Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/565574
ByJulieCross SpecialforDigitalFirstMedia It'stimeforkidstohead back to school and parents to a more regular routine. While some of us are al- ways super glad for fall, others are deeply saddened by the end of summer vaca- tion. That sadness reaches a peak at lunch time, when, instead of lobster rolls, ice cream and beer of some sort, we have the next in a seemingly endless stream of cheese sandwiches. I can't stop the end of summer vacation, but there are tons of great so- lutions for the lunchbox blues. Sandwiches are deli- cious, but mix up the bread choice now and then — try pita, whole grain tortillas or even hot dog buns cut into thirds for slider-sized sammies. Dips are also great, even for grownups — a 7 layer dip with whole grain chips is relatively healthy, and a delightful treat on a rough day. Spinach dip, provided it is more spinach than cream cheese, is another special treat. Serve it with carrot & celery sticks to up the vegetable count even more. Note, please, that this is good for adult lunch as well. You also need your vegetables. Fruit is nice, but hard to eat fruit is a disaster for a school lunch — send sliced fruit instead. Apple slices won't brown if dipped in a solution of honey and wa- ter, or core and slice, then spread cut sides with nut butter. Reassemble with the nut butter as glue, and use a rubber band to hold things together. Sunflower seed butter is a nice choice for nut-free classrooms. Salads are always good. When you get tired of a mixed green salad, try chopped veg and leftover grain salads — rice is al- ways good, but barley, am- aranth and quinoa are all great if you have leftovers around. Baked goods, particu- larly savory ones, are quick to put together on the week- end. Wrap individually and pop into the freezer so they stay fresh. These are a life- saver on those running-late mornings. This sandwich actually gets better as it stands, but be sure you use good sturdy bread so it doesn't fall apart. MediterraneanTuna Sandwich Serves:4 INGREDIENTS 1can water packed tuna, well drained ½ cup kalamata olives, pit- ted and quartered ½ cup roasted sweet pep- pers 1cup shredded lettuce ½ cup finely sliced red onion ¼ cup good olive oil 2Tbsp. balsamic vinegar ½ tsp. rice syrup 4rolls or buns (we use Alvarado Street hamburger buns) DIRECTIONS 1. Divide tuna between four buns. 2. Top with layers of olives, sweet peppers, lettuce and onion. 3. Mix together olive oil, vinegar and rice syrup; sprinkle liberally over sand- wich. 4. Place top on sandwich and press down. Best if allowed to stand for 15 minutes before serving. Speck's Spinach Dip (Based on a recipe by Cathy Speck) 1package frozen spinach, thawed & squeezed dry 1cup finely chopped fresh, raw spinach 1cup finely chopped fresh, raw kale ¼ cup mayonnaise ¼ cup sour cream ¼ cup cream cheese 1Tbsp. black pepper (or to taste) ½ lemon, squeezed 6Tbsp. chopped white onion (or to taste) 1-2cloves garlic, minced (or to taste) 1tsp. granulated garlic 1tsp. dried oregano 1tsp. dried thyme 1tsp. salt 1Tbsp. buttermilk powder Mix all ingredients together. Taste and adjust season- ings. Best if allowed to stand 1hour before serving. (Best also if you don't mention the fresh kale to children.) To make a main dish, add le over chicken or smoked tofu. Rice Salad INGREDIENTS 2cups uncooked rice 1tsp. salt 3Tbsp. balsamic vinegar 1Tbsp. soy sauce 1clove garlic ¼ cup olive oil ½ cup pecans ¼ cup golden raisins ½ cup chopped roasted bell peppers DIRECTIONS 1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1tsp. salt. Add the rice and cook until tender. 2. Drain and rinse immedi- ately with cold water. Let drain thoroughly. 3. Place vinegar, soy sauce and crushed garlic in a bowl. Whisk in olive oil a little at a time to form a dressing. 4. Mix rice, peppers, pecans and raisins. Add dressing a little at a time – you may not need all of it. 5. If you prefer, omit onions & c el e ry a nd a dd s we et pickles. The tofu adds a substantial amount of protein. LUNCHTIME SOLUTIONS Solving the lunchbox blues for both parents and kids By Tercius Bufete tbufete@norcaldesigncenter.com @terciusbufete on Twitter The devil is in the details. Last month, Chico Chai welcomed a new kettle ca- pable of brewing her con- coction 250 gallons at a time. It was a welcome sight for the chai micro-brew- ery's owner, Sarah Adams. This new kettle would allow them to better handle the growing demand for their slightly sweet, spicy blend in places like Sacramento, Grass Valley, Nevada City and the Bay Area. "At some point one batch wasn't enough, then I was making two, then we were making three and last win- ter we were making four-ish and sometimes more," Ad- ams said of the 60-gallon batches. "We were running out of days." However, their antici- pated brewing schedule was thrown for a loop when she realized that their current oversized spoon wasn't big enough to reach the bottom of the new kettle — so a new one had to be ordered. "We've been planning this expansion for a while. It's taken a while to get the right gear," Adams said. "You can't just call around and say 'Does anybody have a chai kettle?' and they'll be like 'What is chai? And no.' So you have