#every time i make a teriyaki sauce it is. slightly different.

[failfemme]

i made the most perfect teriyaki sauce last night while high out of my mind, and i'm never gonna be able to recreate it just right. so i have to savor every bite of my leftovers bc once it's gone, it's gone.

[fiftytwotwenty]

Food Friday - Jan 10th, 2020 Crab Stir Fry (Formerly known as The Desperate Housewife) Prep Time: 1hr 15mins

Have you every eaten at Hu Hut (or any other stir fry/hibachi grill) and said, “Man, I love the food but I hate the effing “one bowl” rule, spilling sauce on your hands while waiting to approach the grill, and cringing over customers sneezing on the veggies and obliterating the sauce station. If only I had a flat iron grill or wok at home. Well, Eff that! We landed on the Moon, damnit, why can’t I have hot zesty stir fry from the comfort of my own home.”

Well, I have and here is my creation - Crab Stir Fry:

I made this concoction my first time I ate at Hu Hut, fell in love, and I have never deviated (give or take some minor tweaks) since. I once entered my stir fry mix in a Hu Hut recipe contest and coined it the Desperate House Wife based on the amount of wine ladles I use to put into my mix (I did not win the contest). More recently to appease my tea toatling friends and to avoid having to deal with being carded at the grocery store, I have swapped out the wine with pomegranate juice.

I have made this Stir Fry multiple times and each time it’s been slightly altered - Different mixes of veggies or More Heat and Less Sweet (vice versa). You can certainly do your best to follow the recipe, but certainly feel free to cater to your own tastebuds.

Here we go:

INGREDIENTS:

-1lb of Crab Meat (Imitation is fine - hell, it’s all I have ever known)

-1lb of Mixed Vegetables (There is a large variety out there - choose your favorite)

-2 Packs of Ramen (I prefer Oriental, Pork or Shrimp)

-1 Drained Can of Sliced Potatoes (or 2 Large Potatoes)

-1 Can of Pineapple (Chunks or Crushed)

-Peanuts

-Coconut Shavings

-Brown Sugar

SAUCES:

-1/2 Cup Lemonade

-1/2 Cup Pomegranate Juice (or a Red Wine)

-1/4 Cup Soy Sauce

-Drizzles of Teriyaki Sauce

-Drizzles of Sweet Chili Sauce 

-Drizzles of Kung Pao Sauce

DIRECTIONS:

- Start by soaking your starches. In a bowl marinate your Sliced Potato in a mixture of Lemonade and Pomegranate Juice.

- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees

- In a skillet, on medium to high heat, begin to sauté your mixed vegetables (excluding sliced potatoes) in Soy, Teriyaki Sauce, and a top layer dusting of brown sugar (I Eye Ball my measurements). Cook mixture roughly for 10 to 12 minutes or until the sauces start to cook off. If your veggies seem soggy - go ahead and strain the veggies from the sauce and set aside for assembly.

- In another/clean skillet, on medium to high heat, sauté your Crab Meat, Peanuts, and Pineapple in the Sweet Chili and Kung Pao Drizzles. Make sure to move the mixture around to prevent it from burning. Once cooked - set aside.

 - On another burner - prepare your ramen mixture based on the packages directions. Once complete be sure to drain the noodles from the broth.

- Finally, remove your sliced potatoes from their juice marinade and fry in a skillet until they become crispy.

- Assemble your cooked ingredients on a baking sheet.

- Drizzle remaining Pomegranate/Lemonade/Pineapple juices over the your cooked mixture.

- Bake mixture in the oven at 425 degrees for 10 minutes

- Optional - Garnish with Coconut Shavings.

ENJOY

A Video of My First Go Around making the Stir Fry - The Formula and Sound Effects have since improved:

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A post shared by Malibu Bum (@malibu_bum) on Mar 28, 2017 at 8:55am PDT

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

- I will say the making of this dish can really make me furious - I have a small kitchen and there are a lot of moving parts/things to cook. I don’t think there has been a time making this dish where I have not cursed at my stove top. This dish truly is for those with patience and great organizational skills.

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A post shared by Malibu Bum (@malibu_bum) on Mar 28, 2017 at 9:04am PDT

[revbrowman]

Melon Cooler

Locusts and other buzzing bugs weren’t sounds either of them were accustomed to hearing. Kun-lai was far too cold for them, as far as Rev OR Hass both knew. Even if they lived by the coast, the weather wasn’t anything like here in the valley. Hot, humid, sticky. Hot.

Very hot.

Hass sat back on a deck chair on the porch, head back, staring out into the night to the expansive farmlands below their little hill.

They had been lucky to find a house available. A family had just moved out of it some months before and while it was in rough shape, it was well loved (and nothing a few repairs couldn’t fix either.) Rev considered themselves lucky to grab it at all.

The stairs would prove to be a problem in the years to come, but for now, he wasn’t thinking about it. Or much of anything, for that matter.

“You dying out there?” Rev called from the kitchen.

Hass’ ear flicked and he closed his eyes, sighing through his nose. Sometimes it felt too hot to move. And while his fur was thin for summer, it was still like being constantly wrapped in a towel. “Aye.” He almost groaned, slouching further and letting himself slide lower, legs sticking straight out onto the porch.

“Hang on.”

It was odd, being in such a large house. They had an entire kitchen now that wasn’t combined with both their bedroom and their living space (the bedroom was upstairs.) There was room for actual furnishings and decorations and all sorts of other things. It was a nice house. Compared to every other place they’d been living since they moved out of the monastery.

Still, it was theirs. That was a nice thought.

Rev’s boot steps made the wooden floor boards creak as he walked outside, carrying with him two glasses and a large pitcher of something. Hass’ ears perked up slightly more at the sound of ice jingling around in it. “What’s that?”

“It’s one of those fruit waters.”

“Fruit WHAT?” Hass opened his eyes and sat up now, leaning in to sniff the pitcher. “It’s green...What th’ hell’s in it??” He wrinkled his nose, conflicted. It smelled sweet, but it also smelled like plant matter.

Rev scowled at him, handing him one of the glasses. “Just try it. Don’t make a face.”

“I dunno,”

“It’s melon, cucumber, sugar, lemon and ice. It’s not going to kill you and it won’t taste like a salad.”

Hass grumbled a little as Rev poured him a full cup. And then one for himself. Immediately he picked out a little floating piece of cucumber while he wasn’t looking, before sipping at it.

Cold, refreshing, not just boring ol’ water. Sweet… Like lemonade. He smacked his lips a few times. It was OK. Rev watched him with a critical eye before sighing in exasperation, shaking his head, and sitting in the deck chair next to him.

“I think I’m going to cut my hair tomorrow.” He said suddenly, running a hand through the mop that was currently on top of his head.

“Again? It ain’t gonna grow back so quick the more times ya do it ya know.”

“It’s either that or suffer.”

Hass couldn’t argue with that. Sometimes he too wanted to just shave all his fur off. Not that he ever made mention of THAT out loud.

“This summer’s gonna be a hot one.” Rev sniffed as he poured himself a second glass. “Feel like m’ cookin’ in my own skin sometimes with how hot it gets in th’ day...th’ sun’s searin’. Like bein’ in an oven.”

“Yeah, kinda. But there’s lots of shade here, and windows.”

“Well I know but it doesn’t cool down FAST enough...” Hass sipped at his own drink cautiously. He was still unsure about the taste overall. “...I like the house though.”

“Thank goodness for that, huh.”

“Yer th’ one who’s more picky than I am.”

“Yeah, yeah. You still gonna be singin’ that when you’re stuck upstairs one day and unable to walk down??”

“Hey now-”

The two went back and forth with their banter, before laughing to themselves and falling quiet again, once more staring out to the land beyond.

“It’s too bad I missed the window for planting spring things. I dunno anything about farming though, or growing anything. Might have to go ask the neighbors. I wanna get started on those planters tomorrow like you said you would.” Rev set his glass aside on the small box they had between them that held the pitcher.

Hass let out an airy sigh and looked away briefly. “Ahuh,” He didn’t want to do it. But, he said he would…But it didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to get out of it at least once. “Yeah, tomorrow,” He muttered. “Uh- early in th’ mornin’ though. It’s too damn hot to do it in the daytime.”

Rev rolled his eyes. “Alright alright. Besides, don’t complain. Tomorrow I’m making that chicken with the sweet sticky teriyaki sauce you like so much.”

“No bones either right?” “No bones.”

The troll licked his lips, pleased. “Ok.” He could build ONE planter.

Bribing Hass with food was easy enough. And Rev could do it even more now that they lived so close to Halfhill. Almost every ingredient available out there was at his disposal. And there was little Hass could do about it.

Not that he wanted to.

A grasshopper bounced past them and off into the grass, startling a couple fireflies. There would be many more come summer.

“How pretty,” Rev sighed, leaning to the side with his elbow.

“Hm?” Hass glanced over at him. “I could make ya light up like that.” Rev sat up making an ‘ugh’ sound. “Oh I know, I KNOW. Now light up angry or light up all lovey dovey, there’s a difference.”

Hass snurked. “Why not both?”

“That’s pretty dangerous. Even for you.”

“Yeah I know. But it’s fun, sometimes.”

“Mmhm.”

With a snort, Hass reached over and poked at Rev’s hand, in a sort of ‘gimme’ kind of way. Rev let him have it eventually.

“Don’t knock over the pitcher.” Rev warned.

“I love you.”

“I know, but don’t knock over the pitcher.”

They gave each other’s hands a squeeze before returning to doing absolutely nothing except lazing about. Even Rev was starting to feel the humidity and the heat now. Sweating every night due to JUST the weather wasn’t something he liked to do.

“You gonna roast out here some more? I’m gonna go back inside. Where it’s slightly cooler.” He said suddenly, sitting up.

Hass looked over at him again. “Nah, m’ done roastin’.” He also sat up, bones popping, muscles aching and stiff. The pitcher was still about half full. “Next time, can ya do no cucumber?” “Next time I might as well just make lemonade. I dunno why you don’t like cucumbers.” Rev took the pitcher and headed back inside. The neat thing about having an icebox finally was being able to hold onto drinks and cold things just a little while longer. In it went.

“Well it just tastes...Green.”

Rev squinted. “Tastes green??”

“Well, ya know,” “Yeah, I know you don’t like eating vegetables is what.” Hass clicked his tongue, “Jus’ carrots...an’ cucumbers…”

“And peas, and spinach, and lettuce, and sometimes turnips, and cauliflower, and broccoli and eggplants and zucchini and-” “Hey now-” The troll grumbled, “Ya try bein’ force-fed a concoction of green sludge when YER teeth are extra sensitive, on top of errythin’ else- ya ain’t gonna like th’ taste of MOST veggies and things either-” “For your information, I DID, one summer. If you remember THAT.” “Ok well-” “Ok well nothing! I can’t coat EVERYTHING in sugar-” “Well I ain’ askin’ ya to I just-”

“Just what huh??-”

The sounds of their voices went from the downstairs floor, and drifted upwards to the second floor.

Only when they fell into bed did it quiet down again.

…Though not for terribly long.

[islanani-blog]

Allow myself to introduce my....self...

Ok so, it’s a new year, time for a new look…it’s time to break the mold of the old and be cool with what’s new.  Like that Tupac song goes…”it’s time for a change, let’s change the way we eat, let’s change the way we live, and let’s change the way we treat each other.  You see the old ways wasn’t working so it’s on us to do what gotta do, to survive…”

The New Year tells me that it’s time for a change...it’s time to reintroduce myself.  It’s time for IslaNani sucka’s!  That sounds good, don’t it?  IslaNani….it’s….it’s….well it’s the soul in my food, my travels, and how I feel when I see my family and friends.  IslaNani is a state of mind, a sojourn of the spirit, very Metamucil…just close them eyes, take a deep breath and when you reopen them eyes, see the world for what it was intended to be…beautiful, loving, and filled with those we care about the most.  So…what does all this mean?  Shee-yit, it means I’m back fool!  But I’m changing up the game while staying true to what got me here and that is sharing my passion for life, food, and still making dumb assed uncle jokes along the way.  So, you ready?  I’m ready!  Let’s get down!!

Ok then, I recently got back from a 19 day trip to Hawai’i and I have to say it was transformative.  Not Transformative like Bumblebee or Optimus Prime Rib…but like it provided me the chance to be with my family as we found new things to love about a place we have gone for the last 10 plus years.  It was really cool to see new things and go on new adventures in a place that had become so familiar and laden with the same haunts each jaunt.  Think of it like looking at yourself in the mirror all the time, same old you.  You say to yourself “I’m good looking but it’s the same reflection every time.” Then one day you realize, “Hey, I have really nice ear lobes…those are some nicely shaped lobes.  I never realized how good looking those things are.  I’m gonna go out and show my badass lobes to the globe.”  I also came away with a new found appreciation for my family relationships in general.  We even made some new friends that we will be in touch with for years to come.  That’s what got me thinking about a shake-up in my blog postings.  I’m still sorting this out, but I feel like mixing up food and travel will be a nice blend.  Basically when I travel, I find something good that I ate and I come home and cook it.  So why not bring the two together?  Food and travel go hand in hand like Charlie Brown and Snoopy, ball games and hot dogs, a white Speedon’t and that one European dude at the beach playing badminton by himself for some reason…just matches made in heaven.  I mean damn, they have a full channel dedicated to it.  Not the European Dude Speedo Badminton Beach Championships (or the EDSBBC for short), but you know…travel.  One day I’ll have to audition for one of those Travel Channel shows.  We call it, “Can’t Take Him Anywhere Nice” starring Uncle Manny.  But sadly, that dream will have to wait.  Until then, I’m gonna show off some sweet Hawai’i pics and take on a couple different ways to prep up musubi as well as some egg rolls.  So slap on those board shorts and that chef hat and let’s get to work motha sucka’s!

