Teff again

I had leftover teff flour from my failed injera experiment a couple of weeks ago. Since it's such a healthy little grain (and expensive) I didn't want to let it go to waste, so I tried it in a couple of baked goods that I've made before with wheat flour. It turned out ok in pizza dough, but more successful was this banana bread from The Joy of Cooking which originally calls for part whole wheat and part white flour.

It has a crumbly texture and an earthier flavor than your standard banana nut loaf. I like it!

Back To School Lunchbox

On long days, I like to pack a lunchbox to take to school. Usually it's pretty mundane, pb&j or last night's leftovers (which may or may not be good cold) but with a little planning and/or luck, sometimes it just comes together. Last week I had a sandwich of olive-tuna salad and tomato on sunflower seed bread.

Apples, crackers, cheese and pistachios.

And my lunchbox, the "Fit and Fresh," which always attracts attention when I whip it out. It's pretty clever, probably inspired by the bento box, and just respectable enough for an adult to carry it without fear of elementary school flashbacks.

Food on Screen: The Gold Rush

Back to school for me, this week. Less time to cook (less time to eat!), but all of that will sort itself out eventually. 

So, this week's entry is from the 1925 Charlie Chaplin film, The Gold Rush, which I saw on the big screen for one of my classes this week. I believe this is called the "Oceana Roll" sequence. Totally charming. 

Kitchen Tools: Knife Magnet

The knife magnet. We had these when I worked at Dolce Vita; the kitchen was closet-sized, and we threw anything that would stick at the magnets. Somehow I forgot about their usefulness until a few months ago when I realized I'd really rather not bend over and open a drawer each time I used a knife. A very good use of $15.

By the way,  about homemade injera: it's really hard. After a failed attempt at the "easy" recipe I tried last week, I did a lot of searching and found this quite helpful but thoroughly intimidating step-by-step explanation of how to make the tasty teff sheets. Aster's doesn't have to worry about losing me as a customer anytime soon!

Dining Out: Aster's Ethiopian

Thanks to Allison (Hi Allison!), sometime last year I was introduced to the joys of Aster's restaurant. It's family run--pictures of grandkids on the walls, and I think the entire waitstaff is composed of extended family.

And the food is fantastic. I love a place where I can get vegetarian food that's flavorful, plentiful, and (at least theoretically) healthy. I'm sure these dishes have lots of butter and oil in them, but for the most part they are composed of veggies like lentils, eggplant, potato, and carrots.

The best part, though, is injera, the bread you use to scoop up the other food. I found a recipe online and am going to try it soon. Other than the three-day fermentation process, it looks simple enough!

Crepes

Crepes - more versatile than the burrito, more freezable than the sandwich - what's not to like? This batch, made with buckwheat flour, turned out particularly well stuffed with spinach, shiitake mushrooms, and Boursin cheese.