking many pieces, but remember to let the oil heat up first so you get that nice brown color.

I don't usually serve my first attempt at making something to guests, but I happen to have nice friends coming (including an Italian friend) and they unanimously highly approved. I will definitely try this again!

Easy appetizer: Bite size Caprese salad

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 12:50:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago my friend Suely hosted a fun brunch with lots of delicious and healthy food.

One of the favorites (by me and others) was this tasty bite size Caprese Salad. I sometimes struggle to find good appetizer recipes that are easy to make, healthy and light, and complement the rest of my meal, so I was happy to come across this. Not only does it fit those criteria but it's also very pretty and looks great on the table.

It's so easy it doesn't even need a recipe but in case you're not seeing the image well, it's basically these three items cut small enough to fit on the toothpick.

1 cherry tomato (sliced in half)
1 small cube of mozarella cheese
1 small piece of fresh basil leaf

No dressing, no salt (and therefore no mess when eating it)... just the fresh taste of the 3 ingredients of the classic Italian salad known as Caprese. It's a keeper and I think I'll be bringing this dish to the upcoming parties I'll be going to later this month.

Just to make sure you drool some more, I thought I'd share a few more pictures of the other appetizers she served. :-)

Asparagus spears blanched and wrapped in puff pastry before baking. Made by my friend's 12-year old daughter. Such a fun presentation.

Portuguese cheese bread - she made a Brazilian recipe. My first time tasting this and it was delicious! It had a slightly chewy consistency and the inside had lots of air pockets so it wasn't heavy.

Blueberry scones. Another one of my favorites on the table because it was it was only very lightly sweetened so it didn't compete with the natural sweetness of the fresh blueberries. I need to get the recipe!

Happy Independence Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 21:11:00 +0000

Photo by pyrexboy78 of Flickr.

Happy birthday to the USA!

Isn't it strange how people usually say "Happy 4th of July" these days? The name of the holiday has become the name of a date - the 4th of July.

Like Memorial Day it's a day for barbeques at the park or the beach and perhaps some parades, or a weekend getaway or a vacation far away. All of which is wonderful but it seems like over the years we've been putting the meaning of the holidays as a backburner to the fun activities. Other holidays like Christmas and Valentine's Day have become more about gift-giving.

Perhaps if we go back to saying "Happy Independence Day", like people did when I was a kid, we would reinforce the meaning of the day, more so than by just saying "Happy 4th of July". By saying the word INDEPENDENCE we reinforce the fact that we're celebrating the independence of our country, the birth of our great nation.

Happy Independence Day!!!

Squirrels attacking my plum tree!

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:51:00 +0000

This morning I found 29 unripe and partially eaten plums on the ground below the tree. Yesterday morning it was 27. All of them taken down by squirrels who decide they want to eat a few bites and then move on to the next one. Grrr!

At this rate only a few plums will have the chance of surviving to full ripeness and be enjoyed by me (and friends and neighbors).

I've had squirrels demolish my apricot tree (I got ZERO apricots this year) but this is the first in about 10 years, since my Santa Rosa plum tree has bore fruit, that the squirrels have eaten the plums. I just thought previously that they didn't like the sour skins.

I did a quick search on "natural squirrel repellents" and couldn't really find anything that would help protect a tree. Grrr! If you have any ideas please let me know.

If I don't find a solution I will not be able to make the plum-blueberry crisp served with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream that I like to make every summer. Nor will I be able to enjoy sliced plums in my Greek yogurt with walnuts. And what about my friend Christie? She's a plum addict and I usually give her half my harvest. Maybe she'll be motivated to help me find a solution.

I did get to enjoy one ripe plum so far - a nice big juicy one. I'd really love to have more of those but I'm not feeling optimistic. I think the squirrels are going to ravage the tree before I get a chance to find a solution.

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:58:00 +0000

Lately I've been hearing and reading about how good the bread recipes are from the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois.

I'm not sure if I'll ever get into the habit of baking my own bread so I borrowed the book from my local library rather than spend money on yet another cookbook that just sits on the shelves.

I've never had any interest in baking my own bread because I didn't think I'd have the patience. Five minutes seems reasonable to me and reading this book has inspired me to finally try it.

In quickly reading through the recipes I noticed that they look straightforward and manageable so I am excited to try one soon. Page 5 is what really encouraged me because it lists what we DON'T have to do - steps from traditional bread baking that they omitted.

