Cucina di Becca

Sick of being sick...

Let's see - it started with Mimi's fever one week ago Friday. She had a fever for four out of the next five days, and developed a renching cough as well. On Wednesday, Luca developed a fever and was able to tell me that it was accompanied by a hellacious headache. Poor Mimi of little words never let me in on that... Then, I felt it coming Wednesday night. I spent most of Thursday in bed, except one trip to my new healer of all things, Jan the acupunturist. Unfortunately her strange method of reducing fever by scraping my back with the lid of a baby food jar did not cure my fever. It was nice to nap in her quiet office though. On Friday morning, my mom and Bill bid me farewell for the rest of the weekend.

Yes, I was with the kids, essentially quarantined since no one wanted this heinous sickness. A friend passed food through the door, and my babysitter took the kids to the park...but it was mostly me with a 102 fever and back-wrenching cough/headache. I don't remember EVER feeling this sick, but then again most sick people go to bed. It is really something else to be responsible for small children when you are sick.

Some great things did happen though...

• Luca made Stone Soup. Pictures and recipe to follow.
• Luca taught Mimi how to play Roundup. He even cheated to help them win.
• Luca did puzzles with Mimi!
• Mimi slept peacefully all weekend. I can't say that much for Luca though...
• I read Marcella Hazan's autobiography which I am excited to share!

I was actually amazed at how well the weekend went. I knew that I couldn't really get anything done, so I just played and played and watched lots of movies and read a lot. Thank the universe because Bill came home from his mountain trip.......sick.

Yellow pears...

They aren't green anymore...an explosion of yellow pear tomatoes. Given that we are full of raw cherry tomatoes, I had to find something to do with all the yellow guys. Bill loved it...

Pizza!

I had frozen extra pizza dough, but you can actually buy it at the grocery store now. I rolled it out very thin, spread on some olive oil and rubbed cut garlic gloves over the oil. Then, I sprinkled on chopped fresh tomatoes, fresh chopped basil leaves, some mozzarella cheese and some parmesan cheese.

It tasted so fresh, fresh, fresh. Yes, that word is all over this post, because there is something so FRESH about cooking straight from your garden.

Check out the boys growing up...both in Kindergarten now!

May 2004

August 2008

Locally frustrated

Well, just getting back to my blog here, and now Bill and I are starting a 9-day cleanse. Yeah, there won't be much fun cooking going on here.

For those of you who read the first sentence a few times, yes it is true. Bill is doing a cleanse with me. And it was his idea. However, his goal is losing weight so that he can run faster.

Yeah, I know. You have to read that sentence a few times too. The craziness of living with an athlete. Can you believe that he and six of his friends just ran from Fort Collins to Steamboat Springs? It took them 31 hours, and they each ran 30 miles. If that doesn't sound unbelievable enough, I will tell you that one of Bill's legs of the race had 1800 ft gain over 4 miles. That is like climbing a 14'er. Except that you are running. Fast. But apparently not fast enough.

My goal with the cleanse is to release. That is the best way for me to say it. Release the anxiety about Luca starting school and possibly getting kicked out. He got kicked out of preschool last week...well, that is awfully dramatic. It felt like he was kicked out, but really they said that he had to come home because he was swearing, throwing rocks and hitting people. I am so uptight that my back is seizing up. Seems like a good time to let go, let go of the anxiety, let go of the stress, and bring in some lovely routine. I wasn't really planning on sharing this -- just started editing while proofing my post. Hmm...guess it wanted to be said. Routines...Luca's therapist said that it is crucial for us to have consistency and expected routines. And I don't like routine. I like newness and change. So, I am starting with myself. Cleansing out the "I know that I don't like routine" and bringing in something new. Like yoga and meditation in the morning. Like drinking yummy tea before bed with Luca. Like choosing an animal card with him each day for our focus. Like sticker charts...yeah, I can't really swallow that one. Another suggestion from the therapist. Luca is into it, but mostly for the prize. Alright, enough about that. I could go on all night.

I have been experimenting with local eating for the last month. It is hard. Even in Boulder, CO. Yes, we have one of the world's best farmer's markets. You can get great meat, veggies, some fruit, goat cheese, salmon, herbs, bread, eggs (if you are willing to come early and get in line)...so there are many meals we have made with local fare. The struggles are coming, in the winter. I have lots of plans about getting a freezer for the garage, and freezing lots of this stuff. Yet, I still can't quite give up buying celery, 'cause I want tuna fish sandwiches (not to mention buying the tuna fish...), or buying bananas for my smoothies, or...dare I say it...not buying any coffee?????

