Online dating

Internet dating has become an extremely popular way to meet people, and has indeed brought a lot of lonely souls together. But not every date turns out like a Match.com ad. Catfish, lonely people, broken hearts, false claims, failed expectations, doctored photos,  no-shows, and even frauds --it's all part of the online dating experience. I gathered a few observations from my own experience and stories I heard from people around me.

On some online dating sites, if a member wants to express attraction for another member after reading their profile, but without going to the extreme of sending them an e-mail, they can send an electronic wink. I was overloaded with winks and messages in my inbox, Over 2000 members viewed my profile. Of those, at least half were winks.Usually, though, what the winks actually mean is: "I saw your picture and I think you're hot, but I'm too lazy to read your profile and it costs me nothing to just shoot you a wink on the off chance that you think my overweight body is sexy, or that you're a nymphomaniac."

You'd think the anonymity of online interaction would make it easier for guys to come off as smooth and in control. But the opposite is often the case. That same anonymity seems to give some men a license to be rude perverts. One guy came right out in the subject line of his message and let me know he wanted to meet me and do "bad things" to me. Another claimed he was a real cowboy, and wanted to have sex with me bareback on his horse. Oy.

A few tips from my male friend to girls trying too hard to be cool online. “First of all, the screen name. Stop putting 'sassy' into your screen name. Stop putting 'city girl' into your screen name. When registering, if you tried to use 'giantfan' as your screen name and it came back telling you that you'd have to settle for 'giantfan57836,' that should have been your first clue that you have picked a disgustingly unoriginal name.. Speaking of Giant fans, stop saying you love sports and that you 'act just like a guy.'”

And the same is true of the men. I started to whittle the list down by deleting those with eyebrow-raising or just plain sad screen names, such as variations on "loverboy," "mr. romantic," "lonely guy," "lonely one," "kiss me," "true love MD," "huggy bear," "party man," "sexy upndown", “ladies man “, etc.--I am not making these up--and subject lines such as "Hi Beautiful", "Wow!", "Hi Baby Pretty", "Hey there, sexy", and "Me wink; you reply".

I guess pictures of guys posing with a cat or fresh-caught barracuda are not so bad compared to few sparks that I have found. Just to name a few : a picture of a guy holding a small cup of what looked to be urine and a headline saying “I am drug free and I can prove it". Another one half my age kissing a beer bottle, his caption read “ hey cougar looking for a cub meow”, guy dressed like a Zorro,  a store trooper figure – no face, just a toy- how can I know this is not a 10 year old? I already have one son, don’t need another one. Left and left.

The Onion's Online Dating Tips offer this suggestion: Set yourself apart by choosing a descriptive user name like SocialRetard321, CuteFaceFatAss, or WhiteRihno

The worst part of online dating is the first awkward face-to-face hello. Your preconception of the person you have been speaking to is always very oddly different from the person you meet. And I also seem to make my mind up very quickly on how the night will go.

I once heard a story about a man who turns up to dates early and buys himself a drink, so that when the girl arrives, he can send her up to the bar to get a drink and do a runner if he thinks they aren’t up to his exacting standards. That’s almost a reason to give up.

Many, many people agree to a drink and then never reply. I’m almost not sure how to deal with any response to “Do you want to discuss this over a drink?” that isn’t silence. One guy asked me which person I was in one of my profile pictures; he said my friend looked like a much hotter version of me. I replied, “Oh, really?” He said, “You’re an angry woman, you would fall in love with me but also hate me a little bit. I bet you would slap me during sex.”

Bumble is rumored to be an app that has a hotter population of men. But it doesn’t actually put the female in control: it simply means vain men can read and smugly ignore your overthought openers. Happn is trying to add the cute “fate” dimension to app dating, but it just means you find your flatmate’s boyfriend on it as he is upstairs and the location tracker lands you in a dubious situation.

A friend of mine commented that no one hooks up with anyone on a night out any more. I reckon this is due to everyone prearranging their hook-ups on apps. Spontaneity can be overrated.

