Rice is good, but lentils are my life.

For a quick meal, I love making lentils. Unlike most dried beans, you don't have to soak them over night, and depending on the variety, they take about 20-40 minutes to cook. Lentils are rich in iron, having the second highest amount of protein per calorie of the legumes (soybeans are number one). Also, lentils are an excellent source of insoluble fibers.

Even our ancient ancestors knew the potential of this tiny legume. Lentils were one of the first domesticate crops, where archeological sites have found lentils in 8000 year old remains!  Having a mild flavor, lentils can take on the flavors of the ingredients that you are cooking with, being a great addition to soups. Growing up, my mother would make pasta with lentils, Pasta con Lenticchi, a typical Sicilian meal. Skip the "red sauce" for a night, and try this great, hardy meal.   

Pasta con Lenticchi

Ingredients
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 cup lentils (picked through (you never know if there's a small pebble!))
- 1/2 lb pasta (water to boil) penne or rigatoni
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 1/2 cup water (water to cook lentils*)
- Bunch of parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
- grated pecorino romano  









Step One. In a small pot, saute garlic in olive oil. In a separate pot, bring water to boil for pasta and cook pasta as according to directions or preference.

Step Two. Add water, lentils, parsley, salt and pepper to small pot and cook for 25 minutes or until lentils are tender. Note, the water should mostly be absorbed.

Step Three. Add cook pasta to lentils and cook over stove top for 1-2 minutes.

Step Four. Serve and Enjoy (add some grated cheese too!)

It may be the weather, but my sister and I both were jonesing for this dish yesterday! Shout out to you, Kristina!

True or false, can you make bearnaise in the microwave??

The answer is true! It only takes some patience and knowing your microwave. I tried this recipe from Instructables. Whenever I had some extra eggs in my fridge, I would attempt this method, and on my third try, I got it! 

What is a béarnaise sauce? It is derived from hollandaise - one the five mother sauces. The French mother sauces include béchamel, velouté, espagnole, and sauce tomat. Each sauce has a thickening agent (either flour or egg) mixed and cooked with butter to create an emulsion. The key for the hollandaise is to slowly cook the eggs and butter, a similarly employed method to when making custard. You don't want to cook your eggs too quickly, or you'll end up with a scrambled egg mess!

To prepare a hollandaise, classical methods acidify the eggs with lemon juice or vinegar to help aid in the emulsion, and then the mixture cooks slowly over a water bath. Melted butter is then whisked in to create the emulsion. Julia Child's method in the Joy of Cooking has the egg mixture directly over stove top and melted butter is added to the eggs. To create the béarnaise, vinegar is spruced up with shallots, tarragon, and pepper and then reduced (and cooled) prior to adding the butter. 

Making a hollandaise/béarnaise over stove top is no easy feat. It is essential to have control of the temperature, which is key to this sauce. The microwave oven doesn't really make this sauce preparation easier. Many think that microwave ovens heat food "from the inside out," but this isn't true. Microwaves agitate each molecule of your food source. As the molecules move, they create heat. It is this residual heat that cooks your food, and because every molecule is moving at the same time, the food source cooks quickly. In traditional cooking methods (oven, stovetop, water baths), heat has to penetrate the out layer first and then moves inwards. 

I followed the Instructable recipe, but I was very cautious on my timing. You need to use short bursts of heat and whisk vigorously when using your microwave. I used seven second intervals to control my emulsion temperature, and I took my time whisking. Eventually, you will notice your emulsion change from a frothy, pale yellow to a bold, golden yellow. Note, you can also over cook your emulsion, so be careful not to over nuke your food!

Meatloaf

Growing up, I never understood why people didn't like meatloaf.

Then, I realized their meatloaf wasn't anything close to what I called "meatloaf" in my home. Even the first time I made meatloaf for Brian, he instinctively ran to fridge to grab the ketchup and was ready to douse the dish. Luckily, I was able to stop him! Disclaimers: this meatloaf recipe 1) is not a brick with a squiggly, red ketchup line or lines on it and 2) it is delicious.

Our family's recipe for meatloaf is stuffed with peas, mozzarella and ham. Yes, it is a little difficult to prepare, and there are multiple steps, but once you get the hang of forming the loaf, it's a great meal that you'll love.

Ingredients:
Beef Mix
1 1b ground beef (I use 90:10)
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup parmigiano, grated
1/2- 3/4 cups bread crumbs, seasoned
salt and pepper for taste
Stuffing
1 cup of frozen peas
1/3 onion diced
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/8 lb deli ham, sliced thin (can omit)




Step One:
Using your hands, mix beef, eggs, parmigiano, salt and pepper. Gradually, add bread crumbs to mix. You are looking for a meatball mix consistancy; the mixture should be still moist but able to hold its form.

