Broccoli vs Shrimp and (I can't believe it either) Broccoli Won!

So an odd thing happpened at Chez Brown tonight.

And I'm here to tell the whole sorry tale (but worry not, I'll keep it short).

It started a week or so when Yahoo! News had a feature article called something like, "7 Wonder Foods That Are Really Good for You that You Should Have in Your Kitchen".

Well, at the top of the list was broccoli (which I had to check how to spell for this post, it's two "c"'s, one "l". So anyway, when we went grocery shopping a couple of days ago we bought some broccoli and brought it home. I figured, "Cool, with broccoli in the kitchen we'll both be healthier!"

Somehow I hadn't made the connection that you're actually supposed to eat the stuff.

I thought maybe it was like garlic and vampires. You know, you just keep garlic around (I think you're supposed to wear it on a cord tied around your neck) and anyway, vampires supposedly will give you wide berth. So, we had broccoli in the kitchen, and f'sure it would look really stoopid threaded on a cord and worn around your neck so I assumed that like on the shelf in the kitchen would do the trick. Or maybe in the refrigerator. You know, out of sight!

Hey that's an idea, maybe it could be like baking soda. Just shove some broccoli in the back of your refrigerator and it will make all the other stuff like butter and bacon even better for you. (Do ya think?)

Anyway, it being New Year's Day and all we wanted to have a good meal to celebrate the new decade so I told Marge I'd make Shrimp & Grits, which, if I say so myself, I do up pretty well.

And Marge dropped the bomb, "Okay, and I'll cook up some of that broccoli."

Gulp.

So we kind of discussed it a bit. I posited that if we actually ate it then we'd have to buy more in order to have that "healthy food in the kitchen" that Yahoo! was so insistent about.

But yeah, Marge won.

So here's the deal. I made up the Shrimp & Grits with my usual recipe (email me for it if you want it). And it was good. I use a lot of cheese in the grits (and real butter), and bacon and scallions and some other stuff plus I dose my own serving with a hefty dollop of Marie Sharp's habanero sauce. So it was excellent.

Except for the shrimp. I used some "back of the freezer since can't remember when" shrimp and it was okay, as in not spoiled or anything, but it was sorta tasteless and a little rubbery.

But the broccoli? The broccoli rocked! I know I've never had broccoli as good and I don't think I should count on ever having it as good again (maybe we really should go back to the keep it in the frig for the good of the other food strategy), but Marge's broccoli was outasight. I even finished (a few) extra servings on the theory that it was so good right in the moment that leftovers would be a disappointment.

So the broccoli clearly won.

Do I feel healthier? Hmm, not sure. Yet, but let's say Yes just to keep the peace and end the story.

And, oh yeah, there was a goodly portion of Shrimp & Grits left, so, even with the tired shrimp, I know what I'm having with my 4AM coffee. tomorrow.

Quinoa Power!

OK, so maybe you've already heard of quinoa (pronounce it "keen-waa"). It's a grain apparently discovered  by the Incas that was a stable of their diet. The cool thing about quinoa is that it has all seven of the essential amino acids that make up complete proteins. It may be the only grain that has this. Usually to get a full complement of protein amino acids  you have to mix two other ingredients (like say, rice and beans), or just take the easy way and grab a burger, because all seven are in meat.

OK, but here's some other cool stuff about quinoa (and please remember, I'm talking off the top of my head and reading from the box and from stuff I've seen on the Internet and specifically on Wikipedia. I'm not an expert on food and nutrition or health or any o' that cool stuff. Which means you oughta check for yourself, realize your mileage may vary, and I'm a professional driver on a closed course...but this is cooking, so don't take my word for any health stuff, ok?).

Anyway, besides being a "complete" protein source, quinoa is:

• gluten-free
• high fiber
• low sodium
• low fat, including no saturated fat or trans fat
• low cholesterol (like none)
• easy to prepare
• easy to digest. 

Cool huh? And I'm not even selling the stuff - nor do I care to.


I also think it tastes pretty good but you're reading this from a guy who likes the taste of everything but crab apple, so take that into account.

