The Green Thumb Project – part one

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Hello and Happy Monday!

You’re probably grumbling at the idea of a new work week, but you know what? I figure it’s like this…. Don’t you feel good when someone smiles and wishes you a good day? You do.  So here I am to wish you a happy Monday in hopes that it may, just may, help make the Monday blues just a little less cloudy.

One thing that has been making me happy lately is my attempt to turn my black thumb, into a green thumb.  I’m one of those people who kills plants. I’ve always relinquished any responsibility when it comes to keeping greenery in a house.  Dogs, cats, people… those things I can keep going.  Plants, not so much.

But that’s about to change people, I’m telling you, I can feel it! I decided to give myself a project this summer of starting a garden.  Now, living in Brooklyn in a North facing brownstone, I have zero natural light to even have window boxes, but I’m fortunate to have a wonderful boyfriend who lives in a wonderful house with a yard (!). And guess what, he bought me dirt! Isn’t that just the sweetest thing? I think so!

Anyway, I’ve gotten a step ahead of myself again.  The gift of dirt will be explained next time.

The Green Thumb Project started with a bunch of seed packets from my local coop, a trip to Home Depot, a very helpful garden specialist named Antonio, and a 72 seed Green House Kit.  It was determined that I would plant the carrots, kale, swiss chard, mesclun, arugula and broccoli raab directly in the garden, the rest I’d start by seed.  Everyone told me to start with the easier method of container planting, did I listen? No. Typical.

Because I’m an organizational freak, this is what my seed starter spreadsheet (yes, thank you grad school for teaching me to use Excel for everything) looks like… You gotta keep track of these little buggers!

Now, after just one week, this is what they look like (minus a few green beans, already transplanted):

The green beans are the eager beavers of the class for sure!  The summer squash (bottom row) are the runners up.

Look! The green beans even had to be transplanted to bigger homes already!

I’m a bit concerned, solely because I’m being told it’s entirely too early to put the green beans in the ground, so it’s quite possible that they will take over the entire living room, The Blob style, before I can put them outside in a few weeks.  Wish us luck!

I’m super excited about this project, but recognize I’ve definitely bitten off a bit too much for my first gardening attempt.  I’ll try and keep plant homicide to a minimum, and hopefully this summer we’ll be eating home grown veggies!

Are you a seasoned gardener? Do you have any wisdom to impart to this newbie? For my plant’s (and my ego’s) sake, please help! 

Treats for Annick part deux – AMAZING chocolate chunk cookies

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Hello there!  I hope everyone is having a lovely week so far!

I told y’all about my friend Annick last week, remember? And I promised to share part two of ‘Treats for Annick.’ Well here it is, and boy o boy, you should be excited!

I found this recipe while reading one of my absolute favorite blogs, A Cup of Jo.   Joanna, the über personable lifestlye blogger with terrific style and taste (if you ask me), has started a “best you’ll ever have” food series – best banana bread, best roast chicken, best spaghetti and so on.  Well – these cookies were “best chocolate chunk cookies you’ll ever have” and you know what? They honestly may very well be. No lie.

There are two secrets – muscovado sugar (recipe calls for light, I used dark because I had some on hand) and sea salt (the original recipe calls for Fleur de Sel, but I used Maldon). I really don’t think there is anything I love more than the combo of sweet and salty!

The best part about this recipe? The dough freezes perfectly, enabling those late night, early morning, afternoon teatime, cookie cravings to be satisfied by freshly baked, warm, gooey, sweet, saltyness.  You know you want some! I know I do, and I think I’ll go make yet another batch right now. Who’s with me?!

Photo by Aran from Cannelle et Vanille

Sea Salt Chocolate Chunk Cookies ever so slightly adapted (and photograph) from A Cup of Jo

A couple quick notes.  One, the original recipe provides a gluten free version – if that’s your thing, go for it and enjoy a delicious gluten free cookie.  Two, with this (and you’ll see some other baking recipes I share) I give some of the ingredients in weights; it’s more accurate. A kitchen scale is a super handy tool to have, and I highly suggest picking one up; doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but make sure it’s of good enough quality to ensure accuracy.

