Go Crazy with Kimchi

Lake shot of the day

I woke up pretty sore from these last few days of running. I looked out the window, realized that I really didn't feel like going outside today (good thing I didn't, because it turned out to be really windy), so I went down to the weight room and did my usual 40 minutes on the elliptical while looking at some stupid book on colleges... I need big books that will stay open. Boring, but at least I got to sweat some.
Breakfast was amazing, if I do say so myself. I plan on eating this amazing gingerbread until it's gone, so I need to get creative here.
Gingerbread Parfait with Caramelized Apple Chutney, Greek Yogurt, and Cashew Butter
Sounds gourmet, no?
Basically, I just layered the ingredients with a drizzle of Whole Foods raw fresh cashew butter, which I'd never had before. Very mild, but refined. Delicious, in fact, but a completely different creature from peanut butter, which is attention-seeking and hogs the spotlight.
I heated the gingerbread first. It went great with my chutney, which has proven to be versatile! My dad ate it with chicken for lunch, and, just as I predicted, it makes a nice accompaniment to meat.
Lunch: leftovers! We must clean out that fridge! More of that seitan pie (now that I think about it, it really isn't a pot pie, because the crust isn't puff pastry and there's a bottom crust), spinach and more vegetables.

And a pear.

I went to the bookstore and bought:
-A better edition of Anna Karenina
-TALES OF BEETLE THE BARD, which I've already read. And all the proceeds are going to charity! Go Rowling!
-There was a 20% off cook book sale, but I couldn't find anything I wanted! I have more than enough cookbooks, but what I really want are some good Japanese, Korean, and African (not just North African) cookbooks.

I was a little hungry later on and had a bowl of Amy's chocolate vanilla bunnies with a little GoLean Crunch, half a banana, blackberries, and soymilk.

Therefore, I wasn't too hungry for dinner, but my dad and I cooked, and I'm really glad we did. We were thinking of just having more leftovers, but we ended up incorporating leftovers into what I made, which was bibimbap! I've never made Korean food at home, but it really wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. The only difficulty was stir-frying EVERY single topping separately. (Check out the awesome peanut oil-pouring shot!)


Toppings we used:
-Carrots
-Burdock (also known as mountain yam... it looks like an extra thick, hairy, brown carrot)
-Cucumber (But only the skins, which is interesting)
-Watercress
-Instead of beef, I used some "soy chicken" from Chinatown, which is basically just tofu rolled up to look like chicken... no TVP here. I seasoned it with sesame oil, soy sauce, sesame seeds, ginger, garlic, and a little sugar.
-Leftover mung bean sprouts
-Leftover Korean zucchini seafood-pancake (literally a tiny piece)-- we used this instead of a sunny side up egg
-MUSHROOMS
-and of course, kimchi.
-AND some pear-- this really evened out the spiciness


(All mixed together)
We microwaved leftover brown rice and mixed it with chili paste and sesame oil, then topped it with the vegetables... and more chili paste.
I ate the entire bowl, minus some of the soy chicken. The carrots and burdock were the best part-- they were a little burned, almost like shoestring potatoes or something!
Mm, this is one of those meals where I just don't want a dessert because I want to remember it. To get rid of that garlicky kimchi taste, I had a tangerine.

I finished Interview with the Vampire. How come nobody told me it was so philosophical and depressing? Any slightly more cheerful vampire stories? Or just good books in general?

Gingerbread, Takoyaki, Eggplant, Oh my!

Saturday:
I've decided to start posting a "lake shot of the day" photo:
I woke up this morning... It was beautiful, as per usual, so despite my aching legs, I set out on a run... nothing fancy, just to the playground and back (about half of what I did yesterday). My pace was faster, but MAN, was it windy! On the way back especially, there was a crazy amount of resistance.
I came back and made a beautifully light yet decadent breakfast:
A slice of gingerbread, heated
The last of the Greek yogurt
Half a banana and a tangerine



I found 4 apples WAY past their prime and decided to make an impromptu applesauce... the problem was I forgot about it and it burned like crazy. The whole kitchen was filled with smoke... and we have no ventilation. I had to open the door to the hallway and neighbors were asking if everything was okay... yes, it was pretty embarrassing.
BUT I could get all fancy and pretend it wasn't a mistake. In fact, I'm calling it caramelized apple chutney, because that's what it is now. I got rid of the charred bits, but I used some of the syrup I made from quince and pear better back on Thanksgiving, and it really did get a gorgeous copper hue and smokey flavor. I didn't puree it... hence, chutney! I also added lemon zest, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and of course, some salt.
This would go REALLY well with poultry or pork, if I ate either.


