I'm feeling much better this afternoon. I didn't go to school today. I think it helped me get over this thing. Apparently it's going around. Mari mentions in her blog yesterday that she was "feeling a bit punk," and I know of several other people who aren't feeling well. I can't complain. It's been a bad year for bugs, and this is the first time I've gotten sick this school year, discounting injuries.
So, while at home today, I slept in, graded papers, and I ordered tomatoes. I don't know what I was thinking. But I ordered my tomatoes for mid-April. That's a month early. Either I haven't recovered as well as I thought, or I'm so anxious for spring that I got ahead of myself, or maybe it is a combination of the two. Once I realized how ridiculous it was to order them so soon, I called seed-savers and had them change the order for a more reasonable time. The woman on the line seemed to understand completely. I wonder how many other people have made the same mistake I have this year.
This evening, I decided to try a simple new recipe for Old-Bay Roasted Sweet Potatoes. I ran into one of my students at the grocery store and he swore by Old-Bay. So, I thought I'd go ahead and give it a shot. Frankly, I prefer a baked sweet potato with salt and pepper. Old Bay is too heavy on the celery flavor. I like a small amount of celery cooked into food, but I'm not a big fan of the flavor. So, if you are a fan of celery, you might want to try this one. It comes from page 105 of January/February 2010 Everyday Food.
Ingredients
1.5 pounds sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1.5 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
Preparation
Preheat oven to 450°. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss 3 medium sweet potatoes scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces with 1 tablespoon olive oil and Old Bay seasoning. Bake until potatoes are deep golden brown on all sides, about 30 minutes flipping halfway through.
Serves 4 at 178 calories per serving.
Glad you're feeling better. I'm really getting an education about food. I've never heard of Old Bay before. Does "extra-virgin" mean the olives said a few more "Hail Mary's" than the plain old virgin olives?? lol Not sure if the bad joke means I'm feeling better or worse!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard about it until recently myself. If Hail Mary's is what it takes, my grandmother would be more of a virgin than the Virgin Mary. :)
ReplyDeleteHere's the recipe you were interested in. ^_^
ReplyDeleteQuinoa Primavera with Chicken, Spring Peas, and Asparagus. (Quinoa is pronouced KEEN-wah)
4 servings
Nutrition per serving:
310 cal (80 from fat),
9g total fat,
1.5g saturated fat,
30mg cholesterol,
370mg sodium,
39g total carbohydrate (7g dietary fiber, 4g sugar),
20g protein
__________________________
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil (complete with Hail Mary's)
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 pound asparagus, woody ends snapped off and discarded, spears cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup fresh peas or frozen petite peas, thawed
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
1 cup thinly sliced baby spinach leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
_________________________________________
Prep/method:
Rinse quinoa under cold running water and drain. Combine water and quinoa in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until quinoa is tender and all the water is absorbed, 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and asparagus. Cook, stirring often, until asparagus is tender and bright green, 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and peas and continue cooking for another minute. Stir in chicken and cooked quinoa. Add the spinach and stir until it wilts, 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
_____________________________
Quinoa is substitutable--- see here:
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Dictionary/Q/Quinoa-5417.aspx
Thanks Louisa. I can't wait to try it. And darn it, I was just at the store and I forgot to look and see if they had quinoa. Next time, I'll definitely look.
ReplyDeleteOh, and hey, thanks for the pronounciation. I've heard them talk about quinoa on Top Chef,but I didn't place the word.
ReplyDelete