Fermenting Kimchi

After attending the Boston Fermentation Festival last September, I've had fermentation fever! Benefits of fermented foods abound. Fermented foods provide beneficial bacteria, preserve and sometimes enhance the nutrients in foods, and more.

Lately I have enjoyed making (and eating) kimchi. Kimchi is a traditional fermented Korean vegetable dish, often made with napa cabbage and red pepper. One great aspect about homemade kimchi is that you can make it exactly how you like it. Kimchi is also rather easy to make, once you get the hang of it. Here is the kimchi recipe that I have been using recently, from the book Real Food Fermentation by Alex Lewin. (A book that I contributed writing to!) This is an abbreviated version of Lewin's kimchi recipe, with my minor modifications. More details on making kimchi can be found in Real Food Fermentation.

The fermentation literature, and
Napa Trilogy Kimchi by Benjamin Green and Sean Kushi
(Photo courtesy of Sean Kushi)

Kimchi Recipe

From Real Food Fermentation by Alex Lewin

Yield: Approximately 1 quart, or 2 pounds

Prep time: 10 minutes + overnight + 20 minutes

Total time: 5 days

Ingredients and equipment:

• 1/3 cup coarse salt
• 2 cups nonchlorinated water
• 2 pounds vegetables: napa cabbage, plus optional mustard greens, bok choy, daikon, etc.
• 1/2 head garlic
• 1 large or 2 small onions
• 1 piece (1/2 inch, or 13 mm) ginger root
• Up to 1/2 cup Korean red pepper powder, chopped or ground red peppers, or pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce (optional)
• a few scallions or a length of Korean "long onion" (which is, more or less, a mature scallion)
• 2 pint wide-mouth mason jars

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, dissolve the salt in the water to make a brine.
2. Cut up any or all of the 2 pounds of vegetables. Quarter the leafy bunches of vegetables, or cut them into 1-inch square pieces. Slice the cabbage core and include as much or as little as you like. Peel the root vegetables, and cut them into thin diagonal slices, 1 inch or so long. 

   

   Kimchi vegetables, ready to be brined

3. Put the cut vegetables into the brine and mix, using clean hands. The brine makes the vegetables more malleable. Cover the bowl to keep it free of foreign objects. After 6 hours or so (or overnight), drain the vegetables thoroughly in a colander. Taste them. They should be salty, but not unpleasantly so. If they are unpleasantly salty, rinse them or soak them in fresh nonchlorinated water, taste them again, and repeat until you are satisfied. Set them aside. 
4. Peel the garlic and the onions. Peel the ginger (the edge of a spoon works nicely).
5. Blend the onions, garlic, and ginger in a food processor, adding enough water to allow them to blend. (Or mix them with a mortar and pestle, or chop them finely with a knife).
6. Add the red pepper, sugar, and fish sauce, if using, to the combination from step 5, adding just enough water to keep things blending into a paste.  



Making the red pepper paste

(Photo courtesy of Sean Kushi)

7. Cut the scallions diagonally into 1-inch lengths, add them to the paste, and mix the paste with a wooden spoon.
8. Move the drained vegetables into a large bowl, and mix them with the seasoning paste using the spoon. Taste the kimchi. If it is not salty enough, add more salt now and stir. 



Kimchi vegetables with the red pepper paste

9. Pack the kimchi tightly into the Mason jars, leaving 1 inch of space at the top. Try to pack it down well enough to squeeze out most of the air bubbles along the side of the jar. Close the jar. 
10. Leave the jar on the counter at room temperature for a few days. Taste it every day or two. It should start to taste a bit "wild." When you like the way it tastes, put it in a cool cellar or a refrigerator to store, or bury it in the ground. The cooler the temperature, the slower the subsequent fermentation.

My tips:

• As a warning, kimchi is especially smelly as it ferments! You may want to ferment your kimchi in a cupboard if you have the space to.
• The vegetables will shrink as they soak in the brine. I would not recommend adding more salt brine than what is listed in the recipe. Otherwise, the kimchi may turn out too salty.
• Make the red pepper paste according to taste. For example, I do not like my red pepper paste too oniony, so I use less onion than called for in the recipe.

Enjoy kimchi with rice or noodles, or check out some of these kimchi serving suggestions from Serious Eats.

Happy fermenting!

Tastes of Summer Kimchi
Featuring vegetables from Waltham Fields Community Farm

Recipe: Pickled Celeriac

Ever since I first had celery root pickles at the restaurant Taberna de Haro, celeriac has become my new favorite pickle! I have made many batches of pickled celeriac since, as a cook at Taberna de Haro last year and at home.

