by Kristine on February 23, 2010
On most school days(which is almost everyday), I feel pretty darn accomplished if I get a chance to run a brush through my hair before dashing out the door in the morning. Needless to say, my breakfast usually involves caffeine and whatever else I have lying around on the kitchen counter- in the past, there have been instances of peanut butter cups, potato chips, and other unmentionables.
I am guilty as charged of consuming junky breakfast.
As much as I inspire to be the girl who starts her day with fresh fruits, whole grains, flax seeds, and great hair, time equals money.
both of which I have none of in the morning. or anytime otherwise.
So when I came across this recipe for oatmeal, I was really pleasantly surprised at how quick and easy it was. It’s so good that I may just spare five minutes of sleep to have a bowl of this.
No fuss, super easy, and super good. Now if only I could feel this way about my hair in the morning.
Banana Nut Oatmeal Recipe
adapted from Serious Eats
Serves 1
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp chopped walnuts
- 1 tbsp raisins
- 1 ripe banana
- 1/2 cup thick rolled oats, or any type of old fashioned oatmeal
- 1/4 cup of skim milk (I used soymilk instead)
- 1/3 cup water
- 3 tsp honey
- a few dashes of cinnamon
- dash of nutmeg
- dash of kosher salt
- Cut banana in half, and set one half aside. Mush the other half of the banana until it becomes into a paste.
- Combine the banana mush, oatmeal, skim milk, water, 2 tsp honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in small sauce pan and heat over low-medium heat for about minutes or until the oatmeal is cooked. stir to combine the ingredients.
- Pour the cooked oatmeal into a bowl and top with walnuts, raisins, and the remainder half of the banana (I omitted this because it was a little too much banana for me)
the recipe also states to toast the walnuts, but skipped this step. I think it tasted great nevertheless. But if you have the time, you can definitely toast the nuts first to bring out the flavor.
What are some of your favorite easy, healthy, and delicious breakfast recipes?
by Kristine on February 21, 2010
The other night I prepared a big pot of rice for dinner with the bearfriend only to change our minds and eat out at the last minute in order to catch a late movie. So into the fridge went the big pot of rice, and whaddaya do the next day with a big pot of cold rice?
That’s right, you make fried rice.
Contrary to popular stereotyping of Chinese people, when I was growing up fried rice was not prepared that frequently in the household. It was really only prepared when there was a lot of leftover rice and miscellaneous ingredients in the fridge.
It is the quintessential recycled meal. I prepared this one with some leftover ground pork and frozen veggies in the fridge, and the result was delicious not to mention economical.
Ginger Pork Fried Rice Recipe
Makes about 2 Servings
Ingredients:
- 1/4 lb ground pork
- about 4 cups of refrigerated, cold rice
- about 1 cup frozen veggie mix (I used peas and carrots)
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 2 stalks scallions, chopped
- 3 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon powder
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- salt to taste
- white pepper to taste
Marinade for pork:
- 1/2 tbsp Xiao Hsing Cooking Wine
- 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1. Marinade ground pork in wine/soy sauce. Use a fork or chopsticks to mix in the ground pork with the marinade. Let the pork marinade as you prepare the other ingredients.
2. Break up the chunks of cold, refrigerated rice with a fork or your hands. beat the eggs and defrost the frozen veggies in the microwave. Drain the veggies if there is moisture. Mince the ginger and chop the scallions.
3. Heat a wok with the oil over medium-high heat, and toss in the ginger while the wok and oil is still cold. When you smell the aroma from the ginger, toss in the ground pork and brown until it is about 80% done. Then remove from the wok onto a plate.
4. Add more oil if needed, then fry the eggs in the wok, breaking up the eggs into little chunks. Fry the eggs until they are about 70% cooked, then remove from wok on to a plate.
5. Add more oil if needed, and then cook the frozen veggies until they are almost done. Then toss in the cold rice, breaking up the pieces and tossing with the vegetables. Add the soy sauce, chicken bouillon powder, and then toss to mix evenly. Add the pork and egg then toss to evenly mix with the rice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Then toss in chopped scallions before removing from wok.
* Don’t cook a batch bigger than 2 servings at a time. If serving more than 2, cook in two separate batches so the rice and ingredients do not get soggy. This is really important, because unless you have an industrial strength gas burner and a very large wok, you will end up with soggy fried rice if you overcrowd the wok.
by Kristine on February 21, 2010
So what in the world is a Pomelo anyways?
You’ve seen it at the Grocery store around this time of year hanging around in the citrus section next to the lemons and oranges.
Yep, the humongous, green, leathery round mass claiming to be an obese sibling of your familiar Ruby Star grapefruit.
