Salad - - Page 8

by gansie

Continued: I’m Not Eating Ice Cream Every 15 Minutes

When I first started working virtually I was nervous I would eat ice cream all day, which you can read about in my post aptly titled, “How Not to Eat Ice Cream Every 15 Minutes.” I got some wonderful suggestions, such as Summer‘s guidance to eat away from my desk and to drink coffee, a natural appetite suppressant. (I’m looking at you, red-headed Olsen with the Starbucks taped to your palm like you’re playing Edward 40Hands.)

So I usually drink tea or coffee in the morning, as I’m not a normal breakfast eater. And actually, the binge eating hasn’t been so bad, especially with the abundance of fresh fruit this time of year. Although there have been some ups and downs in this whole work from home thing, I’m actually loving it.

My favorite part—besides no commuting, no dressing, no showering—is cooking lunch. I look forward to it all morning, if not the second I’ve finished dinner the night before.

Yellow Changes the Day

My mom is a nursery school teacher. She needs to teach exacts. Strawberries are red. A is the first letter of the alphabet. A shining sun equals a warm day. But then she met me and my farmers’ market ways.

All of a sudden cauliflower could be bright yellow. Broccoli could be purple. Grapes could be navy blue. Asparagus could be white. And holy crap, as I just found out at J&G Steakhouse in DC: watermelon could be yellow.

Amanda said that she had enjoyed “yellow dollies,” mini-watermelons with yellow interior, on the shores of South and North Carolina. I’ve never seen such a feat until tonight.

And while I believe in some certainties, like the ABCs, I do believe that teaching about produce is an entirely different, yet terribly fun, always changing and delicious game.

in Veggie 6 comments

by gansie

Raw Is All the Rage

Tom Colicchio was seriously mean last week when he pounded Jacqueline about how she didn’t know the recipe of her (failed) chicken liver mousse after preparing it hundreds of times. Jackie – I feel your pain. I have simmered enough bulgur wheat over the years that I should remember the proportions of water to grain and its cooking time. In fact, the first recipe I ever shared on Endless Simmer was for a salad with bulgur wheat.

But I still googled for a recipe. And this is when I found an awesome idea: cook bulgur with chickpeas. Because I never muster the forethought of soaking and boiling dried beans days ahead of when I would consume them, I always turn to canned beans. I don’t think to prep them very much. But now, I will think different. The Second Lunch provided guidance to cook a big batch of this bulgur wheat and chickpea combo and save it throughout the week for a few different meals. It took her up on it. Her timing was right on. But more, the chickpeas became ultra tender and not chalky as they sometimes can be coming right out of the can. So thank you, The Second Lunch. I dedicate this salad to you.

Raw Kale Salad with Bulgur, Chickpeas and Avocado in a Cottage Cheese-Red Wine Vinegar Dressing

Sorry, I had to name everything in the title of this salad. All of the ingredients are too important not to mention. Amongst my friends raw kale salad is becoming a major topic of conversation. Raw kale is not bitter like some greens and can take a huge smacking of an aggressively flavored dressing; the green just won’t wilt under its weight.

I decided to jump on the trend. On top of raw kale add cooked (like this) bulgur wheat and chickpeas, chunks of avocado, scallions and salt and pepper. In a small bowl mix two spoonfuls of cottage cheese with salt, pepper and red wine vinegar and pour over salad. (I asked, it’s okay to add cottage cheese to salad.)

in Cheese / Recipe / Veggie 9 comments

by BS

Alice Waters Says…Eat Your (Organic) Garlic

Our friends over at Good Bite have an interview this week with Alice Waters, locavore extraordinaire, author of the new book In the Green Kitchen: Techniques to Learn by Heart, and all-around culinary superhero.

What ingredient does the average home cook need to make more use of these days?
Garlic – it’s the spice of life. It’s something you can’t ignore. Its presence makes a really big difference in the taste of food. And it’s of course, very very good for you.

What do you tell all the grocery store shoppers out there that are still buying the pre-chopped and diced garlic?
It’s a whole other world — that’s not garlic for me. Because garlic is something that changes very quickly, in the presence of oxygen, when it’s opened up, and exposed to the air, the flavor changes. And so, you need to cut it, and use it right away. Peel it, and use it.