-Pickled celery root and beets-

Pickling celeriac with beets gives it a nice purple color

Here I want to share with you my recipe to make celeriac refrigerator pickles, which was published in my town newspaper, the Lexington Minuteman, for the Lexington Farmers' Market. Celery root is in season right now, so it is the perfect time to make these pickles. There are a few more weeks left for the Lexington Farmers' Market for this season, or find celery root at another local farmers market near you.

Celery root

Celeriac to appear at the market

By Annabelle Ho

Published Thursday, September 12, 2013

Celeriac, also known as celery root, was one of my favorite vegetables to weed at the farm last summer, no joke. Celery root contains plenty of fiber, as well as vitamin B6, vitamin K, potassium, phosphorous, and more. Although celeriac may be unfamiliar, there are many ways to cook this versatile vegetable.  The leaves and stems of celeriac can be used just like celery.  Celeriac can be eaten raw and grated into salads, or fermented.  Celery root can also be cooked, such as in soup or roasted with other root vegetables. A celeriac puree is a great alternative to mashed potatoes. However, one of my favorite ways to prepare celeriac is to make celery root pickles. Celeriac is delicious pickled, although this pickling recipe can be used with other vegetables as well. Look for celeriac at the Lexington Farmers' Market to arrive fresh from the farms in a week or so. 

Celeriac Refrigerator Pickles

Ingredients:

1 medium celeriac (about 1 ¼ pounds)

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup sugar

1 cup distilled white vinegar

1 cup water

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds

½ teaspoon whole allspice berries

2 bay leaves

2 whole cloves

Directions:

1. Cut off the bottom and top of the celeriac. Peel the celery root and cut into thick matchsticks.
2. Add all of the ingredients except for the celeriac in a pot. Bring the pickling brine to a boil.
3. Add the celeriac and simmer it briefly for about 1 minute, according to taste. Do not simmer the celery root for too long, as it should still have some crunch.
4. Take the pot off the heat and let cool to room temperature.
5. Pour the vegetables and brine into glass jars. Cover the jars and refrigerate them.
6. After 24 hours, eat and enjoy! The pickles can last for up to a few months in the fridge. 

Variations:

• Pickle celeriac with purple beets to give it a purple color.
• Use this pickling brine recipe with other vegetables, such as carrots, radishes, or turnips. Depending on which vegetables you use, how thin the vegetables are cut, and how crunchy you like your pickles, step 3 may be optional, and the raw vegetables can be added to the brine without being simmered.
• Switch up the spices in the mix. For example, dill, cinnamon, and star anise are all good candidates.

Annabelle Ho is a Lexington resident with a Bachelor of Science in nutritional science from Boston University. She maintains a blog at herbalmedicinebox.com, and is a work share volunteer at Waltham Fields Community Farm. Annabelle writes for the Lexington Farmers' Market, and has been a volunteer at the market for several years. The Lexington Farmers' Market is located at the corners of Massachusetts Avenue and Fletcher in the center of Lexington, and is open rain or shine every Tuesday through October.

Quinoa Stuffed Collard Greens

This summer I wrote an article on stuffed collards greens for the Lexington Farmers' Market for the town newspaper, the Lexington Minuteman, and I wanted to share it with you:

Nutritionist suggests way to stuff collard greens
By Annabelle Ho
Published July 11, 2013

Stuffed collard greens are a beautiful and delicious way to eat these veggies! Collard greens are light and nutrient-rich, providing fiber, vitamins K, A, and C, calcium, and more.  Quinoa also packs a nutritional punch. It offers all nine essential amino acids, magnesium, riboflavin (vitamin B2), phosphorous, and other nutrients. Technically a seed, and not a grain, quinoa is also gluten-free. Here is a simple recipe for quinoa stuffed collard greens.