Probably the best online profile I read was from a guy with   one arm  “Not the best at juggling (fought a shark, lost an arm)”. I think he may have lost it in an actual shark attack.

The trick is to assume that the ugliest photo he sends is the truest representation. After all, we all try to present the most attractive profiles of ourselves. From experience, it’s also a good idea to avoid freelance models.

I think people are a bit more dismissive on online dates than they would be if they were with a friend of a friend or someone they had met in a bar – although seriously, does that ever happen? If there isn’t a spark you don’t feel any obligation to immediately say, “I had a really nice time but I didn’t think we quite clicked.” Whereas you might if you thought you would see them again. Online dating becomes a numbers game; the more people you meet the more likely you think you are to find “the one”.

Online dating has delivered some very random and entertaining evenings. I have gone on dates that have led to flirtations and friendships, and that have introduced me to new parts of New York, and places to go out. The highlight so far was definitely sharing a boozy evening with a pretty famous and rather attractive tv anchor. That’s one of the real, sincere joys of online dating – it can open your world up to people who you would never ordinarily get the chance to meet. 

Some people are truly looking for a relationship, for others online dating becomes an addiction. One of my friends started on craigslist. At times she would try to stop the madness. Would take down her ads, tell people she was taking a "break" from dating, she would arrange to see the same guy several times just to keep herself from going on new dates. But always, inevitably, she would log in just to see who were out there, what new ads were posted in her absence ... and she would get reeled back in. 

Soon, Match.com wasn't enough. She branched out to Nerve and Yahoo, even Jdate (not that she is Jewish). As a result, she started having more dates than free evenings. She became an expert stacker. Her performance at work started to suffer. Between arranging dates and answering e-mails, she rarely finished her projects on time. And she started taking long date lunches, because her evenings were already chock-full. At that point, her dating itself started to suffer. She started losing track of which one was the human rights lawyer and which one hiked Mt. Everest. Her ability to combine witty banter with piercing intellectual observations and shy but come-hither glances (the ingredients, she knew, of a successful date) was plummeting. Slack-jawed, bleary-eyed, she could only listen with faux enthusiasm and nod at appropriate intervals to their monologues....There were times she woke up and couldn't remember whom she had gone out with the previous night, nor whom she was supposed to meet that night. And she could no longer rely on just first names--there were scores of Robs, and Daves, and Mikes. She had to make up nicknames for all of them, and designed a spreadsheet with relevant details of each to keep track of it all. 

Sometimes when you think you’ve met the perfect partner through an online dating website or app, the other person is using a fake profile to form a relationship with you. They’re using the site to gain your trust and ask you for money or enough personal information to steal your identity. This is an extreme scenario but it happens. It happened to my best friend. A guy she met online and soon started to date would tell her how wonderful and beautiful she was, how much he loved her (after a month of dating)he  would cook her dinners, do shopping,  paint her apartment, etc. Very soon he won her heart, who wouldn't ? he seemed like a perfect guy, almost too perfect. The fact that he was wearing the same shirt over and over, getting gas only for 5$ at a time or rarely buying her a drink or paying for dinner or didn't have a Facebook account weren’t good enough reasons to raise her suspicion.  But when all of the sudden both of his parents died within one month and he was trying to keep her away from meeting the rest of the family or friends something clicked. She called his work place; nobody knew his name,  his mom’s funeral was never scheduled at the cemetery he gave her. Although he kept insisting he was there during the ceremony. She had to hire a private detective to find out if he was only after her money or maybe a psychopath or a former convict. 

Despite some setbacks, online dating has generally delivered a pleasing source of distraction and periodic amusement for me.  Nonetheless, I do wonder if having constant access to so many potential partners is such a good thing. Such opportunity seems to mean that there are fewer incentives to see what happens when you do meet someone you like, and to stick with it when it gets hard. I confess I have been guilty of thinking, “Well, he is  nice, but New Jersey is a bit far away,” from time to time. I do have a few friends who have found lasting relationships online, so keep on swiping people I believe you can find your true love and online dating is as good as any other way of meeting the only one for you.    

