Stuff

Random stuff number 1: I just noticed this article and thought I'd post here. Seems I'm ahead of the game a little bit. Nah, really I just wanted to post to show Dave "that bangs never actually go out of style" as he tried to tell me here. Enjoy your fashion lesson of the day.

Random stuff number 2: Mum got into town yesterday. She was supposed to arrive Friday night but her plane out of Syracuse had mechanical issues and they were late getting into Cincinnati therefore she missed her connection. They put her up (and in a decent hotel at that) for the night and she arrived Saturday morning. She and Dave showed up not long after I got home from my re-evaluations for AH AAT. My goal was to do better than last time (two years ago). I was secretly shooting for a complex rating but wasn't obsessed about it. We were two marks shy of complex but we did great (and better than last time)!

Random stuff number 3: So I started what I've been calling a three month plan back in November. Obviously it's been more than three months but part of this plan called for a healthy diet and since I've seen such positive results I'm still eating uber healthy. Very little animal-based protein, whole foods (which also means as little processed stuff as possible). Motto: eat things made from plants, not things made in plants. So to help I've been checking out vegetarian cookbooks from the library. Currently I have The New Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen. Incidentally, my aunt showed it to me in Florida and I completely forgot about it until I saw it on the shelf. The author ran a restaurant in Ithaca, NY. Anywho, last night we tried something called Gado Gado and it was de-lish-ous. Oh my god it was so good. So, I decided to post the recipe here for y'all to try (my notes are in red). And it was super easy.

Oh, p.s. Happy birthday me! Yay!! Everyone is still sleeping/reading (slackers) so I figured I'd work on my blog.

GADO-GADO:
Prep time: about 1 hour (much of this can be made in advance)
Yield: approximately 6 servings (or one large male serving and two female servings)

Note: You can vary the vegetables and their amounts. Also, they can be cooked or raw - or some of each. Arrange everything on a platter or on individual plates.

1) A bed of fresh spinach goes on the bottom.

2) Yellow rice goes on the spinach. (To make yellow rice, cook 2 cups rice in 3 cups simmering water with 1/2 tsp turmeric. Add a little extra water toward the end of the cooking, if needed)

3) An assortment of vegetables goes on the rice. Such as:
~A small bunch of broccoli, cut into small spears and steamed
~Fresh green beans, lightly steamed
~Red and green cabbage, very finely shredded
~Thin slices of carrot, lightly steamed or raw
~Mung bean sprouts

4) Tofu and hardboiled eggs (sliced or chopped) go on the vegetables.

PEANUT SAUCE:
1 cup creamy peanut butter (I used natural PB)
1 heaping Tbs grated ginger
1 heaping Tbs minced garlic
3 Tbs brown sugar
1 1/2 cups hot water
4 Tbs cider vinegar
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 tsp salt (possibly more if peanut butter is unsalted)
Crushed red pepper, to taste

1) Put everything in a blender and puree until smooth. If it's too thick, add a little extra water. (Mine was pretty thin, maybe b/c of the natural PB??)

2) Transfer to a serving bowl and adjust seasonings to taste. Serve at any temperature, drizzled over Gado Gado. (This makes about 2 cups sauce) (Which is more than enough in my opinion, recipe could probably be halved)

FINAL TOPPINGS:
3 Tbs peanut or canola oil
2 Tbs sliced fresh ginger (very thin slices, done with your sharpest paring knife) (she isn't kidding, eating a thick slice of ginger isn't so fun)
1 cup finely minced onion
12 medium cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
Optional:
shredded, unsweetened coconut, lightly toasted
crushed red pepper
slices of fruit: lemons, limes, oranges, apples, pineapple

1) Heat 1 Tbs oil in a small skillet. Add ginger, and saute over medium heat for a minute or so, then transfer to a small bowl.

2) Repeat with the onion and garlic, sauteing each separately in 1 Tbs oil for 8 to 10 minutes (onion) and about 20 seconds (garlic). Place each in a small bowl.

3) Place some or all of these toppings on the table with the Gado Gado, so each person can liberally garnish his or her own portion.