Stuffed collard greens is a healthy recipe for summer dining

Stuffed collard greens

Makes 4 servings

Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup diced onion

2-3 minced garlic cloves

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup diced radishes

1 cup diced summer squash

2 teaspoons fresh oregano

3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

3 tablespoons lemon juice

8 large collard leaves

Directions:

1. Rinse the quinoa well in a strainer and drain, to remove the bitter residue. Add the quinoa, water, and salt in a saucepan. Cover and bring to a simmer, then simmer the quinoa for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
2. While the quinoa is cooking, warm the oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add the onions and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Next, add the garlic, carrots, radishes, summer squash, oregano, mint, and black pepper. Cover the vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in the lemon juice and cooked quinoa, and add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Remove the large part of the main stem from each collard leaf. Boil or steam the leaves until they are soft, about 1 minute. Lay the leaves flat on a plate to cool. When the leaves are cool enough to handle, lay a leaf flat, vein side up, with the leaf tip away from you. If the leaf has a space in the middle where the stem was cut away, overlap the two sides of the leaf slightly. Put about ½ cup of the quinoa filling in the bottom center of the leaf. Fold the sides of the leaf over the filling, and then roll it up carefully and tightly to form a package. Place in a lightly oiled 8-inch square baking pan, seam side down. Repeat with the rest of the collard greens.
4. Cover and bake the stuffed greens in a preheated 350°F oven for about 10 minutes, or until hot.

Variations:

Substitute the quinoa, vegetables, or herbs in this recipe for other ingredients that are local and in season.

The recipe was adapted from "Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health."

Many of these ingredients can be purchased from vendors at the Lexington Farmers' Market. Cook and enjoy.

Annabelle Ho is a Lexington resident with a Bachelor of Science in nutritional science from Boston University. She maintains a blog at herbalmedicinebox.com, and is a work-share volunteer at Waltham Fields Community Farm.

Cooking at Taberna de Haro

The Spanish wine and tapas restaurant, Taberna de Haro, has changed quite a bit since I first wrote about it three years ago.

Last year, we expanded the restaurant to include a full bar, offering bar tapas and mixed drinks.

The bar
(Photo courtesy of Taberna de Haro)

We also increased our patio seating and revamped our menu. And of course, we have our ever expanding wine list, currently with over 320 Spanish wines.

The patio
(Photo courtesy of Taberna de Haro)

In addition to being a server these past few years, I took on the position as a cook last year. It was a great experience to work in the restaurant in the front and the back of the house. I also enjoyed learning more about cooking and about how many of the dishes that we offer are made.

Making salad for the staff meal
(Photo courtesy of Celeste Radosevich)

My duties included preparing various menu items and weekly specials. I became an expert at cooking the classic Spanish omelette, the Tortilla Española (find a recipe here). Fun items that I also helped to make included pâté and our house-made Spanish blood sausage, morcilla.

House-Made Morcilla: Spanish blood sausage with sliced apple

On Tuesday nights, I was in charge of the cold and brick oven station. This included serving up our suckling pig special, cochinillo asado, cooked in the brick oven and served on Tuesday nights from October - May.

Whole roasted suckling pig

(Photo courtesy of Taberna de Haro)

Heating up the roasted suckling pig for the family meal
(Photo courtesy of Celeste Radosevich)

Other special dishes that I helped to prepare include:

Roasted duck breast over blood orange and frisée greens

Quail egg and house-made lamb bacon on tomato toast

Rabbit escabeche salad with pomegranate seeds and onion

Taberna de Haro is located at 999 Beacon St., Brookline, MA 02446. We offer authentic Spanish cuisine, including tapas, entrees, wines, and cocktails. Enjoy the rest of the patio season while it is still warm out, and look out for our roasted suckling pig, winter, and brick oven dishes returning in October! Visit the website and sign up for the newsletter for more information and to stay up to date about events.

Although I will not be returning as a cook in the fall, I will still be serving at Taberna de Haro. Come by and say hello! I will also be continuing my position as a CSA Distribution Coordinator at Waltham Fields Community Farm until the season ends in the end of October. Finally, I am looking forward to beginning a Master of Science in Food and Nutrition Program at Framingham State University this fall!

Shiki: Japanese Restaurant

Hidden on Babcock Street in Coolidge Corner in Brookline is one of my favorite restaurants to dine at in the Boston area: the Japanese restaurant, Shiki.

I have been going to Shiki since it opened in 2007, and I have returned many times since. Shiki offers authentic Japanese cuisine (confirmed by my Japanese friends, and you will often find Japanese people dining in the restaurant). Shiki is a great place to go if you love seafood like I do. However, there are many non-seafood options if seafood is not your thing! Check out their menu.

I typically order the Take Kaiseki lunch set.

Take (Bamboo) Kaiseki Lunch Set

"A combination of sashimi, broiled fish, tempura, and cooked vegetables. Served with miso soup, salad, and rice (white or the day's mixed rice)."

Although if I am particularly hungry, I sometimes order the Matsu Kaiseki lunch set instead. Mmmmm.