Everything tuna salad was introduced to me on one of my online dates by a very nice guy, who apparently can cook. We went out a few times but there wasn’t enough sparks to continue it. I hope he will forgive me for using his recipe without asking. 

Recipe

2 cans of tuna in water or olive oil

bunch of crunchy lettuce ( romaine works well )

10 baby carrots , chopped in 1 inch cubes

small radicchio

1 pear chopped

bunch of scallion, dill  and parsley

juice of 5 lemons

1/3 cup of olive oil

salt and pepper

chop everything and mix well. Serve with nice French bread.

 

 

 

 

Tahini Cauliflower

Do I have big dreams? I often ask myself if I am just lazy or being pragmatic and know my limitations. Sure enough the American dream has become the American basic expectation.

As Pole in America all this star- spangled expectations feels strange to me. There is no “ Polish dream “ (other than a new car, and someone else’s misfortune) Telling a polish toddler that they, too, could one day be a President would likely give them nightmares.

The American Dream can be very inspiring, but it is also problematic, not because it is mostly false, but also because research shows that America is far from being the Land of a big opportunity.  A child who is born poor in America is more likely to remain poor than in any other comparable country. The fact that Trump’s own way-to-riches fairytale shows a  likely inheritance millions from his daddy is relatively typical. An estimated 40% of the billionaires on the Forbes billionaires list also inherited a big portion of their wealth.

In this story, success is the result not of luck or privilege, but our own personal qualities, skills and hard work. Similarly, failure can never stand from systemic obstacles or difficult circumstances—the fact that good jobs are increasingly rare, incomes are hitting poverty levels and rents are sky-high—but is simply a mark of personal deficiency.

While Americans are great at big dreams (you can become the President!), they are surprisingly bad at more moderate ones (you can have paid vacation/ affordable healthcare/ a fair wage.) It is a genuine possibility that an American woman might make it to Mars before she gets long paid maternity leave. But in reality, the majority of our wellbeing is not made up from the remote possibility of enormous success but from these more modest dreams. 

In my personal opinion, the subtle claim that we should all be striving for greatness can be surprisingly psychologically damaging. The American dream has become the mass production of unrealistic expectations. The constant mantra “ you can be anything you want to be “ has created anxiety in American life, where anything short of greatness can feel like a failure.

But really, small concrete, gains are as important to our happiness as the big dreams. So maybe our next generation of graduation speeches should encourage us to do something truly inspirational. Dream small and succeed!! 

Roasted cauliflower with tahini sauce, sprinkled with pomegranate seed and cilantro is my version of big dream of a fancy dishes made with no afford and 100% of satisfaction.

Every time I make this dish my guests absolutely love it and want the recipe. I won’t pretend it is an old family recipe anymore. (I didn’t grow up in the Middle East eating tahini sauce, even halva was a rarity) So here you are my curios friends. The easiest recipe on Earth that will let you win any culinary competition with your friends …. I didn’t promise top chef. Remember dream small… 

Recipe:

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower, whole or cored and cut into 1 1⁄2'' florets

1/4-cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp. yeast flakes

sea salt salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2-cup tahini

3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced into a paste

Juice of 1 lemon

1-cup pomegranate seeds

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oven to 500°. Toss together oil, yeast flakes, cauliflower, and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet; spread out evenly. Bake, rotating pans from top to bottom and front to back, until cauliflower is browned and tender, 25—30 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, combine tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and 1⁄2 cup water in a small bowl and season with salt. Serve cauliflower hot or at room temperature with tahini sauce, sprinkled with pomegranate seeds and cilantro.

