Sliced avocado with Sriracha + freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt

Lately, I've been on somewhat of a health kick. I run 4-5 times a week and I've been meticulously tracking everything I eat using an app on my phone called MyFitnessPal. Just the lone act of logging my food consumption has made a pretty difference in my eating habits. I used to mindlessly snack out of boredom (a habit that once earned me the nickname "Rolls" on a project team because I surrounded myself with 3 or 4 different types of food at my desk). But I'm also lazy - and knowing that I have to put all that into my tracker has been an effective speed bump in deterring me from grabbing fistfuls of Milk Duds and shoving them all at once into my pie hole.

One of my favorite healthy-ish-maybe-Ithink snacks is sliced avocado with Sriracha sauce, garnished with freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt. I discovered this combination one day when I had a few avocados laying around but no onions or tomatoes to make guacamole with. Out of laziness (see a trend here?) I thought, what the heck, let's substitute in Sriracha, sprinkle on some s+p, and hope for the best.



The result was decidedly not guacamole-y, but really tasty in a different way. The flavors of smooth avocado and tangy, garlicky Sriracha combine beautifully into a creamy spicy blend, all enhanced by the salt and pepper. This snack perfectly fulfills my cravings for all things spicy, satisfying, and umami. Mmm...unami.

The best part is that it is ridiculously easy to make, with ingredients that are probably hanging out in your cupboard already. The hardest part is picking out an avocado that's on the firmer side. The second hardest part is resisting the urge to blend this stuff and hook it up to an IV and live out the rest of your days in Sriracha heaven.

My name is Rose and I'm addicted to spicy ramen.

So many of my blog entries have been about trips and travels. I thought I'd mix things up a little by sharing one of my favorite things in this whole world: Shin ramyun.

Photo from asianfoodgrocer.com

Ramyun (sometimes 'ramyeon') is the Korean spelling for the Japanese word 'ramen' - a word that usually inspires images of dehydrated peas floating in Cup Noodles and memories of being a broke-ass college student. But Shin ramyun belongs in a different league. For one, its broth game is on point. The salty, spicy concoction is addicting and ultra satisfying to slurp down. For another, Shin doesn't use any MSG, which makes it a bit better for you than its competitors. And finally, it carries a top-shelf price relative to other ramen. You can find it in the Asian aisle of most grocery stores for around $2 a pack, and once you've seen the light, you can buy it cheaper in bulk.

Shin ramyun is so easy to cook - even the most domestically-challenged caveman could do it. All one has to do is boil a pot of water and plop in the contents of the package: one spice packet, another of dehydrated veggies, and of course, the noodles themselves. A common mistake is boil too much water, which dilutes the goodness of the spice mix. For every packet of noodles I recommend using about two and a half cups of water.

Photo from Serious Eats

It's definitely not an every day kind of food. Shin ramyun is like a double cheeseburger: so blatantly terrible for you that it's not even worth trying to justify it as a proper meal with you know, actual nutrients and stuff. One packet contains 440 calories, 88% of one's daily recommended sodium intake, and 40% of the same for saturated fat. In fact, the recommended serving size is only half a packet...which, let's be real, nobody on God's green earth would be able to fill up on.

Aware of its possible shortening effect on my lifespan, I treat myself to Shin ramyun only once in a while. I like to eat mine with a fried egg and keep things cool with a tall glass of milk. Each time it is so, so good. I can't get enough of the flavor - a perfect blend of spicy and seafood goodness that warms the soul and leaves the tongue in a 'hurts-so-good' state of blissful torture. Then there are the noodles - thick and chewy, a perfect vessel for the rich flavors of the broth. For me, it's the ultra comfort-food, so much so that the twenty packets I brought from the US have long ran out and the ten I stuffed into my suitcase during a trip to London have also disappeared, as both the boy and our roommate in Istanbul have become hooked - hence why I used pictures from elsewhere on the internet instead of taking my own.

If you haven't had Shin ramyun, you're most definitely missing out. Run out and try it for yourself this holiday season. Don't be tempted by the convenience of the ones in a cup - go for the packet instead as the latter is much, much better.

