Mixed Berry Smoothie Bowl with Sweet & Salty Granola

Posted on February 6, 2017 by Emily Wasserman

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Monday mornings are difficult for everyone, whether you have to go to work or not. I’ve had the luxury of working from home lately, so a lot of times, my Mondays still feel like the weekend. But there’s a still a weird vibe: It’s almost like I can feel everyone’s exasperation with having to go back to work. It makes me want to stay in bed longer.

Smoothie bowls make it easier to get up. This morning, I gathered everything I had left in my refrigerator on the counter and decided to a make a mixed berry banana smoothie. I topped it with some almonds and chia seeds for crunch.

I also put some sweet and salty granola on top. I heard about a brand called “Purely Elizabeth,” and I thought it sounded like the title of a Judy Blume novel. Then, I tried their granola. It’s very, very good. It’s the perfect amount of sweet and salty, and offsets the sweetness from the berries.

I’ve been trying to be more physically active lately. Winter is a time when I feel like doing is sitting on the couch and drinking endless cups of hot chocolate, but I have to strike a balance. Yesterday, I drove out to Augusta, MO, and went on a long hike by the Missouri River.
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Today, I went on a five mile run and I had to start walking in the middle. I guess my body is still reeling from yesterday. Here’s a song that I listened to today on my run. It’s good for moments when you feel like calling Uber to pick you up halfway through a run. It also makes me feel like a badass.

Mixed Berry Smoothie with Sweet & Salty Granola (from me, to you)

Ingredients

1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/4 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 cup almond milk
1 banana
banana slices, frozen raspberries, fresh raspberries, chia seeds, granola and almonds for topping

Directions

Blend the blueberries, raspberries, yogurt, milk and banana on a blender on high until smooth. Top with banana slices, sweet and salty granola, frozen raspberries, fresh blueberries, chia seeds, granola and almonds. Enjoy!

Posted in Breakfast, Gluten-Free, Smoothie Bowls, Uncategorized, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Blood Orange Toast

Posted on February 5, 2017 by Emily Wasserman

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I’m a big fan of alternative citrus. I grew up eating regular oranges and grapefruit, and I liked them. But I never tried things like pomelo, blood orange and Meyer lemons. Once I did, I was hooked. I liked their more complex flavor and texture.

Which brings me to blood oranges. They’re in season now and I love putting them on toast and salad. Their flavor is a little deeper and more tart than a regular orange, and they pair well with sweet and salty ingredients. For the toast that I made the other day, I paired them with Greek yogurt and pistachios. I liked the way the cool Greek yogurt tasted with the salty pistachios and tart orange.

The most important thing about making toast though is the bread. Like I always say, it’s the foundation that makes the rest of the sandwich. Try to get the best bread you can find. A good trick is to buy a loaf fresh and then freeze it until you need a piece. The bread will stay for a lot longer this way and then you don’t have to worry about stale toast.

In other news, I met a blacksmith yesterday. I was running through a local park and I wandered into a pioneer village at the side. There was a guy standing in a barn pounding on hot metal with a hammer. I’d never seen anything like it. He explained what he was doing while he worked. I stood there and watched him for a while. I like when people are passionate about a craft; it helps keep the tradition alive. screen-shot-2017-02-05-at-10-10-35-amscreen-shot-2017-02-05-at-10-10-47-am
Here’s a song for making toast or hammering hot metal, or whatever you happen to be doing this weekend.

Blood Orange Toast (from me, to you)

Ingredients

2 pieces of really good bread
1/4 cup of nonfat Greek yogurt mixed with 1 tbsp honey
2 blood oranges, peeled and cut into thin slices
1 tbsp pistachios and more honey for topping

Directions

Toast the bread until it gets crispy. Spread the Greek yogurt on the bread and then place the blood orange slices on top. Garnish with pistachios and a drizzle of honey. Enjoy!

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Açai Bowl with Pomegranate and Coconut

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Emily Wasserman

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I haven’t posted a smoothie bowl for a while, so I decided to share this one with you.

I was thinking about why I like making smoothie bowls every morning. When I started making bowls over the summer, everyone kept asking me how long they take to make. “I don’t know,” I said. “Thirty minutes?” This was before I got bowl-making down to a science.