Before                                   After

Step Two:
Meanwhile, saute onion and peas.

Step Three:
Roll some aluminum foil. Flatten meat mixture to about a half inch in thickness.

Step Four:

Layer ham on to mixture. 

Step Five:

Layer sauted peas and onions. 

Step Six:

Layer shredded mozzarella. 

Step Seven (The hard part):

Fold the two ends of the mixture, using the foil to help lift the meat. Press the sides and ends together.

Step Eight:

Gingerly place in baking dish and cook for 30-35 minutes at 350F. 

mmm, meatloaf!!! 

Step Nine: 

Slice and enjoy!!

look how the peas, cheese, and ham just melt into the loaf! 

Quick Dinner

Have you ever seen this in the store, and not know what to do with it?

This is already prepared polenta. All you need to do is slice and reheat that simple! When making from scratch, polenta is cornmeal that has been boiled. You can stop at this step and eat like a porridge or thicker like a mash. Most times, it is cooled in a baking dish to set and then baked or fried. This is a great alternative for your starch side, simply heated in skillet and sprinkle some parmigiano, or as I prepared below as a lasagna casserole; instead of pasta, try polenta.

Step One: Slice polenta.

Step Two: Layer with cheese and sauce. Here, I had made a meat sauce (see I did NOT call this gravy; that goes on a turkey). 

Step Three: Bake at 350F until top is golden. About 25 minutes.

Step Four: Enjoy!! 

Desparately Seeking Seaweed (Snack)

I was in my local Trader Joe's looking for one of my all time favorite snacks, "Oriental Rice Crackers." When the cashier asked,"Did you find everything you're looking for?" I responded,"You know, I couldn't find the Oriental Rice Cracker snack." He rang and called out,"Two bells!" - code for customer can't find random item they don't need. The courier came to answer the request but explained that the item has been discontinued. Bummer.  

The name rings with gastronomical cultural misappropriation, and I've always known of this snack as "Oriental Rice Crackers" though the snack originates in Japan. When I was a child, I'd sit watching afternoon cartoons with my Taiwanese neighbors snacking on these sweet, crunchy, savory delights; I even had my mother going to international stores buying them for me. They are easier to find now (Costco has their own Kirkland variety too), but the convenience of having them readily available at Trader's was a binge snacker's dream.

To the naysayers of sushi or anything enrobed in seaweed, you'd be surprised that you've probably eaten it unknowingly.  Carrageenans and agar are seaweed extracts that are used as thickening agents in things from toothpaste to ice cream to skin creams.  Yum!

Over the past few years, seaweed has entered the "super food" craze, where you can easily find roasted seaweed packs in your regular grocery stores aisle. So why has it entered the super food realm? For starters, seaweed is rich in iodine, which is essential in regulating thyroid hormones. Our bodies need iodine in order to properly regulate thyroid hormones. Often, the foods we eat aren't rich in the element. If you've switched out regular table salt for fancy pink himalayan or hawaiian smoked black sea salt, you've most likely lost your iodine source. In the 1920, the government mandated iodine be added to table salt. This was to reduce the problem of hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid gland doesn't produce enough thyroid hormone. Even moderate hypothyroidism symptoms can include fatigue, muscle weakness, and even worse, goiters (the swelling of the thyroid).

If you're not so interested in this high impact iodine food, yogurt and strawberries have iodine too, just not in the same quantity.

Seaweed's other health benefits include being a source of potassium and calcium. In addition, the introduction of seaweed can balance acidic diets, since it is a good source of magnesium.  Many of the foods we eat are either very acidic or when our body breaks them down, they create acidic compounds, so the introduction of seaweed can keep our diet pH in check. Also, research suggests seaweed can also help regulate estrogen and estradiol levels.

There are three types of seaweed: red, brown, and green, all belonging to the algae family. My favorite cracker in the mix is wrapped in nori, the type of seaweed used to wrap sushi (red algae).

When you order miso soup, the delicate dashi is prepared with dried kelp (brown algae).

 If the idea of eating seaweed is still strange, spirulina (green algae) supplements are an excellent source of a complete protein, containing all the essential amino acids needed for your diet.

Sbarro's Saga Continued...

I was reviewing some of my old post, and I came across my article about Sbarro’s, which filed chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2011, and recently, I read the chain closed about 150 more locations. At the time of my last post, the great recession was to blame for the poor turnout in malls across the country. Less people in the mall, less foot traffic in the food courts, and consequently, less people eating at the food court king, Sbarro’s. Now, the recession is over and Sbarro’s is still losing. Why?

