Day 6: Quinoa with Black Beans and Cilantro

Once upon a time, in the age known as "Before Kids", I subscribed to Bon Appetit.  When I realized, shortly before Elsa was born, that even without kids I primarily only made recipes in the "Fast Easy Fresh" section, I cancelled my subscription. It was probably the right decision. 

This recipe is from "Fast Easy Fresh", circa 2008.   Luckily my happy place, Alnatura, is my new source for the somewhat elusive black beans that we live on in the U.S.  Enjoy!
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Quinoa-with-Black-Beans-and-Cilantro-243392

Day 5: Kale Peanut Stew

I might be losing some of you with this recipe, but it has so many of my favorite things: kale, peanut butter (a precious commodity here that I sacrificed for the making of this stew, knowing that my parents will come bearing more in 2 weeks), sweet potatoes, and chickpeas.  The chickpeas and kale are great sources of iron, which makes it a great recovery meal to bring to a new mom (and it can be eaten one-handed). And guess what . . . kids can eat kale. I assure you that behind that frown-like kale mustache, Elsa's face shows pure kale love.

Elsa, 7.5 months

I was happy to learn that Germany also appreciates (and grows, and eats) kale, which is called Grünkohl (green cabbage) or, in Wolfenbüttel, Braunkohl (brown cabbage, which sounds nasty). I was even happier when I saw this sign in the fall, and couldn't agree more. . . 

"Kale season is the most beautiful season"

Anyway, this recipe is another one from our farm newsletter that saved our fridge from being overrun by massive stalks of kale. 

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp oil

4 cups vegetable stock (or water)

1/2 cup brown rice (uncooked)

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or approx 2 cups cooked)

2 cups of diced sweet potatoes

1/4 cup peanut butter

1-2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp lemon juice

chili powder (about 1 tsp..adjust to taste)

1/2 bunch of kale, ribs removed,  leaves finely chopped

Saute the onion and garlic in oil over medium heat until the onions are soft. Do not brown. Add stock, sweet potato, chickpeas, and brown rice. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until rice is soft (approx 30-40 minutes).

Stir together peanut butter, soy sauce, lemon juice, chili powder, and 1/2 cup of hot broth. When the mixture is well-stirred, return it to the pot. Add the shredded kale and cook for 5-10 minutes more, until the kale is cooked.  (If you feel like the kale is going to explode out of your pot, don't worry.  Carefully fold it in to the stew and it will cook down almost immediately). 

Assmannshausen

Really.

It's really a place, and we really went there.

While the name alone is kind of ridiculous enough to warrant a trip, it's not the only reason we went there.  If it weren't also for it's scenic location along the Rhine, or the fact that it is surrounded by vineyards and known for its production of Spätburgunder (pinot noir) wine, we probably wouldn't have packed up the kids and set out to see . . . Assmannshausen.  Or maybe we would have.

I finally got my wish and got out of the Wiesbaden-Mainz area for the first time since arriving 8 weeks ago.  We were lured to the sleepy little wine villages along the Rhine, especially after reading of footpaths through the vineyards connecting the towns.

It's probably a little more beautiful in the spring, but hiking along the hills high above the Rhine and soaking up the sun was good enough for us.  Erik and I each strapped a kid to ourselves and set out for a little adventure.

13th century castle, with the town of Bingen in the background

And of course, the day in wine country ended as it should: two glasses of Riesling and an apple juice (and two little baby hands reaching for all of the above).

(By the way, recipes will resume tomorrow. Our micro-fridge has been overtaken by leftovers and we need to catch up).

Day 4: Mac n' cheese with Sweet Potato

Ahhh....finally.  What better antidote for 3 days of fiber bomb dinners than pasta and cheese?

I originally had Mac N' Cheese with sweet potato when my friend Katie made it for me . . . it's a pretty amazing combination that has become our standard way to make homemade mac n'cheese.  I can't find my recipe from Katie, so I just made a basic baked mac n' cheese recipe from Joy of Cooking and added in one sweet potato that I had diced and roasted (about 400 degrees for 20 minutes).  If you want the basic outline for this recipe, you can find it here.  (I recommend ignoring his advice on increasing the onion and paprika. Stick with 1/2 medium onion and 1/4 tsp of paprika).  Otherwise, if you have a fav homemade mac n'cheese, try it with sweet potato next time. I was able to convince Elsa that those orange cubes were not squash, and she ate it all. 

Day 3: Squash, Bean, and Corn Stew

If you hurry, there might be enough cold days left this winter to make this recipe. If not, file it away for the fall, because it's a good one.  Our sunny, spring-like day wasn't exactly right for it today, but oh well. It tasted great after a fun day hiking in the vineyards above the Rhine. 