“Thirty minutes?” my friend’s boyfriend said. “That’s my entire morning routine.”

Yes, it seems excessive. No, not everyone has time to devote to this. But for me, making a smoothie bowl is a little like meditation. When I’m doing it, I forget about everything else. It calms me and centers me before I get started with the rest of my day.

It’s also fun. I’ve always liked to make patterns since I was little, so making the bowls has become an artistic outlet, too. There’s something satisfying about looking down at a bowl when I’m done making it, and thinking, whoa, I did that. Sometimes it looks like sh** and I have to sink toppings to the bottom and start all over again. But most of the time, it looks pretty darn good.

Anyway. I highly encourage you to give smoothie bowl-making a try. It’s a good way to be creative and relax before you have to go out into the real world. I think all of us could agree that creativity and slow breathing is very, very important in times like these.

Here’s a song to get you started on your smoothie bowl journey.

Açai Bowl with Pomegranate and Coconut (from me, to you)

Ingredients

1 açai frozen smoothie pack
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 tbsp pomegranate seeds
1 cup of almond milk
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
blackberries, granola, blueberries and pomegranate seeds for topping

Directions

Blend the açai with the frozen blueberries, almond milk, pomegranate seeds and Greek yogurt. Top with blackberries, granola, blueberries, shredded coconut, and pomegranate seeds. Enjoy!

Posted in Breakfast, Gluten-Free, Smoothie Bowls, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Vanilla Chia Oatmeal with Blueberries

Posted on January 31, 2017 by Emily Wasserman

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Stop whatever you’re doing and make this vanilla chia oatmeal immediately. I’m not joking. It’s one of the best things I’ve eaten this month, but also, ever.

I’m glad that it’s easy to make so I can repeat it often. Although I probably won’t want to because it’s the type of breakfast that should be saved for special occasions. It tastes more like dessert.

I love Anett Velsberg’s blog. I find lots of recipe inspiration there. I forgot about how much I liked her breakfast recipes until I saw a picture of one on Instagram (where I spend roughly 95% of my time). Whoa, I said. Creamy vanilla oats with blueberries? DONE.

I happened to have a whole pint of blueberries in the fridge, and two squares of dark chocolate that were crying out to be used. I also had a healthy supply of almond butter and almonds, so the time was ripe.

“This smells really good,” I told my mom, who happened to be in the kitchen. “I know,” she said, “I can smell it from over here.” This is the kind of oatmeal that’s a delight for all the senses. Sweet vanilla with dark chocolate, crunchy almonds, tart blueberries, a splash of maple syrup and salty almond butter…I’m making myself want another bowl by writing this.

Anyway. Anett usually puts her recipes in grams, so I converted ingredients to cups to make it easier for American cooks. I need to invest in a scale, but for now, I’m relying on cups.

In other news, I saw 20th Century Women the other day and I loved it. It starts off slow, but then it picks up speed toward the middle. The acting is phenomenal. I liked that I could relate to every female character, even though they were all different ages and didn’t have a lot in common.

I also liked the music in the movie. Here’s one of my favorite songs.

Vanilla Chia Oatmeal with Blueberries (slightly adapted from Anett Velsberg)

Ingredients

1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup almond milk
2 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
2 tbsp almond butter
handful of fresh blueberries
1 tbsp sliced almonds
2 slabs of dark chocolate, finely chopped

Directions

Place the oats and almond milk in a pot over high heat and add the salt, vanilla and and maple syrup. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat to a simmer. Cook for 4-5 minutes, then stir in the chia seeds and remove from heat. Put a lid on the pot and let it sit for another 2-3 minutes. Take off the lid and stir the oatmeal, then transfer it to a bowl and top with almond butter, blueberries, almonds and dark chocolate. Enjoy!

 

Posted in Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Elevated Avocado Toast

Posted on January 30, 2017 by Emily Wasserman

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I’m a big proponent of simple avocado toast. I like the way that toasted, crusty bread tastes with soft, smashed avocado on top. It doesn’t need much else, except maybe a poached egg.

