Cooking at Home

March has been a busy month for us.  We've been settling into our new place, and figuring out some of the quirks.  I'm slowly learning that opening a hot oven will set off the two fire alarms without reason.  Fun times. I am enjoying experimenting at home, and try to have something ready for him to eat the nights he has to work late.

Oven-roasted pork belly and kimchi bundles with Japanese-style potato salad and a tortellini-vegetable salad.  My Japanese potato salad included chopped egg, onion, carrots, apple and a slightly sweeter Japanese mayonnaise. 

 We like Korean soups and stews a lot. This creation blended soon dubu and kimchee chige.  I made a dashi with katsubushi flakes and konbu (dried bonito fish flakes and seaweed), added some leftover fresh kimchi, tofu, rayu-spiced green beans, cabbage, onion, carrots, leftover sesame-crusted tuna and Korean chili powder.

Today's Bento.  Mapo Nasu with rice and pickled ginger.  Cook-Do is a brand of sauces by Ajinomoto  that I used to buy when I lived in Japan.  You can find some at area Asian markets like Super H Mart. We recently received the sauce with some Japanese staples from a coworker who returned to live in Japan.  I added some fresh vegetables, mixed in the Cook-Do sauce packet, and cooked some rice.  It's a pretty fast and versatile meal, although a bit high sodium content-wise.

Cooking at Home

I love shopping at Super H Mart in Fairfax, especially when they have different samples to taste at stations around the store.  Today we tried a lovely soft tofu and a fresh fish fillet called "Basa" that we liked enough to buy.  With a careful eye on what looks fresh and well-priced, it's easy to restock Japanese pantry staples and pick up groceries for the week at reasonable prices.

 I like to use this bento box set for more leisurely-paced dinners.

Miso soup with carrots, soft tofu, scallions and wakame.  Broccoli and mushrooms; homemade umeboshi from relatives in Japan; snowpeas; tamagoyaki and pan-seared basa fillet; rice with lumpfish roe and shiso furikake.

"It's the Super Bowl, we can't eat salad..."

According to my boyfriend, the Super Bowl is no time for dieting.  We decided to recreate the Korean fried chicken recipe again from Saveur magazine.  This time I added a little more red chili pepper powder to the sauce.  Yum!  The combination of corn starch-flour-water and double-frying technique creates a special crunch missing from regular Buffalo wings.  We picked up 1.8 lbs of chicken wings from Lotte for under $12.  The only downside was having to separate and cut the wings into pieces, but it meant I had plenty of wing tips to roast and make a nice broth with.

 After the first 6 minutes of frying.

 After the second 6 minutes of frying, the wings turn a lovely brown color.

 Toss the wings in the sauce (I should have made much more).

 I also prepared a small roasted potato with roasted garlic and scallions, some carrot and celery sticks, a chunk of blue cheese and roasted garlic cloves.

 Fresh kimchee.

Korean-style bean sprouts.

***

It's a really good thing we went to the gym earlier in the day.  We didn't really care which team won, but it was fun to watch and eat some football food with a twist.  I think I liked the commercials the best.

Korean Cooking at Home (Viewer Discretion Advised)

(If you are vegetarian or squeamish, don't look further down at the photos.) 

We went to Lotte supermarket for the first time last night to pick up our weekly groceries.  I'm a fan of Super H Mart, but my boyfriend's coworker said Lotte had yukkejang packages and a better food court so we checked it out.  We needed more rice and kimchee, and I planned a few other meals that used Asian ingredients.  One of his special requests was pork belly with kimchee. 

 He loves roasted garlic, so I roasted a clove in the oven at 400F for 50 minutes until it was nice and soft. 

 Korean-style bean sprouts with soy, chili and sesame oil

 Baby bok choy and green beans with ginger, soy, mirin and sesame oil.

 Salmon fish heads.  Delicacy for Asians, trash for most Americans, therefore inexpensive.  It's actually one of the most tender and delicious parts of the fish, especially near the jaw bone.  The best way to prepare this is to salt the skin side and broil. 