Egg Rollin’ with the Homies

Egg roll wrappers (thawed)

2 chicken breasts

1 bell pepper diced

1/2 onion diced

2 tbsp. of minced garlic

Taco seasoning to taste

This isn’t exactly a new one, but it’s something that the wife had on our last trip and she wanted me to make it for her.  So to start, in a medium sized bowl, rub the chicken breasts with taco seasonings then put a little oil in a pan over medium-high heat and cook the chicken breast until done, about 10 minutes.  Once done, remove from heat and place on a cutting board to cool.  While those breastesses cool down,  put the pan back on medium-high heat and add in the onion, garlic and bell pepper and cook for another 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Go back to the chicken and dice it up into small pieces, return the pan to the heat and mix in the chicken with the veggies and cook until it is all blended in.   When done, set aside and allow to cool for about half an hour.  While you wait, go like drink a beer or something.  Once you have waited for half an hour, or about 4 beers (because 4 beers in half an hour is about right isn’t it?) take out the egg roll wrapper and place a couple spoonful’s of the mixture on the bottom corner.  Wrap up the egg rolls and set on a cookie sheet, plate, or whatever flat surface you want to use.  From here you can pan fry them in oil, or if you are one of those do-goody “I don’t fry stuff because I’m healthy, but I’ll bake the sh*t out of it” types then that’s cool too.  Just put a little oil on a cookie sheet, brush a little oil on each egg roll and bake it at like 425 degrees or whatever temp you like.  Me?  I’m the “Fry-day is My-day” type so I puts ‘em in oil and eats ‘em up.  If I wanted to be healthy I’d eat a salad and run a mile.  So anyway, once these are done, you can set out some salsa for dipping or do it my way with a couple spoonfuls of sour cream mixed with Chipotle Tabasco for your dipping sauce.  This recipe feels very Guy Fieri, but who gives a spit, they taste good cuz!

Don’t Worry, Musubi Happy

Steamed white rice (sushi rice preferred but jasmine is ok for musubi)

Nori sheets

Portuguese sausage

Salmon

Teriyaki sauce

Furikake

What you want to do first is steam the rice.  While that steams, cut the sausage in long strips, then pan fry them on medium-high heat.  They will be done when they are a little brown and slightly crispy.  When done place on paper towels to cool but keep the oil from the sausage in the pan.  Now put the salmon in that same pan and on the same heat, drizzle on some teriyaki sauce and cook on one side for about 8 minutes.  Flip the salmon over, then, cook the other side for about 8 minutes, drizzling on more teriyaki sauce.  When done, remove from pan and set on a plate.  Next get the nori sheet and place on a sushi mat.  Cover the nori with rice, salmon, and Portuguese sausage.  Leave about an inch of space on the end of the nori so you can close and seal it.  Sprinkle on a little Furikake and then roll it up in the mat.  Taking a sharp knife, run it under some warm water and slice into equal-sized rounds.  With every other cut, run the knife under warm water since this will help the knife cut through the nori and not tear away at it.

So there it goes…my first post of the New Year.  Hope it was fun and informative because if not, too bad, it only goes downhill from here my dudes and dudettes!  If you decide to try these recipes at home, just take your time with it and have fun.  If you have kids, encourage them to help.  Give them the hot oil and frying pans as well as the sharp knives, then, leave them unattended while you go fetch another drink.  Nooo! I’m kidding!  Let them turn the oven on too…all right y’all, until next time, be cool.

As promised, I have a sweet ass video of Hawai'i! Turns out my inlaw's neighbor works for a great ocean excursion company called Trident Adventures and they took us out for a cruise early after Christmas. You can find them at www.tridentadventures.com and they are worth checking out. They had plenty of snacks and drinks for the kiddos plus they are just very nice people. The crew is great and run by military Vets so you get to be out on the water with our nation's finest. I guess the crew of Hawai'i 5-O was out on the boat as well as the dude from Aquaman so they have a pretty swank clientele list. Even Z list stars like me (I was in a Hollywood movie about Prefontaine for like point zero 2 seconds). Even though I didn't sign any autographs that day, the kids had a blast and saw half of the supporting cast from Finding Nemo. I'm talking full on Honu, Whales, small fishies...but hey, we were just around the corner from Disney's Aulani so it made sense...

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[inkofamethyst]

April 2, 2022

You know, I’m nothing if not consistent.  Like clockwork, the impostor syndrome has already set in.  And it’s especially funny this go round because I distinctly remember just a few weeks ago being like “hm this one sounds pretty alright, I mean it’s right inside my belt range” or something along those lines.  Honestly, part of the issue could have been a waning stamina or perhaps an improper, far-too-short warm-up (I wasn’t sounding great in some of the other ones I practiced today either, maybe I was am just tired (tbh ain’t no “maybe” about it)).  Luckily I don’t think we’re recording through that one tomorrow anyway (I sure as all get out hope we don’t).

So in the orchestra discord someone (cellist) asked how wind instruments work (do we go sharp/flat n how do we (heh “we” idek if flautists would still accept me as one of their own (saxes most certainly would should not as I am an insult to that whole community)) fix it on the fly) and they were given an answer related to the embouchure and the person was like “do you pronounce that like kombucha” and I’ve just about lost my mind over that comment.  Also “what is oboe but a fat free clarinet” I’m DYING.

Speaking of the orchestra, I really like writing little jokey notes to myself in my music, like stage directions that verge on being ever so slightly unhinged, such as “like a crazed angel” or “suffocate :)” instead of just the simple “stagger breathe” and this only becomes a problem of profuse apologies when other people read my music.

Today I’m thankful that it was a semi-productive day!!  Not in terms of homework or anything actually important along those lines (...yet, I guess (I have a couple of big assignments due soon that I really gotta get workin on)), but I went food shopping at two different stores (...meat is expensive y’all I swear I’m never going to buy chicken or shrimp off-sale again (the chicken package said 2.99 in these big bold numbers (which made sense to me like these things were raw and like you can get two whole thighs off a single chicken so why wouldn’t it be cheap) and I thought it was a steal but they meant it was 2.99 per pound (I’m not upset because I’m not broke and I’m learning so I don’t wanna be too hard on myself n stuff but sheesh I mean I knew I was practically illiterate but I didn’t know it was that bad))) and got raspberries (!!) and green onions (!!), among other things.  And then I came home and fixed up those shrimp into a stir fry with some of the veggies and rice noodles that I’d fixed yesterday plus some spices (I used real garlic instead of just the powder and it was so fragrant) and sauces (normally I’d prefer to make my own teriyaki but that can take quite a bit of time and I try to be conscious of how much I use the kitchen during primetime for meals (that was part of the reason why I’d pre-made the veggies and noodles)) and it was SO GOOD.  I think real ginger would’ve made it just a wee better but otherwise I was am very proud.

At this point it’s a question of whether I could survive on ~3 dining hall meals a week or if I’d need ~6.  Breakfast is easy enough.  I have space for lunch every day, but that means I’d have to prepare my own lunches most days.  That’s okay, lunches can be light: egg salads.. and other salads.  So maybe I would be okay with only 3ish meals a week.

[scottstiles]

i was tagged by @clarz - thank you for this! rules: answer questions given by the person who tagged you, write 11 new questions of your own, tag 11 people. 

i’m gonna tag some people today cuz i worked hard on this and it took a long time...whoops. no pressure XD @wellsjahasghost @tylerstitties @runicscribbles @xproskeith @anomalagous @ginevraslovegood @quicklikelight​  @westhallen @lozenger8 @prudence-halliwell @malecbellarke

omg i’m sorry i just realized it’s really long. this is what happens when you take 2 days to answer a tag game. feel free to skip my answers and head to the new Qs if you want! or neither! love you <3

1. Do you find it frustrating that although you know how certain things “work” (for instance, how a love interest not calling you back automatically increases your interest), you can’t help but being drawn in? Can you give me an example? (For the record, this principle describes the entirety of my complicated one-sided relationship with one Harry Edward Styles.)

Yeeeeah i feel like most things in my life approach that level of frustration tbh. I have very little self control sometimes. I’m covered in a haze of addiction, and my impulse control/temper lives on a volatile little rickety branch in my brain where there’s always a lightning storm in the distance. Okay so what I mean is (and I’m not sure i really understand the question but I’m trying), I find it extremely frustrating that I am always aware of what the outcome will be and yet I constantly put myself in the position to be frustrated and/or disappointed by it. Did I get it? Like, if we’re talkin about celebrity obsessions, or having a crush on someone (which, yeah, I guess I kinda remember what that’s like irl), I suppose I’ve come to terms with that kind of distant admiration thing being divorced from reality- I mean, it’s been a life long struggle, so it doesn’t really get to me as much anymore. Usually. The “fangirl” in me is very, very young, and I don’t really know her anymore. If I’m talking about fighting my impulses or my mental health, or like, leaving earlier so I’m not late and then angry in traffic.... that’s a bit more frustrating. I will never leave early. Why? I don’t fucking know. And it’s the Worst. Idk if that fits with your question but yeah, I know how my behavior affects my mood and I could change it, but I don’t, and I can’t help it.

2. What is the longest book or series of books you’ve ever read? Were you at a loss when you finished? Do you generally like series or prefer stand-alone books?

The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind! I love it so much. Haven’t read it in a long time, but that shit is like over 20 books and he’s still writing.. a legend. I was at a loss several times at the end of certain books that I thought were really gonna be the End, but then he made some like, spin off series a bit. So we’re good. Generally I love a good series, but there are so many stand alone books that I adore so.. I don’t know. Why am I writing so formally? This is tiresome, I’m gonna stop now. Stupid capital letters.

other series i love include everything in the tolkien universe, and of course harry potter, and also the percy jackson books. tolkien is pretty epic, to say the least, and rick riordan is fucking prolific, so hp is like, on the small side in terms of series (tho i did reread the last 2 at least a dozen times, and the audiobooks on many a long drive). also those motherfukcing maze runner books were like... there’s not that many of them, but that one i can definitely say left me at a loss. i’m still not ready to watch the last 2 movies but i hope to one day. for dylan.

3. Ever seen a therapist or gone to a support group? Did it help?

yup. i’ve seen quite a few therapists. i don’t think it’s helped in the long term, and i’m not sure it helped in the short, though there was a time i liked it because i was indulging my self analysis, but that for sure wasn’t helpful. i tried a couple cbt therapists thinking that could be a good way to go, but nothing ever really changed, so it’s hard to tell what’s going wrong- is it the therapy or is it me? idk i just think on the whole it’s got a negative color for me. i still see someone once every few weeks, but it’s a chore. this is really completely against everything i believe about therapy, btw, and i def considered becoming one when i was in university. i do think it’s beneficial, i guess just maybe not to me.

4. What is the longest road trip you’ve ever taken? Did you drive or were you just a passenger? What is your favorite road trip ritual, if you have any (the particular gas station snacks, the car games, the fights over music choices, the rest stops, etc.)?

oh my, well i’ve been on a few road trips in my life, but probably not as many as you americans do. the longest one was probably as a child, when i was about 3 or 4 my parents took us across the states, to the grand canyon (i don’t think we actually got there) in our mustard yellow vw bus. i had to be too small to remember but i definitely do (my dad’s a photographer so the boxes upon boxes of film helps): - sleeping on the ceiling in the bus like on a fucking shelf that stuck out above the driver seats. it was way too cool. - staying in a trailer park and walking over to this little building where there was some scary movie playing that had spinning wheels on fire (i think it was like some 80s horror version of rumpelstiltskin or something). i can literally picture a scene from it, just can’t really describe it. traumatizing. - playing on a beach somewhere (cape cod?) and having something nip at my little toes.

on other trips with friends we’ve shared the driving, but the most recent one from LA to vegas my friend wouldn’t let me touch the rental wheel. he thinks i’m a terrible driver. it was ok tho i got to take pictures instead.

i don’t really have a fave ritual since i don’t do much road “tripping” per se, but since i’ve lived in both toronto and new york i have done a shit ton of driving long distance, and i absolutely love it. my fave thing to do is make sure i have enough show tunes and stand up comedy on the playlist, and even some cds on back up, so i can lose my voice on the drive. usually i have some good ol’ tim horton’s french vanilla and a croissant on the side to keep me going, and if it’s long enough i usually stop somewhere for some french fries and/or a coke to wake up. god i love driving.

5. Which do you find increases more rapidly, your age or your idea of what age is old?

ugh. my age. i don’t feel old but that stupid time nonsense says otherwise. it needs to stop.

6. Do you talk to your animals when no one else is in the room? What do you say to them? Do you talk to animals you see on the street, at zoos, in your yard? How much of a face does an animal have to have to be talk-to-able? (For example, do rodents count? Birds? Fish? Cockroaches? WHERE’S THE LINE)

absolutely. i talk to pretty much fucking everything, animals or otherwise, i don’t care who’s in the room. there is no line. the line does not exist.

7. If they cooked, which dish of your mom’s/dad’s/parental figure is or was your favorite? Which was your least favorite? Do you often cook dishes your parents used to make for you for yourself now, as an adult?

welllllll my parents do cook, but over the years i came to really dislike a lot of my mom’s cooking.. habits, lets say. my dad is great on the bbq, and with all meats, but my mom is usually the organizer and most often the chef. her staples are chicken and brisket, sometimes salmon, in various ways. the problem is i’ve always been a picky eater, and tho my own tastes have branched out, my mom still thinks she needs to cook everything super plain and sometimes it’s kinda gross. like, she’ll make some fancy chicken for everyone else and throw a boneless breast covered in teriyaki sauce in a casserole in the oven for me. it does NOT taste good. but she can make a really great schnitzel, and brisket is hard to do wrong. i don’t make anything for myself the way she does it really, but my eating/cooking habits are all wonky anyway.

8. Do you ever check your voicemail? Do you answer calls from numbers you don’t have programmed into your phone?

i check it if someone left a message, why wouldn’t you? what if it’s an emergency? in fact, my best friend does not. so i guess.. that’s a thing. i for sure do not answer any call that doesn’t show a name that i recognize- even then it’s a stretch. i have to really want/need to talk to you, otherwise it’s gonna be on my terms. my phone and i have a hate-hate relationship.