Rumor (aka Amazon search suggest) has it that there exists such a thing as Shin ramyun Black, a variant that promises a richer broth and dehydrated beef in addition to the usual mixings, but that sadly lacks the spiciness of the regular ramyun. I haven't tried the black version yet; every time I venture out to buy a packet, I end up caving and reverting back to my spicy ways.

In conclusion: Shin ramyun is my god and I am its prophet.

fuck it, i'm eating a chicken patty.

sometimes you come home from a long day and all you wanna do is eat a chicken patty. in my book, a chicken patty is just a big chicken nugget, and is therefore the ultimate feel-good comfort food. there's something aesthetically pleasing to its perfectly round, unassuming shape. something nostalgic that brings back memories of grade school and little cartons of chocolate milk. something about it that just says, "oh rose please eat me, i will make you so happy."

here is how i prepare my patty:

i begin by microwaving the frozen patty. i pull out some leftover kale and slice up half an avocado while it's nuking.

next comes mayo

then i add avocados

top off the sandwich with sauteed kale

and a fried egg on the side. voila!

i wash it all down with a tall glass of almond milk

there you have it, the chicken patty dinner. it may not be the healthiest meal, but it's better than my other "fuck it, i'm eating _____" default, which is ramen with roughly a billion % of my sodium intake. bon appetit!

Healthy hotel dinner

On my weekdays here in Dallas I stay at a Residence Inn. I choose to stay here over much more luxurious accommodations because of one reason only: the kitchen. It's a humble kitchen - two stovetop burners, a microwave, a basic set of pots/pans/utensils, a sink, and a fridge - but it's trusty and it keeps me from stuffing my face with Chipotle every night.

Over the months I've been playing around with different recipes for dinner. But sooner or later I always come back to this one - it's definitely become my default and favorite meal. And if I can make it after a long day of work in my little kitchen, I bet you can too!

The players: egg, quinoa, chicken broth, kale, brussel sprouts, tilapia, s+p, evoo, sriracha, and sesame oil.

In an ideal world I'd get fresh veggies and fish every day, but frozen and bagged varieties are a bit more realistic for my schedule and also keep longer.

Start by thawing your tilapia - I leave mine in a bowl of cold water for about 15 minutes. Get the quinoa going in a saucepan. I use about 2 parts chicken broth and 1 part water for mine.

Now that your fish and your quinoa are heating up in their respective vessels, it's time to face the veggies. Chop up your sprouts and place them in a pan with some evoo. I like to have the bottoms of mine nice and crispy, so I arrange them "face" down. I give them about 5 minutes of alone time in the pan because they can take a while to cook through.

Next up: kale. The Cinderella of vegetables. Not really glamorous when left neglected and undressed. But give it some water, some sriracha, some fairy dust (ok, sesame oil) and throw it in the pan - and something magical happens: it becomes delicious.

At this point your fish should have de-thawed. Since both of my burners are occupied, I continue to use my veggie pan by making some space in the middle and placing my filet there.

Tilapia and her entourage of vegetables.

Some seasoning and nimble flipping and voila, a nicely cooked chunk of fish. By this time your quinoa should be looking pretty fluffy and ready for consumption too. At this point I plate the veggies, quinoa and fish, cover them, and rest the contraption on top of my steaming saucepan to keep it nice and warm while I tackle the last hurdle: one teeny egg. Time to whip out the teeny egg pan!

I should patent this strategy.

Hold me closer, teeny pans-a.

This thing is pretty awesome. I bought it on a whim at Kroger for $4.00 and it has revolutionized the way I cook eggs. Not only does it prevent them from running all over the place as they tend to in normal-sized pans, it also has a fabulously non-sticky coating, which means gone are the days when I'm the sucker left scraping egg remnants off my pans! I highly recommend getting one especially if you find yourself cooking foreveralone a lot of the time.

Let the pan do its heat-distribution magic while you give the egg some s+p love. Then, assemble it with the rest of your goodies, et voila. You are done my friend.

I love this meal because it's simple, filling, nutritious and offers plenty of opportunity to customize or change up the ingredients. The quinoa and veggies also keep well - I usually make extra to bring for lunch the next day or to repurpose for tomorrow's dinner, when I'll make the egg and fish anew.

