Gourmet Comfort Food — The Newest Oxymoron
I discovered a new comfort food. It started a few weeks ago when I was watching reruns of “The Next Iron Chef: Season 2” for desperately-needed kitchen inspirations, and even though I’ve never even heard of half of the ingredients they use or dishes they create, one caught my eye (and my stomach!). Instead of using rice in a typical Asian dish, one chef ingeniously substituted… Continue reading for recipe.
No Beef For You?
After coming home with a craving for Asian food, I started scrounging around my kitchen. There was a stalk of broccoli in my fridge, rice in the pantry, but no beef. What was I supposed to do? Like any other creative girl, I picked the next “B” ingredient that came to mind: beans! Since I didn’t have to wait for any meat to brown, this vegetarian twist on beef and broccoli came together even faster than my rice cooked. Even if you don’t have beef with beef, give it a try – it’s a simple dish for an easy weeknight meal. Continue reading for recipe.
Sweet ‘N Sour Studying
When I was cramming for a chemistry exam with a friend a while ago, she came over just before dinnertime. I knew I’d get hungry, so before she arrived, I quickly whipped up this chicken and veggie rice bowl to nibble on while we quizzed each other. After a little bit, her stomach began to rumble, so she looked over and asked me, “Where did you buy that?” She seemed shocked that I enjoyed making my own meals, and even more surprised that my dish tasted even better than what she had eaten in a restaurant for lunch! Continue reading for recipe.
G is for Granola
I have a confession to make. My number two vice, maybe even tied with dark chocolate for number one, is granola. Cinnamon raisin granola. Eaten plain or mixed in with yogurt, I’m completely smitten with its crunchy, delicious taste. If you told me I could never munch on granola ever again, I’d burst into tears on the spot. However, I’m extremely picky about my granola. I’ve sampled nearly every kind in the grocery stores, and none of them quite measure up to my standards. They’re either too buttery, too crunchy, too bland, too few oats, too little cinnamon… So this week, I set out to make my own. Continue reading for the recipe.
“Fast Food” Fix
After a long day of work, meetings, and errands, I don’t exactly have enough energy to prepare a 5-star gourmet meal, but the little cook inside of me would rather spend time in my own kitchen than pay someone else to prepare food that I could make myself. Besides, I have more interesting ingredients than many of the restaurants in town! Most of my weeknight dinners are turning into simple one-plate or one-bowl meals that I can put on the table within minutes. Quick, easy, delicious… What could be better?
Corn & Chicken Quinoa
serves 1
I enjoy the slightly firmer texture of the red quinoa, but brown or wild rice, couscous, or regular quinoa would all work instead. Use your favorite vegetables (fresh or frozen) and spices instead of or in addition to the basil and pepper, or substitute tofu to make this vegetarian.
¼ cup red quinoa
⅓ cup frozen corn
1 chicken tenderloin, cut into small pieces
½ tsp dried basil
¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
olive oil
- Place quinoa in a small pot with ½ cup of water. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer for 10-15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed.
- Boil water, add the corn, and cook until desired doneness. Drain.
- Rub the basil and pepper into the chicken. Heat a few tsp of olive oil in a pan, add the chicken, and sauté until skin is slightly golden and chicken is cooked all the way through.
- Combine chicken, corn, and quinoa in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.
Foods for the Soul 