9. How often do you go to the grocery store? Are you good at it? Do you have any kind of strategy or list prepared beforehand?

i go when i run out of something i wanna eat; my store is right on the corner. i basically just do the curve around the breads/fruits/veggies if i need it, then head to the aisles which i skim from the back where the frozen/refrigerated stuff is, poking in to the aisles i need to grab the shit i’ve run out of. i eat pretty much the same way most of the time so my list is in my head (which is not always a good place, but i try hard. if i forget something i go back for it next time).

10. Do movies frequently make you cry? Do you find you’re more likely to cry in the theater or at home? When people are around or by yourself?

oh hell yes. if they’re good or i’m in a mood. i don’t think it matters much where i am if it’s public or private, the cry will come if the moment is right, and i could give no shits XD

11. Have you ever seen the sun rise? Did you kind of like the weird, slightly chilly liminal space of it, or did you just wish you were still in bed?

yes i have, in so many different contexts. mostly i watch it rise because i stay up That Late most of the time (except this time of year, i haven’t seen it in a good while), wishing my ass was finally in bed going “fuck. there’s the sun again. way to go me.” but i’ve also experienced that first bit. out in the desert after a 16k hike, sweat pouring off my skin and fire burning on the surface, hissing it away. standing on top of an ancient mountain facing the dead sea, limbs aching from climbing it with the sun racing at our backs, trying to get to the top before we missed it rise. ya. sunsets are pretty, too.

so how am i supposed to think of 11 questions?? i hope none of these are from some post i saw one time, i’m gonna try to be original without rambling too much:

1- if you could go back to one major decision you made that impacted the path of your life and change it, would you? what was it? how do you think your life would be different? or don’t answer those second two questions, if you don’t want to.

2- in what direction does your belief lean (like, you don’t have to agree with my description of it, but what fits your image best):

a single/multiple divine power that controls every facet of our existence (or like, any traditional religious worldview), with or without free will?

a harmonious interconnected universal complex that directs matter and energy but is affected by our existence in said universe?

everything is just a series of random events passing through time and everything that happens, everything we do, makes the next thing happen, but it could have happened any other way as well.

do these things make sense? idk try and figure it out.

3- on that topic, what do you think happens when we die? do we go to heaven/hell or some other religious construct? do we have a soul that sticks around? reincarnation? do we just... end, and decompose, and that’s it? what do you really think? are you afraid to find out you were wrong?

4- tell me about a moment in a movie or a show that made you go all tingly inside, like, that really special tingle, and every time you see it you get those feelings again.

5- what’s your go-to method for letting out stress?

6- what are 3 of your favorite words (english or otherwise)? why do you love them? the way they sound? the way they look? what they mean? (i usually would answer this based on sound, kinda like fave color, just a feeling).

7- this isn’t so original but i wanna know- if you could live in any other period of time, in any part of the world, what would it be and why? or would you even? would you if you could choose your station/place in society?

8- is there anything you’ve ever done or ever happened to you that you absolutely never ever could ever tell anyone about? not even your soulmate or someone who would never judge you? if so, does it bother you, or do you have it tucked away in your mind and never think about it?

9- which teen wolf cast member would you get along with best? not who would you like to be in a relationship with, but who do you think you’d have the best relationship with (romantic/platonic/otherwise)? if you don’t think you know any of them well enough... which one would you bone? boooooooooone all night long?

10- do you have a talent/skill that you feel is really underrated or underused by you or others? is there something you’re really proud of but have nobody to brag to about it because nobody you know really cares at all? brag to me.

11- do you think it’s truly possible to be happy if you never have a significant other(s) for the rest of your life? could you ever be?

THAT’S ALL FOLKS. wow i can’t believe i wrote all of that shit and you read it. way to go us. thanks again, clara!

[wsmith215]

Asian Lettuce Wraps with Chicken

The moment we turned 16, my high school friends and I used our newfound freedom (and the ability to borrow our parents’ cars) to meet for dinner at a certain favorite Asian restaurant chain. We felt very adult and fancy, especially when we split an order of Lettuce Wraps. Tender ground chicken cooked in an outrageously addictive, sweet-and-salty Asian sauce, then piled inside crisp lettuce cups, this famous restaurant appetizer has since become one of my favorite healthy dinner inspirations.

I first wrote about the arrival of the aforementioned illustrious Asian restaurant chain in my Kansas hometown (and the love affair with Asian lettuce wraps that it sparked), back when I shared this recipe for copycat P.F. Chang’s Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps. My love for them hasn’t dwindled in the slightest. 

As it turns out, you also share my lettuce wrap love! The vegetarian version is still one of the most popular on my site, and today’s chicken version has earned a similar set of stellar reviews.

P.F. Chang’s lettuce wraps are made of less accessible ingredients that I’m not as likely to have around, like mirin and shiitake mushrooms.

When I set out to create a copycat version, it was important to me that they be made with simple ingredients that are easy to find at most grocery stores. You may even have all the ingredients in your kitchen right now!

These healthy lettuce wraps are fancy without being fussy and flavorful without requiring hours of work. They can be made in the slow cooker or on the stovetop. Each option is equally as delicious, so choose whichever fits best with your schedule.

Whether you’re looking for a simple recipe that will impress anyone you serve it to, an easy weeknight dinner with wholesome ingredients, or a nutritious stand-in for your weekly takeout order, these Asian lettuce wraps are for you.

Asian Lettuce Wraps—A Healthy Recipe Love Story

These Thai chicken lettuce wraps have the same sweet crunch and addictive taste as my original vegetarian recipe, but they’re made with ground chicken instead of tofu.

They also offer a few other advantages over the original.

Crock Pot. This recipe is made in the slow cooker so you have maximum flexibility. Prep it now, then go about your business. In a few hours, dinner is ready to serve.Scalability. While I love my vegetarian lettuce wraps, a comment I frequently received was that they were gone in a single evening.

While a clean plate is the most sincere of compliments for any home cook, as a lover of meal prep (and anytime I can cook once and eat more than once), I also recognize the benefit of having leftovers.

Today’s recipe for healthy Asian lettuce wraps yields a more generous portion of the filling. Any amount you don’t finish tonight will last in the refrigerator for several days and can be frozen for several months, making them a meal prep dream.

How to Make Lettuce Wraps

What makes this recipe special is its blend of nuanced flavors and textures, along with a well-balanced incorporation of healthy food groups. Every spoonful provides double-duty servings of both protein and vegetables. 

From the “Why can I not stop eating this???” tasty sauce, to the crunch of the water chestnuts, the ingredients blend together beautifully. Every bite delivers.

The IngredientsGround Chicken. Ground chicken is quick-cooking, mild, and it will soak up the flavor of the sauce without overpowering it. Perfect! Plus, it’s packed with filling protein.Hoisin + Soy Sauce. The sweet, sticky, salty, and umami base for our sauce. Think of hoisin as sweet Asian BBQ sauce (YUM!). If you aren’t able to use soy sauce, you could try tamari or coconut aminos instead. Rice Vinegar. It provides a touch of acid to balance the sweetness of the hoisin and saltiness of the soy sauce. It’s a staple in Asian-style recipes like this one. You can also use it in any of these recipes that use rice vinegar.Sesame Oil. A richly nutty and toasty counterpart to the sweetness in our sauce. This one is hard to swap; if you cook Asian food often (or aspire to), you’ll love having it on hand.Ginger + Garlic. Twin flavor bombs in Asian cooking. Fresh ginger is best but you can swap in one-third the amount of ground ginger in a pinch.Mushrooms + Grated Carrots. Even if you don’t like mushrooms, I highly doubt you will notice them here! They are chopped super small, and their flavor deepens the sauce without making it taste like mushrooms. Plus, the added veggies help make this dish more nutritious. Mushrooms bring antioxidants and Vitamin-B, and carrots are packed with Vitamin-A. Red Pepper Flakes. Just a little for some heat.Water Chestnuts. The delicious “crunch” factor. They are mild but oh so worthwhile. Butter Lettuce. Butter lettuce is the kind of lettuce used for lettuce wraps. The leaves are tender and slightly sweet, making them the ideal vessel for our filling. The inner hearts of romaine lettuce also work well. Need another option? You can use iceberg lettuce for lettuce wraps, if that’s what you have on hand.The DirectionsCombine the sauce ingredients.Brown the chicken in large skillet. Add the green onion, ginger, and garlic.Place the mixture in the slow cooker, and stir in the vegetables, red pepper flakes, and sauce. Cook on LOW for 2 to 3 hours. Add the water chestnuts and remaining green onions.Scoop the mixture into the lettuce cups, and DIG IN!

Recipe AdaptationsBeef Lettuce Wraps. Swap the ground chicken in this recipe for lean ground beef. The flavor will be different but still tasty.Turkey Lettuce Wraps. Use ground turkey instead of ground chicken. This swap is nearly imperceptible.Shredded Chicken Lettuce Wraps. Since this recipe is designed for cooking ground meat (versus a whole chicken breast), instead I’d recommend making this Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken or this Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken, then folding it into lettuce cups.To Make Vegetarian. See my recipe for Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps (linked above). Please note this recipe is made on the stovetop only and would not translate to the slow cooker, as the tofu would overcook.How to Store, Reheat, and Freeze Lettuce WrapsTo Store. Leftover filling can be stored in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Store your lettuce separately in an airtight container or ziptop bag in the refrigerator. I like to wrap my lettuce leaves in a dry paper towel or clean kitchen towel before placing them in the container/bag to help preserve their crunch.To Reheat. Gently rewarm the filling in a large skillet on the stove over medium-low heat. You can also reheat this recipe in the microwave. Fill lettuce cups just before serving.To Freeze. Place leftover filling in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and serve with fresh lettuce cups.What to Serve with Lettuce Wraps

Since these lettuce wraps offer both protein and veggies in a single serving (like this Egg Roll in a Bowl recipe), we enjoyed them as a standalone dinner. If you want to serve them with a side dish, here are a few ideas:

Rice. Serve them with brown rice or quinoa, and you’ll hit every food group in a single meal.Veggies. Add even more vegetables by pairing these wraps with a side of Roasted Frozen Broccoli.Salad. A crisp, flavorful salad like this Asian Cabbage Salad would be tasty. I’ve also mixed the lettuce wrap filling with romaine for an easy salad.

Want to get really wild? Take a note from my “I work from home and anything in the fridge is fair game for lunch” book. Try this healthy lettuce wrap filling mixed with scrambled eggs and a few extra shots of soy sauce. SO GOOD!

More Healthy Versions of Takeout Favorites

Recommended Tools to Make Asian Lettuce WrapsProgrammable Slow Cooker. I love that it switches to “keep warm” at the end of the cooking time so my food rarely overcooks.Dutch Oven. This one is perfect for browning the meat and preparing the recipe on the stovetop.Measuring Spoons. These are easy to store and can go in the dishwasher.

Whether you’re new to lettuce wraps or consider yourself a lettuce wrap connoisseur, I hope you’ll give this tasty recipe a try! If you do, please let me know what you think in the comments below. I love hearing from you.

Healthy Crockpot Asian Lettuce Wraps with ground chicken or ground turkey, green onions, and fresh veggies. Better than PF Chang’s! This fresh, healthy slow cooker recipe is easy to make, and the sauce is so flavorful and not too spicy. Serve with lettuce cups or rice for a delicious meal.

1/2 cup hoisin sauce 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce — plus 1 tablespoon, use tamari to make gluten free 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 2 teaspoons sesame oil 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 2 pounds ground chicken breast 1 small bunch green onions — thinly sliced, white/light green and dark green parts divided 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger 2 cloves garlic — minced (about 2 teaspoons) 8 ounces baby bella cremini mushrooms — finely chopped 1 1/2 cup grated carrots — from about 3 large carrots 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes — reduce to 1/4 teaspoon or omit if sensitive to spice 2 cans water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped — (8 ounce cans) drained and finely chopped 2 heads butter lettuce

Lightly coat a 5-quart or larger slow cooker with nonstick spray. In a small bowl, stir together the hoisin, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high. Add the chicken and brown the meat, breaking it into small pieces. Continue cooking until no longer pink, about 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in the white and light green parts of the green onions, ginger, and garlic. Cook 30 additional seconds.

Transfer the meat mixture to the slow cooker. Stir in the chopped mushrooms, carrots, red pepper flakes, and sauce. Cover and cook on LOW for 2 to 3 hours until the mixture is thickened and the chicken is ultra tender. (Do not be tempted to cook on HIGH, as the chicken will become tough.) Stir in the water chestnuts and green parts of the green onions.

To serve, separate the butter lettuce leaves and fill with the chicken mixture. Enjoy hot.

TO MAKE ON THE STOVETOP: Prepare the recipe through step 2 in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven. Reduce the heat to low and let cook until the chicken and mushrooms are very tender and the sauce has thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes. Check and stir periodically. Stir in the water chestnuts and green tops of the green onions. Enjoy!I do not recommend cooking this recipe on high in the slow cooker. The filling does best over low heat so that it becomes nice and tender.TO STORE: Leftover filling can be stored in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Store your lettuce separately in an airtight container or ziptop bag in the refrigerator. I like to wrap my lettuce leaves in a dry paper towel or clean kitchen towel before placing them in the container/bag to help preserve their crunch.TO REHEAT: Gently rewarm the filling in a large skillet on the stove over medium-low heat. You can also reheat this recipe in the microwave. Fill lettuce cups just before serving.TO FREEZE: Place leftover filling in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and serve with fresh lettuce cups.

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: Asian Lettuce Wraps, Easy Chinese Food, Healthy Lettuce Wrap Recipe

Nutrition InformationAmount per serving (1 (of 8), about 1 cup filling) — Calories: 247, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 60mg, Carbohydrates: 21g, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 10g, Protein: 28g

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[studyshrine7-blog]

Sweet As Mackay!

Sugar Cane Factory

The lush, green area of Mackay in Queensland is just 1.5 hours away from Airlie Beach. It's a area famous for sugarcane but it's also one where nature literally sits on your doorstep and one where the food scene is coming ahead in leaps and bounds with plenty of local and Queensland grown produce.

Tourism Events Queensland

Ivy busies herself with the rental car while I watch the sugar cane leaves flapping in the warm breeze as we drive past. It's the first time to Mackay for both Ivy and I and while we knew that it was famous for sugarcane, we had no idea that it is literally everywhere you look, even at the airport.

