Summer Wheatberry Salad

I'm always on the search for wholesome grains that taste less wholesome than they look. When I say less wholesome, I mean grains that don't taste like cardboard and hamster pellets. Wheatberry was something I tried during a recent co-op grocery lunch with a friend and the chewy, popping grains were quite good as a cool summer salad. 

This recipe was rated highly on the Food Network website so I decided to give it a shot. 

Summer Wheatberry Salad

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups hard wheat berries

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

1/2 cup tart dried cherries, chopped

1 scallion, white and green parts, chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped parsley leaves

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a large pot combine the wheat berries and enough water to come 2 inches over the wheat berries. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered for 1 hour, or until tender. Drain and let cool. 

2. Toast the walnuts in a medium dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, combine the wheat berries, walnuts, celery, dried cherries, scallions, parsley, olive oil and lemon juice. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Wheatberry Salad with a side of marinated beets (marinate with water/beet juice, balsamic vinegar, and sugar). Super easy to prepare and stores well as a side item for workday lunches. Sometimes eating healthy simply allows you to indulge a little bit for dessert. Perhaps more on that in another post. ;) 

Have a great Wednesday! 

Soupe Poireaux Pommes de Terre

Since Hurricane Irene decided to wreck the East Coast, we stayed in all day Saturday to hide from the rain and strong winds. Luckily, we were spared the severe wreckage that some other states received. An earthquake and hurricane in one week is just too much weather drama for my temperate-inclined nature.

While hiding out at home in the dreary weather, I remembered that we had some leeks and potatoes sitting around waiting to be next week's trash. Jacque Pepin made this recipe on his "Fast Food My Way" show on PBS, which is where the inspiration came from. The specific recipe came from here.

Soupe Poireaux Pommes de Terre
Potato and Leek Soup

Ingredients
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces
2 leeks, sliced in quarters length-wise to clean and then chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons of sour cream (optional)
Salt and pepper
2 strips of bacon (optional)
5-7 mushrooms (optional)

Directions
1. (Optional) Slice your bacon into 1 inch pieces and cook over medium heat until crispy. Remove bacon and reserve on side. When cooled, crush to crumbles. Leave the bacon fat in the pan – this will give your soup a deeper level of flavor.

2. Saute leeks and garlic in the rendered bacon fat, if you used bacon, or some olive oil until soft. (Optional: Reserve some leeks for garnish).

3. Add potatoes to the sauteed leeks and pour in the chicken or vegetable stock.

4. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are falling apart. If preferred, reserve some pieces of potato if you want some texture and return to soup after blending.

5. Optional: Add your two tablespoons of sour cream if you prefer a thicker, creamier soup (you can choose to blend first, see what the soup looks like and then add the sour cream and blend again). Add some salt, if necessary, and pepper.

6. Using an emulsion blender or traditional blender, puree the soup. Add in mushrooms and simmer until mushrooms are cooked.

7. Serve in bowls and top with some crumbled bacon and sauteed leeks. We added some thin parmesan shavings (just because).

This will now be added to my arsenal of warming winter soups. Super creamy (with no cream or sour cream added) and flavored with crisp bacon garnish that rounds out the indulgent and comforting flavors of this soup.

Hope your Monday is focused and productive!

Dining In: Chapel Hill, NC - Medi Deli

Mediterranean Deli is hands down my favorite Mediterranean restaurant in the Triangle area and by the looks of Yelp reviews a lot of people feel the same way. I always get the same thing because it is so freaking satisfying. 

Gyro Platter with Scallion Hummus and Greek Salad. (The Husband got to the plate before I could take a picture).  

Lamb Fatayer.

Lahm Bi Ajeen.

All of the spices, lamb, and veggies are super flavorful. They also have a handy condiment bar that offers tzatziki, feta cheese, olives and more. I find that I start to crave Medi Deli when I just want good simple food with no frills and authentic flavors. This is a place that would give Mediterranean restaurants in large major cities a run for their money!

Hope you have a hurricane-free weekend. Stay safe!

