Peach blueberry chia seed jam

New concept: jam that tastes like the fruit it originally was!

I will now indulge in adverbial musing.

Gustatorily speaking, this jam is superior because it tastes like the fruit it originally was. It has none of that sugar burn that can mask the taste of fresh stone fruits in jams.

Nutritionally speaking, this jam is the tops. The original water content of the fruit is retained (and thus, so is its caloric value). The fruit is not cooked, so vitamins are retained. Chia seeds are nutritional powerhouses.

Economically speaking, I think it's a deal. Chia seeds are on the pricey side, but if you would have used pectin, that cost is gone, and you really don't use that many chia seeds for the jam. Also, it is much faster than other jams, so you have more time. Because you don't cook the peaches down, it makes more per pound of peaches. But then again, you will eat more because it is better than most jams. But then again, if you are eating more of this stuff there is the chance that you will be at the doctor's less. But then again, maybe you will live longer, and that will increase your cost of living. (Clearly I am no economist.)

Visually speaking, you have to overcome the fact that the chia seeds look like bugs. Our first batch had only peaches, and the bugs were especially noticeable. Owl threw in blueberries in the second batch, and that helped immensely. In the end, we went with it and called it "Bug Jam." The owl-cats smiled and ate it.

Historically speaking, this is a rare treat. Michael Pollan says that you shouldn't eat anything your grandmother would not have recognized as food. Well, sorry, Mr. Pollan, but I'm guessing Grandma would have tossed out "Bug Jam." What's more, Grandma had to put a whole lot of sugar in her jam as an anti-bacterial agent. So that's one food rule that should sometimes get tossed.

Blogatorially speaking, we are not original. Everyone out there has a recipe for this stuff (for good reason). Lemon juice may be added to help retain color or for brightness. Some people use fewer chia seeds.

Peach Blueberry Chia Seed Jam (a.k.a. Bug Jam)
A flexible recipe, depending on how much you have. See step 2 for guidelines on amounts.

Peaches
Blueberries (frozen fine)
Chia seeds
Sweetener (maple syrup, agave syrup, honey, sugar--or stevia if you go for that sort of thing, but add less)

0. Wash fruit. Peel peaches (or not--I'm guessing it would be fine with peels if you trust your peaches)
1. Blend up peaches and blueberries.
2. For every 1 cup of blended fruit, add

• 1 tablespoon chia seeds*
• up to 1 tablespoon of sweetener of choice, to taste

3. Refrigerate for an hour to let it thicken.
4. Slather on toast. Eat. Rave. Repeat.
5. Storing: Everything I've seen says this will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator. I am going to freeze some and see how it goes. I don't want to can it, but some have.

*CHIA SEED UPDATE 9/20/13: I made another batch with very ripe peaches. That meant they were more watery. After the hour refrigeration time, I had to add more chia seeds. I checked it again an hour later and it was perfect. Just know that the amount of chia seeds may need to be adjusted depending on the fruit you have. I probably ended up at 1 1/2 tablespoons of chia seeds per cup of fruit.

Eating weeds: Purslane trumps pizza

For once, I am out of words. The middle owl-cat (7) proclaimed in a fit of passion that he prefers this dinner to pizza.

Michael Pollan tipped me off to the culinary potential of this unassuming weed that is full of vitamins and omega-3s. We tried it a while ago in a salad, but it is a bit hard to eat raw after weeding it out of the vegetable patch for years. It may be a bit like someone telling you, "Go ahead, add raw chicken to your salad. It's actually a real cancer fighter!" It's just hard to get past some things.

But after I tried out this recipe for verdolagas last week, we had to have it again this week. It's that good.

I hate to replicate recipes that another hard-working food-blogger has put together and deserves credit for. I will describe the basic steps, so you get an idea of what it is. Then you can go to the source for the recipe. It's brilliant.

Of course, you could always substitute spinach for the purslane, but how fun would that be?

Verdolagas (see link for full recipe; my recommendations in italics):

1. Make a simple green tomatillo salsa in the blender.
2. Boil 2 diced potatoes in salted water (suggested, but not used in the original)
3. Wash and chop the purslane (stems and all).
4. Boil the purslane. Add a little lemon or lime juice to the water in an attempt to preserve the color of the bright green leaves.
5. Heat oil in a pan. Toss in some garlic. Add the green salsa.
6. Drain purslane and add it to the green salsa.
7. Drain potatoes and add it to the green salsa and purslane.
8. Heat a cast iron pan. Heat corn tortillas on the cast iron until there are brown specks on one side. I make a quesadilla with a corn tortilla, split it open and proceed with step 9. The owl-cats like cheddar. I like feta in mine. 
9. Fill tortillas and roll up like a taquito. Or fill with other veggies and eat like a taco.
10. Be prepared for compliments.

