Kimchi Fried Rice with Chili-Garlic Sauce and Fried Eggs

So we’ve rolled the clock back and the fact that it’s so incredibly dark all the time is making my body crave carbs and comfort foods. (Particularly bread crusts which I normally don’t care for). Anyways, I have a ton of leftovers in my fridge and what better way to utilize them than to make a homey fried-rice. Normally, fried-rice calls for anything you have left in the fridge but I absolutely urge you to go out and buy some spicy Korean kimchi to make this dish sing: roasted garlic and smokey chili really makes for an amazing bed for saucy stir-fries.

I didn’t have that much kimchi left in the fridge so the proportion of kimchi to rice was off and it wasn’t incredibly spicy but the flavor it imparts was spot on.  And to add to that, I’m not incredibly tolerant of heat (sadface) but I love the smokey flavor of chilis.

Kimchi Fried Rice with Chili-Garlic Sauce and Fried Eggs
2 c. brown rice
1 c. cabbage kimchi, sliced into 1/2 inch strips
1 – 2 tbsp gochujang (a korean red pepper sauce) or chili-garlic sauce or to taste.
3 eggs beaten, and an additional whole eggs per serving
1 carrot, minced
1 leek rinsed and white parts, sliced
1 shallot, sliced
1 garlic, minced
1/4 c. defrosted peas
3 tbsp (light) soy sauce
2 tbsps sesame oil
1 green onion, sliced for garnish
(1/4 lb ground beef or pork, optional)

In a large wok or deep-dish saute pan, saute carrot, leeks, shallots, garlic, and 1 tbsp soy sauce in 1 tbsp sesame oil over high heat. If you are using meat, saute before the veggies until browned. Add sliced kimchi and juices. Stir and incorporate.  Add additional gochujang or chili-garlic sauce if desired. Mix in brown rice and peas. Stir to incorporate. Do not cook too long or rice will become soggy.

Make a well in the center of the rice. Add additional tablespoon of sesame oil and pour egg into well. Wait until it sets a bit before stirring the well. After egg has cooked mostly, incorporate it into the rest of the rice. Remove rice from saute pan and fry whole eggs to desired doneness. Serve over hot rice, garnish with green onions and additional kimchi or chili-sauce.

Green Beans with Tofu and Shiitake Crumble

I went to the pumpkin patch recently and talked to the farmer there about owning and humanely killing my own chicken. He said, get back to me on the 31st and we’ll talk about selling you my chickens. I don’t know if he mentioned showing me how to kill and butcher one but my grandma has done it. I’m excited. If I’m going to eat chicken meat, I should be able to kill it myself or at least watch the process. Granted, I’m being pretty over-confident right now. I’m sure it’s going to totally gross me out and I’ll probably just settle for being happy to eat humanely-killed meat that I didn’t slaughter. WOO! …Or turn out like my dad, who watched my grandmother kill chicken, and now does not eat poultry (only red-meat; my father is a terrible person). Anyways, details about this later.

For the last Meat-Free Monday, I experimented with tofu. Braised Tofu was on sale and I grabbed that instead of extra-firm… but I’m sure that extra-firm will be just fine for this recipe. I thought it would crisp up a little but texturally, the tofu didn’t turn out crispy or chewy like meat, however, the reserved tofu strips were nice and caramelized. But just for reference, using ground tempeh or seitan would definitely be a better soy-protein substitute. Tofu still provides tasty results.

Green Beans with Tofu and Shiitake Crumble
1/2 lb fresh green beans, tips removed, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 inch piece peeled ginger root, grated
4 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp hoisin or bean sauce
1 tsp mirin or rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 pack braised tofu or extra-firm tofu, ground seitan or tempeh
7 – 10 fresh shiitake mushrooms, minced
1/2 tbsp corn starch with 4 tbsp water
sesame oil
cilantro or green onions for garnish

Start by pressing the liquid from the tofu by wrapping it with paper towels and placing a heavy object, like a skillet, over the whole or halved piece of tofu. Let sit for 10 – 30 minutes then crumble 3/4ths of the tofu with your hands. Chop the rest into strips. Mix crumbled tofu with minced shiitake.

