the just right girl

urgh. today as of 11:30 i finished four out of my five final exams. needless to say, they didn't all go as planned. luckily, my next one isn't until friday, plus its the easiest one i have, so i'm taking the day off to do nothing and relax!  pajamas: ✓   greasy food: ✓    nap: ✓    hot chocolate: ✓   blog post: here we go! as many of you know, i turned 20 a few weeks ago - halfway to 40! i guess if anything it was the perfect year to learn to cook for myself, now that i am so old. i mean, i can't be old and not know how to cook or bake really yummy desserts. i would be the worst old person ever!

i've come to terms with the fact that this will be me soon

i thought it would be a nice time to do a little reflecting on my cooking experience this semester. i've cooked meat. i've touched raw meat. i've become addicted to spicy foods. i haven't made anything that was super gross. while i'm not the best and still don't know a lot, my cooking has come a long way. i think the coolest thing about cooking for yourself is that you can cook what you want, when you want, and you don't have to offend anybody while doing it. i've realized i like my food ridiculously spicy, something i couldn't really try much at home.

so, to celebrate me officially becoming an old person (with new cooking skillz), my dad got me this really nice vegetarian cookbook for my birthday. not only is it full of really creative recipes, it's also got super detailed nutrition info, as well as little bits of info about healthy eating. defs my kind of book, thanks dad! ♥  : )

no doubt i will try these recipes out next semester

so, i tried out one of the recipes from the book last week - i tweaked it a bit because i have a limited fridge and pantry atm as i am trying to clear things out before christmas break. i was staying up late studying for my exercise physiology final and decided a late night snack was in order. here comes my version of the spicy kidney bean tostada:

what you need:
1/2 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp chili flakes (to taste)
1/2 jalapeno pepper (to taste: i used jarred - they're way easier)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 an avocado
1/4 cup grated cheese
2 tbsp water
2 small tortillas

step 1:
set oven to 375 degrees. in a pan set to medium heat, add 1 tsp olive oil. once hot, add in garlic and let saute for a few minutes. then add in your kidney beans, spices and jalapeno pepper. mix, and add in water. let cook for a few minutes.
step 2:
when oven is warm, add in tortillas for ~5 minutes or until nice and golden brown. cube your avocado.
step 3: 
when water is gone, you're ready to eat! take tortillas out of the oven. scoop the mix onto the tortilla, and place avocado pieces on top. take cheese and scatter around. you can either put it back in the oven to melt the cheese, or put in the microwave for 30 seconds.

the perfect gooey late night study snack!

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!

a hot mess

as i mentioned earlier in my dad recently came over to vancouver to visit, and we defs hit up costco, where i bought a big pack of skinless and boneless chicken thighs! finally, i don't have to live off tofu for the rest of the year! now, i know chicken thighs have a bit more fat than chicken breast, but i like them better because they don't dry out as easily, plus they are less expensive! the difference between breast and thigh is the fibre type of the muscle. i could go on a huge rant about muscle types but i'll try and keep it as simple as possible (that's hard for an HKinner who likes muscles...) and just for your knowledge, there are tons of subcategories for fibre types, these are just the basics!

different muscle fibres: dark spots are type I; light spots type II

so, to start. chicken thighs are dark meat, and are made up of type I or slow-twitch muscle fibres. this fibre type is special because of its resistance to fatigue, which is important for basic movements (think: posture, walking etc). they also contain more myoglobin than type II fibres. these proteins provide a more efficient way of oxygen transportation, which, as you can imagine, is important for muscles that are constantly in use.
on the other hand, chicken breasts are white meat, and are made up of type II or fast-twitch muscle fibres. these fibres fatigue quickly, but can exert more force and energy than type I. and... that's all i have to say about them because they're just kind of boring.

in my books, dark is better. it's got more iron (3x as much as raw spinach), zinc, riboflavin, niacin and thiamin than white meat. plus, the little bit extra fat content in dark meat really just makes is juicy, and furthermore contain omega -3 and -6 fatty acids.

anyways, i made some hot honey brushed chicken thighs, and they were sooooo good! the recipe below was enough for my dinner and lunch the next day. so, this chicken is super spicy, and also super messy. i ended up with the powder mixture all over the kitchen table.. i guess my tossing skills aren't quite there yet? needless to say, i will definitely be making this one again!

