Mustard-y Israeli Couscous

I had an incredible urge to make an israeli couscous salad with beets and caramelized onions and maybe a squash (no preference if it was warm or cold) this weekend, but managed to forget to grab some beets at the farmers' market. D'oh! I couldn't get to a decent grocery store to pick some up on Monday, so I shuffled my plans a bit. 

I picked up a nice bunch of arugula at the farmers' market and thought a few wilted leaves would go great with the couscous and onions. The rest of the ingredients found their way into the bowl as I started cooking. Thankfully they all played well together and made for quite a tasty dish!

Israeli Couscous with Arugula and Caramelized Onions

1 c Israeli couscous

1 1/4 c low sodium chicken broth

1 tsp butter

Pinch salt

Sprinkle garlic powder

1/2 can quartered artichoke hearts

1/3 c arugula, chopped

1/2 c caramelized onion

1 large zucchini diced

1 c mushrooms, diced

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp champagne vinegar

1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 1/2 tsp maple syrup

Pinch tarragon

Pinch salt

1/4 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 425. Toss zucchini, mushrooms, 1 tbsp olive oil and 1/4 tsp salt and scatter on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes and set aside.

Whisk together mustard, vinegars, syrup, tarragon, salt and 1/4 tbsp olive oil in a small bowl and set aside.

Combine arugula, zucchini, mushrooms, artichokes and onions in a large bowl. 

Heat butter in a pot and lightly toast couscous. Pour in chicken broth, garlic powder and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Pour cooked couscous over arugula/veggie mixture while still hot so arugula starts to wilt a bit.

Drizzle about 2-3 tablespoons of mustard vinaigrette over couscous and toss. Serve immediately.

March ingredients used: arugula, mushrooms, onions

Definitely a random mix of ingredients, but I thought they went surprisingly well together! Even though this was a warm(ish) salad, I really liked having a light coating of the tangy/sweet dressing with the couscous and veggies. I was a bit worried about reheating this for lunch the following day (you know, being vinaigrette-ed and all), but it tasted even better! I think there was just enough tartness and bitterness going on. Totally worth testing out.

Seasonably tasty makeover

For those of you still reading (thank you!), you may have noticed a couple layout changes over the past couple days. There are more coming, but I thought I'd take some time to fill you in on the bigger changes going down. 

I think one of the reasons why I haven't been posting as much is because I felt like the blog was turning into more of an online journal where I recapped my days and blahblahblah. I wasn't getting excited about writing and blogging was starting to feel like a chore. Not cool.

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At first I considered closing up shop, but then I realized I'd never keep track of my recipes and the blog was a way to keep friends and family back east informed. Then I started thinking about doing a major blog overhaul. That required way too much work and honestly, I don't have the time or patience to deal with that at the moment.

SO, Run Beans, Run is getting a makeover. 

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I'll still write about the usual topics - running, biking, food, food, more food - but I'm hoping to keep the tone a little less 'dear diary-ish' and will work on my flavor descriptions. I'm also hoping to get a little more creative in the kitchen. Instead of making variations of trusty standbys (which I've noticed I do a lot), I'm going to try my best to experiment with different flavor combinations and actually follow recipes once in awhile (eek). 

I do want to bring your attention to one important addition to the blog - please glance at the left sidebar for a quick second. Ready? Ok.

After a deliciously simple dinner with a friend, it occurred to me that I live in a city that is full of fresh fruits and veggies year round. I don't have to rely on grocery stores for my produce; I can head to a farmers market every week for fresh, locally grown produce. WHY AM I NOT TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THIS?? 

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Anyway, I did some Googling and found a few sites that posted month by month lists of in-season produce (in Northern California) and the makeover was born. 

Every month I'll update that little sidebar with a list of fruits and veggies that are in season. My goal is to eat and cook as many of them as possible. Canned and frozen don't count (because we know I love to dump beets, artichokes and corn on my salads year round). I figure this will get me cooking outside my comfort zone, especially when random veggies like nettles pop up on the list.