This brings up a lesson in life that has to bonk me over the head about once a month: you CAN make a difference without going overboard. I was so intense about cloth diapers, like I let down the world when I used disposables for my trips. Please. Just a little bit of balance in life is good. You can forget your cloth grocery bags once in a while. You can yell at the kids when you are having a shitty day. I would love to learn how to give myself a break.

Next post is about summer fun transitioning into school school school, a new book about local eating from my sister and my next cooking project involving SPROUTS. I made sprouted garbanzo bean burgers. They were good. Of course, I was the only one who ate them...

How to seduce Becca

Helen and I biked to the Farmer's Market on Saturday to have a coffee and shop...a perfect start to the weekend.

Here is how you can seduce me...she looked at some rhubarb, thought about making a rhubarb pie and then turned to me and said, "We should make some rhubarb pie together!"

There are several key elements here. First of all, I am not alone in looking at food and instantly thinking about all the recipes that I want to do. Most of my food/cooking conversations with people involve the element of survival, or there is not enough time, or food is so expensive these days, or I am on this diet...etc. I just love to look at something, say an avocado, and then daydream about guacamole...or how someone topped gazpacho with avocado the other day...and where could I find a recipe for gazpacho? ... and then let's look for tomatoes...and so on. So, Helen tapped me into the fantasy element of cooking and then...

she said she wanted to cook with me.

Yeah, that is the kicker. Someone who loves to fantasize about yummy and maybe even high calorie cooking, and who wants to cook and eat with me. At that moment, if Helen had been a guy, I would have asked her out for sure. Needless to say, since most of you know Bill, this is not how he gets me in bed. Which is OK...since I don't want to share my kitchen most of the time...

It wasn't the fantasy of two girlfriends cooking in the kitchen in the end. It was Helen watching the kids so that Becca could get the pie done by a reasonable hour. I will say that Helen is smart enough to know that I will cook anyone a three-course meal if they will take the kids at 5 PM so I can have some peace.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

note: I will leave you to figure out the pie crust, as most people don't like to make their own. This filling was exceptional, because of the addition of orange zest. Try it while rhubarb is in season! Strawberries too...if you are willing to spend the cashola to buy local ones.

2 tsp vegetable oil

1.5 lbs rhubarb (we used 1 lb and it was plenty)

1 cup plus 1 tsbp sugar

3 tbsp arrowroot

pinch salt

1.5 lbs strawberries

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp grated orange zest (from an actual orange!)

1. Trim the ends of the rhubarb and peel off the outer layer if it is really fibrous. Cut into 1-inch pieces and then cook in the vegetable oil and 1/4 cup of sugar for about 5 minutes, so that it loses its moisture. Put the cooked rhubarb into the refrigerator to cool.

2. Hull the strawberries and cut into quarters. Mix together the cooled rhubarb, strawberries, orange zest and vanilla.

3. In another small bowl, mix the arrowroot powder, 3/4 cup of sugar and a pinch of salt. Sprinkle this mixture over the top of the fruit mixture and stir to combine. Pour into piecrust.

4. If you make your own pie crust, this recipe says to cook at 425 degrees fo 25 minutes, rotate the pie and lower the temperature to 375 degrees for 30 more minutes.

Don't leave me...

I know...it has been almost a month. I have no cooking stories to share. I have been on the road all month, or at least it seems that way! After my trip to Shambala Mountain Center, I had a week and then we gathered up our things for a week in Estes Park with the Couples Coaching Couples group (Denver circle + 34 national couples). After that whirlwind of a week, I had three days and then headed off to another canoe trip through the Escalante and Dominguez canyons with my husband of ten years. No kids. It was quiet. Calm. Lovely.

So, I haven't been cooking. I have been eating convenience food, cafeteria food and camping food. No creative food, no calming food, no ciancanelli food.

But a new month has begun, and it is time to explore summer salads and local eating. I will get with the program, after I post some fabulous pictures from the trip. For now, I am headed to bed with a book so that I can wake up early tomorrow and try to remember how to be a mom all day.

:)

Yummy local food

I am so inspired. Really.

So, check out my new friend, Kipp Nash at Community Roots. Download Doc1.doc He is getting some awesome publicity right now. I joined his CSA for this summer with a working share, meaning that I get to volunteer and help on his "farm". His URBAN farm. Yes, he has decided to create a farm in Martin Acres by farming yards that neighbors have donated to him. He has twelve yards and recently got some help from a local farmer in Lafayette.

While I am totally inspired by the passion of this guy and his creativity, I am also swooning over Barbara Kingsolver's book called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I have been putting off reading it for almost a year! I think that I was afraid that I would want to put the house on the market and go buy a farm on the east coast. And I was right.

