Wheatberries are the new quinoa...

... and boots are the new pump. Seriously--- know it, believe it, love it.   It is the gospel, pass it on. 

You know how much I love Quinoa... well, I have found its cousin--- Wheatberry! Full of bran and protein, this grain makes a GREAT base for a salad and fits my scoopable meal concept perfect for packed lunch on the go.

Wheatberry Superfood Salad

2 cups cooked wheatberry (Cook for hour with 7 cups of water)

2 cups Cherry Tomatoes

2 cups Chopped Kale

1/4 cup Chopped Parsley

Dried Cranberries

Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Massage Kale and Parsley with spoon of EVOO.  Add other ingredients.  Mix with salt, pepper and more EVOO and vinegar.  Serve room temperature. 

Detoxification and Dinner

Wouldn't that be a good song or book title?
I always think of life experience and occurrence as a song, book or sitcom title. So far I have 5 different series (all running 7 seasons), 19 bookcases full and a 53 Mega Hits!

This week is all about the emotional, nutritional and physical detox. Seriously. After all of the people and the drinks and the food I am spending this week balancing out... starting with dinner. I am proud to say that it is only Tuesday and I have cooked three separate, very nutritional dishes and have packed my lunch daily. Unfortunately as I sit here I am drinking a glass of my favorite TJ's Bordeaux and have made plans for two nights this week. One life item at a time--- guess a gal needs some toxins, right?

Two detoxifying dinners:
Wild Rice Salad
In my new cookbook, Clean Cooking, (again, Thanks Mom!) I learned that wild rice is a grass and not a grain. This makes it a GREAT protein source as well as packed with fiber. This salad can be hot or cold and it so yummy! Adapted from New York Times recipe with my imagination--- basically, it VAGUELY resembles their recipe :)

1 cup wild rice, rinsed
Salt to taste
1/3 cup lightly toasted broken walnut pieces
1 can chopped artichokes
1 can garbonzo beans
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Juice of a lemon
Head of brocolli steamed and chopped
1 small garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1. Bring the water and artichoke juice boil in a large saucepan, add salt to taste and the wild rice. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the rice is tender and splayed. Add brocolli and artichokes for last 5 minutes. Drain and toss in a large bowl with the remaining salad ingredients.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili
Adapted from The Clueless Vegetarian

1 tbsp EVOO
2 medium onions, chopped
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp curry
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 clove garlic
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 28-oz (796mL) cans diced tomatoes
2 19-oz (540mL) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp crumbled dried oregano

Heat the oil in your RED DUTCH OVEN:). Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, over medium heat until the onions are soft - about 5 minutes. Add the chili powder, curry and the cumin and cook for another minute or so. Add the vgetable broth and the cubed sweet potatoes, reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, until the potatoes are almost tender - about 10 minutes.

Add the tomatoes with all the juice from the can, the beans, salt, and oregano. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then let simmer until the potatoes are completely tender - about 20 minutes. Puree 1/2 and serve with a dollop of greek yogurt or sour cream.

Cooked listening to these new tunes (or old on new mixes)
Slow Down- Wallis Bird
The Great Salt Lake- Band of Horse
The Chain- Ingrid Michealson
Selfish Jean- Travis
Float On- Modest Mouse
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa- Vampire Weekend
Got To Have You- The Weepies
Back in Your Head- Teegan and Sara
Time to Pretend- MGMT
Mercury Falling- Sting
Throw it All Away- Brandi Carlise

Now, off to watch David D in last season's Californication... a great addition to Detoxification :)

xoxo- Detox Debbie

Something Like My Salad...

I taught for six years at two different universities. On the first day of class part of my meet your teacher spill would go something like this:

"Just call me Stacey. Not Ms. Price, that's my mother. Not, Ms. Stacey, that's your kindergarten teacher. I have something like a husband and something like a kid. One I have lived with for ________(fill in blank between 5 and 10 years depending on the semester) and the other is furry with four legs."

Since then there have been many "Something Likes" and I even have found my friends and family using such saying. Borrowed from East Village Kitchen Blog, this is "Something Like My Hot Fall Salad" ... but better. My family is visiting this weekend so their is no room for chaos in the kitchen but Monday, Monday my friends, I will make this salad!

Spiced Pumpkin, Lentil, and Goat Cheese Salad
Borrowed from East Villiage Blog and Bon Appetit, November 2009

3/4 cup French green lentils*
6 cups 1-inch pieces peeled seeded sugar pumpkin or butternut squash(from about one 2-pound whole pumpkin)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon hot smoked Spanish paprika**
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 cups baby arugula
1 cup soft goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaves
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

PreparationPlace lentils in small bowl. Cover with cold water and soak 10 minutes; drain.

