Bread Line: Simply Delicious

Finding a perfect sandwich is not easy, but when you do, it’s a little slice of heaven. This is my brunch sandwich at Bread Line on Pennsylvania Ave and 17th street last Friday; and it’s a thing of beauty.

Thinly sliced smoked salmon, dill caper cream cheese, red onion and water cress. The cream was spread so delicately on the bread that it did not weigh the sandwich down, just conveyed intense creamy-fresh flavor to my mouth (and protected the bread against potential sogginess, a common sandwich downfall.) I was impressed with the watercress, a innovative selection that gave the sandwich bright tasting crunch.

My dining partner, (and frequent guinea pig for my personal culinary endeavors) ordered southern pulled pork on a Kaiser roll, but it was messy and gobbled up before I could get a good picture!

I’ve also had a few salads from Bread Line, black lentils and feta as well as chicken curry. All salads are served on top of crispy mesclun and a roll on the side. The lentils were dynamite, but i have to stop ordering curry chicken, I hate mayo-i-ness!

Bread Line is 7:30 until 3:30 on weekdays and sadly closed on the weekends. Get in there whenever you can. There is nothing like the smell of fresh baking bread to signal a great sammie. Hey, free WiFi too!

Bread Line
http://thebreadlinedc.blogspot.com/
1751 Pennsylvania Ave NW, 20006

Takeout: 202.822.8900

Hours: Mon - Fri; 7:30 -3:30

Kramer Books and Afterwords Cafe

"Excuse me, but what delicious thing did you order?" I asked the innocent women unwittingly seated next to me at Kramer Books and Afterw0rds Cafe. The plate of beauty had three little mounds of grain: farro, cracked wheat and quinoa, surrouned by slow cooked chicken and slices of deep purple heirloom tomato. I ordered it immediately with the recommended white wine and it was exactly what I needed on a hot and steamy night.

I consider myself pretty well verse in the world of unusual grains, but farro and I only have a casual relationship; whereas quinoa and cracked wheat have been good housemates for for quite sometime. So, I begin dating farro. What do you do with a new potential? Google him of course!

Farro is one of the oldest grains around...it is the ancestor of modern wheat, first cultivated domestically around 11,500 BC in the fertile crescent near Israel. The french saved this traditionally Italian grain from anonymity by introducing it to haut cuisines in hearty vegetable soups. Farro has almost double the protein and fiber of conventional wheat and it is full of complex carbohydrates for long burning energy. I would describe this grain as the Cabernet sauvignon of the grain world, moist and full bodied.

Farro is staging a resurgence in restaurants all over the country. It can be used in almost any recipe calling for barley or spelt (its closest sibling) but the cooking time must be adjusted. Usually, I think of farro as a savory item, but as noted in Cook & Eat, making farrow pudding is an outstanding concept. I like the looks of this epicurious recipe: Farro Salad with Peas, Asparagus and Feta.

I followed my delicious and healthy dinner with a equally tasty, but nutritionally lacking strawberry shortcake (do you think the cookie cancels the antioxidents from the berries!?). This was one of my favorite nights in DC. Thanks DuPont Circle, I'll miss you, I'm back home in Minneapolis on Saturday, and looking forward to some Minnesota sweetcorn!

From the Internet to the Television

Thank you all for visiting my blog! For my returning visitors, good to have you back and for everyone who is new, Welcome!

I write this blog because I love to eat, and what is more, I love the stories behind my food. I'm passionate about flavor and I want to share that with as many people as possible.

This week, I was interviewed by NBC4, for a piece in the Health Section. Anchor Doreen Gentzler investigated confusing food labels at the grocery store and her cameras peeked into my kitchen for a college student's perspective on buying organic.

Please take a look! http://video.nbc4.com/player/?id=280684

I'd love to hear your comments, questions and suggestions about my blog. I want to write about what you want to know about!

Thank you again, and Keep Eating!

Ellie

Java Green for your Greenbacks

If you want your milk from a nut and your meal completely raw, be ready to shell out some serious change. But you'll get a product that is natural as can be. Eating the food at Java Green is like putting pure energy and health straight into your mouth. Java Green Eco Cafe, the vegetarian, organic, and fair trade focused restaurant in Washington DC’s “Golden Triangle” business district is a haven for vegans and vegetarians but has tasty treats for everyone. Except perhaps your wallet. So, before you settle down for a Raw Vanilla Latte at $8 and a $9 dollar Bi-Bim Bob Salad, you better know what you're getting.

First, what is so special about this place? Well initially, it lets you be pretentious about environmental issues by contributing 2% of your final bill to green-friendly charities. But on a less sarcastically scathing note, this little café is focused on the right things: your health, the community’s health and the planet’s health. Not to mention, I've met the owner, and he is just as sincere and good natured as one could possibly hope. He really wants you to be healthy.

