Buckwheat Porridge

I work with two women who grew up in the former Soviet Union. One day at lunch, they talked about having buckwheat as children. Made into a porridge, it was the quintessential kids' breakfast throughout the bloc.

I love oatmeal and hot breakfast cereals so I had to give it a try. I put the groats in a saucepan and lightly toasted. Then I added water and salt, brought it to a boil, and cooked until soft. Then I added cinnamon, dried cranberries, a few almonds, and a little agave.

It was really good and really filling. Perfect for the winter. Surprisingly, buckwheat isn't a grain at all; it's a seed related to rhubarb and sorrel, which means it is gluten-free.

It's also scores pretty high on the healthy scale having lots of amino acids and having a positive impact on cholesterol. It sounds like I need to eat more buckwheat porridge in the new year!

 

Apple + Pear + Cranberry Crumble

Our annual white elephant gift exchange at work can get pretty fun…and bizarre. For two years running, furry handcuffs have found their way to the pile and then to a certain very fun, very conservative Muslim colleague. The peals of laughter that emerge from the group to see this colleague joking and waving furry handcuffs around is just too fun.

It’s a great release for everyone in an industry where the work can be very stressful with little rewards. Each year, the leadership team, me included, arranges for catering and provides desserts. I was looking for something relatively easy (it was the week before Christmas), gluten-free (to support a colleague), and vegan (to support myself as I try to become vegan).

One of the first places I looked was Post Punk Kitchen. I found a delicious sounding apple crisp recipe. As normal, I took quite a few liberties to create a new version. It was great, and the cranberries and spices made it very festive for the holidays. 

For the filling

3 lbs apples (I used Granny Smith)
1 lb Barlett pears                                                                    1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch will work too
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/2 cup dried or fresh cranberries

For the topping
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup millet flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup canola oil
3 tablespoon soy or almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Peel, core and thinly slice apples and pears. Dissolve the cornstarch water and set aside.

Place apples and raisins in the baking dish, add sugars and spices and combine everything well (you may need to use your hands to do this). Pour arrowroot mixture over everything.

To prepare the topping, in a medium bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Add oil, milk, and vanilla, mix well. Crumble topping over the apples. Bake for 45 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Star Tree Topper

This is my first Christmas tree - the very first of my own in my own apartment. My mom, sister, and I piled in the car the first weekend in December and brought back this beautiful tree tied to the top of my car. My mom has been buying us each ornaments since forever so I have plenty. Lights were purchased and strung. But the tree topper - that needed to be special.  

It had to be a star. Nothing else would do. I like the angels and the bows, but I love starts. 

I  got a piece of foam board and cut out a start. I didn't use a pattern so it's not perfect, but I wanted it a little free form.

Then I took yarn and wrapped it. I tried to keep it single strand all the way around until it was completely wrapped. I tied it in the back. 

You could use a hot glue gun, but I thought it would be nice to reuse the yarn later for something else and create a new topper next year. Hey, I might have my first tradition.

Pumpkin + Kidney Beans + Kale

This year for Halloween I got a couple of little pie pumpkins. I painted the outside - a bat and a ghost - so that I could still use them in the kitchen later. I peeled and chopped them, and put them in the crock pot with enough water to cover the bottom. A few hours later, they were soft yumminess. This thing didn't even need any butter or salt or anything else! I was spooning it out of the pot! 

It made a lovely combination with kidney beans and kale. I simply put it all in a pan together over medium heat until the kale was cooked and the beans were hot. I added salt and pepper. This is the type of dinner that makes me feel good because I'm eating healthy foods, lots of lovely colors, and enjoying every bite! 

Kitty Foods & Meowing Holidays

My sweet Charlie cat has been on a diet. It has meant more meowing, a definite attempt at herding me into the kitchen every time I walk down the hallway, and much more interest in what I'm munching as I sit on the couch watching TV. But it's also meant a reduction belly, which means a healthier kitty. He has also been a lot friskier!

After Thanksgiving, Charlie got the remains of the chicken. He gets two treats a day and for a whole week this was chicken bits. He loved it! And his coat got super soft and glossy. He put back on a little bit but is still slimmer and trimmer.

But there are the Christmas trimmings to go....the holiday season is just beginning....

Thanks to the Patch, I've got some ideas of what Charlie can (and can't) have.

NO: Onions, garlic, chives, alcohol, caffienated drinks or food, grapes and raisins, liver in large amounts (a tiny bit is okay), milk or excessive dairy products, candy, gum or baked goods containing xylitol

YES: Baked carrots, steamed asparagus or broccoli, cooked green beans, winter squash, or chopped greens, small amounts of cottage cheese (if your cat tolerates it), small portions of cooked fish or poultry (no bones)

Will Charlie eat baked carrots? Cottage cheese? Broccoli? I guess there's one way to find out. To be continued......

Golden Shoes!

PEDS, a pedestrian advocacy org in Atlanta, just came out with their Golden Shoe Awards.
*Clapping* and *dancing* for the BeltLine Eastside Trail (Pedestrian-friendly Trail) and Atlanta Streets Alive (Pedestrian-friendly Event)!

2012 Golden Shoe Award winners: (from midtown.patch.com)

Pedestrian-friendly Policy Change: Georgia Department of Transportation, for adopting a Complete Streets Policy that requires new transportation projects to serve all transportation modes.

Pedestrian-friendly Trail: City of Atlanta, for building the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail, a  combination of multi-use trail and linear greenspace in the old rail corridor running from Piedmont Park to Inman Park.

Pedestrian-friendly Events: Atlanta Streets Alive, a recurring event organized by the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition that encourages cyclists and people on foot to take back and enjoy Atlanta’s streets.

Pedestrian-friendly Traffic Operations: City of Roswell, for installing Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacons, a low-cost device that has dramatically increased driver compliance with crosswalk laws near Centennial High School.

Pedestrian-friendly Journalism: AJC reporter Jeremiah McWilliams, for bringing attention to Atlanta’s decaying sidewalk infrastructure and to rising pedestrian fatalities in Georgia.

Pedestrian-friendly Research: Urban Land Institute Center for Leadership, for research exposing inherent cost inefficiencies in Atlanta’s sidewalk maintenance program.

Pedestrian-friendly Activism: Brookwood Hills Neighborhood Association, for inventorying sidewalk conditions, working with the City of Atlanta and private contractors and raising sufficient funds, to repair over 3000 linear feet of curbs and sidewalks.

Pedestrian-friendly Suburban Retrofit: City of Duluth, for installing a roundabout and sidewalks that are encouraging increased walking.

Pedestrian-friendly Public Art: Living Walls, an ongoing program bringing artists to Atlanta to paint attractive and intriguing murals throughout the City.

Algerian Sweets

A co-worker recently returned from a trip home. Home to him is Algeria. As is the custom in the office, he brought a little treat for everyone. Candy! This is like a Jordan Almond, but is very hard and has a groundnut/peanut inside. I might have eaten half the bag. But I really just can't get over the beautiful, bright colors.