Damn. I just thought I had found the perfect place to live along with the perfect simplicity plan. I do have to admit -- we have SO much more time on the weekends not trying to keep up with housework! Bill is so jazzed to NOT be mowing...EVER... and I really do love my little tiny plot with four tomato plants, 2 strawberry plants, a couple of morning glories and the beginnings of an herb garden. We also have pots of lettuce, arugula, radishes and carrots. And I haven't even started out front!

Well, that is just small beans compared to what Barbara took on with her family. Yes, I call her Barbara. She and I have been friends a long time. She is my favorite author, actually sharing the top position with Maya Angelou. But they are so different, that I think it is OK to keep them together at the top. My mom always gets me her new books, and then I cuddle up and get little sleep until I am done.

This book has already rocked me...the idea of eating locally and seasonally is just so enticing to me. But, it would be next to impossible to give up coffee, and maybe bananas too. I was thinking about the smoothie that I made for Helen's brunch, because Morgan was saying last week how she was still thinking about it...that it made her think of Hawaii. I loved it too..pretending for a moment that brazil nuts, pineapples and mangos are a part of my life. Maybe I could win the lottery and eat locally by just living in different areas at the perfect time of year...Hawaii in December?

There is so much to say, but I need to get ready for my solo journey this weekend -- I am going on a meditative canoeing trip to celebrate my upcoming 36th birthday. Yup - quite a first for me. I will let you know if I survive the silence.

But to leave you with a recipe I tried tonight that came with the local fare from my urban CSA! It is something to just wait and see what I get - and then decide what to cook! This week was broccoli, bok choy, shallots, dill, lettuce, swiss chard...I altered the recipe, of course...

Stir Fried Bok Choy with Ginger and Crispy Leeks

2 Tbsp grapeseed oil (I used olive oil)

1 large or 2 small leeks (I used the shallots)

1 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated fine

3 stalks of green garlic, chopped (I used regular garlic)
5-8 heads bok choy or 1 large head, chopped coarsely

1 tsp soy sauce or tamari

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

2 tbsp mirin (chinese rice wine)
1/4 tsp salt

3 tsp sesame seeds

1. Heat the oil in a medium size skillet over medium high heat. Ensure that you have 1/2 inch depth of oil in the pan. When oil is hot, but before it smokes, add sliced leeks. Fry until golden brown - 1-2 min. Using a slotted spoon, transfer fried leeks to paper towels to drain. Salt lightly while hot.

2. Discard all but 2 tbsp oil . Return skillet to medium heat and when hot, add ginger and garlic, stir until golden, about 1 minute.

3. Add bok choy. Saute about 5 minutes.

4. Add sesame oil, mirin, salt and sesame seeds. Toss gently.

5. Top each serving with crispy leeks.

Let's get raw!

Here is a much overdue post on eating raw... guess I have gotten carried away with family pics lately.

I took on the raw adventure when I switched Luca's diet. I had asked Angela for some support, and she directed me to my new favorite cookbook: "RAW FOOD, real world; 100 recipes to get the glow". And glow they do. You should check out the sexy photos in this cookbook. I think I mentioned it before -- the couple are trained chefs who opened a restaurant called "Pure Food and Wine" in New York City. I just saw a review in Yoga Journal for this restaurant -- and they definitely mentioned the sexy food and sexy atmosphere. I bet Samantha would have loved it... (the new Sex and the City movie is AWESOME by the way, although you might not think so if you are not a dedicated fan...you know those crazy types who have seen all the episodes multiple times? Yeah, I wouldn't know about that...)

This cookbook is fascinating to me. It is regularly nighttime reading for me, although I haven't taken on any of the crazy complicated dinner recipes. I have become a nut milk pro - my favorite is macadamia nut milk. My favorite smoothie is the one on Helen's blog -- pineapple,mango, banana, macadamia or brazil nut milk, agave nectar and a touch of salt. I have also made their quinoa tabouli (with sprouted quinoa!), candied pumpkin seeds and walnuts, carrot-avocado-ginger soup, and zucchini-walnut-flaxseed crackers. If you want to be technical, my food products are NOT raw because I don't have a dehydrator. Instead, I put them  in the oven overnight at 170 degrees. I can't say the I am jonesin' for a dehydrator, but man do I want a Vitamix blender. I just can't puree fresh coconut meat. You should see the look on Bill's face when I talk about a $400 blender. And he doesn't even know that I have given up the idea of an $800 espresso machine! Now you know what you can get me if you win the lottery. I already have the car of my dreams, so just get me the blender.

