Eat It While You Can

Although more and more people are getting to know this tomato-like fruit,

many Americans are unaware of their existence. Persimmons are quite common in Asian cuisines, but were also found in ancient Greece. They were introduced to the Americas quite early on, during the 1800s. Now why do we not know about this delectable, nutritional power house?

This variety of persimmon (or Sharon fruit) has a ton of health benefits including anti-tumor compounds, antioxidants, vitamin A, vitamin B, and vitamin C (source). The persimmon has it’s own unique flavor, and is incredibly sweet and delicious, a definite must try if you see them around anywhere!

I like to peel the skin off, which is pretty tough, with a fruit knife and cut it up in a little baggie for snacking at school.

Sometimes, I don’t have time for lunch (labs and classes for 5-6 hours straight), so I pack along a green smoothie, AB&J (almond butter and raspberry jam) sandwich on spelt bread, and the fruit baggie!

This meal is easy to eat in class, between classes, or even on the bus.

I also like to mix it up in yogurt bowls with granola:

Makes the bowl super sweet with the juicy fruit in every bite.

The other day, I even tried it cooked up ina morning bowl pot of oatmeal:

It tasted even better than bananas in oatmeal (my usual choice of fruit). Sadly, the persimmon is only available from late September to December in my area (Seattle), which is why I’m eating it while I can!

Have you tried persimmons before? If not, what is something that you wish was in season year round?

p.s. check out the Bloggie Secret Santa Danielle is hosting!

One More Week

Happy Thursday everyone!

 

I can’t believe it’s already one more week until Thanksgiving (!!!). I know many of you bloggers have been waiting for this day to come, whether it’s because you get to go home and see the family, have comforting foods, or in my case, both

 

I get to have two Thanksgivings this year—I’m a lucky gal to have a fairly large family close by. My dad’s side of the family (aunts, uncles, cousins) will be celebrating it on Wednesday at my aunt’s house, while my mom’s side of the family will be celebrating it at our house on Thursday. I have school on Wednesday, so I won’t be able to cook anything up, but I’m excited for Thursday. I will be making Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie, cornbread, cranberry sauce, and the gravy. What’s Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie you ask? Well, luckily, even in my pre-blogging days, I took photos of my food. What can I say, I’m a bloggie at heart

I made the Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie last year for the very first time. It actually is a vegetarian dish chock full of veggies and smothered with lots of sweet potato. It was a huge hit, so I decided to make it again for 2009! Hopefully I have the recipe here somewhere…

I also made whole grain corn bread last year that was it hit among relatives:

I’ve made corn bread every year for I don’t know how long. I also consider baking my “specialty”, so I like to bake at least one dish.

I also made this polenta dish with marinara sauce and cheese:

It was a tasty dish, but not “Whoa this is good!” or "holiday –worthy” in my opinion.

Here’s the gravy I made last year in a cast iron skillet:

I also made this pumpkin pie-cheesecake:

Oh, good times. I can’t believe I made so much food last year! Unfortunately, I don’t have as much time to plan the dishes out, so I won’t be cooking as much this year.

What are you planning on making for Thanksgiving? If you are from Singapore (Neela!), the UK (Ellie!), or anywhere else besides the States, what do you like to cook on a holiday/special occasion?

Fudge Babies and Reviews

I finally made those ever so popular fudge babies, made famous by a certain Chocolate Covered Diva. 

The pictures do not do these little rounds of chocolate goodness justice. Seriously oh so fudgy and delicious! It totally beats any other date-and-nut-based raw food bar. Yes, these are raw, all natural, and made with only three ingredients (cashews, cocoa powder, and dates). Go visit Katie’ blog to find her fabulous recipe, to contribute to a great cause—Operation Chocolate-Covered Kindness, and to enter her Big Fat Chocolate Giveaway (Holy cow, 3-in-1)! Note that I followed her Hot Cocoa Fudge Babies recipe because Katie said they were yummier

In case you were curious, I used this delicious brand of cocoa powder:

It really does taste like it’s “made from the finest organic fair trade cocoa beans” and made those fudge babies rich and full of bittersweet chocolate flavor!

