Veggie Garden: If I can do it, you can do it. Trust me.

Let me admit to the world right now that I do NOT have a green thumb. That’s right, I’m a plant killer. My Father insists on giving me lilies on Easter, poinsettias at Christmas, and hydrangea plants for Mother’s Day. I kill every last one of them. I keep telling him not to waste his money but he insists on the plants to celebrate the holidays. And every time I try to make myself do better with their care. I remember thinking this year, as I threw away yet another brown, dry plant as evidence of my gardening skills, that I hoped people would get the picture. The only thing I’ve been able to keep alive are the two cacti I have in my front window. I wonder why that is…

So it was a HUGE leap of faith in myself when I decided to attempt to grow a vegetable garden. My hope was to satisfy my cravings for fresh vegetables by being able to walk outside my door to the garden and pick them. Since I focus of eating well, and fresh veggies are an enormous part of that, trying to grow a garden seemed like an obvious step for me.

I’m excited this week because my veggies are finally ready to be picked and cooked! My Tomatoes are ripening a few at a time every day. I can’t even explain the difference between my tomatoes and those you buy in the store. Although they may not be as pretty, they’re misshapen and the color is not at consistent, their taste is so much sweeter that those tomatoes you buy in the store. I have loved being able to eat them fresh off the vine as well as slicing them up with balsamic vinegar and a little sea salt. I made a basic ratatouille with those lovely tomatoes, summer squash and zucchini all from my garden. Having the zucchini has been wonderful, too. And I must admit that I was surprised by the amount of water in the fresh zucchini.  

I have adorable green peppers that are coming along nicely. I’m thinking they may be ready very soon. There are Serrano chilies that I’m going to have to figure out what to do with. (I don’t think I’ve ever eaten these and definitely never cooked with them.) I have banana peppers galore! We’ve been chopping them up and using them in fresh salads, sandwiches and adding them to tuna and chicken salad. They’ve even made their way into eggs in the morning.  I also have cucumbers that I started from seeds that are finally starting to blossom and tiny little cucumbers are starting to grow from beneath those flowers. And finally, my absolute favorite (and the easiest to grow I think after getting some much appreciated advice from my cousin Janey) are the gorgeous Sweet pea vines weaving their way up the string trellis we made for them to travel as they grew.  They’re perfect: fresh, crunchy and of course delicately sweet. Most of the time they don’t make it inside the house because I eat them as I’m standing there picking them.

I don’t know how much of the vegetables’ survival was related to the fact that I live in Vermont and it rains here allllll the time but if that’s the case, then I’m definitely grateful that they all seemed to make it through ok.

Next year I could try berries and corn too? And possibly take a shot at canning? Hmm, maybe it’s best not to be overly ambitious.

Fondly,

Betsey

Changing Tastes

I was standing at the counter the other day scooping out a tablespoon of garden flavored Hummus and I started thinking about the way I eat now compared to how I used to eat and a pretty cool thing occurred to me: I am thankful that my taste buds have evolved to love the variety of foods that they so desire today. 

It wasn’t always like this. I coveted fried foods and anything made from potatoes. In fact, my number one comfort food was mashed potatoes with lots of butter. This may have something with my everlasting string of confirmed strep throat when I was growing up until I had my tonsils out when I was 17 years old. I was consistently sick with laryngitis to the point where I didn’t even have to get it checked anymore; my mother just had to ask for the prescription. Mashed potatoes were warm, soft and didn’t hurt my throat as they went down. They soon became a staple in my diet as I grew up. I only liked white bread, couldn’t stand the texture of wheat pasta, and had never even heard of my now beloved quinoa. I was resistant to green vegetables and only ate them because I had to. I doused my food with salt and could never have enough butter. I had a major addiction to soda and could not stand drinking water. As strange as it sounds to me now, I didn’t like the taste of it.

One of the best things I ever did for myself was letting go of Soda and eliminating it from my diet completely. I will honestly tell you that I was addicted to it. Meaning, I actually had withdrawal symptoms for a couple weeks after I stopped drinking it. I got headaches, was dizzy and my Blood sugar started dropping which actually unmasked a problem I didn’t have any idea I had. After about 3 weeks, it wasn’t so bad. I stopped craving the evil carbonated beverage as much and eventually stopped wanting it all together. It took a little while though. That was 10 months ago. I decided it was best to go cold turkey when I eliminated soda from my diet. I guess I just thought that if I knew that it wasn’t good for me, why only slowly get it out of my system? Now, whenever I have to drink it, it makes my stomach upset.  Soda doesn’t have any nutritional value, so I don’t need it. Now, I drink water by the nalgene bottle, love hot tea in the evening, and iced green tea any time I can get my hands on it.  