Matsu (Pine) Kaiseki Lunch Set

"Combination of mini appetizers, sashimi, oshizushi (pressed sushi), mini chawanmushi (egg custard), broiled fish, and tempura. Served with salad and a small udon noodle soup."

Shiki is open for lunch and dinner, six days a week (it is closed in-between meals, and closed on Mondays). For lunch, you can choose from a variety of lunch sets and sushi a la carte. Small plates are offered for dinner a la carte. I have been to Shiki for both lunch and dinner, although I typically go for lunch, because the prices are so reasonable. Whenever you go and whatever you order, though, is sure to be beautiful and delicious.

Hokkai Donburi Lunch Set

 "Assortment of seafood - crab meat, salmon roe, scallop, and sea urchin [served over rice]. Served with miso soup and salad."

Shiki is located at 9 Babcock Street, Brookline, MA 02446. T: (617) 738-0200. Go to the website to take a look at their hours, their menu, and for more information. Visit today! You won't regret it.

A Summer at Waltham Fields Community Farm

This summer, I worked on the weed crew at Waltham Fields Community Farm.

Founded in 1995, Waltham Fields Community Farm is a nonprofit organization "engaged in food production, hunger relief, and education." The farm consists of 11 acres, it supports a 500-share CSA, and it offers various other programs. Some of the produce grown at the farm this season included kale,

Kale. Harvest from the bottom up, and it continues to grow and produce new leaves!

swiss chard,

Swiss chard was everywhere

a variety of flowers, and much more.

 

 Fresh flower bouquet

I saw okra growing for the first time, too!

 Okra flower

The weed crew position was part-time, Mondays - Fridays from 8 am - noon, from June - August. The crew consisted of four members, and from Tuesday - Friday we worked with drop-in volunteers, from 9 am - noon. It was great to meet and to work with volunteers of different ages and backgrounds! Most of the work that we did was by hand, and we occasionally used hand-tools. The weeding we did ranged from detailed work such as weeding carrots, to weeding weeds that were taller than me (I am five feet tall).

One great benefit of the job was receiving fresh produce from the farm. I fermented both pickling and salad cucumbers using the recipe from the book Real Food Fermentation (a book that I contributed writing to), and both batches of fermented pickles came out very crispy. I had grape leaves on hand to add to the fermenting jars as well, which are supposed to help pickled cucumbers to keep their crunch.

Fermenting cucumber pickles

Other ways I preserved the harvest included making sauerkraut and a variety of pestos, freezing, and canning tomatoes with other members of the weed crew. To make the tomato sauce, we modified a recipe from Pick Your Own, took the appropriate precautions in order to avoid botulism, and with three people, six hours of work, and a water bath canning set, we had canned 10 pint jars of tomato sauce.

Canned tomato sauce

 Cantaloupe ice cream

(Recipe from Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book) 

Despite Waltham Fields Community Farm's abundance of tomatoes this year, this has been a tough tomato year for some farms in the area because of late blight. Late blight appears sporadically in the northeast, and unfortunately returned this season. Also known as "Phytophthora infestans," late blight caused the Irish Potato Famine in the 1840s, and it infects tomatoes and potatoes. If late blight is not managed, it can destroy entire crops in days. While some farms in the area lost crops due to late blight, others who have been able to manage the disease have had a very productive tomato season. Read more about late blight in this handout, and for photos and for more information, visit this webpage.

Another crop we weeded was parsnips, a crop that we needed to weed in long pants, long sleeves, and gloves! Why? Because parsnips contain furocoumarins, a photosensitive compound that can cause phytophotodermatitis. If the plant juice from parsnips gets on your skin and the skin gets exposed to sunlight, it can cause serious burns and blisters that can last even up to a year. Although many people are already familiar with these burns from wild parsnips, the burns can occur with cultivated parsnips, as well. Luckily we were warned about the dangers of parsnip beforehand! For more information and pictures regarding parsnips burns, check out these articles: "Burned by wild parsnip," "Parsnips gave me blisters! Gardener covered in sores after brushing against vegetable leaves," and Parsnip Dangers from Wikipedia.

Over the summer, I also attended several meetings with Emasscraft, the Eastern Massachusetts Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training. "CRAFT is a free, collaborative group...From April through October farmers, farm workers and apprentices from CRAFT farms gather at one farm for a visit and/or workshop. Each visit includes an overview of the farm as well as a discussion about one or two specific topics. CRAFT discussions are also scheduled November through March if there is sufficient interest" (http://emasscraft.org/wordpress).