In a small bowl, mix together minced garlic, ginger, soy sauce, hoisin, vinegar/mirin, and sugar. Set aside.

Heat a large wok or deep pan over medium-high to high heat. Add 2 tbsp olive oil or sesame oil and add the reserved tofu strips. Saute until golden brown, flipping only a few times (~5 minutes). Add the green beans with 1/4 of sauce mixture until green bean skins begin to pucker, about 6 – 7 minutes. Keep moving or they will burn. If you feel they are burning too much, add a little water, cover, and steam green beans. Season with pepper. Remove from wok and set mixture aside.

Add another tablespoon of oil and saute the tofu and mushroom mixture until tofu has browned. Add the rest of the sauce mixture and stir fry for a moment until garlic and ginger are no longer raw, about 1 minute. Add cornstarch and water until absorbed or thickened. Add chopped cilantro or green onion, if desired, and toss for a minute.

Spoon crumble over green beans. Garnish with cilantro or fresh green onions. Serve with a bowl of brown rice.

Thai-Style Peanut, Red-Curry with Tofu and Vegetables

There are very little Thai options where I live and the place that I go to has some pretty soupy curry that I’m not a fan of (but their pineapple fried rice is off-the-hook). I’m almost positive that they use store-bought, Mae-Ploy brand Red Curry. But because both Thai dishes and curries are so complex in flavor and have an extensive ingredient list, buying pre-made* curry paste is the way to go especially if you can’t find all the ingredients or if you’re a thai-food noob like me.

I’m still learning about the different curries that pop out of Thailand. Apparently, panang curry, while similar in flavor to red curry, sometimes contains ground peanuts. I didn’t know that and added peanuts to this recipe which calls for red curry. Panang curry is also traditionally thicker; using coconut cream, as opposed to coconut milk. Authenticity has taken a leave of absence with this recipe which is why I’ve referred to this recipe as thai-style. baww.

Thai-Style Peanut, Red-Curry with Tofu and Vegetables
2 tbsp thai red-curry paste (MaePloy Yellow Curry is vegetarian)
1/2 8oz can (light) coconut milk or cream
1 heaping tbsp chunky peanut butter
1/2 c. slivered onions or 1 whole shallot, chopped
1 Japanese eggplant, cut into chunks
1 small head of broccoli, chopped
1/2 large bell pepper cut in small strips
1/4 c. defrosted peas or a handful of sugarsnap peas
1 package extra-firm tofu
1/4 c. thai basil, or cilantro– or a combination

First, drain tofu: Place paper towels underneath and over tofu brick (cut in half if you like), and place a heavy weight on top. You may also squeeze liquid out with a cheesecloth. Let sit for 10 minutes before cutting into small chunks. While the tofu is draining, salt eggplant and let drain if it contains dark, bitter seeds.

Heat a bit of peanut oil or olive oil in a large pan or wok over high heat. Toss in tofu and cook half-way to golden-brown. Toss in eggplant and onions, if using. Cook until slightly softened. At this point, toss in shallots and bell-peppers (and sugar snap peas). Scoop out peanut butter and red-curry and toss in pan, to pick up some roasted flavor. At this point, pour in coconut milk and frozen peas, stir, and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Add more coconut milk or water to change viscosity of your curry. I like mine chunky and thick so 1/2 the can was perfect. Toss with your fresh herbs.

Serve over steamed brown rice

*NOTE: Depending on the brand of red-curry or if you make it yourself, it may come with shrimp paste as an ingredient. A Taste of Thai is vegetarian but has some weird ingredients but recommended brands such as MaePloy and Hand brand contain Shrimp Paste except for the Yellow Curry which is good but has a different flavor profile (Star Anise). Check your ingredients!

Gnocchi with Basil-Pesto, Chicken, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Pasta dishes are my idea of comfort dishes– they’re usually cheesy or herby or tomato-y and are filled with instant carbohydrates waiting to be stored into fat cells until I work them off at the gym.