Quinoa bowl, pasta bowl: adults happy, kids happy (and a parenting book review too!)

I have to redeem myself after the gazpacho post. I do care about my children--and even their taste buds.

A great parenting book is John Gottman's Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child: The Heart of Parenting. For me, the central theme of this book is very other-centered, that you need to respect your child and his emotions. (I only have boys, so this is not being gender-exclusive. I am sure you want to understand girls too, though I am beginning to think I wouldn't know how to.) 

Gottman says you need to have empathy, to imagine your child’s emotional world, and seek to understand him. You need to imagine how dependent he is on you and how he perceives your actions toward him. (He asks something like, "Would you like it if one of your co-workers were to treat you in a similar manner?") Gottman sees your goal as a parent as being able to help your child deal effectively with strong emotions and to help him be independent in that, to become a “self-soother.” 

So when I try to empathize with my children's taste buds, I think of my own taste buds as a child. Rhubarb was out of the question as were beets and turnips and other things I didn't even know I liked until I was 30. My mom didn't push the issue and now I eat almost anything (except Skittles, blood sausage, and sodium benzoate).

Children have more sensitive taste buds, and, according to at least one case study (our own), red heads have ultra sensitive taste buds. Before we adults congratulate ourselves on refinement, we may be able to handle more intense tastes simply because we have fewer taste buds (many of them being killed off by doing taxes).

This grain bowl was a hit at our house. It is more an amalgam of recipes that can be adjusted to taste than a single do-it-my-way-or-hit-the-highway recipe. I remembered a favorite dinner with friends--penne with pesto, green beans, and boiled potatoes. That inspired our choice of vegetables.

Everybody Happy Grain Bowls

Grains:

Cooked quinoa (favorite way to cook quinoa)

Cooked sea shell pasta

(Cooked brown rice would also be nice.)

Sauces:

Pesto

Tomato-based sauce (I use America's Test Kitchen)

(A light Alfredo would also be nice.)

Veggies:

Sauteed mushrooms (shallots are a nice addition to this)

Cooked green beans (I love the whole green beans available at my Costco)

Boiled diced potatoes (or for an extra Wow level, try my favorite roasted potatoes)

(Cooked carrots or yellow summer squash or cauliflower would have worked well for my children)

Set everything out buffet style. You can either let your children go crazy on their own or act like that grumpy guy at the pasta bar they've been to. Act extra stingy about giving them vegetables--they will want them all. Something about scarcity inspires desire.

White gazpacho (Don't invite the kids.)

White gazpacho, garnished with chives, olive oil, and grapes

Of course there are two kinds of parents in the world: those who cater to their children's taste buds and those who don't. I often masquerade as the first, but if I sustain that too long, I want to bite someone. 

The owl-cats are good to tolerate my experiments even if they don't relish them all. If nothing else, it builds their character. They don't get an alternative meal every day, but we have adopted my sister's rule that once a week, they can choose to say, "No thanks" to a dinner and eat a peanut butter sandwich or quesadilla instead--as long as they at least try whatever I've spent hours making. 

(Is it just me, or is there an inverse relationship between the amount of time you spend on a dish and how much the kiddies like it?)

So, yes, you have guessed it. They didn't like my white gazpacho.

White gazpacho makes sense if you think about it (history-wise). Tomatoes are not indigenous to Spain. When they came from the new world, then the Spaniards tossed them here and there and everywhere, as did every thinking cuisine. 

But before tomatoes there was stale bread, and grapes, and olive oil, and nuts. And there were hot summers. (Cue: Spanish guitar music)

And so--buen provecho--White Gazpacho.

This recipe comes from that extensive site, Simply Recipes. I did not have blanched almonds on hand, only raw almonds, so I substituted the skinless macademia nuts I had in the freezer from our adventure in Kauai. They worked beautifully as would pine nuts.

I found this cold soup surprisingly satisfying. (Sometimes cold soups are anything but.) It was sweet and salty, full-bodied and refreshing.

Owl said this tasted Spanish--he did spend two years there. I said I wasn't so sure. Only a trip can settle this.

Homemade paneer triumph

Homemade paneer, pictured with garden-fresh herbs

I have to be upfront. I don't want to disparage you from making paneer, that wonderful Indian cheese, but it did take me an hour stirring the milk as it boiled (granted I did make a double-batch). The 10-year-old owl-cat, old-soul that he is, said, "Was that really worth your time?" Perhaps because it had turned out well, I could give an optimistic answer, but at that moment it struck me that even had it not turned out well, I would still have said it was worth my time. That is a fine measure for a hobby or passion or addiction--whatever we are going to label this food-experiment thing.

