Delicious Lunch

Yum! Arugula!
If only I could eat like this every day ... BB made green goddess green beans from epicurious.com, which we ate with fresh unadorned arugula FROM MY GARDEN and a delicious, ripe tomato. What else is needed?

No pictures but good recipe!

Banana Chocolate Bread Pudding

old bread (I used 6 good sized rolls)
3 c. milk
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 large bananas (could use 1 large or 2 small)
3 eggs
3/4 c. chocolate chips (I used the mini ones)
3 Tbs. butter

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut bread into cubes. Mash 1/2 banana in a bowl. Slice remaining bananas. Add eggs and whisk. Add brown sugar and milk, mix well. Stir in bread cubes, sliced banana, and chocolate chips. Mix well. Use ~ 1/2 Tbs. butter to grease a 9x9 square pan (I used an oval baking dish that is the same volume). Pour in the bread mixture. Melt the rest of the butter and drizzle over top of pudding (at this point, I would have sprinkled raw sugar over the top, but I didn't have any). Bake for 50 minutes.

BB said this was the best bread pudding EVER. It was pretty good ...

May Garden Update

I have done a lot of work in the garden this spring! I'm not the only one, nature sure did a lot of work also. Starting on the left side of my yard is the mint. The mint came back and then some. In fact, I think it will be work to keep in contained (not that this is a surprise)There is apple mint and spearmint (I think). Oregano is in there somewhere, and before the mint grew so big I planted some dahlias, cosmos, and lobelia. Well, the lobelia never came up and the dahlias did but then something got them. The cosmos came up AND are still there. They are mixed in among the mint. I plan to trim back the mint so the cosmos can grow better.
The hydrangea is also doing very well. I wasn't sure how it would be after this winter, but it looks lush and healthy. I am proud of myself on this one. Surrounding the hydrangea I planted parsley (which the groundhog likes to eat), sage, rosemary, and english thyme.
They hydrangea is starting to bloom. I didn't add any soil acidifier this year, so I am not sure if they will be blue or lavender, but they should be pretty regardless.
I learned that geraniums don't make it through the winter, but I bought some more, they are white and salmon. In the middle is kale (decorative AND edible). There are also some tiny basil plants, which did well in that location last year.
The cat mint also came back. A neighborhood cat likes to hang out in my backyard and rub up into the cat mint. Very cute.
Then there is the new plot. Last year, this area was overrun with a horrible sticky vine. Now, I planted peppers (serrano, tobasco, holy mole), tomatillos, vietnamese coriander, and basil (sweet basil, asian basil, purple basil). There is also a zucchini plant, but this year I was smart and only planted ONE! Maybe I will just make fried sqaush blossoms and not deal with gigantic zucchinis! Along the back, I planted hollyhock and borage. I don't have much luck with seeds, so we'll see if they actually come up! The hollyhock is supposed to be a velvet brown color, so I really want them to come up!
Next is the fenced in area has some tomatoes (green zebra, black krim, and cherokee purple), swiss chard, and two collards. They are the huge, leaning plants with the yellow flowers. I will take those out soon, and give the tomatoes room to grow.
I put the pots in here to keep them out of reach of the groundhog. Apparently, he can climb enough to get to them on the bricks. On the left is french tarragon, parsley, and lovage. On the right is parsley.
Still in the fenced in area is a row of arugula, a tomato (Rutgers), two spinach (all that came up), two radishes (3 came up), and a row of turnip greens. Along the fence is where the row of sunflowers starts.
I planted some cauliflower (yellow ones called Cheddar - I think that is so funny!). However, the groundhog got to them before the fence was up. There is also a pack of brussel sprouts, not yet platned. Groundhog got them a bit too. They are recovering and growing more leaves, but I am curious to see if they actually grow cauliflowers and brussel sprouts. I might try to plant butternut squash in this area also. Not sure if that is too much in a small area. The sunflowers continue along the fence.
The sunflowers continue. There is nothing in the rest of this area yet. I will plant nasturtiums and maybe some more peppers. Not sure what else.
The lemon verbena is also here and, like the mint, came back with a vengeance!
To make the patio area look prettier, I planted some bright red geraniums and yellow calibrachoa.
My garden is doing well so far. I am so excited to see it grow! Now all I need is a pretty patio table. Unfortunately, my patio table morphed into new brakes ...