Now onto the Wildwood reviews…

I tried two different varieties of their tofu:

Both varieties were slightly sweet, firmly textured, and extremely easy to prepare. I must say that I was expecting a sweeter tofu for the teriyaki variety, but I still enjoyed this variety. Just chop it up and throw it wherever you want (stir-fry’s, sandwiches, pasta dishes, salads, soups, etc.)! Super easy and quite yummy, two qualities I love when I’m busy with schoolwork.

Next up are these Pasta Slims,

which are similar to those ever so popular Shirataki noodles. Like the traditional Japanese Shirataki noodles, these Pasta Slims are also made with konjac, in addition to tofu (Wildwood’s specialty).  I used these noodles to make a noodle sauté, inspired by Rachael Ray:

This noodle dish was made with onions, garlic, evoo (I use it even for Asian flavored dishes), pumpkin, peanut butter, curry powder, Southern green veggie mix from Trader Joe’s, broccoli slaw, and Wildwood’s Hickory BBQ Smoked Tofu. It was an easy and quick lunch to prepare and absolutely delicious! I highly recommend these flavor combinations. Pumpkin, peanut butter, and curry = love!

The last Wildwood review is their Probiotic Hummus,

 

There are many flavors to choose from, and Wildwood sent me two to try—the Roasted Red Pepper and the Classic. This dip actually tasted as I expected, like hummus but with that tangy yogurt-like taste in the background. I personally prefer the taste of Trader Joe’s hummus, but this one is still pretty tasty with additional probiotic health benefits!

Overall, I really enjoyed all of Wildwood’s products and will definitely be looking out for more in grocery stores. Thanks again, Dustin!

Have you tried Katie’s fudge babies (or any of her other recipes) or Wildwood’s products? If so, please share your thoughts about them

Semi-sweet

Heeeey Everyone! Happy Friday

 

A year ago, if you asked me if I was a sweet or savory kind of gal (a very important question for a foodie ), I would have said “sweet” without hesitation. Now I’m not so sure. I like my sweets, but I don’t like my desserts overly sweet. A pumpkin muffin? Yes, please! A triple layer chocolate cake with syrup, ganache, frosting, and powdered sugar? Ummm, no thanks!

This theory applies to the breakfasts I eat as well. You all know that I love my oats, pancakes, and breakfast cookies, all lightly sweetened with a touch of syrup or fruit. However, I thought I’d shake things up by eating a more savory breakfast like a simple omelet (1 whole egg + a few whites) with roasted kabocha and broccoli:

This was yummy, but as suspected, not sweet enough for me. I discovered that I can’t stomach a completely savory meal so early in the morning sometimes. I still gave a savory breakfast another shot with some of my favorite bread, which is ever so slightly sweet,

 

 

and made a lovely breakfast sandwich with egg, laughing cow cheese, ketchup, and spinach.

 

 

This was absolutely delicious! However, I usually like to have a more voluminous breakfast with less bread, which brings me to a compromise:

 

 

I ate the single slice of toast with egg but also slathered parts of it with almond butter and strawberry jam as well:

 

 

 

 

Although these breakfasts gave me an opportunity to eat various foods and try new things, nothing beats a bowl of hot steaming oats or perfectly green pancakes What do you like to eat for breakfast? Do you consider yourself sweet, savory, or semi-sweet like myself?

Bad Turned Good

You know when you have those really bad days when everything seems to go wrong? Like when one of your professors, the one who talks too fast (so you don’t even bother to listen to him/her since you’re so busy taking notes) gives you a pop quiz? (I don’t even think I’ve ever had a pop quiz in my whole 20+ years of life.) Then, you realize this class supposed to be your “easy one”—the one that makes up for your other class, which has a greater potential to lower your GPA. Even worse,  you find out these quizzes are 20% of your grade, the same amount as the freaking midterm. yikes.

Sorry for being so negative! I know that I’m not supposed to be worked up over a single quiz, but boy was it hard to forget about it. I need to stop being so caught up on myself and the moment. Fortunately, when I got home, the q qu qui “Q” word was soon forgotten because I found something waiting for me:

Yaaaaay, thank you Dustin from Wildwood! My spirits were quickly when I found this. Look at all those goodies I get to try What can I say? Food and blogging makes me excited! Watch for a review in the future

Today also happened to be the only day of the week I come home early for lunch (hooray!). Despite the stress, I was starving, so I pulled out a freezer meal, something that I’ve never done before.

Ew, what’s that you ask?