So there you go - a classic recipe from ole Granny Rose's cookbook. I hope this post has sparked interest in trying this meal. Or at the very least made you want to get a teeny egg pan. Because if there's only one take away from this post, it's that you should invest in a teeny egg pan. Huzzah!

Favorite simple summer meal

Ever since I took a cooking class at The Chopping Block, I've found more motivation to try different recipes and whip up home-made meals instead of giving into the temptation of ordering thai.

Some of my culinary adventures have been successes; others not so much. But today I wanted to share one that went unexpectedly well, took very little time, and is even pescatarian friendly, to boot!

The context: Early June on a hot summer day in Chicago. Hanging at the boy's condo post-work. He was feeling very tired and I was a ball of energy, so I gladly offered to whip up some dinner.

The goal: I wanted to make something summery and light that was still nutritious and wouldn't break the bank (buying groceries in this city can add up to more than what I'd pay at a restaurant, depending on the season/how careful I'm being!).

The result: shrimp scampi with Alfredo sauce and fettuccine noodles, corn on the cobb, spinach and avocado salad, and a handful of blueberries, just for that bonus kick of antioxidants.

Ta-da!

I followed this recipe from the Pioneer Woman (who is a domestic goddess) for preparing the shrimp. Then I let them simmer in a buttery-light-alfredo-sauce goodness over the stove while preparing the salad and boiling the corn and pasta.

Total time to make this was just about 20 minutes! The boy and I both loved it and were pleasantly surprised at how well everything worked together. It was the perfect summer meal - I highly recommend you give it a go!

cooking class!

last week, the boy and i got a really neat chance to take a cooking lesson with friends at the chopping block up in lincoln square, chicago. taking a cooking class is one of those things i've always had on my bucket list but have never summoned up the energy to pursue, so when i got the chance to attend one, i leapt up and rubbed my tummy and was all like oh hells to the yes!

the gist: spend an evening making a themed meal. ours was "couples cooking: night in barcelona." we made garlic bread, grilled veggies, seafood paella, and chocolate flan with the help of professional chefs and instructors. all of it was delicious and none of it was difficult (thanks to many things being pre-cut, pre-measured and/or pre-prepared).

slightly-embarrassing confession: i like to pretend like i'm a cook show host. i imagine there are audience members out there with ears perked as i generously divulge the secrets of how to most effectively chop an onion. of course all of my kitchen ware at home is worn and dull and wonky and from target and usually my cat manages to sit on whatever i've made numerous times before it is ready so it's not a very realistic cooking show. this kitchen, however, had top-notch stuff and put me one step closer towards my imagined career as ruosi ray, cooking show host.

making some flavorful flan. that pot costs $380. it was so heavy i could barely lift it. 

hungry, armed and dangerous!

my favorite thing to make and to eat was definitely the veggie salad, which surprised me because usually i ignore nutritious things and make a beeline for the carbs. one of the coolest things we did was roast peppers over an open flame and let them get real black and smokey. then we steamed them in ziplock bags and combined them with grilled eggplant and onions (pictured above). throw in some parsley, olive oil, sherry wine vinaigrette, and plenty of s+p and you get a delicious, delectable, and healthy dish. it was amazing - all the vegetables tasted so different than how i was used to them because i'd never cooked them this way before.

here is the finished meal. ta-da!

perhaps the best part was that we didn't have to do any cooking unpleasantries such as grocery shopping, annoying peeling, or best of all, cleaning up afterwards - we were definitely spoiled little piggies. the whole meal took about three hours to make, the majority of which was for baking the flan and paella. we were kept busy with making salad and bread when that was happening. the evening was well-paced and it was especially satisfying to eat our creation at the end. while this particular meal is not something i would normally make on a weeknight, it is very do-able for an evening on the weekend.

i was surprised by how inspired i've felt to branch out in my cooking and try new recipes since taking this class. i would definitely do this again and would recommend it to anyone who feels like they're going through a culinary slump. (and then invite me over so i can eat ALL the things!)