Strawberry Afternoons

How's this for a nice afternoon snack to curb the afternoon blood sugar crash? A handful of sliced strawberries, yogurt, and a sprinkle of chia seeds and chocolate chips on top.

That's all I've got for now. Work is keeping me pretty busy and my stress level has been higher than it should be lately, but that will soon taper off and things will be more manageable. Pullman's experiencing major June Gloom (worse than I can remember from San Diego!), and hopefully it passes soon!!!!!!

Kale Walnut Pesto

Each week when I open my CSA box I find a bunch of kale. These ruffled green leaves are still a challenge for me. I like broccoli, and this is another brassica I should have no trouble sauteing or boiling and eating plain, but for some reason that's intimidating. Instead, I look for recipes, feeling perpetually confused about how I'm going to cook with kale. Everyone recommends kale chips. I'll try another batch at some point, but the first I made turned out so poorly I'll continue to avoid repeating that experience for awhile.

The same day that I found the Almond Joy Layer Cake I also came across this recipe from Rachael Ray for Kale Walnut Pesto. Knowing I had a package of tortellini in the freezer that was in need of cooking, I decided this pesto recipe was exactly what I was looking for. It was great the night we made it, and it's made great leftovers for lunch in the days since then. I highly recommend you give this recipe a shot--it'll definitely help you use up any kale you may not know what to do with! Along with being good on pasta, I'm thinking this could make a good sandwich spread...

The pesto requires:
"1/2 bunch kale" Make a judgement call here--I was using baby kale, and the bunch was significantly smaller than what I'll be getting as a bunch when the weather warms and the crop has grown a bit more. I'd say this was about 4 loosely packed cups of kale leaves. Discard the stems and coarsely chop the leaves.
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted on the stove at medium heat until fragrant.
1 clove garlic, chopped (You may be temped to add more. Don't.)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. Cook the kale in a large pot of salted water until tender, 4-5 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water. Use the kale water to cook your pasta. The pasta is up to you. Something with a bit of texture will hold the sauce better. 1 pound will do.
2. Squeeze the kale to remove excess water. Put kale, walnuts, garlic, and Parmesan into your food processor. Process until almost smooth, adding salt and pepper as desired.
3. Slowly add olive oil to kale mixture with food processor running.
Voila! You have kale walnut pesto! Add to your pasta, add some extra cheese if you like, and enjoy!

Mushroom and Bean Tortilla Casserole

I'm blogging with a belly full of beans and mushrooms. Dinner for today was this super easy casserole, thrown together from flour tortillas, kidney beans, mushrooms, salsa, and cheese. The photo might not look like much, but it's one of the most hearty, filling meals I've prepared for myself in quite a while.



Ingredients:
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3/4 pounds cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 can (15.5 ounces) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
4 medium flour tortillas. Leave one whole, halve 2, and quarter the last.
1 1/4 cups (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/2 cups salsa

It's fast and easy!
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Heat oil and saute onions until soft. Add mushrooms, turn heat to medium high. Cook until mushrooms are browned, stirring often. This should take about seven minutes.
3. Add garlic and cayenne--try not to dump the cayenne directly on a mushroom or you'll get a very spicy bite later! Add salt and pepper as desired.
4. Add kidney beans, stir to combine. Cook until beans are warmed through. Remove from heat.
5. Arrange 2 tortilla halves, and 2 tortilla quarters to cover the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish.
6. Top tortillas with half the bean mixture, 1/2 cup salsa, and 1/3 of the cheese.
7. Add another layer of tortilla and repeat this process.
8. Top with one whole tortilla, 1/2 cup salsa, and the rest of the cheese.
9. Cover with foil and bake until center is warm--about 10 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for about 5 minutes longer, until cheese is bubbling.