what you will need:
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp crushed chili flakes
1 skinless, boneless chicken thigh
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp chicken broth (or cider vinegar)
1/2 zucchini
1 cup frozen green beans
2 tsp olive oil

step 1:
pre-heat oven to 375. combine the first 5 ingredients into a small bowl and stir. cut up your chicken thigh into small, bite-sized pieces, cleaning off any extra fat. plop the chicken pieces into the bowl and toss, ensuring they are completely covered.
step 2:
chop up the zucchini and place into a cooking dish with 1 tsp olive oil and place in oven. take another cooking dish and cover the bottom with 1 tsp olive oil. place in chicken and put in the oven as well. combine honey and broth (or cider vinegar) into a little dish.
step 3:
after 3 minutes, flip chicken over. after another 3 minutes, take chicken out and brush them with honey-broth mixture then put them back in. repeat in 1 minute intervals until mix is gone, then add 1/4 cup of water to the pan. add in the cup of frozen green beans into pan.
step 4:
when chicken is crispy and the beans and zucchini are cooked, take out and plate. enjoy!

spicy and slightly messy dinner

ingredient of the week: quinoa

here's a new feature on my blog! it's ingredient of the week, where i pick a nutritious ingredient that i love to cook with and get to tell you all about it's health benefits and even include some recipes. i'm super excited about this, and i'm sure you'll learn something!

so to kick us off is quinoa (pronounced keen-wah), the fruit of a broadleaf plant in the same family as spinach and beets, commonly used in the same way as rice or couscous. it's nutty, crunchy and creamy and is perfect for a vegetarian or vegan diet as it is a complete protein (due to the high amount of essential amino acids). quinoa is also gluten free and super easy to digest, so it's perfect for people with celiac disease or digestive problems.

 Chenopodium Quinoa

quinoa originates from south america, where it has been an important food for over 6,000 years. The Incas referred to quinoa as the "mother of all grains" and recognized its value in increasing the stamina of their warriors. as for nutritional benefits, it is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus, and is very high in magnesium and iron. quinoa isn't the most common ingredient, so if you can't find it in the legume section of your supermarket, ask an associate or make a trip to your local organic or health food store.

brand of quinoa i found

i found some quinoa at the organic foods store next to my hot yoga studio. it was about $6.00 and for the recipe below (enough for 4-5 servings) i used 1/5 of the bag. i'd say with all the health benefits, it's totally worth the trek! 

the recipe i am going to share with you is a quinoa pilaf with roasted zucchini. the first time i made this, my dad and i went down to our local veggie store and they had a recipe for quinoa pilaf on these little cards. i modified this one a bit from the original, you can add any spices you want, you don't really need the tofu and can add any veggies you like, really. this is what i came up with!

what you will need:
3/4 cup quinoa
1/2 an onion, chopped finely
1 tbsp olive oil
1 green and red pepper, diced
1/2 zucchini
3 garlic cloves, crushed
4 cups low-sodium broth
1/4 container of firm tofu
1/2 can of diced tomatoes
2 tbsp chili flakes
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano

step 1:
pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. heat oil in pan over medium heat. add onions and garlic, saute for 5 minutes or until soft. add in peppers and cook till soft.
step 2:
stir in quinoa, broth, tomatoes, tofu and spices and bring to a boil. cover, and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes or until soft. put zucchini in the oven for ~15 minutes depending on how thick you cut the slices. serve when both are ready!

delicious and nutritious dinner

pah-stuh

this weekend my dad came over from the island to hang out with me! i'm surprised he even made it over - it snowed quite a bit friday night. the only problem he ran into was on the ferry... nobody had thought to salt the bridge to take you onto the boat. that was just really stupid. dad left yesterday and today i was a bit homesick and it was cold so i decided to make a big pot of yummy pasta. it was sooo good i seriously wanted to eat the whole thing but i left some for lunch tomorrow.. that took all my willpower!

what you will need:
2-3 handfuls of whole wheat rotini pasta (farfalle or angel hair pasta would be good too)
1 tsp olive oil
5 shrimp (i used pre-cooked frozen and thawed them)
1/2 onion, chopped finely
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 zucchini, chopped
1/2 a broccoli head
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp sun dried tomatoes, chopped into chunks
small chunk of feta cheese
1 tsp paprika and thyme
1 1/2 tsp crushed chili flakes

step 1:
put a pot of water on high and add a pinch of salt. leave until boiling. in the meantime, take your shrimp and defrost them in a sieve under cold, running water. chop your veggies while waiting for water and shrimp.
step 2:
put a pan on medium heat and add in olive oil. when warm add in onion and crushed garlic. saute for 5 minutes until onions are soft. at this point your water should be boiling so add in pasta and cook for ~8 minutes or until done.
step 3:
add spices into saute pan and cook for a minute. add in sun dried tomatoes, zucchini, broccoli and cook for 5 minutes. pour in chicken broth and thawed shrimp, stir. add cooked pasta into the pan and toss. when warm, crumble chunk of feta straight into the pan and toss again. serve!


next time i'm going to add more sun dried tomatoes cause they were just soooo yummy.