Ingredients

1 stick (110 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup (100 g) packed light muscovado sugar (I used dark)

1/4 cup (50 g) natural cane/white sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg, at room temperature

8 ounces (230 g) all purpose flour

1/2 tsp fleur de sel (I used Maldon sea salt, crumbled, but any course sea salt will do), plus more for topping

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup (170 g) chocolate chunks or chips (I used nestle semi-sweet, but these would be killer with good dark chocolate)

Directions

1.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, both sugars (muscovado and natural cane/white), and vanilla.  Mix with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 2 minutes until light.  Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.  Add the egg and mix until combined.

2.  In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, fleur de sel/sea salt (if using Maldon, finely crumble flakes before measuring), and baking soda.  Add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and mix on medium speed until the dough comes together.

3.  Add the chocolate chunks/chips and mix until thoroughly incorporated.

4.  Scoop the dough onto a piece of parchment paper.  With the help of the parchment, roll the dough into a log that is approximately 2 inches in diameter and 12 inches long.  Wrap the log with the parchment and refrigerate for 1 hour (or additionally wrap well in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for future cookie cravings).

5.  Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).  Cut the log into 1/2″ disks.  Place them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats, leaving 2 inches between each cookie.

6.  Sprinkle the tops with a bit of fleur de sel/sea salt.  Bake for about 12 minutes or until edges set and start to turn golden.  They might look a bit underdone, but this is fine.  They will harden as they cool and slightly under-baking them will keep them chewy and moist.

7.  Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before trying to lift them.  Store them in an airtight container.

Useful Tools

Kitchen scale

Maldon Sea Salt

It’s snack time! Kale Dip recipe

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Photo by Johnny Miller. Courtesy of Whole Living magazine's April 2012 issue.

Every month I look forward to receiving my Whole Living and Everyday Food magazines.  I turn down the corners of pages for recipes I want to try.  Inevitably this results in an unmanageable number, but I give it a whirl anyway.  This month, Whole Living graciously provided me with some delicious snack recipes.

You know that feeling when you’re hungry, need a snack, and know that you really should reach for something healthy, but instead all you can see is the package of cookies in your cabinet (or in my case, thin mints in the freezer)? Yeah, me too.  My problem is that I’m always lacking in healthy, yummy, snack options.  Well look no further – this one is an absolute winner! Serve with veggie sticks (original recipe suggests blanched sugar snap peas) for dipping. Ooooh, or use as a sandwich spread.  Orrrr just eat it by the spoonful – it is THAT good!

Kale Dip from Whole Living Magazine, April 2012

Serves 4 (makes 1 cup)

Ingredients

1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

3 cups thinly sliced kale leaves

Coarse salt

1 cup low-fat cottage cheese

Pinch red pepper flakes (optional – if not using, season with freshly ground black pepper)

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.  Add garlic and kale and season with salt.  Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes.  Let cool.

2. Transfer to a food processor.  Add cottage cheese and purée until smooth.  Season with pepper flakes (or freshly ground black pepper) and lemon juice.  Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Biscuits for Annick – garlic herb cheddar biscuits

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A little while ago I asked a dear friend of mine, Annick (a lovely lovely person and extremely talented photographer), to take a few photos of me for the blog.  It occurred to me that the only photos I had were group ones I cropped – those just wouldn’t do! So Annick was nice enough to come to the rescue; and in exchange I did what I do best – baked! (funny story, when we worked together and first met, Annick and I realized that we grew up in the same town in Maine and went to the same school! Small world, right?).

Well, I asked Annick what kinds of treats she and her new hubby (congrats guys!) would like and she immediately said cookies and/or biscuits. I lit up like the sky on the 4th of July, because I had just the biscuit recipe in mind I’d been wanting to try.

Now, people, these really are a treat.  There is absolutely nothing healthy about them (well… the flour I used had wheat germ in it, that makes ‘em healthy, right?! right.), but boy o boy, they turned out so well I just had to share the recipe! Thanks to Pinterest, I found the recipe here and only adapted it ever so slightly. Give ‘em a try; you won’t be disappointed.  They would be great for breakfast with eggs, or alongside your favorite soup or chili!

Stay tuned for “treats for Annick part deux” – the most amazing chocolate chip cookie recipe ever.  Oh and if you’re in the New York area and are in need of the cutest, nicest photographer, check out Annick’s website for examples of her work and contact details!

Garlic Herb Cheddar Biscuits

Biscuits
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons shortening
3 tablespoons butter, cold
1 cup buttermilk (I never have buttermilk so I use 1 c milk and 1 1/2 tsp vinegar… let them sit together until little bubbles appear on the top, about ten min.)
1-1/2 to 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

Topping
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 teaspoon dried italian seasoning (or herbs of choice)
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, garlic powder and salt.