As we touched down, I saw vast expanses of green swathes across the landscape. Early April is just after monsoon season and as a result the greens pop. To orient ourselves we drive the adorably named Mango Avenue in Eimeo to the Eimeo Pacific Hotel, a faded retro blue pub that looks like it has stepped out of the movie set. From there you can have a coffee or tea while the view below shows St Bees Island.

It's time for lunch and we visit 9th Lane Grind, a cafe located in the middle of town. It has an on trend menu of cafe offerings along with a range of home baked cakes, sweets and donuts. Service is very friendly and we take a seat at an outside, undercover table.

Chai Frappe $7 and Pina Colada Smoothie $7.50

Drinks wise, my chai frappe is too good that even though I can't finish it because of its size, I take it to go so that I can sip on it all afternoon. The non alcoholic pina colada smoothie is also full of fresh pineapple flavour.

Creamy truffle mushrooms $21.50

The creamy truffle mushrooms are just about the perfect breakfast or lunch dish. With a fat slice of downy soft brioche, a generous portion of streaky bacon, wilted spinach and creamy mushrooms in a truffle cheese sauce, forget calories or diets or any strange notions and just eat this and be happy with your life choices. It's so good that it doesn't even need bacon (but really who is going to ever leave bacon behind?).

Beef Brisket Benny $21.50

The beef brisket benny comes on two slices of bread with two poached eggs, potato hash, beetroot hollandaise and plenty of soft, saucy beef brisket in a barbecue style sauce.

KFCB Kristy's Fried Chicken Burger $18

The fried chicken burger is luscious with a saucy kaleslaw, Sriracha mayonnaise and smashed avocado with a crispy deep fried chicken fillet all on a charcoal bun. It's creamy and crunchy and slightly messy but oh so good at the same time.

Shoe string fries and sweet potato fries $4 each

And for the perennially greedy and undecided (guilty as charged!) you can get both types of fries-shoestring with a salt and vinegar powder as well as excellent sweet potato fries with aioli.

Tim Tam Pancakes $19

And for dessert? It's hard to choose because the cakes are calling me. But we decide to try the Tim Tam pancakes served with Nutella mascarpone, chocolate fairy floss, dark chocolate pearls, berries and house made fudge sauce as well as whole and smashed up Tim Tams. It's enormous and rich but we had to start our trip off with a bang!

Our first home for our Mackay stay is the Rydges Mackay centrally located right opposite 9th Lane Grind. We have a connecting room with two separate entrances and separate ensuites. It's a spacious simply designed room with a king bed.

The bathroom is large with a spa bath and Biology toiletries while there is a separate room for the toilet. Service does vary somewhat but there is a really helpful staff member who assists me when I need to change rooms because the air conditioning wasn't able to be switched off in my original room. Once I move to my new room it doesn't have wifi in it.

Downstairs is the Moss on Wood restaurant where there is a bar area as well as the restaurant at the front. We take a seat at one of the huge white wooden booths and order one of their steaks.

Black Angus Rib Fillet 300g $39 and potato puree $7

The Black Angus rib fillet is from Darling Downs in Queensland and has been dry aged for 100 days. It's perfectly cooked medium rare and comes with battered fries and a salad with honey mustard dressing as well as a sauce of your choice. We chose the red wine jus and the peppercorn sauce, the latter being our favourite. The steak is fantastic and we also order a side of potato puree made with real potato and it's such a satisfying meal especially when we spoon some of that peppercorn sauce on the potatoes.

The next morning we make our way to The Greater Whitsundays Farmers Markets that are held every Wednesday at Bluewater Quay. It's a small but well stocked market with a good range of items from meats, fruit, honeys as well as other goods.

We end up buying some goats milk shampoo bars, lip balms and honeys and trying some samples of sweet Queensland grown bananas and pineapple and pet an adorable doggy called Audrey with a purple tail!

Hi Audrey!

After doing a spot of clothes shopping we head towards The Dispensary which is a bar as well as a breakfast, lunch and dinner eatery. We take a seat under the large painting of a cow and settle into comfortable leather chairs for a feast.

The freshly shucked oysters are served with fresh citrus and Yarra Mountain Ash triple smoked caviar.

Duck Liver Parfait $19

The duck liver parfait is flavoured with Cointreau, sage and orange jelly and comes with a generous serve of roti bread. The duck liver is quite a bit stronger than chicken liver but the onion pickles help pare back the intensity (just a bit more of them please).

Warm Bread $15

We nibble on slices of buttered, toasted warm bread with hazelnut dukkah, olive oil and balsamic glaze. Although we're trying a lot of food both Ivy and I can't resist another buttery slice of toast.

Grilled Scallops $26

The grilled scallops are served on the shell with some smooth red apple puree, roasted hazelnut butter and apple micro salad and have a good balance of flavours.

Fresh fettuccine $26

Mains wise, we are sharing three -the first is the fresh fettucine with lime crème fraîche, smoked salmon and grilled asparagus and basil.

Chicken Teriyaki $24

Our lovely waitress tells us that the teriyaki chicken and the fettucine are the two most popular dishes on the menu with the chicken being the most popular. The teriyaki chicken is served with a sliced daikon and cabbage slaw in a horseradish dressing. We both like that it is served with a lighter side than rice because the weather is so balmy and warm.

Sumac grilled local kingfish $34

My favourite main is the sumac grilled local kingfish with crispy skin. It's served on a bed of cherry tomatoes with a spiced chermoula. It's a simple dish but cooked well, the kingfish perfectly moist.

Dark Chocolate Tart $18

And then we come to dessert. The dark chocolate tart is paired with a delightfully crunchy Queensland macadamia crumb and house made chocolate mint ice cream and blueberries. Ivy likes the serving size of this, it's not too overwhelmingly large or small and the tart has a nice dark intensity to it.

Crema Catalana $16.50

While the crema catalana makes use of one of Mackay's biggest exports-sugar. It's a lightly spiced crema catalana with orange and cinnamon and topped with torched Mackay sugar.

Speaking of sugar the nearby town of Sarina, around 40 minutes drive is home to the Sarina Sugar Shed. They hold four tours daily that detail the interesting history of sugar in the region. It's well worth doing as it is actually really fascinating.

Our fantastic guide Trudy tells us that 95% of Australia's sugar is produced in Queensland. Mackay itself processes around 6-7 tonnes of sugar cane a year. She explains the sugar cane harvesting and growing process to us that starts with small pieces of sugarcane on the ground. The "eyes" on the sugar cane sticks or billets grow the sugarcane which rises to the sky and this process of "planting" the sugar only has to be done every 2-5 years. Sugar cane needs heat humidity and lots of rain or irrigation.

The top leaves of the sugar cane makes the sugar by accessing sunshine but the sugar is stored in stalks and when harvested they do not need the leaves (they can cause problems with the harvesting machines). Decades ago, sugar cane farmers used to burn the sugar cane but that is largely an abandoned process with many just cutting down the leaves to make a trash bed on the ground that breaks down to become nutrients in the soil.

There are 30-40 varieties of sugar cane grown in this area although there are around 160 varieties in total. The farmers help to fund research into finding more disease resistant varieties. And when it comes to harvesting and selling the sugar cane, the farmers are paid by the sugar level in their cane.

Trudy then takes us to the factory to explain the process of how sugar is made in their micro factory. It is first crushed and then they add natural lime to have the mixture reach a ph level of 8 so that it won't rot or deteriorate. It is then heated to 104C/219F to kill bacteria. A flocculant is added to clarify the mixture much in the same way that egg white is added to wine. From an original 80 litres of juice you will get 20 litres of syrup to work with. From this syrup you grow the sugar crystals using a process called "shock seeding" which starts to crystallisation process. They inject raw sugar crystals, raw sugar syrup and air and then the sugar crystals start to form. The longer they sit in the pan the larger the crystals. 7 tonnes of sugar cane will reduce down to create 1 tonne of sugar crystals.

Trudy then shows us the difference between molasses, treacle and golden syrup. Molasses is most concentrated in terms of water but it is also the least sweet. Treacle has more water and sugar while the highest level of sugar and water is with golden syrup.

And that brings us to a very interesting point-did you know that raw sugar in Australia is not actually raw at all? Food standards have ruled that for Australian consumption no sugar can actually be raw. So raw sugar is actually refined sugar that has an additional process to add molasses into it to make it taste like a raw sugar and is actually more refined than white sugar! And most of us I think would assume that we're doing better by using raw sugar.

After blowing our minds with that tidbit we adjourn back to the video room where we get to try all of the products that they produce from chutneys to sauces. I particularly love the ginger sweet chilli sauce and the Asian style mango chutney. All items are gluten, colour and preservative free.

Then she takes us through the alcoholic spirits and the various rums offering us any to taste. The special edition rum is smooth and sweet and spicy while the Noi (Nice over Ice) is perfectly balanced limey deliciousness.

And then Trudy asks us if we'd like a freshly made fairy floss. I don't think that this day could have gotten any better but it does! We are transformed into kids again with our very own stick of lemon fairy floss.

We head back to the town area. The Riviera Mackay is the home for our second night in Mackay. Located right by the River the atmosphere here is a bit more relaxed than in the centre of town. Check in is smooth, parking is easy and we quickly find our way up to our seventh floor two bedroom apartment with two separate bedrooms and two separate bathrooms.

The accommodation is a really pleasant surprise. They are serviced apartments with a kitchenette which we never tend to use as we eat out. But the colour scheme is visually appealing with whites, yellows and pineapple motifs and plenty of neutrals. There are nice touches like L'Occitane toiletries. The apartment is roomy with a good sized balcony. Internet is fast and free but drops in and out and Ivy isn't able to connect at all.

I have a shower and do some work and then we head out again to dinner. Tonight's dinner is at Romeo and Juliet's at the Shakespeare Motel. We sink into a powder blue velvet booth that oversees the whole restaurant and Ivy whispers that she feels like Tony Soprano.

As the name suggests it's a rather romantic restaurant. I'm guessing a birthday or anniversary sort of place although it looks like there are guests that are staying at the motel dining there.

Oysters $34 for a dozen

We start with a dozen oysters with soy, mirin and ginger. They're nice although the soy does tend to overpower the flavour of the oysters.

Caprese Risotto $17

Given we've eaten 10 courses for lunch we go for a lighter dinner. We decide to share a Caprese risotto entree and a pasta main. The caprese risotto ends up being my favourite dish of the night. It's a tomato based risotto with plenty of flavour, sliced up buffalo mozzarella and roasted red vein cherry tomatoes and micro basil. I would have happily devoured this perfectly portioned size dish.

Pappardelle with chicken and mushrooms $26

We also order the pappardelle with shimeji and shiitake mushrooms in a cream sauce. It needs a little seasoning but it is comforting and the pasta well cooked.

Chocolate pave $18

Dessert is a chocolate pave slice, with sticky caramel popcorn and a popcorn sorbet which is a milky, mild sorbet with a touch of butter flavour.

Raspberry and yogurt terrine

There's also a raspberry and yogurt terrine which is Ivy's favourite. It's tart and refreshing and served with fresh strawberries. It's a quick drive back home to rest and sleep before we head to our next stop! Stay tuned because up next Mackay has some nature surprises in store for us.

So tell me Dear Reader, do you like doing food tours like the sugar tour? Did you know that about raw sugar not being raw at all? Have you ever visited Mackay?

NQN and Ivy were guests of Mackay Tourism but all opinions remain her own.

9th Lane Grind

43 Wood St, Mackay QLD 4740 Monday to Friday 6:30am–3:30pm Saturday 6:30am–2:30pm Sunday closed Phone: 0428 897 861

Rydges Mackay Suites

9 Gregory St, Mackay QLD 4740 Phone: (07) 4969 1000 rydges.com/accommodation/mackay-qld/mackay-suites/

Moss On Wood

Ground floor, Rydges Mackay Suites

Greater Whitsundays Farmer's Markets

River St, Mackay QLD 4740 Wednesday 7–11am Phone: 0498 717 941 greaterwhitsundayfood.org.au/farmers-market

The Dispensary

84 Wood St, Mackay QLD 4740 Monday to Saturday 6am–12am Sunday Closed Phone: (07) 4951 3546 thedispensary.nefood.com.au/

Sarina Sugar Shed

Field of Dreams Parkland, Railway Square, Sarina QLD 4737 Open 7 days 9am–4pm Phone: (07) 4943 2801 sarinasugarshed.com.au/

Riviera Mackay

5/7 Nelson St, Mackay QLD 4740 Phone: (07) 4914 2460 rivieramackay.com.au/

Romeo and Juliet's

Shakespeare Motel 309 Shakespeare St, Mackay QLD 4740 Open 7 days 6am–9pm Phone: (07) 4969 0200 shakespearemotel.com.au/dining/

Source: https://www.notquitenigella.com/2019/04/11/mackay-queensland-food-things-to-do/

[ferrybaker0-blog]

The Bammy - Subway's Take On A Vietnamese Classic

For as long as I can remember, the Vietnamese sandwich known as banh mi, has been a part of my life. Even as a Chinese American, this stuff would always be around my family and friends. It was cheap, easy to sell/make and tasted better than most American sandwiches. For $5, you can get at least four – one for each person in the typical 4-person Asian family. It was the go-to fill-up snack because it was cheaper than anything at McDonald's. Even if we didn't have a store-bought sandwich, we'd have some variation of the banh mi. As a kid in elementary school, I'd have my mom's mutated version which consisted of thick slices of the Vietnamese meatloaf known as cha, liverwurst (American pâté) and mayonnaise – smacked between two pieces of Wonder bread. On fishing trips with family friends, there'd be an endless supply of Capri Sun and banh mi in the cooler. Hungry? Have a banh mi! We'd pick that sandwich up with our fish and worm-flavored hands and go to town. My Lao aunt in Fresno also ran a small sandwich business right out of her kitchen and guess what we got to eat every time we were there - banh mi. Banh mi was seriously around so often it was like a brother to me – always there to wrestle and play video games with.

