Starting The Day Off Right

Posted on June 24, 2012 by Ann Lovejoy
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Refreshing Daily Life

Last winter, I realized that I have been teetering in the dim portal to a brighter new chapter in my life. I decided that even though I am not really clear about where I am headed, I can still be intentional about the overall feeling and flavor of this approaching stage. After some consideration, I chose a simple goal: I want my daily life to be notable for satisfaction and contentment.

With this in mind, I’ve been doing a lot of life review. One thing I’ve noticed is that first thing each morning is probably the most effective time to refresh your life. I am amazed at the number of friends who begin their day by switching on the news or reading the morning newspaper and never really recover the sparkle they wake up with. Here’s what I’ve found to be delicious, all year round: As soon as you awaken, open a window and greet the young day. Listen to the sleepy birds waking up. Breathe in deeply, even if it’s cold. Brisk fresh air is at least as enlivening as coffee and helps your lungs expand joyfully.

Eat Your Breakfast

Here’s another discovery. After years of hasty and sketchy breakfasts, I’m now a dedicated early eater. Turns out Mom was right: For calm, happy moods and steady energy, breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. No matter how challenging your mornings may feel, it’s worth the time to enjoy a wholesome meal. As with so many things, the more often you take the time to make a good breakfast, the faster and more efficient you become.

It matters what you eat, too. Cold pizza doesn’t really give you much of a start (I keep trying, though), and most cereals don’t stick with you very long. A protein-rich breakfast with fresh fruit and whole grains provides long-lasting energy that keeps you going strong until lunch without needing high-calorie snacks and caffeine breaks. Indeed, since I’ve been enjoying breakfast, I have not had any coffee at all and don’t even miss it. Who knew?

Power Breakfasts

Recent brain research confirms that a balanced, protein-rich breakfast will carry you through the morning with steady, reliable energy. To give your body and brain the fuel they need, trade in sweet cereal and jammy toast for eggs and wholesome dairy products like organic cottage cheese and plain yogurt.

Fortify scrambled eggs with cottage cheese or ricotta and lean sausage made with chicken or turkey. Add plenty of vegetables such as onions or leeks, mushrooms and peppers, asparagus and spinach, celery or fennel. In season, add diced tomatoes, fresh string beans, zucchini and fresh herbs.

Yumbo Combos Are More Tempting

Make protein-rich omelets by adding ricotta or cottage cheese to the eggs, then stuffing the omelet with yummy-yumbo combinations. Consider chicken, avocado and red onion; asparagus and lean ham; smoked salmon Albacore tuna and baby peas. In summer, fill omelets with fresh tomatoes, shredded basil, and a few pine nuts.

Whip up a quick breakfast smoothie with organic dairy products and whole, fresh fruit. Use fruit juices and soy products in moderation, substituting non-soy protein powders to give your smoothie an extra boost. For instance, rice protein powder offers 12 grams of protein per tablespoon and is easier for many people to digest than soy.

Get A Buzz Off

If you notice that you can’t get going without a morning buzz, consider weaning yourself off excess caffeine by starting the day with a lively yerba matte tea or green tea (full of antioxidants). ALso, try cat napping when you feel really tired. You certainly don’t need to write off coffee completely, if you love it. Moderate consumption (as in 1-2 cups a day) of coffee is now recognized to have some health benefits, especially if your coffee is organically grown. To share the benefit with the world (including songbirds), why not switch over to organic, shade-grown, fair trade coffee? Such a simple way to make a genuine difference to many, many lives.

Really Easy Egg Entrees

If it isn’t simple, it won’t happen, at least not in my early morning kitchen. Made in minutes, this quick and nutritious breakfast will keep you going strong for hours.

Speedy Morning Scramble

1 teaspoon virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons onion, chopped
vegetables, such as:
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
2 cups red kale, shredded
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
4 large eggs
1/4 cup large-curd cottage cheese

In a frying pan, cook oil, onion, celery, and green pepper over medium high heat until tender-crisp (3-4 minutes). Add kale, sprinkle with salt, cover pan and cook until barely wilted (2-3 minutes). Scramble eggs with cottage cheese and stir into vegetables. Cook, folding over occasionally, over low heat until set to desired consistency. Serves 2.

