Chia Seed Pudding with Sunflower Seeds and Berries

I can’t count the number of times that somebody has told me I should eat more omega-3 and that I should make sure Xavier gets a lot in his diet. This is not news to me but it’s easier said than done for somebody who can smell salmon from a mile away. I actually tried to give Xavier sardines when he was a baby in hopes that he would learn to like them from an early age and avoid my fate of gagging every time I see them. However, he’s my son so he gagged too. Good boy.

I had pretty much given up on omega-3 when along came chia seeds. Chia, more famously known in its Chia Pet form, is packed with these fatty acids, along with fiber, protein and other nutrients. It’s ant-inflammatory and stabilizes blood sugar levels by slowing down the rate at which carbohydrates are digested. It’s my new hero.

Chia seeds can be turned into a great warm breakfast cereal. Heat up 1.5 cups of almond, soy, coconut or regular milk until hot but not boiling. Stir in 4 tablespoons of chia seeds and let it sit for 5 minutes. It will turn into a jelly-like porridge. I realize this sounds gross but once you toss in some toasted sunflower seeds, a drizzle of honey, berries and ideally a spoon of coconut butter, this super food turns into a really awesome breakfast.

Palak Paneer

When Carolyn and I traveled around India a million years ago, we were temporarily vegetarians. Rumor had it that sticking to vegetables decreased your chances of Delhi Belly. The experiment failed. However, if there is one country to be a vegetarian in, it’s India. One of my favorite dishes was Palak Paneer. It’s mellow and comforting in the same way lasagna is. I finally got around to making it and now have one more vegetarian dish firmly in the rotation. Cut 12 ounces of paneer into ½ inch cubes and brown in a tablespoon of butter. Sautee two chopped onions until they are soft. Add 3 chopped garlic cloves, one tablespoon of grated ginger, a generous pinch of turmeric and one tablespoon of a spice mixture made up of the following: cumin, coriander, mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, cardamom, and cloves. If you have at least 3 of those, it will be tasty. Cook for a few minutes and then add 1 ½ pounds of spinach. Frozen spinach actually works great in this recipe but if you use fresh spinach, chop it very finely. Once the spinach is wilted, add something creamy. Some recipes call for yogurt, milk or buttermilk. I happened to have a bit of cream cheese and some milk so I added a bit of both. Toss in the paneer and squeeze a fresh lemon over it. Serve with rice.

Deviled Eggs a la Spotted Pig

There is no better way to use up old Easter eggs than making deviled eggs. They are also a great dinner party snack if you have more time than cash on your hands. The Spotted Pig makes a damn good deviled egg so I followed their recipe.

Place 12 eggs in single layer in a saucepan. Cover with cold water, bring water to a simmer, shut off the heat and let them stand for ten minutes. Peel under cool running water. And don’t get a paper cut from the shell. Ow!

Combine egg yolks, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon mayo or yogurt, 1 tablespoon Dijon, 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar and one teaspoon malt vinegar in a food processor. Blend until smooth adding more oil if necessary. Season with salt.

Transfer mixture to a plastic Ziploc and cut a small hole in the corner. Fill the empty egg whites with the puree and try to make dramatic tails! Sprinkle with salt, red chili flakes, chives or something else with color.

Chicken with Green Olives and Preserved Lemons

A few months ago, Rupal took Denise and I to Kalustyan's in Murray Hill for the first time. She was shocked that we had never been there as it's definitely a 'kid in a candy store' type situation for anyone who likes to cook. We spent over an hour wandering around and debating pressing questions like "Should I buy fresh or dried fenugreek?" and "Do I splurge on fresh curry leaves?" (The answers are fresh and yes.)

I finally emerged onto Lexington Avenue with bags full of paneer, preserved lemons, dried Persian limes, spicy lime chutney, and a dozen varieties of rice and lentils. Then came the hard part. What do I make with all this? I decided to start with the preserved lemons as they seemed the most perishable. I tried Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Green Olives. I accidentally drank the white wine the recipe calls for the night before so I just used broth. It's a simple recipe that lends a lot of flavor to chicken breasts.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Moroccan-Chicken-with-Preserved-Meyer-Lemons-and-Green-Olives-102732

Next on my list is a recipe with Persian limes. Stay tuned.

Brisket Breakfast Tacos

Ryan and I tend to eat dinner around 9:30pm at which point I’m so starving that my blood sugars have plummeted and I can barely speak. I arrive home from work at 6:30 but then I launch into Xavier's frantic dinner-bath-bed time routine. I emerge from his room at 7:30 (practically ready to go to bed myself) and finally unpack the dirty lunch dishes from my purse, hang up my coat, blah blah blah. Fascinating stuff I realize. Anyways, by the time I re-energize (read: have a glass of wine) and Ryan gets home from class, it’s after 8 and time to start chopping.

Enter the slow cooker. I bought one a few weeks ago with the idea that at least a few times a week I could come home to dinner already made. I’m fairly suspicious of anything beyond brisket and beef stew that needs to cook that long but I’m open to suggestions if any of you have them. My first experiment was the Southwestern Pulled Brisket from Smitten Kitchen.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/01/southwestern-pulled-brisket/

I served the brisket on blue tortillas with grated cheese, yogurt, cilantro and red onions. It was good. However, after marinating it over night, I reduced the sauce as Smitten Kitchen suggests and served it up as breakfast tacos with scrambled eggs. It was awesome. Unfortunately this means that if I want to make awesome brisket, I need to plan two days ahead. Is making dinner EVER easy??!!!

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Red Grapes

It’s basically summer outdoors today but we all KNOW that we have a few more cold days ahead of us before we can whip out the flip-flops and the Forever 31 sun dresses for good. Before starting to fantasize about sweet summer corn and fresh tomato salads, make a few more cold weather comfort dishes. You’ll miss them by mid-July so indulge now.

I recently followed a recipe that was described to me as small bites of Thanksgiving. You’ll know what I mean when you roast brussel sprouts with red grapes. It’s a perfect savory sweet combination that uses the same herbs as a roast chicken. Voila…the perfect side dish.

Heat the oven to 375. On a large rimed baking sheet, toss 1 ½ pounds of trimmed, halved brussel sprouts and1 lb of seedless red grapes with two cloves of sliced garlic, chopped tarragon and thyme and olive oil. Roast about 40 minutes or until browned. And then pray summer gets here soon!

Roasted Honey Mustard Chicken with Tarragon

Roasting a chicken has always intimidated me. I know it sounds like such a simple undertaking but I had images of tying the wings and legs up in some complicated fashion, removing guts from its cavity and buying an overpriced roasting pan at Williams and Sonoma. Admittedly my motivation was low too since it’s cheaper to buy a rotisserie chicken in this city than a pint of beer.

Anyways, roasting a chicken might be the easiest and most rewarding meal you can cook. Yes. The local Peruvian restaurant chickens are good and cheap but they are also full of salt and have often been spinning in circles for days if not weeks.

If you buy a whole chicken, all you have to do is check to see if the cavity is empty or has a little packet of goodies in there. If it does, remove it and save if you are up for gravy. Fill the cavity with onions, lemons, garlic and herbs. Place the chicken in any sort of roasting pan that you have and then slide your fingers between the skin and the chicken. This is creepy. You then want to put some sort of paste between the skin and the meat. I chose a mixture of 3 tbsps honey, 2 tbsp mustard, chopped tarragon, lemon juice and salt. Rub the chicken with olive oil (also sort of creepy for some reason) and then roast at 350 for 2 hours.

Honestly, there is nothing more satisfying that a roast chicken. And if you aren’t Zuzana, you’ll think your whole house smells wonderful in a matter of minutes.