So you can understand why one would take a hiatus from the beloved sandwich. I was tired of it. After I graduated from high school, I don't think I touched banh mi unless I had to. As a college student, I made quick trips to Little Saigon to satisfy my broke ass. To me the food was nearly forgotten as I found love in other things such as noodles. Then around 2006, Vietnamese sandwich shops started popping up like the current food trucks as more Vietnamese residents and immigrants moved out of Rosemead and El Monte. On Valley Blvd. alone, you'll find at least a dozen places selling banh mi, including chains like Banh Mi Che Cali and Lee Sandwiches. This was the mainstream for the people of San Gabriel Valley and certainly not earth-shaking news.

Then earlier this week, my friend sent me a link to a New York Times article titled "The Vietnamese Sandwich. Banh Mi in America" by a Jordan Michelman. This was published after last year's banh mi craze in New York City which left me and I'm sure many others, scratching our head. Interesting considering most people look to New York as the pioneer of trends, especially fashion and food. This isn't the first time an article on banh mi has been published. But it was the first time I realized how long it has taken Vietnamese culture to be recognized in the history of America – especially since the Vietnamese have been here as early as the late 1960s. A few decades for New York Times to "discover" this sandwich? You don't see Jonathan Gold writing an article every 6 months on banh mi to remind us that it exists. Does something have to go through the New York "fad machine" before it gets any attention? Even in Los Angeles, the banh mi mutant can be found at places like Six (banh mi burger), Mendocino Farms (pork belly banh mi) and Nom Nom Truck (banh mi tacos). But I thought to myself, this is indeed a great time to really advertise the shit out of this delicious, Vietnamese sandwich... and really aggregate the credit it deserves.

Banh mi may be big in New York and Los Angeles right now, but it isn't big until it goes national. And when it comes to sandwiches, there's no one more sandwichy than Jared Fogle's Subway nation. Not sure why I even linked to Subway... you've got to be from space if you haven't heard of it. I like to have fun when I eat – especially with corporate places like Hometown Buffet, Souplantation and Yoshinoya. So I decided to have some fun with Subway and find out if I can actually make the Vietnamese sandwich an American favorite. But what do you call this new potential menu item?

Well, if a sandwich is a "Sammy", then a banh mi must be a "Bammy"!

On a random weeknight, I find myself standing in the most depressing line ever at Subway. There are five of us, heads tilted up 45 degrees staring at the menu of bland food. Is this what we as Americans resort to? A life of 9-6? 2 hour commutes? Buying goods by bulk at Costco? Lunches at Subway? Do I want to pay $5, $6 or $7 for a foot long blandwich? Should I have the blandwich with teriyaki sauce or the ham & bland sandwich ? The menu is simply comprised of words put up to disguise the word "bland" and there is no difference in what you order because it won't have any taste period. When a "sandwich artist" asks me what else I'd like to add to my sandwich, I usually respond with, "flavor."

But actually, as I'm standing in line with the other customers waiting for toasted boredom to be served, I smile a little. I have an advantage over the other customers and employees - and they don't even know it. I'm equipped with an actual banh mi sandwich from Chinatown's Buu Dien, some Maggi sauce, fresh jalapeno slices, scrambled eggs from home and some real Vietnamese pate. Yes! And tonight's challenge is to see whether or not I can make an actual Subway sandwich edible and dare I say, as tasty as a Vietnamese banh mi.

It's now my turn to order and I order a toasted black forest ham and turkey Foot Long for $6, which by the way is equivalent to five banh mi sandwiches at your average Vietnamese joint. I wanted to keep this as authentic to Subway's ingredients and build. I picked the black forest ham because it is the closest in color and taste to the pink, headcheese (gio thu) and BBQ pork (xa xiu) used in banh mi. I picked the turkey because it is the closest in color and taste to the grey meatloaf known as cha. For the toppings, I added cucumber, cilantro, pickled jalapeno slices, salt & pepper and a thin line of mayonnaise. No oil, vinegar or whatever liquids they offer. I asked the "sandwich artist" not to fold the sandwich over and F up the innards. They even kept it served open face for me and placed it on a tray. I'm pretty sure they considered me crazy. Love it. Haha.

I then drew an imaginary DMZ line to distinguish the Northern and the Southern region of the sandwich. On top is Subway's Sammy using original store ingredients plus pate and Maggi Sauce vs. SaigonWay's Bammy with the traditional fixings.

Subway's Bammy - plain bread - ham - turkey - cucumber - canned, pickled jalapeños - cilantro - mayonnaise - pate - Maggi sauce

SaigonWay's Banh Mi - plain bread - ham - turkey - cucumber - fresh jalapeño slices - cilantro with stem - pickled radish & carrots - mayonnaise - pate - Maggi sauce - fried egg (optional, it's what I love adding to my banh mi)

Subway's "Sammy" For the first time in a long while, I felt fear. The last time from a serving of deep fried insects at a food stall in Cambodia. I had prepped myself with a few neck cracks and got my gag reflexes ready. I grabbed the sandwich... crumbs from the shitty bread landed on the tray. What am I doing? I took a bite and not to my surprise... there was absolutely no flavor. There was so much bland matter due to the sawdust bread and processed meat - I couldn't taste anything! Maggi Sauce is used to PROVIDE flavor. But yet it could not provide this time – it let me down. I put this sandwich down after the 2nd bite. Even a foot long of Cambodian fried insects had more flavor.

SaigonWay's "Bammy" Now, on to the real test. I opened the sandwich and made sure everything was evenly distributed. It was the moment I've been waiting for. Actually the moment every American slave of the corporate lunch cafeteria known as Subway was waiting for. If I succeeded, I knew that I have done something for my country. I had at least provided ONE item on Subway's menu that actually had something called flavor. I took a bite, and I have to say, it was a familiar taste. Even though the meat wasn't the right kind, the balance of Maggi Sauce, fried egg, pate, fresh jalapeno, fresh cilantro and fresh daikon and carrots made so much sense in that sawdust bread. I actually ate half of this and partially enjoyed it. All Subway has to do is offer a few more ingredients that really don't cost anything! But you say the words pate or liverwurst and you'll lose customers. And what in the world is Maggi sauce?

My work wasn't finished tonight though. This is my palate, and I know what I'm looking for in a sandwich. The true test though was finding out whether or not the actual Subway sandwich artists would eat my fixed-up version of their blandwich. I wouldn't go in peace until I had them try it. I waited for the right moment when the customers parted with their foot longs and approached this young man. We'll call him Justin. Within a few minutes and persuasive words, I had him sitting down at the table with the "Sammy" and "Bammy" in front of him.

Justin: "What am I eating?" Me: "You're going to eat a Subway take on a Vietnamese sandwich." Justin: "What's in it?" Me: "Oh nothing really. Just your meats and veggies and a few extras." Justin: "You sure?" Me: "Dude, I'm not trying to kill you man. Even if I was, you've got cameras rolling."

Justin actually went in and took a big bite, making sure his gums made sweet love with that sandwich. He took a few bites and then looked at me.

Me: "And?" Justin: "Nothing. It's bland man!" Me: "Of course it's bland. It's Subway." Justin: "..........." Me: "Last one, try my version."

Like a good employee, Justin looked to see that there were no hungry patrons queuing up. With a reluctant look, he picked up the "Bammy" and sank his teeth in once more. But this time, to my surprise, he raised his eyebrows slightly and his eyes widened. And there was a slight bob of satisfaction.

Me: "And....?" Justin: "This is actually pretty good. I like the taste. What's in it?" Me: "Subway's ham and turkey, fresh jalapeno, fresh cilantro, pickled radish and carrots, fried egg and the special Maggi Sauce." Justin: "It tastes fresh. Oh man, that egg is real nice." Me: "Yeah that's key man." Justin: "Alright man, are we done? I gotta get back to work." Me: "Thank you."

One down, and a whole nation to go. Is there hope for the American palate? Whether or not Subway actually decides to put this on their menu, I may not live long enough to see the revolt against bland food. I threw away the food and started packing up. As I headed out, Justin said:

Justin: "Hey man, what's that sauce you put in that sandwich?" Me: "It's called Maggi sauce." Justin: "What is it?" Me: "Flavor."

Subway, dreams of flavored food can come true. Look I've done the POP (point-of-purchase) displays for you! Yes, I'm an ad guy! We can also start rolling your new Jared spots right away.

"Hello, I'm Jared. Remember me? I used to weigh 450 lbs. I'm over in the Far East to advertise Subway's new sandwich, "The Bammy". I've cut out the 14 hour flight for you and endured some of the roughest conditions to bring you Vietnam's delicious sandwich. We use only the freshest, greenest cilantro. Guys.... can we cut. I feel some leeches in my pants."

"Hi again, it's me Jared. I've also cut out the vicious Saigon traffic for you by riding helmet-less with my buddies Tuan and Huan. I almost wet my khakis like a little girl trying to cross the streets of Saigon! Where we going guys? My mom's expecting me home for dinner."

So, if you saw "The Bammy" on the Subway menu, would you eat it? The truth is, you'll never see this on the Subway menu just as you'll never see a delicious shawarma, torta, cemita. Even if it was on the menu, you know it wouldn't be good haha. I would take any of those ANY DAY of the week over anything from Subway. But surprisingly, as diverse as America is, the Subway people of Milford, Connecticut still feel that their current menu is a good representation of what the American palate craves. So Subway, would you like your "Bammy" toasted or not toasted?

Thanks for reading.

Source: http://eatdrinknbmerry.blogspot.com/2011/02/bammy-subways-take-on-vietnamese.html

[ideahood58-blog]

Rice Cooker Teriyaki Shrimp and Rice

$6.28 recipe / $1.57 serving

Rice cookers are a convenient and inexpensive way to cook food for those confined to small spaces or without access to conventional kitchens, so I’m going to develop a few recipes specifically for rice cookers, starting with this super easy Teriyaki Shrimp and Rice. This ultra simple dish is similar to shrimp fried rice that you’d get from your local take out joint, except it’s steamed not fried, and therefore way less caloric. The ultra short ingredient list means you don’t have to have a lot of ingredients on hand, and most of them can be kept indefinitely either in your pantry or freezer. 

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

What Rice Cooker am I Using?

I chose to work with one of the most popular and most basic rice cookers on the market to make sure the recipes I develop have the broadest compatibility. That begin said, every model rice cooker is slightly different, and may yield slightly different results. I’m using the Aroma Housewares 8 cup cooked/4 cup uncooked Digital Rice Cooker.

Can I Make This in an Instant Pot?

Using the “rice” function on your Instant Pot will cook food in the same manner as a rice cooker, so this recipe should work just fine in an Instant Pot, providing you are using the rice function and not a pressure cooking function. That being said, I have not had a chance to actually test this recipe using an Instant Pot.

Rice to Water Ratios

There is a lot of conflicting information about what the proper rice to water ratio is for rice cookers, partly due to differing needs for different rice varieties and variations in the way different rice cookers work. I’ve tested this particular recipe several times with different rice to water ratios, and found that 1:1.33 worked best for me. Again, if using a different model rice cooker or a different variety of rice, the ratio may need to be adjusted.

Rice Cooker Teriyaki Shrimp and Rice

By adding a few extra ingredients to your rice cooker, you can cook an entire meal at once. This Teriyaki Shrimp and Rice is an easy and healthy alternative to take out. 

1/2 lb. raw medium shrimp (41/50 size)* $4.00

1 small onion $0.33

1 cup frozen peas $0.38

1.5 cups uncooked jasmine rice $0.99

2 cloves garlic, minced $0.16

1 tsp grated fresh ginger $0.10

2 cups water $0.00

1/4 cup soy sauce $0.24

2 Tbsp brown sugar $0.08

If your shrimp is frozen, thaw it first by placing in a colander and running cool water over it until thawed (this only takes a few minutes).

Finely dice the onion and place it in the bottom of the rice cooker along with the frozen peas (I did not thaw my peas). Add the uncooked rice, minced garlic, and grated ginger. Stir these ingredients together.

Add the shrimp to the top of the rice mixture, then pour in 2 cups water. Close the lid and set the cooker to the "white rice" setting. The rice cooker will begin to heat and once the contents inside reach the appropriate temperature, it will begin to count down the cooking time (12 minutes for my model).

Once the rice cooker finishes its cooking cycle, let it rest for an additional 5-10 minutes on the keep warm cycle before opening the lid. While waiting, stir together the soy sauce and brown sugar.

Finally, open the lid and pour the soy sauce mixture over the contents in the rice cooker. Use a rice paddle to gently fold the sauce into the rice. Serve hot, with sriracha or sliced green onions if desired.

*You can use peeled or shell-on shrimp, but make sure it is raw. Deveining can be tedious, so I suggest purchasing shrimp that is already deveined. I used shell-on shrimp that I quickly peeled once thawed, but I left the tail on for visual appeal.

Step by Step Photos

If using frozen shrimp, thaw them first by placing them in a colander and running cool water over top until thawed (this only takes a couple of minutes). Finely dice one small onion and place it in the rice cooker along with 1 cup frozen peas (I did not thaw the peas).

Add 1.5 cups white jasmine rice to the cooker, along with two cloves of garlic (minced) and about 1 tsp grated fresh ginger. Stir these ingredients together until everything is evenly combined.

Add 1/2 lb. medium shrimp (41/50 size) to the rice cooker, then pour 2 cups water over top.

Close the rice cooker and set it to the “white rice” function. The rice cooker will begin to heat up, and once it reaches the appropriate temperature it will begin to count down the actual cooking time (mine is 12 minutes for the white rice function). Depending on the temperature and volume of the ingredients in the cooker, it can take a different amount of time to come up to temperature before it begins counting the actual “cooking time.”

After the cooking cycle has finished, make sure to let it sit without opening the lid for an additional 5-10 minutes. This really helps give you more even results because it gives the steam a chance to settle in the cooker. While waiting for the rice to rest in the cooker, stir together 1/4 cup soy sauce and 2 Tbsp brown sugar in a small bowl. It’s okay if the sugar doesn’t totally dissolve.

Pour the soy sauce mixture over the contents of the rice cooker, then use your rice paddle to gently fold the sauce into the shrimp and rice.

