Thai Inspired Quinoa Salad

I've been in the kitchen experimenting with whole grains lately. I had cooked up a batch of quinoa and had it chilled in the fridge. When I decided to make a salad that used the quinoa, I had a real taste for something spicy. Based on what I had on hand, I created this Thai inspired salad. I fear it is probably a little high in both fat and calories, but it makes a high protein meal all by itself. It is also damn good.

The Quinoa

Quinoa is an ancient grain originating from South America. It is a staple of South American cuisine and is becoming increasingly popular here in the United States. It is similar to couscous in both its size and its flavor. It is however unique in that it is a complete protein, containing all 8 of the essential amino acids. To cook Quinoa place 1 cup of the grain in 2 cups of salted water. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Thai Inspired Quinoa Salad

The Good Stuff
1 batch of quinoa cooked and chilled
4 organic scallions chopped
1 organic carrot grated
1 organic jalapeno pepper seeded and minced
1/3 cup unsalted organic peanuts chopped

Toss together all of the good stuff.

The Dressing
1/4 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 very juicy organic lime
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons low sodium tamari
4 cloves organic garlic pressed
1 teaspoon chili oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili paste

Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together until well blended. Pour dressing over the good stuff and gentle toss again. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Serves 6-8

Enjoy!

A Suitcase Full of Knitting

I'll be traveling next week to teach a workshop in Northern Minnesota. I'll also be visiting family, and making time to run Lake Nokomis. I grew up in Minneapolis - on the south side, right near Lake Nokomis, and it is still my most favorite run. Traveling also means knitting. This trip especially should offer ample time to knit. That's because I'll be staying with my Dad and his wife and they have a fantastic porch, and the kind of laid-back attitude that makes it easy to spend an entire day knitting.

As I prepare for the trip - making sure the dogs will be cared for, prepping materials for my workshop, making plans with friends, and providing easy-to-prepare food for The Boyfriend to eat while I'm gone - I'm also thinking about the knitting. Or more specifically, which knitting to bring along on my travels.

I've got plenty of WIPs right now - the Waves of Lace Scarf, the Branching Out Scarf, the Eyelet Rib Socks, the Urban Hens, and the One Skein Shrug. I have the yarn to start two new sweaters - The Slinky Rib from Wendy Bernard's book Custom Knits: Unleash Your Inner Designer with Top-Down and Improvisational Techniques, and the Empress Pullover from Knit Picks. And of course there is also socks, so so many socks.

Perhaps the best solution is bring it all. I clearly wouldn't finish it all, but then I'd have choices. And besides, other than my running shoes and shorts, and a couple of changes of clothes I don't need much else. Indeed, a suitcase full of knitting...

The End of a Growing Season

The first growing season in my kitchen garden has officially come to a close. It seems almost unbelievable to the northern gardener in me that July 4th weekend brings the end of the growing season, but it has.

It is just too hot. During the month of June we saw a number of record breaking highs, and at least a dozen days with temperatures above 100 degrees, and it just doesn't cool off all that much over night. When it's hot like this the pepper's won't blossom and set fruit, and neither will the tomatoes. The basil has bolted and gone to flower. And the eggplants just stopped. It seems really wasteful to me to continue to water plants that aren't producing foodstuffs, and so the watering has stopped, and the kitchen garden has shriveled.

Looking back it was a fruitful and productive growing season. My freezer is full of pesto and baba ghanouj. I had my first foray into canning, preserving a large batch of tomatoes, and a variety of pickled hot peppers. (I learned tons from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving ). I had enough greens early on to share with friends, and enough cucumbers to give some to pretty much everyone I know. All in all I'd call it a success.

Today we have had a relatively "cool" day, with temperatures in the upper 80's and completely cloudy skies. I took advantage of this break in the weather to put the garden to bed for the rest of the summer. I took down all the bird netting, and cut down all the shriveled plants. I took down tomato cages, and stakes. And I mulched.

There are a few additional things to do until the fall growing season rolls around: I will keep the perennial herbs watered, mulched, and alive. I'll start a new compost pile, and turn the one in progress. And I'll let the soil rest during these sweltering months.

Come September I'll plant the kitchen garden again. I'm planning the fall growing season with a mind towards preserving the harvest: green beans for pickling, tomatoes for sauce making, and carrots just for fun.

Until then, I'll be in the kitchen I suppose.

A Plethora of Pestos Workshop & Garden Tour

I'll be visiting Minnesota and teaching a Plethora of Pestos Workshop & Garden Tour at Ripple River Gallery in the Bay Lake Area.