to figure out what works for chai, what can I use from other man- ufacturers that will be in- terchangeable or that I can change slightly and make it useful for brewing chai. It's a lot of invention and a lot of adaptation." This catch-as-catch-can attitude may be the very foundation the masala chai company is built on. Adams' foray into her brewing business has been a long, simmering success story. Before settling in to their location on Park Ave- nue near downtown Chico, she began by co-opting the Guzzetti's Food and Cater- ing kitchen on Monday mornings. She was only a year out of college when she made her decision to forgo her wildlife-centric degree and job to pursue a career in the tea busi- ness. She recalls the diffi- culty of pitching her idea door-to-door in 2004 when the city's knowledge of the spiced tea remained mini- mal, at best. "I've never really been outgoing, I was never really a salesperson, but I believe in good ideas." Adams said. "I knew I had a good idea." Word got around about Adams and her spiced teas "grassroots-style," after lo- cal coffee shops and Chico Natural Foods began carry- ing her stuff. However, she would be the solo driving force behind Chico Chai for nearly eight years: mea- suring, grinding, brewing, packaging and hand-deliv- ering her creation. Nowa- days, this one-woman op- eration would not be possi- ble, when Chico Chai uses over 400 pounds of nut- meg, Adam's favorite spice, a year. When formulating her brew, she made sure to make a few little batches with varying amounts of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, nut- meg and star anise. She put them in mason jars and car- ried the spiced black teas around downtown, and like a census taker, gauged what flavors her would-be cus- tomers would enjoy by do- ing a blind taste test. Adams isn't hesitant to continue labeling her busi- ness as "small." In fact, she relishes the idea of the com- munity-driven, local brew- ing company. Given the choice, Adams says she'd prefer telling people about her "robust, lightly sweet, spicy" product in person. However, if things con- tinue to work out in the Bay Area, Chico Chai will probably need to start looking for an even bigger spoon. CHICO PHOTOS BY TERCIUS BUFETE — ENTERPRISE-RECORD Sarah Adams grinds cloves for her Chico Chai recipe at their location on Park Avenue near downtown Chico. A slow brewing success Downtown Chico's Naked Lounge is one of many coffee shops that carry Chico Chai. Needed: Saucepan Pot Kitchen strainer or cheese cloth Whisk Ingredients: 4cups of water 4tsp of Loose Leaf Red Chico Chai 2tbsp of sugar 11/2 tsp blackstrap molasses 1/3 cup pumpkin purée 1cup of milk Whipped cream and cinnamon/nutmeg (optional) Instructions 1. In a saucepan, heat water to a boil. 2. Add Loose Leaf Red Chico Chai, reduce to a simmer and cover for 20minutes. 3. Using a kitchen strainer or cheesecloth, strain the liquid into another pot. 4. Add the sugar and molasses and stir with a whisk until completely dissolved. 5. Add milk and return to stove, heating just until warmed. 6. Remove from heat and whisk in pumpkin purée until smooth. 7. Pour into a mug, top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg or cinnamon. CHICOCHAI'SPUMPKINPIECHAI I've never had luck grow- ing zucchini. But if you're overrun, here's a change-of- pace recipe for you. Zucchini-Potato Pancakes Serves 4 INGREDIENTS 4cups grated zucchini 1cup grated creamer or new potato 2eggs 2tablespoons chopped parsley 2teaspoons lemon zest Salt and pepper to taste 2tablespoons breadcrumbs 2tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 cup sour cream or yogurt (optional) DIRECTIONS 1. Grate zucchini and potato using the shredder side on a box grater. Let stand in a colander for at least 30minutes to drain. The pancakes will hold together better when well-drained. Salt generously. 2. In a bowl, beat egg, chopped parsley, and lemon zest. Add salt and pepper to taste. 3. Roll and squeeze zuc- chini/potato mixture in a tea towel to soak up moisture. Add breadcrumbs. Combine zucchini/potato mixture with egg mixture. Stir well. 4. Heat oven to 200 degrees. Place a foil-lined cookie sheet in there to keep pancakes warm as you make them. 5. Heat 13-inch skillet on medium-high heat. Melt the butter. When foam sub- sides, drop a scant quarter- cup of pancake mixture in. Pat it with a spatula and try to flatten it as much as possible so it will turn out crispy. 6. Cook two at a time until golden brown on each side. Place in oven to keep warm while you make additional pancakes. Serve as soon as possible, topped with a dol- lop of sour cream or Greek yogurt, if desired. —Donna Maurillo, Santa Cruz Sentinel RECIPEOFTHEWEEK FacebookPage 4,276fans + 10 this week .. and growing, every week! Daily News Facebook fans receive special posts of breaking news, sports, weather and road closures, clicking right to full stories and photos published on redbluffdailynews.com ... Tehama County's most-visited local website ... things that that fans want to know about, sooner rather than later! www.facebook.com/rbdailynews "LIKE" us at "Like" a story or item, leave a review, make a post on the site ... and more! 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