Every once in a while, though, I like to switch things up. That’s where this avocado toast with pomegranate seeds and goat cheese comes in.

I saw someone sprinkle pomegranate seeds on avocado on Instagram, and I thought to myself, why don’t I do that? I love both of those things individually and they would probably taste good together.

Then, I decided to add some Baetje Farms goat cheese into the mix. I’ve been raving about this cheese on social media for a few weeks now. My friend LeAnn sent me a New York Times article about the farm earlier this month and I was drawn to the farmer’s story. She used to live in St. Louis, where her dad owned an auto shop.

Then she became a mennonite and started her own goat farm in rural Missouri. Her goat cheese is rated among some of the best in the world.

When I saw it the other day at Whole Foods, I knew it was fate. I love goat cheese but I haven’t found any in the U.S. that rivals the kind I bought in France. When I lived there, I’d go to the farmers’ market on Saturday and buy some fresh goat cheese from a man who raised goats.

It was unlike anything I’d ever tried. The flavor didn’t taste like rubbery American cheese or the hermetically sealed cheese that you get at the grocery store. It was fresh, earthy, and covered in ash. But the ash made the cheese taste better.

I’m happy to say that Baetje Farms’ cheese is just as good as the kind I tried when I lived abroad. Now that I know where it is, I’ll probably be buying it all the time…which will soon become a problem for my bank account.

Meanwhile, here’s a good song to for making avocado toast. I’ve been listening to it a lot lately, even though it gives me a headache. There’s something addictive about that opening beat.

Avocado Toast with Pomegranate Seeds and Goat Cheese (from me, to you)

Ingredients

2 slices of good bread, toasted
1 avocado, peeled and seeded
1/2 a lemon
pinch of salt and pepper
sprinkle of pomegranate seeds
2 tbsp of the best goat cheese you can find, crumbled

Directions

Smash the avocado in a bowl with juice from half a lemon and a pinch of salt and pepper. Spread it onto the two pieces of toast so each piece has an even amount. Top with pomegranate seeds, goat cheese and a sprinkle of black pepper. Enjoy!

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Meyer Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Blackberry Sauce

Posted on January 29, 2017 by Emily Wasserman

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I’m loving these pancakes like WHOA. They are so good. They make me want to sing a song about them, but I’m too excited to make up lyrics. It would probably sound a lot like: “These are the best pancakes in the world, la la la, everyone should eat theeemmm.”

Now that I’ve spared you the sound of my real singing voice, let’s get down to business. These pancakes are the real deal. They are light, fluffy, lemon-y and delicious. They are everything that pancakes should be, and more.

I picked the recipe because I wanted to do the least amount of work possible this morning. Some ricotta pancake recipes call for whipping the egg whites into soft peaks and then folding them into the batter. I think we’d all agree that this is overrated.

I’ve followed a recipe before that calls for this step, and the pancakes turned out less fluffy than these ones. I’m a big fan of recipes that create an equally delicious or more delicious product with less steps. Ain’t no one got time.

The original recipe calls for a blueberry sauce, but I wanted to make a blackberry sauce. So, I subbed in one type of berries for another. I love the tart blackberry and meyer lemon flavors together. A little sugar adds some sweetness and balances out the flavor from the citrus and berries.

I’ve never cooked with meyer lemons before, but now, I’m addicted. Their flavor is a little brighter than regular lemons and less tart. It reminds me of being at the beach in southern California.

Anyway. Make these pancakes immediately. I know I say that all the time, but this time, I really mean it. Here’s a song to get you started on your pancake-making journey.

Meyer Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Blackberry Sauce (adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod)

Ingredients

for the sauce:
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh meyer lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries (I used fresh)
2-3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water

for the pancakes:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup fresh meyer lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated meyer lemon zest
1 tablespoon canola oil
powdered sugar, for serving

Directions

First, make the blackberry sauce. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and cornstarch and set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine the blackberries, sugar, and water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and stir in lemon juice and cornstarch mixture. Stir until the sauce thickens slightly. Cover to keep warm and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, egg, egg whites, lemon juice, lemon zest, and canola oil. Gently fold this mixture into the dry ingredients until flour disappears. Don’t over mix. The batter will be thick.

