Yo, Sweetness!

In my quest to try and develop an appreciation for new vegetables, today I made a dish featuring parsnips AND leeks (two brand-new veggies for me). This Parsnip and Carrot Soup was meant to be a lunch-time dish for my friends, but after checking for doneness, it was apparent that the soup was going to take a little longer than I had anticipated. So lunch became dinner.

One of the things I loved about the soup was its simplicity of ingredients.  It's simply veggies, chicken broth, pasta, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. And the taste--totally sweet. Literally.

Given that my sweet tooth is usually my downfall, I love satisfying it with veggies in a warm, comforting, low-fat soup. Knowing as well that all of the veggies that made this dish were fresh, local, and organic made the dish that much sweeter to me. Next time, I think I might consider sauteing the leeks with a minced clove or two of garlic as well.

My husband enjoyed the soup (hooray), but in typical man style, found the vegetarian fair lacking. His suggestion--add diced ham. And for those who need a meat to feel satisfied, I agree with the assessment. A little bit of salty meat would make for a delicious addition and temper the sweetness.

If you haven't tried leeks or parsnips, this is a tasty way to try them.

Parsnip and Carrot Soup

1 medium leek, thinly sliced
4 medium parsnips, peeled and diced
4 medium carrots, peeled and diced
4 cups organic chicken broth (reduced sodium)
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 oz small pasta, cooked al dente and drained
1 tbsp chopped Italian parsley
1 c fat-free croutons (optional)

1. Cook the leek in a small nonstick skillet, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, over medium heat until golden. Place in the crock pot.

2. Add the parsnips, carrots, broth, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Cover; cook on LOW 6-9 hours or on HIGH 2-4 hours or until the vegetables are tender. Add the pasta during the last hour of cooking.

3. Remove bay leaf. Sprinkle each individual serving with parsley and croutons (if desired).

Makes 4, 1 1/2 cup servings

Nutrition Information: Calories 196, Total Fat 1g, Protein 5, Carbs 44g, Fiber 9g, Sodium 800mg.
Weight Watches Points+: 5

Retched Rabe

Saturday marked the beginning of farmer's market season in Portland. And like hundreds of other people in the Portland metropolitan area, I took advantage of the nice weather and ventured out to the Portland Farmer's Market on the Portland State campus.

By the time I left, I was fifty-five dollars poorer but had a rich bounty of fresh local veggies, baked goods, and eggs tucked away in the bags swinging from the stroller handles. And like all of my trips to the market, I came home with veggies that I have never cooked with before and ideas about others that I would like to pick up on my next visit.

As I was touring the various booths, I came across an ingredient that I have seen mentioned in many recipes before but which I had never actually seen in real life before--broccoli rabe. And I knew for a fact that I had two recipes at home that I was dying to try that called for this special ingredient. I quickly snapped up two bunches for $4.00 and left the market excited to get cooking. I expected to fall in love with broccoli rabe given that I am a broccoli lover, and who can't fall in love with the looks of broccoli rabe--its leafy greens and delicate broccoli-like buds.

So today, I pulled out my cookbook and made a dish I was sure would be a hit with the family--Rigatoni with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe. The photo in the cookbook looked absolutely mouthwatering--pink pork sausage, creamy noodles, and vibrant green broccoli rabe. Yummy, right?

The innocent looking Rigatoni with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe moments before consumption.

Oh, so WRONG!

As I took my first bite, my tongue was assailed with an intense bitterness. And I'm not talking about a little bit of bitterness. Take the bitterness of a teenage girl who sees her best friend, the friend whom she has shared her deepest secrets and desires, flirting with her long-time crush and then multiple it times ten. Maybe twenty. That was what blasted my taste buds. And I am not a picky eater, nor a person who away from foods that are a bit on the bitter side.

"Wow!" I exclaimed as I put down my fork. I looked at my husband, who was taking care of our two-month-old son, and then at my daughter who was busy picking at her salad, neither of which had taken a bite of the pasta yet. "You guys aren't going to like this."

"Well, we'll just have to see," Corey said. He was completely unaware that my tongue had just been completely offended by my last bite.

"No," I continued, "you guys aren't going to like this. It's bitter. Really bitter."

He later confirmed my original assessment. "It didn't hit me at first, but after three seconds in my mouth, it was like being hit by a freight train." Yeah, a freight train of yowza! My daughter didn't say a word. I don't think she even tried the greens and instead contented herself with picking out the pieces of pork sausage. Now that's one smart cookie.

At first, we wondered if I hadn't been discriminating enough in selecting the broccoli rabe (otherwise known as rapini) from the market--maybe it was out of season or a bad batch. Maybe it was the preparation method (I cooked it for four hours with the pork sausage, chicken broth, and seasonings in the Crock Pot).

But maybe not.

I looked it up on the Internet. And the same three terms kept coming up to describe the taste of this vegetable (which is a member of a turnip family and in no way related to broccoli at all): nutty, pungent, and bitter.