 Homemade spicy pork belly with kimchee.  I made the marinade from gochujang, sesame oil, soy sauce, onion, garlic, sugar and chili pepper powder.

 Shioyaki shake-kama. 

(ok pretend the eye is not there, but this is something that makes my boyfriend remember nice dinners with his family and I'm happy to recreate it even if it means I call him into the kitchen every 10 minultes to check out how it looks.)

 Table-top teppanyaki grill.  Kimchee, jalapeno and spicy pork belly at 350F. 

The best way to eat the pork belly is wrapped in a lettuce leaf with grilled kimchee and the marinated bean sprouts. 

Let Him Eat Carbs

Despite my best intentions, my boyfriend does not seem to be ready for a world without complex carbohydrates.  He had a business lunch where the buffet was too tempting and he went wild like a kid in a candy store.  He sounded so bashful when he admitted he had a piece of pita bread with some hummus.  Aww.  My man cannot survive on salads and small portions alone.  Time to dial back the diet.  On a positive note, he said he's feeling ready to start working out again.  I don't think that diets should feel like deprevation.  A mixture of healthy foods and moderate exercise will get him farther towards his goal than a strict diet alone. 

 Arugula, tomatoes, yellow peppers, kalamata olives on 1/2 portion of buckwheat soba with a small piece of roasted cod.  Buckwheat is gluten-free and a slow-releasing carbohydrate, and a nice addition to the salad and fish.

Side of boiled dumplings with soy sauce and rayu, a chili-infused sesame oil.

Semi-South Beach

I've been researching different diets this week.  I like to experiment with foods that make me feel more energetic and reduce those that put me into a salt-coma or carb-overload.  I'm shaking up our diet right now, finding a better balance of foods to fuel our bodies with portion size playing a role.  After looking at a variety of diets, I think the South Beach-style fits us the best.  We're experimenting with a two-week curb on refined white carbohydrates, deep-fried things, high-fat proteins and high glycemic foods to jumpstart his return to exercising.  Instead of focusing on what we're eliminating, I'm trying to emphasize how wonderful vibrant vegetables and lean proteins can make you feel.

 Kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, yellow bell pepper and arugula in champagne vinaigrette.

Roasted cod topped with the vegetable mixture with roasted brussel sprouts. 

***

Serving a lean protein with vegetables on 3/4ths of the plate is my goal.  I've reduced our plate size to the salad plate too.  Instead of family-style bowls on the table, I now plate the food in the kitchen.  After the initial two weeks I'll begin incorporating rice, pasta, whole grain bread and fruits too. This is a challenge for my boyfriend since he attends many lectures where free platters of croissants, bagels, danish and muffins are de rigueur.  It's not the end of the world if he succumbs to their allure, but I hope that after this experiment he sees how the initial sugary deliciousness is followed by a post-sugar crash.  Ultimately this is about eating better, feeling better and making healthier decisions.

Miso Soup for Breakfast

We're trying to curb the toasted bagel at the office breakfast.  One toasted bagel with cream cheese can ring in at 436 calories, and buttered bagels are around 495.  Eeek! Trying to fit in breakfast at home is going to be a necessary challenge.  It's tough to get up early when it's still dark and cold outside, so I made the soup last night.  This helped make reheating our breakfast miso soup much easier this morning.

Onions, carrots, tofu, mushrooms and miso paste.  Around 40 calories, the soup is much lower in fat and calories but the sodium content is pretty high. I think I can do better, but I'll have to see how my boyfriend felt.

Vegetable Tortellini Soup

Since we bought a lot of fresh vegetables this week, I wanted to incorporate some in a light but warming soup.  This soup was also super fast to put together after hitting the gym after work.  I chose a small soup bowl for myself, and an even smaller soup bowl for my boyfriend.

Chicken broth with oregano, green beans, carrots, onion, cabbage, arugula, tomato, mushroom and fresh pesto tortellini. 

In an attempt at moderation, I divide the tortellini into 2 soup bowls and 3 small storage containers.  The packaging said it contained 2-3 servings.  Maybe I'm a glutton, but I have definitely eaten a whole package with sauce by myself.