I went to three CRAFT meetings this season. At the meetings, I learned about weed management techniques at Drumlin Farm, tomatoes at Wright-Locke Farm (a farm that I also wrote an article about for the Lexington Farmers' Market), and irrigation systems at Moraine Farm. I enjoyed visiting new farms, and seeing how each farm operates differently from one another. The schedule for Emasscraft meetings can be found here, and I would highly recommend signing up for their listserv.

It was a great summer working on the weed crew, and also with the wonderful staff at the farm.

Waltham Fields Community Farm Staff of 2012 (minus Marla)

(photo courtesy of Waltham Fields Community Farm)

Although I am sad to no longer be working at Waltham Fields Community Farm, I am looking forward to sharing a winter CSA with some of my fellow weed crew members this winter. Waltham Fields Community Farm's annual Waltham Farm Day is also coming up on Saturday, September 22! For more information about Waltham Fields Community Farm, visit their website.

Red sunflower

I am also excited for some new opportunities that are coming up. I will be participating in Goldthread Herb Farm and Apothecary's Farm to Pharmacy Intensive this September 22-28. This week I also begin working at Blue Heron Organic Farm in Lincoln, and in addition to my waitressing hours at the Spanish wine and tapas restaurant Taberna de Haro, I will be working as a cook. Stop by the farm or the restaurant sometime and say hello!

Getting Involved with the Food Movement: Careers and More

I am very excited to be joining the Weed Crew with Waltham Fields Community Farms this summer, from June through August! (And for those of you interested in volunteering with us, volunteer information is here!) In addition, as former president of Slow Food Boston University, I've had many individuals ask me, "How do I find a job related to sustainable food, or become involved in the sustainable food movement?" From my experiences, and after attending the Real Food Challenge's webinar, "Cultivating Food Movement Careers," I felt inclined to share some resources and tips.

Below are several resources to get you started. Because I live in the Greater Boston, Massachusetts area, you will notice that many of the resources may be focused on the northeast region of the U.S., although not all of them are.

Resources for sustainable food-related jobs and opportunities:

• Good Food Jobs
• BostonEco on Facebook and on Twitter
• Real Food Challenge Alumni Network (even if you were not previously involved with the Real Food Challenge)
• Listservs, such as:
• COMFOODJOBS
• NEFOOD: The Northeast's Food and Farm Network
• BFS (Boston Food System)

General listings that may include opportunities related to sustainable food:

• AmeriCorps
• Peace Corps
• Idealist.org
• Craigslist

Interested in farming? Farm positions may be found in the resources listed above. However, here are some farm-specific links:

• Eastern Massachusetts CRAFT listserv (and additional resources recommended by emasscraft here)
• ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service - Sustainable Farming Internships and Apprenticeships
• NOFA Directory of Organic Farming Apprenticeship Programs
• Volunteer through WWOOF: World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (read about my experience WWOOFing)

Additional suggestions:

• Get on LinkedIn
• Visit individual websites of farms, companies, and organizations to find postings
• Contact a farm, company, or organization that interests you, asking if they have any job and/or volunteer opportunities
• You may find opportunities through social media, such as Facebook and Twitter
• Consider doing a paid or unpaid internship
• Volunteer! For example, with a local Slow Food chapter, a local farm or farmers market, and more
• Meet, talk, and network with people through everyday conversations, events, conferences, and even Meetup groups, such as The Urban Homesteaders' League based in Greater Boston
• Let people know that you are looking for opportunities to get involved. This can include friends, family, mentors, past and present colleagues, and more
• Take classes (the Boston Natural Areas Network, for instance, offers gardening education)
• Start your own business (this may seem a bit daunting, and will of course require some thought and planning. However, if the job that you would like is not out there, why not create it?) Read these articles: Forget a desk job: Young foodies are betting that their bright ideas are their ticket out of the rat race, and Boston food entrepreneurs: Food fighters who are uprooting an empire. One local resource is Boston Young Entrepreneurs.

Remember, these are just a few resources to get you started. If you know of any other helpful resources, please share!

A Weekend in Chicago

This past weekend, I visited Chicago with my brother and sister. We were only there for less than forty-eight hours, but it was fun exploring the city for the first time!

Because the three of us are foodies, we pretty much arranged our schedule according to where we dined. And while I will not cover everything that we did throughout our trip, I will highlight some of the places that we visited!

Friday I arrived in Chicago before my siblings, so while I was waiting for them, I set out for the Chicago French Market. Along the way I passed by Kramer's Health Foods.