Easier Eggs Florentine

This healthy version of Eggs Florentine has authentic character but very little fat. Unless your doctor orders it, don’t buy into faddy dietary egg restrictions; packed with complete protein and vitamins D and K, organic eggs are an excellent breakfast food.

Eggs Florentine-ish

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
1 organic lemon, juiced, rind grated
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
4 cups fresh spinach
4 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon flat Italian parsley, chopped

In a large, heavy frying pan over medium high heat, heat oil and butter until butter melts. Add lemon rind and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add spinach, stir to coat, cover pan and cook until slightly wilted (3-4 minutes). Stir to form four pockets in the spinach, crack an egg into each, cover pan and reduce heat to low. Cook until eggs are gently set (3-4 minutes). Drizzle spinach with lemon juice, top each egg with goat cheese and sprinkle all with salt and pepper. Cover pan, turn off heat and let stand for 3 minutes. Serve, garnished with parsley. Serves 2-4.

An Italian Frittata

Fast and fluffy, this golden, fragrant Portobello Frittata makes a terrific breakfast or brunch. If you prefer, use crimini, chanterelles, brown field mushrooms, or any kind you have on hand.

Portobello Frittata

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
6 ounces Portobello mushroom caps, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, stemmed and chopped
5 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons Asiago cheese, grated

In a heavy frying pan, heat oil and butter over medium high heat until bubbly. Add mushrooms, sprinkle with salt, pepper and parsley and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Cover pan and cook for 3 minutes. Remove cover and cook for 5 minutes. In a bowl, whisk eggs with 1 tablespoon cheese and 2 tablespoons water. Pour over mushrooms, reduce heat to low, cover pan and cook until barely set (4-5 minutes). Slide frittata onto a plate, flip back into pan cooked-side-up, sprinkle with remaining cheese, cover pan and cook until set (2-3 minutes). Serves 2-4.

Simple Mushroom Omelet

2 teaspoons butter
2 cups mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
4 eggs, beaten until light
2 tablespoons ricotta
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon thyme or any thyme, minced
1/4 teaspoon fresh dill, minced
1 teaspoon fresh mint, minced

In an omelet or frying pan, heat 1 teaspoon butter over medium high heat.  Add mushrooms, sprinkle with salt, cover pan and cook until reduced by half (3-5 minutes).  Remove cover and cook until pan juices evaporate (2-3 minutes). Transfer to a plate, set aside. In a bowl, whisk eggs, ricotta, and herbs with a fork until blended, set aside. Add remaining butter to pan, heat until foamy over medium high heat, pour in egg mixture and swirl pan to coat. Shake pan lightly, then gently pull back cooked eggs with a spatula to allow runny, uncooked portion to run underneath the cooked part. When center of omelet is lightly set (1 minute), cover half the omelet with cooked mushrooms, reduce heat to low, cover pan and cook for 1 minute. Gently fold omelet in half, slide onto a plate, and serve warm. Serves 2.

Surprise Surprise

In the garden, young greens are ready for almost daily picking. In Spinach Surprise Omelet, the surprise is how deliciously a simple spinach omelet is when enriched with snippets of fresh herbs.

Spinach Surprise Omelet

4 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup ricotta
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons butter
3 cups baby spinach, stemmed
2 tablespoons arugula, shredded
2 tablespoons  fennel greens
1/8 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon fresh dill, stemmed

In a bowl, combine eggs with ricotta and pepper. Blend well with a fork, set aside. In a shallow, wide omelet or frying pan, heat 1 teaspoon butter over medium high heat until foamy. Add spinach, arugula, and fennel greens, sprinkle with salt, cover pan and cook until barely wilted (about 2-3 minutes). Remove greens to a plate. Add remaining butter to pan, heat until foamy, then pour in eggs and swirl pan to coat. Shake pan lightly, then gently pull back cooked eggs with a spatula to allow runny, uncooked portion to run underneath the cooked part. Cover pan, reduce heat to medium low and cook until puffy (1-2 minutes). Spoon in greens, fold omelet in half, cut in half, slide each piece on a plate and garnish with fresh dill. Serves 2.

