do you have any kin-oh-aaaahh?

i remember the first time i wanted to buy quinoa. i had watched countless dr. oz and the doctors episodes and new all the ridiculous nutrition info about the ancient, and quite hard to find, grain. so, my dad and i set out to the grocery store to search for some. we looked and looked, and couldn't find it anywhereee, even in the local healthy organic food store! eventually, my dad decided to ask an employee where we could get some.

  dad:  "hey, do you have any kin-oh-aaaaah?"

  guy:  "uuumm...... what is that?"

  me:   "a grain type thing?"

  guy:  "ok, let me ask someone"

  2 minutes later

  new guy:  "what are you looking for?"

  dad:   "kin-oh-aaaaah"

  new guy:  "you mean, keen-wah?"

  me:  "YES" 

  new guy: *walks 2 steps* "its right here!"

  dad + me:  *facepalm*

and that everyone, was the epic angelopoulos search for kin-oh-aaaaah. and now my dad knows how to pronounce it properly (i of course knew how to say it, but thought it was funnier watching my dad haha).

aaaanyways. yes. so i've already done an ingredient of the week on quinoa (here) so i'll save you all that boring health information. all you really need to know is that its awesome and it has lots of protein. i bought a massiiiveee bag of organic quinoa from costco, and finally put some of it to use! this may come as a surprise to many of you, but i've started to like new things. mushrooms are one of them! this was my very first time cooking them, which was quite exciting! so, this was ridiculously tasty considering i made it up off the top of my head. man, i'm good! anyways, here's my asian inspired vegetarian quinoa pilaf.

doesn't look like much, but man, it was awesome!

what you need:
2 cups of quinoa *pre-washed
1 package of extra firm tofu
olive oil for cooking
1 package of mushrooms
1 red pepper
1 package of snap or snow peas
1 onion
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
3 tsp ginger
4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp cayenne pepper
4 cups low sodium chicken stock

step 1:
cut your tofu into small bite sized pieces. place in a dish with the soy sauce and ginger. set aside and let marinade for ~30 minutes, stirring occasionally. finely dice your onion and saute in a large saucepan on medium heat. while that's browning, slice your mushrooms into small bite sized pieces and saute in a separate pan until nice, brown and tender.
step 2:
chop your garlic and add to the onions, cook till aromatic and then add in your diced red pepper. let this cook down until the peppers are tender. when mushrooms are done, add to the pot along with chicken stock, cayenne pepper, tofu and any extra marinade and of course, the quinoa.
step 3:
the quinoa should take about 15 minutes to cook, so while that's going, whipe down the pan you used to cook the mushrooms in, and place on medium heat. slice the ends of the snap peas off, cut in half and put in the pan. add 1/2 cup water and steam them. when they reach a nice, bright green, strain and put in an ice bath.
step 4:
you'll know the quinoa is finished cooking cause it puffs up A LOT. add the snow peas to your dish, scoop on some pilaf, and enjoy!

yummy yummy! made ~6 servings

license to snack

here's a quick post that i thought was very necessary seeing as i love, love, love snacks. i am a very guilty snacker. i try to stick to healthy things, like fruit or smoothies, but that definitely doesn't work all the time (hellooo, jalapeno pringles!) one of the main reasons that i don't actually mind snacking is that i never feel deprived of anything - a huge reason why many diets fail. if you say to yourself, you can't eat this or that, or can only eat at this time, you'll end up craving those specific foods and eating all day. the trick to snacking is to think about what you're eating, how much you're eating and why you're eating it.

here are some simple rules about how to make snacking healthy.
-   eat slowly! i am naturally a slow eater, sometimes i get self-conscious about it. but in the end, it's the best way to eat. it allows your body time to send signals to your brain that you're full, and you eat just what you need. 
-   keep portions small. don't eat out of a bag! biggest mistake you can make, and of course i speak from experience! take a single serving of the snack item and put it into a container.
-   have an indulge day. sometimes you just need that sugary bit of goodness. pick one day (mine are usually fridays) and let yourself have that bit of chocolate. as long as you don't eat the whole bar, you're fine.
-   snack smart. if you're a snacker like me, have healthy options available at all times. i always have frozen fruit in the freezer for a smoothie, almonds, multigrain crackers for hummous and fresh fruit in my kitchen.

here are a few of my favourite foods to nibble on!