Second, if you’re going to dine, understand what you’re eating. What the heck is raw bread? The raw diet consists of totally unprocessed uncooked foods, so a raw bread is sprouted grains densely compacted together. "Bird Food!" DJ, the owner told me. The same concept applies for the frappes on the menu, a regular frappe is made with soymilk which is processed (cooked) and a raw frappe is made with nut milk. DJ explained this concept to me: the nuts (usually almonds) are soaked then ground and strained. Some sweet agave nectar and spices are added to give the protein filled liquid a kick. You can actually get this in the store if you really fall in love with it. It is similar to soy milk but rounder feeling in the mouth.

Lastly, lets get to my meal. I've made friends with one of the chefs, Joe, and he put together a sampling of four raw salads: kimchee, Kale, Cucumber Radish, and Seaweed. I loved the kale, the sweetness of the marinade did not mask the crucifer’s pungent flavor, but rather heightened its intensity. White sesame seeds were a nice earthy accent. The radish salad capitalized on the daikon’s mild flavor. Please don’t bother with the kimchee here. Decent, but not breath taking. And the seaweed, well, its an aquired taste and texture.

Somehow, after I'd filled up on veggies, I managed to eat a cookie the size of my face. Vegan of course. Without the benefit of butter, the cookie was crumbly, but the vegan chocolate was deliciously rich and creamy.

So, Java Green….worth it? Yes! Stop in to try something unusual and appreciate if for what it is (not to mention the enormous health benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle). And it really is good all around, fresh fresh fresh and burgeoning with flavor. But don’t make a habit out of it, it really is wicked expensive.

Java Green Eco Cafe
1020 19th Street N.W.,
Washington, DC
(202) 775-8899

Cooking tips I learned, or relearned this weekend.

I decided to do a little baking and settled on Irish Soda bread: quick, easy and toastable. Yet leaving my GW digs in two weeks, I didn’t want to stock up on ingredients. Hampered by circumstance and forced to make due, here is what I learned.

Baking powder can be substituted for baking soda; it takes about three times as much baking powder as baking soda to get the same rising effect.

Buttermilk isn’t a common item at college supermarkets….obviously. So I made my own: 1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar into one cup milk and let stand for ten minutes. It isn’t as thick, but gets the job done.

That’s all; sweet and to the point, just like the Soda Bread.


(Info from Cooks Illustrated. If you don't have a subscription, I highly recommend it. Science, Cooking, Eating. What better?)

Richard in the House!!!

Today I must take a moment to digress from food in favor of fitness. Yesterday, I met a guru. He’s loud, he’s most definitely proud, and I’ll be damned if you don’t feel great about yourself after 5 minutes in a room with him.

Ladies and Gentlemen may I present Richard Simmons, with guest appearances by the United States Congress! Today, Simmons testified in front of the House Committee on Education and Labor to champion his life long cause: the battle against obesity and low self esteem.

Immediately after the hearing, Simmons traded the brown pinstripe suit for a red bedazzled tank top and led a “fitness rally” on the steps of the Cannon building. Lawyers, congresspeople and tourists alike raised hands in the air and shook their groove thing to “Yankee Doodle Dandy” and “Dancing in the Streets.”

And then, dear readers, He kissed me. I may never wash my left temple again! (Tee hee, just joking!)

Let me leave you with a quote from Mr. Simmon’s testimony:

“When you’re feeling great about yourself, when you have self esteem and self respect, there isn’t anything you can’t do!”

Food of the Week: Lentils

On Sunday nights, I like to get in the kitchen and play around a bit. When I do it right, Ill have dinner and a perfect lunch for work. This weekend I bought a bag of green lentils. They looked like small mossy pebbles newly unearthed from the muddy earth.

Basing a weeks worth of meals around the lentil is kind to your pocket book and gift to your body (and it prevents that ill-conceived sandwich of left over hoisin bok choy and hickory turkey made in a rush at 7 am.)

Lentils are one of the oldest cultivated foods; archeologists have found lentil seeds in the Middle East dating back 8000 years. A member of the bean family, lentils are chock full of protein and fiber, about 17 grams of each per cup. The lentil is a complex carbohydrate which provides long lasting energy. Complex carbs are simple carbs chemically bonded together. Our body gets energy when those bonds are broken; because this process is slow, each lentil lunch fills me up and keeps me powered long into the afternoon. Eating lentils is also a great way to show your heart some love. High levels of magnesium and folate found in the legume are essential for good cardiovascular health.

The great beauty of the lentil is its versatility. Personally, I simply emptied the bag in to a pot, covered them with an inch of water (this depends on the type of lentil you choose) added a bouillon cube and let heat do the rest. Then, I doctored them up with red onion, feta and a light vinaigrette, but you can do so many other things too! Check out these easy options.

Salmon with Lentils and Mustard Herb Butter -- Classic French dish, and oh so flavorful
Lentil Salad with Tomato and Dill-- A wonderful excuse to go to the farmer's market midweek!

Curried Lentil and Spinach Soup -- Cold in that air conditioning? Try an easy soup!