New beginnings

It's time to start thinking about planting again. In Los Angeles the last spring frost is generally in February and after that plants can start going in the ground outside (or the container pots filled with "ground"). I know I did not have the best of luck last year; actually lets be honest I had abysmal luck with my plants, but it is time to try again.

The final count was 13%. What does this "13%" mean? Well it means 13% of the plants I tried to grow last year survived. Two hardy souls made it through out of the 15 I brought home. They are Adromischus maculatus (aka Space Rocks) and Aeonium arboreum atropurpureum (aka Zwartzkop). Both are settled happily into their respective homes on the outdoor deck and seem to be thriving despite my best intentions!

This year I have decided to do things differently. I am researching which plants I am going to buy prior to going to the store (in fact I may just do it all from seed and skip the seedling part). Last year I showed up at the nursery, wandered around looking for things I liked, then planted them. Obviously that was not a good way to start (13%!). I am also going to find out more about container gardening; some plants like it, some do not, I think I should figure out which is which. As this year's adventures in growing progress I will keep you all posted.

But for now, enjoy the pictures of the two plants that survived (despite all the odds)!

Quinoa Deliciousness

I am not sure what to call this recipe other than "Quinoa Yummy-yummy-good" (aka deliciousness). A few weeks ago I made this for a side-dish at a dinner party we attended. I received lots of requests for the recipe, so I figured I would post it here. I have also made this in the past and paired it with a spinach salad and it has stood up beautifully as the main course.

Quinoa-yummmy!

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs canola oil
• 1 large yellow onion (I like walla walla sweets)
• 2 cups quinoa (rinsed)
• 4 cups boiling water
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1 cup carrot juice
• 2 cups peas (frozen or fresh)
• 6 sliced green onions (white and green parts)
• 1 cup roasted, chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 4-5 minutes (until the onion starts to soften).
2. Stir in the quinoa, 1 tsp of curry powder, 1/4 tsp of salt and cook for 2 minutes - stirring frequently.
3. Add the 4 cups of boiling water, lower the heat, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
4. In the meantime, use a small saucepan to heat the carrot juice, peas, 1 tsp curry powder, 1/4 tsp salt for 5 min over medium heat. Add the green onions and pecans - heat for 5 more minutes.
5. Stir the heated carrot mixture into the quinoa - mix thourougly.
6. Eat and enjoy!

Sometimes I think cooking is as much about making something beautiful, as it is about making it delicious. I LOVE the color the carrot juice lends to this recipe - it makes the quinoa a brilliant orange jewel tone. Last time I made this I reserved some of the slices of green onion to sprinkle on top with each serving - they looked stunning against the orange and browns of the quinoa and pecans. Enjoy the beauty and tastiness of this dish. :)

Stuff I overheard in the office today

I wanted to give you a little taste of my average day. Here are a few things I overheard while I was working at the office today:

"Is there anything exciting happening with you bowel movements today?"

"There are a lot of hot people in here. Could you please come and do something about it?"

"So tell me a little more about the green stuff that's coming out..."

Just a typical day in my world - Enjoy!!

Wisdom for the New Year

A piece of advice is listed below from a patient of mine; she is a beautiful woman who speaks 5 languages fluently, survived the concentration camps, worked as an architect, musician, and mother. She is wise and lovely and I always learn something from my visits with her. This is a little excerpt from a recent visit I had with her.

• Her: Do you know what the two saddest words in any language are?
• Me: Nope...what?
• Her: "word 1 - word 2" (first in Romanian, then in German, then in French, then in Hebrew)
• Her: (finally in English) Too late.
• Me: Hmmm. That is both beautiful and sad. Thank you for sharing with me.

So, the moral seems to be, don't let your life pass you by.

Don't let something be "too late."

Live fully. Live beautifully. Live.

Happy New Year.

Split Pea Soup

I can't believe I am publishing a post on split pea soup. For years I have lumped this soup into the same category as brussel sprouts, stewed cabbage, liver & onions, anything with cauliflower - basically all my undesirable foods. But, lo-and-behold... I found a split pea soup recipe, did a slight bit of tinkering and voila - this might be one of my new all-time favorite soups!