We baked a cake

The three day weekend meant my friends had time to make the drive from Seattle to Pullman, so Selena, Kara, and Keith have been over to visit! Yesterday Selena and I attended the Kendrick Locust Blossom Festival in Kendrick, Idaho. Kendrick has a population of around 300, and while many people come in from the nearby towns, it was definitely a small town affair! We watched the parade, then strolled in the park and looked at the booths.

On the way back into Pullman we started getting excited about cake. I'd come across a recipe for an Almond Joy Layer Cake a couple of days before and thought it could be interesting to try, so we gathered the necessary ingredients and got started!

The recipe comes from Rachel Ray Magazine, though we didn't follow it 100%, so I'll give you a breakdown.

For the cake batter you need:
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup water
1 stick (4oz) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
3oz (about 1/2 cup) semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 packed cup sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Oil and flour two 8x2 cake pans (or 9 inch since that's what we had...).
Boil the water in a medium saucepan. Whisk in cocoa powder until smooth. Whisk in butter and chocolate over low heat, until melted. Remove from heat and whisk in 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 2 tsp vanilla, and 1/2 tsp salt. Whisk in 1 egg at a time; beat well after each addition.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Pour in chocolate mixture, incorporate until smooth. Add coconut. Pour batter into two prepared pans, and bake in the lower third of the oven for about 35 minutes.
Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely.

Now, once the cakes are cooled most normal people would cut them in horizontally in half into two layers. Because we had 9-inch pans, our cakes were a little thin for that. Instead, we cut each round in half and stacked the four half circles we were left with to make one very tall cake. In the picture it looks like we made a completely cylindrical cake, but that's not quite it... only half!


To frost the cake, we departed from Rachel's recipe and did our own thing. Toast 2 cups sliced almonds in your 325 degree oven for about 12 minutes, then let cool. We used a store bought whipped cream frosting, and just mixed about 2 cups of coconut, and 1 1/2 cups of the toasted almonds with only 2/3 of the frosting. This mixture was put between the layers, and on the very top of the cake. What was left without coconut and almonds we used to frost the outside for an attempt at a finished look. :)

 

What else is on the menu lately?

Even though I've been in Pullman for almost two months I am still having trouble getting into a routine. I'm looking for a yoga class, trying to stick to a good schedule of taking Alice out for long walks, and getting better every week at making sure I'm preparing healthy meals and snacks.
Occasionally I just need to step back and remind myself of a few healthy things I can easily put together.
Honey Glazed Chickpeas, for example.

I went through a phase of making big batches of roasted chickpeas that were spiced with chili powder, mostly to take in the car during road trips.

These chickpeas are very easy to make, and even easier to eat. So easy, in fact, that I ate half the batch fresh out of the oven, and the other half as a midnight snack later that night. None left for the work week. Oops.

In case you want to make a batch of your own, here's the recipe! (From The Pastry Affair)

Honey Roasted Chickpeas
Ingredients:
1 (15 ounce can) chickpeas
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon honey

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Drain chickpeas and rinse under cold water. Let chickpeas drain/dry for a few minutes.
3. Whisk together cinnamon, oil, and sugar a liquid measuring cup. Place chickpeas in bowl, pour cinnamon mixture over, and stir until chickpeas are evenly coated.
4. Spread the chickpeas on a large baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until crunchy and no longer soft in the middle. Sometimes they do this neat exploding thing in the oven. Be sure to take out any that pop off the baking sheet when your oven is cool--they stink when they burn the next time you turn the oven on.
5. Place hot, roasted chickpeas in a large drinking glass. Drizzle honey over the chickpeas, put some sort of lid on the glass, and shake it around until the chickpeas are as evenly coated as possible.
6. Spread chickpeas back out on baking sheet and allow to dry. Attempt to store in an airtight container at room temperature rather than eating them all at once. :)


Also in my mealtime repertoire are green salads. I had a momentary lapse in memory a few days before picking up my CSA share and bought a big package of romaine hearts at Costco. Then I got a big bag of beautiful baby lettuces in the CSA. When combined, I get a lovely little salad. Topped with a drizzle of raspberry vinaigrette, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and some fantastic cheddar cheese it makes a very satisfying addition to a meal.

