Dating in DC: Frickles for the Fourth of July

In the summer of 2008, while I was living/working in DC, Topher & I celebrated the 4th of July by renting bikes from a marina near my apartment in Arlington, VA, and riding the Mount Vernon Trail. The trail goes along the Potomac River, through the city of Alexandria, all the way to Mount Vernon Estate - a 24-mile round-trip route from where we started.

The weather that day was gorgeous; we could see clear across the river to Fort Washington in Maryland. We packed a picnic lunch, which we ate at the estate, and we stopped for ice cream at Ben & Jerry's in Alexandria on our way back.

That evening we both were exhausted and starving. In honor of Independence Day we decided to eat American: upscale Southern comfort food at Del Merei Grille in Alexandria.

What I Ate:

• frickles: lightly fried pickle chips with spiced remoulade
• shrimp and grits: andouille sausage, tomatoes, mushrooms, scallions, and cajun cream served over garlic cheese grits

The Scoop:

Del Merei Grille is located at 3106 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22305. Their dinner hours are M-R 5-9:30pm, F-Sat 5-10:30pm, Sun 5-9pm. They're also open for lunch T-F 11:30am-2pm. Reservations are recommended but not required and can be made by calling (703)739-4335.

Note: This place doesn't look like much from the outside - it's located in a nondescript shopping center and not in the cute downtown part of Alexandria - but the food is great, the atmosphere is relaxed, and the prices are pretty reasonable (for the DC area). The Indian place next door - Bombay Curry Company - is also excellent and offers an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet on Sundays.

Reading List for June 28 - July 2

FDA proposes limits on antibiotics use in animals
Check out the FDA's draft guidance. Read the New York Times article and op-ed.

Competition in American agriculture
The USDA & DOJ are focusing on competition in the dairy & poultry industries.
"Slaughterhouse rules: A fight looms over regulations for America’s meatpackers," from The Economist

Red Wine and Weight Control, from TIME
"Resveratrol, a plant compound in red wine, has been touted as the solution to everything from aging to obesity. Now, for the first time, it has shown potential as a weight-loss therapy in primates. In a French lab, taking resveratrol for a month helped six lemurs eat less, boost their metabolism and lose weight. (Previously, the effect had been studied only in rodents.) That doesn't mean gulping red wine will slim you down, but the findings support growing evidence of resveratrol's wide-ranging effects on the body."

Suffolk Spotlight: The Plaid Turnip

The past few weeks have been hectic for me and Topher. Two & a half weeks ago he went to England for work, but only for four days/three nights. While he was gone, I took a quick weekend trip to New York City.

The next weekend we went to visit my in-laws in North Carolina for Father's Day. As soon as we got home, Topher left for Ohio for two days for work, then as soon as he got back from that, we went to Richmond (again with my in-laws) for a Wednesday night cooking class.

Last weekend was my first as the sales coordinator for my church's community garden, so I was busy with that on Saturday & Sunday mornings. And this week has brought some scary medical emergencies for a friend here in Virginia and for my cousin in Georgia.

Needless to say, the laundry was piling up and the refrigerator was looking bare. In the midst of all the frenzy, I'm very thankful that Topher & I had scheduled a date night for last Saturday. We got a little dressed up and went out for dinner at a new restaurant in Suffolk: The Plaid Turnip.

The Plaid Turnip took over the space that used to be Pisces, a seafood restaurant where we went for Father's Day brunch two years ago. The new eatery has a diner-ish feel to it, offering what I would call "upscale comfort food": dishes such as pasta primavera, fried, grilled or blackened flounder, and pork tenderloin in port mushroom gravy. Most entrees come with your choice of two sides (almost a meat & three!), and the list includes cole slaw, pasta salad, seasonal greens, baked apples, and french fries. The appetizer menu also had a few fun things, like fried olives and bacon-wrapped jalapenos, that we'd like to try on future visits (yes, we'll be coming back).