1. Mix a new batch of dough every time we want to make bread

2. Proof yeast

3. Knead dough

4. Cover formed loaves

5. Rest and rise the loaves in a draft-free location

6. Fuss over doubling or tripling the dough volume

7. Punch down and re-rise

8. Poke rising loaves to be sure they've "proofed" by leaving indentations

Huh? So glad that those steps are "don't". I don't even know what most of those steps mean - they sound complicated which is exactly what has prevented me from attempting bread baking. I'll report back as soon as I've tried a recipe or two. If you've tried any of these recipes, please share your experience or recommendations.

The secret to the "five minutes" is to make a big batch of dough and refrigerate it so you can bake a fresh batch daily. It is a great idea for the winter when I don't mind turning on my oven. The recipes really do look much easier than the normal bread making process and the reviews of the book are very positive.

By the way, when I was searching Amazon I noticed that the authors have another book called Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients - I like the "healthy" part of the title and it got great reviews. If I have good luck with the recipes from the first book, I'll most likely end up buying the "healthy" book.

Cucumbers with cherries?

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 06:54:00 +0000

I just received the July issue of Food and Wine magazine which features their annual list of Best New Chefs. Congratulations to all ten of them!

I read the recipes provided by each of the Chefs and one stood out... the Cucumber-Cherry Salad by Mike Sheerin (Blackbird restaurant, Chicago).

I'm not a picky eater (as long as it's fairly healthy) and I'm pretty adventurous in trying new foods and trying unique combinations of ingredients. However, this particular combination of cucumbers and cherries was not one that was intuitive for me, nor was it too appealing, but it did intrigue me. Once I noticed that it's meant to be pared with his Twice-Glazed Asian Barbecued Chicken I'll admit it did sound a lot better. Perhaps it's because I don't prefer to have fruit in my salads, but it also seems that the deep strong flavor of the cherry would overwhelm the lightness of the cucumber. But I guess the guy didn't become a Best Chef if he didn't know what he was talking about it.

I haven't had a chance to try the recipe but I will have to try it soon while cherries are still available and at their peak season. I like how easy the recipe is - the most work is pitting the cherries.

Because the new issue is hot off the press, I wanted to make sure you check out the Best New Chefs - they all look like they're well-deserving of the honor. Being in California, I'm especially excited about James Syhabout (I've eaten at 2 restaurants where worked, Betelnut and Manresa) and Roy Choi (of the famous Kogi taco trucks in LA). My only disappointment is that only one woman made it to the group of ten, but that's a topic for another blog post.

Cucumber-Cherry Salad
TOTAL TIME: 15 MIN SERVINGS: 4

2 cucumbers (1 1/4 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound sweet cherries, pitted and halved
1/2 cup cilantro leaves

Directions
1.In a medium bowl, toss the diced cucumbers with the white wine vinegar and olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
2. Add the halved cherries and cilantro leaves, toss lightly and serve.

Make Ahead
The salad can be refrigerated for up to 4 hours.

Images in this blog post downloaded from foodandwine.com.

Coffee tidbits

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 01:52:00 +0000

While enjoying my afternoon coffee I read a local magazine called Eucalyptus which had some interesting tidbits about coffee that I thought would be fun to share. Did you know...

"North Americans use 130 billion disposable coffee cups per yr. Makting those cups destroys 50 million trees and uses 33 billions gallons of water. Adding to the problem, one person insulating his/her cup w/ one disposable coffee slever per day creates 5.5 pounds of garbage per year, not incl the cup. Shun the paper cup AND the sleeve. Bring your own reusable mug to your fav coffee house."

"Coffee is a tropical export that is produced almost exclusively the developing world, but consumed mostly in wealthier nations. One out of ever five cups of coffee worldwide is sipped in the U.S. On average, U.S. coffee drinkers consume 3.5 cups a day per person. To get your fix and wtill be earth-friendly, insist that your cup o' joe is shade-grown (good for wildlife), organic (no pesticides), and fair trade (assures a fair price to the farmer)." by Steve Scheifer
"Coffee grows on approximately 10% of the earth's surface. The amount of coffee traded internationally is 2nd only to the amount of crude oil. Brazil exports the most."

SHADE GROWN "The tree canopy under which shade coffee is grown provides a fefuge for birds that have lost habitat due to raiinforest destruction. As many as 150 speices of birds are found on shade coffee farms. In full-sun coffee plantations, the species count is reduced by half."

"The largest reltailer of coffee by the cup is Dunkin' Donuts- over 1 billion cups per year it its 6000 locations in 30 countries."

"Kopi Luwak: Coffee beans that re gathered from the droppings of a small tree-dwelling cat called the palm civet. The cat eats the ripest coffee berries which pass through its digestive tract, undergoing chemical changes. Kopi Luwak sells for about $200 per pound."

