Run Angela, Run!

This post doesn't really have to do with food, more to do with the consequences of my love of food.  I've been trying to work out more regularly lately, especially since my work schedule is a little bit lighter during the summer.  I've seen lots of people doing the "Couch to 5K" program on Facebook.  In the last two months or so, I've been using the treadmill at the gym and had gone through periods of walking while watching TV, walking while reading a magazine, and walking while listening to my ipod.  I felt that I had exhausted the different activities you could do while on a treadmill so I thought maybe I should do a "program" to keep me motivated. 

I have NEVER been a runner.  Like ever.  I still have memories of elementary school and junior high and having to take the state fitness test.  We had to be able to complete 1 mile in a certain period of time and I remember that I could NEVER do it easily!  It would take me several days of trying and trying in order to pass it...I think the gym teachers felt sorry for me.  It's never been my goal to "be a runner" or to do any time of long distance running.  I greatly admire people who have run a marathon but my personal opinion is why would you torture yourself like that?  It's just not for me.  I would, however, like to be able to run more than 2 blocks (literally), so if I could complete this program and just be able to slowly jog a 5K, I would be more than happy.

So far I've completed the first week of the program and yesterday I started the 2nd week.  I modify the program a little bit in that usually I warm up at 3.0 miles/hour for the first 3 minutes.  Then I do what the program says from 3 minutes until 30 minutes, followed by a cool-down of about 3-4 minutes.  I've also been trying to do it as often as my schedule allows, not just the 3 times a week.  Last week I did the Week 1 program 5 times and so far I have done the Week 2 program 2 times.  Sticking to the program makes the time on the treadmill go by faster because you can break it up into segments.  I hope I can stick to it!      

Kung Pao Chicken with Coconut Jasmine Rice

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light, December 2010

I have been a subscriber to Cooking Light for about six months now.  I always try to cook as healthily as possible and I thought this magazine had good recipes based on browsing it at the bookstore.  I must say though, the few recipes that I have tried have been disappointing.  Maybe I just haven't picked good ones to try, but I will keep trying more.  This Kung Pao Chicken recipe looked good, quick, and easy...my type of dish!  It makes about 4 servings.  My husband and I actually both enjoyed it and it's something I will consider making again. 

Coconut Jasmine Rice:
Combine 1 cup uncooked brown rice, 1 cup water, 1/2 light coconut milk, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat to a simmer; cook 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.  Remove from heat; fluff rice with fork.  Stir in 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro.
           Sidenote:  If you are Asian, like me, you probably have a rice cooker.  (If you are Asian and you don't have a rice cooker, then I will judge you.)  I threw all the ingredients into the rice cooker (except for the cilantro) and pushed the button for it to cook.  When it was done cooking, I stirred in the chopped cilantro.

Kung Pao Chicken:

Ingredients:
2 tbsp dark sesame oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4 cup water
3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper (about 1 large pepper)
1 cup snow peas, trimmed
1 handful chopped, dry-roasted peanuts

Directions:
1. Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion to pan; saute 3 minutes or until softened.  Add garlic; saute 30 seconds, stirring constantly.  Add chicken; saute 3 minutes or until chicken begins to brown.
2. Combine 3/4 cup water and the next 5 ingredients (through crushed red pepper), stirring with whisk until sugar dissolves.  Add water mixture to pan; bring to a boil.  Add bell pepper and snow peas to pan; cook for 2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender and sauce thickens.  Sprinkle with peanuts.

Pad See-Ew

I grew up eating a lot of Thai food since my mom is from Thailand.  My FAVORITE Thai dish is Pad See-Ew (which is loosely translated into stir-fry with soy sauce).  For some reason, I never thought I would be able to make it.  It seemed too complicated.  As I'm expanding my cooking repertoire and gaining more confidence, I decided to give it a try.  My main challenge is that it's harder for me to find the ingredients here in NJ.  I went to two different Asian grocery stores in search of the supplies I needed.  Luckily, I found what I needed at the 2nd grocery store, which happens to have a lot of Thai products.