So here's what I've been having for breakfast lately:

Quinoa Power Breakfast

Ingredients:

• Ancient Harvest Quinoa (mentioning this brand because it's easy to find, organic, AND prewashed - which saves step)
• Ground Coriander
• Ground Cardamom
• Chili Powder
• Garlic Salt
• Tumeric
• Ground Cumin
• Dried Minced Onion
• Ground Ginger
• Fresh ground pepper (I use Tellicherry peppercorns)
• Tap Water
• Pastor Karl's Fit to be Thai'd Chili Pepper Oil made with EVO and Thai Chili Peppers

Easy to make:

I just dumped a box of Ancient Harvest Quinoa into a bowl and added some of the spices (not the water or oil yet). Please note, I'm an ingredient cook, not a recipe cook, so I just dump some in in an amount that feels and looks right from past experience.

I mixed it up and then put 1/3 cup portions in sandwich bags. Turned out I ended up with seven bags worth (which means one week's mixture ready to rock).

Then, I took one of the baggies, dumped it in a sauce pan, added 2/3 cup of tap water, and a healthy dollop of Pastor Karl's Fit to be Thai'd oil.

Stir it all up.

Bring it to a boil and let it boil pretty much wildly for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and cover, let sit for 15 minutes.

It's done.

I cut up some red apple and some walnuts to add to the cooked quinoa and that's it.

Total prep time (for a week's worth of servings), about 5 minutes.

Total cooking time, about 22 minutes (2 to get the water boiling, 5 to boil, 15 to sit - a good time to take a shower and get dressed).

That's it, folks. I think it's tasty. I used dried spices, and of course you get more of a kick out of fresh spices (and it takes more time, too).

I think it's pretty tasty. I KNOW it's healthy (subject to the above disclosure, of course).

Pecan Pancakes - Breaking Rules Never Tasted So Good - Recipe

This weekend on Saturday Marge made a suggestion to add to our (former) favorite pancake recipe and it was a winner. I added another twist and the results were over the top. In order to take the photo above I had to mix another batch Sunday just so I could have something to shoot.

So here's what we did: basically we just used the pancake recipe on the back of the Bisquick box, adding every one of the "make it special" ingredients they suggest - that's how we usually (used to) make pancakes that we, our family, and guests have always enjoyed. Marge's idea was to add some finely chopped pecans. My addition was to cook them using Extra Virgin Olive Oil - (yeah, I know, it's not supposed to taste all that great in a pan like that and some say EVO only delivers its healthy goodness served cold or at room temperature. But guess what? They were easy to make, easy to cook, and awesome!

So here's the recipe:

Bruce and Marge's EVO Pecan Pancakes

Ingredients:
2 cups Bisquick
1 cup milk (actually I used Lite Silk)
1 egg
2/3 cup finely chopped pecans
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla (I used a strong flavored Mexican vanilla brand)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
Note: this recipe makes about nine 4-5 inch diameter pancakes each about 1/2" thick.

Preparation:
Dump all the ingredients in a mixing bowl in (in any order) and mix 'em up. The more finely you chop the pecans the smoother the mixture will be, but it doesn't effect taste or cooking time, just the crunchiness.

Cooking:
Preheat a medium hot skillet (or griddle or frying pan or whatever)
Add a generous amount of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Put about a 1/3 cup of mixture on the skillet
Cook 'em for a while on one side, then flip 'em. (They likely will be thicker than your usual pancakes so maybe turn the heat down a smidge if you're concerned about them getting overly dark before cooking all the way through. I find it takes about 30 seconds  per side, maybe a bit more)

Eating:
 Serve and eat. I suppose you can add butter and syrup if you wish, but I like them just as they are.

Hint for next day cold pizza lovers: Make extra pancakes and store covered in the refrigerator, they're firm enough that they're easy to eat just holding them with a cup of coffee the next morning.

The Pecans add texture, taste and flavor and (for Marge and I anyway) the EVO adds a wonderful flavor and feel to them.

Of course I'm a big fan of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and even made a video a year or so ago on using EVO as a moisturizer - let me know if you'd like those instructions or for the video link.