It's hearty. It's tasty. It's vegan. It's easy to make. And in a time when we are all strapped for cash, it's pretty darn inexpensive!

Happy soup eating! Mmmmmm.

Split pea soup:

Ingredients

• 3 cups dry split peas
• 8 cups of water
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 cups yellow onion - chopped
  
• 6 cloves of garlic - finely chopped
  
• 3 stalks of celery - chopped
• 2 carrots - peeled and chopped
• 1 large (or 2 small) baking potatoes - thinly sliced
• fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1. Put split peas, water, bay leaves and salt into a large kettle - bring to a boil - reduce heat and simmer for 20 min (partially covered)
2. Add the onion, garlic, celery, carrots and potato to the mix - let everything simmer for 40 more minutes
3. Add pepper to taste (and additional salt if needed) - serve and eat!

This recipe was adapted from The New Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen.

Another one bites the dust!

Setting the scene: Came home from work Friday afternoon, opened the door to find.... another dead houseplant!
(Duh-duh-duh-duuuuuuuh - think creepy sound effects)






Thought process:

• Damn-it I killed another one!
• When did I last water it?
• Have I fertilized recently?
  
• Maybe the dirt is bad?
• Is there such a thing as bad dirt?
• It looked so healthy....
  
• Why do these plants keep dying on me?
• I think I watered everything Sunday...
• Why is my mom so good with plants and I am sooo bad - this is obviously not a genetic issue.
  
• Damn-it I can't blame this on my parents,
  
• How am I ever going to take over the Martha Stewart empire if I keep killing houseplants?
• Should I get rid of it before Will gets home?
• What should I get to replace it?
  

Resolution:

• Hmmmm.... maybe I should stick to cooking... I haven't killed anyone or anything with that yet!

I love squash!

So, you probably guessed from the title that this post is going to be about squash! I love the stuff - acorn, spaghetti, butternut... I love stuffing it, baking it, topping it... and of course, eating it! My husband may not be enjoying my new love affair as much as I am, but he is tolerating it so far and we have not had to order in take-out due to any squash disasters. (Thanks Will!)

Anyways, I wanted to spread the love and share one of my favorite recipes with you all. I borrowed it from the New Moosewood Cookbook, and then made a few adaptations of my own. The ingredient list is long and the recipe may seem daunting, but it is really easy (I swear). While the squash are first baking you can prep the stuffing, the as soon as they are finished flip them over, stuff them and leave them to bake another 30 minutes. For dishes you're basically looking at a baking tray, pan, and large bowl, plus some chopping stuff - not too bad!

Acorn stuffed squash

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-sized acorn squash
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 2 cups chopped yellow onion
• 1/2 lb. minced white mushrooms
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp sage
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 2 Tbs lemon juice
• 2 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1/8 cup raisins
• 1/8 cup dried cranberries
• 2 cups of bread crumbs or chopped, toasted bread pieces
• 6 chopped dried apricots
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Pre-bake the squash - cut in half, scoop out the insides, place face down on an oiled tray, bake at 350 deg for approx 30 min - check to make sure they are soft when finished
2. While the squash are cooking - heat the olive oil in a large pan - Add onion and garlic - saute until the onion is soft and slightly browned
3. Add the mushrooms, celery, and seasonings - saute for 10 to 15 min until everything is tender.
   
4. In another bowl mix the lemon juice, walnuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, cranberries, bread crumbs (or little bread pieces), apricots and cheese.
   
5. Add the onion/mushroom mix to the bowl - blend everything together well.
   
6. Once the squash are baked - turn them so that the opening is facing up - fill to overflowing with the stuffing mix
7. Bake the stuffed squash at 350 deg for 30 minutes - if they start to burn on top cover with a piece of foil

That's it! Now eat and enjoy!!

Oh yeah, if you leave out the cheese this is totally vegan - if you add the cheese it is still vegetarian - and if you use rice bread for the bread part it is gluten free. :)

P.S. sorry for the looooooong time between posts - I'm back now though!