Cut in shortening and butter until coarse crumbs are formed.

Lightly mix in grated cheese.

Mix in buttermilk just until moist (Note: You may not need all the milk! dry spots here and there are ok – the biscuits will be tough if they are overmixed).

Drop the biscuits onto a greased or lined baking sheet, in about 1/4 cup mounds.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, until browned and golden.

While the biscuits are baking, in a small bowl combine butter, parsley, garlic powder and salt. Right when the biscuits come out of the oven, brush the butter/herb mixture over the biscuits evenly (alternately, you can dip the top of the biscuit into the butter mixture). Serve immediately.

Fun Lists and Kindness – an inspiring story

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Hello friends!

I’d like to share an inspiring story with you today, in hopes that you’ll join me in implementing a little extra kindness into our lives, and the lives of those around us, to make the world a better place.

Currently, being unemployed, I have nothing but time.  But, I’m quite proud of myself for staying productive every day.  I cook, I read, I write, I research, and all the usual things that go about changing careers.  What I don’t do typically, is turn on the tv during the day.  However, last week sometime I was in need of a break, so I treated myself to a cup of tea and turned on the TV, tuning into the Ellen Degeneres Show.  Now mind you, these breaks are rarely productive, however I was really glad when I heard the story of a California mum of two, Jodi Fisher.

Jodi was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer some seven years ago, and after experiencing the hope of remission, it came back in full force.  Despite everything, Jodi says: “I stay positive, try not to focus on the negative, and be grateful for all the things that I do have.”

Enter the Fun List.  In talking with her daughter, they started to write down experiences they would like to have as a family – this became her “bucket list,” which they renamed the “fun list.” Jodi said that the list “is about spending time together, making good memories, and experiences.”  Touched by the kindness of others while she’d been fighting the dreaded disease, she said that the fun list also acted as a way to give back. On her birthday one year for example, she and her family drove an ice cream truck around her hometown, handing out free ice cream.  How fun and happy inducing is that?!

Jodi’s fun list included (among other things!) traveling with her family, renting a limo simply to go get french fries (awesome!), and meeting President Obama.  The last thing on her list was to attend a taping of the Ellen Show.

In introducing her guest, Ellen said that she, and the show, tries to inspire people to be “happier, positive, and kinder to each other.” It’s what Jodi took the time to say to Ellen that really resonated with me:  ”It makes me feel good that we have people like you in the world that are inspiring and stand up for people, because, you probably know, a lot of people don’t do it.  Like when you say ‘just be kind,’  it’s huge!  And if everyone did just a little bit, I think we’d live in a better place.”

I couldn’t agree more! Treat others the way in which you wish to be treated.  Be kind. Pay it forward. Seriously, if we all make a little extra effort to be considerate and thoughtful, and greet others with a smile, we are bound to transform our world, one act of kindness at a time.

Unfortunately, shortly after appearing on the Ellen Show, Jodi Fisher lost her battle, but she left us with a reminder to be happy, spirited, grateful and kind.

I hope you find a little inspiration in this story.  If you are so inclined, you can watch the original segment here.

As always, live well, eat well, be well!

Digestive-esque Biscuits

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Raised by a half-British mum (yes, that’s “mom” with a ‘u’), and having traveled and lived in the UK extensively, I naturally became quite the Anglophile. I prefer Fairy Liquid over other dish detergents; I greatly miss shopping at Waitrose; I stubbornly believe that Lemsip is the only thing that will cure me when I’m sick; like a child, I could drink Ribena every day; and I believe in teatime with biscuits.  As any Brit or Anglophile will know, the go to teatime treats are McVities Digestive Biscuits (preferably the chocolate dipped ones) or HobNobs (again, preferably the chocolate dipped ones…are you seeing the trend here?!).  Finding McVities in the US has become easier, but they remain expensive, so over the last month or so, spurred on by a resurgence of my teatime tradition, I have been attempting to come up with a suitable homemade version.

My first batch was ok; the second was a near fail; the third – now we were getting somewhere.  See, I don’t like the pure wheat version, I like the nuttiness of the oats- like a Digestive-HobNob hybrid. The fourth batch is the winner so far – whole wheat-y, oaty, not too sweet, flakey almost like a shortbread. Delicious!