Alone. But not today!

I’m a lone-wolf at the gym but the boyfriend and I are working on my irrational paranoia of seeing people that I know (including him) at the gym derived from probably low-self esteem from freshman-year weight gain, birth control, and an overall decrease in fitness, health, and happiness last year. I love being at the gym: exercising and getting disgustingly sweaty so I need to at least be able to see someone and be fine with it and not let their opinions affect what I do despite whether or not they exist or not. So I’m lucky to have someone to help me out, stay healthy, busy, and to grow from. Love, love, love it.

Since I’m going to be heading to the gym and today, being the worse day, schedule-wise, to cook, I decided to go with a pasta dish. High in carbohydrates (~40g, 16 – 20% DV) from the gnocchi (in moderation, pasta is great!) and only about 355 – 400 calories per ~ 2 cup serving, this is a great energy source, simple, and is incredibly F L E X I B L E. I love pesto with fresh shrimp and blanched asparagus. Usually, I would make my own basil-pesto to control sodium levels but store-bought pesto (with olive oil) is perfectly fine! I also used shredded rotisserie chicken made with NO SALT and pre-made vacuum-packed gnocchi. I’m what you call a TIME-SAVER.

Gnocchi with Basil-Pesto, Chicken, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Serves 2
1/2 package freeze-dried potato gnocchi
4 – 5 sun-dried tomatoes
1 – 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
shredded leftover roast chicken (~1/4 c.)
2 shallots, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced

Basil Pesto Sauce:
2 c. packed fresh basil
1/2 c. olive oil
1/4 c. pine nuts
1/4 c. pecorino or parmesan, grated
1 clove garlic
s/p

In a small food processor, blend all ingredients in Basil-Pesto Sauce until smooth. Season as needed. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, soak sun-dried tomatoes in simmering water and a couple tablespoons of balsamic vinegar for 4-5 minutes, drain, and chop into slivers or bite-sized pieces. Bring medium pot of salted water to a rolling boil and cook gnocchi until each potato dumpling rises. Remove, drain, and keep warm. Reserve a little cooking water.

In a large frying pan, heat olive oil. Sweat chopped shallots then add garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. Saute until garlic is fragrant, but not burnt. Add shredded chicken, basil-pesto sauce, gnocchi, and a couple tablespoons of reserved pasta water. Cook until everything is warmed through. If desired, until gnocchi shows a little caramelization. Season with pepper, if needed. Spoon 2 cup serving sizes into bowls and garnish with fresh basil and shredded cheese, if desired.

Steak Sandwiches with Spicy Mustard

It’s fall! Time to harvest the only summer squash that grew (but it’s massive). I didn’t know you had to actually fertilize the separate male and female flowers… I will have better luck next year with more “urban farming” experience. yay!

It’s pretty much autumn and I’m still out grilling. Why? Because I live in California and we’ve surprisingly had a very, very mild summer so summer is pretty much rolling in now with some ridiculously hot weather (although, we are cooling off again).  Doesn’t matter because I’m trying to take advantage of the boyfriend’s grill because I generally don’t have access to it. (And grilling is so easy and convenient!)

Steak sandwiches are MAN SANDWICHES. Seriously. Totally felt like a man that day driving around in a fuel-inefficient, made-in-the-USA truck and grilling freaking red-meat. Not really me but I’m making this because I totally dropped Jesse’s entire loaf of sliced bread onto the ground and while doing so asking, “IS THIS OPEN?”…and stood there like an idiot for a few seconds. This is sandwich compensation. So anyways, this sandwich pretty much has everything a man should like: Spicy horseradish, dijon mustard… medium-rare, juicy, sliced steak all topped with peppery arugula and meaty sauteed mushrooms. Love it.

