Cooking Inspiration + Spring Risotto with Ramps and Pan-Seared Scallops

People always ask me how I learned how to cook, and I have found that I don't really have an easy answer. Sure, I watched my mom and my grandma cook, enjoyed programs on the Food Network, and followed some recipes here and there, but that's not really how I learned.

For me, the pairing of flavors, choices of textures, and addition of spices is innate. I'd like to say once you start cooking, you'll have it all figured out, but I can't say that for everyone. But what I can say is that you'll start to learn, and if you're like me, you'll start to take inspiration from recipes. While I am not too fond of following recipes ingredient by ingredient, or by exact amount, I do love to get inspiration from other people's creations, and this comes from reading, watching, and experimenting (and also eating).


While it's easier for me to make dishes on my own now, there was a time when I wasn't so confident and needed some guidance. So I thought it would be a nice idea for me to share my favorite food sites to give you all a taste of what inspires me and what hopefully will inspire you.

Food Sites:

• Food Gawker- Great for healthy and non-healthy food alike. I like to click the healthy tag, but I also like to type in an ingredient I have and browse all the recipes that include it. The site also redirects you to the blog the recipe originated from, so it's great for discovering new blogs. 
• Pinterest- Love scrolling through the food section here. Just repin or click like to save!
• Health Magazine- One of my favorite magazines, with great healthy tidbits and recipes.

Blogs

• Smitten Kitchen
• Cookie & Kate
• Sprouted Kitchen
• Brooklyn Supper

Feel free to comment some of your favorites! I'd love to hear.

Today I've also included a dish featuring some in-season, spring produce, featuring ramps! For those of you who don't know, ramps are part of the onion and leek family, and they have a flavor similar to garlic. Restaurants on the East Coast go crazy for them when ramp season rolls around, and the demand is high as they are only available in the spring. On my way home through the Union Square Greenmarket a few days ago,  I grabbed some while they were still available, and thank goodness I did because they don't disappoint!

 Spring Risotto with Ramps and Pan-Seared Scallops

Ingredients

1/2 cup uncooked barley

1 1/2 cup chicken broth or water

3-4 small stalks of asparagus

3-4 white button mushrooms

4-5 ramps

1/4-1/2 cup onions, chopped

1 clove of garlic

3 scallops

Splash of olive oil

1/2 lemon

Parmesan cheese

1. Start cooking the barley in a small pot. Follow instructions on the package, but in general use 3 cups of liquid to 1 cup of barley. Boil, and then simmer for around 40 minutes.

2. Chop your vegetables. Trim the end of the ramps, but leave the rest intact. Finely chop the garlic. 

3. In a pan, heat up some olive oil and sauté vegetables and garlic, but not the ramps. When finished, add to the barley, which should be almost cooked.

4. Sauté the ramps for 2 minutes.

5. At this point the risotto should be close to done. I set my ramps on the plate because they were done before, but when barley mix is cooked, top with the ramps. 

6. Heat up a tiny bit more of olive oil for the scallops. Cook about 2-3 minutes on each side. 

7. Add scallops atop the barley and ramps.

8. Squeeze lemon and grate Parmesan cheese to taste. 

The Wonderful World of Savory Oatmeal

I'm sure you've all eaten oatmeal before, whether it be covered in strawberries or sprinkled with chocolate chips. But there's more to oatmeal that you probably don't know...it tastes amazing prepared savory.

I know it sounds odd, but it's only because we are so used to preparing oatmeal sweet. Oats don't have a naturally sweet flavor, just like rice or any other grain, and they can be prepared the same way you would a rice dish, using predominantly salty flavors. Now that I've discovered this trick, I've been making savory oatmeal for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's a quick healthy meal!

Why using oats is a healthy choice:

• Contains no arsenic like rice does
• Lowers your cholesterol/helps prevent heart disease
• High in fiber
• Keeps you full, stabilizes your blood sugar levels, and controls your appetite hormones
• Great for weight loss

Savory Oatmeal Recipes:

Mexican: Just substitute the oatmeal for rice. Use beans, cheese, tomatoes or salsa, avocado and hot sauce, and top with Greek Yogurt as a substitute for sour cream.

Gooey "Pasta": Sometimes I use oatmeal when I'm craving a big bowl of pasta. I'll put in the vegetables and greens I usually put into my pasta (spinach, arugula or kale) along with zucchini, mushrooms, and onions with some tomato sauce and parmesan cheese. I'll add some Greek Yogurt to this too, just as I do with my pasta, to add some protein filled creaminess.

"Canadian" Breakfast: Instead of Canadian bacon, I use chicken apple sausage, and I top the dish with cheddar cheese, and a (small) splash of maple syrup. If you are feeling adventurous, you can chop up some green onion and throw it in for a more savory flavor. This dish is a great mix of sweet and savory, inspired by a cool oatmeal bar in Greenwich Village called Oatmeals.

I've made these three in the past few weeks, but you can play around! Think of the flavors you like together, and mix them with oatmeal. Make a Caprese with tomatoes, homemade pesto and some mozzarella cheese and balsamic vinegar. Or substitute oatmeal for rice and make a garlic mushroom "risotto." The options are endless!

Garlic Lemon Italian Style Oatmeal "Risotto"

Ingredients:

Chopped onions

Chopped garlic, 2 cloves (or to taste)

Chopped tomato

Chopped mushroom

Arugula

Grated parmesan cheese

1/2 small lemon, to squeeze

Oatmeal 

(I used Old Fashioned oats, which was actually really good, but if you want more of a fine risotto texture, use steel cut, which take a bit longer to cook)

 1. Heat up your oatmeal first, whether it be in the microwave (quickest and easiest for old-fashioned) or in the pot (best for steel-cut. I bought the quick cook kind, which saves lots of time).

2. While your oatmeal is cooking, chop up your vegetables. Then sauté in a pan with some olive oil.

3. Once your vegetables are cooked, either pour them into your oatmeal and mix, or pour the oatmeal into the pan with the rest of the ingredients. Sometimes it's nice to add the oatmeal to the pan so that the vegetables mix more thoroughly and so that any flavor that is sitting in the pan gets absorbed by the oatmeal.

4. Grate your parmesan cheese. Squeeze the lemon into your oatmeal, and top/mix with parmesan cheese.

Hope you become a savory oatmeal convert, and let me know if you think of any creative combos!