 

Przepis:

Skladniki

1 kalafior

¼ szklanki oleju

2 lyzeczki platkow drozdzowych

sol morska I pieprz do smaku

½ szklanki pasty tahini

3 zabki czosnku posiekane

sok z 1 cytryny

1 szklanka nasion granatu

½  szklanka posiekanej swiezej kolendry

 

Nagrzac piekarnik do 280C wymieszac olej, platki drozdowe, sol, pieprz I kalafior, umiescic na blaszce do pieczenia piec przez okolo 25-30 min obracajac aby kalafior byl przypieczony z obu stron.

Wymieszac paste tahini, czosnek, sok cytrynowy, I ½ szklanki wody w miseczce, doprawic sola. Serwowac na cieplo lub zimno posypane granatem I kolendra .

 

 

I love beets

I love beets; I can eat every part of it, roots, leaves, and stems. We can prepare them in many ways, whether roasted or boiled, pickled or grated raw, add a distinctively sugary shock of color to any meal. We can also make juice out of them or add to a smoothie. They are a wonderful main ingredient in salads and baked dishes or taste great in combination with other foods. Some great pairings include: mint, feta, hazelnuts, orange, ricotta salata and even tomato. 

They are a lot of obvious health benefits to beets.  They are a great source of folic acid and are rich in anthocyanin, which may reduce the risk of cancer. Additionally, the greens are rich in calcium, vitamin C, beta-carotene, and iron. There are also a few lesser known facts; one of the earliest known benefits of the red beet was its use as an aphrodisiac during Roman times. Beets nitrates are naturally converted into nitric oxide in the body. This widens blood vessels and increases circulation. 90% of male sexual dysfunction is caused by poor circulation. Also, beets may increase the production of sex hormones in both genders. Beets contain betaine, a substance that relaxes the mind and is used in other forms to treat depression. It also contains tryptophan (also found in chocolate), which contributes to a sense of well being. Beet juice has been used on city streets to remove the ice because it doesn’t damage cars like sand or salt.

A lot of nutritionists use beets and beet juice to test levels of stomach acid. If you consume beets and your urine turns pink, you have low stomach acid (which is typically a good thing!). If your urine is still clear, it means that you have high levels of stomach acid. Since the 16th century, beet juice has been used as a natural red dye. In 19th century England the Victorians used beets to dye their hair. Beets can be made into a wine that tastes similar to port. In Australia, a true Oz-style burger must have a slice or two of pickled beets. Even McDonalds and Burger King have had to adjust the line and include it in their menus!

Beets range in color from familiar dark red to light gold and creamy white; for a real beauty, try the Italian Chioggia beet, which reveals its pink and white stripes when sliced. But most nutrition experts recommend the red beet and suggest you ingest the entire beet so you don't lose the value of the beet fiber. White, yellow, and striped beets may be nice to look at and taste juicy but only the red beet has been shown to have both nutritional and healing powers.

While buying beets look for the ones with smooth, unwrinkled skin and a firm, hard feel. Select the tiny "babies" or the smaller adult variety when you can; anything over two inches or so in diameter can have a hard texture. If you can, choose beet bunches with the green tops still attached: They should be bright and not wilted. You can store greens separately in plastic bags in the refrigerator for up to one week. The greens can be steamed or sautéed in a similar fashion to spinach. Or you can chopped them up and make a beet soup 

To get the most nutrition, flavor and color, cook beets with their skin on. Scrub carefully and steam in a covered pot, or wrap in foil and bake at 350° F, for 45 to 90 minutes, depending on size. Try to choose beets of approximately the same size to keep cooking times even. When they're easily pierced with a fork, they're done.It will be easy to remove the skin off once they cool off. 

Recipe

4 - 5 small beets u used Chioggia beets

1 bunch of small carrots

2 cups whole Greek yogurt

8 leaves tarragon

1/4 cup pistachios

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Wash and dry beets. Cut off and discard greens.

Transfer the vegetables to a deep baking dish or pie plate, in a single layer. Add enough water so that the beets are half covered, but not fully submerged. Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and place in oven. 

Roast beets for 50 minutes to an hour, or until fork tender. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool. Remove the skin by rubbing the beets with a paper towel.