The plain biscuits are great with a slice of cheddar cheese (if you really want to get serious, spread a tiny little bit of butter, then marmite or vegimite, then top with cheese) or dip these suckers in some melted dark chocolate, and you’re on your way to heaven every afternoon at about 4pm… that’s teatime of course!

Digestive-esque Biscuits yields about 14 

1 cup whole wheat (preferably pastry) flour

3/4 cup medium ground oats

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup confectioner sugar

1/4 cup cold milk

This recipe comes together almost instantly in a food processor, but if you don’t have one, it can be done by hand.  Simply grind the oats in a blender, or in portions in a (clean) coffee grinder first.

Preheat oven to 350° F

In a blender or food processor, repeatedly pulse oats to medium grind.  You don’t want them powdery, but you don’t want them whole either. Remove and set aside 3/4 cup worth. Combine whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, ground oats, salt and baking powder, and either whisk or pulse in food processor to combine. In the food processor, with a pastry blender, two knives or your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour mixture, until the consistency of sand with some larger pea-sized pieces.  Toss in the sugar and enough milk to make a stiff dough.  Pulse in the food processor, or kneed mixture on a floured surface, until smooth.

Roll the dough out to about 1/8 inch thick and cut into any desired shape. Traditionally digestive biscuits are cut in rounds about 2-1/2 inches in diameter.  Place on greased (or parchment, or baking mat lined) baking sheet, prick evenly with a fork, and bake until pale gold, between 15 and 20 minutes. Note: I prefer mine a tiny bit on the thinner side and baked for about 17-19 minutes so they are rather crispy.  The thicker they are, the softer they will be or the longer you will need to bake them for to achieve the crisp-factor.

The Best Kale Salad You’ve Ever Had

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Eat more kale people! How great is this t-shirt?! For some backstory about the VT artist Bo Muller-Moore (Eat More Kale guy) vs. Chick-Fil-A, check out this article. Foolishness, just plain foolishness, if you ask me.  But I digress… kind of…

Did you know that kale scores a perfect 1,000 on the Aggregate Nutrient Density Index, a food-rating system that measures nutrients per calorie.  That’s how it’s become known as the #1 “Superfood” (source). Nutritionally, kale has Vitamins K, A and C, and calcium.  ”While I view the term ‘superfood’ with more than a healthy dose of skepticism (it’s more of a marketing term than a nutrition term), I would be hard-pressed to come up with a food more deserving of the title,” Tamara Duker Freuman, a dietician and nutritionist, told NPR’s Eliza Barclay (source). So yes, you really should eat more kale!

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Homemade Vanilla Spiced Chai Tea

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Hello friends!

I love chai. I love the smell. I love the taste. I love how it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

May I tell you a little story?  For a couple of my elementary school years we lived near a small town called Salisbury, CT. In Salisbury there is the sweetest little tea room, set back off the main street, called Chaiwalla (fun fact: chaiwalla is actually what people who make and sell chai in India are called).  Well, when we lived nearby, my mum and I would go to Chaiwalla for tea and mushroom toast (mushrooms sauteed with lots of garlic and served on whole wheat toast. Yumm!).  Now fast forward, say… 16 years, to last summer when I hinted (ok, fine, I told…) my boyfriend that I’d like to go away for our mutual birthday weekend.  He came through and surprised me with an overnight in Lakeville, CT (the town next to Salisbury). The funny part is he had no idea that I’d lived there! I was thrilled and the first place we went was to Chaiwalla. As soon as we ordered a pot of chai (their own special blend) I was flooded with a tsunami’s worth of memories, all brought on by this specific smell. Needless to say, I bought a bag of tea to take home, and sniffed the packaging for the next two days!

Well, it was a sad day when I noticed that I was almost out of my beloved Chaiwalla chai, so I went on a search to make my own.  Enter one of my very favorite food blogs, Eat Live Run. I am so in love with Jenna’s homemade chai that I make a big batch every week and simply heat it up as needed. It’s perfect! Super flavorful and full of all those good, healthy, warming spices.

Did you know that chai tea comes from the Indian subcontinent where “chai” is simply the generic term for “tea” in Hindi? What we, in the western world, think of as chai, is often actually masala chai, or a spiced tea, one of the countless varieties of chai found throughout India – each originating from, and combining, unique flavors, local tastes, and family traditions.

Each spice that make up masala chai is said to have unique health benefits…In the case of this recipe….

Ginger is great for fighting off colds and flues, and is good for the digestive and respiratory systems. It is also an anti-inflammatory and natural decongestant.