Squash is one of my favorite foods, but it looks like I have not one, but two daughters who hate it. Elsa will eat almost anything except squash, and I tried giving some to Clara this evening and she gagged. They better learn, because once October comes around, it's Eat Squash or Starve.


¼ c. olive oil

2 onions, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped
½ tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 c. canned, crushed tomatoes in thick puree
2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 ½ c. water
2 tsp. salt
2 c. canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 c. corn, frozen or fresh

In Dutch oven, heat oil over low heat and add onions, cooking until translucent (5 min).  Add garlic and spices and cook about 1 minute.

Stir in tomatoes, squash, water, and salt and bring to a simmer.  Cook covered until squash is almost tender, about 15 min.  Uncover and simmer vigorously until almost no liquid is left, about 5 minutes.  Add beans and corn until corn is tender, about 5 minutes.

Day 2: Pasta with Lentils and Kale

I have to admit, until we joined a farm share 5 years ago, I had probably never eaten kale, ever.  Luckily our farm newsletter provided this recipe for newbies like me with that glazed, what-the-heck-do-I-do-with-kale? look in their eyes. It is now one of our favorite vegetables and this is one of our favorite recipes. Lentils can be cooked ahead of time to speed the process. If you are sensing that speeding the process of cooking is a huge goal these days, you are right.  I am not striving to be Julia Child at the moment.

½ c. lentils
2 c. water

¾ tsp. salt
1/4 c. olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped (2 c.)
¼ tsp. pepper
3-4 c. kale
¾ lb. short pasta

Parmesan cheese and toasted bread crumbs. (optional toppings)

Simmer lentils in water w/ ¼ tsp salt, uncovered, adding more water if necessary to keep barely covered until tender but not falling apart, 20-25 min.  Remove from heat and season w/salt to taste.

Meanwhile, heat ¼ c. oil in 12-in heavy pan over med-hi heat in sauté onion and pepper and remaining salt about 1 min.  Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until onions soft and golden, about 20 min.  Remove lid and increase heat to moderate, then cook until golden brown 5-10 minutes. 

Discard stems/ribs form kale. Cook in 6-8 quart pot of boiling water 5-8 min. until just tender. Remove w/tongs, chop.  Add to onions along w/lentils and liquid and simmer, 1 minute.

Cook pasta (use your already boiling kale water), drain, and add to onion/kale/lentil mixture and simmer 1 minute. Season to taste. Top with optional toppings.

Day 1: Chickpeas in Ginger Sauce

This recipe was given to me by a someone who grew up in Southern India.  It's easy and delicious. . . and a good one to make ahead of time since I actually like it better on the second day.  Serve it w/rice (and naan if you're feeling fancy or have access to an Indian store). This is not that spicy- to spice it up stir in a little chili paste or just add more cayenne.

2- 20 oz. cans chickpeas, or 4 c. cooked chickpeas
2-3 Tbsp oil (Recipe calls for 1/2 cup but that seems like an insane amount )
2 c. chopped onions
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 tsp. mango powder or 1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 med tomato, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. water
Chopped fresh cilantro

Drain chickpeas, reserve liquid.
Heat oil in medium saucepan at med-high heat.  Add chopped onion and cook 5 minutes, until they are light golden brown.
Add garlic and ginger; cook another 2 minutes stirring constantly.
Add coriander, cardamom, cayenne, and black pepper, cook 1 minute.
Add chopped tomato, cook 6 minutes.
Add reserved chickpea liquid, lemon juice, salt, water. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, until it forms a gravy consistency.
Add chickpeas and simmer 10 minutes.
Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.


Speaking of food, guess who had her first bite of solids this week?

How many hands are holding that spoon?

Happy Veg-a-versary!

Around this time of year, 15 years ago, I decided to stop eating meat.  I still don't know the exact trigger; it might have been dorm food, it might have been that my friend was giving vegetarianism a whirl, it might have been a bit of college rebellion against the status quo.  Whatever the reason, it stuck. I endured a fair amount of tormenting (mostly good-natured) from my family, and my poor Grandpa never quite really reconciled himself with the fact, but I haven't been terribly tempted to turn back.

