Day 2: Brussels Sprouts and Tofu Stir-Fry with Black Rice with Coconut

Status update: I haven't felt that hungry yet (I only heard my stomach growl awkwardly loudly in a quiet meeting once) and the food has been delicious. Tonight's dinner I will definitely make again. Some people are anti-tofu, and those people should not make this meal. Luckily I am a tofu person, and as far as "cleanses" go, this one is a damn treat. A pro-tip: having fresh cut flowers on your table makes your meal taste better. It might even help your water taste a little bit like wine. Once you make it a habit, you'll miss them when they're gone. 

We had a close call tonight. I avoided near disaster by managing to squeeze the last few drops out of the sriracha before the. end. 

In a nutshell, here was day 2:

- Breakfast: Old fashioned oats, dried figs, cinnamon, roasted hazelnuts + some fresh strawberries from my morning meeting

- Lunch: Leftover mahi-mahi with white bean puree and spinach

- Snack: Orange, carrot sticks

- Dinner: Brussels sprouts and tofu stir-fry with black rice with coconut

- Dessert: Grapefruit with honey and toasted pine nuts + some pineapple (not pictured)

Brussels Sprouts and Tofu Stir-Fry 

2 14-oz. blocks extra-firm tofu, drained, sliced lengthwise ¾” thick
2 tablespoons coconut oil or canola oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste) *I used 2 tablespoons miso paste + 1 teaspoon sriracha
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1½ pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed, sliced ¼” thick
1 8-oz. can water chestnuts, drained, sliced ¼” thick
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil1 teaspoon sea salt

Lay a double layer of paper towels on a large plate. Place tofu on it and cover with another layer of towels. Cover with another plate and place something heavy on top as a weight. Let sit for at least 15 minutes, then cut into ¾” cubes.Heat 1 Tbsp. coconut oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Place half of tofu in skillet and season with salt. Cook, turning occasionally, until browned all over, 8–10 minutes. Remove to a plate and cook remaining tofu. In a small bowl, whisk together the gochujang, soy sauce, and ¼ cup water. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. coconut oil in the same skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add Brussels sprouts and gochujang mixture and toss to combine. Cover skillet and cook until Brussels sprouts are bright green, about 2 minutes. Add water chestnuts, tofu, and 2 Tbsp. water and cook, stirring frequently, until Brussels sprouts are tender and sauce coats the vegetables, about 4 minutes. Add sesame oil and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with sea salt. *Serve with black coconut rice.

*To make black coconut rice, cook black rice per instructions with a 2" piece peeled ginger in the pot. Toast 1/4 cup coconut and stir into cooked rice before serving.

Thai Red Curry with Vegetables

I'm sure most of you have seen the news about how red and processed meat increases your risk for cancer. Of course I read the article the morning after I made my pork tenderloin recipe. While it isn't a new claim, it is a great reminder to limit weekly red meat intake. (Treat treats as treats) 

For me, a more interesting study came out of our neighbors at UCSF that puts hard facts against the claim that "a calorie is a calorie." When 44 overweight children changed their diet to dramatically reduce sugar, but kept caloric intake the same (eating hot dogs, potato chips and pizza) they showed significant improvements in health measurements in just 10 days. It is studies like these that will wear down the big sugar industry and government to eventually have to step their game up against sugar. This brings me to my recent life update - I signed up for an online General Nutrition course through Berkeley Extension! I'm excited to share things I'm learning in "class" on my blog, and put a little formal education behind all of my ranting and raving. 

This brings us to tonight's meal. My mom trekked across the bay to come to my house for dinner tonight. I made a seasonal thai curry with big chunks of velvety butternut squash and other vegetables in a spicy coconut broth.

Gratitude journal entry: I'm so grateful to have my mom only a few minutes away. We went many years across the country from each other, so we don't take any of our visits for granted. 

 
With mom's help, this dinner was done in just about 20 minutes from start to finish. I recommend pairing with a glass of red wine and Adele's new song "Hello" to get the full effect. 

