Crazy for Quinoa

By Colleen Boyd

Like most people with a tight schedule and long work days, the last thing I want to do when I come home is spend a lot of time in the kitchen making dinner. Recently I’ve rediscovered the versatility of quinoa; a delicious, quick cooking, and easy to prepare grain-like edible seed.

Quinoa is packed with protein, and is a good source of iron and other minerals, making it a great addition to salads, soups, veggie burgers, breads, and all sorts of baked goods. My favorite way to use leftover quinoa is to add it to a whole wheat waffle batter, a special breakfast to enjoy on my days off.

This ancient grain isn’t only a side dish anymore! Here I’ve mixed quinoa with a few simple ingredients and spices to make a quick and satisfying weeknight meal. You can customize this recipe by adding or omitting as many vegetables as you like, or even throw in leftovers from yesterday’s dinner.

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Planting Seeds

By Andrew Hunter

Seeds need to be planted in fertile ground, then loved, nurtured and fed until they grow into hearty plants that bear fruit of their own. In this way, seeds and children are the same. On April 22nd, Earth Day, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of Jackson’s death in the best way we knew how; we went to a co-op farm in Malibu with dear friends to plant seeds in fertile ground.

I know celebration seems like an odd word for a father to use when commemorating the death of his first child. Vivid memories make Jackson’s death seem like yesterday, but ten years’ time dulls the painful edges of grief. So this celebration wasn’t somber but a bittersweet tribute to life and love, family, friends, grief and perseverance, and above all the memory of sweet Jackson. We used to say Jackson sang with perfect pitch because he sang with pure joy, especially when there was a little red box of raisins clenched in his hand.

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All about Chives

By Lori Powell

Just when I feel that it’s safe to plant some things in the garden…a frost warning appears out of nowhere. So far everything is still thriving.

My chive plant returned this year with a flourish and started to flower extremely early this spring, due to the sunny days and high temperatures. Chives are a hardy perennial and a member of the onion family, along with leeks and garlic.

As you can see from my photo, they grow in clumps and can reach a height of about 12 inches. The flowering part of the chive plant is one of my favorites for garnishing salads and other dishes. Chives yield a gorgeous purple blossom that is edible and adds eye appeal to any dish.

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A Drain’s Not the Only Place for Bean Liquid

By Katie Barreira

I’d prefer dried beans to canned any day, but the reality is that canned beans have a place in my pantry and so does their liquid.

Poke around the Web and you’ll see that bean liquid has a bad rap. But the biggest beef is its high sodium content and there’s an easy answer for that: buy low-sodium or sodium-free beans (like Eden Organics). They’re better for you anyway.

Another common complaint is that the cloudy liquid has “gunk” in it. I get it; coagulated starch balls don’t do much for me either, but I’ve found that higher-quality canned beans tend to be less gunky and when in doubt, you can just pour the liquid through a sieve. It’s no harder than draining the beans.

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My Essential Pepin

Photo courtesy KQED from the Essential Pépin TV Series Photo credit: © 2010 – Cristiana CeppasToday, Sandy turns over her Monday spot to Mary Jane Reiter, Special Fork’s public relations manager, who blogs about her recent class with the legendary chef, Jacques Pépin.

By Mary Jane Reiter

Before there was Emeril, Bobby, Gordon or Martha, there was Jacques. Jacques Pépin has spent the last 60 years as a professional chef, restaurateur, cookbook author and host of many PBS cooking shows. His most recent TV show and companion book Essential Pepin contains more than 700 of his favorite recipes.

Jacques Pépin is MY celebrity chef. So when I had the opportunity recently to attend a techniques class for culinary students, taught by Pépin, I jumped at the chance. He spoke at the International Culinary Center in Campbell, California, where he is on the board.

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