Cook lentils in boiling salted water until tender but firm, about 30 minutes. Drain lentils. Rinse under cold water, then drain.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place pumpkin in large bowl; toss with 2 tablespoons oil, cumin, paprika, and sea salt. Arrange pumpkin in single layer on baking sheet; roast 20 minutes. Turn pumpkin over. Roast until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool.

Combine lentils, pumpkin, and oil from baking sheet with arugula, half of goat cheese, mint, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among plates; sprinkle remaining goat cheese over.

Chaos and Construction

Yes, it is true... Chaos and Chicken Kitchen is under Construction. I promise this is no excuse (see right) to make up for the fact that I have not been cooking. In fact, I cooked last night (see below) .... but that was before the chaos and the construction and the chiseling.

Apparently there is an ordeal with the kitchen pipes in the old Shormeade building and I came home to a small man chiseling away my wall between my office and kitchen. I say this calmly now but I was far from calm then. Especially since I did not expect to come home to this small man or his jack hammer. Or the plaster dust. Did I mention it was EVERYWHERE? (read in loud frustrated voice). After a rant or two, a walk around the city and a call into my property manager I received the promise the the project would cease next week. So this week, as many in the past, there is only chaos, no chicken with the promise of less construction to come.

To hold you over, here is the recipe for a fun fall salad I created lastnight. It needs a name...any ideas?

Fall Hot Salad (Told you it needs a name)
Sweet Potatoes, cubed and cooked
Beluga Lentils
Spinach, cooked
Dash of salt, cinnamon, curry and red pepper
Teaspoon olive oil
Mix and serve. Preferably without plaster dust. Preferably with wine.

Sunday, Bloody Sunday

I love beets.
I love the color of beets.
I love beets with arugula and goat cheese.
I love how they bleed on your hands or over the cheese in your salad.
With each drop of the red juice I picture nutrients seeping into my body...

On Sunday I attempted for the 2nd time since I moved to roast beets in my oven. The first time I torched them. Since then I am learning to control my gas stove and I had more than a bloody mess. I had delectable, flavorful, blood red, full of juice beets ready for a yummy salad.

Simple Roasted Beet Salad
Ingredients:
Cookie Sheet of Roasted Beets (three big sliced or five small)
Arugula
Goat Cheese
Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 cup of fresh OJ (squeezed)
Basil
Walnuts
EVOO
Salt, Pepper

Slice beets and sprinkle with sea salt and evoo. Roast at 500 (425 if you have gas oven) for 30 minutes. Set aside. Chop basil. Add to 2 parts olive oil, 1/2 part OJ, 1/2 part Balsamic Vinegar. Whisk in salt and pepper. Add to arugula with crumbled goat cheese and walnuts. Coat with dressing.

Before my salad my Sunday was feeling a little off. Even though the sun was shining, I felt a little run down. There is something about a beet that is comforting, grounding... maybe it is the organic nature of the plant, maybe it is the rustic color or maybe it is the wonderful flavor. Whatever it is, I am thankful for for Mother Earth for providing us with such a colorful, tasty vegetable.

Funny How Life Is...

I am finding that lately my days are filled with pleasant and unpleasant coincidences. I think about someone and they call... I think "wouldn't it stink to be locked out" and I walk out without my keys. Luckily for me the positive far exceeds the negative.

Today, my coincidental surprise was of the tasty sort.

I was in VA at Crate and Barrel when spied Cheesecake Factory. I normally hate a chain restaurant but this is one that is an exception. They have an amazing salad adorned with a Cilantro Peanut dressing that I could drink if it was appropriate to. Recently they have been selling it in-house and today I kicked myself for not going in and purchasing it. I mean, seriously Stacey, it is $8 and you were there.... but I did not buy it and I regretted it since 11:03 a.m.

This evening at Trader Joes they were sampling Spicy Peanut Slaw and as any good, hungry, money saving customer I sampled it... and there it was... my dressing.... here, three blocks away, $1.99 I find a Spicy Peanut Cilantro Dressing that was so good I gobbled my salad before I could photograph it for you. (And yes, I have incorporated meat back into my diet, only slightly

Spicy Peanut Salad with Grilled Chicken
Grilled Chicken Strips
Chopped Red Cabbage
Chopped Cucumber
Chopped Snow Peas
Arugula
Mixed Greens
2 tablespoon Spicy Peanut Cilantro Dressing
Toss and Serve.

