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Eat
All things food–real food!
Split-Pea Barley Soup: One of my all time favorites!
This quick, easy, and fabulous-tasting soup is a welcome shift in cooking and eating that acknowledges the change of season, from summer to fall.
Time required: 1 hour total, but ONLY 15 minutes of your physical presence in the kitchen is required!
Ingredients:
1 cup dried split peas, rinsed
1 cup barley, rinsed
1 medium purple onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
cumin
pepper and salt to taste
olive oil
Directions:
- Place peas in a large pot with enough water so that the water line is 2 inches above the peas; bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 45 – 60 minutes. Keep an eye on the peas after 45 minutes, so they do not become overcooked and mushy!
- Place barley in a different pot with 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Set aside.
- While the peas and barley are cooking, enjoy a glass of wine. Then sauté the onions in olive oil, on low until they are tender. Add in the garlic, carrots and celery, a tad of pepper and salt, and sauté for just a couple of minutes until the veggies start to soften but do not become overcooked.
- Add to the cooked peas: the cooked barley, and cooked veggies. Gently mix it all up. Sprinkle cumin—at least 1 teaspoon—but probably more to give it a divine flavor. Add pepper and a smidge of salt to your preferred taste.
There are two types of cooks: those that measure ingredients and those that do not. Those that follow recipes and those that do not. I do not. I love being in the kitchen creating a masterpiece, and have been cooking from scratch for nearly 30 years! Eyeballing how much to add, tasting frequently to be sure that I am getting it right is part of the fun for me. If “winging it” does not feel right to you, by all means use recipes and measure away. I have to say that my husband, when eating a delicious meal that I have lovingly prepared, will often sigh and say, “well, I won’t be enjoying that meal again…” What he means is that my meals do not taste the same way twice! Since I don’t use recipes or measure, I run the risk of not being able to recreate that fabulous meal the next time around. Life is an adventure!
1st Note: If you like soupy soup, you’ll want to have a water line remaining above the peas when they are done cooking—keep an eye on the peas while they are simmering to see if more water should added. If you like porridge style soup, then you can let all the water slowly absorb and evaporate in the cooking.
2nd Note: This is a chunky soup, which is how my husband and I like it! If chunky is not your preference, you are welcome to put the yummy concoction into a food processor to gently blend it to your desired consistency.
3rd Note: I taste while I cook. It is important to test the consistency of the grains, legumes, beans, pastas, and veggies, as well as the flavors once you begin to add spices.
Final Note: When cooking grains such as barley, millet, rice, etc. the ratio is 1 part grain to 2 parts water. The cook time is typically 30 minutes, but not always…quinoa for instance is cooked in 12 – 15 minutes, as are oats, but polenta (coarse corn meal) takes at least 45 minutes. This is where playing around in the kitchen is recommended so that you will gain confidence, as well as practical understanding of time required to create a fabulous meal.
The Really Final Note: When combining bean or legumes and grains, as in this soup, you are ingesting an incredible amount of fiber and protein. Way to go! Think of all the possibilities in other yummy soups and casseroles in which you bring beans and grains together. I will include additional recipes of my favorites in upcoming newsletters.
Happy Eating!
Robin Recommends…The Flour Garden Bakery
Flour Garden Bakery
Business: Bakery and CyberCafe
Services: Rather than baking with the commercial/industrial methodology of using manufactured mixes and artificial flavorings, Flour Garden bakes with a special blend of classical European-style and California health consciousness. Combining this blend of quality and beauty is labor-intensive and time-consuming. Everything is made from scratch. It is also much more costly to bake with the finest quality, most nutritious, ingredients; but the Flour Garden is determined to produce food that is not only delicious, but also nutritious.
It is also the Flour Garden’s intention to serve the community by providing a “well-lighted place” where everyone will feel welcome and cared for. On any given morning, one would find a rich blend of the local populace: Republicans and Democrats, students, doctors, school teachers, construction workers, local law enforcement officers, artists. There is a children’s area with a smaller table and chairs, and children’s books. There are handicapped-accessible restrooms. Classical music, usually. Or jazz. All of these reflect a welcoming and serving of the community as a whole.
Robin’s Thoughts: I have long appreciated Flour Garden! There are so many choices, depending on your mood and time of day. My personal favorites: organic peanut butter on a whole grain toasted bagel, coconut macaroons, pumpkin muffins, hot chai and ginger cookie (a must have combo–especially in the winter!), frittata (great for a quick lunch), to name just a few. I have ordered special-made cakes and have been appreciative of the real frosting, as opposed to the artificial stuff offered at other bakeries; numerous pies for the holidays; and the bread, oh my, the bread–something as special as the edible bread basket for Thanksgiving, Tibetan multi-grain, seeded baguettes, I could go on and on. A new addition to the offerings at Flour Garden are a line of Gluten Free breads, goodies, and soups. This is yet another reflection of the commitment that Susan and Bill have for the health and well-being of our community. I must also mention the daily soups — made from scratch, absolutely delicious, many are vegetarian and/or vegan, and they are all for eat-in or take home.