If you've been reading long, you'll remember the quinoa patties I whipped up while living in Arcata. They were a standby for awhile, and different ingredients went into the mix with every batch that was made. This week I actually stuck pretty close to Heidi's recipe from Super Natural Every Day because I finally had the chives it calls for! Courtesy again of my CSA share!

One Word Wednesday

Canola

Palouse Falls State Park

I made it to another state park on Sunday. Palouse Falls is a couple hours outside of Pullman, and definitely worth the drive. The first thing that struck me upon getting out of the car was the scent of black locust tree blossoms hanging in the air. It was a humid day, verging on rainstorms for most of our visit, and the beautiful smell of the flowers clung to the breeze as it brushed past us.

The falls themselves were spectacular. I snapped a few pictures (not enough to warrant a huge post, that's for sure) and just soaked in the view and the calming sound of the waterfall.
 

Cha-cha-cha-chia!

You've heard of Chia Pets. I remember a chia cat, and my neighbor having a chia head. There's even a chia Fremont Troll. What you may not know is that the seeds used on those kitschy little decorations are actually a tasty little superfood. I had cooked a little with chia seeds in the past, but when I came across a number of recipes for "Chia Pudding" I was intrigued. There was chocolate involved, so I thought it would be worth a shot. If my late night snack has to include chocolate (yes, it usually does), then perhaps I could make it just a little bit healthier than a bowl of ice cream.

So I gave "Chia Pudding" a shot. I wasn't that impressed by it, but I won't stop trying!
The basic recipe I used was:
3/4 cup almond milk (this may be part of the problem. I buy unsweetened almond milk, which is just not as creamy or flavorful as you need if you're trying to make this dessert-like.)
1/4 cup chia seeds
2 Tbl honey
2 tsp cocoa powder



Begin by mixing the milk and chia seeds, then add the cocoa and honey. It's that simple. Let the whole thing sit for half an hour so that the chia seeds can gel, and then dig in.

I found that the leftovers I put in the fridge and then ate 24 hours after mixing were tastier--the whole thing had more time to gel and for the flavors to solidify in a way. I also tossed in a few mini chocolate chips for some added texture. Foods that don't require much chewing don't usually go over very well with me. (Hence the reason I typically avoid soups...)

Honey Glazed Radishes

You have to try this. Until last weekend, I don't think I had ever eaten a radish in my life. (I know, terrible, right?) When I picked up my CSA share at the farmers market on Wednesday, I found bok choy, salad mix, chives, baby kale and chard, and a big bunch of radishes. I am not the best vegetarian--there are a lot of vegetables I'm still coming to terms with. I usually stick with what I know; mainly broccoli, carrots, etc. No idea why radishes were missing. Especially because the recipe that Margaret at Omache farm provided for them is AMAZING.


Ingredients:

1 Lg Bunch Radishes

1 Tbsp Butter

½ Cup Chicken Stock

1 Tbsp Honey

¼ cup minced onions, shallots or spring onions

Salt to taste

Once everything is assembled, it's incredibly easy.

Top radishes, slice in half for easier eating (forget to do this if your name is Lauren).

Melt butter in pan. Sautee onions until soft.

Add radishes, stir until coated in butter.

Add stock and honey. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Remove cover; simmer until liquid thickens to glaze.

Add salt as desired and serve warm.

 

I topped with a sprinkle of chives to green things up a bit--this dish does look really drab when it's done. But it's so tasty!!! Cooking the radishes takes away a lot of their spiciness, and I'm a sucker for anything that uses onions to add a bit of extra sweetness.

Notes on a weekend

No pictures today, just lots of words! Hope you can handle it!