I really enjoy reading Eucalyptus every month - I look for it at my gym. If you want to check out the digital version of the magazine you can find it at http://www.eucalyptusmagazine.com/Eucalyptus-Magazine/.

Peachy attitude at the Farmer's Market

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 19:48:00 +0000

What's there not to love about this time of the year? Warmer weather, longer days and the Farmer's Markets start to fill up with more and more of the season's best produce.

Every Sunday morning I do a yoga class at my gym (well, almost every Sunday). Just outside my gym there happens to be a little Farmer's Market (Santana Row, San Jose).

I noticed a new vendor recently selling nice looking desserts but with a sour-faced lady sitting behind the table and staring into the space. She wasn't engaging anyone and she looked so unfriendly so I wasn't inclined to stop at her booth. But that didn't stop my dessert-loving husband who decided to ask her what her goodies were. Her answers were short and factual. No details about the ingredients or how it's made, no opinion about how it tasted, no smile - she acted like she was bothered to have to answer his questions. So I didn't even bother to ask her why the Tiramisu was not being kept cold on that 85-degree day.

I was planning to write about the wonderful fruits and vegetables I tasted at the market but the marketing professional in me compelled me to tell you about this woman's poor attitude. I was astonished that she had no interest in trying to sell her products at all. Why the heck was she there?

The interaction with her was so negative that despite how lovely the desserts looked I could not justify giving her my money. I preferred to give it to someone else who had a better work ethic and was going to give me a pleasant experience. I even returned to her booth the following two Sundays after the first encounter to give her the benefit of the doubt (perhaps she had an emotional trauma that first day), but she was exactly the same. And each time I observed to see if customers were going to her booth - they were not. They must have felt the same negative vibe.

Maybe it's the marketer in me that was sensitive to her unfriendliness (or cluelessness). But if I'm going to spend my money (especially on something I don't absolutely need), the interaction should be a positive experience. She wasn't the only one selling desserts there.

Bottom line... a peachy attitude can go a long way. No matter what you're selling, whether it's computer software or cakes, it's important to provide good customer service, which starts with a good attitude and making the customer feel important. I bet replacing her with an enthusiastic seller who is well-versed about the products would triple or quadruple sales.

Nasturtium Risotto - David Kinch on The Martha Stewart Show

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Tue, 25 May 2010 00:36:00 +0000

Good thing I remembered to record Martha Stewart's show today because my fave chef was her guest, David Kinch of Manresa restaurant in Los Gatos, also winner of the James Beard Foundation award for Best Chefs in America - Pacific (congratulations).

Cynthia Sandberg of Love Apple Farm (where Chef Kinch gets all of his fruits, vegetables and herbs) was also there to educate about biodynamic farming.

On the show Chef Kinch showed Martha how to cook a NASTURTIUM RISOTTO - how cool is that? I've used the edible nasturtium flowers from my garden to beautify my summer salads, but I had no idea that the leaves can be delicious enough to eat. He used to leaves to make a "pesto" which was the finishing touch for the nasturtium risotto. It looked amazing and I can't wait to try it.

If you can find a repeat episode of today's The Martha Stewart Show (click to see a video preview), check it out. If you've got plenty of nasturtiums growing already, here's the recipe.

Ingredients

Serves 6

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 leek, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced, white and light-green parts only
1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
Coarse salt
3 cups Nasturtium Bouillon, heated
3/4 cup Nasturtium Butter
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Nasturtium Pesto, for garnish
Fresh chervil sprigs, for garnish
Nasturtium flowers, petals, or buds, for garnish

Directions

In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until grains are opaque, start to sizzle, and stick together, about 2 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring, until liquid is completely absorbed, about 30 seconds. Season with salt.
Reduce heat to low and add enough bouillon to cover rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until almost all the liquid has been absorbed. Add another 1/2 cup bouillon and continue cooking and stirring, until liquid has been absorbed. Continue cooking and adding bouillon, 1/2 cup at a time, until rice is al dente, about 20 minutes.
Stir in butter and remove from heat. Fold in cheese and season with salt. Serve garnished with nasturtium pesto, chervil, and flowers.

Photo and Recipe from the web site of The Martha Stewart Show, May 2010

Chocolate and zucchini cake

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Tue, 11 May 2010 13:28:00 +0000

The organic zucchini I purchased the other day stared at me every time I opened the fridge. My intention was to grill it with some fish but because of the cold and rainy weather, I was craving something that would comfort me... like one of my favorite chocolate cake recipes. Yeah!