Peel the grapefruit, cutting off the top and bottom of the fruit, creating a flat surface on which to balance it. Place the edge of a sharp knife just inside the border where the pith meets the pulp, and slice down with a firm, clean stroke, following the curve of the fruit. Repeat, until the entire fruit has been peeled. Slice the fruit into 3/4” segments. 

Give the pistachios a rough chop with a good knife, using a cutting board.

To serve, spread yogurt onto plates, as much as is desired. Arrange sliced beets and grapefruit on top and sprinkle with chopped pistachios and torn tarragon leaves. Drizzle with good olive oil and sea salt to taste.

 

 

 

Ratatouille

Spring is very shy this year in NYC; it comes and goes. One day is 70F the next 25F with chilling winds. I can’t figure out what to wear anymore.  I already swapped my wardrobe for the Spring one and have no boots or warm jackets in my closet.  Maybe Spring is punishing me to my limits because I didn’t make any New Year’s resolutions this year. To make up for it I will try to make some Spring resolutions come true: to lose some weight, climb new mountains, and discover new friends. There will be some wonderful work to share and even more to achieve. 

To start with the easiest task let’s shed a few pounds first. The quick way to do it is to move more and eat less. I don’t have any super diets up my sleeve for you.  It’s just hard work and clean eating.  A great way for me to achieve this is to move to a vegetable- fruit diet.  I tried this simple but luscious light recipe this year when I was visiting my Aunt in France.  And what’s more French than Ratatouille. 

The history of my family ending up in France is pretty amazing and worth mentioning.  My maternal Grandfather had a sister who volunteered to go to the work camp for him during World War II.  After the war, despite many years of searching, she seemed to have disappeared.  My family was convinced she died in the camp and eventually stopped looking for her. They moved from Ukraine to the Western part of Poland.  At one point, my Mom heard a radio announcement that someone was looking for a family and mentioned our name, but she ignored it thinking it was someone else.  Years after the war my Uncle started to look again for her, and this time he got lucky going through Red Cross files.  After 45 years she came and visited us in Poland.  She had survived the camp, met her husband who was also a camp survivor and settled down in France.  She had 8 kids, who are all married with their own children.  You can only imagine the tears, hugs, and long hours of stories to catch up on after all that time they missed together.  I have visited them many times in France and they have been in our life ever since.  My Aunt passed away recently in the age of 90.  She outlived all her siblings and was in good health until one day, she went to sleep and just never woke up.

She showed me this recipe along with many others. She introduced me to melons, avocado, and crabs.  My love for coffee and wine started with my French family.  You will be missed my dear Aunt. 

Recipe:

1 large eggplant peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

1 large onion chopped

2 medium zucchinis cut into 1 inch pieces

4 garlic cloves chopped

2 pounds grape tomatoes split in half

salt

pepper

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tbs chopped fresh thyme

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

2 tbs chopped fresh parsley 

In a colander, sprinkle the eggplant with salt and toss. Let stand for 1 hour. Transfer the eggplant to paper towels and pat dry.

                In a bowl toast eggplant with olive oil  thyme and roast until soft and golden.

            Repeat the process with the  zucchini and the garlic, tomatoes with onions using 2 tablespoons of oil to cook each batch.

            Combine all the vegetables, stir in the basil and the parsley , salt and peper to taste and serve. 

MAKE AHEAD

The ratatouille can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

indian spiced zucchini

My friends have an organic farm not too far from our house. They grow delicious and exceptional quality produce for the local community. The farm was started by Matt, a construction company owner turned farmer with passion for vegetables and for sustainable agriculture. After leaving his career he began farming the land in Eastport, soon his son joined him and now together with a skilled and dedicated farm team they grow over fifty varieties of vegetables. The farm is nestled on the big parcel of pristine farmland protected by a farmland preservation program on Long Island.