Served with the wine of the day from Best Cellars--Monarc Oliverhia Irsay and tunes from Brandi Carlise (who I plan to see October 7th!!!!!), it was one of the best meals I have had in a while. In honor of my recently read book I ate slow, with wine and good tunes... I was just alone, but not lonely. Now, tomorrow I will focus on employment of the permanent, well paying type, good hair and a fun evening... We will see what surprises these thoughts will bring me.

Is Salad Prep Cooking?

For this gal, in the heat of the summer, in her little shoe box kitchen -- I say, YES!

In preparation for last night's Screen on the Green* I prepared a little picnic--- Chaos in the City style. Packed my cute little back pack you found three tupperware filled with summer salads, rice crackers and a wonderful chive and garlic cheese, two spoons and a water bottle filled with Famage Wine.

My three yummy salads including the quinoa dish from last week, an Asian Salad and Chickpea Chutney Salad. Fresh, light and lots of flavors. My favorite picnic food.

Asian Salad
(mix all ingredients and chill)
1/4 cup chopped Snow Peas, raw
1/4 cup chopped Green Beans, raw
1/4 cup chopped Red Cabbage, raw
1/8 cup chopped Cashews
1 small chopped Cucumber
Teaspoon Sesame Oil
Teaspoon Greek Yogurt
Squeeze of Lime Juice
Pinch of chopped Dried Hot Peppers




Chickpea Chutney Salad
(mix all ingredients and chill)
1 Can Chickpeas
1/2 Green Pepper Chopped
1/2 Red Pepper Chopped
3 Scallions Chopped
1 Clove Minced Garlic
1/8 Cup Crumbled Feta
2 Teaspoons Good Olive Oil
4 Teaspoons Red Wine Vinager

. . . maybe next week there will be warmer food, cooler weather and less thunder.


(Screen on Green: movies played on a big screen on The National Mall on Mondays from July 20 through August 10, starts around 8:30 p.m.)

Surprise... It's Quinoa

Yes, it is back. I know, "Hello, old friend."
There was a time that I was making so much quinoa that every morning or night we were having some sort of "Quinoa Surprise"... kind of like I thought I was on the Food Network show where the chefs are given one ingredient to make 9 things... yeah, I am up for that challenge if the ingredient is quinoa. I think I may have even create a quinoa dessert. Poor Scott.

Thanks to an old friend, I am bringing it back for my 1st cooked meal. The thing I love about this grain is that it has more protein than most meats and surprise, you can make it taste like anything you want.

For dinner tonight I gave it a taste of Italy and did as the Italians do --- actually cooked, the grains at least. Baby steps back to the old (but improved) me...

Caprese Quinoa Salad
1 cup quinoa cooked in 2 cups water
1/2 cup shredded basil
3/4 chopped tomatoes
3/4 cup mozzerella, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon baslamic vinager

Serve chilled. It's that easy and very healthy. I chased my down with a lot of water and ibuprophen after a very challenging yoga class... I may be a little (or possibly a lot) sore tomorrow... or right now, it is officially morning.

Perfect for most vegetarians but I will warn you that when cooking for someone new you may want to stay away from this grain---1) sometimes the texture throws off a meat and potatoes type of person and 2) Since it is high protein and fiber it sometimes upsets the digestive track.
Yeah, lesson learned...

Yes! Yes! Yes! I did it--- I cooked!

Hallelujah, I am back! Well, as back as a for-sale kitchen will allow.

Tonight I had a fellow shop gal and very close friend over to celebrate closing on her house. I am hoping that now she officially gets her check I will get mine... or at least an offer. You know, one shop gal at a time!

On any given night you could find us last summer on my patio grilling vegetables and drinking Pinot Grigio. I decided in my last few days of patio life I needed to disobey all selling-your-house rules and bring this summertime ritual back. Tonight's menu was not elaborate, it will win no culinary awards but it did bring this gal that loves to cook (and entertain) some simple pleasure
In addition to a great bottle of Cupcake Pinot Grigio and Grilled Purple Asparagus, Zucchini and Red Pepper we enjoyed one of my summer favorites...

Panzanella Salad
Adapted from Ina Garten
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 small French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 red onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
basil leaves, coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons capers, drained
For the vinaigrette
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1/3 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread and salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed. For the vinaigrette, whisk together the ingredients. In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, basil, and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend.

You Can't Beet This Salad!

