Chard Leaves and Potatoes in a mustard sauce

A few days ago on the news I heard about the recent opening of 'Panera Cares' in Chicago. The concept is similar to Karma Kitchen in California which I thought was a neat idea.

Fresh Chard leaves from the garden

Panera Cares has no prices just suggested donations. This way people who cannot afford can still enjoy some good food by the extra donation from others or volunteer their time at the restaurant for vouchers which go towards purchase. This is great way to provide affordable food in a struggling community isn't?.

Dijon Mustard

This does not necessarily mean I am fond of Panera food or anything like that. I have had their soups and muffins and that was a while ago. One recent experience was at work. On our free bagel days at work they switched from the usual bagel place to Panera. Panera bagels tasted a lot different softer, less chewey, more buttery and a lot sweeter. Sweet bagels and for someone like me with a sweet tooth was a treat. But to eat sweet bagels everyday? Not sure.

Have you had a Panera bagel? Chocolate chip bagel, yes they have those too.

Now on to the recipe,
Like us if you shop in Costco you are bound to make a purchase however careful you are of something in quantities that is more than what your family needs especially of a condiment that cannot be used quickly. One such purchase we made no DH made, I never do things like that ;) was of Dijon Mustard. Like everything else from Costco it usually mean not one but two bottles. Besides occasionally using it in a sandwich there wasn't much use for it till DH to atone (not really but I'd like to think that) found a recipe for spinach with mustard sauce which was not that bad, in fact it was good.

Cooked Potatoes

The next time he did a variation with Chard leaves and added a few potatoes and this was delicious with some steamed rice. So the next time he made the dish I decided to record it for posterity.

We had some fresh beans and peas from my garden so decided to use those. You can also used green bell pepper which has been diced to 1/2 inch pieces which he did the first time he made it.

Chard Leaves and Potatoes in a Mustard Sauce
Ingredients
1. 2-3 cups of fresh Chard leaves (or Spinach leaves) washed and chopped rougly
2. 1/2 cup of chopped onions (any onion will work)
3. 4 cloves of garlic minced
4. 4-5 red chilies split and seeds removed
5. 2 green chilies slit
6. 1/2 cup of green beans and peas (optional) or green bell pepper
7. 2 potatoes scrubbed and boiled to just about done
8. 1/2 tsp black pepper
9. 1 1/2 -2 tbsp mustard (I used Grey Poupon Dijon mustard)
10. salt to taste
11. 1 tsp oil

Method
1. In a wide mouthed saute pan heat the oil and add the onions, red chilies and green chilies and saute till the onions start to turn a slight brown. Add in the garlic and saute for a minute more.
2. In the meantime par boil the beans till they are cooked. Also cook the potatoes whole till they are 3/4th cooked. Cut them into 1-2 inch dice and coat them with the black pepper and set aside.
3. Add the chopped greens to the sauted onions and let them start to wilt.
4. To this add the cut potatoes and let it cook for a couple of minutes.
5. Now add the mustard , give a good mix and let it cook for 4-5 minutes or a bit more till the potatoes are cooked fully.
6. Taste and add more salt if required.

Serve on top of steamed white rice.

Pasta with Falafel balls in tomato sauce

It is spring break week for the kids around here. Barring a couple of days the weather has been very favorable for outdoor play. But where have all the kids gone? This thought has been ringing in my head all week. The favorite pass time of riding bikes is no more a favorite pass time it seems. I bet if most parents are like me while appreciating having little ones and not so little ones saute, flip, peel and cut and help in the kitchen and around the house there comes a time when they would truly want them out of their hair and away from the TV and the video games. It used to be easy and just stepping out of the house opened up a whole host of possibilities. Not so easy anymore.

You have to pick up the phone, fix an appointment before the kids can go off to play. Pray to God that the parents(mom) of the kids yours want to play with are not weird or difficult. I have been lucky that most moms I deal with are reasonable. There are also some that I generally keep my peace for DDs's sakes. There are some I regret not having a good realtion with because DD misses playing with her friend.

For some reason going outside does not come naturally for kids of this generation. Unlike us who had nothing of interest inside the house, TV and other electronic gadgets can take hours of their time. Once nudged outside the captivation is complete they seem to spend hours doing stuff. Lucky for DD she has a friend in our neighborhood and they visit and call on each other at the drop of a hat. DD2 unfortunately does not have kids of her age to play with and tags along with DD and her friends. DD has another good friend who lives about a mile and quarter away translating to requires a parent to drop off and pick up. Sometimes they have to forego playing because the adults are busy. The kids are old enough now to take bike rides to each others house without a chaperon. The maiden bike journey was done over the spring break. It was decided the kids would leave the house around the same time, meetup and then ride down to one of the houses.