Steak Sandwiches with Spicy Mustard
2 8-ounce tenderloin (filet mignon) or top sirloin steaks
2 tbsp coarsely ground peppercorns
3 tbsp mayonnaise (light or olive oil)!
1 tbsp spicy dijon mustard
1 tbsp horseradish
(2 strips crispy bacon)

~10 crimini mushrooms
2 – 3 tbsp lemon juice
olive oil
s/p

Coat steaks with coarsely ground peppercorns and a little salt. Mix together mayonnaise, dijon mustard, and horseradish for sauce. Set aside (can be made ahead of time). Toss mushrooms with salt, pepper, and lemon juice and saute over medium-high heat until soft. Turn grill to medium high heat or in the same pan, sear steaks for 5 minutes per side for medium-rare or to desired doneness. On the grill, close cover between flipping.

Remove from heat and let steaks REST for 5 minutes to allow juices to redistribute properly. If you cut it right away, all the juices will run out and you’ll be left with dry steaks. Lame!

Slice into thin strips and serve with bacon, mushrooms and spicy mustard. We also added grilled onions, sliced tomatoes, and typical lemon-olive oil-s/p arugula salad. So good! Other great sides are grilled local summer squash and zucchini and some sweet potato fries that would have been amazing had we not burned the living crap out of them. Happy grilling!

Arugula-Mushroom Pizza

I had a final dinner with one of my besties before she went to San Diego to ignore me forever hahaha. Arugula-topped pizza is so light and fresh (for a pizza)– I just love the bitter, peppery arugula that’s slightly wilted from the hot and earthy pizza. So good. I’ll have a recipe for thin-crust pizza dough up as soon as I can because pillsbury isn’t cutting it. The both of us were in such a rush to make it to pick up the boys and watch Toy Story 3! WHICH WAS AWESOME! (Mostly because I hate when movies drag a series forever, i.e. Rambo 45, but this was legitly a good third installment).

Anyways, I can’t understand why the guys I know hate thin-crust. What’s their deal? Thin-crust is awesome, crunchy and like, the opposite of soft, fluffy, and ultimately soggy. that’s right. I said it. This is a light(er) pizza. I can’t have a heavy crust weighing it down.

Arugula-Mushroom Pizza
1 roll thin-crust pizza dough (homemade preferably)
tomato sauce
10 crimini mushrooms, chopped
1/4 red onion, sliced
mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
parmesan cheese, thinly sliced in cheese grater
1 package baby arugula
extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
(lemon juice)
(proscuitto)

Put sauce on crust, sparingly (preferably a parmesan-tomato sauce). When I’m in a hurry, I always get Buitoni’s Tomato-Herb Parmesan sauce. It’s amazing– otherwise, I’d make my own. Top with cheese, then onion and mushroom (and proscuitto, if using) and bake according to directions.

The arugula salad is so simple. Just add a few tablespoons of olive oil to barely coat each arugula leaf. Too much and it will taste too much like olive oil so add incrementally and taste. Be generous with salt but add a bit of pepper as arugula is already very, very peppery. Lastly, toss the salad with some thin sliced (or grated) parmesan. If desired, you can squeeze a very, very little bit of lemon juice to make the salad pop. It’s a very simple and one of the most basic dressings you will find for any type of lettuce– especially one for peppery arugula or dandelion greens. When you remove the pizza, generously top the pizza with arugula so that the heat wilts and cooks off a little peppery flavor, especially if you didn’t use baby arugula.

Serve with a side of fresh fruit salad (mango, strawberry, pineapple, grapes) and vanilla yogurt.

1 pound (or about 3 1/2 cups) high gluten flour
3/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Beef Stir-Fry with Broccoli and Eggplant

I dog-sat for my boyfriend’s parents this weekend. Awesome, in the sense that three ginormous weimaraners are allowed all over the furniture (Aki, my blue girl, came by and helped and even got to sleep on his queen-sized bed with me for a night) but meh because one of the weims gets separation anxiety and before I leave, I have to put them away and everything and calbear sits on me at 6AM to make me feed him (even though he gets fed at 7!)