Don’t be fooled by that first picture and take a close look at the meal on the box cover.

This Amy’s Tamale Pie tasted as good as it looks in that box cover (and not the first picture). Phenomenal! I loved all the various veggies and spices. The corn crust was a creamy and delicious complement as well.

Definitely a “taste it and you’ll love it” kind of meal

Great nutritional stats too, for those of you who are curious (sorry for all the shadows by the way). My first frozen meal experience in maybe 5+ years (shocking I know) was quite delightful.

I also had some of this Chicken-Brie melt on the side:

Please excuse the lack of attractiveness…it was the best I could do with my stomach yelling at me

What sorts of things help you cope on those terrible, horrible, no good, very bad [days] (extra brownie points for those of you who can name that book)?

Please continue to support Operation Chocolate Kindness AND enter her amazing “Your Choice Giveaway”! Two in one

Oats of the Blogworld

Thank you all so much for the good luck wishes on the midterm. They went alright–I’m just glad it’s over and that I’m back to blogging

 

While I was “gone”, the ever so kind and generous Katie started on her Operation Chocolate-Covered Kindness. Please visit her blog and click around for an extremely great cause! Not only does this girl have intriguing and delicious vegan recipes (for vegan and non-vegans alike!), she is one of the most generous and sweetest girls ever! Please go visit her blog!

 

Today, I have several various bowl of oats inspired by my friends in the blogging community. I’ll number them so you can keep track—be prepared, there’s a ton of yummy concoctions

Speaking of Katie, you all probably heard about her melted banana trick. I’ve been doing something similar for years, but she is the master of it all so check out her directions However, instead of using the microwave, I add bananas to the oats prior to boiling, and then get it to bubble up really well. The bananas get nice, melty, and sweet. Perfect in your morning bowl of oatmeal:

1.

 

 

 

Another bowl sort of oats that I’ve been having often, is the ever so ubiquitous oats in a jar. I didn’t have it so often before, but now that I’m eating a ton more fats, that almond butter keeps disappearing on me. More empty jars just mean that I get more oats in a jar

 

Here’s oats in a jar number two, inspired by April’s pudding-like oats. Its got some egg whites stirred in for an extra creamy and delicious bowl! Totally filling too!

2.

 

 

 

 

Since we’ve gone through all the oats in jars, how about oats in a yogurt container?

3.

 

 

Doesn’t ring as nicely but perfect for those leftover room-temperature or cold oats. Yesterday, I went a little overboard while I was making my morning bowl of oats and couldn’t finish it. So, this morning I poured it into my almost-empty yogurt container to scoop up every last bite. Delish!

 

 

 

Miss April also adds cottage cheese to her bowl of oats, which I used to do when I ate cottage cheese more often. Thanks for the delicious reminder, April, it’s delicious and filling, especially with some of that awesome NuNaturals stevia.

4.

 

 

 

Lastly, is a bowl inspired by lovely Miss K. She never fails to have carob/chocolate chips in her oats!

5.

I also added extra cinnamon just for her

 

What’s your favorite oatmeal combination? Have a happy weekend!

 

I’d also like to ask everyone to please pray for Neela who is undergoing surgery today.

Midterm Week

Hi everyone! I just dropped by really quickly to let you know that I’m going to be MIA from the blog world for most of this week (until Friday). All of my midterms happen to be this week, so I’m in a mad rush to get as much information into my head  >.< Thanks for understanding!

In the meantime, check out Miss Gliding Calm’s cute post to cheer up those cold weather blues

Another Yay for TJ

I swear that rhyme was actually unintentional, but I intentionally did leave it there

Since I’m busy with school and work, I’ve been lacking in the grocery department. So, I hauled myself off of my books to take a trip to my go-to grocery store, Trader Joe’s. Why not Whole Foods, you ask? Well, Whole Foods Market is quite a long drive away from my house, not to mention the fact that their products are fairly more expensive than TJ’s. However, it is still my favorite grocery store Back to TJ’s…

Something new I bought on this trip to Trader Joe’s was the Sweet, Savory, & Tart Trek Mix.