pita - yumminess, calcium and monosaturated fats (aka the good stuff)
what you need:
1 pita bread
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (my grandparents gave me some they imported from greece.. it's amazing)
2 tsp greek oregano or zaatar
hunk of crumbled feta cheese
step 1: 
stick pita bread in the oven to toast, or if you're just too hungry to wait you can cut it in half stick it in the toaster until crispy.
step 2:
drizzle on the olive oil, oregano and the feta cheese. yumm.

peanut butter two ways - protein, potassium, and some more protein!
what you need:
2 tbsp organic natural peanut butter (cashew and almond butter are really good too)
1 apple or 1 banana
step 1:
peel banana and cut into rounds. cut the apple into little wedges. take the peanut butter and spread onto each piece of fruit.

edamame - protein, essential fatty acids and fibre!
what you need:
handful of frozen edamame (shells on or off are both fine)
spices - i like cayenne, cumin or just sea salt
step 1:
put the edamame in a bowl, and put in the microwave until thawed. sprinkle on your spices and toss until evenly coated.

ingredient of the week: salmon

 ok everyone, sorry for the super delay in posting. final exam time is upon us and i haven't had time to cook anything interesting or blog about the things that were. anyways, i just left victoria on my way back to vancouver for my last 3 finals (physics, sport psych and bio psych). unfortunately, as i woke up at 9:30 to catch the 11 am ferry, i noticed there was an odd amount of water on the floor. my first thought: did christina turn off the shower last night? yah she did - the rain decided to come in through the foundation. that is defs not good. so i am a little bit flustered from the craziness of home, and thought a blog post would be the perfect way to calm down before starting some readings. so, here we go.

here's the second installment of the ingredient of the week! this time, it's salmon. i lovee salmon, and at home we used to eat it at least once a week (dad does it really nicely on the bbq). since i began cooking for myself, i hadn't really had any salmon until this week. when i went to costco with my dad, i bought a big bag of frozen salmon fillets. i know it seems weird to buy it frozen, but it's really just as good. the texture is the same, and it's super handy because they are individually wrapped (perfect portion sizes!) and only take ~6 hours to defrost. plus, you don't need to worry about it going bad!

bearie bears also love to eat salmon

salmon is one of the richest sources of omega-3's (specifically EPA: eicosapentaenoic acid and DHA: dohosahexaenoic acid). what are they? essential fatty acids, meaning, you need them for healthy living. unfortunately, our body cannot create these molecules so you need to have them in your diet regularly. our brains contain over 60% structural fat (think: brain cells, or neurons). as most of you learned in high school biology, cell membranes are composed of a lipid layer. here's where the omega-3 fatty acids come in - they are especially fluid and flexible, making it easier to allow nutrients to come in, and waste to move out. EPA, found in salmon, is one of the best types of omega-3's for this job.

so other than keeping your brain working, omega-3's also improve your cardiovascular health: preventing damage of cholesterol in your arteries (once damaged, it begins to clog), improves healthy cholesterol levels and prevent erratic heart rhythms.
omega-3's also have huge anti-inflammatory effects. this is because they effect the production or prostaglandins - hormone-like molecules. EPA is the immediate precursor for series 3 prostaglandins, an anti-inflammatory type that prevents platelets from sticking together and improves blood flow.
salmon is also a good source of protein, niacin and vitamin B12, which all help to lower total blood cholesterol. niacin in particular has been proven to help prevent Alzheimer's disease and age-related cognitive decline.

my birthday dinner - salmon and veggies

so, for my first salmon dinner away from home i made teryiaki salmon with garlic roast veg. nom nom nom!

what you need:
1 fillet of salmon
1 tbsp teryiaki sauce
2 cloves garlic
1/2 head of broccoli
1/2 zucchini
2 tsp olive oil

step 1:
pre-heat oven to 400. put salmon into a small dish and pour teryiaki sauce over top. mix around so fillet is covered and place plastic wrap on top. marinade for ~20 minutes.
step 2:
in the mean time, roughly chop up your veggies and place in a large dish. finely slice the garlic and scatter throughout dish. pour 1 tsp olive oil on top and mix. place in oven for ~25 minutes (if you don't use broccoli the time will come down a lot).
step 3:
take a pan and set to medium-high heat and pour in 1 tsp olive oil. let the pan get nice and hot, then carefully place your salmon in. it should sizzle and splatter for a few minutes. leave for ~5 minutes, depending on how thick the salmon is. flip over to the other side.
step 4:
by the time the salmon is finished, the veggies should be done as well. plate up!

