Veggie-Packed Goodness

I'm not a full-out vegetarian, but I have been trying to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into my daily routine.  These quinoa garden cakes really hit the spot last night.  (Even the more rabid carnivores in the household approved.)  I'm a huge fan of quinoa, because it's full of protein and a heck of a lot faster to cook than brown rice.

Served with succotash and a blueberry coleslaw

QUINOA GARDEN CAKES WITH A LEMON-DILL SAUCE
(Adapted from a Whole Foods Recipe)

For the garden cakes:
-1 cup of quinoa
-2 cups of water
-Handful of finely chopped onion
-2 cloves of chopped garlic
-2/3 cup grated carrots
-2/3 cup grated yellow squash
-1/2 (10 oz) package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
-Zest of 1 lemon
-1/4 cup flour
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-1 egg*
-salt and pepper

For the lemon-dill sauce
-1 1/2 T chopped fresh dill
-1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
-2 t lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bring quinoa and water to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and let simmer 20-30 minutes until all of the liquid is absorbed.  Turn off the stove and let the quinoa cool for a few minutes.

In a large bowl, mix the cooked quinoa, onion, garlic, carrots, squash, spinach, lemon zest, flour, baking powder, egg, salt and pepper.

The veggie mix pre-quinoa

Form the mixture into 4-inch patties and place on an oiled baking sheet.  (I just used parchment paper, and it worked fine without the oil.)  You should be able to make about 6-8 patties.

Bake for 10 minutes, then flip the patties.  Bake 10-15 minutes more, until the patties are lightly browned and slightly crisp.

In the meantime, make the lemon-dill sauce.  Combine the dill, yogurt and lemon juice in a small bowl. Spoon it over the warm quinoa cakes.

Even Mark the meat-eater liked it!

*You can make this recipe vegan by omitting the lemon-dill sauce and using a flax-egg instead of a real egg.  (Here are instructions.  Basically, just mix 1 T flax meal with 3 T water and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.)  We were out of eggs, so I made a flax-egg.  The patties still held together, although I suspect they'd be a bit more firm with a real egg.

Best. Weekend. Ever.

It's already Wednesday, and I still feel hungover from the weekend.  Not hungover from alcohol, but from fun.  I just had too much damn fun.  I'm still amazed how we managed to pack so many things into three short days.

SUPER-SOAKED SATURDAY:

Grace, Mark and I went whitewater rafting along the Mokelumne River as part of a Foothill Conservancy fundraiser.  The weather was a little overcast and drizzly.  But hey, you can't expect to stay dry if you're going rafting.

Grace and Mark in the front, and me screaming in the back.  Photo by Pete Bell.

OARS, a Calaveras county-based outfitting company, led the trip.  The rafting entourage consisted of about five boats, and our guide made sure to steer us into all of the big toilet-bowl rapids.  (He's the one standing in the back of the raft with a giant smile on his face.  Why's he smiling?  Because he knows what he's going to lead us into next.)

We weren't the only people enjoying the Moke on Saturday.  Dozens of campers lined up along its shores, and fishermen cast lines from the bank.  We even caught up with another raft.

What's crazy is this section of the Mokelumne from Electra to Middle Bar was slated to be flooded.  As recently as last April, the East Bay Municipal District was planning to expand the Pardee water reservoir as part of their 2040 water plan.  It would have essentially wiped out all of the whitewater rapids and destroyed any camping/fishing sites.

The EBMUD's board of directors voted down the Pardee expansion plan in late April, thanks largely to the efforts of the Foothill Conservancy.  You can read more about their fight here.

The organization is trying to get the Mokelumne designated as wild and scenic river, which would prevent any future dams or other damaging development.  I can see why they're so passionate -- the river is gorgeous, and locals definitely utilize it.

SUN-FILLED SUNDAY:


On Sunday, we visited Mark and Grace's friends in Calaveras county.  They own a beautiful stretch of property in the foothills.  Mark and the guys went off mountain-biking, and the women decided to go for a hike.