Oh my goodness, chocolate, peanut butter, and white chocolate chips with dried fruit and nuts? The name says it all! It has the perfect combination of sweet, savory, and tartness, and is oh so delicious! I’ve eaten them straight out of the bag for dessert and with yogurt as shown below (you gotta read all the other stuff first )

I was excited to find this Smooth and Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, next to my usual Tomato Basil:

A very Sabra-esque type of hummus with some gorgeous roasted red peppers dabbed in the middle:

A beauty, aint it? Quite delicious too! I ate it with these cute little Minisweet Bell Peppers:

My good pal Allie eats them all the time, so I had to try it when I saw them by the regular peppers!

These are, in my opinion, more delicious and delicate in flavor than regular bell peppers. Kind of like baby spinach to regular spinach. So good and perfect with the Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. Pepper x’s two!

The last item I want to show you, are the ubiquitous PB Puffins:

I love these guys straight from the box as a snack or dessert, but found that they were amazing with Greek yogurt as well (TJ’s 2%, of course):

Mixed with some of the “Trek Mix”, crunchy almond butter, cinnamon, and my new found love, NuNaturals Stevia. Yummy!

 

What are some exciting/unique items you bought recently at the grocery store? Speaking of grocery stores, what’s your favorite foodie heaven?

By the way, the people at Larabar contacted me about being featured on their blog. Without hesitation (and much excitement), I agreed to do so! Please check it out here

Cold Weather is Near

I know it’s only October, but I can feel winter coming. Wool coats, furry Uggs, and long scarves are becoming more common around campus. I have a ridiculous amount of scarves, and pulled out a few already.

I admit that I’m a wuss when it comes to cold weather, especially since Seattle is no where near as cold as other areas of the world, but I still enjoy this time of the year. Not because of the chill factor, but because of the food factor

I’ve only been to Korea twice in my life, but II regularly watch Korean TV shows. Many times, they display steaming hot, roasted sweet potatoes and chestnuts, all sold inexpensively on the streets. Every time I’d see this, my mouth would water with longing.

You can imagine how delighted I was to hear that my local Korean market started selling these freshly roasted goods. My parents came home one day from grocery shopping with some goods while I was studying away. Here’s the baggie of roasted Korean sweet potatoes they lugged home:

They are not the typical American orange-fleshed variety.

However, they are just as sweet (if not sweeter) and the texture is creamier, like the old russet potato. Total comfort food over here! The roasted flavor is amazing as well.

My parents also grabbed a baggie of roasted chestnuts:

These little gems are popular in Korea, as well as Italy, but not so common in the states. You roast it partially cracked open, so it doesn’t burst in the heat. Here’s one that I cracked open with my little fingers:

It has an even creamier and thicker consistency than the sweet potato, like what Greek yogurt is to regular yogurt (you bloggies know what I’m talking about ). The texture of the roasted chestnut, in fact resembles my beloved kabocha squash and has its own unique, deliciously sweet flavor.

New seasons call for delicious new foods. What tells you that winter is near?

 

p.s. The extremely generous Miss Heather is having another (!!!) awesome giveaway here. Enter before Thursday!!!

Using Up Leftovers

Because I’m getting more and more busy with school (as you can tell from my lack of posts and reduced amount of commenting >.< I promise I’ll make it up during breaks!), I’ve been cooking bigger batches of food. This allows me to stretch my meals for less time. However, I get tired of the same old thing, especially if it’s for more than 2-3 days in a row. This is when I try to get creative…

I bought a fresh looking spaghetti squash at Trader Joe’s the other day, and proceeded to cook it with marinara sauce.

(Please excuse my old school, baby blue fleece top—not attractive, but necessary in October)

My mom was amazed at it’s natural stringy texture! She thought I whirled it in the food processor.

Here’s a bowl topped with ricotta cheese and fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano:

So after many delicious bowls, I thought I’d surprise my taste buds with some spaghetti squash pizza:

I figured squash would be delicious on pizza, and there was no need for extra marinara, just some mozzarella will do

All on top of my lavash bread and a side salad:

A bit messy,

 

but tasty, and the flavors all went well together. How can you go wrong with squash, cheese, and marinara in pizza form? Haha, only a blogger would know…

Next up, is a tofu stir fry made with broccoli slaw and a Thai peanut sauce (peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, garlic).

Here’s one small serving:

Then for lunch the next day:

Of course in my handy dandy lavash wrap

What do you like to do with leftovers? I guess I like to make use of the ingredients (ahem lavash bread) I have on hand.

 

Happy Weekend Everybody!!!