Dining In: Cary, NC - La Farm Bakery

We rarely make the trek to Cary/Raleigh. Although it's really not that far, it just feels far in our minds. For this place though, we would happily make that trek on a weekly basis if possible. La Farm Bakery is a bakery and cafe that specializes in French-inspired foods and baked goods. 

While Chocolate Mini Baguette. (To die for!) 

Beautiful cheesecakes, fruit tarts, and chocolate tortes.

Chicken and Duck Liver Paté with an Old Style French Baguette.

We polished off the paté within 24 hours, which left us craving for more. The Sister, who doesn't usually enjoy paté, actually found it quite delicious. This place is perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner... dessert...snack. Pretty much any excuse you can find to eat here is totally worth it. 

What other fabulous bakeries are there in the Triangle area? 

Vegan Orange Berry Scones

I love the flaky, moist texture of scones. However, it is hard to justify the amount of butter that goes into traditional scones and to eat them on an even semi-consistent basis. So, I wishfully thought perhaps vegan scones could be "healthier." I found this recipe last week and decided to try them this past weekend. 

Ingredients

2 cups flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup dried cranberries

2/3 cup chopped walnuts

6 tbsp canola oil

1/2 cup maple syrup

2/3 cup orange juice

zest from 2 oranges

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, wheat flour, baking powder and salt. Add the cranberries and walnuts and set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the oil, maple syrup, orange juice and orange zest. Combine with the dry ingredients to form a thick dough.

4. Spoon by large tablespoons or shape into triangles. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for about 12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. For us, it took closer to 15 minutes of bake time for complete doneness. 

Finished product.

Full disclosure: The Sister admitted that she might have under measured the maple syrup resulting in a drier dough, but we liked it anyway. Next time, we'll actually measure out the correct amount. ;) 

With no butter or sugar, they came out with a crisp outer layer and a soft, moist center. I'm a realist. And while I ultimately believe that scones with butter are pretty darn good, this was a healthy alternative that I would still be interested in eating after all the unhealthy ingredients have been cut.

I also made some fresh, hand-squeeze (literally since I don't own a citrus press) orange juice with all of the leftover oranges to accompany the scones. It was so good.

Have a great start to the week! 

To Organic or Not to Organic?

When browsing the grocery store, I often think to myself, "Should I pay for an organic version of this or not?" But often, I don't remember all the articles that I've read about what is worth or not worth buying organic regarding produce. Then I found this recently on the Lifehacker blog and just had to print a copy in color and post it on my fridge. 

It's just too cute! 

Image from My Paper Crane

Maybe now that I have a mental image of the fruits and veggies, I'll actually remember which of the dirty dozen are actually very dirty!

Have a great weekend and enjoy the tail end of summer! Hello Fall.

Dining In: Myrtle Beach - Landry's Happy Hour

The last beach trip of the year is always a sad time when you realize that the long summer days and backyard bbqs will end in a few months. Although with the heat wave in NC this year, I have to admit that I'm looking forward to fall. 

Myrtle Beach is a quick 3.5 hour drive and makes for a great weekend getaway. Not only that, it is in SC, which has entirely different happy hour laws (thank goodness). My friend had been talking about the Landry's happy hour for a while so we made a point to head there on Saturday evening. All the food is anywhere from $3-5 per portion and they have a generous list of beers and cocktails that also range from $3-5. 

If there is something to indulge in for an affordable price at the massive Broadwalk on the Beach in Myrtle, it would be this place. Bring some good company and enjoy the food and drinks from 4-7 pm. A three hour HH is what I'm talking about. 

Crawfish Queso (Oh, how I miss texas). 

Crab Stuffed Shrimp with Bacon.

Fish Tacos.

We also ordered Fried Sweet Pickles and several of their drinks, which all were quite good. I would recommend the Mango Mojito. If you are headed to Myrtle Beach any time soon, go take advantage of this gem, but get there early as the bar seating does tend to fill up quickly around HH. 

See ya Landry's until next summer! 