Once in a while, I have fresh vegetables delivered to our home.  Last time I received a basket of gorgeous zucchini and squash.  One night I made a zucchini spaghetti with tomato sauce, but I still had a lot of leftovers. 

Matt suggested zucchini with harissa, but since I couldn’t find any (I could have sworn I had it) I changed the spices to Indian tandoori, sumac and touch of cayenne paper for heat. This dish is very simple and quick to make. I brought it as a contribution to my friends’ dinner and all the guests liked it.  I still have plenty of zucchini and squash left, so if you have any good recipes please send them my way. 

Recipe

1 large onion

4 zucchinis

2 cloves of garlic

olive oil

harrisa ( or indian tandoori , sumac and cayenne pepper )

Mince garlic and sauté with some olive oil, add onion and cook until it gets soft  add diced zucchinis, sauté for 5 minutes add all the spices ( try the dish during cooking and adjust spices to your own taste) and cook for another few minutes, stirring, zucchinis should be still a little tender. Garnish with herbs, Serve warm or  cold.

 

Przepis

1 duza cebula

4 cukinie

2 zabki czosnku

oliva

harrisa ( lub indyjskie tandoori, sumac, pieprz cayenne)

sol, pieprz

Posiekac na drobno czosnek , podsmazyc na oliwie , dodac pokrojona w kostke cebule, poddusic okolo 5 min, dodac pokrojona w kostke cukinie, pogotowac chwile na malym ogniu mieszajac, dodac przyprawy, sol, pieprz do smaku. Przybrac ziolami, poddawac na cieplo lub zimno. 

roasted cauliflower soup with hazelnuts

A few weeks ago I had my  family and friends over for a weekend.  It is always a precious time for everybody since we all live far apart and don’t see each other often. The house is filled with laughter, crying, little and big feet tapping on my squeaky floors, conversations, and of course a mess all over, and on top of all of this commotion the lingering smells of amazing home cooking makes it all come together. 

Luckily for me everyone is understanding and always participates in cooking and cleaning. We usually divide days and meals between each family, or we all cook together.  Division of responsibilities not only makes it easier on the host, but also allows for trying and learning new dishes.  This is how I came across this delicious cauliflower soup. My friend made it and I fell in love with it.  The night she was cooking we were already enjoying ourselves and having few glasses of wine, so maybe that’s why I didn’t pay close attention to the process. Few days later I decided to make the same soup, I didn’t remember exactly the recipe but thought, "how complicated could it be," to my astonishment, the soup tasted completely different and not in a good way… I had no other choice but to ask her for the recipe, but instead of the list of ingredients and description I got a link to a blog, (whatscookinggoodlooking.com) turned out she found the soup on a blog of a girl who lives close by me in the city and who has a house out on long island as well… all of sudden I felt very connected, and since than I am a regular visitor of her blog. I made the soup again, changing and tweaking it as always, and this time the taste was what I remembered. 

More important than just the process of preparing food to feed the family is the time we get to spend together while making it. I love spending time with guests in the kitchen… feeling a part of a cooking process, talking over steaming pots while knives are hard at work chopping vegetables. There is really no other room in the house I would rather be in,sharing stories, drinking wine or fresh squeezed margaritas that I make so well, they became my signature drink.

The kitchen has always been the center of gravity in my home. When I was growing up my mother chopped, blended and stirred as we sat at the kitchen table doing our homework or recounted our days at school. The kids’ job was to set up the table and cleanup after dinner. And my brother and I usually argued over who is doing what. Most nights grandparents joined us, and there were at least one or two young guests at our table, usually friends of ours whose mothers worked longer and seldom cooked. So having 6 or more people for dinner was nothing surprising in my house. These meals were the cornerstone of our family, and they continue to inspire me. I miss those days. 

I feel bad for people who try to avoid the work and either hide in their rooms or sit on the side doing their own things and don’t fully participate in the whole experience.  Very seldom I have a guest who comes to my house and expects to be served… honestly, those are not my favorite guests, and usually they don’t get invited the second time. I want everyone to feel at home in my house and this comes with doing some chores around the kitchen. Too bad we don’t raise animals…. I would keep my guests busy all day long. So think twice before you accept my invitation for a “ relaxing weekend in my house “. 

