Kale and Carrot Salad

August 17th, 2010

I love trying new salads. Lucky for me New Seasons is on my way home from work. Even though I like to make my own food, I have stopped on more than one occasion to pick up a pint of New Season’s Kale and carrot salad.  It is really good. And given all the food books I’ve been reading lately that tell me to eat more “greens” (more on that in a later blog!) this Kale salad is perfect. 

Kale

Kale

Here is my version:

INGREDIENTS
Kale
1-2 carrots, grated
1/2 cup of sunflower seeds
1-2 gloves of garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of fresh ginger, grated
2 tbsp of Bragg liquid aminos or soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp sesame oil

METHOD:
Wash the kale and remove and discard the tough center stalks. Chop the leaves into long narrow strips. (Think cutting cabbage for coleslaw). You can eat Kale un-cooked but it can be pretty chewy. I lightly steam mine for 3-4 minutes then plunge it into cold water. This helps to keep the green color and prevent further cooking.

In a large bowl mix the cooked, and now cooled, kale with grated carrots and sunflowers. In a glass jar with a lid mix the dressing ingredients, give it a good shake and then pour over the kale. That’s it! Pretty simple, very tasty and good for you too. 

We had this last night with wild rice, falafel with tahini sauce. I hope we have enough for leftovers….

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Mind over Matter: keeping it on the straight and narrow!

August 9th, 2010

The Scene: August 7th, 2010 Dirt Series Women’s Mountain Bike Camp at sunny Hood River High School. First skills clinic of the whole camp teaching the neutral position and bike body separation. “Hey road cyclist, come over here” one of the coaches yell. I sheepishly raise my head hoping she is not talking to me. After all I’ve been racing cross and riding my mountain bike for 3 years now. I hardly look at my road bike let alone ride it. My heart sank. She was talking to me…not exactly a compliment in my eyes. Was it that obvious riding dirt hasn’t been my forte?

This was the start of an awesome two day camp. There were 50 great women. About 10 amazing coaches.  And lots of skill sessions; high speed cornering, front wheel lifts, manuals, riding skinnies, switch backs, descending, etc.  All taught in a great environment with lots of demos, breaking the skills down and doing progressions, lots of encouragement, good humor and smiles too.

For the skill sessions I demo-ed  some flat pedals, lowered my seat 2 inches and wore elbow and knee pads…now I just need to get some cool baggy shorts and I’ll be set. Oh and a big heavy 5 inch travel bike!

This was an ideal setting to learn so much. Almost too much. When I got home, I just wanted to get back on my bike and practice my front wheel lifts, track stands, and bunny hops. 

Family Man, Post Canyon

Family Man, Post Canyon

Sunday afternoon my ride group rode at Family Man in Post Canyon; home of lots of man-made skinnies. Not sure what a skinny is? As the name suggests these features are narrow, and typically elevated to add to the whole fear factor. It’s scary to ride these. There could be consequences if you fall. We were told to commit to riding them, and if things didn’t go well, to commit to falling.

Family Man, Post Canyon

Family Man, Post Canyon

Most people can ride in a straight line. So then it becomes a mental exercise. You can’t think about your ride group watching you, or the Trek photographer or Dirt Series videographer off to the side, or the rock that is so badly placed as you try to get onto the narrow plank of wood, or the tree stumps 4 feet below you that you could land on, or the tree trunk that could take out your handle bars if you get too close to it, or that you are 4 feet off the ground on a 6 inch plank of wood that isn’t as straight as it looked when you first walked it.

Instead you think about riding smooth, you put your body in a stable position on the bike and you listen to your coach telling you to look through the line you want to travel.  Then once you have executed a great ride then your heart rate starts hammering and the hands can shake as adrenalin takes over. But for the few seconds it took me to ride the skinny I was pretty relaxed doing what my legs know how to do best: pedal smoothly.  (I ended up riding each skinny and teeter totter (sew-saw) 3 times; feeling like the first two times were pure luck). Candace was a great coach. And a great spotter!  And our ride group was awesome too. What a great day we had.

So how do you put yourself into the right frame of mind to get the job done?
Total concentration on a positive outcome and using trigger words to help bring that about (those who have ever taken my indoor cycling class know how big I am on positive affirmation trigger words).   How many times is this so true for so many things we do in life?

Here’s a little video of Family Man I found on Youtube:
Family Man, Post Canyon

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Omelette and Sweet Potato Fries

August 5th, 2010

I have been reading Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. This book contains a lot of valuable information on nutrition. I’m still trying to absorb the first chapter! One thing that Sally talks about is animal protein. How we need it. I’m not ever going to eat meat. It just isn’t going to happen. So I need to work within that framework.  My latest thing has been to eat more eggs. I don’t particularly like eggs by themselves. They have to be hidden in things. This omelette is one of my current favorite that I feel good about eating. Paired with some sweet potato fries it makes a pretty good meal.

A word about eggs: please, please try to buy free range eggs. Yes, they do cost more. But the eggs are more nutritious when they come from hens that have been feeding on bugs and grain, rather than just grain. And they come from happy hens! Free range eggs are a lot easier to find these days. Most grocery stores sell them. For those of you who like to shop at Costco; they sell them too.