If you’re at the max volume of your rice cooker, like I was, it may be easier to transfer everything to a large bowl to fold in the soy sauce, but that’s up to you. Once the sauce is incorporated, the Teriyaki Shrimp and Rice is ready to eat!!

Of course I topped mine with some sriracha, but that’s optional! A couple sliced green onions or cilantro would also be nice if you have them on hand.

Dig in!!

posted on September 2, 2018 in Dairy Free, Egg Free, Global, Main Dish, Meat, One Pot Meals, Quick, Recipes, Recipes under $10, Rice, Seafood, South-East Asian, Under $3 per serving

Source: https://www.budgetbytes.com/rice-cooker-teriyaki-shrimp-and-rice/

[agendahammer79-blog]

Thai Red Curry Sweet Potato Dip

[If you love Thai spices, you’ll adore this dip. Thai Red Curry Sweet Potato Dip is sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg free and low glycemic. Suitable for all stages on an anti-candida diet.]

Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Stylist:Margaret Monroe Dickey

Although I love to travel, I tend not to do it so much. The HH and I do love a little junket, mind you, but haven’t really taken one of those epic “across-Europe” or “to Bali and back” or “let’s-explore-the-fjords-of-Iceland” kind of trips. (Our one big adventure happened way back when we were first together, when we spent 10 glorious days in Newfoundland, strolling through untouched forests, staying and rustic B&Bs, spotting moose wandering off the highways, or whale-watching on the ocean**).

These days, we’re more likely to take a few days here, a few days there, and chillax at a resort up north by the pool. It’s all good.

But back in the days BHH (“before the HH”), I did venture on a major trip by myself to England, to visit my dear friend Sterlin.

At that time, Sterlin had just  wrapped up one job and was staying at home for the interim before the next job began. We timed my visit to coincide with her free days. It was epic!

Besides being eternally besotted by the English accent (or, more correctly, accentS, since every 2 blocks or so, it seemed to change), I was, of course, dumbstruck by the history, the regal architecture, the small-yet-intimate feel to the towns, the culture that permeated every nook and cranny (and there were quite a few crannies, as I recall).

In my short 10 days in the country, we managed to visit London (three times), Stratford, Nottingham, Cambridge, Oxford, and a slew of other smaller spots that escape me now. I loved the historic architecture of the cities, the museums that seemed to be on every corner, pristine fields and hills out in the rural countryside, and the ingrained history in every cobblestone.

I learned about university students’ secret codes, “public” vs private schools, the true history of Robin Hood, and how taxi drivers had over 2 years of school just to memorize the labrynthine streets of the city. Everyone I met from the clerk in the grocery store to the neighbor walking her dog to Sterlin’s work colleagues all seemed possess a magical air of elegance and gravity about them, simply by virtue of having been born in that country.

Now, as I’ve mentioned before, Sterlin was not known for her culinary prowess. Nevertheless, she determined that she’d prepare a homecooked meal for meal at least once during my stay (as it turned out, she managed that feat twice in the ten days!).  Along with Date Pasta, another of her newfound staples was a Green Curry stew, made with chicken (still on regular rotation on my plate in those days) and a slew of vegetables enrobed in a rich, glossy coconut milk base and spiced with fragrant Thai green curry paste.

I was hooked immediately, demanded the recipe, and promptly made the dish as soon as I got back to North America. I’ve been a fan of all things Thai ever since.

My version of the dip. The HH and I devoured this in short order!

This Red Curry Sweet Potato Dip from Brandi Doming’s new cookbook, The Vegan 8: 100 Simple, Delicious Recipes Made with 8 Ingredients or Less may not be a stew, but just like a classic Thai recipe, its marriage of sweet, salty and spicy–with the tiniest hint of sour from the lemon and bitter from the almond butter–it will win you over with the first taste.

Both the HH and I LOVED this dip. Like, loved-so-much-I-wanted-to-kiss-it. Or loved-so-much-I-didn’t-bother-with-crackers-and-just-ate-it-off-a-spoon. And also, loved-so-much-I-would-adopt-it-if-I-could. Yeah. Loved-so-much-that-Chaser-got-jealous. THAT much. The HH said, “You really should make this again. This is delicious. Definitely make this again. . . ” all the while stuffing his face with dip-coated nacho chips.

Anyone who follows plant-based bloggers is likely already familiar with Brandi and her signature “8 ingredients or less” oil-free recipes.  I was excited to see that many of the recipes were also gluten-free and free of refined sugars, too, so they would be suitable for a diet like mine.

Along with stunning photos and recipes, the book also provides a full chapter on “The Vegan 8 Kitchen,” (with everything from “Getting Started” to baking tips, Brandi’s pantry staples, seasonings, sweeteners, nut butters and other natural fats, flours, starches and other kitchen equipment), plus individual chapters on “Breakfast,” “Scrumptious Snacks & Appetizers,” “Time-Crunch Lunches,” “Sauces and Dressings,” “Easy Entrees,” “Comforting Soups & Stews,” “Sides & Dips,” “Crowd-Pleasing Desserts,” and “Staples” (like    spaghetti sauce, BBQ sauce, spice blends or homemade nut milks). There’s also a full chart of Imperial-to-metric equivalents.

Some of the recipes I can’t wait to try include Bakery-Style Blueberry Muffins, Spice-is-Nice Baked Oatmeal Squares, Sunflower-Cinnamon Chia Balls, Creamy Lemon and Garlic White Bean Crostini, 20-Minute Alfredo, Mexican Tahini Chickpeas, BBQ Chipotle Green Lentils with Potato Wedges, “My Favorite” Savory Meatless Bean Balls, Teriyaki Patties, Ultimate Broccoli-Cheese Soup, Hungarian Red Lentil Soup, Sweet Potato Cornbread and No-Bake Chocolate Espresso Fudge Cake–plus about 50 more!

Brandi and her publisher graciously allowed me to share the Thai Red Curry Sweet Potato Dip here. Do give this one a try–it’s truly tantalizing and keeps nicely in the fridge. Just be warned: this dip likely won’t last very long.

Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Stylist:Margaret Monroe Dickey

    Print This!    

Thai Red Curry Sweet Potato Dip

reprinted with permission from The Vegan 8: 100 Simple, Delicious Recipes Made with 8 Ingredients or Less by Brandi Doming. Published by Oxmoor House.

Brandi says: “If there was ever a dip that won over taste testers, this is it! One of my tricks for super-creamy bean dips is to use white beans, which create a really smooth dip—a big help for oil-free recipes. This dip is creamy like a hummus with bold Thai curry flavors that complement the sweet potato beautifully. With the garnishes, it makes a lovely presentation for a gathering.”

1 packed cup (248g) cooked, mashed sweet potato 1 (15-ounce) can white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, or 1 1⁄2 cups cooked white beans (255g) 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lime juice 2 tablespoons (30 ml) roasted smooth almond butter 2 tablespoons (30 ml) low-sodium soy sauce [I used Braggs aminos] 1⁄4 cup (60 ml) Thai red curry paste [I used Thai Kitchen] 1 teaspoon (5 ml) dried basil 1⁄2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) ground coriander 1⁄4 teaspoon (1 ml) fine salt Optional: roasted sliced almonds, fresh chopped basil for garnish; crackers, chips, or sliced vegetables for serving

Add the mashed sweet potato, beans, lime juice, almond butter, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons (30g) hot water, curry paste, basil, coriander, and salt to a food processor; process for 3 to 4 minutes or until very smooth. Scrape the sides and process again. Taste and add more salt, if desired. Garnish with almonds and basil, if desired, and serve with chips, crackers, or assorted sliced vegetables. Makes about 3 cups (720 ml).

Nutrition per 1⁄2 cup: 151 calories | 3g fat | 6.8g protein | 24.7g carbs | 5.4g fiber | 3.8g sugar | 704mg sodium

NOTE: Bake the sweet potato at 400°F (200°C) for 45 minutes to an hour until very soft. I would advise against steaming or boiling, as it will add extra water to the potatoes and dilute the flavor. Peel and mash 1 cup (248g) of the cooked potatoes. The roasted almond butter is slightly sweet, which complements the spicy curry flavor well, but if you’re allergic, you can sub with tahini for a slightly different flavor profile than the original recipe.

Suitable for: ACD All stages (if you use an ACD-safe red curry paste); refined sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg free, vegan, low glycemic.

Disclosure: Links in this post may be affiliate links. If you choose to purchase using those links, at no cost to you, I will receive a small percentage of the sale.

Subscribe for recipes and more about living well without sugar, gluten, eggs or dairy! Click here to subscribe to RickiHeller.com via email. You’ll receive emails sharing recipes and videos as soon as they’re posted, plus weekly updates and news about upcoming events. A healthy lifestyle CAN be sweet!

Source: https://www.rickiheller.com/2018/10/thai-red-curry-sweet-potato-dip/

[someminxmusings]

Questions!

(1/5/19) Fun fact about me, I love little questionnaire type questions.  I never get tired of them.  They force me to really think about what I like and why.  This might overlap with some questions you have for me, but I’ll answer again in July!  You should know sometimes I don’t have favorites, but I have a ton of things I like, though, so I’ll answer with those.  If I say I don’t like something, it means it’s not a preference, not that I will not eat or drink it at all.  There are very few things I will not eat.

Food and Drink

Favorite fast food restaurant? Arbys is one.  Their curly fries are amazing, and I love their ham and cheddar sandwich.  I would say Pepperjax, but I’m not sure if that’s considered fast food.  I love their shrimp nachos, though. 

Favorite ice cream flavor? Mint chocolate chip.  Or chocolate chip.  Anything with a vanilla base.  I don’t like chocolate flavors--they always taste artificial to me.  I also like cookies and cream.  I’m really not picky with ice cream flavors, just no chocolate!

Favorite chocolate candy? This depends on my mood.  If I want something minty, I like either Mint M&M’s or Andes mints.  If I’m craving caramel, it’s a twix or rolos.  Reeses is a classic, but I can’t eat too many of them.  Of course good ‘ol hersheys is also a classic.  I don’t choose chocolate candy often, I think it’s because it’s too rich and leaves a film in my mouth.  And it makes me thirsty. 

Favorite fruity candy? I definitely prefer gummy/fruity candy--I actually have favorites!  Haribo Happy Cherries.  I’ll eat the whole bag and not even feel bad about it, ha!  I also enjoy twizzler’s pull-n-peel.  I like dots, mike and ikes.  I’m also one of those weird people who like the black licorice flavor.  I can’t eat much at one time, but I like it!

Favorite flavor Starburst? Red.  Cherry.  I’ll choose cherry every time.  It doesn’t matter what candy it is.  It’s my favorite flavor of all time.

Favorite dish at Olive Garden? Soup, Chicken and Gnocci.  I love the taste of creamy soups.  Entree, any alfredo dish.  Chicken or shrimp fettucini alfredo.  I like the flavor of alfredo sauce.  I prefer shrimp because I like it, but it’s usually too expensive so I get chicken. 

Favorite kind of sushi? No idea.  I’ve eaten sushi a few times, but it’s not my favorite.  It doesn’t have a ton of flavor for me, I don’t see what all the fuss is about.  If hubby or a friend wants to go eat sushi, I will, but I prefer other things to eat.  

Favorite Asian dish?  Happy family when I’m eating out.  It has so many different kinds of meats and vegetables.  I like the variety.  It has to have brown sauce, though.  I had it once with white sauce and it was disgusting.  Brown sauce on anything is amazing!  I enjoy the flavor of teriyaki, so a chicken teriyaki with sauteed vegetables and brown sauce is awesome!  I enjoy going to mongolian grills, and hubby and I went to a hot pot restaurant when we were in Houston that I liked.

Favorite Italian dish? Chicken or Shrimp fettuccini alfredo.  I just love pasta in general.  Again, love the flavor and how it all comes together.

Favorite food of all time? My mom’s steak on the grill, medium rare, with sauteed mushrooms in soysauce and dill.  My mom is an excellent griller.  We always get our meat from a local butcher shop so of course it’s delicious!  The mushroom soy sauce is awesome!  With my mom’s steak, you don’t need any sauce or anything, but that one pairs well. 

Favorite way to cook a steak? Oh, ha!  I didn’t look at these questions beforehand.  On the grill, medium rare. 

Favorite pasta dish? Any.  Spaghetti, fettuccini, lasagna, I’ll eat anything.  Seriously.

Favorite cookie? I’m going to go with the classic chocolate chip for this one.  You can never go wrong, and it always hits the spot.  I like basically all of them, though.  I think the only ones I don’t like are monster cookies.  Too many things going on it, too many flavors, just too much.

Favorite fast food French fries? Well, Arbys.  But I also like burger king’s french fries.  I just love french fries, who am I kidding?  All of them.  You give me an option for fries and I’ll eat it!

Favorite cereal? Cinnamon Toast Crunch.  The name brand, not an off brand.  Love the way it tastes, and the milk when I’m done, yum!

Favorite breakfast food? French toast, I think.  Just enough of a flavor, but not super fluffy and filling like pancakes or waffles.  I don’t like feeling like i need a nap after breakfast, ha!  So french toast is filling but not too much.

Favorite pizza toppings? Italian sausage.  It gives it a little something extra beef or hamburger doesn’t give.  I also like ham and bacon for the flavor.  I’m also one of those weird people who like pineapple, ha!  I basically like everything but pepperoni, I think because it’s too spicy. 

Favorite fruit? Cherries are number one. Strawberries, pineapple, peaches, pears are also good.  Funny thing with oranges is that when I eat them as a snack or with a meal, I don’t want to eat anything else.  It’s not that it’s filling, but it takes away the craving for more food.  It’s weird, ha!  I enjoy them and eat them particularly when I’m trying hard to eat healthy.

Favorite vegetable? I actually love broccoli.  How weird is that, ha!  I always have, no real reason why.  I also enjoy corn and carrots (but not together, ha!)  I like celery as a snack.

