Gleanings of the Week Ending September 29, 2012

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles I read this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article:

Speaking of Science: September 2012′s selection of notable quotes

Gender Bias when Hiring Scientists - Both male and female researchers are less likely to hire a female candidate than a male candidate with the same experience.

Pictures: Fire "Tornado" Spotted—How Do They Form? - from National Geographic

Flatworld Knowledge Catalog - online that textbooks that can be read online for free

Chia Seeds - more ideas from VegKitchen on incorporating chia seeds into your diet every day

Cloud Collector’s Reference - from the Cloud Appreciation Society

Lighter-than-air craft rise again - made possible by advances in materials and computer control systems…potential for transporting freight, big enough to be a hotel, casino or spa

Snacking Outside the Box - geared to children…but these are good for adults too

Of Frogs and Embryos - micrographs that could be art

Chip Kidd: Designing books is no laughing matter. OK, it is. - Book cover designs you’ll recognize and how they came into being

Recipe of the Week - Chia Seeds

Early this year I read an article about chia seeds and decided to give them a try. I was initially motivated by their impressive nutritional properties. Fiber, oil, protein, vitamins and minerals….chia seeds could easily be viewed as a ‘super-food.’ Incorporating at least 1 tablespoon a day, and sometimes 2, into my diet has been surprisingly easy. They form a gel-like slurry in water and can be easily combined with many other foods. Here are the ways I have used them so far:

• 1 tablespoon of chia seeds in a glass of herbal tea or lemon water (letting it stand for 15 minutes before consuming using a straw to swirl the seeds and slurp). This has become my standard ‘breakfast’ every morning. I thought I might get tired of it but changing the liquid the seeds get hydrated in has provided enough variety.
• Using the last bit of creamy salad dressing in the bottle. I added milk to the bottle and shook it to blend the dregs of dressing and milk before pouring both into a small bowl. I added 1/2 tablespoon chia seeds to thicken the dressing and a few sprinkles of Mrs. Dash. After letting it sit for 10 minutes, I stirred in up and used on a salad.
• Muffins. I always substitute a tablespoon of chia seeds for a tablespoon of flour. It adds nutrition plus makes any muffin less crumbly.
• Stir fry sauce. I like orange juice and zest, fresh ginger, 1 tablespoon chia seeds…with enough herbal tea to make the consistency right as the gel forms (and assuming some liquid will be lost as it is poured over the stir fry in the last segment of cooking).
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds cooked with 1/4 cup oatmeal for breakfast. I liked this combination so much that I used less sugar than with plain oatmeal and needed no butter at all! It works best to let the seeds, oatmeal, and water sit in the pan for 5 minutes or so before beginning to heat (gives the chia seeds time to start hydrating). Round up on the amount of water if you want a creamy consistency!

There are lots of other chia seed recipes available. My favorite site is http://www.chiaseedrecipes.com/

Recipe of the Week: Kiwi Coconut Muffins

2 kiwis peeled and pulse processed in a food processor
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)
1 teaspoons powdered egg whites
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 cup agave nectar or 3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup +2 tablespoons tea or water
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray muffin tins to prevent sticking.

Whisk dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, soda, chia seeds, and coconut) in a large bowl.

In a large measuring cup, whisk agave nectar, tea, oil, vanilla, and egg.

Combine together in large bowl (i.e. add wet ingredients, and kiwi to the dry ingredients) until all ingredients are moistened.

Fill tins 3/4 full.

Bake until the muffins are browned and/or inserted toothpick is clean when removed.

Remove from muffin pans to cool.

Note: Adding 1 tablespoon chia seeds makes for a moister muffin. This addition can be made to just about any muffin recipe - adding a nutritional boost.

Recipe of the Week: Lemony Chia Seed Muffins

1 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup bread crumbs
3 tablespoons chia seeds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup honey
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and spray muffin tins with non-stick spray.

Combine the flour, chia seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and lemon zest in a large bowl.

In a separate large bowl, combine the oil and honey. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in the milk, lemon juice, vinegar, and lemon extract.

Pour into the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

Pour into the prepared muffin tins and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack.

Notes:

• If you don’t have bread crumbs, use whole wheat flour. I’m making bread crumbs with my food processor rather than throwing stale bread away these days so I always have a container of bread crumbs in the refrigerator. Replacing 1/3 the flour with bread crumbs makes for a slightly chewy muffin.
• The chia seeds will almost totally dissolve as the muffins cook. I had originally thought these would have the look of lemon poppy seed muffins but they don’t. They are very moist with the extra oil from the chia seeds. I enjoyed these muffins without butter or cream cheese. Next time I make them I'll probably reduce the olive oil to 1/4 cup.
• I made my own lemon zest by cutting off the skin of lemon is was going to use for the juice and processing it into small bits in the food processor (see blog on making orange zest).
• I used a fancy form pan to make mini-muffins. They were about two bites each.

A Surprise in Every Day

The old proverb for physical health

'an apple a day keeps the doctor away'

has a parallel saying for creative/mental health which goes

'a surprise a day makes for an interesting life.'

What I mean by that is that if your life has a few things that are unexpected you will never be bored for long.  Make an effort to notice anything that is different than you expect. It will 

• Increase your focus on the present
• Prompt associations which lead to
  • Creative bursts - sometimes extreme
  • Memories of similar situations
  • Linkages that are new to you
• Open another path into the future 

Here are a few of my recent 'surprises' - 

• I discovered that the panel below the sink in my bathroom actually opens up and there is a bin there for toothpaste and other sundries. I’ve lived in the house for over 15 years and had never used it! I promptly put some things that had been on the counter into the new found space.
• Chia seeds. I remembered the chia pets from years ago but was surprised when I read a about the seeds being edible and highly nutritious. I’m now trying a tablespoon a day for a month. The second surprise was how good they taste even just rehydrated in water. Will they work as a substitute for poppy seeds in muffins? Hmm…an experiment for another day.
• At the grocery store I noticed that there were only 2 types of people shopping at mid-morning on a Friday: the group about my age that was leisurely shopping and parents with children that had come in for a single purpose. There were several surprises in that observation:
  • Why weren’t the children in school? (I found out later that it was a day off between quarters for some schools)
  • Are there more people like me (happily and newly free of the M-F work week) than I realized?
• As I drove through the light rain this morning, I thought about how much like dusk is looked with the thick clouds and the trees in silhouette. The surprise as I scanned the scene was a hawk in the top of a tall tree. I’m happy that hawks are around in the area where I live; I enjoy having the rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks too; it’s good to have the balance. 

Have your enjoyed your moments of serendipity today?