Heat a griddle or a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Drop about 1/3 cup of batter onto the hot griddle or skillet. Cook the pancakes until browned on the underside and beginning to set, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook the pancakes on the other side, about two minutes longer. Continue making pancakes until batter is gone. Serve warm with a dusting of powdered sugar and the blackberry sauce. Enjoy!

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Spinach Salad with Green Grapes

Posted on January 27, 2017 by Emily Wasserman

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I love to indulge, but every now and then, I have to temper myself. Or as the French would say, “économiser.” I first learned that phrase when I was studying abroad in France and we would have lots of red wine with dinner. I’d start laughing and talking even more than I usually do, and my one teacher told me, “économise-toi.” Which roughly translates into, “pace yourself.”

I’m a big believer in just going at things full throttle, but sometimes, the rational part of my brain takes over. It tells me to do useful things, like eat a salad.

That’s what happened to me yesterday. I was *slightly* carb’ed out from my eating extravaganza in Chicago and I needed to decompress. Plus, I had a bunch of leftover goat cheese from Baetje Farms in the fridge.

My go-to salad in grad school was spinach with golden raisins, poached egg, lemon and goat cheese. I like the way the egg yolk mixes with the lemon juice to make dressing. I didn’t have golden raisins yesterday, though, so I used green grapes.

As it turns out, it’s a great substitution. The green grapes are juicier than the golden raisins so they add more flavor to the salad. I also like the way they taste with the slightly smoky toasted almonds. The combination almost makes you forget that you’re eating a salad, which is how I measure how good a salad is.

Anyway. Make this salad immediately. Also, listen to this song. Like the salad, it’s classic and it will make you feel like everything’s okay, even though a spray tanned sociopath is trying to build a wall between the U.S.A. and Mexico and is alienating most of the world’s democratic leaders.

Spinach Salad with Green Grapes (from me, to you)

Ingredients

1 cup baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup toasted almonds
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup green grapes, sliced in half
juice from 1 lemon
1 egg, poached
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Place the spinach leaves, almonds, goat cheese and grapes in a medium bowl. Squeeze juice from half of the lemon on top and let sit while you cook the egg.

Poach the egg. Place it on top of the salad and squeeze juice from the other half of the lemon on top. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Posted in Gluten-Free, Lunch, Uncategorized, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Chicago

Posted on January 26, 2017 by Emily Wasserman

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A few years ago after I moved to D.C. from Chicago, I saw an Indian movie called “The Lunchbox.” I went alone because I still didn’t know many people in the city. But I also like seeing movies by myself sometimes. It feels more personal that way.

The movie is about a woman who makes her husband’s lunch every day and sends it to him at work through a delivery service. In Mumbai, there are hundreds of thousands of lunchboxes delivered this way everyday, and hardly any get lost.

Except this woman’s. Somehow, her lunchbox is delivered to an older man instead of her husband. Long story short (SPOILER ALERT), once the man and the woman figure out what happened, they don’t say anything. Instead, they start sending each other notes through the lunch box and they fall in love. Their romance inspires the woman to start a new life.

At this point, you’re probably wondering what an Indian movie, lunchboxes and D.C. has to do with Chicago? Well, a lot. Because one line in the movie has resonated with me to this day: “The wrong train can bring you into the right station.”

I’ve thought about that a lot the last few years. I like the idea that even if you screw up, it can still lead you toward your fate. No one is perfect, and so wrong turns can eventually lead to a right one. (Or left, depending on where you’re going).

The quote resurfaced this week in Chicago. I came to the city for a meeting, but it became clear that the trip was much bigger than that: It made me realize that I’m still in love with Chicago. I want to live there again soon.

Until then, I have some great memories to tide me over. Here’s an abbreviated version, divided up by neighborhoods:

Lincoln Park

Lincoln Park is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Chicago. There’s good food, shopping, pretty houses, and, as you can probably guess by the name, parks. screen-shot-2017-01-26-at-12-54-09-pm
It’s also home to my favorite bakery in the city, Floriole. screen-shot-2017-01-26-at-12-56-59-pm
I went with my usual order, a pain au chocolat. I also got some pomegranate green tea to go with it, because, as the French would say, pourquoi pas? I ordered a tartine with whipped goat cheese, caramelized onions and cranberries for lunch. Yes, I cried. No, I’m not sorry.
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West Side

I don’t know why, but writing, “West Side,” makes me want to scream it out like you would do for a team at a football game.