Favorite dessert?  Ugh!  I can’t even begin with a favorite.  All of them.  All of the desserts ever created.  I have a huge sweet tooth and will eat anything.  If I had to choose, I would say cheesecake.  Or a good slightly warm molten chocolate cake or brownie.  Ooh, brownies are delicious.  But without nuts, that’s weird.  I don’t understand why people decide to put nuts in brownies. 

Favorite comfort food?  Probably my mom’s steak and mushroom sauce.  It reminds me of home and her cooking.  I love a good homemade chicken noodle soup, but I’m terrible at making it so that it has flavor. 

Favorite pumpkin-flavored treat? Um, I don’t know?  A lot of pumpkin flavored things taste fake.  I’m going to go with pumpkin pie.  Is that cheating?  You can never go wrong with pumpkin pie.

Favorite dish at Thanksgiving? Green bean casserole.  I’m so weird.  I didn’t start liking green bean casserole until I was about 25, ha!  I don’t know what switched, but I suddenly liked it.  I’m not a huge fan of potatoes (outside of french fries).  For some reason, they’ve never done anything for me.  They don’t have much flavor, too much starch, just not my favorite.  My grandma used to make sliced fried potatoes and those were good.  Sometimes I’ll eat cut up potatoes with seasonings, but baked and mashed don’t do much. 

Favorite cake? Is cheesecake cheating? :)  If I had to choose, red velvet.  I always like red velvet.  I don’t have to be in the right mood for it.  I always choose it. 

Favorite ice cream sundae toppings? Oh!  So many!  Sprinkles are a must!  The multicolored, the chocolate ones taste fake and look like poop.  Gummy bears, but on the side.  They get hard when they get cold, so I eat them separately.  I like caramel sauce on it, and of course topped with a cherry :)  I always get like 5 cherries...because I love maraschino cherries.

Favorite thing to cook? Soups.  They are so easy and require a lot of simmering and down time.  And they’re hard to overcook. 

Favorite soda? Pepsi, and cherry coke, and vanilla coke.  Sometimes I’ll like sunkist if I’m in the mood for something different. 

Favorite alcoholic drink? sweet white wine, craft beer--porters and stouts typically.  Not IPA’s too hoppy.  Right now I’m digging a vanilla bean one from a brewery in Omaha. 

Favorite drink at Starbucks? No idea, I don’t get specialty coffee--too expensive.  I just like regular coffee with caramel macchiato creamer. 

Favorite flavor coffee?  I prefer to flavor my coffee with creamer.  If I have flavored coffee, it’s usually caramel or vanilla something.  I don’t like chocolate in my coffee, it tastes weird. 

[frommericawithlove-blog]

The Arrival

For the record, Star Wars spoilers follow.

Pardon me for not posting any pictures for this post, but we’ve just arrived and sleep is long overdue. It’s now about 11 at night, but my body keeps insisting that it’s nearly 4. What’s more, today was an experiment in nostalgia; hear me out for a moment, but where were you when you realized Star Wars sold out?

It’s something we’ve all known, but not something all have the mental fortitude to conscientiously accept. Today, I sampled the airport McDonald’s and had a Teriyaki burger that was perhaps my greatest burger of the year. The meat was lean with a concise and strong beef flavor, the buns lightly toasted and nearly melted in my hands, it was so fluffy. It featured the difficult-to-find-in-America Japanese mayo, made with only the egg yolks, rather than the whole egg, resulting in a more fatty and richer flavor. The Teriyaki sauce itself was slightly sweet and left my mouth watering with each passing bite. The experience of McDonald’s was so amazing, I was even left in awe at how they actually closed the bag when it was handed to us, rather than just haphazardly throwing everything in. Way better than what I remember as a kid.

That’s how Japan greeted us at the airport; with damn near perfection. We lamped around our area, hitting up a ramen joint that gave me preemptive depression that I would eventually have to leave this country’s food behind; and hit up a couple arcades. It was then, at the arcades, that I was forced to come to the realization that Disney doesn’t care about us anymore; and that George Lucas just may be the hero of the Star Wars universe.

You see, the new Star Wars film, The Last Jedi, just might be the most disappointing movie I’ve seen in the last few years. It’s a failure at a more basic level than Rouge One was. Rouge One had a premise and characters that worked, and while the execution was sloppy, it was ultimately a worthwhile story, and I at least left satisfied with how I used my time. Last Jedi just made me angry that I wasted my time watching characters essentially do nothing for the span of 2 hours, aka my life.

You see, in Last Jedi, nearly every action made by every character is ultimately moot in nature. I’ll use Finn and Rose as the example, just because they’re the most obvious in my eyes. Finn wakes up, and rather than be put to use by exploiting his inside knowledge of how The First Order works, he just does his own thing; rather than trying to help the rebellion when it seems at it’s weakest, he tries to find a girl he doesn’t even really know (yeah, they went through stuff together, but come on); wanders into a misunderstanding with Rose, who just do happens to have the key to fixing the whole problem; comes up with a plan that ultimately fails; when it does fail, they still say it’s worth it cause they freed the animals (this scene really angered me, “my friends are all going to die, but the animals will survive :^)”); trust someone he knows he shouldn’t, anyone named Benicio; is shocked when the named loose moraled Benicio sells him out due to stated loose morals; and gets into a pointless fight with a lady in a dope chrome suit of armor. The absolute worst part was when he planned to sacrifice himself, and rather than just let him die, Rose decides to put both of their lives in jeopardy by ramming him.

Obviously, there’s more to be angry at. What was the point of Luke force ghosting the fight and not dying at the hands of Kylo Ren, if he dies anyway? Why didn’t the Vice Admiral tell people her plan to go to the salt planet? Why do people treat Kylo so specially, and make excuses for him, when he actively chooses the dark side nearly everytime?

What this movie failed at was making a story that mattered. I rewatched Dunkirk on the flight, and I can see the similarities in the films. The difference is that Dunkirk clearly layers the individual stories in a way that makes them all tie together by the climax of the movie, while the timelines in Last Jedi are all over the place. The whole time with Finn and Rose, I could only think about how they seemed to lack urgency in the process, when they had merely hours to save the mothership.

I saw a few missed opportunities as well; small, but I think they would have been nice. On the salt planet, people should be crying due to the salinity in the air. I saw light to medium clothing, so it wasn’t freezing, but why even use the line about it being salt if it didn’t have a purpose? Luke should have fought Kylo, for real, not a force ghost; and ended the fight Blade Runner style, where Kylo cries and blames the tears on the environment, rather than his realization of his emotions.

See, at the very least, Gorge Lucas had a plan to let other artists explore and use the Star Wars universe. They could tell their own stories using a landscape that we were all familiar with; but that’s dead now. Disney killed it. Gorge learned the hard way he wasn’t the creative visionary we thought he was. He just had the property others wanted to use.

Perhaps the best example of this is the Family Guy Star Wars special. Note, I haven’t actually seen Family Guy since freshman year of high school, but my point stands. Family Guy is not a family friendly show in the least, but they were allowed to use the Star Wars brand to tell their toilet humor jokes. Would Disney be cool with that? idk, prob not

What I’m trying to say is this: I saw a poster for the new Star Wars movie in a claw machine at the arcade today, and it made me really really mad.

That’s all.

Song of the Now: Read My Mind by The Killers

[yogurtcut5-blog]

Thai Red Curry Sweet Potato Dip

[If you love Thai spices, you’ll adore this dip. Thai Red Curry Sweet Potato Dip is sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg free and low glycemic. Suitable for all stages on an anti-candida diet.]

Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Stylist:Margaret Monroe Dickey

Although I love to travel, I tend not to do it so much. The HH and I do love a little junket, mind you, but haven’t really taken one of those epic “across-Europe” or “to Bali and back” or “let’s-explore-the-fjords-of-Iceland” kind of trips. (Our one big adventure happened way back when we were first together, when we spent 10 glorious days in Newfoundland, strolling through untouched forests, staying and rustic B&Bs, spotting moose wandering off the highways, or whale-watching on the ocean**).

These days, we’re more likely to take a few days here, a few days there, and chillax at a resort up north by the pool. It’s all good.

But back in the days BHH (“before the HH”), I did venture on a major trip by myself to England, to visit my dear friend Sterlin.

At that time, Sterlin had just  wrapped up one job and was staying at home for the interim before the next job began. We timed my visit to coincide with her free days. It was epic!

Besides being eternally besotted by the English accent (or, more correctly, accentS, since every 2 blocks or so, it seemed to change), I was, of course, dumbstruck by the history, the regal architecture, the small-yet-intimate feel to the towns, the culture that permeated every nook and cranny (and there were quite a few crannies, as I recall).

In my short 10 days in the country, we managed to visit London (three times), Stratford, Nottingham, Cambridge, Oxford, and a slew of other smaller spots that escape me now. I loved the historic architecture of the cities, the museums that seemed to be on every corner, pristine fields and hills out in the rural countryside, and the ingrained history in every cobblestone.

I learned about university students’ secret codes, “public” vs private schools, the true history of Robin Hood, and how taxi drivers had over 2 years of school just to memorize the labrynthine streets of the city. Everyone I met from the clerk in the grocery store to the neighbor walking her dog to Sterlin’s work colleagues all seemed possess a magical air of elegance and gravity about them, simply by virtue of having been born in that country.

Now, as I’ve mentioned before, Sterlin was not known for her culinary prowess. Nevertheless, she determined that she’d prepare a homecooked meal for meal at least once during my stay (as it turned out, she managed that feat twice in the ten days!).  Along with Date Pasta, another of her newfound staples was a Green Curry stew, made with chicken (still on regular rotation on my plate in those days) and a slew of vegetables enrobed in a rich, glossy coconut milk base and spiced with fragrant Thai green curry paste.

I was hooked immediately, demanded the recipe, and promptly made the dish as soon as I got back to North America. I’ve been a fan of all things Thai ever since.

My version of the dip. The HH and I devoured this in short order!

This Red Curry Sweet Potato Dip from Brandi Doming’s new cookbook, The Vegan 8: 100 Simple, Delicious Recipes Made with 8 Ingredients or Less may not be a stew, but just like a classic Thai recipe, its marriage of sweet, salty and spicy–with the tiniest hint of sour from the lemon and bitter from the almond butter–it will win you over with the first taste.

Both the HH and I LOVED this dip. Like, loved-so-much-I-wanted-to-kiss-it. Or loved-so-much-I-didn’t-bother-with-crackers-and-just-ate-it-off-a-spoon. And also, loved-so-much-I-would-adopt-it-if-I-could. Yeah. Loved-so-much-that-Chaser-got-jealous. THAT much. The HH said, “You really should make this again. This is delicious. Definitely make this again. . . ” all the while stuffing his face with dip-coated nacho chips.

Anyone who follows plant-based bloggers is likely already familiar with Brandi and her signature “8 ingredients or less” oil-free recipes.  I was excited to see that many of the recipes were also gluten-free and free of refined sugars, too, so they would be suitable for a diet like mine.

Along with stunning photos and recipes, the book also provides a full chapter on “The Vegan 8 Kitchen,” (with everything from “Getting Started” to baking tips, Brandi’s pantry staples, seasonings, sweeteners, nut butters and other natural fats, flours, starches and other kitchen equipment), plus individual chapters on “Breakfast,” “Scrumptious Snacks & Appetizers,” “Time-Crunch Lunches,” “Sauces and Dressings,” “Easy Entrees,” “Comforting Soups & Stews,” “Sides & Dips,” “Crowd-Pleasing Desserts,” and “Staples” (like    spaghetti sauce, BBQ sauce, spice blends or homemade nut milks). There’s also a full chart of Imperial-to-metric equivalents.

Some of the recipes I can’t wait to try include Bakery-Style Blueberry Muffins, Spice-is-Nice Baked Oatmeal Squares, Sunflower-Cinnamon Chia Balls, Creamy Lemon and Garlic White Bean Crostini, 20-Minute Alfredo, Mexican Tahini Chickpeas, BBQ Chipotle Green Lentils with Potato Wedges, “My Favorite” Savory Meatless Bean Balls, Teriyaki Patties, Ultimate Broccoli-Cheese Soup, Hungarian Red Lentil Soup, Sweet Potato Cornbread and No-Bake Chocolate Espresso Fudge Cake–plus about 50 more!

Brandi and her publisher graciously allowed me to share the Thai Red Curry Sweet Potato Dip here. Do give this one a try–it’s truly tantalizing and keeps nicely in the fridge. Just be warned: this dip likely won’t last very long.

Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Stylist:Margaret Monroe Dickey

    Print This!    

Thai Red Curry Sweet Potato Dip

reprinted with permission from The Vegan 8: 100 Simple, Delicious Recipes Made with 8 Ingredients or Less by Brandi Doming. Published by Oxmoor House.

Brandi says: “If there was ever a dip that won over taste testers, this is it! One of my tricks for super-creamy bean dips is to use white beans, which create a really smooth dip—a big help for oil-free recipes. This dip is creamy like a hummus with bold Thai curry flavors that complement the sweet potato beautifully. With the garnishes, it makes a lovely presentation for a gathering.”

1 packed cup (248g) cooked, mashed sweet potato 1 (15-ounce) can white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, or 1 1⁄2 cups cooked white beans (255g) 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lime juice 2 tablespoons (30 ml) roasted smooth almond butter 2 tablespoons (30 ml) low-sodium soy sauce [I used Braggs aminos] 1⁄4 cup (60 ml) Thai red curry paste [I used Thai Kitchen] 1 teaspoon (5 ml) dried basil 1⁄2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) ground coriander 1⁄4 teaspoon (1 ml) fine salt Optional: roasted sliced almonds, fresh chopped basil for garnish; crackers, chips, or sliced vegetables for serving

Add the mashed sweet potato, beans, lime juice, almond butter, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons (30g) hot water, curry paste, basil, coriander, and salt to a food processor; process for 3 to 4 minutes or until very smooth. Scrape the sides and process again. Taste and add more salt, if desired. Garnish with almonds and basil, if desired, and serve with chips, crackers, or assorted sliced vegetables. Makes about 3 cups (720 ml).