nommy pasta   : )

holy hummous

i like hommous. i have it with pita, veggies, crackers, souvlaki, on sandwiches or even just by itself. it's really nutritious, high in protein, iron and fibre (the type that keeps blood sugars from rising too quickly) and is useful in vegetarian or vegan diets as it creates a full protein when eaten with starch. recipes vary depending on where you are, lebanese hummous is very different from greek hummous. i obviously like the greek hummous more because that's how i've always eaten it. since i'm living away from home and don't have all the proper kitchen tools, i made this in a blender. it came out a lot more smooth but it tastes the exact same. plus, keeping it in the fridge helped it thicken.

ingredients for life

 what you need:
14 oz can of chickpeas with some liquid
2 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1 lemon (i always add more - i like mine very lemony)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 paprika
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1/4 cup tahini (optional, but it adds extra flavour and protein)
salt and pepper

step 1:
put chickpeas in blender with a bit of the liquid, lemon juice and oil. blend until smooth.
step 2:
add in cumin, paprika, garlic, tahini, parsley and salt and pepper. blend until mixed together. taste - at this point i usually add in a ton more lemon juice, but this is when you can adjust the flavours to how you like it.
step 3:
garnish with paprika, parsley and an olive in the middle. i obviously didn't put the olive on cause i am the only greek on this earth to not like olives. i know... it's weird.

enjoy  : )

pain and panic, reporting for duty

this might seem like news to some of you, but i've never actually cut myself on a knife. i know, lucky right? well that was until today... i cut myself twice within 30 minutes of each other. lamesauce. who knew ikea knives were so sharp?! the only thing that stopped me from falling over (i sometimes faint when i see my own blood - mainly when it is in pools) was the fact that i quickly ran to the sink and put my fingers under cold running water, that washed away the blood as it came to the surface. i must stay i handled it quite well!

best characters ever created by disney, not so much welcome in my life.

anyways, it all started when i was making hummous for my epic sandwich. i put a garlic clove through the garlic press and went to scrape it off with a knife. my pinky finger somehow got in the way. now, i tried re-enacting this, i have no clue how i ended up cutting my pinky finger. really, if anything i should've cut my index finger... oh well. this one is right on the knuckle, and pretty deep so it's gonna be angry for a while.

the next epic injury happened only 20 minutes after my first. i had just finished mushing up the avocado, and began to put it into a ziploc bag. that's when i decided it would be a good idea to take out the seed. the way i've always done it (and never gotten hurt) is by hitting the seed with your knife and twisting. well, i guess this time the knife didn't get deep enough, so when i went to turn it, the knife slipped and scrapped all the way up the side of my middle finger. i basically hacked a bunch of skin off all the way up my finger. wanna see the chunk of skin? click here. this one required 3 super big band-aids. eeeeeeeek.

 

my ouchies   : (

anyways, moral of the story: i'm a very clumsy person and ikea knives are sharp. be careful and always have a good stock of band-aids and polysporin (love the kind that has the numbing stuff) in the house.

earl of sandwich

oh yes my dear friends, it has finally arrived. national sandwhich day. it is the anniversary of john montagu's birthday - the 4th earl of sandwhich (coolest title ever). so apparently, instead of interrupting a 24-hour gambler bender, the 18th century british nobleman instructed his servants to serve his lunch meat between 2 pieces of bread, allowing him to eat with one hand. the world has never looked back.

the most important part of a sandwich, in my opinion, is the bread. i like mine 100% whole grain, possibly with some flax or sunflower seeds. my favourite, favourite, favourite bread is made by silver hills bakery. they have 9 different types of bread, including the big 16, mack's flax (my fave), little big bread and marvelous multi. instead of grinding their grains (a process which takes out most of the nutrition) they sprout their grains for 36 hours and then add them to the mix of other ingredients.

mmmmm, silver hills bread  : )

when you buy bread, you better read the label properly - companies are trying to trick you into thinking their product is 'healthy' when it's not. one day i went to the grocery store and was in a rush, i just picked up a loaf of bread that said whole grain. when i took it home and looked at the ingredients, i was sad. "enriched flour" doesn't count as whole grain in my books. here are some tips when looking for real whole grain bread.

leave it on the shelf if it says:
- made with whole grains
it doesn't mention how much whole grain is in the bread. they could've only put in a pinch! unless it says 100%, you won't get the potential benefits.
- multigrain/whole grain
this doesn't tell you anything about the grains being whole or refined. while you're getting 40 different grains, it doesn't help if they are all processed.

so, key points. when shopping for bread, look for the words 100% whole grain/wheat, and stay away from any kind with flour that is "enriched", "bleached", "unbleached", "semolina" and "rice". it must say whole wheat flour and it must be the first ingredient.

wow. that was a long rant about bread. anyways, back to sandwich day. today is a day where i sit down and enjoy a most righteous sandwhich. well, today i didn't quite have time to be so creative, so i settled for one of my faves.