This weekend I spent most of my time at Omache Farm doing some transplanting and weeding, and helping lay out drip tape and mulch paper. This seems to have been our first really hot weekend for the summer, with temperatures in the seventies yesterday and the eighties today. I was pretty stressed out about work by the end of last week and it was really great to have some work to keep me busy and great friends to hang out with to pass the weekend instead of focusing on what lies ahead of me this week. Just a hint, we are going to Prosser tomorrow where it is supposed to be 97 degrees. Ouch.

I made another great loaf of almond bread today, and this time I'm actually going to share my recipe. I think this may be one of those things I change up every time I make it, always adding a different twist. This time, for example, I used chia seeds in the almond spread but forgot to sprinkle cinnamon, so I got an added flavor and kind of missed out on one.

For the bread:
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup whole wheat bread flour
1 cup white bread flour
1/2 cup butter (although at this moment I've realized I only used about 1/4 of a cup this time around...might account for some of the dryness! oops! It's still tasty though!)
1/4 cup room-temperature milk
1 room-temperature egg

Start by mixing the yeast and water in a large bowl, then add the milk, egg, butter, and flour. Those of you with a stand mixer can use a bread hook to mix everything together until the dough cleans the side of the bowls. In my kitchen the best tools I have are my hands, and I knead the dough until everything is incorporated, and then a bit longer. I then pick up my dough and cloak it before setting it in a bowl and covering with plastic wrap. The dough then sits in the fridge for 12-24 hours.

For the almond filling:
1/2 cup blanched almonds
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (this is something I didn't have the first time I made this bread, and let me tell you, it makes a world of difference!)
1 "chia egg" (1 teaspoon chia seed mixed with 3 teaspoons water and allowed to sit until gelled, about 5 minutes)

Pulse almonds, powdered sugar, and coconut oil in your food processor until almonds are ground to a desired size--bigger chunks don't bother me! Add the almond extract and chia egg and pulse until combined.  That's it--it's that simple!

When you're ready to start shaping the bread, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Remove your bread dough from the fridge and roll into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. The dough is a bit easier to work when it's had a few minutes to thaw, so my technique today was to roll out the basic shape, put together the almond filling, and then finish rolling the dough when it had warmed just a bit.

Spread the almond filling on the bread dough as evenly as you can. It may be a bit thick--just deal with it. At this point you may want to add a few other things, like some sprinkles of cinnamon or turbinado sugar (that one I did remember to do). Then roll the dough lengthwise (you end up with a long skinny roll), and use a serrated knife to cut it in half lengthwise. You'll now have two long sections that when split apart will reveal the filling. I then twist these sections together, trying to keep the filling edge pointed toward the center of my twist, though I don't think it'll make a huge difference for the finished product. A little bit of pinching at the top and bottom of the twist will help it hold together.

Then transfer your twist to a baking sheet, pop into that 350 degree oven, and bake for 30-35 minutes. I made a really skinny twist today, so it was definitely on the short end of baking times. After it cools the bread can be cut and slices packaged individually for freezing--this makes pulling one out for a workday snack really easy.

Tulips!

The part of Pullman that I live in is conveniently home to a number of city parks, and the city's formal garden. The land and funds for Lawson Gardens were donated to the city in 1985, and since then Pullman has done a great job of turning the site into a beautiful garden that makes for a nice place to visit on a sunny day. For a very reasonable rate you can also reserve the central lawn for weddings, something that seems to take place quite frequently.

After hearing from a neighbor that the tulips were plentiful at the garden, I decided to wander over one afternoon and check it out. I snapped some pretty good photos, and did it just in time, as the following two days we saw snow, torrential rain, and high winds--not so gentle to tulip blooms.

(those of you in the botanical know, please ignore that bulbs are not actually roots...)

And now, obligatory picture of Alice:

We just recently started an advanced obedience class, and on the first day Alice did a great job of showing everyone what an absolutely energetic, out of control dog looks like. She's so food motivated she loses her mind when there are really tasty treats around and it's all I can do to keep her energy level low. But energy is great! And no one can condemn a happy dog!

