Butternut Squash and Coconut Milk Rice

Good gracious!  What a day I've had ... studied in the library from 7-12 then took my Property exam from 1-4.  I think I deserved that beer I just drank.  


Man, that exam ... I don't even know.  The first question (worth 65% of my grade, took 1 hour and 45 minutes to write) was about nudists, inspired by this recent article.  Briefly, nudist communities are dwindling in numbers because young people don't think it's so cool to get naked with people their parents age. Yeah, my professor has a sense of humor.  I can't even bear to imagine all the puns ... 


Tartelette raves about this recipe, and I pretty much agree.  Would have been better if I remembered to add the lime .... grumble, grumble... property exam.  So, yeah, next time I'll add the lime and see if I can find a substitute for lemongrass (lemon juice and ginger?), which we didn't like especially much.  Also, I used frozen butternut squash, which is exactly bajillion times easier than peeling and cutting a butternut squash yourself.  Will definitely use frozen next time I want to make butternut squash risotto, too.


Butternut Squash and Coconut Milk Rice
Slightly adapted from Tartelette, who adapted from Cooking Light form 2002


1 1/4 cups vegetable broth or water
1 cup light coconut milk
1 cup brown basmati rice
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 stalks lemongrass, finely chopped
1 bag frozen butternut squash
1 teaspoon chopped fresh (or 1/4 teaspoon dried) thyme
salt & pepper
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (if using canned, drain & rinse them first)

zest and juice of one lime


Bring broth (or water) and coconut milk to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add rice, cover, reduce heat, and simmer about 45 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat and keep warm (I just keep mine covered while I prepare the rest of the recipe).


Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and lemongrass and sautee 5 minutes or until the onion becomes translucent.


Reduce heat to medium and add the squash. Cook until unfrozen, stirring occasionally. Stir in thyme, salt, pepper and black beans. Cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Add rice to squash mixture, add the lime zest and juice and stir to combine.

5-Minute Naan

We love this naan!  It's super doughy and tastes amazing dipped in saag paneer!  And you probably already have the ingredients on hand, so it's the perfect thing to make you have no food in your house!  


We are always running out of food around here, probably not least in part because law school makes me eat too much of it!  Anyway, sometimes it means that we eat raw steel cut oats as a snack.  It's super weird, I know.  But now, we'll have something new to munch on!  yay!


5-minute Naan from (never home)maker

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 2/3 cup water
• 1. Whisk together the bread flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl.
  2. Add the water and stir. Then knead with your hands for a minute or two. If dough is too sticky, add a bit more flour.
  3. Dough should be smooth and elastic. Divide into 4 balls the stretch out it out a bit.
  4. Spritz a frying pan with olive oil and heat over medium-low heat. When hot, place one of the pre-naans on it. Press down a bit with your hands or a utensil. Cook until golden.
  5. Then flip and cook until golden. Repeat with remaining pieces.
  6. Use a pizza cutter to cut each piece into 4 triangles.
  7. Serves between 2 and 4 people. Each piece (divide into 4 triangles) is about 140 calories

Groceries!

No special recipes this week ... just beer, beans, brats, and boxed Indian food!  

See you next week!

xoxo,

Jennifer

Braised Spring Vegetables with Grits, Poached Eggs, and Chives

Blargh!  I can't wait until the next two weeks are over with!  There's simply no fun to be had with law school finals.  And worse, I have to miss a friend's Royal Wedding Themed Sleepover Party tomorrow!  Man, a girl can't cut a break, except for this weekend when Todd and I went on a fancy bar crawl downtown!

The original recipe calls for mint, but I couldn't find it, so I omitted it.  If you have better luck than me,  add about two tablespoons of freshly chopped mint with the garlic.  Also, for as much fun I had watching the eggs poach, I don't think they're absolutely necessary to make this dish work.

In the interest of full disclosure, Todd tells me this recipe tastes healthy, so unfortunately it probably won't be making a reappearance around here.  He thought  it tasted a little bland,  maybe that's just because I omitted the mint (and butter and oil).  I like grits and eggs and vegetables a lot of their own, but it did come out a bit odd when all together (savory but maybe a little bland).  Apart from that, the vegetables came together nicely, and I'd make just the vegetable combo again, maybe over brown rice?

Braised Spring Vegetables with Grits, Poached Eggs, and Chives

Adapted from Fresh Food Fast, Serves 4

For the Grits

1tsp kosher salt

1.5 cups grits (white or yellow)

For the Vegetables and Poached Eggs

1 can of artichokes in brine, chopped into quarters (or, if your have time, 8 baby artichokes, trimmed and quartered)

1/2lb turnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced on bias just don't hurt yourself!  chopping carrots is dangerous business)

2 bunch scallions, white and green parts chopped

2 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 bag frozen sugar snap peas

1/2lb asparagus, trimmed and sliced on bias into 1-inch pies

Freshly milled black pepper

4 large eggs

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

1. In a pot over high heat add artichokes, turnips, carrots, and scallions and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Stir in garlic and flour and saute for 1 minute, stirring.  Add 2.5 cups water.  Raise heat to high, add salt, and bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, prep poaching liquid for eggs!  Place a medium saucepan with 2 quarts water and vinegar over high heat.  When water reaches boil, reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer.
4. Add pea and asparagus to vegetable mixture.  Raise heat and simmer/stir for 3 minutes.  Season with pepper and salt, as desired.
5. Poach your eggs!  Crack an egg into a small bowl and gently add it to poaching liquid. Immediately repeat with remaining eggs.  Cook until eggs are set, 2-3, then turn off heat and make grits
6. Place large saucepan with 6 cups water over high heat and bring to boil.  Once boiling, add grits and salts and stir up the pot a bit.  Then reduce heat to low and stir occassionally until mixture thickens, about 7 minutes.
7. Spoons grits into bowl, tops with vegetable and then poached egg.  Springle with chives and a twist of black pepper.