my inner asian

soooo errybody, ignore whatever i said about being greek. i am really asian. i have crazy asian eyes when i smile and had the mongolian bum spot when i was born (don't worry, mine was cute). i like pandas, tofu, szechuan, green tea, rice, peach hi chews and sushi. in tribute to this little piece of my heritage, i will share my somewhat 'healthy' version of greasy chinese food. cause ya know, when you have that craving, you just can't shake it. this is my go-to recipe; i throw whatever veggies i have in and in 10 minutes i have dinner. i literally make it 2+ times a week.

clearly asian: beijing, china 2009

what you need:
1/2 cup pre-cooked brown rice
1/2 a celery stalk *
1/2 red bell pepper
handful of snow peas
1/2 an onion
1/4 container extra-form tofu (light if possible) **
2 tsp ginger (i used crushed ginger from a jar - it's a time saver!)
3 garlic cloves
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp red chili flakes
1 tbsp teryaki or szechuan sauce (try to find a brand with low sodium, or you can make your own. here's a good recipe)
2 tsp low sodium chicken broth

*hint: you can use any veggies you have, i just listed all the ones i've used in the past, i don't usually put in that many unless i am making it to last a few days.
** hint: yes, i make this with tofu cause i like it, and it's fast. you would easily make this with chicken, pork or beef, or just veggies.

NOM NOM NOM  : )

step 1: crush your garlic, finely chop your onion and dice any veggies you plan to use (if you're in a rush cut them smaller so they cook faster). pour olive oil into a pan set to medium heat, when warm add in your onions, garlic and ginger. saute for 2 minutes then add in your chili flakes.
step 2: add in your veggies and chicken stock, saute for another 5 minutes or so. when veggies are cooked to where you want them, add in your teryaki or szechuan sauce. stir together!
step 3: heat up brown rice in the microwave and spoon veggies on top. if desired, sprinkle on some sesame seeds. enjoy!


that is my epic greasy chinese food recipe. it's good. i probably eat it too often, but i love it. if i'm feeling super unhappy (think: midterms) i add tons of sauce. i know it's bad, but sometimes you just gotta let yourself have a treat.

all the fanciest dijon ketchups

yummmyyyyy

ok folks, i finally have some time to write you about this kind of epic meal i made last week. it was really easy and didn't take long, plus it was pretty healthy. i will definitely be making this again! i had some unused chicken from when i made the pomegranate-baslamic chicken, so i wanted to use it. this is what i made! 

curried honey dijon chicken with ginger and soy roasted veggies

what you need:

       chicken:

1 chicken breast cut up into small pieces (i only used 4 pieces)

1/3 cup honey

1/3 dup dijon mustard (ok - i cheated here. i had grainy mustard so i used that instead)

1 tsp curry powder (i definitely used more!)

1/2 tsp cumin

sprinkle of crushed pepper flakes

       veggies:

any vegetables you like (i used 1/2 red pepper and 1/2 a zucchini - leftover from the night before)

1/2 onion chopped

1 tbsp ginger

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

step 1:

pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. mix together mustard, honey, curry and pepper flakes into a bowl. put chicken into a freezer bag and pour in mixture. marinade for ~30 minutes in the fridge (but the longer the better).

step 2:

while waiting for your marinade and oven, roughly chop up your veggies and add them to a dish. add crushed garlic and ginger,  soy sauce and onion to the dish and mix with your hands. put into the oven.

step 3:

take chicken out of the fridge and lay it on a greased baking dish. pour out the marinade into the dish as well. bake for about 15 minutes, then flip the chicken over and cook for another few minutes. at this point, check your veg. stir them around for a bit and put them back in the oven.

step 4:

when the juices start to brown, add about 1 to 1 1/2 cup of water or chicken broth to the pan. this will create a nice sauce to go with your dish. [note: i only added like, 1 tbsp of water and thought it would be enough. it wasn't. add lots!]

step 5:

after a few minutes more of cooking the chicken, take it out as well as the veggies. plate it up and enjoy!

so, that's it! not a terribly interesting recipe or blog post, but i am trying to procrastinate from working on the sport psychology case study due thursday... i should really go and do it!