With limited supplies and time (finals to study for), I needed to make something quick, fresh, and healthy. I did a quick stir-fry. Pretty easy, no? Well, it really is. Broccoli is so good and I had some leftovers from the frittata and I love eggplant. When I was little, my parents would eat sea cucumber (we’re asian) and I never liked the texture– it’s slimey, crunchy, and just weird. In my brain, I somehow thought eggplant was sea cucumber and I never ate it. However, the first time I really started cooking, I cooked Italian and Lidia Bastianich (host of Lidia’s Italy) made such wonderful dishes with eggplant (which compelled me to finally try eggplant parm).

Anyways, so yes…eggplant.

we have a love-hate relationship-- hate here, as he sits on the top of the stairs looking down at me as usual like he be alpha.

Beef Stir-Fry with Broccoli and Eggplant
3/4 oz. Stir-Fry beef, Sirloin beef tips, cut against the grain or firm Tofu (you vegetarians, you!)
2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp corn starch
s/p
1 head broccoli, cleaned, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed, minced
1 small eggplant or 1/2 a large globe eggplant, chopped
1/3 c. water
1 green onion chopped,  some reserved for garnish
(1/2 tsp garlic-chili sauce)

In a small bowl, mix up the beef and cornstarch. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to coat.

In a wok (or a well-oiled, deep frying pan), heat up the vegetable oil over medium-high to high heat. The idea behind stir-frying is pretty much heat it over very, very high heat, very quickly. You can’t reach the same temperatures as in an actual restaurant but we want to duplicate it as much as possible. Stir-fry beef until just cooked– about a minute. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon and tent with foil to keep warm.

Add another tablespoon of vegetable oil if needed and stir-fry garlic, broccoli and eggplant for about 2 to 3 minutes until garlic is just starting to become colored. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, (and garlic-chili if you decided to use it) and water and stir. Bring to a boil and return meat into the wok. Cook until the sauce is thickened and eggplant is soft. Add green onion and toss for a minute. Serve over fresh brown rice and garnish with more green onion, cilantro, and/or sesame seeds.

Broccoli and Cheddar Frittata

This weekend, I ordered a take-out box of “fish” from a Chinese Restaurant. Usually, I’m not one to get ‘fake-meat’ but the restaurant does such a great job of it. They’ve somehow textured the tofu so that it would be similar to the flakiness of fish. I would eat it regardless of meatless Monday or not and I’m so lucky that there were tons of leftovers (huge box). I’m pretty sure it’s heaven in a box for vegetarians.

In other news, I made a frittata this Monday with lots of yummy cheddar, fiber-rich broccoli and high-protein eggs for vegetarians that generally hate soy. (I generally dislike soy)

Vegetarian "Fish": photo does not do this dish justice

Broccoli and Cheddar Frittata
1 broccoli floret, chopped, large stem discared
1/3 c. onions (about 1/2 small onion) diced
8 eggs
1/4 c. milk
1 – 1.5 c. sharp cheddar, grated with more for garnish
1/2 tsp garlic powder
s/p to taste
makes a 10-inch frittata

Preheat oven to 375F.

Beat the eggs, add milk, and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cut up your veggies and saute them in a little olive oil over medium-high heat. If needed, add a little water, cover, and steam your broccoli so they’re nice and green– otherwise, after the veggies are softened (4 – 5 mins), reduce heat to medium-low and add the eggs. Cook until eggs just begin to solidify and add your cheese. Stir sparingly but try and keep the concoction smooth. Before the eggs have completely set– still gooey and watery in the center, smooth it out and pop it in the oven for 10 minutes. Before done completely, raise heat to 400F, broil, and brown.

Serve with tomato or bacon slices. You know I wanted to.

Green Pasta Primavera

First of all, I’d like to say how much this stupid bowl looks like a styrofoam bowl after I took the picture and totally pigged out. Secondly, I probably should’ve used fresher tomatoes or omitted them because they were bitter. Thirdly, free-range is awesome but I’m never buying it again because it’s fucking expensive. I am buying local next time. THAT IS ALL. I love chicken as much as the next person but $7.99/lb is depressing. Buying local is far more “green” than organic anyways!

