FIRST KITCHEN BLOGS

 Wait, it’s October??? OMG! Where has the summer…gone? School is in session, leaves are turning and pumpkins are a-plenty. We are almost fully fledged into the fall season and soon we’ll be seeing the Christmas decorations lining the isles at Target...meanwhile I’m still wearing flip flops! 

For now, it is a comfortably warm fall day here and I made a delicious cold Greek wheat berry salad (aka: Greekberry Salad..get it?!!).  Wheat berries, say whaaat? Yes, wheat berries are a wholegrain alternative if you are getting sick of the staples such as brown rice.

What is a wheat berry you ask? Wheat berries are essentially whole wheat kernels, the oval pellet-looking grain that yields flour when processed. It has all three components of a whole grain: The BRAN is the hard outer covering of the wheat kernel, high in fiber & nutrients. The GERM is the nutrient-rich embryo that will sprout and grow into a new wheat plant. The ENDOSPERM is the biggest part, the "insides" of the kernel - mostly starch and the part of the grain that is processed into white flour.

So, now that you have received your nutrition lesson (don’t worry, no quizzes), lets get cookin!  Wheat berries have a nice earthy/nutty flavor. They also have a unique texture, kind of chewy but very mild. They are a good grain to add flavor to.

Since wheat berries take a while to cook, make sure to plan ahead. You can even pre-cook and then mix the ingredients together when you are ready to use.

Greek-berry Salad

Serves: 4-8 (depending on if used for main dish or side dish)

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 2 hrs (wheat berries)

You will need:

3 cups cooked wheat berries (follow package instructions) (1 cup raw makes about 3 cups cooked)

1 cup garbanzo beans

1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

1 cucumber, cubed

1 can artichokes, quartered

½-1 cup kalamata (purple greek) olives

½ cup olive oil

½ cup white wine vinegar or similar

4 oz goat or feta cheese, crumbled

1 tsp oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

 

 

 

 

Directions:

 

Blend all ingredients. Serve immediately if desired or chill in refrigerator for later. Makes a great side dish or a high protein meal/snack.

I’m baaaack! It has been a BUSY few weeks here in Minnesota. “Wedding Season” is in full swing as well as vacation season, road construction season and now back to school season!  I was hit by wedding bells (no, not literally) two weekends in a row and one of the weddings I had the honor of being a bridesmaid! Very fun but very busy. We did a lot of quick meals and even resorted to take-out despite my meal planning expertise (ugh, the pressure got to me, I had to give in!). Hey, we’re only human.

Now that this first wave of weddings are past us I can catch my breath and do some cooking before the next wave (3 weddings in September…) hits! After such a busy few weeks and a cold spurt here in Minnesota, I was craving a not-so-healthy-but-sorta-healthy comfort food: Fresh Artichoke and Spinach Dip. Yum.  I had a ton of spinach leftover from one of the many wedding gatherings and instantly thought of my favorite dip. Usually, people use frozen spinach but fresh spinach is excellent to use in this recipe if it’s available. The spinach cooks down quite a bit, so you’ll need a good amount. The not-so-healthy part of this recipe will definitely be the sour cream and mayonnaise. There are no great substitutions that taste the same. Low fat versions of either work fine but please don’t use ‘fat free.’  Fat free tends to use more sugar and non-food ingredients to make it ‘taste’ like fat. Instead, control the amount you consume instead of trying to trick your body (trust me, your body will find out and it won’t be happy..). Ok, here’s the recipe:

Fresh Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Serves 8 (as an appetizer)

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 30-40 minutes

You will need:

1 (16oz) large container of fresh spinach, chopped

2 cans artichoke hearts, chopped

2 cans water chestnuts, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

½ lemon, squeezed

8 oz shredded parmesan or Italian cheese blend

Dash of cayenne pepper

Salt to taste

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375

Chop spinach, water chestnuts, artichoke and onion and place in large bowl. Add sour cream, mayo and lemon juice and mix well (I used tongs). Make sure all of the spinach is coated. Add seasonings and mix again. Place in a small (9x9) baking pan or glass casserole dish. Cover the top with the shredded cheese.

Bake covered at 375 for 30 minutes. Turn oven up to 425 and bake uncovered for  an additional 10-15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and slightly brown.

 

 

Yes we live in Minneapolis and our city was just voted the healthiest city by the American College of Sports Medicine.  Many factors gave us this best rating such as our overall good health, education, income, and a higher percentage of physical activity. These are things your would expect to be evaluated, but there are several other factors I find interesting and reason to be proud of us and our city. 

For example, we have a higher percentage of city land in parks, more people bike and walk to work, more dog parks and more tennis courts.   

A couple additional factors near and dear to our hearts- there are more farmers markets and more people eating the recommended 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily. 

                                    

So take advantage of our long awaited warm weather and get out and stroll your local farmers market. Get creative with the early produce.  One of the things I just made was my version of Cobb salad with freshly picked leaf lettuce.

I added fresh corn cut from the cob, blue cheese, crisp bacon, grape tomatoes, avocado, hard cooked egg and a little sliced Italian ham.  Yummm!

To get step-by-step directions for making Cobb Salad -including how to cook a hard-boiled egg-check out the lunch section of our First Kitchen DVD.

No matter what part of the country you live in, fresh corn is available now.  We had our first local corn this weekend and it was so delicious!  In fact its good enough to plan a party around- so we did. 
 
                                                      
As you know, when seasonal foods are at their peak, not only are they most flavorful, but also the best buy.
You can prepare it by shucking it and steaming or grilling it.  (We have a good tip for cooking it in the microwave on our First Kitchen DVD).
To grill it with the husks off, brush the corn with a little oil and place it on the grill. Cook about 10 minutes turning occasionally.  When some of  the kernels are slightly brown, it is probably done.  Serve with butter, salt and pepper. 
Or one of our favorites to add a little pizzaz is Lime Butter.  Melt 1/2 cup of  butter, add 1-2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice,1 teaspoon lime zest and  1/4 teaspoon paprika. Pour over cooked corn and serve.
                           
                                              
Okay what more do you need to have a party??