Vegetable hand rolls

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Paco was in Phoenix yesterday, so that gave me the excuse to eat something that he would never eat.  Whenever he catches me eating hand rolls, he calls them “vegetables and air.”

You can make these out of whatever you want.  Today I used omelet, avocado, cucumber, and scallions.

Vegetable hand rolls

1 c rice (sushi rice is ideal but if you don’t have it regular rice is fine too)
water
salt
rice vinegar
2 eggs
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. vegetable oil
dried seaweed sheets
avocado, sliced
cucumber, cut into two-inch strips
scallions, cut into two-inch strips
soy sauce
wasabi

First prepare the rice. Rinse the rice thoroughly and place it in a small pot. Add 1 cup of water to the pot, a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. Cover and turn heat to low. Allow to steam for 20 minutes. (Or use a rice cooker!) When the rice is done, add a couple of tablespoons of rice vinegar to the rice and stir to combine.

To prepare the omelet, beat two eggs with the sugar. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the eggs, lifting the sides of the omelet as it cooks to allow the raw egg to seep underneath and cook. When the omelet is almost fully cooked, flip it over and finish cooking the other side. Remove from the pan and slice into strips.

To make the hand rolls, cut a sheet of seaweed in half. Add a little bit of rice, omelet, and each of the vegetables, then roll into a cone or cylinder. Seal the edges with a little bit of water. OR, do what I do, and cut each sheet of seaweed into six pieces, then make individual, tiny hand rolls as you go.

Serve with soy sauce and wasabi, if desired.

Please keep your clothes on in class!

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I went to a pretty crowded yoga class last night. It was not a particularly hot or sweaty class, but the room heated up due to there being 20 people in a relatively small room. Of course, one guy (that guy) decides that he can’t possibly practice with his shirt on, and has to continue shirtless while literally dripping with sweat. Gross. Keep your shirt on, people! You are about a 12 inches away from someone else. Sure, we are all taking class together, but we’re not actually your friends. We’re complete strangers who happen to be trapped in a room with (shirtless) you for 90 minutes.  Thank you.

Cooking over the weekend

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Happy Monday! Last week kind of dragged for me, so I’m glad to be starting fresh this week.

We had a pretty busy weekend, but I wanted to share a few delicious recipes that I tried out.

This Blue Cheese and Bacon Dip from Baked Bree is pretty addictive. Perfect for the Superbowl.

Emeril’s veal paremesan was delicious.  My only complaint is that it takes a lot longer than the indicated 50 minutes to prepare.  Unless you have an enormous skillet, just breading and frying 8 veal cutlets takes about 45 minutes.  It’s worth it, though, so plan ahead!  I kept the cutlets warm in the oven at 200 degrees F while making the sauce and hanging out with our guests.

These potato chip cookies from Smitten Kitchen (another Emeril recipe) were a hit. They are salty, crisp, and sweet.

Kitchen staples

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Paco brought to my attention that last night at Trader Joe’s, everyone seemed to only be picking up a few ready-made items. Premade salads, ready-bake pizza, etc.  It was a Thursday night at 7:30–this is pretty typical when people realize they have nothing to eat at home, and stop at the store on their way home from work.  We’ve all done this.

However, you can save yourself that daily trip to the store by having a few staples on hand.  Cooking something quick at home probably takes about the same amount of time (or less!) than stopping at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods for something that’s almost ready-to-eat.

Here are a few things that I always have on hand:

* Starches that don’t go bad or last a while – Rice, pasta, Asian noodles, cous cous, tortillas
* Vegetables that last a while – Broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, carrots
* Meat – We usually have a few of the following in the freezer, thanks to a Costco purchase: leg of lamb, flank steak, pork chops, pork shoulder, chicken
* Frozen shrimp
* Tofu
* Eggs
* Chicken broth
* Garlic, onions, and ginger
* Spices – I have a ton but the following should get you started: cumin, red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, thyme, oregano
* Fats – Butter, olive oil, vegetable oil
* Canned tomatoes and tomato sauce
* Canned beans
* Cheese – Parmesan and cheddar always, plus a variety of other random cheeses (right now we have Humbolt Fog and Emmentaler)

While sometimes bread, cheese, and wine are really all you can or want to pull together, having long-lasting staples on hand will really help you to whip up something delicious, even when you’re tired.  And most of this stuff will last in your fridge or pantry for weeks/months.

Chicken salad with apples

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I used my leftover roast chicken to make a simple and delicious chicken salad. I like something sweet in my chicken salad, as well as a variety of textures, so I added apples.

Especially considering that it took five minutes to make, it was ridiculously good.  You can use any type of chicken, but I think that the roast chicken made it more flavorful. If you don’t have a roast chicken lying around, you could buy a pre-made one from the supermarket.

Chicken Salad with Apples

2 c. chicken, diced or broken into small pieces
3 ribs celery, finely sliced
1 apple, diced
1/3 c mayo
kosher salt
lemon pepper
black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve on toasted bread as an open-face sandwich.