Nicoise Salad

My week of healthier meal planning continues.  Last night's dinner was a riff on the nicoise salad.  My boyfriend was working late, so I had plenty of time to put everything together. Perhaps too much time as I ended up making massive salads with enough for our lunches as well. 

 Arugula, Persian cucumbers, yellow bell pepper, Kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, boiled eggs and cooked grean beans.

 Added some roasted yukon potatoes to the plate with a dijon vinaigrette.

Pan-seared tuna steaks. 

I chose a salad plate to help create the illusion of a full plate.  However, I overloaded the plate with the vegetables so the tuna was on another plate, defeating the purpose.  I need to do a better job with portion sizes for us.  Even though the majority of the meal was vegetables, I piled on too many ingredients.  We would have been better off sharing one of the salads I made instead of having one each.  Learning some new lessons as we try out new things.

Breakfast

I'm not a morning person.  The allure of the duvet is much stronger than my desire to brave the cold morning.  This means I'm usually rushing about in the morning to get ready for the commute to work.  Today we decided to head in a little later than normal and I unexpectedly had time to make us breakfast at home.

Mushroom and pepperjack cheese mini omelet, half an orange, mini cinnamon raisin bagel toasted with cream cheese, and a bowl of tonjiru miso soup.  With a warm and full belly we set off to face the day. 

Japanese at Home

My boyfriend and I are trying to be more economical with our food expenditures, cook more meals at home and eat less processed foods.  This means I need to think about what we're eating for dinner and lunch bentos for the week before we head to the store.  I planned to make meals that take less prep time during the week, and the more time-intensive ideas on the weekend.  Tonight's dinner was a return to Japanese meals and included leftover soon dubu and hamul pajeon from last night's Lighthouse dinner.

 I have fancy lacquerware bento boxes I picked up at Ching Ching Cha in Georgetown.  The boxes help set the mood and presentation.  I also have lacquerware covered soup bowls I received as a gift from my Board of Education Office colleagues in Japan.

 Leftover soon dubu (spicy tofu soup) from Lighthouse Tofu in Annandale.

Hamul pajeon (seafood pancake), tonkatsu (fried pork) on cabbage and bell pepper, brussel sprouts with bell pepper, umeboshi with kyuri, and Japanese potato salad.

Snow Day Lunch

Luckily my boss decided closing the office yesterday was a good idea.  That was definitely influenced by the three hours it took him to drive 2 miles last night.  My boyfriend's office was also closed and we had a super relaxing "lazy bear" snow day together.  We watched Lie to Me and Modern Family episodes on Hulu while wrapped up in blankets.  

 

Scavenging through the freezer once more, I found a small frozen cheese pizza.  Baked the pizza and topped it with some arugula.  We split the pizza in half and with an orange each, it was a nice snow day lunch.

Yasai Tappuri Miso Ramen

I love ramen.  Another freezer staple I like to keep on hand is a package of fresh ramen.  I'm a big fan of tonkotsu and miso since I lived in western Japan, and my boyfriend prefers shoyu because he's from Kanto.  Next time we head to Super H I'll have to pick up a bag of shoyu-flavored ramen. 

There have been so many changes lately in the ramen world, with tsukemen becoming popular, Tokyo ramen shops gaining cult status and novel fusion bowls like green curry and tom yum ramen.  Next trip to Japan I really want to visit the Ramen Museum in Yokohama to try some different styles.

Yasai-tappuri miso ramen.  Pretty much an "everything but the kitchen sink" bowl.  I included sauteed onion, mushroom, carrot, celery, green beans and arugula to a boiled egg and the noodles.  The arugula was unexpectedly good.  It's nice to find a way to use up all the odds and ends of our vegetables for the week.

Slushy Snow Storm + Rush Hour = Madness

I think I was too complacent about Wednesday's storm forecast. Unfortunately multiple factors combined to create a massive headache as people struggled to make it home from work.  Fortunately we had taken metro to work so we were not stuck in traffic for hours.  The only hiccup was the shuttle had stopped running, so we were forced to walk through the slushy snow.  Would have been much better in proper snow boots, but I was woefully unprepared.  