Recipe

1 large cauliflower head sliced

1 leek, chopped

1 large garlic clove, minced

Few spoons of coconut oil (or any other oil)

Salt, pepper

8 cups of vegetable broth (homemade is preferred)

½ cup of toasted hazelnuts

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Optional toppings: extra chopped toasted hazelnuts, roasted cauliflower pieces, fresh black pepper, chives, arugula micro greens

 

Spread cauliflower coated with coconut oil on a baking sheet and roast in the oven in 400F until golden brown, don’t over cook it.

Place the leeks and garlic in a pot over medium heat with some coconut oil and saute for about 10 min until everything is soft. Add in most of the cauliflower (saving few pieces for garnish) and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes.

Add in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 15 minutes

Transfer the soup to a blender. Add in 1/2 cup of hazelnuts and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. Blend until you have a smooth puree. Add salt and pepper to taste. Served with roasted cauliflower and hazelnuts or greens on top.

 

Przepis:

1 duzy kalafior

1 por poszatkowany

1 duzy zabek czosnku drobno pokrojony

kilka lyzek oleju kokosowego (albo innego oleju)

sol, pieprz

8 szklanek bulionu,

½ szklanka uprazonych orzechow laskowych

2 lyzki soku z cytryny

dodatkowo ale niekoniecznie do przybrania prazone orzechy laskowe, upieczone kawalki kalafiora, pieprz, szczypiorek, inna zielenina, roszponka

 

Na blaszce wylozonej papierem do pieczenia rozlozyc pokrojony kalafior obtoczony w oleju kokosowym, piec w piekarniku w temp 220 az sie zarumieni I zmieknie, uwaga nie przegotowac.

Pokrojony por i czosnek usmazyc w garnku , najlepiej o grubym dnie na srednim ogniu przez okolo 10 min, az wszystko zmieknie. Dodac kalafior I mieszajac poddusic przez 2 minuty, zalac bulionem, zmniejszyc ogien I dusic pod przykryciem przez 15 min. przelozyc do blendera dodac orzechy, sok cytryny, sol, pieprz I zmiksowac na kremowa mase. Przyprawic do smaku. Podawac z ulubionymi dodatkami.

 



Quinoa salad with greens

Memorial day weekend…. long weekend and beginning of beach season. I know we all called Mother Nature nasty names this winter, but its time to kiss and make up and enjoy the glorious Hamptons summer season. I have been coming out to the house every weekend, so it’s no difference for me, but other people will start driving every weekend to escape the steamy, sticky and dusty city. I love summers out here and just wish other people didn’t like it as much as I do. I also enjoy the off-season time when towns are not so busy, beaches are empty and quiet and I have the ocean to ourselves. 

Warm season is also time for me to get out and plant the garden, decorate with farm stand flowers and grow some vegetables. As a child I never like to work in the garden, endless hours of turning the soil, planting seeds (that part I liked a little bit) and weeding brrrr. Now I don’t mind it as much. I can even say I like it. I have a small garden behind the shed, protected from each side by walls, a fence and bushes that help keep out our best friends… the deer and rabbits. As much as I admire these beautiful and graceful animals, I don’t like to see my flowers and plants eaten by them. It’s frustrating to work hard all weekend, and come back the next day to see everything shredded to the ground. That was last year, this year I got smarter, and built more obstacles around the garden I also use some deer and rabbit repellent spray, which smells horribly, but it works quite well. I can finally enjoy my vegetables. 