I wondered when I took on eating 50% of my meals raw what it would look like. At first, it was eating raw veggies whenever my stomach grumbled. I felt so much better -- found that I was replacing crackers and bread with veggies. I felt energized, and I was somehow also drinking lots more water. Now, I feel like I have expanded quite a bit, eating raw granola, interesting raw salads, making smoothies with fruits and nut milk and most days I am pretty much dropping meat off the menu. It is just not as appealing anymore. Carbs have become less appealing too. I eat those chocolate balls when I have sweet cravings...and I definitely still crave cheese and eggs.

Here are a couple of great recipes that are starting to become staples for me. I don't really eat the granola with milk -- I just carry it around as a great snack. Mimi loves it too; Luca will eat it with yogurt and honey if I sneak it in. That boy is all about texture, so he will say no if I ask to put it in.

Cranberry Maple Granola (from Raw Food, Real World)

1 apple cored and chopped

1.5 cups date paste (I just chop dates and add some water)

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp orange zest

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup sunflower seeds, soaked 2 hours or more

2 cups almonds, soaked 4 hours or more

3 cups pecans, soaked 3 hours or more

1 cup pumpkin seeds, soaked 2 hours or more

1 cup dried cranberries

In a food processor, place the first 8 ingredients plus 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds, and grind until completely smooth. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.

Add the remaining 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, the almonds, pecans and pumpkin seeds to the food processor. Coarsely chop the nuts and seeds in a few quick pulses. Add them to the bowl with the apple mixture, add the cranberries and combine well.

Spread the granola on well-oiled cookie sheets and dehydrate in the oven on the lowest setting overnight. Break into pieces, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few weeks.

High Enzyme Salad (from Nourishing Traditions)

1 cup sprouted sunflower seeds (*instructions below)

4 carrots, peeled and grated

1 cucumber, peeled and finely chopped

1 red pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 bunch green onions, finely chopped

2 oz grated raw cheddar cheese (optional)

3/4 cup basic dressing (1 tsp Dijon-type mustard, 2 tbsp raw wine vinegar, 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp flaxseed oil

1 avocado, sliced

Mix all ingredients well, serve over lettuce leaves.

* Sunflower seeds are easy to sprout. Add seeds to a mason jar and fill with filtered water. Allow the seeds to soak overnight, and then pour off the water. Rinse the seeds well. Rinse the seeds twice a day, draining all the water off. They will be ready in 12-18 hours. Eat within 48 hours.

Spring cleansing

I led my last two co-seminars of the semester last night...one more review session tomorrow and a meeting next week. Then, FREEDOM! No organic chemistry for a month...and then it is back to studying to get ready for the fall. I took cookies to my students, which was particularly painful for me since I was still finishing up the cleanse with Helen, but they were all VERY happy. There is a bittersweet feeling, as I won't have some of these students again. I will really miss one student in particular, who was a kick in the pants and challenged me on a range of topics, from politics to vaccines to recreational drugs. One of the reasons that I feel like I will always want to teach -- the awesome relationships.

OK - so I can get back to posting about cooking! Yippee...so much has happened in our kitchen in the last month! But I will start with this week -- the cleanse. Helen and I decided to kick off spring, or maybe try to communicate with Colorado that it IS spring... (check out the photo from today - it was snowing from 7 AM to 11 AM... I love the mix of the spring colors with the snow coming down the mountain)

 

I started with a laxative tea, made from anise, fennel and fenugreek seed. You are supposed to take it with aloe vera gel capsules, but I forgot to get them. So, the tea didn't have a strong impact, but felt healthy and new. Then, we had fruit until noon (kiwi, lemon, lime grapefruit, apple, applesauce, orange) and then veggies from noon to 8 PM (broccoli, potato, beet, greens, olive oil, parsely, garlic...a few others). I thought that, given my past change to about 50% raw foods, that it wouldn't be too hard.

Ha.

I felt great until about noon. Then, it seemed like whatever I ate tasted good and exited my body somehow such that I was still hungry. At some point, there was nothing left that I wanted to eat, and I was so bloated that I didn't really want to eat, and I was exhausted and dizzy, but my stomach was eating me alive. So, the second day, I cheated and had coffee and some nuts. Then, I felt fabulous! Wondering if I shouldn't be more disturbed as to the effects of caffeine...

The third day was really hard. I broke the cleanse about halfway through the day. I just really admire people who have the stamina to make it through these cleanses. This is why -- you have to curb all of your emotional eating. And for that simple reason, I will definitely take it on again.

Here is a recipe from the book that we used, "The Seasonal Detox Diet". Tonight, I made it with red quinoa instead of soba noodles. I also added veggies and shrimp; the first time, I added chicken and veggies to the soba noodle recipe.