 

 We made it home safely together.  After a hot chocolate and a hot bath, it was time to decide what to eat.  I like having a package of frozen seafood, frozen shrimp or frozen fish from Trader Joe's in the freezer for times like this.  Some onion, mushroom, celery and carrot along with the seafood mix helped make a robust pasta fra diavolo.

Picked up a bottle of single malt scotch this week in recognition of Burn's Day.  The owner of the liquor store on 32nd and M Street recommended Tomintoul as an alternative to Macallan 10.  Very smooth and perfect for sipping while watching a little HGTV and relaxing during the storm.

Sunday Roast Chicken Dinner

I love cooking for my boyfriend.  He is willing to try anything and thinks everything tastes great.  It's wonderful to cook for someone who's so appreciative and open-minded.  Usually he lets me decide what I feel like cooking, so when he makes a special request I pay attention.  He enjoyed our Thanksgiving dinner this year and was interested in a repeat.  Since it's easier to find chickens, I substitute roasting a chicken instead of turkey.  It's really the perfect meal for Sunday, when you have extra time to spend in the kitchen.  Plus we'll have some great leftovers for lunches this week.

 Arugula salad with fresh orange champagne vinaigrette.

 Roast chicken.  Lightly salted and roasted at 350F on top of onion and carrots.

 Mashed potatoes.

 Green Bean Casserole.  Fresh beans are quickly boiled and blanched in cold water.  Nice bright flavor.

Homemade stuffing.  Japanese-style bread is toasted in the oven, then mixed with celery, mushrooms, onions, herbs and chicken stock.  I also made some chicken gravy with the pan drippings and roasted onions and carrots in the roasting pan. 

Saturday Snacks with friends

I had a phone date with my best friend in Australia, so my boyfriend caught up with two friends at an art gala.  He invited his friends to come over afterwards for some wine and to hang out.  I made some nibbles to go along with white wine we had picked up earlier at Trader Joe's.  Judging by the splitting headache I had this morning, I should have made a bit more to eat.  Really great to chat with my friend for a few hours and meet my boyfriend's friends afterwards.

 Smoked trout dip with horseradish.  Flake 1/2 pound of smoked trout.  Mix with sour cream, mayonnaise, diced onion, horseradish and pepper.  Next time I'll add a bit of lemon zest to make the flavor pop.

 Spinach and artichoke dip. My boyfriend said he didn't understand why Americans like this dip so much.  I was determined to make one that would change his mind.  Frozen spinach and artichokes from TJs with cream cheese, sour cream, diced onion and pepperjack cheese.  Hot and creamy, it was great spread on the fresh-baked baguette.

Some marcona almonds, pistachios and grapes rounded out our nibbles.

Jjambbong at Home

We picked up a frozen jjambbong kit on the last trip to Super H Mart.  It's great to have in the freezer for those cold winter nights when I'm home hours before my boyfriend.  With the addition of some frozen vegetables and shrimp, and some fresh red pepper, I had a fast meal that was easy to put together again later when the hardworking boy finally made it home.

 You can find this in the freezer section of Super H in Fairfax.  At $7.99 for 2 servings it's fine as is, or you can add whatever vegetables you have on hand to make a more robust bowl.

 The noodle package with frozen seafood, mushrooms and chili peppers.  A sauce packet is also included.

 We also had a some frozen mixed vegetables and shrimp in the freezer. 

 Bring 2 cups of water to boil, add the frozen vegetables and noodles.  Stir in the sauce packet.

Enjoy.

Cooking at home

We've been busy apartment hunting, and our big weekly grocery shopping has fallen by the wayside.  Fortunately if you have a decently stocked freezer and cupboards, you can still make something healthy that only requires picking up a fresh vegetable at the store.  My boyfriend picked up the vegetable while he was out running errands, and I defrosted a frozen salmon.

 Coat the salmon with a blackening spice mixture. Bake fish on parchment paper in a 400F oven for about 4-8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet.

With a brown rice medley, zucchini and a mango salsa, we had a light dinner.