My tastes have certainly changed since I was a kid eating chicken fingers, French fries, Mac and cheese or hot dogs. I now crave things like hummus and carrots, kale chips, lentils and salmon. I couldn’t stand sundried tomatoes, wouldn’t even look at a green pepper and the thought of peas made me gag. I hated broccoli, tofu looked like it came from another planet and I was convinced that Brussels sprouts were only invented to punish naughty children. I hated the sight, smell and taste of oatmeal but I’ve since learned of its benefits and the many different ways to make it edible and actually enjoy it. I ran every time I saw my mom open a can of chickpeas and now I eat hummus on a daily basis: with veggies, on sandwiches, in chicken and tuna salad; I love it. I never thought I would love eating roasted cauliflower or kale with a little olive oil and sea salt better than I would eating salt and vinegar chips. Now I reach for half a sweet potato instead of white potatoes, brown rice or quinoa instead of white rice, whole grain instead of white bread and wheat instead of white pasta. In fact, I prefer all of those things to the way I used to eat. My refrigerator is stocked full of veggies from every color of the rainbow; my pantry holds whole grains and a plethora of spices instead of sweet cereals full of refined sugar and ramen noodles.  I grab a piece of fruit or dark chocolate instead of Swedish fish or toffee to satisfy my sweet tooth.

Now, that’s not to say you’ll ever catch me eating Lima Bean soup. Ever. Never. But I’m very glad my tastes have evolved and I now love the beautiful array of foods that fulfill my stomach needs and those if my soul.

Fondly,

Betsey

10 Reasons to Love Quinoa

As I’m sitting here eating my lunch of left over stir fry veggies and quinoa, I’m inspired to write about this ancient, slightly adorable “so-called” grain. Pronounced “KEEN-wah,” and ever the more clever and mysterious for it, it was once a food that bewildered me until I made the leap and experimented with it. I learned quickly how oh-so-special it really was. And so began my love affair with the beautiful little seed called quinoa.

1.       Readily available in most supermarkets and health food stores. Look for it in the bulk food section or the natural foods isle.

2.       It’s convenient and easy to store because of its miniscule size.

Quinoa seed before it's been harvested

3.       Relatively inexpensive for the value. The average cost is between $2-$3 a lb in the bulk food section. If bought prepackaged it’s a little more expensive but remember that as you cook it, it fluffs up.

4.       It cooks fast! 10-15 minutes from start to finish and super easy to cook. The ratio I use is 1.5:1 meaning 1 ½ cups water or chicken broth to 1 cup quinoa. I put the quinoa right in with the water and then let it come to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes until the water is absorbed. Then fluff with a fork and serve!

5.       It is hearty! It’s filling and stands up to whatever you do to it without becoming mushy. And, it doesn’t change its texture when reheated.

6.        It’s versatile. It can be used for breakfast, Lunch, Brunch or Dinner! Even ground into flour for baking. Be creative!



Red Quinoa

7.       It can be eaten hot or cold. I’ve eaten it hot with turkey chili over it in a main dish or as a standalone side dish. I’ve also eaten it cold as salad with chopped veggies and a light refreshing lemon vinaigrette. Which leads me to...

8.       It takes on the flavor of what you cook it in or add to it. If you add agave nectar or honey and cut up fruit it becomes a sweet dish perfect for brunch or a summer picnic. If you add ginger, soy sauce (low sodium preferably) or stir fry sauce is becomes a delightful Asian dish. If you cook it in chicken stock, add some bullion and carrots and serve it with roasted chicken it becomes a home-style comfort food dish. Make it in the morning with strawberries and blueberries, sliced almonds and use vanilla almond milk instead of water and you’ve got a power packed breakfast. The possibilities are endless.

9.       It has the Highest protein content of any grain at 160 cals per 1/3 cup cooked portion, 2.5g fat, 3g fiber and 6g of protein per serving! It contains sufficient amounts of 9 essential amino acids making it a complete protein. Vegetarians and vegans can rely on it to help provide them with their protein needs

10.   Gluten free, cholesterol free and Kosher. Enough said.

So there you have it; all the reasons that I love quinoa and believe that you should add it to your diet as an alternative to rice and potatoes. Not just because of its adorable and chic appearance; I mean, come on, those little seeds are pretty cute. But also because of the nutritional power packed punch the little buggers carry, the “ease of use” and the amazing versatility of this grain. Or wait, ah, seed. No matter what you call it, according to the world’s healthiest foods, The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations has official declared that 2013 will be the “International Year of Quinoa.” So go ahead, jump on the Quinoa bandwagon before it’s cool. You know you want to!

Question of the Day: Have you had Quinoa before? Did you like it and how did you prepare it?

Fondly,

Betsey