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Easy, Harmless Ways To Get Rid of Moss

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Ann Lovejoy
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Coping Constructively With Mossy Madness

I always get a kick out of earnest magazine articles that explain how to create a mossy patina on clay pots. Evidently clean terracotta pots looks too obviously new and a mossy coat will give them an authentic, ancient English look. Well, the good news is that we Northwestern gardeners don’t need to mess with buttermilk or buy packets of pulverized moss starter. All we have to do is wait, and not very long. Before you know it, your pots will be mossy, and probably your house will be too.

If not actually mossy, our houses (and pots, and deck furniture) often accumulate a thin coating of pollen and mold, which has that authentic old English look as well. One way to deal with this is to paint buidings and outdoor furniture that same color. Indeed, my house is painted with Benjamin Moore Nantucket Grey, with Sussex Green trim, both of which are a pretty good match for the pollen/mold blend in my region. I discovered this by taking a piece of pollen-crusted wood to the paint store and matching it to paint chips. So simple!

A Kitchen Moss Remover

Of course, paint just hides the problem (and I’m fine with that). I find the very best way to reduce moss and mold presence is with plain old baking soda. Years ago, I used a home-made baking soda spray with a sticking agent that was great for cleaning up mossy furniture, decking, walkways and so on. A few years ago I learned that all you really need to do is sprinkle plain baking soda around. I’ve since tried it and sure enough, it works beautifully and surprisingly fast.

For the past few years, I’ve kept my north-facing roof moss free by sprinkling it with baking soda each summer. Recently I treated a very mossy stone walkway with baking soda and despite the cool, damp weather, the moss was all dead in a week. Here’s how it works: Sprinkle roofs, decks, furniture, and walkways generously with baking soda. Next, even out the coverage with a broom or brush. Let it stand for a few days, or until moss turns golden and starts to flake away. Scrub or scrape off moss and rinse away excess soda and you’re done until next year. This is effective with getting rid of the mold/pollen buildup as well.

Safe and Simple

The best aspect of this totally simple treatment is that, unlike most commercial moss killers, baking soda won’t harm garden plants, soil, or water. Dumping a whole bagful on a given plant won’t be helpful, but runoff from a roof or deck cleaning job won’t hurt anything.

I was also asked by a reader  whether he could safely collect rainwater off his roof if he used a toxic moss killer to keep the roof clean. The answer is no. Rainwater contaminated with zinc, iron or copper should not be used on edible plants and why not switch to basic old baking soda?

The Non-Metallic Answer

Moss killers based on zinc or copper create toxic runoff that can harm fish and aquatic life (as well as people, in high enough concentrations). Iron solutions are less toxic (though not entirely harmless) but they can permanently stain roof shingles, decks, siding, and lawn furniture, as well as concrete walkways.

Is it possible to prevent moss from invading lawns and garden beds in the first place? Well, this is the moss capital of the world, but there are some things that will help. Most important are to improve the amount of light and air circulation in the garden and to change soil from fungal to bacterial domination. That last is best accomplished by adding compost annually to beds and lawns to balance soil acidity and open up compacted soils. Have a skilled arborist prune trees to allow more light and air to reach shady areas. Finally, don’t over-plant tall shrubs and trees again!

Foliar Spray For Plants

Almost equally simple is this anti-fungicidal solution, which is effective against powdery mildew and molds on plant foliage. It’s also safe to use on edible plants (just rinse well as usual before eating them), and on lawns with red thread or fairy mushroom rings. in addition, this baking soda solution helps prevent early blight on tomatoes, a common problem in the maritime Northwest.