We'll start the afternoon in Ripple River's stunning garden where we'll talk about growing culinary herbs and get an up-close, hands-on look at our featured ingredient. Then we'll move to the porch for a pesto making demonstration and a discussion of the history of pesto, tips for storing fresh herbs, and an exploration of how to vary your ingredients and create new recipes. And finally we'll wake up our taste buds as we sample and taste 6-8 different pestos - each an original recipe. Participants will receive a packet of information that includes recipes for all the pesto we'll have tasted (plus a few extras), and tips for growing culinary herbs.


This workshop has been designed in the spirit of "handcrafting real good food" and will be a celebration of growing, crafting, and creativity.

When: Saturday July 18th from 11 AM to 2 PM. You can contact Ripple River Gallery for registration either by email at ripriv@mlecmn.net or by phone 218.678.2575. For more info. and great photos of Ripple River Gallery visit their Website or their Facebook page.

I hope to see you there.

Knitting News: New Patterns, Socks, and On the Needles

I'm feeling in the mood to share and give updates. This post will therefore cover all the knitting news from my little world and it includes lots of photos and useful links.

First up, I have completed the writing, editing, and photo taking for two new patterns - Both are felted wool projects, and both are classic hats - The Felted Tam and The Felted Cloche.





Both are available in either my Etsy Shop, and on Ravelry. (Incidentally, the beautiful wood button shown on the Cloche was handcrafted by Ripple River Wood Turning.)

I finished the sock! The Shorty Socks worked out great, and they fit. And in accordance with the New House Rules I threw out a crappy pair of store bought socks. I actually threw out 4 pairs of crappy store bought socks - they were all the same socks and were purchased in a multi-pack, so they sort of count as one.



I'm going to continue with the sock knitting, of course. The sweet taste of success has only served to motivate me further. Next up is my first pair from a Sock Cocktail Kit I purchased through Knit Picks. I'll be knitting the shifting rib with a self striping yarn.

Also currently on the needles is this beautiful Waves of Lace Shell and matching Scarf Designed by Ilga Leja. Actually, the top is no longer on the needles - knitting is complete - all that's left is the blocking and seaming. I'm waiting for my new lace blocking wires to arrive. The scarf is in its infancy. Both are knit in Handmaiden's Flaxen - a silk and linen blend. I purchased the yarn and the pattern as a kit from One Planet Yarn and Fiber.


Also on in progress are the Knit Chickens from Blue Sky Alpacas. I would love,love, love to have a brood of hens, real hens, of the egg-laying variety. But since the current plan is to move a thousand miles in a year it doesn't seem practical. I'll wait to have hens until I'm settled in Portland. But in the meantime... I'll be knitting chickens. They are simply too cute to ignore, and the Blue Sky Dyed Cotton is probably my most favorite yarn.

And finally, to keep abreast of what I'm crafting in the kitchen and the garden you should follow my other blog - In the Kitchen and the Garden.

Cheers!

Tips for Shopping at your Farmer's Market

Farmer's markets aren't just a good place to buy fresh, seasonal fruit and veggies. Most larger urban markets also have farmers offering healthy meats, fresh cheese and dairy, fresh baked goods, and eggs from pasture-raised hens. Many also offer a selection of value-added foods like homemade pastas, and various sauces, salsas, and preserves. In other words, it is possible to do the majority of your shopping at your local farmer's market.

Following are some tips and suggestions for a satisfying market experience.

> Bring bags from home and be sure to bring several, that way fragile, and easily bruised items like peaches or tomatoes can have their own bag and stand a better chance of arriving home in good shape.

> Spend a little time before you go planning a few meals, looking over a selection of recipes, and thinking about what you'd like to cook this week. You stand a better chance of getting what you need, and using what you buy if do a little planning. But plan with the season in mind - don't go to the market looking for butternut squash in the middle of June. And keep an open mind while you shop, be prepared to be flexible with your plans.

> Talk to the farmer's and get to know them. This is actually one of my most favorite aspects of shopping at the farmer's market. You'll know where your food comes from, and you'll have a more enjoyable shopping experience. Also, the farmers and growers well let you know what's coming in soon and what's almost gone, which will make it easier to plan and allow you to take full advantage of foods with a short season.

> Remember that not all farmer's are "certified organic" because it is costly to maintain certification. Ask your growers about their growing methods and standards, you may be pleasantly surprised. If you're buying meat ask if the animals are pastured and how they live. Most farmer's are more than happy to share, and actually like to talk about their farm and their animals. Many will even invite you to visit.

> Expect to pay a fair price - remember farming and selling at market takes tons of hard work, special skills, and business know-how. The farmers and growers deserve to earn a fair wage. However, don't hesitate to ask for a quantity discount if you are buying a whole bunch of something, most growers will be happy to give a little. When the strawberries were in and I wanted to make jam I bought a huge flat a berries which the farmer discounted. On the other hand, peaches have been in short supply this year because of a late freeze, and so I was more than happy to pay full price for the peaches I bought to preserve.