My vegetarianism has, however, become a lot more flexible in recent years.  I started out without fish and seafood (although I never could let go of shrimp), but a trip to the Gulf Coast of Florida ended that streak.  Since then, the list has grown to include turkey on Thanksgiving,  an annual cheeseburger (which is the only thing in the meat world that I crave. The annual burger tradition began as a gift to Grandpa on his birthday and is now eaten in his memory), a bite or two of Erik's Texas beef ribs at Redbones, an occasional roasted chicken at home, and a bite or two of bratwurst hot from the grill at markets around Germany. Ironically, the first trimesters of both of my pregnancies left me briefly unable to stomach vegetables, but craving the most processed meat available (hot dogs, Oscar Mayer bologna, and Arby's Beef n' Cheddar, none of which I've eaten since I was like 14). 

The question of Erik's dietary preferences arises predictably from discussion of vegetarianism. Does Erik eat meat? Oh, yes.  So does Elsa, who can put away an entire bratwurst or a fair portion of Erik's ribs at the aforementioned Redbones (don't worry, Erik has plenty of his own between sharing with his ladies). However, he will eat anything I make as long as I give him the occasional break from legume/ grain creations. 

That's not a veggie burger. Or a vegetarian.

Anyway, in honor of this Veg-a-versary, I am going to make and post one of my favorite recipes every day for a week (I know it should probably be 15 days for 15 years, but yikes. That's a lot of recipes to come up with without violating someone's copyright).  I chose this week, following Karneval (which means "farewell to meat"), in case you are choosing to give up meat for Lent, need new meatless Friday ideas, or just need something to change things up in the dull late winter months. I will never try too hard to bring you over to my side, but maybe you would consider going meat-free one day a week. You might like it! Guten Appetit!

Fasching

It's Fat Tuesday.  New Orleans has Mardi Gras, Brazil and Venice have Carnaval/Carnevale, and the Rhineland  has Fasching (which is sometimes also called Karneval, or Fastnacht. It's all the same).  While this party is celebrated to some degree everywhere in Germany, the big party really belongs to this region, especially to Cologne and our neighbor across the river, Mainz. 

Things start ramping up to this "Fifth Season" shortly after New Years, when the stores suddenly become full of costumes, colorful decorations, silly hats, and the bakeries start selling Berliner (jelly/cream filled donuts that I previously dissed in my Mainz post. I take it back, after sampling one filled with coconut cream on Saturday. I'm still having dreams about it. These things are awesome!). This is like 5 or 6 days of the wildest Halloween you can imagine.  This is their chance to dress up in costumes, and it's pretty normal to see an adult sized bunny walking down the street on Rosenmontag, or a 6-foot lion in front of you at the grocery store.  Starting on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Weiberfastnacht, the party begins and continues through today (although nothing really seems to be happening today except clean up, and probably tens of thousands of hangovers). 

Besides parties, costumes, fancy balls, and a carnival-like atmosphere everywhere, the main events are the parades, which last for hours.  Wiesbaden had a children's parade on Saturday, which was short and sweet, followed by the big parade on Sunday, which lasted for hours. We lasted for one.

Kid's parade, Wiesbaden



The parades mostly consist of marching bands and floats carrying various people from various clubs who are dressed up in silly costumes and are probably pretty drunk after 5 or 6  hours of parading.  They throw candy, bags of popcorn, and other random trinkets (I scored a stuffed animal for Elsa, which has been rocking her world). There are also many people dressed up as soldiers, which originated as a mockery of the French occupation of Mainz in Napoleonic times (early 1800s). 

The real high point of the weekend is the Rosenmontag parade in Mainz, which is the second largest in all of Germany. Despite warnings, we took our 2 little kids across the river to check it out (I mean,  if you're just across the river from where it's all going down, don't you think you should see it?).  It was NUTS.  We arrived at 4pm, 5 hours after the parade had started, and it was still going strong.

???

80-year-old disco lady- my favorite character of the weekend.

And tomorrow, all the festivities come to a screaching halt as we enter Lent.  Now would be the time to motor on down to Bavaria to partake in their "Fifth Season," Starkbierzeit (strong beer season), which just begins during Lent. This is when the breweries all release their Doppelbock beer, which, as rumor has it, was originally brewed by monks to sustain them during the Lenten fast.  That's probably the kind of fast that most of us could embrace. 

5 Months! (And 2 days)

It's that time again . . . the 13th of the month will be celebrated until September, when our little bug turns 1.  Elsa gets a little bit confused as to why we say "Happy Birthday!" to Clara so frequently, and why we don't have a cake and candles. Aren't birthdays supposed to be a big deal? Anyway, I'm a little late with posting on this one, since I was too busy making valentines on the 13th . . .

For the first time since her birth, I am reacting in a more normal way to the passage of time, thinking, "Five months already?" For the first 4 months, I could have sworn she was older than she was; so much change had happened in such a short time that it felt like a lifetime had past in the span of a few weeks.  Now suddenly she's wearing big girl jeans and trying to hijack our big people food.