As you can see, I've already crossed a couple items off my list. As I use these seasonably delicious ingredients, I'll post the recipes so you can enjoy them as well (and I'll try to keep the salads to a minimum)!

I hope you enjoy my little experiment and maybe it'll get you all thinking about making the most of what's in season in your neck of the woods!

Orange you glad I didn't say banana?

I’m usually not a much of a citrus gal, but every few years I find myself going into serious orange craving mode. A few weeks ago I grabbed an orange for my daily fruit intake at the office and was amazed and addicted to the juicy and super sweet pulp. This was no dud. This was a legit orange.

Next thing you know, oranges are the second thing I grab at the grocery store, preceded by bananas of course. Without fail, I keep getting these crazy good oranges. WTF? Is this for real? It is. Apparently it’s orange season and I didn’t even know it.

On Sunday I paid a visit to the Fort Mason Farmers’ Market for the first time in months and holy oranges, Batman! I had no idea there were so many varieties! Since I was in a rush, I didn’t get a chance to sample and savor all the farmers had to offer. Instead, I grabbed a few oranges based on whichever had the most interesting name.

This week’s winner: Cara Cara Navel Orange

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From the Sunkist website (because they seem like a reliable source of citrus info, being the citrus king and all):

Cara Cara oranges, a type of navel orange grown in California's San Joaquin Valley, are available December through April. The bright orange exterior of cara cara oranges is similar to other navels, but their interior is a distinctive pinkish red, has an exceptionally sweet flavor with a tangy cranberry-like zing, and few to no seeds.

These babies are deceptively pink/red. Had I not peeled it myself, I would have thought I was eating a grapefruit! Of course, the minute you bite into the pulpy morsel you get a very very distinct orange taste. It’s sweet and slightly tart – exactly what I look for in an orange (yes, I believe an orange can be too sweet). The one downside to this winter treat is that it’s a bit tough to peel. I found myself struggling and hoping that I didn’t take a chunk of orange out with the peel. Perhaps it’s best sliced into wedges.

Return of the (chipotle) mac

Something about a brisk and sunny Saturday afternoon just makes me want to open the windows and spend some quality time in the kitchen. Today we revisit my favorite kitchen experiment - Chipotle Mac!

As always, this tasty treat just needed a little help to make it all the mac it could be.

Chipotle Mac

5 c medium pasta shells, cooked

6 tbsp butter

6 tbsp flour

2 1/2 c 2% milk

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp ground mustard

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

4 tbsp adobo sauce

1 bay leaf

1/2 c gruyere, shredded

1 c vintage English cheddar, shredded

1 c extra sharp cheddar, shredded

3 tbsp panko

1 link chicken andouille sausage, chopped and browned

3 tbsp scallions, chopped

Combine milk, ground mustard, garlic powder, pepper, chili powder and bay leaf in a small saucepan and keep warm over medium low heat.

Heat butter and adobo sauce in a pot over medium low heat. Slowly whisk in flour. Once flour is incorporated, slowly pour in warm milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Remove from heat and stir in cheeses.

Coat pasta with sauce and pour into a baking dish. Sprinkle with panko, sausage crumbles and scallions. 

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes at 375. Remove foil and bake at 425 for another 5-10 minutes or until top starts to brown.

I used whole wheat shells this time around and I think that was a really bad idea. I'm not a fan of whole wheat pasta in this dish because of the texture. Regular pasta works perfectly and honestly, if you are going to make some mac n cheese, go all out and rock the regular pasta. Just saying.

Since I made way too much cheese sauce than pasta, I scrambled and cooked up some 1/4 boxes of trottole and campanelle I had in the cabinet to make another batch. Way more photogenic and SO much better tasting. Ahh. So what if it's a random mix of shapes? It tastes amazing!!

Re: sausage crumbles - I first thought of bacon crumbles, but I had chicken andouille sausage in the fridge. It's tough since the chicken sausage is already cooked, so make sure you chop it up well in order for it to brown nicely. 

