Wheat Berry Salad and a Big Thank You

It's been less than a month since I started this blog and honestly I am overwhelmed at the amount of people reading my tales of dating, recipes and the other bits and pieces of my life that I share. Thank you for the comments and feedback. I have enjoyed reading them and the feedback has at times been amusing, shocking and delightful. If I don't post your comment, don't take it personal (or do...whatever). It is MY blog after all. I mean, come on, my Mom and my Aunt Barb read this and although I know they can handle the occasional F-Bomb (maybe not Aunt Barb) or at least appreciate the warning to avoid it, I do have to consider the kind of things that end up in the comments section.

Either way...thank you for reading.

Tomorrow I head up to Seattle for a couple of days with my cousin Jessica. We are going to see our friend, Dallas Brooks at the opening of an art show she is in. I am so proud of Dallas and can't wait to see her and her amazing pieces on display. It will make for a really lovely start to what has turned into a bit of a birthday weekend for me. Saturday and Sunday will be spent with friends doing two things I love...eating and bowling under black light (you didn't know that?! yeah...bowling AND black light.)

It also looks like I finally got assigned a new cooking class. My last one got cancelled so I have been itching to get back in the kitchen classroom. I will keep you posted, but rumor has it...I will be teaching kids. (holy moly!) I am a bit nervous but know it will be really fun if I get the assignment, so fingers crossed. It will start in March.

I am leaving you with a salad recipe that is inspired by a salad that I get EVERYTIME I am at New Seasons. (Yes...by now you have figured out that I shop there a lot.) It is a wheat berry salad with a citrus vinaigrette, almonds, spinach and ricotta salata cheese. It is so yummy.

Wheat berries are the grain that they actually grind to make flour. For those of you with food storage you will recognize these lovely little grains. For the salad (and a lot of other great recipes) you boil them in water and salt for about an hour, drain them and they become chewy and soft. You can buy it from the bulk bins in many stores or the brand Bob's Red Mill also sells them in the same section you get flour. They are very affordable with a bag of Bob's Red Mill running about $2.50.

I did some hunting on the Internet and discovered that New Season's is basically using the exact same recipe as Heidi Swanson's recipe in her cookbook Super Natural Cooking. The only difference is the nut (she uses pine nuts) and the cheese (she uses feta).

I think either nut or cheese would be great, although if you can get your hands on some ricotta salata, do. It is pretty fantastic. Ricotta salata is a pressed, salted and drier version of the creamy ricotta you are probably used to. It's one of my favorite cheeses (okay they all are) and is kind of reminiscent of Mizithra. (Oh and sorry for the terrible picture...only had the camera phone this time.)

Wheat Berry Salad with Spinach and Ricotta Salta
adapted from New Season's and Heidi Swanson

2 cups of soft wheat berries
6 cups of water
2 tsp of salt
One bunch of baby spinach rinsed, stemmed
1 cup of toasted almonds
1/2 cup of crumbled Ricotta Salata

Citrus Dressing

Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
1 TB freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 TB of minced shallot
1/2 cup of olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Combine the wheat berries, water and 2 tsp of salt in a large saucepan over med-high heat. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, covered...until plump and chewy, about an hour or so. The berries will be al dente, (aka not mushy), so you have to taste them for doneness. Drain them and season them with more salt if needed.

To make the dressing, combine the zest, citrus juices, shallots, salt and pepper and whisk in the olive oil until combined.
Toss the hot wheat berries with the dressing, then add the spinach, almonds and cheese. You can serve the salad right away, eat it at room temperature or chilled.

Fig Spread? Yes...Please.

There is no doubt that if I had to live on figs, cheese and bread I would be a happy person. I actually don't cook very much during the week. The bulk of my cooking happens on weekends, when I am testing recipes or cooking for friends or family.

I once was talking to a woman, giving her some meal ideas and cooking tips. She was really excited and seemed pretty inspired when we were done chatting. At the end of the conversation she asked me what I normally have for dinner each night. I replied, "Toast". She looked so deflated when I told her that. I think she pictured me having these big meals each evening. In reality, it's just me and the pup. I am pretty selfish with my time when I get home from work and usually after I am done running I don't want much more to eat then a little toast and jam with some yogurt or a couple slices of cheese, salami, and some fruit. Heck, even a bowl of cereal tastes pretty good me on a Tuesday night and is a common dinner for me.

One of my favorite treats, whether I am just spreading it on bread and cheese or using it to help cook a meal is Dalmatia Fig Spread. This stuff is HEAVENLY. There is a reason why they refer to figs as the fruit of the gods. Dalmatia is in Croatia where they grow and dry the figs. They then put those figs into this fantastic spread. At New Season's they will actually sell it by the pound for you, although the jars are not too pricey and only run about $7.00 bucks. You can also get the spread at Whole Foods and online.

This stuff is amazing. It's very sweet, so a little a goes a long way. I have used it to spread on pannis with arugula, rare roast beef, and a little creamy horseradish mayo. I have glazed pork tenderloins with it and I use it in salad dressings. My favorite and most common way to consume this heavenly figgy spread is just on some tangy cheese. It goes great with goat cheese. I used it today on a bit of Spanish Miticrema, which is a spreadable sheep's cheese. Yum!