Almond Bread

One of the first things I baked after moving into my Pullman apartment was this great Braided Almond Bread. It freezes very well, which was very beneficial because I didn't want to eat the whole loaf all by myself in the short span of time before it would have gone bad if left out. It was also very nice to be able to pull a thick slice of bread out of the freezer on the way to work in the morning and have it for a morning snack.

Part of making the almond filling was blanching the almonds--something I'd never done before. I was amazed at how easy it was! I'm pretty sure the original recipe has you make enough almond paste for two loaves of bread, but I used the whole almond paste recipe on just one loaf--it wasn't overpowering, so you're definitely encouraged to go that way.

I used a bit less sugar than the recipe called for, so my bread didn't exude sugar the way you might see in the original recipe posting, but it was still dang tasty! (and easier to clean up.)

Spring on the Palouse

I've been lacking in my updates, due both to being busy at work and not having internet access at my apartment. Today I'm updating from the Daily Grind in downtown Pullman, where students have taken over with laptops to prepare for finals. The internet connection is running slower than molasses in January. On top of that, I forgot to upload recent pictures before coming here, so you'll have to wait awhile longer for true, exciting, photo-filled updates.

I do have this one photo for you though, taken a couple of weeks ago when we were soil sampling at the Wilke research station, just outside of Davenport, WA. This particular research project has 48 plots, all of which had to be sampled for our bulk density and fertility analyses. We take 2 cores per plot, which are combined into one representative sample. The tractor you see has a Giddings probe attached to the back--it's a hydraulically-driven corer that allows us to sample as deep as 5 feet without the human strain required when using a king tube or push probe. Even with this mechanical advantage, sampling takes a lot of time and I've spent many days in the field. The sun has been shining--I've got the sunburns to prove it--and there are definitely worse ways to spend a day at work.

New Job, New Address, New Phase of Life!

I don't think this will come as a surprise to any of you, but last weekend I loaded my belongings into a Uhaul and returned to Pullman to take a job working on a multi-state, agriculturally-focused climate change project. It's been in the works for quite awhile, and finally being in Pullman feels great.

My car began the journey to Pullman on Friday night, with my friend Kara taking on the task of driving it over. Alice and I followed the next morning in the Uhaul. I was incredibly nervous about driving the moving truck the roughly 300 miles between my new and old addresses, but things went great! Between my experience driving tour buses at the Zoo last summer and YMCA mini buses for the last few months, the truck was very easy to adjust to. The weather was even halfway decent for the trip over Snoqualmie Pass and the rest of our highway journey to Pullman.

Alice got to ride shotgun in her kennel and was a very patient passenger. I was a little worried because she had done quite a bit of complaining during the hour and a half long drive to Aunt Louise's house a couple of weeks before, and we were looking at 5+ hours for the move! Luckily, she spent most of her time curled up sleeping, waking just long enough to shoot me an unimpressed look if we hit a bump in the road too hard.

After arriving in town Kara and Keith and a couple of recruited friends helped unload the truck--it went so much faster than when my mom and I had been loading it on Friday afternoon! We spent much of Sunday relaxing and walking around campus, so it wasn't until this weekend (a week after moving in) that I got my boxes unpacked and put the place into a bit of order--it still needs work. I started my new job on Monday, and I find there are a lot of things I have to figure out and locate, but that shouldn't take too long and I'll soon be totally ready to kick some research butt.

Just Another Family Outing!

Yesterday my sister and I spent the day with our aunt, uncle, and cousins in Oakville. The purpose of the trip: to go shooting. Yep, that's how this crew has fun!



The drive south took a little longer than normal because of snow and pouring rain, and Alice started to complain about being in her kennel for so long. We made a quick stop at Millersylvania State Park to stretch our legs and cross another park off the list!

We went to an old rock quarry to shoot and set up clay pigeons to aim for. 

Yep, that's me, takin' aim with the .22!