Of course, if you have some regular andouille sausage lying around, feel free to slice it out of the casing and brown the crumbles that way!

Have you tried my chipotle mac yet? I think it's about time you did!

Presidents' Day...Napa Style.

This past weekend I celebrated the much needed long weekend with my cousin who was in town from New York. Since it was her first time in the Bay Area, a trip to Napa was absolutely necessary. I've really only been wine tasting in Napa once before (my very first trip to the area in 2007), so it was a pretty exciting day for me as well. Unfortunately the weather gods were not on our side and we woke up to a gloomy, rainy Saturday. 

Once we got up to Napa, the weather cleared up a little and we eventually found ourselves at winery numero uno - The Hess Collection

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Hess is tucked away on super windy Redwood Road, just off Rt. 29 (the main highway) in Napa. Not exactly a picturesque drive after a storm, but it sure is quiet and off the beaten path. In fact, it reminded me of trips to the wineries in Healdsburg that required us to drive through these long windy roads that seemed to never end.

We walked up to the winery and the gardens were perfectly landscaped with fun sculptures scattered about - all of which I'm sure look even better on a sunny day. The main building was covered in ivy (or something like it?) and had these huge wooden doors that were as heavy as they looked! 

We were greeted by a very friendly host who told us that we had several options for our visit - we could head upstairs to check out the art collection, go straight to the tasting room, or join one of the scheduled tours for the afternoon. Since we were on a schedule, we opted to go straight to the tasting.

To our surprise, despite the bad weather, the tasting room was packed. We managed to find a small spot and for $10, we began our mix-match tasting of four Hess Collection and Artizen wines.

My personal favorites:

Hess Collection 2007 Mount Veeder 19 Block Cuvee

Blend: 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Malbec, 4% Syrah, 4% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot

You all know I love blends. This one smells wonderful and I think it's the currant I like so much. The tasting notes mention carmel and molasses, but I didn't pick up on those...maybe I just need another taste :)

Hess Collection 2006 Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon

Blend: 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Malbec, 1% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot 

Ok, I either really love blends or I love how Hess blends their Cabs with Malbec. I liked this one almost as much as the Cuvee, but clearly I wasn't buying both. The black cherry and currant are very noticeable in this one and while I also prefer bold reds with lots of tannins, I thought this was a perfectly balanced red. The tasting notes say there are underlying flavors of graphite and cedar box...I don't know about you, but I haven't smelled or tasted graphite lately. Eeh.

Onto winery number two!

Located on Rt. 29 with all the other Napa/Rutherford wineries, Peju Province Winery greets you with a long tree-lined driveway that leads up to a very unique looking building - it looks like someone chopped off the top portion of a tower and plopped it on the grounds! 

After a little searching, I found out it's known as the Peju Tower and was designed by a Southern California architect named Calvin Straub in 1980(ish). Check out all the info here.

This might be one of the most informative and structured wine tastings I've been to in awhile. Upon arriving we put our names in with the host and were told we had to wait for the next available tasting. It wasn't too long of a wait and next thing we knew we were guided up a flight of stairs to the tasting room. 

The tasting room overlooks a ton of barrels and fits about 10 people comfortably per tasting station (there are two). Our pourer was super knowledgable and enthusiastic about the winery and the wines. He started off by saying he tells people to sip the wine three times - first to introduce the wine, second to taste the wine, and third to look for the specific flavors. 

My favorites:

2009 Chardonnay

Not a big chardonnay fan, but this is not your regular chardonnay. It's not oaky or buttery at all. In fact, it's crisp and light...almost like a sauvignon blanc. Hints of crisp apple and apricot. Very nice start.

Provence

Blend: Red & White

Our pourer started telling a story about how Tony Peju created this wine for his daughters who weren't really into the reds or whites and immediately I assumed we were going to taste a rose. Nope. I was introduced to a DELICIOUS red and white blend. Served chilled, this wine is slightly sweet and bright like a white wine, but not too sweet like a white zinfandel *gasp*. You definitely get a hint of refreshing strawberry and oh, it's SO good with everything. I imagine this would be perfect on a spring day. Or, you know, a gloomy day in February after wine tasting.