"Well, two of the three," my husband proclaimed as he reheated leftover Chinese food. Maybe the nuttiness comes out if you can get past the other two taste assaults.

Another site went on to say that broccoli rabe is an "acquired taste" and that once you get used to it, it's addictive. And Corey, sage man that he is, made an apt comparison: "That's what people always tell me about beer, and I still don't like it." The beer comparison resonates well with me. I've never liked beer, no matter what kind I've tried, and I always come back to my father's assessment of it: "If it was any good, the horse would have kept it." And while broccoli rabe can't be seen as the waste product of any large mammal, I would propose that it is at least the illegitimate stepchild of the broccoli and turnip families, one that should be locked up in a dark basement, never to see the saute pan again.

Needless to say, I think it will be a long while before I am brave enough to try broccoli rabe again. I'm not saying never again, but it will be a while. At least until my taste buds grow back.

Mediterranean Meatball Ratatouille

Tired of the same old vegetable choices (do you want salad, green beans, peas, or broccoli with that?) that had been a staple for the past few weeks, I decided to branch out a week or so ago and make a dish that I have never had before. And one that I was unsure my family would even like. Ratatouille.

My husband always tells me to cook for myself and try not to worry about whether he, the perennial picky eater, will like something. And so I took his advice and went for it. To rather mixed results.

I have to say, I thoroughly loved this recipe. Not only was it quick to assemble and easy to cook (thank goodness for crock pots), it left me feeling like I had just eaten a hearty, delicious meal--with emphasis on DELICIOUS. The spices in the pork sausage added an almost smoky tang to the vegetables. This will make a great summertime dish when the zucchini and eggplant are in season and fresh from the garden. I would suggest pairing it with a slice of crusty artisan bread.

However, my husband only ate the meatballs (he isn't a fan of eggplant, zucchini, or onions), my mother-in-law only ate the veggies (the spicy Italian pork sausage was too spicy for her), and my daughter pretty much refused to eat any of it (but she's two, and that's par for the course--she does the same thing with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches when the mood strikes her).

But my father-in-law, bless him, loved every last bite (or at least was too polite to tell me differently).

Mediterranean Meatball Ratatouille

1 pound reduced-fat mild Italian sausage
1 package (8 oz) sliced mushrooms
1 small eggplant, diced (skin on)
1 zucchini, diced
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tomatoes, diced
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tsp lemon juice

1. Shape sausage into 1" meatballs. Brown meatballs in a large skillet over medium heat. Place half the meatballs in the slow cooker. Add half each of mushrooms, eggplant, and zucchini. Top with onion, garlic, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.

2. Add remaining meatballs, mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, oregano, salt and pepper. Cover; cook on LOW 6-7 hours.

3. Stir in diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Cover; cook on LOW 15 minutes. Stir in basil and lemon juice just before serving.

Makes 6 (1 2/3 cup) servings
Nutritional Info: Calories 173, Total Fat 11g, Protein 12g, Carbs 9g, Fiber 3g, Sodium: 676 mg.
Weight Watches Points+ Value: 5

Forgive me, blogosphere, for I have sinned...

It has been nine months since my last post.What happened, you may ask?

Life.

Sharing it with my darling daughter (be it camping, swimming, reading, napping). Welcoming  one into our clan. Trying to figure out how to have one while taking care of that of others.

I think I've done a good job on the first two, but my performance on the last and most important one--how to find balance and joy in the crazy world of stay-at-home motherhood with two young un's has been a struggle, and that's putting it lightly at times. And while I love my children and the family I have beyond words, I am beginning to feel like I am starting to lose myself in the mix.

It started out of necessity--hard to have dinner with my husband and daughter when I have an infant clamoring to be fed now. My days were broken up into my waking hours (those when my daughter was awake) to my semi-waking hours (those when my daughter was asleep and when I wished my son would be). And the more run-down I became, the more difficult everything in life began to seem. There wasn't enough time to get the clothes put up, to wash the dishes, to make healthy food, to eat, to be goofy with my kids, to have adult talk with my husband, to go out with my friends, to shower. And if I couldn't do these basic things, I thought, what right do I have to do something extra, something just for me?
 
But no more. My kids need a happy, healthy mommy, one who knows how to keep her emotions in check. They need someone who is happy even when there are speed bumps and piles of laundry that need to be washed/folded/put away. And I need to be that someone. I need to take back some of my life for just me, so that I can be a better mother.

Last year, I took time for myself and lost myself (or nearly 50 pounds of myself), and I don't think I had ever felt better. I loved learning about nutrition and fixing fresh, local, organic, and healthy meals for my family. I truly discovered my love of cooking.

And while my time is precious now, we still have to eat. And I'd rather eat well, keep my family healthy, and lose all this darn baby weight. So cook I will. And hopefully, in between the dicing, slicing, stir-frying, and roasting, I can rediscover the mommy and wife and person that I am.

This blog, at least in the short term, is dedicated to this journey.