I also learned that Lucky's new shock collar doesn't work if he's out of range.  The dog has a serious case of wanderlust, so I bought a remote-control correction device on Saturday for the next time he feels the need to run.

Needless to say, Lucky heard the call of the wild while we were hiking and took off through the trees.  By the time I realized that he was gone, it was too late to use the shock collar.  We spent about an hour circling the grounds and calling for the dog.  When we finally got back to camp, Lucky was sitting in the shade and wagging his tail.  Go figure.

MOUNTAIN-CLIMBING MONDAY:

On Memorial Day, I climbed a mountain.  No biggie.

This is my mountain-climbing face.  

Mark, Grace and I hiked to the top of Round Top, out by Carson Pass.  It was a nice little hike, and I definitely felt it in my calves.

At its peak, Round Top is 10,364 feet.  Not bad for a midwestern flat-lander like me.  The summit was tricky, but not impossible.  We scrambled over some loose, rocky spots near the top.

Fear of heights?  What fear of heights?

But once we got to the top, the view was extraordinary.

Then came the fun part ... getting back down the mountain.  For some reason, it's a lot harder to descend.  I think it's because you've got your back to the mountain and you can see everything below.

Trying to disguise my terror.

Of course, we all made it down Round Top safely.  (Except for that spot where I slipped and slid on my butt for about 20 feet.  That was graceful.)  

With all of our hikes/runs combined, we traveled about 20 miles.   Not bad for a lazy holiday weekend.

I can't wait to see what's on the schedule for next Saturday and Sunday. :)

Life in Limbo

Ever since we found out in September of 2011 that we were moving to Okinawa, life has been in a weird sort of limbo.  Everything that I do is temporary -- whether it's living in one location or working at a job.  I can't wait to finally get over to Japan and spread my roots.

I can't complain too much, though.  I've had a blast everywhere I've gone over the past year!  Right now I'm staying with Loren's parents in California, and I couldn't ask for better hosts.  Lucky is definitely enjoying the mountain air.

Loren's little brother, Duncan, graduated from Humboldt State University several weeks ago.  Lo and I drove up the coast to visit him in Arcata.

Ahh, sea breeze.

We also spent an afternoon in San Francisco with our friend and former bridesmaid, Lauren.

Loren left for Okinawa last week, and I'm slated to arrive on the island with the Luckster on July 6th.

Dropping Lo off at the Sacramento airport

In the meantime, I'm keeping myself busy.  Duncan took me rock climbing this week up by Kirkwood Ski Resort.  My first climb went relatively well.  (Except for when my foot slipped and I went careening into a nearby rock wall.  Still, no broken bones or concussions!)  

Duncan and I also climbed up to a weird overhang that has several rock "houses."  He and his dad found the place a few years ago.  Someone obviously took a lot of time to construct the little huts.  There's a little spring that drips down to a battered metal pot, and several rusted old cans are scattered nearby.

Duncan explores

Someone scrawled "Tom's Happy Rock Palace" in crayon along one of the walls.  I haven't been able to find any information about it online, and it doesn't look like anyone else has been up there for years.  (It's quite a hike.)  I like to imagine that it was created by some crazy hippie guru back in the 1960s.  

This weekend, Loren's parents are taking me whitewater rafting.  I'm excited -- I've canoed all of my life, but I've never been rafting.  

Overall, I guess life in limbo isn't so bad after all.  :)  Still, I can't wait to get over to Japan!

First post!

Welcome!

The website is still being built, so please excuse any minor (or heck, massive) glitches for now.

I created this blog to keep friends and family updated while my husband and I jet-set across the world to a tiny island located in southern Japan.  Along the way, you can also expect posts about cooking, fitness, work and anything else I encounter in Okinawa.

Welcome to my weird and wonderful life.