And here with the M-1 garand. 



Gun totin' sisters!



For a short while we were blocked in by this train when it stopped on the tracks to make a switch somewhere up ahead. Just as we were getting worried about how we'd get out to our cars and go home it started on its way again.

Whidbey Island Day Trip

You may or may not know this already, but back in the fall I set a goal to visit every one of Washington's State Parks. There are 142 of them. This is a goal that will not be met easily, and will take quite a bit of time, but I've been chipping away at it! So far my favorite park has been Dash Point. There is a pretty long stretch of beach there that Alice loved running on.

Two weeks ago I found myself thinking about an adventure, and missing the smell of salt water.
So I composed a plan of driving up to the north end of Whidbey Island, then driving down the island and visiting its 5 state parks before boarding the ferry in Clinton and returning home. While Alice makes a grand companion for such trips, I needed a person. Luckily, my friend Krista is the short-notice-adventure type and was more than willing to come along! We set out on Sunday, just after noon, and got to driving!

The first park we visited was Deception Pass. This is a very good-sized park, and easily the most popular of Whidbey's 5 state parks. We hopped out of the car, walked on the beach a little, then packed up and moved on to our next destination!

Our next stop was Joseph Whidbey State Park. It has some nice looking picnic areas and a good stretch of walking path along the beach.

And, well, we can't do without a picture of Alice!



As we were leaving Joseph Whidbey I slammed on the brakes and exclaimed "cool!" Krista then hopped out so I could take her picture with this otter crossing sign. The road we were driving has Puget Sound on one side, and some sort of marsh or inlet on the other, and I guess our otter friends like to walk across instead of swimming!



Fort Ebey came next. This park covers 645 acres and was home to a WWII gun battery that was home to two 6-inch guns during the war. The guns have long since been removed, and all you will see are earthworks and concrete. We didn't actually visit the battlement site, but instead continued on to the beach. Like I said, I was looking for saltwater here!

Then came Fort Casey! This was my favorite park of the day. The first use of this park site was in 1858, when the U.S. government purchased 10 acres to build a lighthouse on. In 1890, the Army took over the site and built an artillery site. Fort Casey is one point on the "Triangle of Fire" or "Iron Triangle" of forts that were built to guard the entrance to Puget Sound. The other two parks are Fort Worden and Fort Flagler.

Fort Casey is home to two 10-inch guns and two 3-inch guns. The part of the battlement that houses the guns has definitely been restored, while if you walk farther along things fall into more disrepair. You can walk in and around the battlements, though I might suggest a flashlight! There was a time or two when I intended to see where a hallway went and turned around after finding nothing but complete darkness ahead of me. Volunteers lead tours of the battlement late May through September, and I might just have to go back another time to get the inside scoop!



Our final park stop was South Whidbey. You can't tell by the photo, but it was close to dusk so we had a quick look around before the park closed, took our picture, and headed for the ferry.

Just another rainy day

With the first day of spring coming up soon we're getting a final lashing of wintry weather. We  had some snow today, and a bit of hail, but a good part of the day was spent in total downpour.
I had a rather cinematic episode this morning as Alice and I were getting ready to go for a walk. She was bouncing around on the porch, eagerly waiting for me to walk her down the driveway, clip the leash onto her collar, and start our little jaunt. I turned my back on her to lock the door, and heard a strange noise. It had gone from absolutely clear and dry to torrential downpour in seconds--that strange noise was the sound of thousands of raindrops hitting the porch all at once. So much for our walk. Shelving our disappointment we went back inside and found something to watch on tv. The rain worsened, and I was glad we hadn't gone outside. Then, just as suddenly as it had started, I looked out and realized it was no longer raining. Not a drop. Without wasting a second I put my jacket, hat, and gloves back on, leashed Alice, and we were off! While I was waiting for it to start raining the whole time we were out, we did not have another spontaneous downpour and made it home, safe, sound, and dry.