Monday, January 16, 2012

There are better ways to eat healthy than overdosing on oatmeal

Since it's the beginning of the year, almost everyone and their moms are on a diet, and eating nothing but oatmeal. I don't mind having oatmeal once in awhile. However, since I don't like eating paste on a daily basis, I try to find tastier alternatives when I feel the need to (pretend to) eat healthy.

I was introduced to farro last year when a good friend of mine took me to this Italian joint in Brooklyn. I've been hooked since then, but never tried to make it (or even thought of making it) until the same friend served it at a dinner party around the holidays. I've been inspired since then, and finally got around to making it over the weekend.

This salad is easy to make, it just requires a lot of steps and time. For example, to make the farro, you need at least 50 minutes. To cook the beets (because, hell no, I'm not about to use canned ones if I'm going to go through all the trouble of making this myself!), requires peeling, and chopping, and then steaming them in batches. You need to roast the pine nuts, and peel the pomegranate. so on and so forth. But, really, when it's all done, you'll realize how this truly healthy dish is so delicious, it's worth all the effort.

Farro Salad

- 1 lb Farro, cooked as directed (I soaked mine in water for 25 mins, and then slowly cooked it in veggie broth for another 25 mins)
- 4 cups cubed and steamed red and golden beets
- 1/4 cup roasted pine nuts
- 1 cup pomegranate
- grape tomatoes, cut in half
- 1/4 cup
- some very good olive oil
- some very good aged balsamic vinegar
- sea salt
- black pepper
- red onion, sliced thin
- blue cheese
- dried cranberries

In a large bowl, toss the farro, beets, pine nuts, pomegranate, and tomatoes with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar (according to your taste). Season with salt and black pepper (again, according to your taste).

Top with red onions, dried cranberries and blue cheese upon serving.

You can also add all sorts of herbs in this recipe, such as parsley or cilantro. To add another dimension of flavor and texture, you can toss it with a bit of arugula.

Enjoy!

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Wanderlust


Overworked, both at home and at the office, I can't help but wish I can be off elsewhere worrying about nonsense, like lack of oxygen, instead of everything else.

Speaking of lack of oxygen, the picture above is from last year's trip to Peru (taken by my friend, Audrey). Machu Picchu was more than tenfold of what I expected, and climbing up Huayna Picchu (that big mass towering over Machu Picchu), I thought, was the most physically challenging experience I've ever had, until we decided to climb down of it via the Gran Caverna. That was the most physically challenging experience I ever had. I wanted to die, and I probably would have had I given up. In any case, I survived, and I swore I will never do it again. But, after recovering from the trip, I wondered when I'll have the chance to do it all again...

This is the first time in a long time that I'm looking at the pictures from that trip. I have to go through all of them, get rid of the crap (there's a lot of them), and post-process the ones that are worth keeping. I'll post when I'm done. It could be months. Or years, perhaps. But I'll get it done. At least before I set off to Peru again.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Girlfriends


You love them, no matter what.
Even when they tell you that they have to TiVo the Jersey Shore since they dont want to miss an episode while they are out to dinner with you.

I told them not to say such things out loud.
But that I still love them.

The picture is of the George Washington Bridge. Sorry for the blur. It was an after thought.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Bitterness


Because, no matter how hard you try, someone somewhere still has it better than you, without even trying.

Just sayin'.

Monday, January 2, 2012

For the 2nd year in a row, we spent the day after Christmas in Brooklyn, eating French food, drinking French wine. It's becoming a tradition, along with going up to the rooftop after we stuff ourselves, and freezing our asses off while up there as we sing, and dance, and drink some more.

Thank you to our dear friends for having us over again this year, and we hope to get invited again in 2012.