Jook!

The cold weather and want of a diet has brought me to crave simple foods- so I found a cool recipe for a childhood favorite, Jook, that my grandma used to make for me for breakfast.  It’s easy and cheap, and it’s one of those recipes that makes the whole house smell good for hours.

I personally like these sprinkled with chinese cabbage and salted turnips- and then to give it a little extra dose of nutrients, I’ll probably try some milled flaxseed over the top this time, too. 

Yield 6 servings

Time At least 2 1/2 hours

Mark Bittman

 

Summary

I usually make jook in the afternoon, simmering it gently and stirring it occasionally, eating a little that night but saving most for the morning — despite its simplicity, it doesn’t keep well for much longer than that. You could also make it overnight in a slow cooker.

Ingredients

• 1 cup short-grain rice
• 2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade, or water
• 1 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1/4 pound slab bacon, optional
• Soy sauce or salt to taste
• 1/4 cup crispy cooked bacon, minced, optional
• 1/4 cup minced scallions
• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, optional
• Sesame oil for drizzling, optional

Method

• 1. Wash rice, and put it in a stock pot with chicken stock or water. Place over high heat until stock boils, then add about 4 cups water. Bring to a boil, and turn heat to low. Partly cover pot, simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally and adding water as necessary (probably about 2 cups more).
• 2. Add ginger and slab bacon, and simmer for an hour more or so. Jook should have a porridgelike consistency. If it becomes very thick, add water. When done, jook will be soupy and creamy, like loose oatmeal.
• 3. Remove slab bacon, and serve jook in individual bowls. Season with salt or soy sauce, then garnish with minced bacon, scallions and peanuts. Drizzle with sesame oil if desired.

Variations

• For jook with vegetables, Step 1 remains the same. In Step 2, omit bacon. Soak 4 or 5 dried black (shiitake) mushrooms in hot water until softened, then remove stems, and chop. Add them to mix, along with ginger and 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced, and a large pinch of salt. When jook is almost done, stir in 1 cup fresh or frozen peas, and cook 10 minutes or so more. Proceed as above.
• Jook with meat: Step 1 remains the same. In Step 2, about 15 minutes before jook is done, add 1/2 pound sliced uncooked sirloin or 1/2 pound sliced uncooked chicken breast or 1/2 pound crumbled uncooked ground or sliced pork. Proceed as above.
• Jook with seafood and cilantro: Step 1 remains the same. In Step 2, during last 10 minutes of simmering, add 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined and roughly chopped, or 1/2 pound whitefish fillets, skinned and sliced (or use both shrimp and fish). Proceed as above, adding at least 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves for garnish.

new healthy recipe

In a bowl combine:

1 can black beans
1 jar salsa
1 can mexi corn
1 cubed avacado
1 packet zesty italian dressing (dry packet)

** cilantro if you like it
** green chili peppers that come in a can for taste as well

Put it in the fridge overnight to let the ingredients mix all together.

Yum.

Barnes and Noble coupons

Yay!

Non-B&N Member Coupon
10% off Coupon Code: A3X3A9B
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Run dates: 11/6-11/16

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B&N Member Coupon
15% off B&N Member Coupon Code: C3N4T4J
15% off one item for B&N Members. The additional 15% discount will be applied to the most expensive eligible item in the order. Exclusions may apply.
Run dates: 11/6-11/16

15% off one item for B&N Members with code: C3N4T4J
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on the way

So the Army Ten Miler is coming up, and I’m looking forward to it- I think I should turn in a decent time- but I’m also feeling a little strange, like I should be training harder.  My body hasn’t reacted well to the decreased training this week.  I’ve been tired and cranky and the only thing I can do about it is drink tea.  And eat fatty taro chips. 

In typical American fashion, we have found a way to turn a perfectly nutritious vegetable into a greasy, processed treat that haunts our every craving.  Yum.

Race is in two days.

Almost race day…new recipe!

Race day is on Sunday, and I’m pretty excited.  Glucosamine and fresh fruit and veggies have become a big part of my daily regimen so that I don’t get hurt; I know for many, 10 miles isn’t much, but for me, it’s not something my body really appreciates.   So I’ve been doing my best to take care of myself (aside from the occasional slip-up with wine). 

New recipe from FoodFit that sounds like fun:

Grilled Chicken with Tomato-Avocado Salsa
This recipe serves: 4  

For the salsa
4 ripe plum tomatoes, chopped or 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeño chili pepper, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 avocado

For the chicken
1/2 cup non-fat, plain yogurt
1/2 small red onion
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 4 to 6 ounces each
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper

For the salsa:
1. In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, red onion, pepper and cilantro.

2. Chop the avocado and sprinkle it with 2 tablespoons of lime juice to keep it from browning. Add the avocado and remaining lime juice to the bowl and toss to combine.
(This can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.)

For the chicken:
1. In a small food processor, puree the yogurt, red onion, lime juice and cilantro to make a yogurt marinade.

2. Transfer the marinade to a shallow bowl or a plastic bag. Add the chicken and coat well with the marinade. Refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 8 hours.

3. Preheat the grill to medium-high.

4. Remove the chicken from the marinade, discard the remaining marinade and season the chicken with salt and pepper. Grill the chicken on both sides until it is cooked through, about 6 minutes per side.

5. Serve the chicken with tomato-avocado salsa.

Serving Size: 1 chicken breast with salsa

Zucchini “Pasta” and running update

The current workout regimen:

- 3-5 mile run in the morning, depending on how I feel

- Slimmetry before breakfast

- milk thistle, glucosamine, and XS Energy with a light lunch

- Slimmetry and Invisifiber with dinner

- stretching/yoga/glass of wine in the evening

…and tea throughout the day!