SO, in the past month Clara has good-naturedly handled being schlepped around to Elsa's various new activities and social engagements, emerged victorious from the 4-month sleep regression (which we will cherish until she starts teething), and has learned how to roll herself over to her belly, after weeks of practice.



(And back again)

What's up next before the big 1/2 birthday? Probably that solid food she's been wanting for awhile now, and maybe finally sharing a room with her sister.  How does that sound?

Oh my. Big changes.

(By the way, if you are wondering why I feature so many more pictures of Clara than Elsa, it's because taking pictures of Elsa is like trying to photograph a hummingbird with an attitude.  We try, but even the fanciest camera setting can't make her cooperate.)

Destination Hawaii

February.  Despite the longer hours of daylight (yea!), this is the time of year when winter gets long, and kind of ugly.  If you have a tropical vacation planned, maybe you are sustained by the anticipation . . .but if not, you might just need to have a spring break party.

This idea came about with my roommates in my senior year of college . . . in February. . . in Milwaukee.  I think that our spring break plans were to travel to exotic destinations like Madison, Minneapolis, and suburban Chicago. Awesome. On a particularly gray, gloomy, greasy-skied day, we decided to turn up the heat, turn on all the lights, play Jimmy Buffet, drink Corona, and escape. Since then, some version of a spring break party has been a part of every dreary winter season.  One year it was a progressive dinner, one year it was in a co-worker's basement that he nearly filled with sand (until his wife drew the line), and one year we traveled from North Cambridge to East Cambridge to eat poke and have a fruity cocktail.  A few times we have been lucky enough to actually go somewhere, but in the off years, this is necessary therapy. 

Today we initiated Elsa and Clara into this tradition as we traveled to Hawaii, put on some Hawaiian music, broke out our Hawaii t-shirts, and ate pineapple, avocado, Hawaiian fried rice, and coconut pudding.  That's about as far as we got this time around . . . I had visions of paper leis and little umbrellas in our glasses, but it's too cold to go hunting this stuff down. BUT, anything involving a picnic in the living room and dessert qualifies as a special occasion, so it was a hit.

If you squint a little bit and blur your vision, those roses almost start to look like palm trees. Yes? Are you with me?

If this is Hawaii, why am I still wearing three layers?

I'm not sure haupia is the best first food for you, Clara . . .

Our shaka signs need some work.  Yikes.

Spa Day

In case you haven't heard, being a full-time mom of 2 small kids is HARD.  A person should never choose to stay at home because they no longer want to work. The job is 24 hours/day, and time off happens . . . never.  Yes, the rewards are great, like being able to spend time with your kids, be there for milestones like rolling over or sitting up . . . but sometimes those rewards are difficult to remember when obscured by fatigue, mountains of laundry, and fountains of spit-up that erupt like a geyser. 
Besides that, it has been a tough month, between Erik being gone three times and wondering what our future holds . . . which is why I put in a vacation request.  Just 4 hours to myself, to visit Wiesbaden's famed spa, the Kaiser-Friedrich-Therme. 

These natural hot springs were discovered by the Romans long ago, and ruins from the original baths were discovered in the 19th century when the current spa was being constructed.  These springs are thought to have curative properties, which is why Wiesbaden is known as a Kurstadt, or "curing city".  This spa was once a destination for Europe's elite class, but, lucky for me, they now let rumpled, tired, and stressed out Hausfrauen like myself partake in the healing waters. 

The only time I have been in a European bath house was 10 years ago in Budapest.  This was different. This was a lot more naked.  I read in the brochure that "bathing suits are discouraged." Well, I brought mine anyway, just in case it looked like it was optional. It really wasn't.  I looked around for the women's changing area. Nope.  Just one area.  Okay then . . . not sure how relaxing this is going to be . . .

This might be something that Americans don't realize about Germans.  They really like to be naked.  You might expect this of the beaches in France or Portugal or Spain, but a walk through the Englischer Garten in Munich on a sunny day might take you by surprise.  On one side of the stream, everyone is clothed.  On the other side, no one is.  So it is in the numerous thermal baths around Germany.  Coming from a very non-naked society,  it's kind of hard to get over this self-consciousness at first, until you realize that the more self-conscious you are, the more people look at you, which is exactly what you DON'T want.  So, you just gotta do it.  You don't have to be beautiful or perfect, because guess what? Neither is the mostly geriatric clientele at 1pm on a Wednesday.

