The calm after the storm

Picture this: I'm run-walking down the Commons juggling a DSW bag and my umbrella in one hand and my favorite silver bag (yes I have to mention it's color because then I'm allowed to have multiple favorites in the different colors) in the other. I'm rushing to make my 1:00 p.m. appointment on Newbury Street; it's 12:59 and I'm not even past the Boylston T-Stop. Oh and did I mention it's drizzling and cold? ... Then all of a sudden my pants are soaked near my hip. I look down and my handbag is soaking wet. I look inside and notice my water bottle cap is loose and everything inside my bag is casually floating around. Yes, my handbag is a pool and I'm still running late.

Despite all that, I still have a large smile on my face. Nothing can ruin my good mood. Not the weather, not the water whirling around in my handbag, not the frizz plaguing my hair. I'm done with LSAT studying and that trumps any and all annoying things happening this weekend. It's the calm after the storm and I'm enjoying it until October 30th (scores release date).

Now let's backtrack to the end of my last post published almost three months ago--insert frown-face here. As you may have noticed from above, I was studying for the Law School Admission Test. Add work and exercise to that and you get long days with limited, if any, free time. Consequently I had no time for cooking, baking or blogging (I still ate, but nothing worthy of a post).

But now here I am, post anti-social-LSAT-studying-hermit-crab phase and I'm ready for a new batch of recipes.

So here's a little something I cooked to break the take out/frozen dinner rut. I found the rice and spinach salad in a Martha Stewart book--insert smiley face here--and I decided to pair it with grilled fish. Try adding chopped scallions to one tablespoon each of balsamic vinegar and soy sauce; then add two tablespoons olive oil and mix well. Drizzle on top of your grilled fish and enjoy! Easy and quick, but still delicious.

Wild-Rice Salad with Spinach and Tomatoes (adapted from Everyday Food Light)
Active time: 10 minutes. Total time: 50 minutes.
Makes 4 servings.

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3/4 cup wild rice (or brown)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar (or honey)
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes

1. In a medium saucepan, boil the water and stir in rice. Season generously with salt. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until fluffy and tender. Remove from heat and let stand for about 10 minutes. Fluff with fork.
2. Slice cucumbers crosswise into 1/4-inch wide half-moons. Halve cherry tomatoes.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, dill and sweetener; season with salt and pepper. Add cucumbers, tomatoes and spinach and mix well. Add rice and toss until well mixed.

Take It and Stride

Week seven and the pain has begun. Stiff legs, chaffed upper stomach, black nail, multiple blisters; enough said. I guess I'm officially in the vicious world of marathon training.

But you know what, it feels great!--so far.

I recently read--in one of the many books I have bought in attempts to get my motivation to the maximum--that pain from running is not just any pain. It's endurable because we choose to allow it. It's not the kind of pain that you can't stop no matter how hard you try; it's the kind of pain that you can stop by breaking your pace and walking. But instead, you take it and you channel it into your stride.

So yes, I'm happy to be training, and despite the pain and tough schedules, I will continue to do so until I can cross off another item from my bucket list.

Anyways, here is another easy recipe--because believe me, after a post-run shower, all you want is quick food--that fits nicely into the diet of a hopefully-soon-to-be marathoner. Combine tofu, veggies, brown rice and some soy sauce, and you have yourself a complete dinner. Oh and leftovers for lunch. Enjoy!

Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry (adapted from The New Rules of Marathon and Half-Marathon Nutrition)
Active time: 10 minutes. Total time: 20 minutes.
Makes about 4 servings

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 package extra firm tofu, squeezed dry and cubed
• 2 bell peppers, sliced
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup baby carrots
• 2 cups kale leaves, roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1. In a large wok, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add tofu and vegetables, except kale, and stir for about 1 minute. 
2. Bring heat to high. Add kale, soy sauce and vinegar, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and kale is wilted, 7-10 minutes. Add sesame seeds and stir well. 
3. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper, and serve over brown rice. 

Mushrooms, mushrooms and more mushrooms!

Let's talk about my obsession with mushrooms. It is absolutely ridiculous. But really though, I eat mushrooms raw, cooked, on salads, in pasta, even straight out of the package. Yes, literally out of the package. I could eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner if only I had enough space in my fridge to keep an endless amount. Call me crazy, but mushrooms are absolutely delicious!

My obsession started last year--Thanksgiving break to be exact--when due to a lack of carrots to dip in mustard (one of my all time favorite snacks), I eyed a pack of sliced baby bella mushrooms and decided to  give them a go. Turns out sliced mushrooms are great dipped in Dijon mustard. So great that I sometimes go through one package a day. No big deal right? They're healthy, so it's all good.

