Bad buckwheat

I had no idea what buckwheat tasted like, until I made these buckwheat pancakes. I hated them with all my heart. Buckwheat has a really strong taste -- probably an acquired taste for those who like it -- with some lovely dirt and dust undertones. It is extremely healthy, however, and gluten-free, which is important for some people.

This recipe was a cute-looking one found in my daughter's Mother Goose cookbook. It called for half buckwheat flour and half white flour. I wonder if they would have been tolerable with just a fourth buckwheat? I'm almost crazy enough to try it.

THE RECIPE:

1/2 c. sifted white flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 c. unsifted buckwheat flour
2 eggs
1/4 c. melted and cooled butter
1 c. buttermilk

In medium bowl, mix white flour with salt, baking powder, soda and sugar. Stir in buckwheat flour. In a small bowl, combine eggs, cooled butter and buttermilk. Add to dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Batter should be lumpy. Heat an oiled griddle or skillet to medium. Pour 4-inch rounds of batter onto skillet and cook until bubbles form on surface and edges become dry. Turn and cook until nicely browned on underside. Eat, and try not to gag.

Health food

This is the way my cousin eats a tuna fish "sandwich" -- inside a raw bell pepper. She really loves it. I thought we'd give it a try with the peppers from our garden. I'm sorry to say that my husband thought our meal tasted like grass. My 4-year-old had a few bites, so she must have thought it was fine. I thought it was OK -- it definitely tasted healthy -- but maybe a red pepper would have been more to my liking. If you are a fan of raw peppers (maybe you are someone who puts them on veggie trays) you will like this.

THE RECIPE:

2 cans tuna fish, drained
Mayonnaise
Splash of lemon juice
Salt and pepper
2 whole bell peppers

Mix tuna with your desired amount of mayo, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Slice bell peppers in half. Remove seeds and membranes. Spread tuna mixture into bell pepper halves.

More pork

I got this recipe for apricot-glazed pork chops from the newspaper. We were kind of disappointed with the result. The blame lies with both me and the recipe. First, the recipe called for low-sodium soy sauce, and I used regular. My sauce was way too salty. Second, we could barely taste the apricot. Pretty sad for a dish named after the fruit. The recipe might be worth some experimentation, though. Let me know if you give it a shot.

THE RECIPE:

4 pork chops* (I used boneless, but bone-in works)
1/3 c. low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 c. whole-fruit apricot preserves
3 Tbsp. ketchup
2 cloves garlic, minced

Brown chops in skillet, then place in slow cooker. Coat with sauce. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

*The recipe says chops that are about 1-inch thick are best suited for slow cooking.

A real patty pooper

"I don't know what I'm going to do with these patties," Marie says.

Geez. We have like 12 Lentil-Rice Patties left, meaning our first recipe for this blog was a flop. But that's why we're here: to warn you.

Don't bother with this recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

Our goal here was a noble one: to try something new, different from the norm. We thought it would be nice to incorporate lentils into our lives.

Our apologies to the Vegans out there, because we're pretty sure this is stuff you eat all the time.

THE RECIPE:

1 14-ounce can chicken broth
3/4 c. water
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/3 c. uncooked regular brown rice
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c. brown lentils, rinsed and drained
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans
1 c. regular rolled oats
2 slightly beaten egg whites
1/4 c. snipped fresh basil or 2 tsp. dried basil, crushed
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chopped walnuts or almonds, toasted

In medium saucepan, combine broth, water, onion, rice, red pepper and garlic. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 20 minutes. Stir in lentils. Simmer, covered, 25 minutes more. Remove from heat.

Add garbanzo beans. Use potato masher to mash mixture. Stir in oats and let stand 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine egg whites, basil Worcestershire sauce and salt. Add to lentil mixture. Stir in nuts.

Coat skillet with nonstick spray. Heat to medium. Place 1/3 cup mixture onto hot skillet and flatten to a half-inch thick. Cook until light brown, turning once.

Serve patties with chopped tomatoes and sour cream if desired. (But why you would desire any of this we can't imagine. If you do desire, we have plenty of patties to go around.)