I included an easy dressing recipe for you, using the spread. I love to pour this on spinach, red onions, strawberries, goat cheese and pecans.

Dalmatia Fig Spread Dressing

1 Tbsp fig spread
1 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice
little lemon zest
1 tsp of finely minced shallot
1/4 cup of oil (olive or canola)
Salt and Pepper to taste

It IS easy being green...

My cooking classes that I teach are focused on nutrition and budgeting. It's been a learning process for me in both areas. Certainly I am aware of fruits and veggies being good for you but I have had to learn about the actual nutrition facts about things. Not calories or fat but why something is good for you...that kind of stuff. I have taught classes focused on the health needs of pregnancy, growing kids, and all the while attempt to make the recipes appealing (aka...yummy) and budget friendly. The people in my classes have all different kinds of skill levels and backgrounds but most of them are there to learn how to cook real food vs. pre-packaged, shelf food or just picking up fast food. In other words...unlike people who are willing to give up a bit of taste if they are dieting, my students are not looking for an "almost version" of the foods they normally eat but expect the food to taste good, healthy or not. That's a tough challenge when working with some people who can't recall the last time they ate a fresh vegetable or piece of fruit. In addition I have to find delicious, healthy food on the cheap.

One of my big challenges was greens. They are affordable and the super veggie of all super veggies. I taught braised greens in my first class. It seemed so natural. Oh my goodness, I braised them in chicken stock with a tons of garlic, and some red pepper. Yes, I was braising them with some of the major flavor players. I put them on the plate and my face matched the looks of my students. Eeeww. The plopped, soggy mess of muddy looking greens sat there on our plates. I forced a smile and explained...these are so, sooo good for you. Reeeeally good for you. Then one of my favorite students looked at me and goes...then you eat them. Okay...he was right. I hate them. They taste like dirt, they are mushy and I had to force them down just like most of my other students. NOW...I know some of you are going ...Oh my gosh I love braised green...Mmmmm. GOOD for you. You should try brasing them in chicken stock, garlic and red pepper flakes. But I don't and I am guessing it's hard to convince your kids to eat them. I will tell you I certainly wasn't inspiring my students, a group of teenagers, that they should give up McDonalds for that stuff.

BUT...here are the hard facts. Kale, THE green, is a super-power food. It packs quite the resume. It is an awesome source of fiber, 1 cup gives you 20% of your daily requirements. It also has this amazing micro-nutrient called isothiocyanate that prevents a bacteria that grows on your stomach lining that can cause gastric cancer. It has AMAZING antioxidants including, carotenoids and flavonoids. (They protect your cells.) Amongst the flavonoids are the super hero two called kaempferol and quercitin which specifically fight against the formation of cancer. That same cup of Kale gives you 10% of your daily allowance of omega-3 fatty acids which help by being anti-inflammatories. Kale contains glucosinolates, which has been shown to also prevent certain cancers, including breast, colon, prostate, gastric and bladder cancer. Those same glucosinolates help detox your body of all the nasty stuff hanging around in your body that you get from eating unhealthy stuff and being around pollutants. Kale's fibers aid in lowering cholesterol. Then there are the vitamins. Oh the MASSIVE amounts of vitamins in 1 cup. Vitamin K, vitaman C and vitamin A. Those vitamins pack a dose of protecting bones, preventing heart disease, strokes, protecting your nervous system, your eyes, boosting immunity and lowering blood pressure.

PHEW. If you skipped that paragraph...just know, Kale = SUPERAMAZING AWESOMENESS

It's almost like...you HAVE to eat it. So I had to figure out some other ways to consume Kale, other than steamy plop of greens on the plate.

With the help of my friend Jessica, who is a huge Kale advocate, I discovered some. Jessica likes to juice kale. She throws together, kale, apples, cucumbers and a few other veggies and fruits. That is my number one favorite way to consume kale. It's really yummy and not at all what you would expect, it's sweet and refreshing when combined with the other veggies and fruit. I had a Powell's mug of it waiting for me at work the other day. She's pretty awesome. (More on Jess later...wait until you taste her banana muffins and see her art work)

New Season's has a delicious raw kale salad that is super easy and very tasty. A third way is the amazing baked kale chips. Oh man. I am not kidding. They are great. Not, oh it's okay for diet food great, but actually really yummy. There are a ton of versions of kale chips floating around on the Internet, but it's easy, you just cut up the kale, toss them in olive oil and salt and bake them. A couple of friends have done the recipe and are now believers. You can sprinkle some parmesan on them. I like a dash of malt vinegar. Either way...they are far from those mushy, soggy greens in my first class.

Go get some greens, your body is begging you.

(Clearly the recipe is thanks to New Season's)

Baked Kale Chips

1 bunch of kale, ribs removed, cut into chip like pieces
Olive Oil
Salt

Toss the kale in the salt and olive oil, you only need about 1 tablespoon. Line flat on a baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes or until crispy. Remove from the oven and let cool.