Keeping Busy: Eats and Crafts

My summer is on the slow side.  Well, compared to what things are normally like for me.  I think this is because I have a break from school right now so I am not busy writing papers.  But I am still teaching and working on other writing projects.  This slow period has given me time to do other things, relaxing things, like reading and cooking, and painting pottery.

First up, here are some of the "eats" that are keeping me busy.

I love my rice cooker and I use it for a lot of things.  When I spotted this cookbook on Amazon (thanks Amazon for the recommendation) I knew I had to buy it.  I always stock my pantry with whole grains and the rice cooker is an easy way to cook them.  Right now I have rice (red, brown and black), steel cut oats, buckwheat groats, barley, kamut and quinoa (black, red and regular).  Whole grains are good for you and keep for a while in the pantry, so why not stock up!  This cookbook has a bunch of amazing looking recipes for using all kinds of grains, and then tossing some ingredients into a rice cooker, and then BAM, you have a delicious meal or side dish.  I love the idea and can't wait to try out my first recipe from this cookbook.

Next up is this sparkling lemon iced tea, 0 cal, from Lipton.  I am not a huge iced tea fan, but this was too intriguing to not try out.  The verdict: For 0 cals, it's a hit- a strange hit, one that grows on you, but a hit nonetheless.

Next comes a rediscovered piece of kitchen equipment.  I have never used this before and probably had it for 5-6 years.  You may be wondering why it lasted in my kitchen that long without being used, but the truth is I had good intentions and wanted to use, but the time never came.  And so it moved with us to Portugal and then followed us to Japan.  Then one day last week I had some broccoli in the fridge and thought I would enjoy some steamed broccoli with my pasta.  I usually use the rice cooker (it has a steamer tray for veggies), but this was a small amount for just me.  That's when it hit me.  I knew this was pushed in the back of a cabinet, so I dug it out.  It's a microwave steamer.  The very bottom holds the water, then you put the veggies or whatever in the middle, cover it, and microwave it.  It worked perfectly!  I have used it several times since.  

So what did I do with this broccoli (besides eat it, obviously)?  I added it to whole wheat rotini and then shredded some Tilamook cheddar on top, sort of a variation of mac and cheese.  So good!  And I even had leftovers to enjoy the next day for lunch.

Another things keeping me busy this summer is out balcony garden.  I made this lovely salad using our tomatoes and peppers, and then added in some mushrooms.

I think everyday this week I have picked this many tomatoes off the plants we have growing at our house.  I love it!

We also have soy beans growing, so I was finally able to pick some of these, steam them (yes, in the same steamer I showed above), and enjoy them.  Boy were these delicious!

That's it for the eats, but I do have a fun craft project to share.  Some of you may find this boring, but I took pictures of my work along the way, so I thought I would share it.  I am not extremely artistic, but I do have a little creativity in me.  The Arts & Crafts store on base carries the pottery that you can paint and then they will fire it for you.  I was looking for a fun activity, so I decided to buy a few pieces and paint them.  I selected something very appropriate for Japan- sushi plates, chopstick rests and a soy sauce pot.

Check out what I designed and painted:

Plain sushi plate

Design drawn, using coins of various sizes

Soy sauce pot lid

Soy sauce pot

Starting my painting, the line and some circles were done in a reddish-pink color

The rest of the circles were done in a purplish color

With all the circles painted in

The turquoise background painted

Everything all finished!

I was really pleased with how everything turned out.  I haven't painted in a very long time and probably even longer since I painted on ceramics.  But I was happy with this and I hope once it is fired that it turns out nicely.  I did cover this with a clear, non-toxic glaze too, because we will be eating off of these.  I would have taken a picture but it was just a crazy green color covering everything so you can't see the design anymore.  They told me at the store not to worry because it will really turn out clear once it is fired.

QUESTIONS:  Do you have a rice cooker?  Have you ever used it for anything other than rice?  What was the last craft project you did?  Have you ever painted pottery/ceramics?

Lemony Pasta and Chickpeas

Nope, not that combination together.

For my dinners last week I decided to use one of the new cookbooks Ryan bought me for Hanukkah.  The first recipe I selected was the creamy lemon primavera.  As usual, some ingredients were not available, so I improvised.