I went to music school for my quartet at 11:30. I had a break from 12:30-2:00, so I decided to check out a cute little (new) sushi joint around the corner called Sushi Pink. It outdid my expectations! I managed to get three little dishes for 11.00 including tax (not tip, though)!
First of all, the atmosphere was awesome. The whole place was decked out in red and mirrors (why not pink though?). I ended up sitting at the bar, which I've never done, surprisingly.



I COULD NOT DECIDE WHAT TO GET, since I've never gone to a sushi place alone before. Should I get sushi over rice, or a handroll, or mix and match? I decided to mix and match: they said their special was grilled octopus, so I got that, plus 2 pieces of hamachi (my love) nigiri and a seaweed-cucumber salad.
The seaweed salad was just the way I like it: chewy seaweed on a bed of crunchy cucumbers with lots of sesame oil and vinegar.

After that, I waited... I couldn't figure out what was taking so long. Meanwhile, I saw some other people get brought a platter of fancy over-the-top rolls that had FLAMES in the center of the plate! No joke... I couldn't see far enough, but they had obviously put something flammable in the center and lit it on fire for dramatic effect.
When the octopus came, I realized what had taken so long. Instead of charcoaled octopus like I'd been expecting, I got TAKOYAKI! In case you don't know what that is, it's basically balls of egg batter with octopus hidden in the center. It can be baked or fried, and is usually served with okonimyaki sauce (kind of like worchestershire sauce) and a little mayo.
Now, that DEFINITELY doesn't sound like the kind of thing I would normally order, but I'm so glad I got to try it! I remember being at a food court in Singapore, watching them make the little balls and being so curious. Luckily, mine were baked, not fried. They were slightly crispy on the outside, eggy and creamy on the inside, and studded with little chunks of chewy, savory octopus. Almost like a savory profiterole or something! They were actually really light, except for the mayo, which I pretty much wiped off (hate mayo). The sauce was tangy, like barbecue sauce, and pretty addictive. There were 6 little balls, the perfect portion.
As for the hamachi, the fish was really fresh. It was hamachi, which I know and love... not much more to say about it.
Oh! Their bathroom has a 1-way mirror, so it seems as though everyone can see you through a window, but if you go outside it's just a mirror. Freaky! And the water also came out of the faucet like a waterfall.
I would definitely come back! Very decently priced... the only thing is that I heard the staff speaking Chinese... so maybe it's not the most authentic, but who am I to say that? Sushi Pink, you rock!

I went back to music school for theory, then ditched assembly to go get a much needed caffeine boost. I must say, this lunch didn't really hold me over that long... Now that I think about it, it really wasn't THAT much food. So I went to Starbucks for a banana and a nonfat latte that I sprinkled cocoa powder on.

But this is the embarrassing part-- my old music theory teacher and a flute teacher walked in and said, 'hey, aren't you supposed to be in assembly?"
I didn't lie or anything. I just kind of smiled and set "yes."
and they pretty much said "oh, okay."
Me: I usually go!
Theory teacher: Lida, I don't really care. So how's your book?
Ha, awesome.

After assembly was piano duo, and after that was GROCERY SHOPPING! We went to Whole Foods and then Chinatown.
The problem is, now our fridge is so full it can hardly close, what with the leftovers from last night, what we bought, and leftovers from dinner tonight. Goal tomorrow: do not cook at all!!!!!

Dinner was tasty and fast, and my dad is a genius.
Stir-fried mung bean sprouts, my favorite.
Another stir-fry of eggplant, green peppers, and a kind of smoked tofu, which is chewy and delicious.
I was starving and ate a lot.