Baking Soda Solution For Plant Problems

1 tablespoon baking soda (any kind)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 gallon water
1/4 teaspoons mild castile liquid soap (Dr. Bronner’s or similar)

Thoroughly wet down affected foliage/lawn, then apply this milder version, shaking the spray container frequently to keep solution from separating. Spray foliage top and bottom (if applicable) or saturate well (lawns). Repeat weekly or as needed.

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Spring Peas And Garlic Greens

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Ann Lovejoy
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What Could Be Sweeter Than The First Peas?

Crisp, crunchy and delectably sweet, snowpeas rarely make it into real recipes at my house since they tend to get eaten right off the vine. However, I have a few special recipes that set off the best qualities of early peas and they have become family spring classics. As a student in Italy, many, many years ago, I fell in love with a spring dish called Risi Bisi. Basically, it involves hot, fluffy rice with a spunky sauce of clotted cream, garlic greens, mint, lots of pepper, and tender young peas, barely cooked.

I was fascinated to discover that Italian pasta stores carry several hundred kinds of pasta, fresh and dried. It amazed me, since all I knew about was spaghetti and macaroni. My friends and I spent many a happy hour trying different kinds, matching each pasta with the type of sauce Italian cooks would use. Pasta shops usually carry rice as well, perhaps two or three dozen kinds. These days, many American grocery stores offer lots of kinds of rice, but back in the early 1970’s, I had no idea so many kinds existed. The Italians even had special types of rice for feeding to dogs (commercial dogfood was uncommon in Italy back then). For Risi Bisi, I usually use jasmine rice, though I also make it with decidedly non-traditional short grain brown rice.

Choosing The Right Cream

Clotted cream is not always easy to come by, but plain, organic sour cream works very nicely. If you do prefer to use yogurt, pick a mild Greek style yogurt; otherwise the tartness will dominate the delicate flavor of the young peas. If you want to try to make your own clotted cream, use organic cream, preferably unpasteurized. Pasteurized heavy cream will work but won’t give you quite the same texture and won’t taste quite as fresh (since it is cooked).

Clotted Cream

2 cups organic heavy cream

Pour cream into a double boiler over a heavy bottomed pan with a few inches of boiling water. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 4-6 hours until cream is reduced to about half the original volume. Remove top of double boiler, cover pan and let cool for several hours. The top will be very thick. Refrigerate overnight (at least 12 hours). To serve, stir the thicker layer into the thinner cream beneath it. Serve chilled. Transfer any extra cream to a clean glass jar with a tightly sealed lid and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Makes about 1 cup.

Garlic Greens

If you grow garlic, you can harvest some of the sturdy foliage, which look like green straws. The flowering tips are prized by cooks for garnish, and whole stems, flowerhead and all, also get chopped into stir fries and sauteed dishes.  If you don’t grow garlic, you can use garlic chives, or even regular chives, though they are not quite as pungent.

Don’t harvest too many greens off any single garlic plant, since plants need their foliage to support the fattening bulbs. Garlic chives or regular chives can be snipped with scissors, and there’s no worry about harming the plant (at least, I’ve never managed to kill chives yet).

Springtime Risi Bisi

This light and savory dish assembles very quickly. Start the rice, then toss together a salad of mixed greens, mixing up a mild, springy dressing of olive oil, rice vinegar, a bit of flaked brewer’s yeast and a few shreds of fresh garlic chives. Minted herb tea or a light grignolino will complement this dish very  pleasantly.

1-1/2 cup dry rice (Thai jasmine rice or any long grain white rice)
1 tablespoon fruity olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup fresh garlic greens or garlic chives, minced
2 cups shelled new peas OR snow peas (about 1 pound)
1 tablespoon fresh spearmint, stemmed and minced
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup clotted cream or Greek style yogurt or sour cream
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 garlic or chive blossoms

Cook rice according to directions on packet. In a wide, shallow pan, combine oil and butter over medium high heat and add garlic greens or chives. Cook for 1 minute, then add peas. Stir to coat and cook, uncovered until they lose their raw flavor but remain plump and bright green. Add minced mint and salt and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in cream and pepper and heat through over low heat. Fluff rice and put in a serving dish, top peas and sauce, and garnish with garlic blossoms. Serve immediately. Serves four.