> Reuse and recycle. Return things like egg cartons and berry baskets to the farmer/grower, it will save them money, and it's good for the environment. It is always better to reuse before you recycle.

> Try something new. Challenge yourself to buy something you're unfamiliar with and ask the grower for ideas about how to cook it or use it. You'll learn something.

> Get a good cookbook or two that focus on seasonal and local cooking. Fresh from the Farmers' Market (Reissue): Year-Round Recipes for the Pick of the Crop
and Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets are both excellent choices. Also a good book on canning and preserving like Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
These books will help you take full advantage of seasonal produce, and to preserve the harvest.

Make shopping at your local farmer's market a part of your weekly routine and a family event - it's a lot of fun, it gets you in touch with your community, and the food tastes better.

New House Rules!

New house rule: for every pair of hand knit socks I complete, a crappy store bought pair will be thrown in the trash.


Running socks, and my single pair of Smart Wool shorties are exempt from this rule. The Smart Wools were a gift, and I wear them all the time. I love them. As for the running socks, I have just enough pairs to run 6 days a week, wear a clean pair on each run, and not have to do laundry more than once a week.

I think it should be noted that I am a recovered pack rat, which means I don't like to have extra stuff around. It should be further noted that I define "extra" as "not used and/or having no sentimental value".

It has become perfectly clear to me that as I knit and accumulate hand knit socks, I will never ever wear the crappy store boughts, rendering them "not used". And since they have "no sentimental value" they will be "extra" and therefore trash.

The hand knit socks are far superior. And it is my house, and I make the rules.

Socks! Complete!

Do you see that? That is a pair of socks! A mated-for-life pair of socks. Yes, I am pleased to announce that with much sticktoitiveness I have successfully completed my first pair of socks.

They were pretty simple actually - no toes to graph, no heels to turn. They're yoga socks. I don't do yoga, but they will make my feet feel loved. And allow me to admire my summery pink toenail polish.

Upon completion I immediately started another pair - those shortie socks I said I'd get to. This time I'm using a slightly different pattern, in hopes of gaining a better understanding of the anatomy of a heel turn. Progress.



And then it will be on to an endless queue of handmade socks. Ambition.

My new found appetite for hand-knit socks has presented me with an unforeseen, but small, problem: I must now figure out how to take compelling photos of my own feet.

Suggestions...?

Pick a Peck of Peppers

I'm going to pickle these peppers. I found a very simple recipe in Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving . The recipe makes 6 pints of sliced hot pickled peppers. The perfect condiment for almost anything - salads, sandwiches, burgers. I've also been known to eat them straight out of the jar.

My garden has an abundance of peppers right now - they are all coming ripe at the same time. I will most likely get one, maybe two more harvests of peppers before things slow down for the summer.

Where I live, here in Central Texas, the overnight lows aren't all that low any more. And the weather man is predicting our first triple digit temperatures already this weekend. In other words, it's hot. And it's going to get hotter, and stay hotter until the end of September.

And what that means is my first growing season is already winding down. Without cooler temperatures at night the pepper blossoms won't set. Likewise, my cucumbers are struggling with the heat, and I have probably harvested the last of them. The tomatoes will ripen, if I keep them watered, but then they too will shrivel and die in the stifling temps.


I will get a second growing season that will start when things start to cool down in September, and last until the first freeze in January. I'm already planning this second growing season - and I'm planning it with my canning books in hand. I'll grow what I want to preserve: hot pickled green beans, tomatoes for sauce, and zucchini to grate and freeze for bread and muffins.

But first, I'll pickle these peppers, continue making baba ghanouj and pestos, and wait for the tomatoes to ripen.

New Free Pattern

I posted a new free pattern to my Ravelry Designer page yesterday, and it's been amazingly popular - tons of downloads already. The pattern is for a "Wide Rib Cowl for Him".

This cowl was designed specifically to be masculine enough for him, but something that she’ll covet also. It's a very easy pattern and suitable for beginning knitters. It is shown knit in Malabrigo Kettled Dyed Merino Wool. The kettle dyed Merino Wool is amazingly soft and feels good against the skin. The subtle color variations characteristic of kettle dying, along with the ribbed texture add real depth to this cowl.


If you are on Ravelry you can get your free download and either print it or save it to your library.

If you're not on Ravelry, you really should be. It's a great resource - it's full of patterns, you can maintain a queue of projects you'd like to do, and share the projects you've completed.

But, I want to share this pattern with everyone who'd like it, whether they are on Ravelry or not. So, if you are interested you can either email me directly or leave a comment that includes your email address and I will send you a reply with PDF attachment.

Enjoy!