Fresh Tart

Man I love honey-crisp apples, still tasting mighty fine.  As much as I'm enjoying the frozen berries and cherries I mentioned yesterday, I still need something fresh to sink my teeth into, if for no other reason than to remind me that plants were once alive in Minnesota.  Sigh.  And honey-crisps are particularly Minnesotan, as the delicious variety (name says it all) was developed here by the University of Minnesota.  I really like the smaller version and grab them when I spot them, sometimes at Whole Foods, sometimes at Byerly's.  They're quite tasty sliced with a smear of almond butter, or grated into oatmeal or pancakes, or with a slice of sharp cheddar, or of course just out of hand.  Sasha is an apple-dipped-in-chocolate afficionado and who could disagree with that?  Chocolate!  Nathan likes them with peanut butter, or dipped in caramel sauce.  So good.

There are locally grown mushrooms at the market as well.  I'm a big, BIG mushroom lover and as such, like the cheese, I stand alone.  At least in my family.  But that's OK, I'm also the cook, so I saute a pan of mushrooms on the side (little olive oil and minced garlic, sprinkle of salt, finish with a squeeze of lemon) and add them to all the other things I make for dinner.  In fact, they're a delicious stand-in for meat, so if I make burgers, for instance, I'll make myself a small (2 oz.) burger and load it up with mushrooms.  My goodness, so delicious.  Ditto steak and chicken - a nicely sauteed chicken breast, topped with mushrooms and a bit of pan juices?  In my book, hard to beat.  I use them to fill out pasta dishes too, often sauteed with other vegetables - everyone else has a plate of spaghetti, I have a small portion of spaghetti filled out with lots and lots of vegetables.  The way it's supposed to be.  (My hope is that the kids will someday follow suit.  That whole "if you cook vegetables in flavorful ways, and offer them repeatedly to your children, they'll soon be eating them" thing has not worked for me...  You?)  And then there's my favorite dining-alone dinner - sauteed mushrooms with polentaaaaah. Hmmm, I could use one of those dinners, it's been awhile.

Hello there.  I am still alive - and apparently in a bit of a mid-winter slump.  I'm going to New York over the weekend, that ought to get the creative juices flowing.  And oh, I'm seeing Maud, the most productively creative person I know, perhaps her energy will rub off on me a bit.  Yeah, I'll steal from Maud, that should do it!

Sooo, yes, I am still eating.  And cooking.  Funny thing is, nothing that feels "worthy" of writing about.  My recent tangle with a stomach virus was the exclamation point that marked the end of the holiday season for me.  It really shut me down, food-wise.  The food I've since been preparing for myself - and for the fam (when they'll go with it) - is very simple, very light, and not requiring much cooking.  Toast with almond butter.  Veggie burgers with avocado and salsa.  Whole-wheat pita filled with ricotta cheese, roasted red peppers from a jar, and toasted.  Quick soups - black bean (or white), Greek egg lemon, broth with spinach and a few tortellinis stirred in, tortilla.  Greek yogurt with nuts and (frozen, thawed) dark sweet cherries.  In fact, we're eating quite a bit of frozen fruit lately - (unsweetened) strawberries and dark sweet cherries are particularly good, especially warmed and spooned over waffles or Greek yogurt, especially when they're flavorlessly out-of-season in the produce section anyhow.

I made an interesting soup last night - Asian Soup with Shrimp Dumplings.  John LOVED it.  I appreciated that it was easy, light, and had clean flavors.  And I loved the peanut garnish.  A couple of tablespoons of nuts can really transform a soup - so can a drizzle of flavorful oil (olive, nut, or truffle), a dab of creme fraiche or a drizzle of cream, a sprinkle of cheese, or a handful of croutons or a slice of toasted bread. (I'll post the recipe later today or tomorrow.)

It's also worth noting, in case you're looking for a tasty restaurant meal, that I have had a few delicious meals out.  We finally made it to Heidi's and had a spectacular meal.  Delightful service, cozy setting, serious food.  Completely buzz-worthy.  I'm not a steakhouse fan, but I did want to scope the scene at the new Manny's (now in the W Hotel) so we hit it, last week in fact.  It was PACKED.  Felt good to see the economy succeeding somewhere.  All men, all expense accounts.  The setting made me feel like drinking a martini, but since I don't really like martinis, I had a killer vodka tonic.  Wow was it good.  And oh, so was the gorgeous NY strip steak I ordered.  It took me a couple of days to polish it off, very nice.  I also enjoyed an uber-yummy grilled vegetable sandwich at Yum Bakery last week with the Maven of Mischief.  Yum toasts their sandwiches without oil which makes them deliciously warm and crunchy yet light.  The way I do them at home, but better, 'cuz I didn't have to make it.

Yep, still in a slump.