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Braising Brings Out The Best In Veggies

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Ann Lovejoy
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Sizzle ‘Em Fast, Stew ‘Em Slow

I love the colorful, tasty leafy mixtures sold as braising greens at the farmers markets, but don’t like paying $10 a pound for them. Instead, I harvest my own blends of greens, including mustard greens, different kinds of kale, chard, beet greens, turnip greens, collards, arugula, radicchio, and various choys. A leaf or two of each type of foliage is all it takes to make a lovely batch of greens for myself, and if company is coming, I pick a handful of each.

Braising is an old technique that developed when most cooking was done over a woodstove or even an open fire. In general, braising starts with searing something quickly at high heat, then reducing the heat to very low and simmering until tender. I tend to braise vegetables and greens in their own juices, making for extremely concentrated and flavorful dishes.

Braising Greens

Braising works best on dense, somewhat thick leaves rather than, say, lettuce, though braised endive is a classic French side dish. My favorite way to enjoy braising greens is this:

1 teaspoon fruity olive oil
6 kalamata olives, chopped
2 cups per person braising greens
(i.e. kale, collards, mustard greens, chard, and beet greens)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cider vinegar
few grains freshly ground black pepper

In a wide shallow pan, heat oil and olives over medium high heat. Add greens, stir to coat, sprinkle with salt. Cover pan, reduce heat to low and simmer until tender (5-10 minutes). Sprinkle with vinegar and pepper and serve hot. Yum!

Braised Garlic, Onions and Leeks

The initial step of searing or browning whatever you plan to braise is important, because it has a delicious caramelizing effect, especially on vegetables. If you like a glazed effect on your veggies, use at least some butter for searing. Cook any of these onion relatives alone or in combination for a very tasty treat.

1 tablespoon fruity olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 head garlic, peeled
2 white or yellow onions, peeled and quartered
4 leeks, tough outer layer removed, sliced
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
fresh lemon juice

In a wide shallow pan, combine oil and butter over medium high heat. Place onions in pan, sprinkle with salt and gently brown. Add garlic and brown briefly (1 minute). Add leeks and brown (2 minutes). Cover pan, reduce heat to low and simmer until tender (10-12 minutes). Uncover pan, increase heat and reduce liquid to a glaze. Serve hot with a splash of lemon juice.

Slow Braised Garlic

2 tablespoons fruity olive oil
2 heads garlic, peeled

Warm oil over medium low heat. Add garlic, cover pan and simmer over lowest heat for 5 minutes. Uncover pan and simmer, stirring often, for 8-10 minutes or until garlic is soft and pale yellow. Serve with grilled fish or chicken or roasted vegetables. Store in a closed jar in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Braised Endive and New Peas

1 tablespoon fruity olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup peas per person (shelled)
1 endive (whole plant) per person
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 lime, quartered

In a wide, shallow pan, combine oil and butter over medium high heat. Add onion, sprinkle with salt and brown gently, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add peas and cook for 1 minute. Add endive, spritz with half the lime juice, cover pan and simmer over low heat until tender (8-10 minutes). Serve hot, sprinkled with pepper and remaining lime juice.

Braise Crazy

Over the years, I’ve braised all kinds of things, including carrots, parsnips, turnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, celery and broccoli. Everything tastes fabulous, especially if sprinkled with minced fresh herbs as a lovely garnish. For variety, you can supplement the natural braising liquid with various kinds of vinegar, citrus juice, a dry wine, cider, or apple or pear juice. Apricot nectar (unsweetened) also works nicely with sweet things like carrots and sweet potatoes.

Garnish braised greens or vegetables with fresh herbs, toasted seeds (sesame, pumpkin, fennel) or chopped nuts (peanuts, cashews, almonds, walnuts). A sprinkle of hard cheese (peccorino, Asiago, parmesan) is also lovely, as are crumbles of soft goat cheese. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

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