Nutrition per 1⁄2 cup: 151 calories | 3g fat | 6.8g protein | 24.7g carbs | 5.4g fiber | 3.8g sugar | 704mg sodium

NOTE: Bake the sweet potato at 400°F (200°C) for 45 minutes to an hour until very soft. I would advise against steaming or boiling, as it will add extra water to the potatoes and dilute the flavor. Peel and mash 1 cup (248g) of the cooked potatoes. The roasted almond butter is slightly sweet, which complements the spicy curry flavor well, but if you’re allergic, you can sub with tahini for a slightly different flavor profile than the original recipe.

Suitable for: ACD All stages (if you use an ACD-safe red curry paste); refined sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg free, vegan, low glycemic.

Disclosure: Links in this post may be affiliate links. If you choose to purchase using those links, at no cost to you, I will receive a small percentage of the sale.

Subscribe for recipes and more about living well without sugar, gluten, eggs or dairy! Click here to subscribe to RickiHeller.com via email. You’ll receive emails sharing recipes and videos as soon as they’re posted, plus weekly updates and news about upcoming events. A healthy lifestyle CAN be sweet!

Source: https://www.rickiheller.com/2018/10/thai-red-curry-sweet-potato-dip/

[singledigger35-blog]

Rice Cooker Teriyaki Shrimp and Rice

$6.28 recipe / $1.57 serving

Rice cookers are a convenient and inexpensive way to cook food for those confined to small spaces or without access to conventional kitchens, so I’m going to develop a few recipes specifically for rice cookers, starting with this super easy Teriyaki Shrimp and Rice. This ultra simple dish is similar to shrimp fried rice that you’d get from your local take out joint, except it’s steamed not fried, and therefore way less caloric. The ultra short ingredient list means you don’t have to have a lot of ingredients on hand, and most of them can be kept indefinitely either in your pantry or freezer. 

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

What Rice Cooker am I Using?

I chose to work with one of the most popular and most basic rice cookers on the market to make sure the recipes I develop have the broadest compatibility. That begin said, every model rice cooker is slightly different, and may yield slightly different results. I’m using the Aroma Housewares 8 cup cooked/4 cup uncooked Digital Rice Cooker.

Can I Make This in an Instant Pot?

Using the “rice” function on your Instant Pot will cook food in the same manner as a rice cooker, so this recipe should work just fine in an Instant Pot, providing you are using the rice function and not a pressure cooking function. That being said, I have not had a chance to actually test this recipe using an Instant Pot.

Rice to Water Ratios

There is a lot of conflicting information about what the proper rice to water ratio is for rice cookers, partly due to differing needs for different rice varieties and variations in the way different rice cookers work. I’ve tested this particular recipe several times with different rice to water ratios, and found that 1:1.33 worked best for me. Again, if using a different model rice cooker or a different variety of rice, the ratio may need to be adjusted.

Rice Cooker Teriyaki Shrimp and Rice

By adding a few extra ingredients to your rice cooker, you can cook an entire meal at once. This Teriyaki Shrimp and Rice is an easy and healthy alternative to take out. 

1/2 lb. raw medium shrimp (41/50 size)* $4.00

1 small onion $0.33

1 cup frozen peas $0.38

1.5 cups uncooked jasmine rice $0.99

2 cloves garlic, minced $0.16

1 tsp grated fresh ginger $0.10

2 cups water $0.00

1/4 cup soy sauce $0.24

2 Tbsp brown sugar $0.08

If your shrimp is frozen, thaw it first by placing in a colander and running cool water over it until thawed (this only takes a few minutes).

Finely dice the onion and place it in the bottom of the rice cooker along with the frozen peas (I did not thaw my peas). Add the uncooked rice, minced garlic, and grated ginger. Stir these ingredients together.

Add the shrimp to the top of the rice mixture, then pour in 2 cups water. Close the lid and set the cooker to the "white rice" setting. The rice cooker will begin to heat and once the contents inside reach the appropriate temperature, it will begin to count down the cooking time (12 minutes for my model).

Once the rice cooker finishes its cooking cycle, let it rest for an additional 5-10 minutes on the keep warm cycle before opening the lid. While waiting, stir together the soy sauce and brown sugar.

Finally, open the lid and pour the soy sauce mixture over the contents in the rice cooker. Use a rice paddle to gently fold the sauce into the rice. Serve hot, with sriracha or sliced green onions if desired.

*You can use peeled or shell-on shrimp, but make sure it is raw. Deveining can be tedious, so I suggest purchasing shrimp that is already deveined. I used shell-on shrimp that I quickly peeled once thawed, but I left the tail on for visual appeal.

Step by Step Photos

If using frozen shrimp, thaw them first by placing them in a colander and running cool water over top until thawed (this only takes a couple of minutes). Finely dice one small onion and place it in the rice cooker along with 1 cup frozen peas (I did not thaw the peas).

Add 1.5 cups white jasmine rice to the cooker, along with two cloves of garlic (minced) and about 1 tsp grated fresh ginger. Stir these ingredients together until everything is evenly combined.

Add 1/2 lb. medium shrimp (41/50 size) to the rice cooker, then pour 2 cups water over top.

Close the rice cooker and set it to the “white rice” function. The rice cooker will begin to heat up, and once it reaches the appropriate temperature it will begin to count down the actual cooking time (mine is 12 minutes for the white rice function). Depending on the temperature and volume of the ingredients in the cooker, it can take a different amount of time to come up to temperature before it begins counting the actual “cooking time.”

After the cooking cycle has finished, make sure to let it sit without opening the lid for an additional 5-10 minutes. This really helps give you more even results because it gives the steam a chance to settle in the cooker. While waiting for the rice to rest in the cooker, stir together 1/4 cup soy sauce and 2 Tbsp brown sugar in a small bowl. It’s okay if the sugar doesn’t totally dissolve.

Pour the soy sauce mixture over the contents of the rice cooker, then use your rice paddle to gently fold the sauce into the shrimp and rice.

If you’re at the max volume of your rice cooker, like I was, it may be easier to transfer everything to a large bowl to fold in the soy sauce, but that’s up to you. Once the sauce is incorporated, the Teriyaki Shrimp and Rice is ready to eat!!

Of course I topped mine with some sriracha, but that’s optional! A couple sliced green onions or cilantro would also be nice if you have them on hand.

Dig in!!

posted on September 2, 2018 in Dairy Free, Egg Free, Global, Main Dish, Meat, One Pot Meals, Quick, Recipes, Recipes under $10, Rice, Seafood, South-East Asian, Under $3 per serving

Source: https://www.budgetbytes.com/rice-cooker-teriyaki-shrimp-and-rice/

[drycoin14-blog]

Thai Red Curry Sweet Potato Dip

[If you love Thai spices, you’ll adore this dip. Thai Red Curry Sweet Potato Dip is sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg free and low glycemic. Suitable for all stages on an anti-candida diet.]

Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Stylist:Margaret Monroe Dickey

Although I love to travel, I tend not to do it so much. The HH and I do love a little junket, mind you, but haven’t really taken one of those epic “across-Europe” or “to Bali and back” or “let’s-explore-the-fjords-of-Iceland” kind of trips. (Our one big adventure happened way back when we were first together, when we spent 10 glorious days in Newfoundland, strolling through untouched forests, staying and rustic B&Bs, spotting moose wandering off the highways, or whale-watching on the ocean**).

These days, we’re more likely to take a few days here, a few days there, and chillax at a resort up north by the pool. It’s all good.

But back in the days BHH (“before the HH”), I did venture on a major trip by myself to England, to visit my dear friend Sterlin.

At that time, Sterlin had just  wrapped up one job and was staying at home for the interim before the next job began. We timed my visit to coincide with her free days. It was epic!

Besides being eternally besotted by the English accent (or, more correctly, accentS, since every 2 blocks or so, it seemed to change), I was, of course, dumbstruck by the history, the regal architecture, the small-yet-intimate feel to the towns, the culture that permeated every nook and cranny (and there were quite a few crannies, as I recall).

In my short 10 days in the country, we managed to visit London (three times), Stratford, Nottingham, Cambridge, Oxford, and a slew of other smaller spots that escape me now. I loved the historic architecture of the cities, the museums that seemed to be on every corner, pristine fields and hills out in the rural countryside, and the ingrained history in every cobblestone.

I learned about university students’ secret codes, “public” vs private schools, the true history of Robin Hood, and how taxi drivers had over 2 years of school just to memorize the labrynthine streets of the city. Everyone I met from the clerk in the grocery store to the neighbor walking her dog to Sterlin’s work colleagues all seemed possess a magical air of elegance and gravity about them, simply by virtue of having been born in that country.

Now, as I’ve mentioned before, Sterlin was not known for her culinary prowess. Nevertheless, she determined that she’d prepare a homecooked meal for meal at least once during my stay (as it turned out, she managed that feat twice in the ten days!).  Along with Date Pasta, another of her newfound staples was a Green Curry stew, made with chicken (still on regular rotation on my plate in those days) and a slew of vegetables enrobed in a rich, glossy coconut milk base and spiced with fragrant Thai green curry paste.

I was hooked immediately, demanded the recipe, and promptly made the dish as soon as I got back to North America. I’ve been a fan of all things Thai ever since.

My version of the dip. The HH and I devoured this in short order!

This Red Curry Sweet Potato Dip from Brandi Doming’s new cookbook, The Vegan 8: 100 Simple, Delicious Recipes Made with 8 Ingredients or Less may not be a stew, but just like a classic Thai recipe, its marriage of sweet, salty and spicy–with the tiniest hint of sour from the lemon and bitter from the almond butter–it will win you over with the first taste.

Both the HH and I LOVED this dip. Like, loved-so-much-I-wanted-to-kiss-it. Or loved-so-much-I-didn’t-bother-with-crackers-and-just-ate-it-off-a-spoon. And also, loved-so-much-I-would-adopt-it-if-I-could. Yeah. Loved-so-much-that-Chaser-got-jealous. THAT much. The HH said, “You really should make this again. This is delicious. Definitely make this again. . . ” all the while stuffing his face with dip-coated nacho chips.

Anyone who follows plant-based bloggers is likely already familiar with Brandi and her signature “8 ingredients or less” oil-free recipes.  I was excited to see that many of the recipes were also gluten-free and free of refined sugars, too, so they would be suitable for a diet like mine.

Along with stunning photos and recipes, the book also provides a full chapter on “The Vegan 8 Kitchen,” (with everything from “Getting Started” to baking tips, Brandi’s pantry staples, seasonings, sweeteners, nut butters and other natural fats, flours, starches and other kitchen equipment), plus individual chapters on “Breakfast,” “Scrumptious Snacks & Appetizers,” “Time-Crunch Lunches,” “Sauces and Dressings,” “Easy Entrees,” “Comforting Soups & Stews,” “Sides & Dips,” “Crowd-Pleasing Desserts,” and “Staples” (like    spaghetti sauce, BBQ sauce, spice blends or homemade nut milks). There’s also a full chart of Imperial-to-metric equivalents.

Some of the recipes I can’t wait to try include Bakery-Style Blueberry Muffins, Spice-is-Nice Baked Oatmeal Squares, Sunflower-Cinnamon Chia Balls, Creamy Lemon and Garlic White Bean Crostini, 20-Minute Alfredo, Mexican Tahini Chickpeas, BBQ Chipotle Green Lentils with Potato Wedges, “My Favorite” Savory Meatless Bean Balls, Teriyaki Patties, Ultimate Broccoli-Cheese Soup, Hungarian Red Lentil Soup, Sweet Potato Cornbread and No-Bake Chocolate Espresso Fudge Cake–plus about 50 more!

Brandi and her publisher graciously allowed me to share the Thai Red Curry Sweet Potato Dip here. Do give this one a try–it’s truly tantalizing and keeps nicely in the fridge. Just be warned: this dip likely won’t last very long.

Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Stylist:Margaret Monroe Dickey

    Print This!    

Thai Red Curry Sweet Potato Dip

reprinted with permission from The Vegan 8: 100 Simple, Delicious Recipes Made with 8 Ingredients or Less by Brandi Doming. Published by Oxmoor House.

Brandi says: “If there was ever a dip that won over taste testers, this is it! One of my tricks for super-creamy bean dips is to use white beans, which create a really smooth dip—a big help for oil-free recipes. This dip is creamy like a hummus with bold Thai curry flavors that complement the sweet potato beautifully. With the garnishes, it makes a lovely presentation for a gathering.”

1 packed cup (248g) cooked, mashed sweet potato 1 (15-ounce) can white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, or 1 1⁄2 cups cooked white beans (255g) 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lime juice 2 tablespoons (30 ml) roasted smooth almond butter 2 tablespoons (30 ml) low-sodium soy sauce [I used Braggs aminos] 1⁄4 cup (60 ml) Thai red curry paste [I used Thai Kitchen] 1 teaspoon (5 ml) dried basil 1⁄2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) ground coriander 1⁄4 teaspoon (1 ml) fine salt Optional: roasted sliced almonds, fresh chopped basil for garnish; crackers, chips, or sliced vegetables for serving

Add the mashed sweet potato, beans, lime juice, almond butter, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons (30g) hot water, curry paste, basil, coriander, and salt to a food processor; process for 3 to 4 minutes or until very smooth. Scrape the sides and process again. Taste and add more salt, if desired. Garnish with almonds and basil, if desired, and serve with chips, crackers, or assorted sliced vegetables. Makes about 3 cups (720 ml).

Nutrition per 1⁄2 cup: 151 calories | 3g fat | 6.8g protein | 24.7g carbs | 5.4g fiber | 3.8g sugar | 704mg sodium

NOTE: Bake the sweet potato at 400°F (200°C) for 45 minutes to an hour until very soft. I would advise against steaming or boiling, as it will add extra water to the potatoes and dilute the flavor. Peel and mash 1 cup (248g) of the cooked potatoes. The roasted almond butter is slightly sweet, which complements the spicy curry flavor well, but if you’re allergic, you can sub with tahini for a slightly different flavor profile than the original recipe.

Suitable for: ACD All stages (if you use an ACD-safe red curry paste); refined sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg free, vegan, low glycemic.

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Source: https://www.rickiheller.com/2018/10/thai-red-curry-sweet-potato-dip/