Winter Greens

By Lori Powell
For One or Two Bites, a blog for singles and couples

While waiting for spring to arrive, I start yearning for more veggies and everything green. Swiss chard, collard greens, kale and spinach are my go-to greens.

All of the four are packed with tons of flavor and nutrients. They ranked in the top six vegetables with the highest nutrient content in a comparison of nearly 85 vegetables by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. These greens are loaded with vitamin K and lutein and contain calcium, fiber, folate and vitamin C.

There are many varieties of Swiss chard, such as rainbow and green chard. Kale varieties include lacinato (also known as dinosaur kale), curly and red Russian.

A fun fact is that winter greens actually get sweeter as the weather gets colder. So the time to buy and eat these power-packed leaves is now.

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Cockles – Perfect for One...or Two

By Lori Powell
For One or Two Bites, a blog for singles and couples

Just call them the other littleneck clam – New Zealand littlenecks (cockles), that is. They’re a bit sweeter and more tender than the larger, better-known littlenecks, but only if you are careful how you cook them.

I am big on buying local but I make occasional exceptions when it’s an ingredient that can’t be sourced locally, no matter what the season. These little (1/2- to 1-inch in diameter) briny jewels are flown in live from New Zealand where they play a critical role in filtering the water. Amazing!

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Homemade Bacon, Egg and Cheese Sandwich

By Lori Powell
For One or Two Bites, a blog for singles and couples

I love to make and eat breakfast on the weekends…especially cold, wintery ones that cause me to linger in bed for an extra hour or two.

My chickens are still producing quite a lot of eggs this winter (usually they slow down this time of year) so fresh eggs are always in abundance. Also uncured Applegate Farms Organic bacon is a mainstay in my fridge or freezer.

This past weekend, I thought, why not change things up a bit – well, just a little – and make a bacon egg and cheese sandwich with homemade biscuits that are a touch healthier? I swapped out half of the all-purpose white flour with whole wheat and replaced some of the butter with buttermilk. To my surprise, the result was a flaky, crumbly, better-for-you biscuit!

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Movie Day – into Night

By Lori Powell
For One or Two Bites, a blog for singles and couples

I’ve gotten into the craze of Downton Abbey to the point that I had to revisit Seasons 1 and 2 before seeing the first episode of Season 3 (aired on PBS this past Sunday night).

Sitting through one series is quite enough, but two is a bit crazy. Well, not that crazy, since it wasn’t like I had to keep my eyes glued to the television since I had already seen it.

So I made it my background noise while I was doing a bit of reorganization at home. It just makes it all the sweeter if you can put reorganization and fun in the same sentence. All the while, I was accomplishing at least one task on my New Year’s resolutions, which was to move more and to de-clutter. Wait, that’s two down….love it when multitasking works out!

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Pizza for Busy People at Holiday Time

By Lori Powell
For One or Two Bites, a blog for singles and couples

I’m still a bit under the weather and bit over my recent soup and hot tea diet. What I am craving these days is a bit of crunch from a crispy baked pizza crust, topped with some gooey cheese and good vegetables.

Since it is now 7p.m. and I’m still at work, chances are I will not want to whip up my own dough. But as luck would have it I know that I have some naan flatbread lurking in my pantry that will do just the trick.

With the holidays just around the corner, keep this recipe in your entertaining arsenal to make for unexpected guests as a little nibble to enjoy with wine and cheese. Simply cut the pizza into little squares.

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