Today my family went on a day trip with some friends to the Chesapeake Bay, where we swam and collected sharks’ teeth in the sand.  On the drive home, Andrew and I wanted a little pick-me-up.  Most of the places we passed were closed for the holiday, but we passed a McDonald’s that was open, so we pulled into the drive-thru.  Now we almost never go to fast food places and I guess we haven’t taken the kids to many drive-thrus, because after we ordered our coffee and some fries for the kids from the disembodied voice through the speaker, Celia asked, “How do we get the food out?”  We laughed our heads off as we drove around to the pick-up window.

As I write in this week’s newsletter, Celia, who recently turned 10, decided to become a vegetarian 2 or 3 weeks ago.  We’re adjusting pretty smoothly to this change at home, but I know this is easier for us than for many families because I was a vegetarian in the past and because we only cook with meat once or twice a week. 

For others, the transition isn’t so smooth, if they allow it to happen at all.  I spoke to a friend yesterday who said her daughter wanted to become a vegetarian and she told her that she would have to make all of her own meals because they weren’t changing their diet.  Another friend told her 10 year old daughter no because she felt it would be too much of an inconvenience and possibly unhealthy for her daughter. 

Do you have a family member who doesn’t eat meat, and if so, how do you accomodate them, if at all?  I’d love to hear your advice, too, for making sure my daughter gets the right nutrients in her diet.

If you try this recipe, please add your feedback, because it hasn’t gone through my testing process yet.  We loved it, but I’m not certain about the measurements.  Also, what would you serve it with, as a main course.  I served it as a side dish for fish, but it’s a litle involved for a side dish for a regular weeknight meal. 

Quinoa Pilaf with Baby Spinach and Roasted Mushrooms

Prep + Cook = 30 minutes

4 servings ( or is it 6?)

I’m always looking for creative new preparations for quinoa, which is a phenomenally healthy whole grain.  This has loads of texture and flavor and is a filling main or side dish.  Serve it with diced cantaloupe and whole grain bread. 

½ cup balsamic vinegar, divided

¼ cup olive oil, divided

2 portobello mushroom caps, stems and gills removed, and cut into quarters

½ red onion, cut into 3 thick slices

8 oz. cherry tomatoes

1 ½ cups quinoa

½ tsp. salt + additional for serving

1/8 tsp. black pepper, for serving

6 – 9 oz. baby spinach

¼ cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

¼ - ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, to taste

Preheat the broiler, setting the rack about 4 inches from the heating element.  In a measuring cup, whisk together the oil and vinegar.  In a large serving bowl, toss the mushrooms and onions gently with the oil and vinegar mixture, reserving 1/8 cup of the dressing.  Transfer the mushrooms and onions to a large rimmed baking sheet.  Broil them for 15 minutes, flipping them once.  After about 10 minutes, add the tomatoes to the baking sheet with the other vegetables and continue broiling them until the tomatoes are softened and the onions and mushrooms are nicely browned. 

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the quinoa, 3 cups water and the salt.  Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. 

Put the spinach and parsley in the large serving bowl that you used to toss the mushrooms and onions.  When the vegetables and quinoa are done, pour them right on top of the spinach, and toss it to wilt the spinach.  Stir in the reserved oil and vinegar, season it with salt and black pepper, if desired, and top it with the Parmesan cheese.  Serve it immediately. 

Although the tone’s a little strident, I agree with the sentiments in this letter published in the Washington Post yesterday, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/13/AR2009051303471.html. 

I particularly like this paragraph, “Eating out costs a lot more money, consumes more time than preparing simple meals and sets children up for bad eating and spending habits.  there is a definite link between the rise in health problems in children, the debt problems of their parents and the ‘I don’t have time to cook’ outlook.”

We Scramblers know that once we have a simple plan for meals, we can shop once a week and spend less than half an hour getting healthy and delicious meals on the table.  Like the letter writer, Maryanne Kendall, I find it easier to cook simple meals, once I have the ingredients, than to go out to dinner most nights.  Althought I must admit that if I cook all week, I enjoy going out once on the weekends, either alone with Andrew or with the kids. 

Do you find it easier to cook at home or go out, and which do you find healthier?  Let me know by posting your comment below.

Mark Bittman, who writes “The Minimalist” column for the New York Times, and is one of my favorite cookbook authors, wrote a column last week all about getting the most use out of your freezer and your food budget.  A couple of subscribers suggested that I share it on the Scramblog, so here is a link to MB’s article:  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/dining/06mini.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

One challenge I have:  balancing my desire to reduce energy consumption and my need to use freezer space efficiently.  Last year we unplugged our extra refrigerator and freezer.  I found we weren’t using that space efficiently, because it was a pain to remember what we had in the basement and incorporate it into meals, so it wasn’t worth the energy consumption.  However, our small freezer in the kitchen does get pretty packed.  This gives me an incentive to make sure and use what’s in there before buying more, but sometimes I hesitate to freeze leftovers because there’s no space in the freezer. 

