Continuing my quest to eat a little healthier, I decided to make this incredibly indulgent meal into a little more healthy, still-indulgent dinner. Risotto is not among my most favourite dishes but every now and again, I get a bit of a hankering for it. This time, I put a bit of a spin on it by using pearl barley instead of rice, omitted the cheese and used olive oil at the beginning instead of butter. It turned out quite good, I must admit. Little swaps in everyday meals can turn out to make a huge difference. Now if only I could give up pasta for zucchini noodles!
I haven't been to the market in a very long time. This Saturday, I decided to take a trip there with my sister and found the market (this one was in San Juan) to be an inspiring place. It's also a bit of a creepy place. It's weird to see animals' heads and body parts everywhere, but lovely to see all the fresh fruit and vegetables, and the scent of fresh herbs is something every cook loves!
When last have you been to the market? They say everything is fresher and cheaper!
It's Meatless Monday again and I'm trying my hand at tofu again! I recently made a simple buffalo tofu and it was quite good! But, like I've said before, you can put Frank's on anything and it'll taste great! I've been trying tofu in many different ways to see if I can develop a taste for it but like for most things, the way in which something is prepared is most important. Fried or grilled eggplant tastes significantly different from "baigan choka", for example.
So, for dinner tonight, I prepared a peanut butter noodle stir fry with tofu in black bean sauce. Black bean sauce is sold in most supermarkets; it's quite inexpensive and tastes great. It can be used by itself or in combination with other Asian flavours. I tried peanut butter sauce for pasta a while ago, and while I was skeptical, I was pleasantly surprised. It's not overwhelming; the peanut adds a great nutty flavour, and the addition of a little sriracha gives it a bit of a kick.
The thing about cooking is that sometimes we just throw things together and hope for the best. So while a recipe is not always possible, sharing an idea and key ingredients is helpful. A stir fry is simple, but there are so many different ways in which it can be prepared, based on what you like, and what's available. You don't always have to worry so much about a recipe when you're cooking (baking is more precise, however), we all know what we like. Touch, smell, taste... you'll know when it's right!
What a great sister I am. Kidding (somewhat)! Why am I good sister absolutely no-one asks? Well, I'll tell you anyway. I like making people happy. A lot of times it might be through food, because it's what I know. We have to eat or at least we're supposed to, three times a day, every day. So it's a good option to gift food, always. My sister had a craving for escargot yesterday so I decided to make her happy. While sharing this dish, I'll also share my thoughts (a mini-review if you will) on canned escargot, Roland's, in particular.
It's the only brand of escargot that was available in the supermarket. I was a bit nervous at first because canned always has a particular "metallic" taste and also quite process. A lot of it tastes like its brine. I was pleasantly surprised by the taste and texture of these. With the addition of lemon, you could hardly (or not at all) tell it was from a can!
Lemon-Butter Escargot
2 dozens large escargot
2 Tbsp. softened butter
2 cloves garlic
2 sprigs thyme
2 small limes or lemons
Parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
Mix escargots together with butter, minced garlic, thyme leaves, lime zest and juice of one lime. Season with salt and pepper to taste. A pinch of red pepper flakes would also add a lovely spiciness. Top with grated Parmesan as desired. Broil on high for a few minutes until bubbly and brown. Serve with toasted garlic bread and lime slices.
This Meatless Monday, I decided to share a tasty (healthy) breakfast meal. Breakfast tends to become quite boring for us, but we forget how many different options there really are.
Breakfast burritos or wraps in general are extremely versatile. You can fill them with anything you like, and there are also a lot of different types of wraps, and flavoured wraps. For this one, I made a tofu scramble with cheese and black beans, and served it with a side of homemade salsa. I scrambled the tofu just as I would eggs, seasoning it well. I've never been a big fan of tofu so I'd probably prefer eggs, but I tried mixing it up and trying something healthy and new. It wasn't bad though, it just needs to be properly seasoned and cooked because tofu tends to be bland. The limey salsa was a really good addition too. The salsa was just tomatoes, onions, garlic, a little pickled jalapeno, chadon beni, lime juice, salt and pepper.
As we get one year older and we reflect on our lives, we realize... I'm one year older! I'm no longer a teenager, and I can't keep acting like one. Birthdays are great for self reflection and like New Year's Day, it's a day when we make resolutions. Some health resolutions maybe?
Lemon water is something we've read about or at least seen around the Internet, on TV etc. People talk about the numerous health benefits and why it's a great alternative to so many beverages. I can't vouch for it until I have used it for a while, but why not try it out? It can't hurt and it's a small step toward living a healthier life. And yes, I will incorporate diet and exercise too.
Read the hundreds of articles and testimonials for lemon water, then try it yourself! Don't forget to read the precautions too!
Made a great healthy breakfast as well, same ingredients, two ways: fruit and yogurt cups and a fruit and yogurt breakfast smoothie. And I decided to stock up on some ingredients as well!
Whether you partake in Meatless Monday or you're meatless every day, Veg Out is a lovely little shop-type restaurant located in UWI, St. Augustine that has something for everyone. It's a special place because there are very few vegetarian and/or vegan restaurants in Trinidad. It's also the only one of its kind on the campus. The pastries are some of the best I've tried from many bakeries in Trinidad; buttery and flaky, even when it cools. They also now serve seasonal salads and have a variety of lunches every day of the week. The lunches are always pretty good so they sell out fast! Besides the boxed lunches, they have a small vegetarian sandwich selection (ready-made) if you're on the go or in a hurry. Recently, they've updated their tea and coffee selection. If you're a tea/coffee fan, definitely check them out. I must say however, my absolute favourite part of Veg Out is the service. It's like a big family whenever you enter; it's a warm and inviting environment that really makes you feel at home. They are always smiling and friendly and making conversation, making you feel like you've known them forever. Even if you're not a student and just in the area, stop by and say hi, try something... you won't regret it!