As you can imagine, zucchini doesn't really have that much flavor (unless it's enhanced with salt, olive oil & perhaps a little garlic), so in a way, the zucchini in this cake recipe only serves to add a little texture and moist carb (in lieu of more flour). Plus it's healthier - it has greens/vitamins and fiber. The chocolate (and coffee in the recipe) pretty much overwhelms the true zucchini flavor. So what's the point? It makes feel like I'm eating a healthier cake... that's enough to justify baking it. Yeah!

I've baked this cake many times before and I've modified the recipe to make it a little more "healthy", but the original recipe is based on this recipe by one of my favorite food bloggers, Clotilde Desoulier.

The modifications I've made are:
- I use all whole wheat flour
- I add 1 cup more zucchini than the recipe calls for to make it more moist (compensate for the dry whole wheat flour)
- I decrease the sugar by almost half
- I use 60% chocolate chips (Ghirardelli)
- I add raw walnuts

In this last batch:
- I substituted half of the butter for greek yogurt (+ 1 TB)
- I added 2 TBS brewed espresso (+ the instant coffee granules) for a little more flavor intensity

I appreciate that the recipe allows me to use up zucchini when I have a big harvest in the garden. Also that it's easy and doesn't have too many ingredients.

The only thing I wonder is how many slices of cake equals one serving of vegetables? :-)

Top 10 FEEL-GOOD foods - Sunset.com

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Thu, 06 May 2010 04:42:00 +0000

I just found an article that I had saved from the January issue of Sunset magazine - the top 10 feel-good foods are:

1. Fresh sardines
2. Blue corn
3. Artisanal tofu
4. Hazelnut butter
5. Chioggia beets
6. American kiwi
7. Sea vegetables
8. Quinoa
9. Bison
10. Scarlet runner beans

Luckily the article and the beautiful photos can also be found online so you can get the full story here: Top 10 healthy foods on Sunset.com

Photo by Thomas J. Story, written by Stephanie Dean and Margo True

It's peak artichoke season!

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 20:39:00 +0000

How lucky I am to live just 50 miles away from the artichoke capital of Castroville, CA. It means a steady supply of fresh artichokes is never far away. It was fun to introduce steamed artichokes to my visitors from northern Finland (where there is still snow on the ground) because they had never eaten fresh artichokes before.

They enjoyed learning how to eat it where you peel off each leaf and dip the meaty part in the herb-garlic-butter-olive oil dip that I made. Then removing the hairy part above the heart warning them that it might get stuck in their throats. My husband informed them that it was worth carefully removing the "hairs" because the "prize" was underneath... the coveted heart of the artichoke. He then demonstrated how cutting it in quarters and then soaking it for a few seconds in the dip was the best way to eat it.

Dip - butter & olive oil with fresh herbs
The herbs were cut fresh from my garden just minutes before preparing it. I grabbed some thyme, sage, marjoram, oregano, burnett and a little bit of rosemary (not too much because it can easily overpower the other herbs). I let my friend finely chop the herbs so she can enjoy the pleasure of smelling the freshly cut herbs, while I chopped a clove of garlic.

I cooked the herbs and garlic in the butter, added salt and removed some of the butter foam. I let it cool a bit before stirring in some extra virgin olive oil so as not to cook away the nice flavor of the EVOO.

I know what you're thinking... not everyone has a garden full of fresh herbs. But you can easily use dried herbs or even just 1 or 2 different fresh herbs from your garden, your neighbor's garden or from your local supermarket. Many perennial herbs are super easy to grow and come back every year (or evergreen in California) so if you have access to any dirt, consider growing some herbs.

Alice Waters honored by the French Legion d'Honneur

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 15:52:00 +0000

The article in this week's food section of my local newspaper focused on how Alice Waters continues to have high standards for her Chez Panisse restaurant - I really admire her standard of excellence.

There are so many approaches to and philosophies about food and cooking. Watch the Food Network and you'll see a wide variety of programs targeted to many different audiences. For me food is about many things, but mainly about nourishment and flavor - the best quality ingredients I can find, easy to prepare, tastes good and healthy for me, my family and the planet.

It's why Alice Waters is my food idol - she has influenced my approach to food more than any other food celebrity or chef out there. It's sometimes hard for me to succinctly articulate exactly why her approach agrees with me. There are many reasons and one of them is a point she makes in the article and she says it best herself...

"It's a moral issue for me," she said. "Everyone on this planet deserves to eat food that's really nourishing and produced in a way that is fair to the people who produce it. We have to get over the idea that food should be cheap. The people who take care of our farms are treasures. And in terms of the damage to our health, our culture and our planet, that extra cost is nothing."

I understand that low income families can't justify buying broccoli for the same price as 4 fast food hamburgers, but there is something wrong with our food system that it has come to this. That's another argument for another day (put the Food Inc. movie in your Netflix queue).