This week I am challenging myself to incorporate foods in the freeer into at least 2 dinners, and to make sure I’m on top of what’s in there. 

I hope you enjoy Mark Bittman’s advice.

In the spring of 2010,

As the daffodils are blooming,

The asparagus shoots are peeking out of the ground,

And the earth is preparing itself for another fruitful season,

One more spring baby will be making its first appearance:  The new Six O’Clock Scramble cookbook will be hitting bookstores across the country. 

The first draft, with more than 200 new main course recipes and lots of other juicy tidbits and tips for Scrambling families, is already in the publisher’s hands. 

But now we need your help to come up with just the right title to capture what makes this cookbook uniquely appealing. 

Our working title has been “The Six O’Clock (Sustainable) Scramble” to highlight our emphasis on this book’s easy and healthy seasonal recipes for families that care about the earth almost as much as they care about their family dinners.   While we like this title, we don’t think it’s quite right, especially to reach out to thousands of new families that aren’t yet familiar with The Six O’Clock Scramble website, cookbook, or name. 

So I turn to you, Six O’Clock Scramblers, for your feedback and creativity.  Please submit your ideas for a catchy or clever cookbook title to betsy@thescramble.com. 

Contestants, please note: 

1.  The new title does not have to have The Six O’Clock Scramble name in it-we’ll be sure to get that on the cover of the book. 

2.  You can send as many entries as you like-there is no limit. 

3.  The Top 5 entries as chosen by Six O’Clock Scramble judges will get autographed copies of the cookbook and a basket of assorted goodies from the following great companies:

• Blue Avocado Reusable Grocery Bag System (http://www.blueavocado.com/)
• Kim & Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels (http://www.kimandscotts.com/)
• Sabra hummus for your next gathering (www.sabra.com)
• Daily Sun Defense SPF15 Lotion from Earth Essentials (http://www.earthessentials.com/)
• A Suzy Homemaker Apron from The Organized Parent (http://www.theorganizedparent.com/)
• A Toddler Bistro Box from Baby Bistro (http://www.babybistrobrands.com/)
• Gourmet Guatemalan coffee from Café Xinca (www.cafexinca.com)
• POM wonderful pomegranate juice (www.pomwonderful.com) 
• All natural snacks from Snikiddy (http://www.snikiddy.com/)
• All natural baking mixes from Cherrybrook Kitchen (www.cherrybrookkitchen.com)
• Voots, a brand new supplement for children that provides a full day’s serving of fruits and vegetables in two candy-like tarts (www.eatyourvoots.com)
• My sincere gratitude and the satisfaction of knowing you helped name a new book!

 Please submit your entries via email to betsy@thescramble.com by May 15, 2009.

(Below is an excerpt from the book’s introduction so you can better understand the theme before you get your creative juices flowing.)

From the upcoming Six O’Clock Scramble cookbook by Aviva Goldfarb (St. Martin’s Press, 2010):

The Scramble takes the “thinking” out of meal planning, saving us time, money, and stress.  The system succeeds where others fail because it is SUSTAINABLE.  In other words, it works so easily that we are motivated to keep it up in our own lives and share it with others.

But the Scramble is more than just an organizational aid.  Several years ago I realized that The Scramble is also a great way for us to help the environment while also helping ourselves and our families (thus adding another twist on the sustainable nature of The Scramble).  By shopping with a plan once a week, we are using fewer resources because we are driving less and wasting less food, and using fewer of those awful plastic or Styrofoam takeout containers that are used once and then thrown away, taking up space in landfills for hundreds or thousands of years. 

 The Scramble’s recipes also feature many meatless meals which reduce our impact on the environment because of the high environmental costs of eating meat.  What’s more, The Scramble’s recipes use primarily sustainable fish that is also healthier and safer for us to eat. 

 As someone who treasures both delicious and healthy food and the environment, I have also joined forces with the millions of people across the world that are committed to eating more seasonal and local food.  I have realized that by eating more foods that are in season where (or near where) we live, we can enjoy better flavor, support our local farmers and food-related businesses, and reduce our impact on the environment by eating more foods that come from our own regions and fewer that have to travel across the world to get to our dinner tables.

 Like me, I’m sure you have a very full life, and don’t have a lot of time to think about dinner, let alone make it.  This book is for people who want to make easy, healthy and delicious dinners for our families, dinners that we don’t even have to think about until 6:00 most days, and dinners that we can feel great about serving to our families because they are true to our own values. 

 Happy (Sustainable) Scrambling! 

Aviva Goldfarb