I forgot to mention that they sell local corn soup (one of my favourites!) on Fridays at lunch. These are probably some of the fastest selling items they have. My camera battery died just after I took the first picture so it is all I got. However, I will try to remember to take a few more the next time I visit.
I celebrated my Golden Birthday last Sunday. Rather, my golden birthday was last Sunday. I didn't celebrate much at all. However, I did enjoy my weekend, simply hanging with friends. It was a relaxed birthday; nothing like what I had thought it would be a few years ago. For the past week or two as my birthday approached, I did quite a lot of thinking: where I am in life, what I have accomplished or what I have not accomplished, my health, my dreams, my friends and family...
I have thought at least once before about my golden birthday. I thought it would be brilliant; a huge luau with all my acquaintances, elaborate décor with hula skirts and tiki torches, lots of food and booze, even a pig in the pit maybe! It wasn't like that. I'm out of acquaintances but I've got a tiny group of lovely friends. We watched movies, cooked pasta, baked scones and drank wine. As I type, it sounds a lot more grown up that I even thought. A luau seemed like a nice idea, I still love the idea of luau, but a simple gathering like we had is pretty great as well. My interests while still similar, have been a bit refined as well. I absolutely adore brunch and afternoon tea. Who'd have thought? Sometimes sitting and existing with friends can be far more entertaining than you'd imagine. While all that is part of the good life, I really have put living the way I want to, and wanted to, on a hold. I have not made much of an effort to really do the things I want to do and live in a way I'll always be proud of, whether I depart young or old. While my passion for cuisine if a fairly new discovery, travelling is something I have always loved. It's something baffling to think of how different people can be. Some people are content or happy being exactly where they are for all of their life, and they feel no desire to discover somewhere new. Others want to see the world, or at least as much of it as they can. I'm one of the others. Even before I was 10 years old, I remember telling my teacher that I wanted to be a flight attendant so I could travel the world. I no longer want to be a flight attendant. I'm sure they spend the majority of their time looking at the inside of a plane.
I had a lot more to say but after taking a little break, I realized I was babbling a lot. The point of it all is that I have neglected to do a lot of things that I think could(would) make my life more fulfilling and rewarding. My feelings of demotivation have not been a secret, I'm sure I have mentioned it in a post or two before. But I have yet to do anything about it. Waiting for the right time is not really a good option because there really never is a "right time". We don't know where we will be in our lives tomorrow, or even if we'll be here at all. Why aren't we making the best of it now? It's not too late to start, even though too many times I feel like it is. Having regrets is a waste of time because it really just holds us back from doing something about it! I hope I can remember this way I feel and continue living my life to the fullest, and so should you! (If anyone actually reads this, of course.)
I really like the version that combines the movie "The Bucket List". Brilliant movie, you should watch it.
Some years ago, my parents brought back a bottle of Frank's hot sauce after a visit to New York. It was instant love: the mild spice from the cayenne and the wonderful tang from the vinegar... and who doesn't want to eat food that's so vibrantly orange?
This hot sauce is obviously nothing like our local hot sauce. It's far more similar to Tabasco than our regular scotch bonnet or habanero type very hot pepper sauce. While I've always been a fan of our local pepper sauce - it compliments a lot of our dishes very well - I also adore the orange, vinegary type of hot sauce as well. If you like a little tang, you'll love Frank's. Frank's is the gold star in buffalo sauces; most buffalo recipes that call for hot sauce, call for Frank's in particular. It's a very versatile sauce, and though I am yet to try all the varieties, I do really like the ones I have tried. Like I mentioned in my last post, you can put Frank's on anything and it'll taste great! Buffalo everything!
Frank's themselves have a lot of recipes on their website, but you can find a lot of delicious recipes using Frank's everywhere on the Internet.
It's been a while since I've been here. I have missed it but I'm still learning to not let my demotivating emotions get the better of me. Frank's (which is going to be the focus of my next post), is a wonderful vinegary cayenne hot sauce that's extremely popular for making buffalo wings. But I think you can put Frank's on anything and make it delicious! Recently, chickpeas has become more and more popular as a healthy snack alternative. In Trinidad, we make a lot of spiced roasted chickpeas as snacks, but not like these. Buffalo chickpeas is as good of an idea as it sounds. Why not buffalo everything? I've heard buffalo cauliflower is brilliant!
Simply combine all ingredients and bake at 375ºF for 20-30 minutes or until crispy.
These can be served in a number of ways or just eaten as a snack and it's still great. They can be used for filling for lettuce wraps with a little bleu cheese dressing or a little crumbled gorgonzola and some sour cream. Or maybe as a filling for a soft taco or a quesadilla? Or as a crunchy topping for salad? There are a lot of possibilities for these yummy little guys. I knew roasted chickpeas might be good, but I was thrilled with the results of making it buffalo! And the hot sauce is already so flavourful on its own, minimal ingredients and effort is required. I'm definitely making some buffalo cauliflower soon too!