In the process of cultivating food (that nature helps to create) in manner of high integrity, we get food that tastes good, is healthy for us and healthy for our bodies. I'm grateful that she has passionately dedicated her life to changing the way America eats, she an many others who are dedicated to the same cause.

Congratulations to Alice Waters for being awarded the coveted French honor last week.

Eating in Berkeley, CA

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:04:00 +0000

Yesterday we decided to take a mini road trip up to the Oakland-Berkeley area (about an hour north of where we live). We started the mid morning by taking a yoga class with our favorite instructor, Sean Michael Hall, at Namaste Yoga located in the quaint Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland.

We built up quite an appetite after that so after a brief stop at the Hudson Bay Cafe where I quenched my thirst with coconut water, and my husband with the best cappuccino he said he'd had in a very long time, we headed a few miles up the road to Berkeley to lunch at La Note.

We lucked out on having nice weather so La Note opened their lovely patio for outdoor seating, but after a 45 minute wait, we gave up and settled with a nice window seat.

I ordered the Salade Niçoise with grilled tuna which was very satisfying - I especially loved the dijon vinaigrette. Usually dressings are more of a background flavor but in this case, it definitely was one of the stars of the dish.

My main complaint is that there was a bit too much of the red beets, 1/2 the amount would have been great. Also the deep bowl made it difficult to eat out of. It made it difficult to cut the large pieces of lettuce underneath and I didn't like having to search for the olives in the deep bowl.

The restaurant ran out of bread so they warned us as we were eating the bread (prior to the meals arriving) that there would be no more coming and if we wanted to have bread with our meal that we should hold off. It was strange timing to tell us as we were just finishing the bread.

While we probably would not have ordered more of the delicious bread, I don't think it's right for a restaurant to run out of bread. There are many bakeries nearby and if I were the restaurant manager, I would have run out to get a few fresh loaves.

Anyway, Hubby ordered the Ratatouille avec Merguez - their traditional southern France vegetable stew, served with Merguez sausage (lamb). He was very satisfied with his meal and had no complaints.
I had to taste the Merguez sausage because I'd never had it before and it was quite tasty.

We were too full to order dessert right after our meal so we took a nice walk around Berkeley - up Shattuck and then down the beautiful Walnut Street which was like walking through a botanical garden in early spring, and then along the streets bordering the edge of UC Berkeley campus. Along the way we found a bakery (don't remember the name) where we came across some fresh looking cupcakes.

We ordered the Green Tea Matcha and Bunny Love (carrot) cupcakes to go and found another quaint coffee shop near the university where we sat by the window and enjoyed our tasty desserts.

All in all it was a lovely spring day - we've had a very wet winter so it was nice to get a break - full of sunshine, colorful flowers in bloom and good food.

Golden California - mustard in bloom

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 04:38:00 +0000

Yellow mustard bloom in Napa, California
Originally uploaded by canbalci

This time of the year in California is really stunning - when the mustard flowers are in full bloom.

I've lived in the San Francisco Bay Area most of my life so to me seeing the yellow flowers blanketing vineyards and orchards is the signal that Spring has arrived.

Every year I pull over on the side of the road of a beautiful mustard flower field and take a few photos. But my point-and-shoot camera can never capture the beauty that I see with my eyes. But luckily there are many talented photographers on Flickr.com who share their beautiful photos, including the one here by canbalci.

Half Moon pose in yoga class

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 06:58:00 +0000

In yoga class today we practiced Ardha Chandrasana, also known as Half Moon pose.

This is the one pose where I feel the imbalance of my body because I usually have trouble staying in this pose on one side of my body only.

But today was a great day for Ardha Chandrasana because I moved into it with relative ease (though I'm still improving on the grace) on BOTH SIDES! Perhaps my consistent practice (at least twice a week) is finally paying off. My lower back felt strong and my overall energy level was high throughout the entire 90-minute vinyasa class. The physical balance gave me a sense of balance in my mind which was part of why it was so rewarding.

Yoga Journal's web site provides more information about this pose, including the following:

The moon has a rich symbolic significance in yoga mythology. In hatha yoga, for example, the sun and the moon represent the two polar energies of the human body. In fact, the word hatha itself is often divided into its two constituent syllables, "ha" and "tha", which are then esoterically interpreted as signifying the solar and lunar energies respectively.

(are-dah chan-DRAHS-anna)
ardha = half
candra = glittering, shining, having the brilliancy or hue of light (said of the gods); usually translated as "moon"

Benefits
- Strengthens the abdomen, ankles, thighs, buttocks, and spine
- Stretches the groins, hamstrings and calves, shoulders, chest, and spine
- Improves coordination and sense of balance
- Helps relieve stress
- Improves digestion

Namaste.