Did you hate beets as a child?
Well, I was strange and loved them. Basically, I loved most foods that kids hated. For instance, at age three my favorite pizza topping was olives. It gives me hope that one day I will have a child that will beg for healthy food and boycott chicken nuggets and fish sticks. My parenting philosophy is defined by this concept.

Anyway, if you hated beets this recipe might just change your mind. We made it Monday night and thought it was amazing. Fresh, light but avocado made it filling. If you are serving more than two please double recipe.

Simple Avocado Beet Napaleon Salad

Ingredients

1 avocado, sliced long

6 baby roasted beets or 2 large beets

1 lemon, juiced

1 cup fresh pea shoots, roughly chopped (got them at kroger)

2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper

*May try next time with balsmatic vinegar*

Slice baby beets about 1/4 inch thick. Slice avocados to about the same thickness. Slice a few in half-keep a few long. Drizzle 1 Tbsp lemon juice on avocado. Set beets and avocado aside. Rough chop pea shoots. Set the sprouted (leafed) ends aside.Place the hard stalk ends in a small bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon juice or vinegar, salt and pepper to the stalk pea shoots bowl. Mix well. Place a few of the marinated stalks on serving plates.Arrange avocado and beet slices on top of stalks on plates. Rotate beet, avocado, beet, avocado. Add all the remaining pea shoots-stuff and drizzle the leftover oil-acid mixture over the salads.

*Taken from the Healthy.Happy. Life blog! *

Saturday Night Fridge Clean Out

Yes, it is Saturday night and I am cleaning out my refrigerator. With a pending move and the house on the market at the end of the week, I am using every moment. So far today I have emptied all closets, packed up my winter items, purged five bags of clothes and three bags of shoes (GASP). I also painted porch furniture, pressure washed patio and walked seven miles. I am a woman of accomplishment that is VERY HUNGRY.

I have made up two very good treats today playing a little game I like to call: Make Do With What You Have.

1. Strawberry Green Tea Shake
I am convinced that this is my new favorite energy, hunger ending drink. I brewed an especially strong cup of green tea (2 bags) added honey to taste and then mixed in blender with ice, frozen strawberries and a scoop of plain yogurt. So refreshing and the protein in the yogurt was filling.

2. Asparagus, Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Salad
Luckily, my fridge ALWAYS has produce and good cheese... even if it is scrounging time. I boiled pasta in water with salt and EVOO. When almost done I added chopped asparagus and cooked until pasta was cooked, yet firm. I drained and while hot added half a sleeve of goat cheese, salt, pepper, juice of one lemon and cut roasted red pepper. After 30 minutes in the fridge it was such a yummy, make-do dinner!

*Scott is biased but he said that the salad was the best pasta salad he had ever had. I am just saying...*

Tonight's Specials Are...

Stuffed Salmon & Grilled Asparagus and Melon Salad

... and a little BirdMan Wine!
Who needs a restaurant when you have your house?
What a yummy dinner on my patio. After several hours of yard work, it was a perfect dinner outside. Plus, I got to test out the salad recipe that I will use on the Graduation Luau Menu.

With a mix of cantaloupe and prosciutto, the salad was sweet and savory... add some green (asparagus) and white (Parmesano reggianno) and the dish was beautiful.

I found some amazingly pink wild sockeye salmon at the grocery store and stuffed with goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes and served with a garlic spinach.

No Cupcake Wine at the store so I chose BirdMan that was very earthy with grapefruit undertones... very good but if I were choosing for this dish again I would pick the Cupcake... A girl does love her Cupcake.

At the end of the night I had a surprise visit from my good friend, LB... celebrating her birthday with neighborhood visits. You know if I would have known she was coming I would have had cake. Cheesecake. Oh no... now I want cheesecake. I guess I will have my share at the Luau Party.

Grilled Asparagus and Melon Salad
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
1 pound asparagus, trimmed
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 small melon (about 12 ounces), peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
Shaved Parmesean
Directions

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the prosciutto in a
single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes
until crispy. Drain on paper towels. Chop the prosciutto into 1/4-inch
pieces.

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal
grill. In a medium bowl, toss together the asparagus and 2 teaspoons
olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes each
side until crisp-tender. Cut into 1/2 inch sections on an angle

In a medium bowl, combine the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the
melon, asparagus and Parmesan cheese and toss until all ingredients are
combined.Drizzle any remaining vinaigrette over the top. Sprinkle the prosciutto.

*See previous entry for salmon*

Next on Grocery list- Lope!