Japanese Soba Noodles with Sesame Miso Sauce

buckwheat noodles (1 lb)

fresh gingerroot (2 T)

cooking stock or wine (1/4 cup)

sesame butter or peanut butter (1/4 cup)
white or red miso paste (3 T)

cider vinegar (I used rice wine vinegar 2T)

tamari (1 T)

maple syrup (1 tsp)
cilantro (1/2 cup)

green onion (1/3 cup)

Boil 2.5 quarts to a rolling boil. Scatter the noodles slowly over the surface of the water and return to a boil. Simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes or until tender -- but not too soft. Strain and transfer to a large pot containing circular cold water. Stir until cool, then drain well. Set aside.

Grate the ginger (do not peel) or the lemon rind (organic). In a saucepan, add the ginger or lemon to the stock or wine and heat until boiling. Simmer for 2 or 3 minutes, then add the sesame or nut butter; blend and remove from heat. Add the remaining in the order given. Combine well. Toss the noodles and the sauce together and serve with a green salad. Garnish with whole white sesame seeds and cilantro.

Baking with Jessica

There was nothing like the days when I would come home from school, and a delicious chocolate aroma would meet me at the door. My mom has always believed in raising our spirits by making the house smell good. Clever lady. Even to this day, my mom will make a big pot of green chili stew when Bill and I are driving down to her house.

Those brownies she made...they were perfect. Fudgy but still slightly firm so they wouldn't fall apart. Warm. Wow. It is amazing how those memories just come flying back.

I have to admit up front that I am a brownie snob. Or maybe I should just admit that I am a cooking snob in general...but it hits hard with the combination of baking and chocolate. We spent a summer in Europe when I was in 8th grade, and I discovered a book called "The Joy of Chocolate". I could say that it was a life changing moment. My relationship with chocolate began. You would be hard pressed to find someone who knows more about baking and chocolate who has NOT been professionally trained.

In fact, I am wondering why I would want to put spinach in brownies. For me, dessert is about enjoying life. We don't have it every night, so it is special. Decadent.

You might be wondering if these are my excuses for not baking Jessica's spinach brownies. No, I tried them. Here is the lowdown on the two brownie recipes:

Jessica                                     Joy of Cooking

3 oz semisweet choc                  2 oz unsweetened choc

2 egg whites                             2 eggs

1/2 c brown sugar                     1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla                             1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp margarine                      4 tbsp butter

3/4 cup flour                           1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt                              1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup spinach puree

1/2 cup carrot puree

1/4 c. cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

It is a very interesting comparison. Jessica is going for lowfat, so she cuts down the butter which resulted in a much drier brownie. She has to increase the flour to incorporate the liquid content of the veggies, and therefore has to add baking powder for some lift (again resulting in a more cakey type brownie as opposed to dense and fudgey). She adds a lot more chocolate and less sugar; I will admit that the darker chocolate flavor with less sugar was very good. All in all, an impressive healthy brownie recipe. 3 grams of fiber! Back to the ultimate test though -- did the kids eat them? They did. But they weren't very excited about them. I offered one to Luca after breakfast this morning, and he turned me down.

Next time --- muffins and pictures. And then on to a new cookbook.

A great quote from yesterday. We were driving back from South Denver and Mimi was anxious to get out of the car. "Down! Out!" Luca was trying to comfort her. As we came into the valley, he said, "Mimi, when you see those beautiful mountains, we are almost home!"

We love South Boulder. Feels like home.

Not so impressed...

Well, I have made a decision. Jessica Seinfeld had this great brownie recipe which incorporated spinach. Her friends said, "Wow! You are amazing! I can't taste any veggies! You should write a cookbook!" So, she set off to make some other great baked goods. (I am impressed with her baking recipes - to be tested this week) Then, to fill space, she made up some typical kids meals for dinner and such. These recipes are not so impressive...but made for a nice well-rounded cookbook. Don't get me wrong -- I am impressed with what she created and how she used her fame to get out a fabulous idea.

However, I am tired of throwing food away.

My kids did NOT like the tofu nuggets (tofu dipped in broccoli puree and then breadcrumbs, then fried) and they do like fried tofu. They also did NOT like the hamburgers made with cauliflower puree...and my kids love hamburgers. Mimi ate a little bit, and Luca consented when each bite was covered with ketchup and fed to him. These are strikes three and four after the grilled cheese and mac & cheese disasters.

I am going to give her dessert recipes a try before moving on. I do still recommend the pink pancakes (with ricotta cheese and beet puree) as well as the egg puffs with squash.

Can you believe the nap cuteness of two year olds?