Clove boosts the immune system and is said to fight illness by regenerating heat in the body.

Cinnamon is a stimulant and is said to significantly help lower LDL cholesterol.

Cardamom (my personal favorite!) is said to give clarity and precision to the mind.

So live well and do your mind, and body, a favor by making a batch of this tea to start your day off right!

Oh and by the way, in my opinion, Jenna’s recipe will totally blow Starbucks, Oregon Chai syrup and Trader Joe’s spiced chai powder (all of which perviously fulfilled my chai fix) out of the freakin’ water!

Homemade Vanilla Spiced Chai Tea from Eat Live Run

As is, this recipe serves 1-2, but I highly recommend doubling, or tripling, this recipe and, after straining it, place the tea (without the milk and sugar) in a sealable container in the fridge.  It will be good for a couple of weeks (like it could possibly last that long. ha!) and can easily be heated up as needed (and then add the milk and your sweetener of choice). 

Ingredients

2 whole black peppercorns

3 green cardamom pods, gently smashed with the side of a knife (available at Whole Foods)

3 whole cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 inch fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thin

1 vanilla bean, scraped and seeds reserved

1 tbsp black tea, preferably Assam (you can tear open a tea bag if you don’t have loose tea)

1-1/2 cups water

1/2 cup milk

1 tbsp sugar or honey

Directions

Combine peppercorns, smashed cardamom pods, cloves, ginger, vanilla bean and seeds, and cinnamon stick with the water in a small pot.  Bring to a boil then cover and simmer for five minutes.  After five minutes, take off the stove (but keep covered) and let steep for 10 minutes, then add the tea and continue to steep (covered) for another five minutes.

Pour the tea through a fine mesh strainer and then add milk and sweetener.  Warm up if necessary.


Volunteer – give a little, get a lot

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Hey y’all!

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend.  Here in the New York area, we had absolutely gorgeous weather – spring has definitely sprung! I had another yummy recipe post ready for you today, but after the day I had on Saturday, I really would like to talk about that for just a minute.

Frequently over the last few years I felt unbalanced in terms of how I spent my time.  All too often (read: virtually all the time) I had little energy for anything other than work, and felt dissatisfied with the lack of time and efforts I was able to give to worthy causes.  So needless to say, one of the very first things I did when I lost my job last month was look into volunteer opportunities.  That’s how I became involved with Slow Food.  One of Slow Food NYC’s programs is Urban Harvest – an initiative which “helps NYC children learn about the effects of good food on their health and well-being, the health of their communities and the health of their planet.” (source)  This program is broken down into two areas – Urban Harvest in Schools and Urban Harvest Gardens; I spent Saturday helping out with the latter.  In order to offer these initiatives, teach kids about healthy eating and living, and build in them the pride one recieves from growing things with your own two hands, gardens are needed.  This weekend I helped build the newest Urban Harvest Garden in Brownsville (an area of Brooklyn).

The whole empty lot you see in the first picture is going to be a garden for the local school and community.  How great is that?! But in order for it to be ready for the summer program, a LOT of work still needs to be done.

My time was spent sanding and sealing salvaged planks (cool points for building green!), and although a rather mundane task, I can not begin to tell you how good it felt to be part of something that I believe to be so worthwhile. I went home happy, tired, and the next day realized I used muscles I didn’t even know I had – but it was definitely worth it! For me, doing good, giving back and being a force for positive change in some way, shape or form, is a big part of living well.

I urge you, if you haven’t already, find a way to give back.  Even just an hour here, or an hour there can really make a difference to volunteer run organizations – it’s good for the community, planet and for your soul.

Just a few resources to start your volunteer opportunity search:

Slow Food Urban Harvest (New York)

New York Cares

Street Project Volunteer New York

Volunteer Meetup Groups (Nationwide)

Volunteers of America

VolunteerMatch

Eat Well. Spinach, Mushroom, Quinoa, Wild Rice Patties

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I know, I know, the recipe title is a mouthful, but to be honest, I have no idea what else to call them.  Perhaps, SMQWR Patties? Naw, that’s even worse, don’t  you think?

I developed this recipe after making these, and though they were a delicious option (I highly recommend trying them…and save yourself some trouble and time by use organic canned sweet potato puree instead of making your own), they were a bit to sweet for my boyfriend’s taste (naturally he’s my personal recipe guinea pig).

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