It is May!

Yes! I am back!

After a crazy Passover (with some incredibly delicious eating and beautiful weather) I am back. I also just finished a huge grant, so hopefully will have some more time to dedicate to this blog!

Anyway- because last week was Passover, and we do not eat out at all during the week, I did lots of cooking (and yes, there was also lots and lots of matzo and Temptee cream cheese.) We had quite a number of friends over Friday night for dinner - and everything was delicious.

One of the interesting things about Passover is that for Ashkenazi Jews (those of Eastern European descent mostly) there is no "kitneot" or legumes - no rice, beans, etc... In recent years, a terrific substitute has been used - Quinoa! Yes, it is apparently from a beet, and therefore, allowable during Passover.

I made a wonderful Quinoa dish for Shabbat, and I think it is going to take up permanent residence in my repertoire - I made brisket also, but what folks couldn't stop talking about - or eating for that matter - was the Quinoa. You can find Quinoa in Whole Foods and it is starting to show up in regular aisles. I took it for lunch a few days later - ate it cold - still delicious!

So - here it is:

Red Quinoa with dates, carrots, zucchini and toasted honey almonds

2 cups Red Quinoa (I think this kind is tastier than the other type...you may need to rinse and drain the Quinoa - check the package)
4 cups Water
2 Tbsp chopped dates (pitted, of course) - chop them coursely
2 tbsp olive oil
3 Medium Carrots - diced
2 Medium Zucchini - diced
1 cup Sliced Almonds
1 Tbsp Honey
Kosher Salt
Pepper

1. Put Quinoa, Water, Chopped Dates and 1 pinch of Kosher Salt in Pot on Stove. Bring to a boil and cover. Cook for 20 minutes or until all water is absorbed.

2. While Quinoa is cooking, heat 1 1/2 tbsp of olive oil in pan and saute carrots and zucchini until just tender. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside in pan.

3. In small saute pan, heat rest of olive oil and toast sliced almonds until light brown. Add Honey and toss to coat. Sprinkle with pinch of kosher salt. Continue to toast until golden brown. Set aside.

4. When Quinoa is done, mix together with veggies and almonds. Serve!

FYI - you don't have to use dates (they will lose their brownish color because the quinoa will absorb it - still taste terrific.) Other dried fruits - cranberries, currants, etc. would be terrific in this as would other types of veggies.

Even the kids liked it!

Enjoy -

Success!!

The truth of the matter, is that my kids love steak (as does my husband). It is also pretty much a universal truth that there are some days (weeks, months) that we can't get the food onto our toddler's plate fast enough!

Last night's London Broil was terrific - the brown sugar carmelized on the outside, and the soy sauce and spices provided just enough of a punch to make it quite savory. There was absolutely none left - not even a slice for a snack.

I wound up cooking the London Broil in the broiler (ironic, no?) - about 12 minutes per side - then I let it rest for about 10 minutes.

Another universal truth is the absolute peculiar taste preferences of 5 year olds. It should be noted here that my son, before age 4 - ate everything! And I mean everything! We took him with us to a fairly nice french bistro here in Chicago when he was about 7 months. He was sitting on my lap - we ordered pate - he actually grabbed the toast before the waitress could get the plate in front of me - and when he found the part with pate - just couldn't get enough.

Today - at 5 - he just wants everything plain. Plain bagel with cream cheese - plain cheese sandwich - plain pasta (with a liberal sprinkling of parmesan).

Interestingly enough, he will eat whatever I make - as long as it looks "plain" - and we have fun.

So the London Broil was a hit! To go along with it, I put out a platter of cherry tomatoes (his favorite) and steamed carrots 2 ways - plain and tossed with 2 tbsp of honey, a touch of pepper and about 1 tsp of five spice powder to complement the London Broil.

And so the negotiation began... 3 carrots and 1 tomato? No J... 2 tomatoes and 4 carrots.... "How about.... 3 carrots and 1 tomato..." etc.

After he ate his 3 carrots and 1 tomato, I made a "person" out of the spiced carrots and tomato. I ate each "leg", "arm" with great flourish and of course J wanted to do the same. And that is how my 5 year old boy ate about 1 cup of spiced carrots and at least 10 cherry tomatoes.