Anyway, I spent 2 hours following the recommended sequence of warming in various saunas, then cooling in the "ice shower" and cool bath, then warming again in the Russian steam room, then cooling again, then a foot bath, then the hot tub, then the recommended "lying and resting" on the lounge chairs. Then the sequence was repeated, ending with a 50 minute massage with a slightly overly chatty masseur who wanted to talk incessantly about his upcoming trip to Florida, but I will forgive him after the magic he worked on my upper back and shoulders. 

Then I floated in a sleepy haze home to my family, who was very happy to see me. Thank you, Erik. Can we do this again next week? 

Mainz

We have lived in Wiesbaden for over a month now, and I have left the city limits exactly once.  I have been feeling a little antsy, while Erik, who has been to the U.S. three times this month, sort of wants to stay put.  Due to this stalemate and icy temperatures (but lots of sun!), we decided just to cross the Rhine for the day and explore Mainz, the capitol city of Rhineland-Pfalz.  Although this is where Erik goes to work every day, he mostly makes a beeline from the train station to his institute and doesn't have much time to look around.

Mainz is old.  Really old.  It was a Roman city, and remains of a temple to the goddess Isis (dating back to around the 3rd century A.D., before Christianity arrived) have been found and now find themselves under a shopping mall.  After the Romans, it became an important city of the Holy Roman Empire around the 9th century, and construction of its most central and prominent structure, the cathedral, began in 975.  Eventually Mainz became a capitol of sorts of the Holy Roman Empire, since its leading elector lived there, the Archbishop of Mainz.  The Empire was not based in Rome, as some might think from the name. (If you are suspecting that Erik hijacked my computer for this paragraph, you are right.  By the way, asking a historian for the "Cliff's Notes" version is a lost cause.  This paragraph has been erased and re-written at least three times). 

Mainz Cathedral

Unfortunately, much of the really old stuff was destroyed in WWII, but a few streets around the cathedral were preserved.

Our day here consisted of finding places to get warm.  We started at the Gutenberg Museum, dedicated to a personal hero of 1/4 of the Heinrichs household, Johannes Gutenberg.  Anyone remember what he was famous for? The invention of the printing press in . . . what year? Okay, no one knows for sure, but sometime in the 1440s (?).  This might not seem like the most exciting museum ever, but actually. . . going to this museum with someone who studies this stuff is FUN. Really.  When I was working, I always accused Erik of having no idea what I do all day (actually, I still do) . . . but it turns out, I have no idea what he does either.  As we were looking at case after case of 500-year-old books, Erik would say, "Oh I've used that book.  That one too. That one too." You mean copies, or microfilm? "No, the real book." How? "You call up the book, and they bring it to you." The real, 500-year-old book? "YES. This is what I do."  Ohhhhh....

Anyway, the museum houses one of the complete copies of the first book ever to be printed, the Bible.  There are 49 or so complete copies in the world, one of which is on permanent display at Harvard's Widener library. 

History, blah blah. Then we went to the market to get some snacks.  Mainz is gearing up for Fasching, which is like the Mardi Gras of the Rhineland.  This time is huge around here, and Mainz's celebration is the second largest in Germany (after Cologne).  Anyway, a typical treat found around this time is the Berliner (also known as a Krapfen, also known as a jelly donut), with various types of filling. I thought it was time to try one and see what they're all about.  You know? They are really, truly, 100%, just a jelly donut. 

After this, we headed to the cathedral for a children's organ concert telling the story of Noah's Arc. Elsa liked it, but was pretty excited to get up and look at statues.

No day in Mainz would be complete without a stop at a Weinstube, or wine bar, which can be found on many of the side streets around the cathedral.

Mainz is definitely a wine town, located right in the middle of the wine-growing areas of Germany. These little bars are great places to sample local wines by the glass, eat a few snacks, and rub elbows with locals in a way that would make Rick Steves proud.

Two Rieslings, apple juice, and cheese. 

Lucky for you, I didn't snap any pictures of the meltdowns on the train home that happened as a result of pushing our luck.  It was worth it.  

First haircut

Yes, it's time.  Despite some random lady's opposition to the idea, suggesting instead that I should braid Clara's hair (really. Explain how that would make my life easier?), it was time for my 4 1/2 month old to get her first haircut.  The bangs were long, yes . . . but I really didn't want that rattail getting any longer.

Well, Clara didn't really like this project very much, so we didn't get a great "after" picture of the back . . . which looks a lot better than the zig-zaggy bangs.  Guess what.  I'm not going back in to straighten them out.  Chasing down a thrashing forehead with scissors is not my idea of a good time.  They'll grow.

How DARE you cut my hair?