Springtime meals, to me, should be very light and fresh so a Pasta Primavera is the perfect dish to complement that. I originally wanted to keep it green but tomatoes just seemed like a great idea so I added a few grape tomatoes to accent it and the red really does pop. Originally made with an olive oil “sauce”, more recent Pasta Primaveras are made with a light cream sauce that I feel is much too heavy for a Springtime dish so I only added 1/4 cup of cream instead.

Green Pasta Primavera

1.5 c. onion, chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 head broccoli, chopped into smaller pieces

6 – 7 asparagus shoots

1/3 c. frozen peas, defrosted in warm water

a few grape tomatoes

1/3 c. grated Parm

1/8 c. heavy (whipping) cream

1/8 c. milk

Fettuccine Pasta

4 large basil or parsely chopped into ribbons

olive oil

s/p

Cook Fettuccine pasta according to package. While pasta is boiling, chop up your stuff and blanch chopped asparagus and broccoli in boiling water for 4 – 5 minutes or until bright green. Transfer to bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onions until translucent. Try not to burn or caramelize too much. Add garlic and cook until aromatic. Strain your vegetables and add blanched broccoli and asparagus, defrosted peas, and tomatoes. Add cream and milk and stir. Slowly add half the parmesan cheese until melted. This will not make a particularly creamy dish so don’t be sad that it’s looking a little dry. Season with salt and pepper. Add cooked, al-dente pasta straight from the water, straining the rest under cold water with a tablespoon of olive oil. I had cooked way too much pasta but used it in another dish! Add your chopped basil and serve.

If you’re using parsley, cook it a little to take out some of that raw, bitter taste (I’m not a fan). Serve a fresh over cooked pasta along with some freshly grated parm and you’re good!

Egg and Ham Sandwich

Sometimes in the morning, I would love nothing more than a fried egg and ham sandwich. Eggs are a great source of protein and I would normally tell you to have just egg whites but I do love that half-done center– still oozing with that delicious golden honey but firm on the outside.  Heaven.

Heaven in the form of heart-clogging cholesterol. (Attempts to limit egg yolks to once-in-a-while have failed but I’m working on it).

I hate whole-wheat bread so I opted for Squaw– which is made of whole-wheat flour but better tasting. And I definitely love scrambled eggs over a fried egg but I was craving a fried egg. This is a real simple recipe that doesn’t require much thinking but it’s well worth it and you’ll have a quick, satisfying breakfast.

Egg and Ham Sandwich
1 whole egg (or 2 eggs worth of whites) (or 2 whole eggs if scrambling)
1 slice of deli squaw bread, toasted
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 thin slices (reduced sodium or reduced fat) ham
chives
Serves 1

Toast the large slice of toast in an oven at about 300-350F. Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a small pan. When oil begins to shimmer, carefully crack an egg over (Season with s/p). Cook for about 2 minutes on the bottom side. Now you can decide what kind of egg you want here, if you want sunny-side up, just cook it for a little longer and the yolks are still runny– I can’t do this raw.

You may wish to cover the pan so a thin film covers the top of the yolk or flip and cook for just a few seconds for over-easy. Or do like me, and cook for about a minute for somewhere in between over-medium and well-done.

Retrieve your bread when it’s done toasting to your liking and cut it in half. Slide the egg onto your bread. At this point, I took out some ham and lay it onto the pan and just toasted it a little bit to warm it up and folded it onto the bread.

Cut some chives and sprinkle it over your ham or eggs. You can always do cheddar, parmesan, or something of the sort– I always have scrambled egg (white) sandwiches with chives and (turkey) bacon. You can also choose to use thicker ham instead. Whatever is good!

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to obtain that runny center today as my dog was crying to get outside. Then when my egg was overcooked:

I let her in because we don’t have a dog door and she wanted my sandwich. But you can see the plate of uneaten food in the back. Pretty finicky for a Weimaraner. She doesn’t do breakfast but she’ll put my breakfast in her mouth any day, can you tell?