More to follow- I’m stepping up my mileage a little more this weekend and will probably increase my carb intake.  In the meantime, though… 

Here’s a low-carb zucchini dish recipe from the NY Times:

If you miss pasta, because you don’t eat wheat or you’re on a low-carbohydrate diet, this dish makes a nice stand-in for fettuccine. Be careful not to overcook — it will be al dente with a few minutes of cooking, after which it will quickly fall apart. When made just right, it’s silky and wonderful. You can serve as is, or toss it with a fresh tomato sauce. Use a vegetable peeler or mandolin to make the thin zucchini strips.

2 pounds zucchini (or a combination of yellow and green zucchini)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

3/4 cup fresh tomato sauce (optional)

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, for serving (more to taste)

1. Using a vegetable peeler, cut the zucchini into lengthwise ribbons. Peel off several from one side, then turn the zucchini and peel off more. Continue to turn and peel away ribbons until you get to the seeds at the core of the zucchini. Discard the core. You can also do this on a mandolin, adjusted to a very thin slice.

2. Cook the zucchini strips in two batches. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the zucchini ribbons and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook, tossing and stirring the zucchini, for two to three minutes, until softened and beginning to turn translucent. Adjust salt and add freshly ground pepper to taste, and transfer to a serving dish. Repeat with the remaining olive oil and zucchini. Serve, topping with tomato sauce and freshly grated Parmesan if desired.

Yield: Serves four

Advance preparation: This dish is best served right away. But you can enjoy leftovers, which I like to eat cold, doused with lemon juice and a drop of olive oil.

Energy drink smoothie

Long, hard run with a friend yesterday- burnt me out a little and had me drinking water and energy drinks all day to keep up my energy levels at work. 

I found an XS smoothie recipe I’m pretty excited to try:

Grape Berry Madness
1 Banana
1 Cup Strawberries
¼ Cup Rasberries
¼ Cup Blueberries
3 oz. Cranberry-Grape XS Energy Drink
2 Cups Crushed ice

More to follow later.

Stepping up the workout plan

Increased mileage in my training has brought on a bit of soreness, and a slightly sluggish feeling in the morning when I wake up, like I just didn’t get enough sleep in order to recover properly. 

Although I don’t think anything completely replaces rest, hydration and the occasional massage to aid circulation and recovery, I’ve also found that it’s best to fill up on antioxidants- in the form of fresh fruits and veggies, antioxidant sports drinks, and the occasional serving of fruit juice.

Once I increase my mileage again in a week or two, my next step will probably be to take my nutrient intake even higher by ingesting some fruit and vegetable supplements: the two I’ll sample are Juice Plus, and Nutrilite’s Concentrated Fruits and Vegetables tablets. 

And of course I’m taking glucosamine supplements.  I’ve had to take these since my 26th birthday when my joints decided that they were angry with me.  The stuff works.  In fact, the Nutrilite formula for glucosamine actually has antioxidants and Vitamin C in it, so that’s been a huge boost for my recovery plan as well.

Two-a-days and Runners’ World treats

Yesterday was my first day of two-a-days, just to get my metabolism a nice uplift: 3.5 miles in the morning, 1.5 miles with the dog in the afternoon.  Overall not a great distance, but I liked the feeling of getting my body energized twice.  And it’s easier to do than trying to reserve a huge chunk of time in the morning for a long run before work.  It was a little harder than normal to get up early in the morning, but I had some coffee and some vitamins with breakfast, and I was good.   

Today will probably be a short run with some nice circuit training at the gym toward the end. 

As I increase my mileage, I’ll be a little more lax with my fat intake; since I’m burning more calories these days, I can actually use some fat in my diet now and then, especially if it’s good fat.  Here’s a Runners’ World recipe I can’t wait to try:

PANINI WITH BRIE, CHOCOLATE, AND OLIVES 

Ingredients

4 slices of ciabatta or sourdough bread

1 tsp olive oil for brushing on the bread for grilling

2-4 slices of brie (about 3 oz or more to taste)

2 TB semisweet chocolate chips

1-2 TB olive mixture (without pits) from a deli bar

How to Make It

Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil and grill in a panini maker until they start to turn golden brown. Place the cheese on one slice of the bread and sprinkle sparingly with some diced olives and then top with some chocolate chips (per taste). Top with the other slice of bread, then grill more on each side until the cheese and chocolate are melted.

Alternatively, simply assemble sandwich and toast in a skillet as you would a basic grilled cheese sandwich, flipping halfway through.

Serves two.

Nutrition Facts

Calories per serving: 590
Fat: 20 g
Carbs: 79 g
Protein: 24 g

Birthday weekend fun

Had a great birthday this weekend and took a little time off from working out.  I still felt pretty good and healthy going  back at it this weekend, though. 

New obsession of the day: Simply Nutrilite twist tubes.  I am putting them in my water at work to stay hydrated and recover properly from my workouts.  They taste pretty good- and the raspberry flavored one has glucosamine in it! 

Recipe of the day: in honor of the debauchery that was my birthday, I think a drink recipe is in order.

WHITE TEA SANGRIA

Serves: 8-10

1 bottle white wine

2 cups white tea, chilled

2 cups white grape juice

1 orange, sliced

1 lime, sliced

1 lemon, sliced

2 kiwis, sliced

6-12 berries, cleaned

6-12 grapes, cleaned

1 peach, sliced

1 apple, sliced

Choose a fruity white tea (peach, citrus, etc.). Brew the tea for 4 minutes, strain and chill. Fresh fruit choices can change, use light-colored fruits in bite-sized pieces. Add all ingredients to large pitcher. Serve immediately or chill overnight. Serve into tall glasses or wine goblets.