Kramer's Health Foods

In the front of Kramer's, there is a health food store with prepared foods, beverages, produce, supplements, and more. Meanwhile, upstairs there is a healthy vegetarian cafe and juice bar. Unfortunately the cafe was closed when I stopped by, but I still purchased a prepared tuna sandwich from the front of the store, which was made with (real) tongol tuna, mayonnaise, Ezekiel Bread, tomatoes, green onions, celery, and barrel pickels. For only less than $6 it was a great, delicious, and healthy purchase!

After walking a little over a mile I arrived at the Chicago French Market- a year-round, indoor marketplace with local artisans and purveyors.

At the Chicago French Market, I stopped at Raw, which offers 100% raw and plant-based foods. While I am not raw nor vegan, I love trying new and different healthy foods! 

Raw

Signature Muffin (Carrot and Raisin, left) and Kale Chips (right)

I purchased the carrot and raisin signature muffin and the dehydrated kale chips. Although dense, the muffin was very tasty! The kale chips were alright, although I was not a big fan of the seasonings. These kale chips were made with kale, tahini, lemon juice, HSS, garlic, agave, spirulina, nutritional yeast, and cayenne. However, when I make kale chips, I usually season them more simply: a little olive oil, salt, sesame seeds, and optional garlic powder. Raw also had some delicious looking and sounding salads, other prepared foods, beverages, and more. Check out the menu here. If you are looking for healthy food in Chicago, I'd recommend to stop by Raw!

After the Chicago French Market, I took a train to Green Grocer Chicago. Green Grocer Chicago is a small, neighborhood market featuring locally grown and produced produce and specialty food items. The store is small, but a neat place to check out if you are interested in local and organic food items! At the store, I picked up a copy of Edible Chicago. And of course, my visit to Chicago would not have been complete without a tasting of a local kombucha brew. Green Grocer Chicago offers NessAlla Kombucha as a local brand option, which is produced in Madison, Wisconsin. I tried the raspberry kombucha. It was slighty sweet and had nice effervescence!

Green Grocer Chicago (left) and NessAlla Kombucha (right)

Saturday morning, my brother, sister, and I had lunch at the Mexican restaurant, Xoco. My favorite item that we got were the churros. They were light, crunchy, and delicious!

Churros with a chocolate shot (left) and Aztec hot chocolate (right)

Afterwards, we visited The Art Institute of Chicago. I enjoyed the Impressionism and Post-Impressionism exhibit the most, which features works of Claude Monet, Georges Seurat, Vincent van Gogh, and more.

Gustave Caillebotte's Paris Street; Rainy Day, 1877

American Gothic by Grant Wood

Next, we went to Mana Food Bar, a vegetarian/vegan food bar that also offers smoothies and freshly squeezed juices. Everything that we ordered was beautifully prepared and delicious! Some of the items we ordered included the mana slider made with a brown rice and mushroom burger with spicy mayo, chilled yellow wheat noodles tossed in a spicy sesame peanut sauce with shredded peapods and carrots, and spicy tomato braised okra over blue-cheese grits.

Mana Food Bar's outdoor patio

Spicy tomato braised okra over blue-cheese grits

On the next day, Sunday, we had Easter Brunch at Nana. Nana is a family-owned restaurant that sources from organic, local, and sustainable food producers. We enjoyed the food here, and ordered the sweet potato doughnuts made with dark chocolate, cherry gastrique, and sweet potato chips as an appetizer. For entrees, we shared the nanadict (made with pupusas, chorizo, poached eggs, poblano cream, and home fries) and the "biscuits and duck gravy" (made with two eggs, biscuits, duck confit gravy, cipollini onions, and seasonal veggies). The biscuits in the "biscuits and duck gravy" dish were huge, but other than that, the dish was perfect!

Nana

"biscuits and duck gravy" at Nana

After Nana, we visited Millenium Park, and we were lucky that we had such nice weather over the weekend! Of course, we also stopped by Cloud Gate at Millenium Park, also known as "The Bean."

Millenium Park

Cloud Gate

Overall, we had a great time in Chicago. The city is more spread out than other cities, such as compared to New York City, and to get around we made use of the city's public transportation and Zipcar. Other noteworthy places that we dined at in Chicago included Avec and Urbanbelly. In addition, we had deep-dish pizza at Gino's East, but were not impressed. Places that I would have liked to stop at if we had had the time includes the Dill Pickle Food Co-op, a farmers market such as the Green City Market, and other cultural attractions. I will just have to visit those the next time I am in Chicago!