Musings aside, this cheese was delicious. I made it to cube and turn into Saag Paneer (a.k.a. Palek Paneer), one of the best things Indian cuisine has done to spinach. It was heavenly for this purpose, but there are a number of other ways to eat it. (Many are listed in Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian.)

Before trying out this recipe, this video is a great introduction to making paneer. 

Homemade Paneer

adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian; Note: I doubled the recipe to good effect.

1/2 gallon (8 cups) whole milk

3-4 tablespoons white vinegar

0. Line a colander with cheesecloth. Place colander over large bowl.

1. Heat milk in large pot over medium heat.

2. Stir gently to keep milk from burning on the bottom of the pot. (I read nonstick may work well, but I don't have a large nonstick pan.)

3. Keep stirring. Read a cookbook while to wait. Or Crime and Punishment.

4. Keep stirring. Not vigorously, just a gentle motion along the bottom of the pot.

5. When the milk boils, stir in 3 tablespoons of vinegar. Stir. It will start to curdle. It will look like cottage cheese swimming in a yellow liquid. You may need to add another tablespoon of vinegar if it does not curdle.

6. Strain the curds through the colander. Keep the yellow liquid (whey) for making bread if you do that kind of thing.

7. Now you can use the curds as is or fully drain the curds, twist the cheesecloth so that you have a nice round bundle of cheese. 

8. Place your cheese bundle on a plate, cover with another plate, and weight it down with whatever will hold still. Small children are not good at this task. 5-lb dumbbells are as would be several of Owl's more hearty tomes of philosophy.

9. After 5-10 minutes you have paneer. 

Weekday vegetarian feast: chana masala

Owl holding his dinner so patiently. He quotes Parks and Rec, more or less: "Tom is a foodie, which apparently means he takes pictures of his food instead of eating it."

Sometimes you just need to celebrate Wednesdays.

We did.

• Chana masala (Indian chickpea curry)
• Brown rice
• Cabbage salad--this one (with apple cider vinegar and a bit of stone ground mustard in the dressing) because I didn't have time for this one, which looks amazing
• Naan
• And frozen peas for the little one

What we thought: Can we eat like this every night? The owl-cats stuffed the chana masala in their naan, and I almost did a jig right there. My kids are eating chickpeas! Hallelujah!

Red lentils: the dried bean for beginners

Dried beans can be scary, what with all that sorting and boiling and draining and salting, but red lentils are a great place to begin. They are the convenience food of dried beans--no soaking and they are done within 30 minutes.

If you like apricots, this is the first red lentil recipe I would introduce you to--a red lentil apricot soup. It comes from a fun cookbook The Soup Peddler's slow and difficult Soups that you will want to read if you love soup, bicycles, and at least the idea of Austin, Texas. David Ansel, writer and Soup Peddler, began selling soup in Austin, and the best part is that he delivered the soup by bike (which is what "slow and difficult" refers to). Family and friends, you are welcome to borrow my copy, but don't keep it too long because I will miss it.

Back to the soup: I am always amazed at how much my children love this soup. It is also a satisfying soup to make.The whole truly is greater than its simple parts. It feels a little bit like magic.

Quick Vegetable Lasagna

The ethical issue with this recipe is, do you tell your children that they are devouring mushrooms and zucchini and begging for more? Or do you keep that little secret to yourself?

This isn't an issue for my sister L.W. who gave me this recipe since her children (enviably) beg for zucchini as such.

Vegetable Lasagna

With practice you can put this together in less than 30 minutes--now that is quick for lasagna--unless you really want to put that stuff from the frozen aisle into your body. Do remember to let the lasagna sit 15 minutes after baking so that you are not slurping lasagna soup.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cloves minced garlic
3 cups sliced zucchini (about 2 medium)
2 cups sliced mushrooms (about 8 oz.)
1 28-oz jar spaghetti sauce (or homemade, but then how quick would it be?)
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons basil
1 16-oz container ricotta or cottage cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg, optional
8 oz. lasagna noodles
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
chopped parsley

0. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
1. Heat oil in skillet. Add onion. When tender, add garlic, just letting it hit the pan and sizzle for maybe 10 seconds. Add zucchini and mushrooms and saute until tender. Add spaghetti sauce, basil, and oregano. Simmer 15 minutes.
2. In a separate bowl mix ricotta or cottage cheese, egg (if using), and Parmesan cheese. (I quite like the texture of mixing them in my food processor.)
3. In a 9 x 13 pan layer 1/3 sauce, 1/2 noodles, 1/2 cheese mixture, and 1/2 mozzarella cheese. Repeat, ending with sauce. Sprinkle parsley on top. Alternatively, you can cover the top with mozzarella if hiding the vegetables will make them more likely to be eaten.
4. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake covered 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes longer. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Note: Can also be made day before and refrigerated until baking. It usually takes 10-15 extra minutes of cooking time.