The two ingredients that were tricky to find were sweet soy sauce and Chinese broccoli (also called kai-lan).  You could substitute regular broccoli for the Chinese broccoli, but I'm a purist and it's one of my pet peeves when Thai restaurants use American broccoli for this dish.  I don't think there is a substitute for the sweet soy sauce though.  The one I used is a product of Thailand.  It says "sweet sauce" on the back of the bottle and on the front it says "Kwong Hung Seng Sauce" with a picture of a dragonfly.  You'll probably have to go to an Asian grocery store to find it and look in the section with soy sauces.  When I made this, I also used fresh rice noodles, which I found at the Asian grocery store, but dried noodles will also do just fine and I think they are easier to find.  Look in the Asian food aisle of your grocery store for a package of dried rice noodles.  I'm giving you the recipe using dried noodles since you probably have a better chance of finding them.   

Without further ado, here's the recipe for Pad See-Ew:

Ingredients:
1 lb. wide or thin rice noodles
3 tbsp olive oil (or vegetable oil)
6 cloves chopped garlic
3 eggs, at room temperature
3 tbsp low sodium Kikkoman soy sauce
3 tbsp thick, sweet soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp garlic chili sauce
dash of black pepper
1/2 lb. beef, sliced into thin strips
4 stalks Chinese broccoli



Pickled jalapeno peppers (Soak sliced jalepeno peppers (cut into 1/4 inch rings) in white vinegar for 2 or more hours)


Directions:
1. Soak rice noodles in room temperature water until soft and pliable.
2. Cut Chinese broccoli into pieces that are about 3 inches long.  Cut stems by slicing diagonally to ensure even cooking.
3. Mix together low sodium soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, sugar, garlic chili sauce, and black pepper in a small bowl.
4.  Heat oil on high setting in a deep pan or wok.
5.  Add the garlic and cook until browned (not burnt).  Add eggs and scramble together with the garlic.  Break up the egg as it cooks.  Once eggs are cooked and pieces are slightly browned, add the beef.
6.  Once beef is mostly cooked through, add the Chinese broccoli.  Continue to cook on high heat until meat and eggs develop a slight char and broccoli has wilted.
7. Add the noodles and pour the soy sauce mixture over the noodles.  Fold the noodles and the sauce in with the rest of the ingredients.  Mix well.
8.  Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately with pickled chili sauce.  

Chicken Pesto Pasta

We made this dish for dinner tonight.  It was quick (I made the pesto ahead of time), easy, delicious, and relatively healthy.  It's been very hot here, so I didn't want to stand in front of the stove for long.  We only had to turn on the stove to cook the chicken tenderloins and boil the water.  I didn't really measure the ingredients for the pesto, so I apologize for not having the exact measurements.  Here's the recipe for the dish:

Pesto 
Ingredients:
1 bunch of fresh basil, rinse and pat dry
2 cloves garlic
Small handful of walnuts (or pine nuts)
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:  In a food processor, add the basil, garlic, walnuts, parmesan, salt, and pepper.  Blend until everything is finely chopped.  While the food processor is still on, stream in the olive oil until it becomes the desired consistency. 

Chicken Pesto Pasta 
Ingredients:
4 chicken breast tenderloins
Salt
Pepper
Dried Basil
1 box Rotini whole-wheat pasta
Grape tomatoes

Directions:
1. Season the chicken breast tenderloins by sprinkling salt, pepper, and dried basil on each side.  Cook the tenderloins on a grill pan on medium high heat for 4-5 minutes on each side.  Remove from heat and let the meat rest for 5 minutes.  Then, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

2.  Boil the whole-wheat pasta according to the directions on the box.

3.  Mix together the pasta, pesto, chicken, and grape tomatoes until well combined.

I Did It!!!

Welcome to my blog!  I've been thinking about blogging for a while now but my perfectionist tendencies were getting in the way.  I didn't know what my blog would be called, what I would blog about, or if it was something I would be able to keep up with.  Lately though, several of my friends have started their own blogs, which encouraged me to do the same.  Also, I recently inherited an SLR camera so that I can take nice photos to share with friends and family.  So, with my husband's encouragement, I decided to start this blog.  I think the topics will evolve over time, but for now I envision it as a place to discuss some of my interests, which include cooking, home decorating, photography, and crafts.  Hope you enjoy reading!