When I was in highschool I always packed lunch and then some treats for my friends (I guess some habits I never grow out of :) ) One of Michelle's Stone's favorites was "Lope", just a simple chopped Canteloupe that my mom always had fresh on hand. Wonder if Chell would like this recipe?

Thai Cantaloupe Salad with Chile

Serves 8
1 large ripe, fragrant cantaloupe, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
1 diced jalapeno or (for more heat)
Thai red chile, seeded or not
1/3 cup thinly sliced basil leaves or cilantro
3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon fish sauce, or to taste
Generous pinch sugar
Course salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
In a large serving bowl, gently combine all the ingredients. Taste and add more lime juice, fish sauce, sugar or seasoning to taste. You can serve this with long bamboo skewers so people can spear chunks of cantaloupe from the bowl.

Simple Summer Salads

In the summer I like to keep it simple... salads and grilling are nightly staples.

So far this week I have made three very simple summer salads!

Watermelon, Feta and Cucumber Salad

What you see is what you get. Chop cukes, watermelon and crumble feta.
SERVE cold. Refreshing... sweet and salty.

Shrimp, Avocado Salad

Chopped red onion, shrimp, avocado, cilantro, tomatoe and mix
with juice of one lime, 1/2 cup shredded monteray jack, cumin, salt, drained black
beans and SERVE cold. Also think this would be good on a pita.

Asian Three Bean Salad

Got this one from Ellie on the Food Network. So refreshing and healthy.

1 pound string beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 (10-ounce) bag frozen shelled edamame (green soy beans)
3 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup 100 percent fruit apricot preserves
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 scallions, sliced
Salt
Put the string beans and frozen edamame into a steamer basket and steam them for 4 minutes. Transfer the beans to a large bowl and put them into the refrigerator to cool for 15 minutes or longer.
In a small bowl whisk together the oil, vinegar, apricot preserves, sugar and ginger. Add the black beans and scallions to the other beans, drizzle with dressing, and toss to coat. Season with salt, to taste.

Longtime No Post!

With Spring has come a lack of baking and more grilling... thus less entries!
Sorry for taking a month off! Let me condense my cooking into a list....

Top 10 things made recently:
10- A mess :) I made cupcakes last night for my employee Katie's last day.
Straight from a Stonewall Kitchen box with Nutella Creme Cheese Icing. Kitchen
remains a mess

9- Blue Cheese Burgers- Have been feeling comfort foodie and made burgers (with 97% fat free
meat) stuffed with onions and blue cheese. Made up a YUMMY topping sauteing mushrooms, blue cheese, fat free mayo and a little water. Served on whole wheat! (Scott LOVED them)

8- Wasabi Grilled Pork- With Spring/Summer comes more grilling so I go into MEAT MODE.
Lately I have been marinating pork in wasabi with lime juice, salt and pepper and placing on grill. Serve with grilled asparagus and you barely have any dishes to do.

7- Smoothies- I have been making Mango Spinach smoothies from a recipe that I got on another
foodie blog: http://www.happyfoodie.com/

6- Avocado, Black Bean and Corn Salad- This is SO EASY. Chopped avocado, can or rinsed black beans, can of rinsed corn, lime juice, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. YUM! and so fresh

5- Watermelon and Feta Salad- Need I say more? (Add red wine vinegar)

4- Turkey Avocado Burgers- Again, I told you, salad, meat and fruit my recent diet!
Lean Turkey mixed with onion soup seasoning, cumin, pepper grilled. I top it with Monterrey Jack Cheese, Avocado and Tomato. I serve on one slice grilled garlic bread!

3- Gourmet Pizzas- We have been eating these ALOT. I take a Low Carb Flatbread and grill with olive oil and garlic. Simultaneously I reduce down tomato, garlic and evoo (basil if I have it). This is the sauce. Then top with veggies-- preferably artichoke, spinach, onion and mushroom and mozzarella cheese. Back on top grill shelf for 5 minutes to melt.

2- Frittata- The easiest meal I could ever make! I saute onions, asparagus and mushrooms in a pan. I add 5 whisked eggs, salt, pepper and goat cheese. Put back on the eye and them in the oven on broil until egg rises and slightly brown.

1- Cabbage Broccoli Salad- This is my take on Cole Slaw and Broccoli Salad. I chop broccoli, red cabbage, red onion and mix in a Cole slaw dressing (fat-free mayo, red wine vinegar and sugar). Set in the fridge for an hour to marry the flavors! This is by far my FAVORITE new concoction!