QUINOA!

Quinoa. from wikipedia: a grain-like crop related to the tumbleweed. nutritionally, quinoa is very high in protein (12%–18%), making it unlike wheat or rice. quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids, making it an unusually complete protein source. it is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. you can find quinoa at most grocery stores. there is red quinoa and regular quinoa. i buy it from the bulk bins at whole foods. here's a great light lunch or side dish -tabbouleh made with quinoa! here's how:

quinoa tabboulleh salad

you'll need:

1 food processor

1 cup quinoa

1 cucumber (de seeded)

tomatoes, diced

1 bunch parsley

1 green onion

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 lemon, juiced

salt

pepper

a pinch of cayenne

place quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse with cold water a few times until water runs clear. shake dry. cook quinoa like rice. add 1 ¼ cups h2o to quinoa and simmer on low heat & covered until water is absorbed. do not scortch quinoa onto the bottom of pan, thanks. OR even easier: use a rice cooker to cook quinoa.

cut cucumber in 1/2 lengthwise. take a spoon and run along the seeds to remove. leaving skin on, dice cucumber.

once the quinoa is tender, remove lid. remove from heat & let cool a bit.

place parsley and green onion in food processor and whiz until finely chopped.

place quinoa in a mixing bowl. add lemon juice, olive oil, cucumbers, parsley-onion mixture, salt, pepper and cayenne.

mix. taste and adjust seasonings.

cover & refrigerate.

before serving, add room temperature diced tomatoes.

eat.

natural soda

ginger ale. not just any ginger ale, all natural and sweetened with pure cane sugar in a cute glass bottle, ginger ale. preservative free, no artificial colors or flavors. smooth taste and not overly pungent. boylan brand since 1891. check out the cute intro on the website.

other flavs:

birch beer, creamy red birch beer, root beer, creme, black cherry, grape, orange, cane cola, seltzer pure, seltzer lemon & seltzer orange

the ginger ale was found at a valero gas station. pop one open next time you fill'er up.

mangosteen

mangosteen. the first time i heard of mangosteen fruit was at the Diamond Chef Arkansas Preliminary Competition in March at the Peabody hotel. In heat 4, mangosteens were in the mystery basket. since then, i have heard about mangosteens being a “superfood”, hailing from southeast asia and high in antioxidants. i happened upon them at Sams Oriental Store and had to give one a try. the cute cashier told me how to tell when they are ready to eat. she said “they give just a little when you press on them” the one i thought “gave” she said was rotten and quickly threw it in the garbage bin. to peel, just press through the though skin with your thumbs without piercing the white flesh. peel away the skin and break apart the sections. i found a pit in 1-2 sections of each mangosteen. the best way to describe the taste is: kind of,  sort of tastes of a pear but the texture is of a nectarine and it looks like garlic. see, you must try them for yourself. they are seriously delicious. sweet and refreshing.  at $8 a pound and sold in 2 pound bags, i am betting you won’t have any waste. they are that succulent.

Sam’s Oriental Store

3704 South University Avenue

Little Rock

501-562-2720

lo mein

lo mein. yes, you can have delicious, made at home lo mein that is better than a restaurant. this is a fairly quick and super yum dish. prep your veg first and you’re golden. this is a guide...use any veg and meats you like! here’s how:

the magic lo mein sauce:

4 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce)

1 scant tablespoon toasted sesame seed oil

1 tablespoon Sambal Olek ~ less if you are a sissy.

3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce ~ i used TONTON brand (available at whole foods)

1 tablespoon oyster sauce (i didn’t have any, but wanted it)


Lo Mein Guide:

8 ounces noodles ~ i used somen japanese noodles (hey, big lots)

2 tablespoons veg oil

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced into thirds

1 red pepper, slliced

¼ cup white wine or sherry

napa cabbage, slice

8 ounces mung bean sprouts

3 green onions, sliced on bias

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon, freshly grated ginger

prep veg. boil water for noodles. mix magic lo mein sauce in a measuring cup & set aside. boil noodles. do not over cook the noodles, remember, they will be reheated with the veggies & sauce. heat large skillet or wok to high. add oil. add mushrooms. when mushrooms begin to color, add red pepper. add wine or sherry and cook off alcohol. add cabbage, mung beans, green onions. keep tossing with tongs. add garlic and ginger. stir. add noodles and sauce. turn heat to med-low and toss well to cover each noodle. eat. 

no cook hollandaise sauce!

hollandaise sauce. not just hollandaise sauce, but OMG, quick and simple NO COOK hollandaise sauce. the constantly whisked hollandaise sauce made in a double boiler days are over. thanks to martha, i finally ate the broccoli i bought at the CAFM argenta farmers market. must i tell you where to use the hollandaise sauce? ok, on poached eggs or on an omelet or on top of asparagus, broccoli or cauliflower. all these things can be sitting on toast, or not. i command you to make no-cook, blender hollandaise sauce now! here’s how:

Ingredients
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon warm water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¾ teaspoon coarse salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

Directions
In a blender, combine egg yolks, water, lemon juice, and salt; blend until frothy.
Heat butter in the microwave or in a small saucepan over medium until bubbly (do not let brown). With blender running, pour in hot butter in a very thin stream, blending until sauce is thick and emulsified.

eco friendly homemade dishwasher detergent!

homemade dishwasher detergent. continuing my quest for homemade, eco friendly and cheap cleaning products i mixed up a batch of dishwasher detergent. i test drove the recipe and the dishes came out clean and free of specs & water spots. turns out, it’s good for my dishes and good for the planet. most of the ingredients are readily available, with the exception of the citric acid and washing soda. i wrote washing soda, not baking soda. i didn’t see it anywhere i shop, so, i called besser hardware and they ordered up a few boxes. as for the citric acid, i still haven’t found where to purchase that, but, a substitution is 2 packets of lemonade flavored kool aid. i mixed the detergent in a plastic container that has a lid and threw in a wooden spoon that is the size of a tablespoon. use 1 tablespoon of mixture in the each dishwasher cup & press start. hey! your carbon footprint just shrank! here’s how:

1 cup borax

1 cup baking soda

¼ cup kosher salt

¼ cup citric acid or unsweetened lemonade-flavored Kool-Aid 

pour each ingredient into container, shake until thoroughly mixed.

lemonade, the right way!

real lemonade. not powder from a package. not frozen from concentrate. real, freshly juiced lemons. OMG! yum! i used a juicer, this gave the juice more body. sweeten with simple syrup and you’ve got an afternoon treat. sit & enjoy life while you sip it down. once again, YUM! you can do it! here’s how:

1 Jack Lalanne juicer
6-8 lemons, or, enough to make a 1 - 1½ cups of lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
ice cubes

peel the lemons like you would an orange. put in juicer and juice. in a small sauce pan, place 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar on med-high heat. just heat enough to dissolve the sugar. this will take less than 3 mins. remove from heat. in a pitcher add about 12 ice cubes, lemon juice and simple syrup. stir. i doubled the simple syrup recipe to have extra on hand for iced tea. taste the lemonade and add as much or as little simple syrup to sweeten. grow some spearmint in the ole herb garden and sip in style!

note: for an extra lemony punch you can use a veg peeler to remove strips of lemon zest from lemons and drop those into the simple syrup mixture and it heats. this will up the lemony tartness.

double note: you can add slices of ginger to the simple syrup and make ginger lemonade! Mmmm.

asparagus soup - say hello to spring!

asparagus soup. so far, this is my favorite spring soup. creamy & full of flavor and with NO CREAM. the asparagus is truly the star here. the lemon really brightens up the flavors. this recipe is adapted from 300 Sensational Soups cookbook. a friend bought this book for me, thank you, max! this soup can easily be vegan, substitutions are listed. say hello to spring with a bowl of asparagus soup! here’s how:

you’ll need:

2 lbs fresh asparagus
2 tablespoons butter (or olive oil)
2 leeks, cleaned well & sliced
2 tablespoons flour
1 box chicken stock (or veg stock)
½ lemon, juiced, no seeds
2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus salt to taste

you’ll do;

break off the tough bottoms of the asparagus and cut off tips. set tips aside, this is the soup garnish. cut the asparagus stems into ¼ inch pieces.

in a large dutch oven/pot melt butter over medium high heat. add leeks. sprinkle with salt and sauté until softened, 6-8 minutes. sprinkle with flour and cook 2 more minutes.

meanwhile, in a small saucepan, boil water. add 2 tablespoons salt after water comes to a boil. add asparagus tips. prepare an ice bath to stop the cooking and preserve the nice green color. an ice bath is a bowl with ice, water and 1 tablespoon salt. when water returns to a boil, remove tips with spider strainer and put directly into the ice bath, a.k.a., a bowl of sallty, iced water.

using an immersion blender, purée soup until smooth. stir in lemon juice and taste for seasoning. add salt if needed.

remove asparagus tips from iced water and drain on paper towels.

ladle soup into bowls and top with asparagus tips. eat.

sunny seed drops

chocolate covered sunflower seeds. yeah, easter is over. but these are good, maybe you can find them for ½ off or look for them in different holiday packaging. sunny seed drops are made by the sunflower food & spice company. tiny, mouth poppingly addictive and i’d say better than choco covered peanuts. keep a look out for ‘em and buy ‘em all!