ANYWAY. Chicago’s West Side is one of my new favorite neighborhoods. I didn’t go there a lot during grad school because it was far from Northwestern, but I spent most of my time there this week. It’s home to some of the best restaurants in Chicago, including Bad Hunter, Au Cheval and Little Goat.

Bad Hunter is all vegetarian food, but not prissy, “here’s a pea tendril and some cream” type of vegetarian food. Dishes are inventive and filling, and the ambiance is lively but laid back.

I ordered the tempura lemons and Japanese sweet potato with matcha and fish sauce caramel dipping sauce (swoon), saffron farfalle with root bolognese, hook’s Parmesan and grapefruit breadcrumbs, and a red curry squash tart with Thai spiced peanuts and coconut cream. Did I cry? I think we all know the answer.
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For the past couple years, all I’ve been hearing about is the hamburger at Au Cheval. Everyone told me that it’s the best burger you’ll ever eat, so I decided to go see for myself.screen-shot-2017-01-26-at-1-04-28-pm
They weren’t wrong. Au Cheval won me over with their perfectly cooked sunnyside up egg, but they stole my heart with the hamburger of my dreams. Tender, juicy, crispy…What. is. happening.
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My last morning in the city, I went to Little Goat Diner for breakfast. It’s owned by Stephanie Izard, a famous chef in the area who is known for her goat-themed restaurants.
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Being in Little Goat is as much a feast for the eyes as it is the stomach. I loved the way the place was decorated. I also enjoyed the masala squash muffin. I never thought about adding masala to baked goods, but now, it gives me a bunch of ideas. I see masala baked oatmeal in my future.
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Sawada is my favorite discovery from this trip. I was looking for a quick place to get coffee and eat breakfast before my meeting on the West Side, and I saw that it got good reviews.

Trying to find Sawada is a little like looking for a speakeasy, because the door is black and blends into the wall. When you walk in, you’ll feel like you accidentally went into a club or beer hall. But that’s part of Sawada’s charm: unexpected, inventive and irreverent.

I got a matcha green tea latte because I’ve always wanted to try one, and the “camo” doughnut from Doughnut Vault (a popular Chicago doughnut spot). The camo doughnut has matcha, caramel and coffee flavors. Whaaaaaatt?!

Logan Square

Of all the places in Chicago, I get the most nostalgic in Logan Square. It was where I did most of my reporting during my first quarter of grad school. It’s also where most of my friends in the city lived before I, and then they, moved away.
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One of my favorite bookstores in the city, Uncharted Books, is located right off the Logan Square El stop. It has an eclectic collection of books spanning a bunch of genres. It also has Ramona. The man working in the front of the store told me that she’s the marketing director.
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My last night in the city, I went to a new restaurant in Logan Square called Giant. I’d read a lot about it in Chicago food pubs, so I thought I would give it a try.

I walked in at 5 p.m. without a reservation and the hostess seated me at the chef’s table. I had a full view of the kitchen and I got to talk to the chefs. It was a dream come true.
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I ordered the brussels sprouts with lemon butter and seasame, sortallini guanciale, basil and pinenuts, and “cajeta” ice cream rolled in dehydrated strawberries served on butter pecan crunch.
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The standout dish was definitely the sortallini. The little rectangular pillows of cheese with that tomato sauce, basil, salty ham and pinenuts…what more can you ask for in life?

The chef recommended the ice cream and I’m glad that I listened. “How is it?” he asked after I took the first bite. “I’m speechless,” I said. It has the same texture as the Good Humor bars I used to get from the ice cream truck when I was little, but the flavors were a million times better. Slightly tart strawberry with salty pecan and sweet ice cream: I felt like proposing marriage.
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Chicago will always feel like home to me. Here’s a song that I heard when I had breakfast at Sawada. It’s good for motivation.