P.S. No, the photo is not of me - I wish! I need a yoga block to aid me in this pose so that's how you can tell it's not me - she's not holding a block. Otherwise, everything else about her looks like me - NOT! I grabbed the photo from www.yogajournal.com.

Sustainable seafood - download this helplful guide

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:46:00 +0000

Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood WATCH

I know... it's tough to remember which fish are OK to eat but luckily the Monterey Bay Aquarium helps us by providing the Seafood WATCH guide which you can download from their web site.

Print out this small pocket guide and keep in your wallet so next time you're out shopping for seafood or ordering at a restaurant you'll have at your fingertips a guide to help you make the right decisions.

There are actually several different guides so you can choose the one most appropriate for your region and also a sushi guide. If you have an iPhone there is a free app you can download. Actually the guides are available at my husband's company's cafeteria - I grabbed a few and distributed them to my friends to help spread the awareness on how to consume seafood that helps protect are waters and environment.

To learn about the issues about our ocean and the wildlife the Seafood WATCH Ocean Issues page is a great place to start getting educated. Here's the overview from the web page:

There's a Limit to the Fish in the Sea

Ocean fish are wildlife—the last such creatures that we hunt on a large scale. And while the sheer size of the oceans is awesome, there are many signs that we have found their limits. Despite our best efforts, the global catch of wild fish leveled off over 20 years ago and 70 percent of the world's fisheries are being harvested at capacity or are in decline.

Yet there are fisheries being run in a sustainable way. We now need to improve the practices of the remaining fisheries and solve the most pressing issues, including overfishing, illegal and unregulated fishing, habitat damage, bycatch (accidentally catching unwanted species) and poor management.

Monterey Bay Aquarium has done a fabulous job on their Seafood WATCH web pages.There's a plethora of great information to educate us not just about sustainable seafood but also which are healthy for you as well.

Getting more greens into your diet

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 18:07:00 +0000

Collard greens leftovers
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

It's January, new year, so like many others, I'm much more conscious about my diet. About 5 years ago I did really well with a detox eating program for 28 days in January with the aid of a nutritionist, but I've never been able to do it on my own. It was a great experience and I learned a lot about what foods work well with my body type and also which foods are good for detoxifying.

I know that those extreme detoxification diets are not proven to help the body necessarily - and that's not the kind of program I did. The program didn't limit the amount of food that you can eat, as long as you didn't eat the foods that were on the banned list. For example foods that are known to be common allergens (like oranges, peanuts) and foods that don't digest easily, (like animal meat and dairy products). And ideally all the food eaten is raw, fresh and organic (free of pesticides and chemical fertilizers).

Trader Joe's Southern Greens Blend
Green vegetables are one of the best foods to help in detoxification and an easy shortcut is to buy a big bag of collard greens, such as Trader Joe's Southern Greens Blend and cook it for just 10 minutes. It's hard for me to eat a large amount of greens raw so I figure eating it cooked is better than not eating it at all. So salads for lunch and warm cooked greens for dinner is great, especially in the winter. When I look at this 1 pound bag it looks like it's enough for 10 servings but this is actually 4 servings. My husband and I each ate 1 serving the first dinner and finish it the next evening.

I'm kind of a lazy cook - I'm all about quick and easy. I want to eat healthy and high quality food, and I don't have much patience to follow recipes, especially if they are elaborate or have more than 5 ingredients. So I find simple ways to prepare high quality food at home. It's not organic (not ideal) but it's already washed and cut so it's a trade-off I consciously made.

Here's how I prepare it
- Mix some vegetable broth in about a 1/2 - 3/4 cup of hot water and pour it into a large pot. Bring it to a boil.

- Throw in the greens in, cover the pot.

- Once the liquid starts to boil, turn down the heat to medium

- Let the boiling broth and steam cook down the greens. Stir every few minutes so the vegetables cook evenly. Takes about 10 minutes.

- Remove from the heat and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil just before serving. EVOO is good for you so if you're not too worried about calories and need a little more flavor to get the greens down, then by all means, drizzle on as much as you need. Also a little bit of lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper is nice.

- You can add a little salt to taste, but remember that your vegetable broth has some sodium, so taste it first because it may be salty enough for you.

If you have a little more time and want to experiment with other flavors then try putting different seasonings in the broth.

TJ's Tomato & Basil Hummus

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:01:00 +0000

In last week's Picky Eater column in the Food section of the San Jose Mercury News the columnist, Jolene Thym, reviewed hummus.

Hummus is a staple in my house and my personal favorites are 2 from Trader Joe's: the plain organic and the tomato & basil hummus.