Dessert? I don't know... we have so much stuff to use up! But I don't know if I'm in the mood. An apple should do for now.

Mozart and Mung Beans

Happy Wednesday! There's a Chinese expression that says "Once Wednesday is over, there's only tomorrow and the day after tomorrow until the weekend!"
Tomorrow I'm actually going to the MIDNIGHT showing of Twilight with Page... shh, don't tell. It seems like all the cool "Indie" seeming kids are actually secretly seeing the movie, but they won't want to say anything.
Breakfast: Oatmeal with 1/2 banana, applesauce, blueberries, raspberries, maple syrup, yogurt, and some grapenuts.


Snack: Peanut butter Z-bar
Lunch: Check out my awesome Chinese lunchbox!
Layer 1:
Layer 2:
Layer 3:
By the way, those are just leftovers of steamed egg and tofu with greens.
Plus an Asian pear to go with the whole Asian theme and some Kashis, dried fruit and nuts (I DIDN'T NEED THIS. I need to stop packing food that I don't need).

As for a workout today, I took advantage of workout center in PE. It was a relatively easy workout, since my legs were KILLING ME TODAY. I didn't think yesterday was hard, but I guess my body wasn't used to it. I did my swim coach's workout: 5 minutes warm up, 1 minute high, fast intensity, 2 minutes easy, for 25 minutes, then 5 minutes cool down (on the elliptical). It was enough to get me really hot and sweaty, so after class I went to the little kids' playground and read Moby-Dick until I got cold. It was nice.
I had to take public transport to music school, which was a way to get some more walking in. I was so tired, I actually fell asleep on the bus! It's rare that I'm tired enough to fall asleep standing up. I was leaning to the side, but when the bus jolted to a halt I gasped pretty loudly and woke up.
I had some time to kill before my quartet (5:30), and I had a private lesson after, so I knew dinner wouldn't be until pretty late. I stopped at Starbucks for some much-needed caffeine and food, since Starbucks has definitely been improving their food!
I got a nonfat gingersnap latte and their "Protein Plate," which had apple slices, grapes, a hard-boiled egg, a mini whole wheat bagel, peanut butter, and cheddar cheese. Squeezing the peanut butter out of the package was really fun! I didn't eat the egg yolk and only had one piece of the cheese, which was rubbery and probably not worth it. But I guess protein really is the key to staying full! I wasn't even that hungry when I got home, but of course I ate way more than I should have.
By the way, quartet was awesome! Teacher couldn't make it this week and the violist wasn't there, so the cellist, violinist and I worked on the Mozart. I love chamber music.
Private lesson also went well, except that my hands are so dry that they were bleeding a little. I need to carry around lotion.
My dad cooked again, since my mom is busy packing. Sadly, he made the dish that I miss most about being a vegetarian, and it's so extremely frustrating since I never even ate the meat anyway! It's a very humble dish: spare rib and cabbage soup. The pork is taken out of the soup and served separately with soy sauce, the soup is purged of all fat and impurities until it's a cloudy broth with leafy cabbage. I miss it so much, and it really is pretty healthy. I was tempted, but I still haven't made my decision. Every time I think I'm going to start eating meat again, I read some terrible article... like today, I read about workers kicking turkeys and shoving broomsticks down their throats.

Anyways, I feasted on vegetables tonight: green peppers and vinegar and MUNG BEAN SPROUTS! Those are the sprouts with the smaller pods at the end, and they're green, unlike soy bean sprouts, which are yellow. The peppers are first grilled until completely burned, then stir-fried with vinegar. They have a very meaty taste.
The mung bean sprouts have lots of scallions, ginger, garlic, a little cornstarch, and sesame oil.


And we finally made real brown rice tonight! I hate the pre-packaged stuff... so dry.
Condiments: homemade chili oil
and this weird fermented tofu stuff.

I really didn't need seconds, but of course I had them. I really need to start listening to my body... maybe I would lose a few pounds. I don't really need to, but I think now I'm eating more than is really necessary. I hate feeling stuffed.
TWILIGHT TOMORROW! OH YES...