Now, again, going back to the standard grocery store shopper. Being forced to choose between organic or local — if they have to choose, what do they do?
Well, I want both. And so I make a point of going to the farmers market, and if I’m at the supermarket, I go right to the produce director in the back, and say, where did this food come from? Where was it grown? When did it come into your store? Can I get it locally and organically? I think that the big markets want to sell, and if you say that you’re ready to buy, they’re interested.

What should every home cook go home and learn to do right now?
Make a vinaigrette for a salad. Just A simple little salad dressing. Rub that garlic in the bottom of the bowl, use a little vinegar and olive oil and you can make a salad.

More AW, on farmers’ markets, school lunch, and cooking tips, over at Good Bite.

in Celebs 0 comments

by gansie

What Did I Do Wrong

I’ve done it again. And I’m ready to admit that I need help.

I’ve previously failed, and documented, my attempts to create an appetizing salad at one of the many new do-it-yourself salad places that have popped up downtown. Another one just opened, Freshii, and my friend Katie and I checked it out.

I was immediately turned off by their ordering process. Each customer is given a piece of paper and a pencil and told to check off their salad items. I can see how this saves time and confusion, but this absolute waste of paper really pisses me off. Couldn’t there be touch screen kiosks instead? (Although they do claim to reuse order tickets as flyers, but I’m not really sure how that works.)

I soldiered on and checked off ingredients. I went vegan that day and avoided the up-charges, although that was probably the main issue. A salad without cheese or avocado can barely be considered a salad. But still, I thought my choices went well together, especially as I’m increasingly into raw broccoli. But it was bland and barely dressed.

Help! Please show me how to put together a decent salad. (Better view of ingredients.)

in Personal / Restaurants 8 comments

by gansie

What to Expect at 2pm

This past weekend my coworker threw a birthday party for her two-year-old son. Earlier in the week we spent some time finding invitations (um, am I the only one who’s never heard of the Backyardigans?) and more importantly, figuring out food. It was a 2pm party, which is kinda an awkward time.

How many meals have you had by 2pm on a Saturday? Would you have eaten breakfast? Breakfast and lunch? Lunch? Brunch? Nothing?

Exactly.

Also, what would you expect food-wise for a 2pm child’s birthday party? Just chips? Sandwiches? Just cake?

My coworker decided on bite-size, semi-substantial fare. Whatever that means. Well, actually, I can tell you exactly what it means: Chicken nuggets from Chick-fil-A, burger sliders (very impressed she found mini-potato rolls), waffle fries (frozen), spinach and artichoke dip (with pita chips and tortilla chips) and some party punch thing where she dumped a bucket of sherbet-like stuff into a bowl with Sprite. Oh, and of course cake (with Backyardigan decorations) and little ice cream cups.

We also wanted to serve a more grown-up side. That’s where I came in. She initially thought of a pasta salad type dish, but wanted something a bit different. Couscous! Still a side, but a bit more refined than pasta salad. Plus, I had a few winter vegetables that would be a much better fit for a grain than for pasta. (I think sweet potato and noodles are a bit much.)

Feed Us Back: Comments of the Week

– Is angry the new cute? With over 600 votes already cast in our cutest eater contest, Victoria (this does not look like what I ordered!) is in the lead with 15 percent of the vote. Although with the ballot box open until next Friday, it’s still any baby’s game.

– westcoast dares to disagree with gansie on never-ending salad bars:

This is dangerous territory you have embarked on here…fighting words. Now, I will admit, finding a combination of flavor that works at these places is a bit tiresome and sometimes expensive, but here’s where I have ended up — spinach, smoked tofu (Chopt’s smoked tofu is ridiculously good), fried onions OR chinese noodles, any cheese OR no cheese, walnuts, apples, jalepenos, and radishes. Now does that sound good? Not really. But does it taste good? At least three days a week.

Are you able to handle the never-ending salad bar? What’s your go-to mix? Feed us back.

– Meanwhile, jamesdamian has had just about enough of this RC Cola bashing:

RC Cola is a far superior soda to Coke & Pepsi. Just because it doesn’t have the market share that large multi-nationals have does not make it low class. Snob, indeed.

Gotta say I’m surprised. Are there other closet RC lovers out there? And why are there so many photos on the web of people wearing RC Cola on their heads? So many questions…

(Photo: Brent)

in Drinks 2 comments

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