It's pretty easy to make but since my food processor broke last year, I haven't made it at home. I still have my "mini prep" food processor but I'm going to experiment with my blender to see if that works for larger batches.

I enjoyed reading her reviews about 3 different hummus makers and pretty much agree with her.

Jolene writes...
"Here's what you need to know about hummus, and what your options are, should you opt not to make it yourself. First off, know that all good, authentic hummus has a small dose of fat, because of the crucial addition of tahini, a sesame-seed paste. The other primary ingredients are, of course, garbanzo beans, garlic and lemon — all good, and all good for you"

"Hummus isn't just a dip. The ultra-healthy spread is a utility player in the kitchen. It's a great substitute for mayo on a sandwich, a perfect pizza-topper and delicious as a topping for microwaved potatoes. Add a dollop to a bowl of soup, or stir it in to add body and nutritional substance. And for those looking for a quick, light appetizer for a holiday party, serve hummus with crackers, vegetables, prawns or even sliced fruit. It's fast food for healthy eaters."

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 21:20:00 +0000

I hope your year is off to a good start!

Other than the extra weight I picked up during the holiday eat fests, I would say mine is off to a pretty good start. I cleaned cleaned my refrigerator which always makes me feel a little more organized. And organization is the key (for me anyway) to planning good and healthy meals. It's a psychological thing... a clean fridge, uncluttered, freed of old/expired condiments, jams, etc. feels like a fresh start.

Do you have any resolutions for 2010?
I don't usually make resolutions, or at least I haven't in the last few years because they're always the same... eat better, exercise more... it's just something I strive to do anyway regardless of whether there's a new year. So this year I decided to make some resolutions the change a few habits and the main one being...

Brush my teeth and wash my face by 9pm (or whenever I get home if it's later than that).
I'm hoping this will prevent me from eating past 9. Eating late at night is a recipe for weight gain. Sometimes I don't get home from the gym until after 9 so I will have to plan to eat dinner at the appropriate time. I sometimes have leftovers from lunch and it at my desk at work around 5pm or so if I have to work late.

Really this resolution is about planning my eating so I can take in the adequate amount of energy at the right time to support my activities throughout the day, especially from 3pm on. It can get so busy and if I haven't planned my meals accordingly, a late day at the office can throw off everything. Not having an appropriate snack or meal can either lead me to eat something unhealthy or cause me to be so famished that I have to skip my workout. That whole cycle is stressful and drains a lot of energy from my body.

And if I wash my face earlier, I won't tend to dilly-dally and stay up late doing non-important things. I'm hoping it'll help me to go to bed earlier so I can get more sleep and awaken more energized the next day.

Another resolution is about my biggest weakness... my sweet tooth.

No sugar after 9pm.
Yes... I am a chocoholic and I need help. I'm hoping that by writing it down and posting it to the public that I will not consume any chocolate this year after 9pm. It's calorie dense - sugar and fat - exactly what I don't need late at night while my body is trying to wind down. I'm sure the caffeine content in the dark chocolate I eat must also negatively affect the quality of my sleep. Luckily I can bypass other sweets pretty easily - I'm not a fan of sugary candies that don't have any chocolate, so they don't pose a threat. Actually, they don't even make it to my house unless it's a gift. But I think I'll allow myself a small piece of not-to-sweet fruit if I feel I need a little extra something, as long as it's not chocolate or any kind of dessert (ice cream, cookies, cake).

What are your resolutions for 2010?

Chocolate Toffee

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:59:00 +0000

Chocolate Toffee
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

One more holiday treat to share... my friend Robin made her family's recipe for chocolate toffee. I hadn't eaten this kind of toffee in a long time so I didn't even know that it could be so good.

I always thought toffee was kind of hard and chewy and stuck to your teeth, but this was so fresh that it was not hard and sticky at all. I could taste the fresh butter and toasted almonds. It was quite addicting and I'm embarrassed to admit that I ate half of it in one day.

Because it's a secret recipe I cannot share it, but I was hoping to inspire someone to make or bake gifts rather than buy. Consumable gifts are practical and if they're made/baked by you, it's a lot more personal.

I was also delighted by the care and thoughtfulness of the way she wrapped her home baked gift. She included a couple of cookie cutters - the double heart for me and a guitar shaped one for my guitarist husband. How could I not photograph it and share it with everyone. Thank you Robin!

Holiday Baked Goodies

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 00:06:00 +0000

I got the most amazing and delicious assortment of baked goodies this holiday from my generous friends. Recipes for some of them can be found in the links.

Italian Biscotti and Amaretti - the Biscotti baked by my friend Michael's Italian mom, and the Amaretti by my friend Maria's Italian mom... so they are authentic. I was compelled to make myself an espresso (macchiato) before I sat down to enjoy these treats. Grazie mille signore!