What We Ate:

• To start - fried chicken livers with spicy dipping sauce - when I was little, I loved getting fried chicken livers for lunch at Morrison's cafeteria after church on Sundays with my grandparents; you don't see them on restaurant menus much anymore, but man, these were good!
• Me - 7 oz. flatiron steak topped with melted crumbled bleu cheese, served with steamed broccoli and sweet potato fries - I hadn't had steak in a while, and this one really hit the spot
• Topher - rack of ribs, served with sweet potato fries - the ribs weren't spicy or smoky, but they were tender & flavorful; the chef explained to us that he uses a dry rub, cooks them, uses a dry rub again ahead of time, then adds tomato-based barbecue sauce and grills them when they're ordered

It wasn't a fancy meal, but it was well done and the prices were very reasonable. The staff was great too: we were waited on by our buddy Chris (formerly at Primo 116), and the chef Ed Beardsley (very friendly and approachable) came out to our table to chat and answer Topher's questions about the menu. Another perk: the walls feature pieces from local artists.

The Scoop:

The Plaid Turnip is located at 115 North Main Street, Suffolk, VA 23434. They're open M-R 7am-9am, F-Sat 7am-10pm, and Sun 7am-3pm.

A Family Potluck and a Farewell to Norway

Last Friday Topher & I had a fun & relaxing evening with some of my extended family as we bid adieu to my cousin Chris, his wife Kimberly, and their kids Emeline & Gary, who are moving to Norway next month. They'll only be there for three years, but that's a long time, considering that Emeline will be in middle school when they come back!

Any time my family gets together like this, there's always a lot of people and a ton of food. Last Friday was no exception. My husband has taken to calling each of these gatherings "The Anderson Family Christmas Special," regardless of what holiday or event we're actually celebrating.

What We Ate:

• Grilled salmon with melon salsa
• Grilled London broil (see marinade recipe below)
• Surry sausages
• Grilled onions, red & yellow peppers, & eggplant
• Cucumber & red onion salad
• Sunny Summery Quinoa
• Cheesecake with strawberry topping
• Lime tart

My aunt Kay contributed the London broil, and her marinade is fantastic (and easy!): 3/4 cup of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic, a squirt of lemon juice, and ground black pepper to taste. Yum!

Ingredients: Quinoa

For weeks now, I'm been looking for a great quinoa salad recipe.

You might be asking, what the heck is quinoa? If so, don't feel bad - I hadn't heard of it either until two years ago, when Topher's cousin's wife Jenna served it to us with dinner.

According to the New York Times, "The tiny, ancient Peruvian seed, which has a mild, nutty flavor, is related to leafy green vegetables and is often used like a grain. Quinoa is as versatile as rice but it has a protein content that is superior to that of most grains, because it contains all the essential amino acids."

Quinoa is very easy to cook - 2 parts water/stock to 1 parts quinoa - and it's ready in ~15 minutes. It can be used like rice, couscous, or risotto: because of its mild flavor, you can add almost any vegetables to it to create a delicious dish.

Thus my search for a quinoa salad recipe. I wanted something that was light & summery, but also colorful & nutritious. My online research reveals recipes for ...

• Golden Sunshine Quinoa Salad (scallions, golden raisins, orange juice, & cucumbers)
• Cranberry Walnut Quinoa Salad (cranberries, green beans, walnuts, & green onions)
• Gluten-free Summer Quinoa Salad (cherry tomatoes, avocado, artichoke hearts, pine nuts, & capers)
• Warm Quinoa Salad with Shrimp & Asparagus (sun-dried tomatoes, red onion, shrimp, asparagus, green peas, & cashews)
• Warm Quinoa & Broccoli Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing
• Gluten-Free Quinoa Taco Salad

I even thought of coming up with my own recipe (broccoli florets, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, cannelini beans, & feta?) but I wasn't brave enough to try it.

So I turned to a cookbook: Patricia Green's Quinoa 365, and there I found a recipe for a Sunny Summer Salad.