 

The recipe called for a sweet red pepper, yellow squash and snow peas.  When I went to the commissary I was not surprised to know that they had none of those in stock.  This is what I would up with instead, which was close:

This was an orange pepper, zucchini, and sugar snap peas.

Next, I was excited to use the new mandoline.

Look at my nice slices.  I am not even sure how I ever lived with out a mandoline before.

Then I worked on my sauce.  So much for non-fat yogurt.  That did not exist at the commissary.  Instead, I bought the 3% fat German plain yogurt with the granola packet attached for a mix in.  At least the granola packets made for nice snacks during the week.  The sauce was really just yogurt and lemon juice.

I was pleased to see all this color going on in my pan, especially the nice green.  I try to make recipes with a variety of veggies.

Here is the end product all mixed together.

Drum roll please…

It turned out to be a nice dish.  It was very light and spring like which was good to brighten up the mood here during winter time.

The next meal I cooked that week started off with some wine.  That’s right, as I started to cook, Ryan opened up a bottle of local wine.  It is actually semi-local since it is from another of the Azorean islands.  I picked it up at the airport when I came back from Boston.  We thought is would be nice to have wine with the chickpea and sundried tomato dish.

 

This next dinner almost seemed Portuguese since it contained chickpeas and onions.  That is a popular combo around here.

 

This dish had tomatoes along with the sundried tomatoes, which were added at the very end.

 

Again, I like that there is some color with this dish and it is not just bland looking with only chickpeas.

 

I decided to serve this over basmati rice.  It was absolutely delicious.

 

QUESTIONS:  What is the most unique pasta sauce you have ever made?  What is your favorite way to use chickpeas?

Colorful Burrito

About 2 weeks ago I had a huge craving for a burrito.  I had made a breakfast burrito, but I found I wanted something more.  On a Monday afternoon, while on the treadmill, watching The Food Network, I dreamed up a vegetarian burrito packed with many different colors.

It started off with the red rice I bought when I was in Boston.

 

My main vegetable layer was with broccoli for that great green color, and then Portobello mushrooms, which although are brown and not some eye popping color, give a great flavor.

I cooked up the mushrooms and broccoli, along with some onions, but did not add much for seasoning because I knew I was adding some elsewhere.  I mostly used black pepper and crushed red pepper here.

My next layer was my main protein source.  I cooked up some black beans with some corn (used up the last of my frozen corn) and then added some Spanish paprika.

By the time all the veggies and beans were done cooking, my rice cooker had done it’s job and the rice was ready to go.

I started with the rice, then added some beans.  I did use my low carb sample tortillas, although I was nervous they would crack.  The low carb tortillas don’t hold up as well as the regular product, at least not in my experience.

Then I added in the veggie layer.

To top it all off, I added a little shredded cheese and then rolled up the burrito.  At the last minute I used foil to help the burrito from falling apart.

This was the perfect burrito, packed with so many nutrients and colors.  It definitely hit the spot.

QUESTIONS:  What is the most colorful dish you prepare?  What should I try in my burritos next time?

Lychees and More

All this writing about my trip to China got me thinking about some of those foods I enjoyed while I was there.  One of those is the sweet and tropical tasting lychee fruit.  As luck would have it, the commissary carries these Chinese treats.  Now, I had enjoyed these prior to China, but they were easy to enjoy while there because they have a tough outside skin that is peeled off, making it one of the only fruits considered safe to eat.

Let me introduce to you the LYCHEE...

They are so tiny and cute.  If you look here you can get a good idea of their size.

So, what is a lychee:

The fruit is covered by a leathery rind or pedicarp which is pink to strawberry-red in color and rough in texture. A greenish-yellow variety is not grown in California at present. Fruit shape is oval, heart-shaped or nearly round, 1 to 1-1/2 inches in length. The edible portion or aril is white, translucent, firm and juicy. The flavor is sweet, fragrant and delicious. Inside the aril is a seed that varies considerably in size. The most desirable varieties contain atrophied seeds which are called "chicken tongue". They are very small, up to 1/2 inch in length. Larger seeds vary between 1/2 to 1 inch in length and are plumper than the chicken tongues. There is also a distinction between the lychee that leaks juice when the skin is broken and the "dry and clean" varieties which are more desirable. In some areas lychees tend to be alternate bearers. Fruit splitting is usually caused by fluctuating soil moisture levels.