Chocolate Chip Cookie - from my friend Theresa who is Baker Extraordinaire! I once hosted a holiday cookie exchange where we did a tasting and rating, and her cookies won first place out of 12 cookies. She's had this secret recipe for 20+ years and has brought the cookies to many parties over the years - one of my favorites.

Cranberry Bliss Bars - I'm not the number one fan of dried cranberries but in this recipe it works for me because it combines well with the cream cheese frosting. My friend Edith baked these and she says this is a Starbucks recipe.

Double Chocolate Cheesecake - also made by Theresa (Baker Extraordinaire) who got the recipe came from Epicurious. She says "I didn't do the ganache glaze and I used half bittersweet and half semi-sweet chocolate. I also crushed some heath bar candy and sprinkled it on the crust." This was my husband's favorite - he's a cheesecake-aholic.

Peanut Butter Blossoms - also baked by my friend Edith, these are a classic Hershey's recipe using the Kisses chocolate. Peanut butter in cookies is always a hit with me and combining it with chocolate is a winner.

Christmas Dinner Menu

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 06:50:00 +0000

I hope everyone has been enjoying the December festivities so far. It's been a pretty low key December for me which I am happy about - it's been nice to have less to do. I think the weak economy has cut party budgets so instead of big fancy parties I've been seeing friends for drinks or the movies. Gift exchanges were very minimal with friends and in my family we draw names so we only have to buy one adult gift (maximum $50 is the rule) - the children each get gifts, but nothing extravagant. I prefer a scaled down holidays because the focus is on the people and relationships rather than the stuff.

Food is one area where I like to put some effort in because for me it's enjoyable and is a key part of any celebration - the sharing of meals (breaking bread) bonds people together, and therefore promotes the relationship aspect of the holidays.

I hosted my family's Christmas lunch, but it was a smaller affair than Thanksgiving was. I didn't attempt anything fancy because we wanted to keep it simple and casual.

APPETIZERS
Lumpia (Filipino egg rolls made by my Mom)
- a favorite with everyone in the family, even the non-Filipinos so everyone is happy to have it again; one of several items repeated from our Thanksgiving menu.

MEAT/MAIN
Grilled ribeye steaks seasoned with just a little salt and pepper, then topped with course red Hawaiian sea salt when it came off the grill
Prawns, red bell pepper and potatoes "stew" (made by my Mom)

SIDES/SALAD
Salad of mixed baby greens, avocado, cucumber, feta cheese, toasted sliced almonds mixed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Brussels sprouts with bacon
Brown rice (my father likes to have rice with steak)
Roasted fingerling potatoes, sweet potatoes & carrots w/ garlic & garden herbs tossed in olive oil

DESSERT
Ginataan (a delicious Filipino dessert which my Dad made)
- a thick coconut milk base soup with tubers (taro, sweet potato), mochi balls, plantains and jackfruit
L.A. Burdick hazelnut chocolate orange cake (sent by my good friend from the east coast)
- a wonderful flourless cake with a thick coat of hazelnut chocolate

DRINKS
Red wine - Carmenere (brought by my sister)
Mineral water
Coffee/tea

Yes, another repeat from Thanksgiving, fingerling potatoes and sweet potatoes tossed in olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh herbs from my garden. It's so easy and everyone loves it, why not? I roast them in the pan for about 40 minutes at 375 degrees F.

The Brussels sprouts dish is one of my favorites. I didn't add the chestnuts (as I did for Thanksgiving) because I couldn't find the pre-roasted package from Trader Joe's. I remember buying the last box in November and I guess they didn't restock it.

Don't boil the Brussels sprouts... I see many recipes which require you to cook/boil them before cooking on the pan but it just gets overcooked. Just cut them up in quarters and sautee them in olive oil and the pre-cooked bacon. I also add about a quarter cup of water because the moisture helps to cook them faster. Once the Brussels sprouts start to brown, they are pretty much done. Just add a little sprinkle of salt and black pepper once it's all cooked, but remember that the bacon is salty so you don't need to add much salt at the end.

Hazelnut Chocolate Orange Cake from L.A. Burdick of N.H.

My very sweet friend who lives on the east coast came across this cake while reading about it in the New York Times article Guide to Mail-Order Foods several weeks ago. She knows my husband and I are chocoholics so this was truly a lovely and thoughtful gift, and everyone at the Christmas table thoroughly enjoyed it. The orange and hazelnut cake was generously frosted with gianduja - one of my favorite flavors which always makes me think of Italy. Thank you Dear! :-*