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lunchbox meal: healthy chicken masala

16. November 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Cooking, Gluten-Free · Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Here is a slightly different {and gluten-free} version of this Indian-inspired lunchbox meal.

I made this super easy dish for lunch today by combining a seemingly random assortment of items.

1) Prepare mung beans {boil 1 1/2 cups of water, add 1/2 cup of beans, turn to low, simmer for 35-50 minutes or until the water is absorbed and beans are tender}

2) Prepare TJ’s Multigrain Pilaf according to package Unfortunately, rice pilaf is not gluten-free, so I’ve started using rice in this recipe instead. The rice gets a nice hint of flavor if you boil it in chicken broth and add a dash each of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.

3) Pull several large pieces of chicken off a store-bought rotisserie chicken. At about $5-$7 each, these are a great deal and can last for several meals. Best of all, you can adapt them easily with different sauces!

4) Layer the mung beans, rice, and chicken with TJ’s Masala Simmer Sauce and enjoy!

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This Day Last Year: Spicy Sweet Potato Fries and Life Updates {I mention reach out to a group-buying site, which actually wasn’t LivingSocial! I also mention reaching out to my network for help with job searching. For more on that, click here.}

korean pickled cucumbers

14. November 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Cooking, Food & Drink, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian · Tags: , , , , , , , ,
korean pickled cucumbers korean pickled cucumbers

Via Flickr user chiotsrun

Korean Pickled Cucumbers

My recent obsession with Korean food and home pickling in Mason jars has led me to try homemade Korean pickled cucumbers, which have a similar flavor to kimchi.

Cut a cucumber (I used an English cucumber, seeds and skin intact) into long, thin strips. Place in a bowl with water and salt for several hours. Remove from water and place in a Mason jar with the following: several dashes of rice vinegar; a teaspoon or so of minced garlic; a touch of grated ginger; some chopped onion; a sprinkling of paprika {for color}; and a pinch of cayenne pepper (the amount depends on your preference for spiciness). Fill the jar to the top with water, shake, and refrigerate for at least several hours. Eat within 2-3 days.

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P.S. Unsure about photo copyright laws? Err on the safe side and use Flickr’s Creative Commons photos. This copyright allows owners to determine which rights they want to maintain over their photos; most users using Creative Commons allow you to use their work as long as you attribute it to them. Simply go to Flickr.com, click Advanced Search, and select the checkbox for “Only search within Creative Commons-licensed content.” Thank you to Mital Patel and other members of The Raleigh Forum for teaching me this! The photo above was found on Flickr.

homemade bibimbap

26. October 2011 · 2 comments · Categories: Cooking, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian · Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
313337757 uMAIf1nd c homemade bibimbap

Source: unknown

“Bibim-what?” You may be asking. My friend Lindsay introduced me to bibimbap, a Korean dish that means “mixed with rice,” at Mandu in DC. Another friend and I ended up finding Rice Bar, which, in the words of one Yelp reviewer, is like “Chipotle or Subway, except with bibimbap.” For a decent price (a base price of $6.49 but it quickly adds up), you get a Design Your Own Bibimbap Bowl. I went to town- wild rice, seaweed, kimchi, the works…

Since bibimbap is apparently a very easily adaptable dish, I decided to try it at home- just like my other rice and quinoa bowls. And it’s naturally gluten-free and easily vegetarian or vegan too!

Below is what I put in my bowl but use these sites for inspiration: Serious Eats. I Really Like Food. Globetrotter Diaries. For a whole array of amazing pictures, visit TasteSpotting.

359849885 u1m7WZvW c homemade bibimbap

Source: unknown

My ingredients:

  • Bite-sized kale pieces, sauteed with olive oil and a dash of sesame oil
  • Pre-cooked sliced steak, drizzled with soy sauce and Annie Chun’s Korean Barbecue Sauce
  • Thinly sliced cucumber marinated in rice vinegar with a dash of dried red pepper
  • Bean sprouts leftover from my Vietnamese excursion to Pho Cali over the weekend
  • Minute Rice (I know, I know, definitely not the same as sticky rice!)
  • Kimchi
  • A drizzling of sesame oil, soy sauce, and Sriracha (the closest I could get to the hot pepper paste normally used, called gochujang)
369313310 7UO6WGyN c homemade bibimbap

This was an easily packable lunch for work: I combined the cucumber, kale, bean sprouts, and kimchee in one Tupperware; the steak in another small one; and the dressing in a third. At 12pm (I’m always famished by then!), I heated the Minute Rice and combined it with the other ingredients. The heat from the rice heated everything else! I realized after I finished that I had forgotten an egg though icon sad homemade bibimbap

This meal is probably easier for me than most people because my fridge is fully stocked with a bunch of Asian sauces and oils- I have peanut oil, Korean barbecue sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sesame seeds, etc. For the recipes I make, they’re all good investments! The other problem is that MSG is hiding in one of them, so I got an odd headache-y feeling after eating the bibimbap today.

Baking + cooking + tea

12. October 2010 · Write a comment · Categories: Cooking, Food & Drink, Life Updates & Recaps · Tags: , , , , , , ,

Yikes, now that I’ve started blogging, I can’t stop! I should slow down so I don’t burn out.

I’m currently sipping decaf green tea and settling in for some studying.

I just whipped up lunch for tomorow:

  • Zucchini and yellow squash stir fry: chop both into quarters; toss with a dash of olive oil over medium-low in frying pan; add in a pinch of oregano and cayenne; pour in a dash of soy sauce; stir fry till soft!
  • “Burger ball”- I had leftovers from this amazing recipe, so I added chopped yellow and orange peppers to the turkey and sauteed over medium-low. Voila- combination of meatball and hamburger!

I also baked the rest of the batter I had from Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies (thanks to my friend Sarah for the recipe!). I delivered the warm cookies to my elderly neighbor, who is recovering from a surgery. Coincidentally, baking for a neighbor is on the 100 Things List. And coincidentally, checking 2 things off the 100 Things List is on my October goals list! That’s a lot of coincidences that align nicely icon smile Baking + cooking + tea

pixel Baking + cooking + tea
+Cristina Roman