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/lychee.html

Lychees have been grown in China for more than 2000 years. Get to the fruit by piercing with a fingernail, peeling back half the skin and squeezing out the fruit. There is a single large seed in the middle.

How to Select

Choose lychees with red shells that are heavy for their size. Brown patches indicate sweeter fruit.

How to Store

Refrigerate lychees in a plastic bag for up to 10 days.

 

Nutrition Benefits

Low in fat, cholesterol free, sodium free, excellent source of vitamin C.

http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/?page_id=5261

One thing you should know is that these exotic little fruits pack in the vitamin C.  Yes I know I just shared that from the fruits and veggies more matters website, but it really doesn't express just how much vitamin C is here.  For the most part I eat kiwis for my vitamin C, which is another good source.  Many people think citrus when they hear vitamin C, but there are so many other great and exotic sources for the super duper antioxidant vitamin C.  Lychees are a fantastic source.  I looked up the data on http://www.nutritiondata.com/ and found that 1 piece of fruit contains about 6 calories and 11% of your vitamin C needs for the day.  So, in just 9 lychees you basically have 100% of your vitamin C for the day in only 54 calories...and when you finish eating them you will probably feel as if you just went on a vacation.

So, while it has a tough red outer shell, the inside is a delicate white flesh.

But be careful, there is one dark pit inside.

So, next time you are shopping for produce, check out your seclection of exotic fruits and hopefully you can find some lychees to enjoy.  If your local grocer doesn't carry them, consider checking for an Asian market in your area.

Also as a result of my week long posts on China, I didn't share any of my good eats from last week, so here is one dinner Ryan and I enjoyed mid-week.  I was going for quick and easy, but well balanced and high in flavor.  So, here is what I pulled from the shelves.  Gotta love the Trader Joe's products that I still have.  I am slowly eating through them as I don't want them to ever runn out.  So I went with an Indian (boil in a bag!!!) entree, wild and basmati rice pilaf, and in that plastic bag is the leftover fresh broccoli from last weeks cream of broccoli soup.

Looks good in the picture.  I love Indian food, so I am happy to eat it anytime.

I broke out the rice cooker, which i think I have only used one other time since we moved here.  I am in love with this $12 little machine.  Not only is it a rice cooker, but it has an additional tray for steaming veggies.  But, I forgot how long it takes to steam veggies and so it was ready a few minutes after we actually started eating dinner, but that was ok.

Put in the raw...

and out comes perfectly steamed, still slightly crunchy, not mushy, beautiful broccoli.

The end result was a nice looking and super delicious meal.  Look at that whopping serving of veggies.

Since I had some left over rice, the next day after the gym I was looking for a snack and came up with this idea.  I reheated some rice and then topped it with the rest of my "crab" aka surimi aka pollock imitating a crab aka whatever it is I think it is delicious.

Yesterday we had a Mexican themed dinner to go to and so I offered to make a 6 layer bean dip.  My 7 layer has jalapenos and I decided to skip them as it was a party for all ages and I personally like it with out.  So here is my bean dip line up, starting with the vegetarian refried beans at the bottom, some salsa, guacamole, light sour cream, cheese and black olives.  This is my easy party dish.

Gotta go with the Mexican cheese blend, although I am not quite sure what makes it Mexican other than the color gives it a Mexian American restaurant feel.

Topped with chopped olives...

I love these loaf pans since I prefer to do my dip this way over a 9x9 cake pan.  I can make thicker layers this way and I like the final presentation.

That is it for the eats, but I wanted to leave you with a picture of the moon from last night.  When I first attempted to take this shot the moon was not covered by clouds.  After playing with the settings on the camera, the moon was covered in clouds, but I still like this shot.  Living on an island gives you some of the best sunrise shots and also moon scenes as the sky is not polluted with light and you can see everything, not like in a big city.

QUESTION:  Have you ever tried a lychee?  Do you prefer a sunrise or a sunset view?