Edamame Dumplings

Guess what? Spring is on its way! (I literally smiled when I typed out that sentence.)

Birds are chirping in the mornings, the sun stays in the sky a tiny bit longer each afternoon, and that large mound of snow by the bus stop has melted down to a small mass of blackened ice and cinders.

March is always an exciting time of year -- new projects, new plans, new wardrobe, and let's not forget about those lovely tax returns. Soon everything will be budding and green and sunny and happy. Okay, maybe those are just my high hopes, but I certainly have a good feeling about this year. I can hardly wait until I don't have to wear socks or tights anymore.

In order to urge spring to move a little faster, I made a fresh dish of edamame dumplings from my favorite Sprouted Kitchen cookbook (by the way, if you don't have this book, you need buy it immediately). These dumplings require a good amount of prep time, but they are absolutely delicious and taste healthy and fresh. Plus, who doesn't love dumplings and soy sauce??

Poached Egg with Red Quinoa and Microgreens

I have some good news, everybody. I learned how to successfully poach an egg! Huzzah! You probably think it's ridiculous that I am so excited, but I don't care. Learning how to cook doesn't always mean following a recipe or instructions, and it certainly doesn't always mean getting it right on the first try. Learning from my mistakes has taught me many lessons in the kitchen (and outside the kitchen, I suppose).

On my first attempt, the water temperature was too hot which caused the egg to cook too quickly. The whites didn't stick together and the yolk was fully cooked by the time I pulled it out. My second try was much better. After reading some tips from Smitten Kitchen I decided to use a smaller pan (for one egg a big pot is way too much room), I also added a splash of vinegar to the water, and turned the heat down so that the water was forming bubbles on the bottom of the pan. When pouring the egg into the pan, I made sure to create a mini whirlpool so that the whites wrapped around the yolk. See on the far right how my egg looks blurry? It's spinning! Cook the egg for three and a half minutes to create a runny yolk and four minutes for a non-runny yolk.