This reminds me, when I was DDs age, I offered to give a lift to my visiting friend on a bike. We were fine but for the small mishap where I almost got both of us under a bus. It was a different time and both our parents did not find the need to give us instructions about traffic, strangers and what not. Well anyway I could not be as irresponsible as my parents were can I ;) We had the usualy talk about traffic rules, not talking to strangers and screaming at the top of the lungs along with kicking and biting. For extra precaution they carried a cell phone(DH put his foot down on that). They made the trip and the pride and happiness was visible for everyone to see. It must be obvious from my talking about it, how this simple childhood activity has become a big deal.

I am relieved that I have one less chaperoning job on my hands. I only wish it was not this hard. When I was a kid I loved my parents and all but I also wanted my space away from their probing eyes and do things that would not be kosher in their eyes. As a parent I am going to give my 2 cents unasked if they are hanging out around me all the time. It is not healthy for them and neither for me.

Interacting with other human beings other than the household members is also essential for their growth as is communing with nature and the environs they live in. There is also sobering research that states that kids of this generation will hesitate to try anything new. There are raised risk averse to an extent even natural childhood curiosity is suppressed.

As a parent it is getting to me, being vigilant 24 hours and worrying about hidden dangers in every corner is only making going to make me paranoid. But it takes a big effort on my part to just chill and let them be.

The most happy memories from my childhood are those spent roaming around farms, fields and the river with little or no supervision. There are lot of games and play that would not have been permitted if adults were hanging around all the time. With a towel and a bucket of water we were by the creek fishing, left to my grandfather that would have been a firm no because the creek was of course a bit dirty. We knew which tree had the tastiest mangoes and which crop was sown during which season. We also helped ourselves to a swim in a well the owner of which did not want messing around in her well. I bet everyone remembers the first tiny pot of rice they cooked up on three stones with heat from burning twigs. I do and that was easily the tastiest morsel of rice ever cooked.

Having open land is a privilege and everyone does not have access to one but letting kids play in open spaces and let them explore and dig and build should be a conscious decision. In one generation we have made things so difficult for ourselves and the kids suffer for it.

On the other hand kids are more attuned to what is going on around them than any generation with the very same electronics that keeps them enslaved for hours. It was on DDs insistence that we observed the Earth Hour. Cooking by candle light was no easy feat. Appreciation of nature essential for the survival of the planet?

Now to the recipe,
I have always been fascinated by spaghetti and meatballs. Lot of people have mentioned that it is easily their childhood favorite. It looked and I bet tasted very good I had to avoid eating it because the meatballs were made of pork or beef the meats I do not eat. A friend once made meatballs with ground chicken and turkey and they were excellent. The ideas of spaghetti and meat balls with both carbs and protein sounds better than just spahagetti with tomato sauce. I had just the right ingredient on hand for such a sauce, the premade falafel balls the same ones that were used for the Quick Kofta. For the sauce I followed the marinara recipe which keeps getting better and better with every attempt.

Serves: 4

Falafel balls in tomato sauce
Ingredients
1. 2 Cans whole Tomatoes in juice
2. 1 Red Onion chopped fine
3. 5-6 garlic cloves chopped fine
4. 2-3 tsp chili powder
5. kosher salt to taste
6. 1/4 cup Red wine (I used merlot)
7. 3/4 tbsp canola oil (Use olive oil if preferred)
8. 8-10 readymade falafel balls

Method
1. Drain the tomatoes and reserve the juice
2. Squeeze the drained tomatoes and set aside
3. In a wide pan add oil and when hot add the onions and saute on medium low heat till they start to turn brown
4. Add the garlic and saute for a few seconds, do not let them brown.
5. Now add the tomato solids and let them saute till they start sticking to the bottom and turning brown
6. Now add the wine and let it simmer for a few minutes
7. Add the tomato juice and simmer for 10 minutes or so.
8. Preheat the falafel balls and add them along with the chili powder and salt. Let it simmer for a minute or two.
9. Add Coooked pasta and toss, let sit in the heat for a few minutes. Turn off the heat, mix and serve with paramesan cheese.