Are people just plain tired of greasy pizza? In an effort to provide healthier options, last year Sbarro’s introduced a 270 calories per slice pizza. I haven’t tried it yet, but it looks okay. Then again, if I’m going for a slice a pizza, it doesn’t have to be healthy. During the recession, chains like Five Guys have boomed, and they’re not very health conscious at all!

You'll most likely find a Sbarro's branch in a food court or highway rest stop. I don't remember the last time that I visited my mall's food court. I usually try to avoid it; too crowded, too many preteens! I do remember going to the Cheesecake Factor. Even though the wait, this casual dining establishment and the alike have taken business away from court. The cafeteria-style displayed pizza is not as appetizing as "made to order" food that a Chipotle or Panera Bread has to offer. Maybe that's why Sbarrro's Inc. has created a new restaurant concept to take back a piece of the consumer pie! 

Cucinova is Sbarro's new fast casual dining establishment. Patrons can order from their pizza menu, which names items such as "wild mushroom pizza" - portobello, shiitake, and button mushrooms drizzled with white truffle oil - to creating their own. There are also some neat, en vogue salad options like red and yellow roast beets with goat feta cheese. Fine dining meets affordable and convenient all on a pizza! Oh and did I mention they have craft beer on tap?? Currently, there are only two locations; I hope they expand quickly! 

This won't be an automatic win for Sbarro's Inc because there are other fast casual pizza places, like Vapiano and others alike, so they'll need to find their niche.  

As for Sbarro's, they decided to rebrand themselves, by adding "Brooklyn Fresh" at the end of their name. With the words "Brooklyn" and "Fresh" at the end, it has to be good too, even though it seems like there's in nothing new! These rebranded branches won't be at malls, so what happens to the original Sbarro's? Time will tell... 

ch-ch-ch chia!

I can’t help when I hear the word “chia,” I instantly think, “ ch-ch-ch chia!”

Yes, that famous commercial, where you spread seeds onto a clay mold; those seeds are the health food craze that I finally succumbed to. I bought a bag at Trader Joe’s ($4.99) to see what they were all about. 

Chia originates from Latin America, and even the Native Americans knew of their “super food” qualities. The Mayans named this plant after their word meaning “strengthening.” Tribes would consume the seeds during their battles and hunting expeditions. Just a spoon full of seeds would boost their energy needs, and today, chia is becoming a favor food amongst athletes.

Like flax seeds, chia seeds are packed with fiber, which keeps your body from quickly absorbing glucose; this prevents sugar “highs” and “lows.” One of the main health benefits from chia seeds is their amount of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, which is essential in building cell membranes. Also, studies have shown that omega fatty acids prevent inflammation, lower blood pressure, and protect against heart disease. There is some conflicting data on whether plant based fatty acids are inferior to fatty acids found in fish oil, but in general, most people do not ingest enough of either, so bring on the chia seeds!

Chia seeds are another good source for antioxidents, which protect the cells from free radicals that can cause cellular damage or cell death (aging!! ahh!).  Also, chia seeds contain all the essential amino acids to make proteins, so it is considered a  “complete protein." As for important minerals, chia seeds contain phosphorous and calcium, which are important in bone and teeth formation. 

So for my first chia seed experience, I added them to my post workout green drink.

Ingredients
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp tumeric (anti-inflammatory, antioxidant)
1 cup collard greens (lower cholesterol, Vitamin K (blood clotting), anti-inflammatory)
1 cup almond milk (protein, Magnesium (food breakdown), vitamin E (antioxidant))
1 meyer lemon (iron (blood), potassium (heart and kidney), vitamin C (antioxidant))
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (aids in digestion)

Directions
Combine all ingredients and blend. Enjoy all the nutrients!!

Not bad, really no impact on my drink. When I first learned about chia, I had seen a chia drink like this:

It kinda looks like boogies with a lime wedge! Really, it is better to soak the seeds prior because the seeds take up so much water, and if ingested whole can sometimes bring on constipation. 

For my second chia seed endeavor, I made a breakfast cereal. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup of instant farro, cooked

1/4 cup of chocolate almond milk

1 tbsp chia seeds

1/4 cup banana

1/4 cup walnuts

Directions

Mix all ingredients and let sit over night. 

The next morning, my chia seeds had become gelatinous, and really, it wasn't as bad as I feared!

Maybe, I'll have the appetite and make a chia drink!