Sesame-Almond Salad

Another tasty yet healthful meal! The best part were the five spice almonds. I made this a bit ago, so I can't remember amounts.

Asian Tofu Salad

Romaine Lettuce
Carrots
Broccoli (sauteed and steam in small amount of sesame oil)
Water Chestnuts
Celery
Cucumber
1 Tbs. Soy Sauce
3-4 Tbs. Rice Vinegar
1 Tbs. Honey
1 Tbs. Sesame Oil
Ginger (1/2 - 1 inch piece)
1 clove Garlic
Terriyaki Tofu
Five Spice Almonds (see below)

Layer lettuce, sliced celery, slice cucumbers, shredded carrots, water chestnuts, and broccoli in a large bowl. Whisk soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil, grated ginger, and grated garlic in a bowl. Pour over salad and toss. I made the baked terriyaki tofu from The Higher Road to Health. Serve on a plate, topped with terriyaki tofu and five spice almonds.

Five Spice Almonds

1 c. slivered almonds
1 Tbs. neutral oil
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. five spice powder
1-2 Tbs. honey
salt to taste

Heat oil over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add almonds and stir occasionally to keep from burning. When they start to smell (but before they start to brown), add the ginger and five spice powder. Stir well, and cook until almonds just start to brown and the mixture is very aromatic. Add honey, and stir for a few minutes to glaze evenly. Let cool on a plate.

Beans and Rice

This is what I ate for lunch: black beans with garlic and lime, spanish rice, jack cheese, and cilantro. Tasty and healthy!

Black Beans with Garlic and Lime

1 can black beans
1 can roasted green chilies
3 Tbs. olive oil
7-8 cloves garlic
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1/2 lime
pepper

Heat olive oil in a medium size frying pan over medium heat. Chop garlic (not too finely). Add to olive oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is getting browned. Add lime zest and green chilies. Cook for a few minutes, stirring once or so. Add the beans (I drained out about half of the liquid) and some pepper. Cook over medium to medium-high heat. The beans should simmer. When the mixture starts to thicken, they are done. Turn off heat, squeeze 1/2 lime and mix in. Serve with cilantro!

Breakfast Burritos

Breakfast burritos. Yes. It was actually lunchtime, but that is just fine with me! To make them, I started with spanish rice. Then I scrambled some eggs (3 for BB and me, beaten with 2 Tbs water, and cooked half omelet and half scrambled style). I layered the following on a whole wheat tortilla heated over the gas flame: spanish rice, scrambled eggs, shredded monterey jack cheese, diced bell pepper, sliced scallions, cilantro, sliced avocado, sour cream and salsa (I like salsa autentica from Trader Joes).








Of course, I always make burritos too big for the tortilla:

I have included the my recipe for spanish rice, which is pretty awesome if I do say so myself! Even BB, who normally things rice is bland and boring, thought it was amazing!

Spanish Rice

1 small to medium onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 carrot, diced
3 Tbs oil (I use a mix of canola and olive)
1 c. brown basmati rice
1 c. vegetable stock (I use homemade)
1 can diced tomatoes (this time, I used fire roasted)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, and saute for a few minutes. Don't stir too much, let them start to color a bit. Add the bell pepper and carrots and saute a few minutes more, stirring occasionally. Add the rice, and stir to evenly coat with the oil. Let the rice brown. Stir often so that the rice doesn't burn - the rice should be light brown all over. This may take up to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, blend most of the diced tomatoes and the broth together. Save approximately 1/4 cup of diced tomatoes. When the rice is sufficiently brown, add salt and pepper to taste, the blended tomato/broth mixture, and the reserved diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until done, approximately 40 minutes.

Cherry Blossom Fesitval

Well, we finally made it to DC! Yep ... that's me in front of the Washington Monument:
BB and me under the cherry trees:
Don't we look so happy? Here are our shadows:
The monument and the sky through the trees:

Some blossom shots:

















There were a lot of people there (my brilliant idea to go on Easter Sunday). We also went to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. The exhibit on human evolution was very cool.

So far, in 2010, I have gone to see the cherry blossoms, made 1 pair of socks, and started a garden. There is still a lot to do!