Unlike Mark Bittman*, I think canned beans are fantastic.  Especially at this time of year, when produce is a bit blah, and a pan of rib-stickin' beans is exactly what I'm hungry for.  And talk about a fast, nutritious meal - abracadabra, lunch is ready in 10 minutes, and yay!  It's not yet another sandwich.  Take this plate of beans, which was (!) my lunch today.  I started off with a drizzle of olive oil in a saute pan, added a minced clove of garlic, a pinch of red pepper flakes, a few tablespoons each of pine nuts and chopped red onion, and a dash of dried sage (I didn't have any fresh, shucks).  When it was all sizzly, I stirred in a can of organic navy beans, drained and rinsed, as well as a generous sprinkled of coarse salt (to taste), then sauteed the beans for a couple of minutes.  Just for good measure, I stirred in a handful of fresh spinach leaves and sauteed for a couple minutes more, until the beans were hot and crisping a bit in spots and the spinach was wilted.  To finish, a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, and a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper.  If I'd checked the fridge a bit more closely, I would have noticed a pork chop leftover from last night - it would have been tasty diced and tossed in with the garlic et al.  Ah well, meaty or meatless, still a nice lunch.  (Bonus - plenty leftover for another meal.)

Tonight, partly because it is snowing and abominably cold outside, and partly because it's one of Nathan's favorites, I'm making Greek avgolemono (egg lemon) soup for dinner.  Easy?  Puh-lease, the easiest.  I stir in pieces of rotisserie chicken breast, but you don't need to.  Alongside a platter of roasted broccoli, and toasted pita topped with olive spread, should make a good post-basketball game dinner (as in light enough to eat after 7:30 p.m., easy to assemble beforehand).

* He also disses canned chicken broth and tomato paste, both of which I frankly find indispensible.  The article is otherwise neat, and certainly worth a read, and serves as a good reminder that cooking at home need be neither time-consuming nor expensive.

Yikes, look at that, it's 2009.  Oops, there goes half of my life, wait, come back...

No?  Well then, Happy New Year (sigh).  We rang in the New Year in relatively quiet fashion - just what the doctor ordered after Christmas festivities followed by feverish flu.  Despite feeling a bit wobbly, John and I enjoyed a sparkly, pretty dinner at Bar Lurcat.  Live jazz, beautiful decorations, very romantic (pics are from our lovely evening).  We sampled several of our Lurcat faves - roasted cauliflower, apple salad, frites.  I had a glorious piece of miso-glazed sea bass.  John ate my yummy profiteroles filled with salty caramel ice cream and topped with warm chocolate sauce (so good).  We managed to stay awake until midnight, mumble Happy New Year, and fall gratefully asleep.

In the kitchen, I've continued the low-key vibe (as you can tell, since I've been more than a bit sparse in my postings here!).  A combination, I think, of not having my appetite back, plus just feeling tired of heavy, celebratory foods.  In the new year, fresh, healthy, light foods are tasting mighty fine.  I've made a lot of brothy soups, simple things along the lines of the soup below - chicken or vegetable broth, perhaps a bit of tomato, sprinkle of herbs, a few handfuls of greens (spinach or kale), perhaps leftover pasta or rice or a few frozen tortellinis, a grating of Parmesan cheese.  My family is growing a bit weary of soups, but hey, you cook, you choose.  At least that's my rule.

I've also been inspired by a neat article in Prevention Magazine (good pub, recommend it highly), which discusses the benefits of eating monounsaturated fats or MUFAs (namely healthy body, heart, skin, and weight).  I do find that if I include MUFAs in each meal my appetite is satisfied for a longer period of time.  Food sources include olive and flax seed oils, avocados, nuts, dark chocolate, olives, fish.  Tasty stuff.  Combined with fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein, really tasty stuff.  And as easy as tossing a handful of chopped almonds into oatmeal, layering sliced avocado on a turkey sandwich, drizzling a little flaxseed oil in a smoothie, enjoying a small piece of dark chocolate after dinner.  Check out the comprehensive web page (it's a whole site, actually, that they call the Flat Belly Diet) and experiment. Iif you notice a difference in your appetite, waistline, and/or energy level, let us know.

This weekend, no entertaining, no heading out, just a long walk in the not-too-cold and quiet time here at the hacienda.  Nice!  (I've been hitting - literally - a couple of kickboxing classes each week, as well as a couple of pilates lessons which I sadly need to heal from the kickboxing.  As fun as those classes are, I still have to get outside for walks - as I've said before, if I don't get fresh air, my mood and energy level plummet.)  I'm thinking a veggie burger (I like the Morningstar Farms version; not organic, but very tasty) with avocado and roasted red pepper for lunch, topped with the rouille I'm still working from the fish soup I made a couple of weeks ago - it keeps beautifully and is a perfect condiment for otherwise plain sandwiches and soups.

Enjoy your weekend!