This long weekend I spent between socializing with friends and working in my garden. I went a little bit over board with seeding vegetables that grew so thick, that I had to thin them out. Growing up we threw out the extra plants, but this year I decided to make use of them. They are excellent source of vitamins, nutrition etc.   You can use whatever grows in your garden. I had kale, broccoli rabe, beets, carrots, radishes, arugula and other lettuces. The little plants need to be washed really well, otherwise the sand and dirt will spoil your dish.  The best way to get rid of dirt is to cut the roots and submerge the stems in water, after while pick them up on a strainer. Repeat this few times until the water is clear.  You can use the greens as if you use lettuce, as a base, or add them to your salad. I made a quinoa salad with greens and still have full bag leftovers for another salad. I will have to use them quick because they don't preserve well.

On this special Memorial Day Weekend a not of thanks to all those who have bravely served this proud country. With gratitude and appreciation for the great life we have here in one of the most beautiful places in America. 

Recipe 

1 cup of quinoa

2 cups of water

1 cup of English peas

1 cup of garden greens or any other greens (arugula, watercress, freeze) 

1/4 cup of olive oil (I used pistachio, but you can use hazelnut or any other nut oil) 

1/4 cup of toasted hazelnuts

1/2 cup of crumble feta cheese

2 spoons of lemon juice 

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1/2 cup of fiddleheads fern or asparagus 

salt and pepper to taste 

Rinse quinoa in cold water. Heat a drizzle of oil in the saucepan over medium-high heat, and add drained quinoa, cook stirring for about 1 minute. Add 2 cups of water with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Bring to rolling boil, turn heat down, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove the pot from heat and let stand for 5 minutes, covered. Remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with fork. 

Preheat oven to 425 F and spread nuts on the baking sheet.  toast them for about 6 minutes. Watch the nuts during roasting, because they can go from almost done to overdone in less than a minute. It is important to check them frequently and stir them often. Peeled off the dry skin. 

In a meantime boil some water and cook English peas with 1/4 teaspoon of salt for about 1 minute, drain and put it in an ice bath for few minutes, this will stop the cooking process and the peas will have nice green color. 

Clean fiddleheads, wash them and drain. Boil water and add fiddleheads, cook until tender about 3 minutes. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat, add fiddleheads and cook 1-2 minutes on each side until golden. season with salt and pepper.  

Add all the ingredients together, toss and serve. 

 Przepis 

1 szklanka komosy ryzowej 

2 szklanki wody 

1 szklanka zielonego groszku

1 szklanka zieleniny z ogrodu ( ja uzylam warzywa ktore przerywalam na grzadkach, - marchewka, jarmuz, buraki, roszponka, rzodkiewka, mozna zastapic innymi salatami) 

1/4 szklanki oleju z oliwek , mozna uzyc oleju z orzechow

1/4 orzechow laskowych 

2 lyzki soku z cytryny

2 lyzeczki tartej skorki z cytryny

1/2 szklanki zarodnikow paproci (mozna uzyc szparagi) 

sol, pieprz

Przeplukac komose pod zimna woda, ugotowac wedlug instrukcji na opakowaniu lub podgrzac odrobine oleju w sredniej wilelkosci rondlu, dodac komose i gotowac ciagle mieszajac przez 1 minute. Dodac 2 szklanki wody, zagotowac i zmniejszyc ogien do minimum, gotowac okolo 15 min. Zdjac z ognia, przykryc przykrywka i odczekac okolo 5 min. 

W piekarniku rozgrzanym do 200C upiec orzechy laskowe, okolo 6 minut, sprawdzajac i mieszajac aby sie nie przypalily.

W miedzyczasie ugotowac wode w srednim garnku i dodac groszek, gotowac okolo 1 minuty, odcedzic i zanurzyc w zimnej wodzie z lodem, aby zatrzymac proces gotowania i zachowac ladny zielony kolor. 

Oczyscic zarodniki ( mozna nazbierac w lesie ) lub szparagi , ugotowac w osolonej wodzie okolo 4 min. odcedzic i podsmazyc na masle okolo 2 minut na kazdej stronie na zloty kolor, wymieszac wszystkie skladniki dodac sol, pieprz i podawac w temperaturze pokojowej lub schlodzona.