Check out more pics from my trip here!

Posted in Restaurant Reviews, Traveling, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Blueberry Popovers

Posted on January 22, 2017 by Emily Wasserman

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These popovers are really good. Like, REALLY good. I know that because of how they tasted, but also because of my reaction: I started talking to myself about how delicious they were.

I’ve been craving blueberry pancakes and was about to make some this morning. Then, I saw a recipe for blueberry popovers. I’ve never made them but they have all my favorite things: eggs, sugar and fruit. They also seemed relatively easy to make, which is good; I don’t always have the patience to sit around and wait for things to bake when I’m hungry on Sunday morning.screen-shot-2017-01-22-at-11-29-53-am
A word to the wise: You’ll want to give these popovers lots of oven space while they’re baking. If there’s a rack above the middle one, make sure that it’s high enough so the popovers can, well, pop. I had to do a little emergency shifting during the baking process.

When they come out of the oven, they’ll look like mini blueberry popover leaning towers of Pisa. After they cool, they shrink a little bit and then you can sprinkle them with powdered sugar and squeeze lemon on top. I also added maple syrup because sugar, eggs and blueberries belong with maple syrup, imho.
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In other news, I couldn’t make it to a Women’s March yesterday but I’m proud to say that I had a lot of friends and family there. I’m going to spend the next four years advocating for democracy. Here’s a way to get involved. And here’s a song to get you going.

Blueberry Popovers (slightly adapted from here)

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter, cut into 6 equal-sized pieces
1 cup whole milk
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, or to taste
1 lemon, halved
maple syrup, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Put a piece of butter into each of 6 large muffin cups.
Put muffin tin in preheated oven until butter melts, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Beat milk, eggs, 1/4 cup sugar, and vanilla together in a large bowl. Whisk flour into the milk mixture until you have a batter. Divide batter between muffin cups. Drop even amounts of blueberries into each batter portion. Stir 1 tablespoon sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl; sprinkle evenly over the batter portions.

Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue baking until popovers are no longer moist in the center, about 25 minutes. Dust tops of popovers with confectioners’ sugar. Squeeze lemon juice over popovers. Serve warm with maple syrup. Enjoy!

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Cardamom Chia Pudding

Posted on January 19, 2017 by Emily Wasserman

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I’ve been obsessed with cardamom lately. Maybe it’s the fact that cardamom-inspired recipes keep popping up on Instagram, and I spend waaay too much of my time there. Maybe it’s because cardamom is the perfect spice to counteract cold, icy days when you don’t want to go outside. Either way, I’m loving it.

I decided to make cardamom chia pudding last night. My favorite part about the recipe is that you can make it the night before, and then wake up to pudding in the morning. I topped mine with some grapefruit, blackberries and nuts, but feel free to get creative with toppings. Raspberries and blueberries would also work well.

On a semi-related note, I’ve started watching “A Chef’s Life” on PBS and I’m addicted. It tells the story of Vivian Howard, a chef who grew up in rural North Carolina, worked in New York City and then moved back to her hometown to start a restaurant. I like how the show reveals the more unglamorous aspects of the restaurant industry and humanizes fine dining.

Howard sources most of her ingredients from local farms. She has rapport with farmers and it’s clear that she cares about the land. Her approach to cooking is one that more chefs in the U.S. should follow: embrace what’s local and seasonal. Like Howard says in one episode, she used to try to convince farmers in North Carolina to grow Jerusalem artichokes and other ingredients that she missed from her time in New York. Then, she realized that she could make dishes that were equally delicious with regional ingredients.

The theme song of the show is by The Avett Brothers, a band that started in North Carolina. Here’s one of my favorite songs by them.

Cardamom Chia Pudding (from me, to you)

Ingredients

2 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 cup almond milk
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp honey
grapefruit slices, blackberries, pistachios and toasted almond slices for topping

Directions

Combine the chia seeds, almond milk, cardamom and honey in a bowl. Cover the bowl and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator.

In the morning, stir the pudding and place in a serving bowl. Top with grapefruit, blackberries, pistachios and toasted almond slices. Enjoy!

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