my sandwich for sandwich day

what you need:
2 pieces of your favourite whole wheat bread
1/4 red pepper, sliced thinly
1 tbsp homemade hummous (recipe soon, i swear!)
1/4 avocado, mushed
2 leaves of romaine lettuce
handful of sprouts

step 1:
smear hummous onto once piece of bread, and the mushed up avocado onto the other.
step 2: 
lay the red pepper, sprouts and lettuce ontop of the hummous. take piece of bread with avocado and put on top. eat.

goodbye, national sandwich day. perhaps next year i will have time to honour you by making a more creative sandwich. until next year.

smoothielicious

smoothies have really saved my life this week, with the whole no-fresh-veggies-or-fruit-in-the-fridge thing. they definitely helped me get the nutrients that i was missing! it may seem weird, but frozen veggies and fruit contain the same essential nutrients and health benefits compared to fresh, so don't be afraid to buy them. they are basically just fresh fruit or veggies that have been blanched and frozen within hours of being picked. sounds good to me! anyways, here are a couple smoothie recipes what i really liked from the last week or so.

best breakfast smoothie

what you will need:
~ 1 cup apple juice
4 frozen strawberries
4 frozen pieces of peach
1 big handful of frozen blueberries
2-3 ice cubes
* 1 scoop whey or soy protein
step 1:
blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. add extra juice if needed. i had the smoothie along with some oatmeal with milk and fresh banana for breakfast!

* to have a smoothie as a meal replacement, i suggest adding soy or whey protein no matter if it's for breakfast or lunch. also interesting would be adding in some ground flax seed to the smoothie. it's important to note that flax seeds must be ground for your body to fully absorb the omega-3 fatty acids.

blueberry binge

what you will need:

1 cup milk

1 cut up frozen banana

1-2 big handfuls of frozen blueberries

step 1:
add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth. add extra milk if needed.

this smoothie was really creamy and rich - and the milk provided protein and calcium to keep my bones strong. as a complete side note - i have a history of osteoporosis and early arthritis in my famjam. plus i've already got some sort of rheumatism thing - i can tell you when it's going to rain or when the pressure changes.

davinci's anatomical drawings - keep them bones strong

even though you can get calcium from milk, yogurt, cheese and green, leafy veggies, some days you just don't get enough which is why i take a calcium supplement. any extra just gets peed out! dr oz says to take ~1,000 mg of calcium a day, broken up into two 500 mg doses (your body can only absorb 600mg at a time). it's also important to take vitamin D and vitamin K along with calcium, as it increases the amount of calcium your body is able to absorb. vitamin D is also shown to slow the progression of arthritis. i take a chewable calcium supplement that contains 500 mg of calcium, 100 IU of vitamin D and 40 mcg of vitamin K. i take one in the morning with breakfast, and one at night after dinner. yaaay for calcium!

curry me chickpea

so last weekend i came back to vancouver after spending some time with the famjam. well, i was supposed to go grocery shopping on my way back, but it was so rainy that i just didn't feel like it. actually, i felt that way for the whole entire week. so basically, the only fresh thing i had in my fridge was an onion, not really too useful. so, i managed to make food so that i could survive - i had kd one night and tomato soup the next, not really inspiring or creative. but then i came up with this a super good meal, which to be honest i don't even know how i put together considering i basically had nothing.

chickpeas are always in my pantry. they are featured on one of my favourite websites, World's Healthiest Foods. it's basically a website that has a list of the top 100 vegetables, fruits, legumes and grains that are good for you, and includes an in-depth nutritional analysis and lists health benefits of the particular food. it's a super useful tool when deciding what to eat and what not to eat, and also has some interesting recipes too. i encourage you to check it out!

chickpeas  : )

anyways, chickpeas are really high in iron, manganese and molybdenum - a mineral which detoxifies sulfites (similar to MSG), which are preservatives added to prepared foods. people who are sensitive to sulfites can have symptons such as rapid heart rate, headaches and nausea. chickpeas are also high in dietary fibre, which lowers cholesterol and prevents your blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal. important to note: if you're vegetarian you may have heard of creating a 'complete protein'. by mixing chickpeas with whole grains you create a high quality, fat-free protein.

anyways, onto the meal!

what you will need:
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 an onion, diced finely
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp ginger, crushed
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garam masala
small splash of white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1 tsp sugar (optional)
1/2 can of diced tomatoes (with some of the liquid)
medium cube of frozen spinach

step 1:
in a pot on medium heat, saute onions for ~5 minutes or till soft. add in garlic and ginger and stir. once a bit brown, add in curry powder, garam masala and cumin. stir and let cook for ~1 minute. add wine to deglaze the pan.
step 2:
stir in chickpeas and tomatoes (with liquid). add in chicken stock and stir. simmer for about 10 minutes or until desired consistency. (i made mine more thick)
step 3:
add in spinach and sugar (if desired) and stir. take off heat and serve with brown rice, naan or lettuce leaves.

curried chickpeas on brown rice