Series: Law School and Weight Gain, Part 1

I want to preface this by saying that I am in no way professionally qualified to give advice about nutrition.  I created this space in an effort maintain a weight that is healthy and makes me feel great.

Height - 5'1"
Current Weight - 108 lbs
Goal Weight - 104 lbs

I used to be about 15 lbs overweight.  I attribute this to the fact that I have a tendency to overeat.  If there is anything, I wish that when I was growing up, I was told when was enough food.  It seems simple, but I really needed that and never learned the skill until I wanted to lose weight.  I started to lose weight when I transferred colleges and was no longer living in a dorm, giving me more control with respect to my food choices.  

Over the course of about two years, I went from 120 to 105/104 (on the day of my wedding I was 100lbs, and obviously felt amazing!).  Unfortunately,  since starting law school, I gained about 4 pounds.  On a little person like me, that really makes a difference.  Not only do I notice a change in my appearance, but it feels rotten.  

This is a huge distraction because instead of thinking about criminal procedure, for example, I think about how I need to get rid of those 4lbs.  My time is limited while in law school, but I keep active by swing dancing, weight lifting, and cardio (admittedly, these activities vary in frequency, depending on the time of the semester).  At any rate, I know it possible for me to achieve this goal by being more mindful of my food intake because I gained the weight by stress eating, anyway.  There is unquestionably a certain amount of stress in law school.

So, this is all to say that I am trying to get a handle on stress eating/snacking and overeating so that I can feel better about myself and divert my negative thoughts about weight to working on law school.  This is not about going on some radical diet.  Rather, I want to figure how I can maintain a weight that I like, and having been on the weight loss track for so long, this is not territory with which I am familiar.  If anyone out there has any tips on losing or maintaining their goal weight, I would be very interested to hear them!

Beginning Lindy-hop Series in June!

Todd and I are teaching a beginner lindy-hop series in June, and we're pumped!!

Lindy-hop is the original 1930s swing dance.  True to its Harlem roots, you can’t find lindy-hop classes in ballrooms today.  As a dance, lindy-hop emphasizes connecting with your partner, dancing to the music, and having a lot of fun.   While lindy-hop is a dance, it’s also a vibrant and welcoming community.

This series will cover everything you need to dance lindy-hop at the numerous monthly dances in Tucson.  In the first week, you’ll be listening to music and dancing from the moment class starts.  In the following weeks, we’ll build your basics with other lindy-hop fundamentals, including the swing-out and basic Charleston.  Overall, this class will emphasize swing dance basics, rhythm, and the lindy-hop spirit.

Absolutely no partner or experience necessary.  We strongly recommend wearing comfortable shoes, you may even break a sweat!

Brass Tacks

When - Sundays, June 5th - July 3rd; 7pm-8pm

Where - Arizona Ballet Theatre, 2512 E. 6th St. (across from Rincon Market)

Cost - $40/person for 5-week series

Email tucsonlindy@gmail.com to sign up!

Thai-Style Tofu and Vegetables in "Spicy" Coconut Broth with Jasmine Rice

Hello my pretties!  I'm in a grrreeeatttt mood today!

I went off coffee about two weeks ago because it was losing its effect, and I was having trouble sleeping.  After two weeks, the no-coffee headaches subsided, but my world was still feeling a little fuzzy.  So, I decided to get back on the coffee wagon!  Woooohooooo!  I could do somersaults I have so much energy right now!

Clearly, I'm addicted, but don't worry about me.  I only drink about a cup a day, and I'm going to try to stop over the summer when I'm not studying things like the dormant commerce clause, fee simple subject to condition subsequent, and my out of control bounded rationality.

A few quick notes about this dish.  First, it's not spicy.  And Todd likes that.  Me, I like to kick it up a knoch.  You might be surprised about the fact that it's not spicy, given how much chile you put in.  But don't worry, it's the right amount.  Also, I recommend not skipping the rice, otherwise the this will turn out pretty soupy.  Finally, I just threw in asparagus because we had it in the fridge, but it's completely optional.

Thai-Style Tofu and Vegetables in "Spicy" Coconut Broth with Jasmine Rice
Slightly adapted from Fresh Food Fast by Peter Berley


Ingredients

• 1 cup thinly sliced shallots, about 4 large
• 2 serrano chiles, with seeds, thinly sliced
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 Napa cabbage, cut into 1/2-inch wide slices
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and thinly sliced on the bias
• 1 cup sliced fresh shiitake mushroom
• 1 can lite coconut milk
• 1 pound firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2-4 tomatoes on the vine, cored and cut into wedges
• 1 bag frozen snow peas
• 1 bunch asparagus, sliced into inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups jasmine rice, cooked
• 1 lime, cut into wedges for serving

Directions

In a large saucepan over high heat, saute shallots for 2 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium, add chiles, ginger, garlic, turmeric, and saute for another minute.  Add the cabbage, carrot, and mushrooms, and saute for 2 minutes, until veggies soften.

Pour in the coconut milk and 1 cup water and bring mixture to a boil.  Add the tofu, soy sauce, and salt and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and snow peas and asparagus and simmer 3 more minutes.  Add the basic and simmer and for another minute.

Serve with jasmine rice + lime wedges.