Sunny Summer Salad

Ingredients
1 ½ cups water
¾ cups quinoa
2 cups finely diced zucchini
1 cup finely diced red bell pepper (about 1 pepper)
1 cup finely diced yellow bell pepper
1/3 cup sunflower seeds, roasted and unsalted (I couldn't find unsalted, so I just used roasted & salted seeds)
1/3 cup dried currants (I substituted raisins)
2 T minced fresh parsley
2 T minced fresh cilantro
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (1-2 lemons)
¼ cup olive oil1 tsp minced fresh garlic
½ tsp salt
A pinch each of cayenne pepper, ground cumin, and ground tumeric


Directions

1. Bring the water and quinoa to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce to a simmer, cover, & cook for 10 minutes.Turn the heat off but keep the saucepan covered on the burner for an additional 4 minutes.Remove the lid, fluff with a fork, and allow to cool.
2. Place the zucchini, red & yellow peppers, sunflower seeds, currants, parsley, and cilantro in a large bowl. Add the cooled quinoa.
3. Whisk the lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt, cayenne, cumin, and turmeric in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and gently toss until evenly distributed.

I was getting together with family for dinner last Friday, so I made this dish on Thursday afternoon, refrigerated it overnight, then let it warm up to room temperature just before serving. I also doubled the recipe, but I didn't have quite enough lemon juice to double the dressing, so it turned out a little dry. My husband suggested that it might have been better if it was made & eaten on the same day, so I'll try that next time.

Final verdict: easy to make, flavorful, & nutritious. I'll probably make this again but mess with the recipe -- fewer peppers, more dressing.

For an easy, delicious, & nutritious weeknight dinner, try Real Simple's Zucchini with Quinoa Stuffing. (I liked the stuffing so much that I took the leftovers to work the next day for lunch.)

For more info on quinoa, check out NPR's Quinoa: A Sacred, Super Crop.

For more info about other whole grains, check out NPR's Going with Whole Grains.

Reading List for June 21-25

As demand grows for locally raised meat, farmers turn to mobile slaughterhouses, The Washington Post

"The slaughtermobile—a stainless steel industrial facility on
wheels—is catching on across the country, filling a desperate need in a
burgeoning movement to bring people closer to their food. It is also perhaps one
of the most visible symbols of a subtle transformation at the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, long criticized for promoting big agribusiness. Under the Obama
administration and the 2008 farm bill passed by Congress, the USDA is shifting
attention to small and mid-size farms, encouraging organic and sustainable
agriculture, and investing in project to bring locally grown meat and produce to
consumers."

Taking the Toy out of the Happy Meal?
Some consumer advocacy groups are arguing that McDonald's shouldn't be allowed to use toys to market high-fat, high-sugar, high-sodium, high-calorie to children. McDonald's argues that the toys are part of the "a fun, family experience."

Check out the story on NPR. Check out the letter from the Center for Science in the Public Interest to McDonald's.

Santa Clara County, Calif., has already passed an ordinance banning toys in fast food meals that are high in calories.

Check out further analysis of the fast food industry from The Economist:
"The changes facing fast food: More than menus need to be revamped if fast-food firms want to keep growing"

"So far, fast-food firms have nimbly avoided government regulation. By providing healthy options, like salads and low-calorie sandwiches, they have at least given the impression of doing something about helping to fight obesity. ... In the future, simply offering a healthy option may not be good enough."

And finally, from the archives (Aug 2009), a TIME article that made me think: Getting Real about the High Price of Cheap Food.

New (Part-Time, Volunteer) Job

I'm so excited about an opportunity that I have to help out with a new ministry at our church: a community garden!

The garden was started this spring as part of WRPC's Hope for Suffolk mercy ministries. People from the church or the Suffolk community can volunteer to help weed, plant, and harvest; tools & seeds are provided/donated. The food grown in the garden will supplement WRPC's Food Bank. Folks that are unable to afford groceries will be able to come to the church, get a bag of non-perishable foods, and pick up some fresh veggies.

We'll also sell produce from the garden at the Suffolk Farmers' Market on Saturdays and at the church on Sundays throughout the summer, and my job is to serve as a sales coordinator.

Check out WRPC and the Community Garden on Facebook.