On Growing Up

Centered on the lawn between the maple that no one could climb regardless of effort expended and the honey suckle covered fence that gave every kid in the neighborhood devil splinters at least once, stood a short little apricot tree.

It had only one perfect branch so we took turns: two in the grass, one perched in the childish seat.

The latter designated the picker, dedicated to eyeing each fruit, squeezing it between index and thumb in search of the perfect ripeness, as breeze played through their grubby little hands under sun filtered through the greenest leaves.

Although these California gems set a standard hard to beat, apricots are to this day one of my standard treats, stuffed into cookies, smeared as jam onto peanut butter toast, or tossed into a salad like this.

Stone Salad

Inspired by last years version

Ingredients

• 1/2 c wheatberries
• 1/2 c edamame
• 1/4 c fresh mint, finely chopped
• 2 T oil
• 2 T vinegar
• Salt, as desired
• Pepper, as desired
• 2-3 c kale, washed and chopped
• 2 apricots, sliced
• 2 radish, slivered
• Almonds, chopped
• Feta, crumbled

Combine

1. Add the wheatberries to a small pot, cover with 1-2 inches of water and a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil over high heat.
2. After 15 minutes reduce the temperature to medium and cover the pot.  Cook for another 30 minutes until the wheatberries are translucent (adding more water if necessary) then add the edamame on top, cover, and cook for another 5 minutes until the edamame is steamed through.
3. Drain and excess water from the pot.
4. Toss the mint, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper in large bowl.  Add the kale and gently toss until the leaves are well covered.
5. Gently toss in the wheatberry-edamame mixture, top with apricots, radish, almonds, and feta.
6. Enjoy!

Green on Green on Grape

The most challenging thing about writing a food blog for fun isn't what you may think.

It's not the time, because despite my unrelated full time job cooking is something that I always make time for.  I've always loved grocery shopping, to go to different stores and daydream about what all the ingredients could become so it's not that the prep is a chore for me.   And yes, while others thing snapping pics of everything I eat before it gets to go in my mouth is takes some serious self restraint, it's more of an added enjoyment for me.

When I'm faced with an empty bowl I fill it without a problem.

The real challenge comes after all of that, at the end when I'm faced with a very blank page.  Like last week, when I sat starting at these pictures of this dinosaur bowl and couldn't stop feeling some type of way long enough to form words describing why it was so good.

Yes, this bowl starts similarly to any other empty "bowl" but along the way it's packed with roasted and fresh ingredients that come together in a perfect marriage of contrasting flavors and textures.

The nutty wheat berries bring the perfect amount of chewiness to the table and add to the warmth of the roasted broccoli while the freshly chopped celery and spinach add a little brightness and crunch.  The salmon, which is broken into bite sized chunks, brings the slightest hint of mustard spice into every bite.  And of course, no salad would be complete without a little salty and sweet like my favorite grape and feta combo.

So really this bowl is much more than just the typical come home and curl up on the couch bowl, a just ran forever and need to recover bowl, and a hand your guests spoons and feed them this for dinner bowl.


It's a celebration of everything delicious bowl, because more, is better!

Dinosaur Bowls

Ingredients

For the salmon:

• 3-4 portions of salmon
• mustard seeds
• salt and pepper to taste
• red pepper flakes
• garlic powder
• mustard, powdered
• yellow curry powder, optional

For the salad:

• 1 scant cup wheat berries
• 2 large heads of broccoli, finely chopped
• 1 lemon juiced + zested
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 c grapes, halved
• 3 T feta, crumbled
• 1 c spinach, chopped
• 3 T balsamic
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine:

1. Place the wheat berries in a small pot and cover them with 2 inches of water.  Bring to a boil over high heat for 15 minutes then reduce to low-medium heat and simmer covered for 30 more minutes, adding more water if necessary.  When cooked through, strain any excess water off and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Chop up the broccoli, toss it with two tablespoons of olive oil, the lemon juice and zest, and a little salt a pepper.  Layer on one baking sheet and place in the oven - this will need about 30 minutes or until the broccoli is starting to brown.
4. Place the salmon in the middle of the other baking sheet.  Sprinkle the salmon with as much of the spices as desired in the order listed above then add to the oven for about 20 minutes. When it is cooked as desired, remove the pan and let the fish rest for 5 minutes before chopping up.
5. Meanwhile chop the celery, grapes, feta, and spinach.
6. When the broccoli is cooked, add it to a large mixing bowl with the wheat berries, celery, and grapes.  Toss with the balsamic and more salt and pepper if desired.
7. Gently toss in the spinach, feta, and salmon.
8. Enjoy immediately and store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.

If Romesco and Minestrone had a baby...

This is it!

A blend of red pepper, tomato, and balsamic make up a base bright enough to chase away those snowy skies.  Wheat berries, white beans, chard, and artichokes a heartiness that's enough to help you shed that winter pullover.

Of course, no Spanish-Italian crossover would be complete without lots of garlic, onion, crushed red pepper, paprika and saffron to spice things up.

Note: if you can handle some heat, make this soup as is and you may need a tissue.  If you can't handle heat, make this soup as is to clear out your winter cold in one serving or reduce the red pepper flakes to 1/2 a teaspoon to enjoy a little more freely!

Winter Stew with Balsamic and Chard


Ingredients

• 3/4 Soft White Winter Wheat Berries
• 1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
• 1 15 oz can of tomatoes, including juice
• 1/4 c balsamic
• 1 t red pepper flakes
• 1 t black pepper
• 1 t salt
• 3 T oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 pinch of saffron, crushed
• 1 t smoked paprika
• 4 cups water or broth, plus more as needed
• 1 small bunch of Swiss chard, chopped
• 1 can white beans, rinsed
• 6 artichokes, broken into leaves

Combine

1. In a small pot, cover the wheat berries in about 2-3 inches of water and boil for 15-20 minutes until starting to turn translucent.
2. Meanwhile dump the bell pepper, tomatoes with juice, balsamic, salt and pepper into a blender or food processor and puree for about 2 minutes until smooth.  Note: it doesn't have to be the consistency of a smoothie but shouldn't have very large chunks.
3. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat until it shimmers, then add the onions and saute for 5 minutes.
4. Add the garlic, smoked paprika, and saffron and continue to cook for another minute or 2.
5. Add in the tomato base, wheat berries with any excess water, and 4 additional cups of water or broth, then bring to a boil for 10 minutes.
6. Simmer for 15 minutes then add the beans, artichokes, and chard and continue to cook until chard is wilted.
7. Taste and adjust for more salt if desired and enjoy!