Flour Garden is fully engaged in our community. Susan and Bill generously donate their wares to various organizations as well as sponsor fund-raising events. The ambiance provided at their bakeries is inviting and comfortable. Their commitment to our physical health as well as to the health of our world is to be acknowledged and to be thankful for. Flour Garden combines flavor, satisfaction, and consciousness in a way that is a treat for all.
Contact Info
Web: http://flourgarden.com/
Phone: 530-272-2043; Sutton Way store; check website for Neal Street, and Auburn store info
Email: copeland@flourgarden.com
Posted in Eat, restaurants, Robin Recommends..., specialty shops | 
Tags: Auburn, bakery, Grass Valley, Nevada City, organic, restaurant, whole grains | 
No Comments »Eat Often, Eat Well: Enjoy 5 smalls each day!
Sound too good to be true?
It is true! Eating often is a healthy approach to food intake—but keep the key concept of this healthful way to eating in mind: SMALL portions.
When we eat often, our body is better able to regulate the balance between blood glucose and insulin. When we eat infrequently and/or take in too much food at one meal, the balance of glucose and insulin is adversely affected, leading to weight gain in the short run, and an increased risk to develop Type 2 diabetes in the long run.
Glucose is the marvelous source of fuel that is derived from eating carbohydrates, and which is used efficiently by our body as energy. Our brain needs energy to compose a piece of music, pay bills, or write a business proposal and our body requires energy to unload groceries, walk up stairs, or ride a bicycle.
Carbohydrates are digested into glucose (sugar) and packaged up to be used as energy. Eating carbohydrates often throughout the day will allow for a relatively stable blood glucose level, keeping our brain and muscles well fueled. A stable blood glucose level will also diminish the chance for becoming ravenous, which may lead to a too-large meal being eaten in response.
Insulin is the hormone, manufactured in the pancreas, which moves glucose into the cell so it can be used as this effective fuel source. When the pancreas is stimulated frequently due to eating small meals often, it releases a regulated amount of insulin—just the right amount required to aid in the proper metabolism of the small meal that was just eaten. The balance between glucose and insulin is maintained. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Eat, Educational Handouts | Tags: carbohydrates, Eat, glucose, insulin, metabolism | No Comments »Navigating the Food Highway
Navigating The Food Highway
Or How To Enjoy Eating Well
Food temptation is everywhere! Tantalizing samples in the grocery store, candy and chips at the checkout stand, chocolate covered strawberries in the downtown specialty store window, and who can resist the aroma wafting from Cinnabon at the mall?
The food industry employs brilliant scientists who work on just how to make food attractive, stimulating, and irresistible. When foods are developed for packaged sales at the grocery store or to be sold from a big box drive through window, the recipe includes just the right combination of fat, sugar, and salt to enhance the appeal and addictive qualities of that product. This is done intentionally by the food manufacturing industry, without regard for our health or well-being—their focus is on the company profits.
We have become captive to this line of thinking by the food manufactures to a large extent because we have been propagandized to believe that we are too busy to cook real food for ourselves. This mere fact gives the food industry a foot-in-the-door; once we taste their “convenient” wares a time or two, we literally want more—because the combination of fat, sugar, and salt arouses our brain—specifically the area of our brain that houses emotions, and like it or not, our emotional state has a tremendous impact of what, when, and how much we eat. Read the rest of this entry »
Eat Well
Tricks of the trade – Restaurant Survival 101.
Imagine This: A much-anticipated dinner at that new restaurant you have been so eager to try, perhaps in celebration of an anniversary or a promotion. It’s been a busy day without much time for lunch. You are ravenous when the hostess seats you and thrilled when the bread, oil, and balsamic vinegar arrives. Marveling at the chewy texture of the ciabatta while enjoying a glass of wine, you contemplate the menu. Along with the divine roasted beet, arugula, and goat cheese salad, you enjoy a second and maybe a third piece of bread. When the entrée arrives twenty minutes later, you are amazed to find that you are no longer very hungry!
Of course you feel compelled to at least try the entrée, which is delicious, leading to an enticement for a couple more bites, and before you know it, you are uncomfortably full! Does this sound familiar?
Eating out does not have to be a free-for-all in terms of indulgence. It is entirely possible to enjoy a fine meal out (or in for that matter), eat well, become satisfied and well-fed, but not over-fed. Read the rest of this entry »