Free Range Eggs

Free Range Eggs

INGREDIENTS:
Butter
2-3 eggs
Handful of spinach
Salsa
Goat cheese
Salt and pepper 

METHOD:
Beat eggs lightly and set aside. Melt the butter in your omelette pan of choice (I highly recommend an iron skillet) over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot; pour in the eggs. Cook until the eggs are just set (usually less than a minute), and then flip the omelette.  Spoon on some salsa, goat cheese and chopped spinach onto one half and fold the omelette over.  I usually turn the burner off at this point as cast iron retains a lot of heat to allow the omelette to continue cooking. Flip the omelette if you like the eggs well cooked. Add a little salt and pepper.

Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet Potato Fries

SWEET POTATO FRIES
INGREDIENTS:
Sweet potato
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. The hardest part is peeling and cutting up the potatoes (Trader Joes sell some pre-peeled and pre-cut sweet potatoes for when you are in a hurry). Once that is done, toss lightly with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread out on a cookie sheet or something similar. It is best if the potatoes are not touching. This will allow them to crisp up a little.  Cook for 15 minutes and flip the fries with a spatula. Cook for another 15 minutes or until they are tender and starting to crisp.

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Seasoning, Cooking and Cleaning an Iron Skillet

July 19th, 2010
There seems to be a re-new interest in cast-iron cookware.  I have several cast-iron pots and pans and I love them. However, it took a while to feel that love. We received our first cast-iron cookware set as a wedding gift but it was years before we used them.  When I was diagnosed with anemia, the dietician recommended using cast-iron cookware because they add iron to the food you cook in them.  And now, not only do we use them almost daily but we’ve also added to our collection. Yes, iron skillets require some maintenance with seasoning and cleaning.  But once you figure it out, it’s very easy.  Cast-iron skillets are great for making omelet’s, frittatas, sautéing veg, pancakes, etc.

Cast-iron cookware

Cast-iron cookware

There are many advantages to cooking with cast-iron:

  1. Cast-iron pots and pans are excellent at conducting and retaining heat, so you get very even heating over the whole surface of the pan. They take a little longer to heat up, but they retain that heat much longer. I can turn off the burner and food will continue to cook a little while longer.
  2. You can put most cast-iron pans in the oven (great for cornbread or frittatas).
  3. Properly seasoned cast-iron pans are just as non stick as any non-stick pans.
  4. Cast-iron pans are durable.
  5. Cast-iron pans are very inexpensive
  6. Cooking in cast-iron increases the dietary source of iron. This is especially true when cooking foods high in acid, such as tomato based sauces.

And the flip side of cast-iron:

  1.  Cast-iron pans are very heavy. Your arms will get a workout.
  2. If not properly treated, cast iron pans can be prone to rust.
  3. Cast-iron pans must be hand-washed, they are not dishwasher safe.
  4. Cast-iron pans require a bit more maintenance than regular pans (but I feel it is well worth the effort).

Seasoning a cast-iron pan:
If your pan is correctly seasoned then food will not stick. To season a cast-iron pan means to create a coating by baking on multiple thin coats of oil. This protects the cast-iron pan from rusting and gives a non-stick cooking surface. To season, rub on a very thin coat of vegetable oil or lard (not butter or olive oil) on the inside and outside of the pan. Place the cast iron pan, upside down, in the oven, with a sheet of aluminum foil on the bottom to catch any drips. “Bake” the pan for 30 to 60 minutes at 500 degree F. Turn the oven off and let the oven and pan completely cool down.  Repeating this process several times is recommended as it will help create a stronger “seasoning” bond. I’ve only had to do this once so far. If you clean the pan right, you won’t need to repeat this seasoning process for years.

Cooking: Every time I cook, I add a little olive oil or butter. Cast iron does take a little longer to heat up but it retains heat for a longer time. Cast iron gets very hot; especially the handles. You’ll need to use a pot holder. I have a silicone handle grip that works well.

Silicone hand grips

Silicone hand grips

Cleaning: I typically do not use soap. This can remove some of the seasoning. Once the pan has cooled down enough to handle (don’t leave it too long. It can make it harder to clean), I scrape any leftover food out, then just use warm water and a scrubber.  Once in a while I may use just a little soap to help with cleaning. Once it is clean I add a little oil and put the pan back over a burner to dry and re-season. Cast-iron can crack if you put a hot pan into cold water.

So there you have it. Go find your Grandma’s old cast iron cook ware and have at it!

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Sweet Potato Salad

July 12th, 2010

This salad is a favorite of ours during the summer. It makes a change from regular potato salad. There are quite a few ingredients but it is so worth it. I usually make a big batch so we have it for a couple of days.  It goes well with a number of meals. We usually have it with quiche or omelettes.  Remember to make it ahead of time so it has time to chill.

Sweet Potato

Sweet Potato

INGREDIENTS:
Dressing-
1/3 cup of olive oil
2-3 tbsp pure Maple syrup
3 Tbsp Orange juice
3 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Salad-
2-3 large sweet potatoes (the ones with the red skins)
1 cup of chopped green onions
1 diced apple
2 -3 sticks of chopped celery
1 cup of chopped parsley
1 cup of toasted pecans, chopped
1/2 cup of golden raisins
1/2 cup of brown raisins

METHOD:
To make the dressing simply mix all the ingredients together.  I mix them in a mason / jam jar and give it a good shake.

For the salad; peel and cube the sweet potatoes and steam for 10 minutes until they are just tender. Don’t overcook or they will go to mush.  Let the potatoes cool. In a large bowl add the diced apple and mix with a little lemon juice. This will prevent it from turning brown. Add all the salad ingredients together and pour the dressing over. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

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