The pomelo has a thick, rubbery outer skin that resembles a basketball. Pick one up, and you may have a sudden urge to chuck one at the person walking by, or dribble it around on the ground. Yes, cute as they are, but are these things actually edible?
There are a few different types of pomelos, and the ones most commonly found here in America has pink flesh inside, and the skin on the outside leans towards yellow with hints of green. In Asia however, you can find one that is green on the outside with a yellowy, white flesh on the inside.
Don’t mistake an Oro Blanco Grapefruit for a pomelo! They are actually a cross between a grapefruit and a true pomelo.
Pomelos are a favorite of mine, and it baffles me how many people don’t know what they are, or don’t have a clue how to go about eating one.
These fruits are intimidating at first glance, but they are actually much easier to peel than a regular grapefruit. Not to mention they are refreshing and yummy, without the sour and bitterness that you find in a traditional grapefruit. If you can find a good ripe pomelo, they are deliciously sweet and juicy.
Pomelos are actually very easy to cut, and like regular Sunkist grapefruits, they are filled with layers of membranes inside. The membranes of the Pomelo are much thicker, and almost fabric like.
So let’s get started.
Cute, isn’t he?
Cut off the stem of the pomelo
Flip the pomelo over, and stand it on the flat side where the stem was cut off. Begin make vertical cuts, about 1 inch deep all around the pomelo.
Continue cutting until you’ve gone all the way around. The cuts should resemble flower petals.
Now flip the pomelo over again, and peel away the skin. It should look like a purrdy blossoming flower.
Tah dah! Now, just remove the pomelo from the skin. Easy, no?
In Taiwan, the kids would put the skin on their heads as pomleo hats, you can try that too lol.
Now, just slice the pomelo in half and begin peeling the membranes away, separating the flesh from the membranes.
You can either peel it all at once, and enjoy the fruits of your labor or you can just peel and eat as you go, which is what I prefer to do.. usually while I’m watching TV.
Now go and enjoy some delicous pomelos!
by Kristine on February 14, 2010
There are alot of things that I have learned to lived with ever since I moved to Los Angeles:
I have learned to coexist with the homeless and their shopping carts who roam my dumpster in the early mornings.
I learned to take public transportation, aka Big Blue Bus, and to hold my nose during the stinky bus rides.
I have accepted the fact that no matter what time and day, it takes 20 minutes to get ANYWHERE in LA, and finding parking is equivalent to winning the lottery.
I have come to terms with the fact that my tiny and old apartment in LA costs twice as much as a luxury apartment in other parts of the country.
But one thing I’ve missed dearly is my oven.
My little corner of the apartment designated as the kitchen comes with.. well, pretty much nothing but a kitchen sink.
When I first moved in I thought a toaster oven would get the job done, and wow was I naive in thinking that.
Since it’s Valentine’s Day, and the bearfriend loves oatmeal raisin cookies, I thought I’d temporarily loosen the hold of my chocolate dictatorship and treat him to something sweet. I searched for the absolute best oatmeal cookie recipe, and since Deb from Smitten Kitchen makes baking artisan bread look like making macaroni and cheese, I knew I was safe with this recipe.
And I was right.
The cookies are perfection.
They almost didn’t make it to the oven, as I was ready to elope with the batch of dough, or lock myself in the closet and lick the bowl clean.
fortunately, what sanity remains in me after midterms snapped me to my senses.
but of course my little B&D toaster oven had to rain on my parade.
first with undercooked cookies and then with overcooked cookies:
The cookies were so good however, that we still ate up the overcooked ones happily.
I am not giving up on baking in the toaster oven. but maybe a new toaster oven would help, something along the lines of this.
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen
makes about 18-24 cookies
- 1 stick of butter, softened at room temperature
- 2/3 cup of packed light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats, I used old fashioned thick rolled oats.
- 3/4 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°F
Whip together the butter, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla until the mixture is smooth and creamy. You can cut up the butter into cubes as it will be easier to mix.
In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Slowly stir this into the butter mixture, followed by the oats, raisins, and walnuts(if using). Stir slowly and do not over stir.
Use a parchment paper lined or oiled baking tray, and scoop cookie dough into balls leaving 2 inches of space between cookies, as they will stick together otherwise(this is what happened to mine).
Bake for 10-15 minutes, and they are done when the edges look golden brown. The top should look slightly undercooked.
Let them cool on the baking sheet over a few minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy.
(I froze my left over cookie dough in little balls, so I bake a few at a time when I’m craving cookies)
Happy Chinese New Year/Valentine’s Day!
Wishing everyone healthy, happiness, and fortune in the New Year!
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