Thai Red Curry with Vegetables

Recipe: Cookie and Kate

1 cup white rice, cooked per package instructions

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 white onion, chopped

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

2 cups 1" cubed butternut squash

6-8 baby carrots, chopped on diagonal

3 tablespoons red curry paste

1 can coconut milk

1 1/2 cups kale, roughly chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sriracha

squeeze of lemon juice

4-5 large basil leaves, sliced plus more for garnish

In a rice cooker or large pot, cook rice. Leave covered.

In a large skillet, heat coconut oil and add onions, butternut squash and salt. Cook onions and butternut squash for about 5 minutes until lightly softened. Add in bell pepper and carrots and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes. Add curry paste, garlic and ginger and cook until aromatic, a couple minutes. Add in coconut milk, kale, vinegar and soy sauce. Cook down until kale is wilted and butternut squash is tender. 

Stir in basil leaves, lemon juice and sriracha. Taste to make sure no additional salt is needed. Serve over rice with basil on top. 

Sweet Potato & Gorgonzola Brown Rice Risotto

Either it’s spring or mother nature is playing a cruel game with DC’s emotions. These consecutive days of 83 and sunny are giving me senioritis… without the silver lining of summer vacation. So what do normal people make when it’s beautiful and summery outside? Definitely not risotto.

Call me crazy, but I’d do it again.

Sweet Potato & Gorgonzola Brown Rice Risotto

1 large sweet potato, cooked through and cubed
2 cups chicken/vegetable broth
2 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, minced
1/3 cup white wine
3/4 cup brown rice
1 ounce gorgonzola cheese
salt and pepper
cayenne pepper

Microwave the sweet potato 6-7 minutes, until soft. Add water and broth to a pot and bring to a simmer. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and add shallot. After a minute add white wine and reduce by half. Add rice followed by 1/2 cup of broth mixture. Continue adding 1/2 cup of broth to rice mixture until is absorbed by the rice, about 25-30 minutes, stirring often. When tender, stir in sweet potato and gorgonzola until melted. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. Top with crumbled gorgonzola. Serves 3 with heaping salads on the side.

Salmon w/ Cilantro Yogurt Sauce & Red Pepper Rice

I had a few minutes to kill before heading to work this morning and flipped through a Cooking Light magazine. Ta da! Dinner was planned before 8 am. Today was apparently the best day of the year to go to Whole Foods as they had sample stations every five feet. I tried some asparagus with hollandaise, brie with fig compote, sparking apple cider and shrimp cocktail. It's nice when the store where you spend a significant fraction of your pay check gives back to you. 

After a few sips of red wine and a change of clothes, I started on the sauce. To make the cilantro yogurt sauce you will need:

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

1/3 cup cucumber, chopped & peeled

2 tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 teaspoon fresh lime juice

Sprinkle of salt

Mix them all together and chill it. 

The red pepper rice is simple. Cook rice per instructions, add crushed red pepper and diced red bell pepper. I served this with pita chips mixed in, which Cooking Light suggests. 

For the salmon, sprinkle salt and pepper and cook in a pan of 1-2 tsp. olive oil, 3ish minutes per side. Thank you to my roommate for bringing home these old Cooking Lights - wouldn't be here without ya!

Back to Basics

Waking up this morning was No. Fun. I opted for a fancy breakfast to make light of my Monday morning, in this case Fancy Oats. I even decided on photographing it, but apparently my camera wasn't awake either - they were not blog-fit. This meal-in-a-bowl consisted of Old Fashioned oats, half a banana, chopped dates, raisins, a dollop of peanut butter and some cinnamon and brown sugar mixed in. It was a happy marriage. 

By the time I got home from work today (I walked home, good for me), I needed something to nosh on before dinner. I ended up with some grapes, a box of raisins and a glass of wine, oddly all the same food at different stages in life. 

The goal for dinner was to make a square meal. I'd say it got pretty close, but fell short as it is lacking a dessert :'(

Menu: Barbecue chicken made with Carolina Mustard Sauce (I had to take the bottle away from Evan before he drank it all), white rice with pepper jack cheese, and zucchini sautéed with balsamic vinegar and Italian herbs. Super basic yet oh, so delicious. 

Now I plan on ransacking my kitchen for something resembling dessert. Until next time!