Anyways, the other day (more like two weeks ago) I was flipping through the Skinny Bitch cookbook I bought and I came across a mushroom and asparagus risotto. And then it suddenly hit me, it was the ultimate mushroom recipe. It asked for dried mushrooms, fresh mushrooms and truffle oil; it was mushroom heaven.

So I decided to try it and let me tell you, I was blown away. And so were my roommates--even the one that "doesn't like mushrooms". If you like mushrooms, try this recipe. It is time consuming and tedious, but in the end it pays off. The flavors mix deliciously and the risotto is creamy (even though it has no cream) and delectable. Enjoy!

Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto (adapted from Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook)
Active time: 1 hour. Total time: 1 hour and 20 mins.
Makes 6 servings

• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup dried Porcini mushrooms
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/4 cup butter (or Earth Balance)
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh mushrooms (I used porcini)
• 1 1/2 cups asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 shallots, minced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon white truffle oil (optional)
• 1 teaspoon chopped chives, for garnish
• Salt and pepper

1. In a large saucepan, heat vegetable broth over low heat. Cover and keep warm. In a small bowl place hot water and add dried mushrooms; allow to sit for about 20 minutes or until mushrooms are soft. Add mushrooms and water to vegetable broth.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon canola oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large saute pan (or wok) over medium-high heat. Add fresh mushrooms and asparagus and cook, stirring occasionally until lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer vegetables to a separate bowl and set aside. 
3. Using the same pan, heat remaining oil over medium heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the rest of the butter and stir until melted. Saute for 1 more minute.
4. Add rice and stir until well combined. Add wine and stir until absorbed. 
5. Add 1 cup of the warm broth to rice mix and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until almost absorbed. Continue adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently and making sure each addition is absorbed before adding the next. Continue adding all the broth until rice is creamy and soft, about 40 minutes. 
6. Stir sauteed vegetables and cheese into rice and season with salt and pepper. Add truffle oil and mix until well incorporated. Garnish with chives and serve.

Tacos de Pollo (semi-real)

When most of my friends from BU think of tacos, they think hard shell lettuce-topped cream-and-cheese-sprinkled mince-meat-filled hard shells served with chips, guac and salsa on the side. Contrary to their belief, those are not tacos.

Let start with the basics. There is no such as a "hard shell" in Mexico. A crispy tortilla, otherwise known as a "tostada" is flat and served with beans, cheese, and chicken (or other variations), but you will most likely never see an u-shaped hard shell in an authentic Mexican plate.
That being said, a tacos is really just a corn tortilla wrapped around your choice of meat. Usually there is no lettuce, cream or cheese involved. But, there's also another type of taco, which some people call "flautas." I'm talking about shredded chicken rolled up in a tortilla and fried until perfectly crispy. These are served with lettuce, cream, cheese, guac, and salsa.
So there you have it, Mexican cuisine 101.
Yesterday my roommate wanted a Mexican dinner, so I decided to go all out and make her chicken tacos, rice, beans, and pico de gallo from scratch (with Trader Joe's guac since I couldn't find ripe avocados).
I wasn't able to find corn tortillas, so I substituted with flour ones, but ideally the tacos would have corn tortillas, and the rice would be red.

Chicken Taquitos

• 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 white onion cut into chunks
• 1 shallot cut into big pieces
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• Chile powder to taste
• S & P

1. Place onion, shallots and chicken breasts in a large pot and cover with water. Add cumin, chili powder and S & P. 
2. Cover pot and bring water to a boil, getting rid of any foam if necessary.
3. Reduce heat and simmer with pot slightly uncovered until chicken is cooked through, about 30 mins.
4. Remove chicken from water and let cool on a plate. Shred chicken with fingers.
5. Place about 4 tablespoons of chicken on each tortilla (depending on the size) and roll, securing with a toothpick.
6. Heat canola oil in a saucepan on medium-high heat. Fry each taco until golden. Remove tacos from oil and pat down with paper towels before serving.

Pico de Gallo

• 4 large tomatoes
• 1/2 onion (I used red, but white works as well)
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Chile powder or jalapenos (optional)
• S & P

1. Cut tomatoes into 1 inch cubes (or smaller if you want the pico to be more like salsa) and place in a large bowl. Finely chop onion and add to tomatoes. Add cilantro, lime juice and olive oil. Mix well.
2. Add chile powder and S & P to taste. Mix well. Serve or reserve in the fridge for later.

I took the rice recipe from Epicurious. Quick and easy Mexican White Rice