Soba Noodles in Japanese Broth

Have you ever looked at the NYTimes Recipes for Health pages and thought, "I should probably eat something like that for dinner." I had one of those moments a few months ago and had the foresight to jot down this recipe before I lost it in my long list of things I want to make. This is likely going to be the simplest dinner that I will make this week. It was so simple I even had time to make Momofuku Shrimp Spring Rolls, which were also a hit.

Soba Noodles in Broth with Sweet Potato, Cabbage, and Oyster Mushrooms
Serves four as a main dish, six as a starter.

Ingredients
6 cups kombu dashi, chicken stock or vegetable stock 
6 ounces Japanese soba noodles, cooked and tossed with 1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes (about 3/4 pound), peeled and sliced about 1/4 inch thick (cut in half lengthwise first if fat)
2 cups shredded cabbage
10-12 oyster mushrooms, rinsed
2 tablespoons minced chives
Salt to taste

Directions
1. Bring the stock to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt if desired. Add the sweet potatoes and cabbage, and simmer 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

2. If the noodles have been refrigerated, warm them by placing them in a strainer and dipping the strainer into the simmering broth. Then distribute the noodles among four to six soup bowls. Add the spinach to the stock. Cover, and turn off the heat. Leave for three minutes. Ladle the soup into the bowls, taking care to distribute the vegetables evenly. Sprinkle the chives over each serving, and serve.

For something that is healthy, it was quite delicious and easy to make. I will definitely be making this one again during the cold winter months when only a bowl of hot soup can warm you up. 

Have a great Monday everyone! 

#durhamtweetup 2011

Sometimes blogging can feel like an isolating activity. And while cooking and writing is extremely therapeutic for me, it can be fun to meet up with like-minded folk and just talk media and food. I had heard about "tweetups" before, but never attended any for fear that I would be an odd duck in the midst of writers, photographers, and other creative minds. However, yesterday evening was the durhamtweetup hosted by @durhamfoodie and @designkompany and I'm so glad I went! It was fun to put faces to twitter handles and actually meet the movers and shakers of the Durham media and food scene. 

Of course where there are foodies, there are food trucks! Welcome to the scene, @ChirbaChirba, Durham's first dumpling truck. Didn't have a chance to try them because of the long line, but will definitely be tracking them down in the future. 

Also caught sighting of @WillandPops, which makes locally-sourced food. Had their Mango Lemonade, which hit the spot on a hot evening. Also in attendance and not shown, but previously featured: @piepushers and @parlourdurham. 

I'd been looking for @KoKyuBBQ for a long time and finally had a chance to try them. 

Thai-Ko. 

Short Rib Slider. 

Duckfat Tots. 

The Thai-Ko had a super flavorful relish/salsa that was delicious with hints of sweetness and spice. The Short Rib Slider had marinated daikon and cucumbers, yum yum. The duck fat tots were what you would expect - fried tots, but with a creamy dip (that might contain duck fat?). I can see why KoKyu has received a following. Layers of flavor and combinations of salt, sweet, and spice. Keep in mind that food truck food is not always cheap - definitely a quality over quantity thing here. 

Overall, durhamtweetup was a laid back and inviting event to meet people who appreciate a vibrant food, media, and creative scene in Durham. Looking forward to seeing how this evolves in the next few years. 

A followup thought to the success of this tweetup. Anyone interested in a similar gathering for young (and old) women entrepreneurs and self-employed folk in Durham? Imagine the wisdom and synergy that could be generated at an event like that! Find me on twitter if interested: @spoonraider. 

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Homemade Potato Gnocchi

A lonely sack of 5 lb potatoes was sitting on our kitchen bench. Since we rarely eat potatoes, I don't know what possessed us to purchase a 5 lb sack. I had some great suggestions to make gratin dauphinois or 5 lbs of french fries. But I decided to overcome my fears of making potato gnocchi and give it one more try. I tried making gnocchi once in college and it was a complete fail. The dough was a ball of sticky mush that never ended up in our mouths. 

