Every time a weekend nears, I feel my pulse quickening. I get the jitters. Especially, in Summer. I want to pack the 48 hours with as much stuff as the hours allow. I find myself thinking of how to maximize the days by cramming all the outdoor stuff and all the new things I want to experience around the city. I want to welcome Monday completely exhausted. That will be my ideal!!
Although, in reality, I rarely do much of it! LOL. Really, this happens every time. Best laid plans. Between wanting to and doing, something slips and I usually am lazing on the couch, thinking I should do more but not really moving. Last weekend was not much different. Friday last, I was armed with a sweet list of exploration, discovery and appetite.
As I come out of the long weekend, I feel like I owe you a rich account of all the amazing things that I did. Well, it was nice, long, indeed and a nicely
lazy
one! Nothing spectacular. Just a lot of quality time and catching up. A picnic loaded with amazing meats and cheeses from a lovely
, some balls in the range, caught up on a few interesting documentaries and a lot of sleeping. I went outside every day. So, I am not complaining... Ok, I am, just to myself. Now, I want to make the most of this last month of warm weather. I have a long list. Yes, I must. Yes, I should. Yes, yes yes.
;-)
Do you guys feel this way at all?
In other news, it has been nearly a month now since my self-imposed largely grain abstinence. And, the verdict is that I LOVE it!! I feel great, have loads of energy and I have eaten so much more variety without deliberation. It of course is lucky that I started this in the middle of Summer and all the produce bounty available but this way of eating definitely feels sustainable long term.
I have also found brilliant inspirations around the web that aren't fancy and very much applicable in my every day. My latest crush is
that is filled with amazing gluten free goodies. Recently, I came across her
that made my mouth water as soon as I landed on the page. I knew I wanted to make it but the recipe called for some items that I had chosen to stay away from, like rice flour. So, on went the food-blogger hat and I opted for 80% corn, balanced with a touch of a favorite, red millet flour. I also avoided the cheese and ended with a simple flavored bread that was very good as a side but would not be a star.
For the same meal, I also made a sardine salad with fresh sardines. The pleasure I got in gutting and cleaning the fish, I surprised myself. Cooking with sardines is an interesting balance of return on effort. Which is to say, if you start with the whole fish, after cleaning and cooking (baking) it, you end up with about a third of the original volume! You would wonder, why bother and why not use canned. These days you even find canned fish that has no additives or funny sounding ingredients in it. But, I have to say, the fresh sardines make a world of difference. For one, they don't taste as "fishy" as sardines tend to. Also, the brine tang of the fresh fish is a lovely addition to the salad, requiring lesser salt added to it.
Finally, to round off the meal, greens had to be there. There is a bounty to choose from now and I went with another favorite, broccoli rabe. I love the mild bitterness that this green has. Most people shy away from it for just that reason. You can blanch it in salt water to remove the bitterness. All it needs then is a simple sauté with loads of garlic and olive oil.
Corn {and Millet} Bread
1 cup of yellow corn meal
1/2 cup of red millet flour
1 ear of sweet corn
1-1/4 tsp of baking soda
2 small eggs
1 cup yogurt
1/4 cup peanut oil/olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 jalapeño, sliced
handful of sliced yellow onion
handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half vertically
sea salt and fresh cracked pepper for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 375F.
Grate the ear of corn to remove the kernels. Set aside.
Whisk together the corn meal, millet flour, baking soda, salt and sugar. In a bowl mix all the liquid ingredients to an emulsion. Pour the wet into the dry and fold to incorporate. Whip by hand a couple of times.
Fold in the fresh corn. Pour into an oiled 8 inch skillet. Sprinkle the onions, cherry tomatoes and jalapeño on top.
Crack pepper and a touch of sea salt on top.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and springy. Cool before slicing into it.
Fresh Sardine Yogurt Salad
{for 2}
2 fillets of sardine
1/2 small onion
1 tomato, diced
1 ear of fresh corn
1/3 cup of yogurt
2 tsp sriracha or other hot sauce
lots of diced basil
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper as needed + olive oil
Season the fillets with salt, pepper and divide the rosemary between them. Bake at 350 F for 6-7 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, assemble the rest of the salad by chafing the ear of corn to remove the kernels and tossing in with the other ingredients, except yogurt.
Crumble in the sardines and fold in the yogurt and gently mix them to dress the salad.
Serve drizzled with olive oil.
As tasty as this salad is, it does not last for long. I would recommend cleaning the bowl in one sitting.