Last week I had my first Plant People Interactions exam.  Two things happened, first, I studied far too much; and second, I didn’t study the easiest stuff sufficiently and therefore I can tell you about the essential amino acids (the protein building blocks that the body cannot create) but didn’t remember how the banana ended up on two continents.

I did however; make some very delicious food to help me study.  My Spicy-Sweet Potato and Pea Sauté with quinoa is a nutritious and of course delicious vegetarian meal. The natural sugars in the sweet potato take on carmel notes, which enhance the smoky toasted cumin. The brightness of the peas adds a fun visual and flavorful compliment.

Ingredients

2 tbsp Olive oil

1 tbsp Whole cumin seed

1 ½ tsp Ground Cumin seed

1 tsp hot curry powder

½ tsp turmeric

1 tsp cayenne

1 sweet potato cubed (1 inch sides)

A smattering of frozen peas

1 can diced tomatoes with juice

Salt and pepper

1 cup quinoa

As frequent readers know, my spices are always flexible. I tend to use them liberally and “to smell” so whatever hits my fancy aromatically, I toss into the mixture. Feel free to adjust per availability or appetite.

In a small saucepan, combine quinoa and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil then simmer, covered until the grain is cooked, about 15 minutes. (Times will vary considerably, careful!)

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan until hot but not smoking. Then add the cumin seeds until brown and aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add cubed sweet potato and sauté until cubes have nice brown edges about 5 minutes. Next, add the spices and stir until potatoes are coated and spices fragrant, about 30 more seconds.

Now its time for the rest of the ingredients, dump in the can of tomatoes, a handful of frozen peas and just enough water to allow the sauce to simmer and cook the potatoes. Cover and simmer for about 8-10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Finally, remove the cover and cook on high to thicken sauce. Enjoy your veggies on top of the quinoa. Perhaps you would also like a simple green salad with sliced radishes and oranges, but that’s just a passing whimsy.

Ok so what did I eat? My sweet potato is a tuberous root, simply a puffed up root that gets all starchy. It’s a great source of vitamin A because like other orange vegetables, it’s rich in beta-carotene which the body changes into Vitamin A which helps keep eyes in good shape. The green peas are seeds and are 21% incomplete protein. This means they lack some of the essential amino acids (those which need to be eaten ‘cause the bod can’t make ‘em). Luckily, the other ingredients like quinoa and sweet potato help complete the protein combos and deliver usable energy.

Haven’t learned about tomatoes yet….don’t worry , I’m getting there.

Well, that’s it for now…. pretty soon I get to share my weekend adventures, which include all together to much eating and imbibing.

Upcoming Restaurant Reviews

Shokran

Avec

Frontera Grill

Staring into the teeth of 2010, I of course will not be making any foolish New Years Resolutions that involve giving up chocolate cake, a good steak or (god forbid) my beloved carbohydrates. But here is what I am looking to achieve.  And you dear reader have to keep me honest.

1. The only dietary tweak of ‘10 will be a true effort to pay attention to my cholesterol.  Yep, my number is SUPER high.  Think 75-year-old-overweight-male-smoker, and that’s me.  I will try to think when I’m eating. I’ll let you know how that goes…..(do I have to limit my cheese intake?)

2. I am taking a class called “Plant People Interactions.”  Most people take it as a science distribution credit if they are not “science minded” kids.  What to many is a joke class, Plant-People is my nirvana.  There is a unit called “Legumes.”

Ok, so the second isn’t really a resolution, but it feeds into the real one…

3.  I resolve to post every single week, incorporating ways to be heart healthy with my knew plant knowledge and of course keeping it tasty, well fed and fully imbibed.

All my love and I’ll be back at you shortly,

Ellie

PS:  Did you know that a turnip is not a tuber like a potato but actually the root?

After a week of relatives (and eating/drinking), relatives (and bowling), relatives (and more drinking)…..why not continue the debauchery? I got back into Minneapolis on Sunday and headed over to a friends house for dinner.  Between three of us, we cleaned out a bottle of good tequila and made exquisite french bread pizzas.

Photo by Justin Evidon and his iPhone

Here are some of the ingredients and combos we used:

Fresh arugula, cherry tomatoes and mozzarella with prosciutto
Peppadew picante peppers (in the olive bar!), chicken and cheddar cheese with hot pepper flakes
Rosemary mushrooms with chicken and spinach

To throw a fun pizza making party, start with a few loaves of take and bake baguette, and back them about half the time it says on the package.  Then scoop out some of the bready inside to make room for toppings.  Have your favorite tomato sauce available as well as a few different cheeses (feta, mozzarella, cheddar), a meat or two (I usually choose chicken and one kind of ham or sausage like selection) and plenty of vegetables (spinach, olives, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, onions etc.)

So easy, so fun, so tasty.  And may I recommend you wash these down with a few glasses of tequila?

December tastes good with Jameson and Ginger Ale, a first course of cheeses and bread and this beautiful Rosemary Chicken with Tomatoes and Beans.

Rosmary Chicken Photo by Justin Evidon

What are you getting from this combination of deliciousness (besides the possibility of a hangover?)

Skinless chicken breasts and navy beans are healthy, low calorie ways to take in some protein; the tomatoes help stave off colds (and cancer) with anti-oxidants and vitamins A and C;  and rosemary tastes great and helps immune system stimulation and increased focus!

Thank you to the Daily Northwestern for their interest in this blog and a BIG BIG thanks to all the NU people reading!  If you like, take a look at my interview in the Weekly Section of Wednesday’s paper.

Coming soon to I’d Rather Be Eating….

Eating adventures over two epic nights at The Publican in Chicago,
an owners dinner at Quince in Evanston
and a locavorian feast at Harvest in Madison, WI

Keep eating everyone!

Bread, that is, bread. What did you think I meant?

Well I am back in action, the oven is hot and I have set off my fire alarm at least three times this week. Although I am just getting used to the ancient oven — the door doesn’t close all the way and the dial has no temperatures listed– I think the loaves are starting to have a good crust and crumb.

Let’s break it down: when you want a good crunchy chewy crust, you need to create steam. So as you slide the raw dough onto the hot baking stone you have to simultaneously pour a cup of water into an oven safe receptacle and slam the oven door shut. It’s not as complicated as it sounds, I promise.

The crumb is the inside of the bread. My current loaves are made from a combo of all purpose and rye flours, which yields a cakey interior, and a great depth of flavor.

Different flours mean different protein contents, a crucial concept in baking. High protein flours provide more structure and make more chewy bread, Lower protein flours, like cake flour make for a soft buttery inside. Rye flour generally hovers around 7-10 % protein content by weight whereas all purpose has about 12-14%. This all adds up to the best kind of bread, at least in my opinion.

So here is my proposal. I want to bake. I hope you want to eat. Want to barter? Want to buy some flour?