This recipe is from Smitten Kitchen. I think I mostly chose it because I could identify with her failed attempts and the pictures made me drool. 

Ingredients

2 pounds Russet potatoes

1 1/2 cups flour


1 teaspoon salt


1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Prick the potatoes all over with a fork, and bake them on a baking sheet for 45 minutes to one hour, or until they are fork-tender. For best results, turn the potatoes over halfway through the baking time. Let the potatoes cool slightly.

2. Peel the potatoes, and then pass them through a potato ricer, food mill or grate them over the large holes of a box grater into a large bowl. Add the lightly beaten egg and the salt to the potatoes and mix well with a wooden spoon.

3. Add the flour to the potatoes a little at a time, using only as much as you need so that the dough will not stick to your hands. When the flour has been incorporated, bring the dough together with your fingertips.

4. Dump the dough and any remaining floury bits onto a slightly floured surface. Knead the dough as you would bread dough. Press down and away with the heel of your hand, fold the dough over, make a quarter turn, and repeat the process. Knead for about three or four minutes.

5. Form the dough into a ball and then divide it into 6 smaller balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the six pieces using your fingertips into a long rope about 3/4 inch thick. Cut the dough into 1 inch pieces.

6. You can cook the gnocchi as it is now, but traditional gnocchi has ridges. To create the ridges, press each piece of dough against the tines of a fork. With your finger, gently roll the pressed dough back off the fork. This takes a little practice. If you find the dough sticking to the fork, dip the fork in flour before you press the dough against it.

7. Place the gnocchi in a single layer on a lightly floured or parchment-lined dish. If you’d like to freeze them for later use, do so on this tray and once they are frozen, drop them into a freezer bag. This ensures that you won’t have one enormous gnocchi mass when you are ready to cook them.

8. To cook the gnocchi, place them into a pot of boiling and well-salted water. After a few minutes the gnocchi will float to the top. Continue to cook for one minute then remove and set aside.

If your dough ball comes an unruly, sticky mess, do not give up! Keep adding flour slowly and eventually it will stop sticking. I thought about throwing the whole batch away when large stabs of dough kept sticking to my entire palm, but I just kept at it. 

The result is light, chewy gnocchi that is quite fabulous lightly pan-seared after a quick boil. Since these take considerable effort (especially in the beginning), I would suggest making a bunch and freezing for rainy days. 

Gnocchi-making aversion? Cured!

Puppy Love

Since I've had the luxury (or curse) of working from home more often, I get to spend my days with these two. Meet Kerbey (right) and Mantoh (left). Kerbey was found on the mean streets of Dallas by a graduate school classmate. Mantoh is my parents' food-crazed Pekingese that snores like a freight train.

Oh yes, that's some tongue right there. Now and then he'll wake up and realize that his tongue has been hanging out and bone dry. 

When these two are together, they are up to no good. 

Lobster Orzo "Mac N Cheese"

In addition to the Banana Cream Pie, The Husband requested Lobster Orzo Mac and Cheese for his birthday dinner last week. This was somewhat difficult since I've never had this dish before. After scouring the internet for recipes, I settled on a combination of these two, one from the Food Network and one from Epicurious. (I basically followed the Food Network recipe until I finished the roux and mixed in the cheese. Then I followed the Epicurious recipe by tossing the pasta in with the cheese mixture instead of baking with bread crumbs as the Food Network recipe suggests.)

What I loved about the Food Network recipe was that you had to make a lobster stock from the lobster shells that was then used to make the roux in the mac and cheese. Brilliant! And the smell of shallots, garlic, and peppercorns with milk in a pot is simply amazing. 

The roux: flour + butter. 

Adding the 3 cheeses: Gruyere, Emmentaler, and Fontina. 

The finished product with lobster pieces, basil, and S+P to taste. 

This dish was quite amazing. The creamy cheese and aromatic lobster broth created a gooey mac and cheese with the orzo pasta. This one is definitely a decadent treat to make for a special night. 

Have a great Monday!