quinoa: a perfect food? (dunno, but pretty perfect tasting)

today for lunch i tried a new quinoa recipe (recipe below), which turned out to taste pretty great. kevin even brought some in for his trainer (who's constantly trying to get kevin to give up his beloved french fries - somewhat successful - and eat more skinless chicken breasts - don't ask) who enjoyed it enough to call and thank me, which i thought was really nice of him. (unlike some people, who shall remain nameless, but know exactly who they are. ahem)

so what IS quinoa, you ask? and just as importantly, how the heck are you supposed to pronounce it?

first, how to pronounce it: there are, apparently, two ways. you can pronounce it as "keen-wah," but according to wikipedia, you can also pronounce it as "kee-no-uh".

second, what the heck is it? quinoa is basically a seed that when cooked has a texture that's sort of like couscous (only lighter and fluffier, imo). the bottom line is that i love it because it tastes great (very mild, so fluffy. yummy!). the side benefit is, as wikipedia explains, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids, is a good source of fiber, phosphorus, magnesium, and iron, and is high in protein. all great things, but like i said, i eat it because it tastes good. (i'm not one to eat something just for the sake of it being good for you. as an example, i don't care how great brussels sprouts are for you. to me, they taste pretty horrible, although my friend jen claims it's b/c most people overcook them. whatever it is, they're like the cabbage's little evil brother. yuck.)

if you haven't already had quinoa before, give it a try! trust me, i'd never tell you to eat something just because its only redeeming quality was that it was good for you. ;)


Curried Yogurt Quinoa Salad with Chicken
1/2 cup plain, whole-milk yogurt (I like saint benoît)
1/4 cup low-fat coconut milk
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 1/2 tsps curry powder
1 tsp finely grated peeled fresh ginger
2 tsp packed brown sugar
1 tsp salt (plus more, to taste)
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp good-quality extra virgin olive oil (I've been using Stonehouse lately)

1 1/3 cups quinoa
8-10 oz cooked chicken, cut into 1/2" dice
1 large ripe mango, cut into 1/2" chunks
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4" dice
1 fresh jalapeño chili, (seeded, if you can't take the heat [then get out of the kitchen!]) and minced
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh mint
2 oz salted roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Whisk together first 8 ingredients in a large bowl or quart-sized pyrex measuring cup. Whisk in oil in a slow stream until combined.

Rinse quinoa several times, rubbing grains and letting them settle before pouring off water. In a large saucepan, cook quinoa in boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Drain in a sieve (use one that fits into saucepan you cooked the quinoa in) and rinse with cold running water. Boil 1-2" of water in saucepan you just used; when boiling, set sieve over saucepan (make sure sieve doesn't touch water), cover with a clean kitchen towel and lid, and steam until fluffy and dry, about 10 minutes.

Combine quinoa with curried yogurt sauce and rest of ingredients in a large bowl. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 4.

i am officially a michael pollan groupie!

yesterday i read an article about how mexico is now the 2nd most obese country in the world. (the US is #1...don't you just love how americans are so competitive? always gotta be #1 in everything we can be!) in another 10 years, if this "growth" (such an unfortunate word to use here) continues, mexico will surpass the US in holding this most dubious distinction.

this author writes about how in 1989, fewer than 10% of mexicans were obese, but with the growing popularity of cheap soft drinks (in some areas it's easier to get a glass of soda than it is to get a glass of clean drinking water) and fast food, studies show now about 66% of men and 71% of women are now obese. mexicans are eating more fat and processed foods, and fewer whole grains and vegetables. diabetes is now the leading cause of death in mexico. 25% of Mexican children ages 5 to 11 are too heavy, which is a 40% increase since 2000.

pretty scary stuff. at any rate, this "epidemic" in mexico mirrors pretty much exactly the trends michael pollan details in both Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food, when native cultures move away from eating their traditional diets and adopt the western diet.

so guess what i did? i forwarded the article to michael pollan. and then guess what? he wrote back!!!!!

"Thanks-- amazing story. M"

ok, so, yeah, he wrote back only 3 words...and who knows who "M" actually is. (maybe it was an aunt maude, who he's put in charge of answering all his fan mail?), but i was thrilled to hear back, nevetheless. yes, i've now crossed over into new territory. some people write fan letters to justin timberlake or jessica alba. i write fan letters to someone who looks like larry david. (hey, i'm sure he has a GREAT personality. michael pollan, that is. *not* larry david.)

while you mull that over (listen, the dude wrote the book that changed my life, ok? what do you want from me?), below is the link to the article. it's definitely, uh, FOOD for thought. (get it?! :) and if you haven't read it, give a think about reading Omnivore's Dilemma. it's pretty powerful. (and, no, i don't work on any sort of commission. :P)

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/31267.html

pretty poppies

for the last 4 weeks in a row (um, yes, 4 weeks in a row is a big deal at the house of froon), when i've gone to the sf farmers' market on saturdays, i've bought fresh organic flowers.

first week, it was tulips. gorgeous and enormous!

second and third weeks, it was ranunculus (ranunculi?). i love them; they remind me of english roses, only brighter and more colorful.

this past weekend, it was poppies. i have to say, they're beautiful. i was lucky enough to buy 3 bunches that were more or less completely closed up. if you get there before 9, you're golden. (you can all pick yourselves off the floor. YES, i was up before 9 am on a saturday. *sheesh*).

they've been opening up over the last few days, and i just love them. i managed to take a picture of them tonight, which i've posted below. (the camera battery is dying, and we have *no clue* where the charger is.)

the photo really doesn't do them justice. they're beautiful!

how to recycle bread, tasty style

have you ever found yourself with way too much bread that has also unfortunately gone stale? well, i do, and often. to try to maximize our bread usage, depending on the type of bread, i turn stale loaves into fresh breadcrumbs or, even better, make bread pudding.

bread crumbs are easy enough to make. just cut the bread into smallish cubes and pulse in a food processor until they turn into crumbs.

but, if you want to really up the ante on your bread recycling, try your hand at a bread pudding (recipe below). you'll see that the recipe is very simple, easily modifiable, and always yummy. and you'll have the added benefit of being able to feel smug about finding a clever and tasty way to use up your stale bread, without your diners ever knowing. (ever wonder why some bakeries have bread pudding? well, now you know.)


Basic Bread Pudding
8-10 oz stale bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (such as brioche, croissant, pain de mie, challah)
5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 1/4 cups half & half
1/2 cup sugar
3 medium eggs
3 medium egg yolks
2 tbsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp packed dark brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 8" square baking dish. Place bread in large bowl and drizzle 4 tbsps melted butter over bread and toss to coat. If you like, add 1/2 cup chocolate chips and/or fruit (dried or fresh), etc., and toss to combine.

Whisk half & half, the 1/2 cup of sugar, eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla extract in large bowl. Pour this custard over bread cubes and let stand about 30 minutes, occasionally stirring to help bread soak up as much custard as possible. Pour bread mixture into baking dish. Drizzle remaining melted butter over pudding and sprinkle top with brown sugar. Bake until puffed and brown, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Serve warm with rum sauce (recipe follows). Serves 6.


Rum Sauce
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon (you can leave this out if you just want to make a caramel-rum sauce)
dash of salt
1/4 cup dark rum
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Melt butter in small heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add dark brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and salt, and whisk until sugar is dissolved and mixture is bubbling and smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in rum and vanilla extract. Serve warm.