2006 Merlot

Blend: 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon

Normally I don't like merlot. I think it feels too slimy in my mouth and blech. Pass. This merlot, however, was surprisingly enjoyable. Maybe it's that hint o cab? I think so. It has just enough tannins in it to make my mouth happy, but not too much. I love. You should try it too. 

Tastings are $15 and the fee is waived when you make a $30 purchase. Totally worth visiting and buying since the majority of their wine sales are in the winery and through the wine club. 

We actually ended our wine tastings with Peju (I know, two is kinda wimpy!) so we could squeeze in a trip to the outlets. You think I'm crazy, but it's totally worth it. I went with friends to the Napa Premium Outlets over Memorial Day weekend and the sales were INSANE. Naturally I pointed them out to my cousin on the drive up and we decided that we could totally swap some wineries out to accommodate some shopping. Presidents' Day sales, hello! Do yourself a favor and knock out some shopping AND wine tasting on your next trip to Napa :)

Longest bike ride to date!

Exactly how long is a long bike ride?

As a newbie coming from the world of running, it's tough to figure distances out. I know 10 miles of biking is not quite the same as 10 miles of running, but what's a long ride? You know, the equivalent of a weekend long run?

On Sunday Jamie and I set off for what I mapped out to be a 20 mile ride to ice cream. I learned why I took that spill the other weekend (apparently I missed the side of the street without the Muni tracks where I should have been riding) and we zoomed through the Panhandle and Golden Gate Park. Aside from a mini mapping fail on my part (I forgot the Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon was going on and we ran into a bunch of runners), we made it through the park a lot faster than expected!

We coasted along the Great Highway, enjoying the unseasonably warm weather, until we reached our final destination - Lake Merced.

Funny, it's not such a horrible trek when you're on a bike ;)

We parked ourselves on a sunny patch of grass

enjoyed a leisurely lunch, people watched, and I took random pictures.

After awhile, we decided ice cream just wasn't in the cards, so I came up with an impromptu route home...adding a little over a mile to our original route. Ah well. At least we were outside!

Check it out:

Total mileage: 21.1 - not too shabby!

Once we were home and clean, I decided I needed to whip up Ina Garten's Roasted Shrimp & Orzo. A friend made this for book club a couple weeks ago and I thought it was absolutely delicious.

I kinda threw it together without looking at the recipe and as it turns out, I was pretty close! I ended up poaching the shrimp instead of roasting them and I wish I had roasted them. I also subbed in a shallot instead of red onion and fat free feta because they didn't have the reduced fat kind I usually use. Note: full fat feta is totally necessary for this dish.

Springtime pasta in February

This wave of mild weather put me in an even bigger veggie mood than usual. For Jamie's farewell dinner, I combined some seafood I had in the freezer (a filet of cod and some shrimp) with a few springy vegetables and tomatoes to make a light sauce to top some angel hair pasta. Light, crisp and slightly spicy...perfect for this weather!

Springtime Seafood Pasta

1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 large cloves garlic, minced

4 tomatoes, chopped

2 tbsp white wine

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 c yellow squash, cut into thin half moons

1 c zucchini, cut into thin half moons

1/3 c tomato sauce

1 cod filet, cubed

15 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 tbsp basil, chopped

splash fish sauce

pinch brown sugar

salt & pepper

1/2 lb angel hair pasta, cooked according to package

parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a large pan and saute onions until they begin to soften. Add garlic and saute for about a minute before adding tomatoes. Cook tomatoes for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, add wine and red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes.

Add squash and zucchini and cook for 4-5 minutes. Stir in fish sauce and brown sugar. Add fish and shrimp and bring heat to medium low. Cook for another 3 minutes before adding tomato sauce, basil, salt and pepper. Let everything simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over pasta with a slight sprinkling of parmesan cheese.