Apr242013

Bibimbap: Korea’s Perfect Meal

Let me start off by saying I’m pretty proud of myself for creating this dish tonight after a day’s worth of work and a workout. It took a good bit of work and time, but it was so worth it. Most of you are probably wondering…what in the heck is bibimbap? Well thanks to my Korean-obsessed partner, I am now blessed to the amazingness that is Korean food (and yes amazingness is a word). Bibimbap is basically mixed rice with vegetables, but is so much more. It really proves why and how Koreans are so healthy and why the obesity rate is so low there. I can’t wait to move to South Korea one day where this will be a regular meal.

You can really make it your own, using a variety of vegetables and proteins. I used this recipe and this one as well, deciding from each what I wanted to do. Chris had a so-so day so I wanted to surprise him with a Korean dinner that he would really enjoy. Now that I know how to do it from heart, I believe I will be doing this on the regular (I know that makes Chris happy).

Prep Time (for n00bs like me): 20-40 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 2.5 normal people (Chris isn’t normal)

It may seem like a lot of ingredients, but it really is a simple dish once you get the hang of it. Let’s first start off with a special sauce that is for non-spice people (Chris unfortunately can’t have spice). It’s easy and delicious.

Ingredients

4 green onions
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp sesame teriyaki
1 clove minced garlic

Directions

Chop up the green onions and put into small bowl
Pour in the soy sauce
Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Stir well

Now onto the good stuff– the bibimbap!

Ingredients

red cabbage
2 small zucchini
bag of bean sprouts
spinach
1 cup (uncooked) rice
5 mushrooms (any kind)
4 baby carrots (you can use regular)
2 eggs
1 Korean radish
sesame seeds
soy sauce
sesame sauce
garlic
salt and pepper

Directions

First off, I didn’t include cooking time of the rice. I did a running and core workout, so before I started that, I put the rice on ahead of time. DO THIS
Rinse your bean sprouts and cook them in hot water for 20 minutes. Drain them and season them with your special sauce and some salt

Bring a pot of water to a boil (doesn’t need to be much water). Grab your spinach (whether it be a bunch or separate leaves) and put into boiling water for 1 minute. Take out and drain, run cold water over it, wring it out, then season with salt and sauce.

Cut all your veggies into thin slices and sprinkle salt over

Separately, saute each veggie one by one [except for carrots] in pan over medium-high heat. You can use oil and garlic, or use the special sauce we created earlier to season and wet them. You only need to cook them for a few minutes to heat them up and infuse them with flavor.
You can either put them back on the cutting board OR have the rice ready in a wide bowl. Place the veggies in a circular fashion on the rice, leaving the middle open

Waiting for a few more ingredients..

For the carrots, just throw them in the hot pan for 30 seconds, so that they’re still crisp
For the last ingredient, throw your egg (or eggs if you’re making for two or more people) in the pan on medium heat. You want to cook it sunny side up (over easy). Put the egg in the middle

Ready to be eaten

Pour the special sauce over the top for extra flavor. And that’s it! Not so hard, is it? It looks like a long list of ingredients, but once you get the hang of it, it can be done quickly (as I found out the next night–yes, I made this two nights in a row…red cabbage goes forever!). You can cycle a ton of different ingredients into this. Whatever you have or whatever is fresh at the market. Last night, I used green pepper, beets, and tofu as well as some from the night before.

A traditional way to do this is to serve it in a hot stone bowl, so that the rice gets crispy on the bottom. I did this style for Chris, but it was less attractive as it was a little too big. But that same fresh delicious FILLING flavor.

Chris’ “plate”

It didn’t last long as we both dug in and watched Chopped All-Stars. I, of course, couldn’t finish it all so Chris ate his huge serving AND the rest of mine. Big surprise.

After we tore into it

Enjoy! And use this recipe to…stay hungry and fit!

Apr232013

The Best of Best of Boulder County 2012

This is a review of a review. Every year the readers of Boulder Weekly vote on the Best of Boulder County and while it is all opinion, local businesses love to hang their awards throughout their shops and eateries. Although we haven’t even lived here for a year, we have tried to eat and venture to as many places that our busy lives allow. We are also very opinionated, especially when it comes to food. People can claim they love food as much as me but I would challenge you to put your money where your mouth is if you doubt our hunger. So I’m essentially going to flip from page to page and rant when I feel necessary so hang in there.

The cover features a picture of Naoto Kanda, the owner of Sushi Zanmai. His restaurant won Best Japanese Restaurant. Despite recommendations from my boss, Ryan, and our family/friend, Fred, we have yet to try this location because every time we walk by it is closed. Despite mediocre Yelp reviews, we’re going ASAP so look for an upcoming review.

Before I move on, since I have already gone through the whole magazine, I would like to say that this isn’t really a fair judge of the Best of Boulder County. I would venture to estimate that 90% of the votes received are from people living in Boulder like ourselves. Other towns in Boulder County, with lower populations and population density, most likely are not fairly represented but it is a poll for readers and everyone acknowledges that truth.

Best American Bistro… who cares. I don’t eat bistro sized or priced portions typically so I can’t say much about the top five here. Best Appetizers went to The Med and the one time we went we did enjoy the multitude of appetizers that our large group got so fair enough. Who cares about best brunch? Not me. I want more meals so I break them down… not combine them.

Megan's Graduation...and Chris has Bell's Palsy here so no judging!

Megan’s Graduation at The Med…and Chris has Bell’s Palsy here so no judging!

Here is the first crime. Best Asian Fusion Restaurant. Chez Thuy won with Japango coming in fourth place. Chez Thuy was one of our worst dining experiences yet. We ordered a lot of variety and nearly everything we had was bad. Not decent, but bad. The pad thai was awful. Second worst I’ve ever had to Pong Sri in New York City. Japango was also a bad meal and the menu did not represent many Asian cultures. You want good Asian Fusion… go to Kho’s Asian Bistro in Longmont. It’s New York or L.A. quality.

Kho’s

I’d have to give Best Bakery to Spruce Confections. Their pies and croissants made our family from across the country and world very happy on Thanksgiving. Breadworks serves “fresh” bread at the Farmer’s Market and by fresh I mean stale. Dot’s Diner rightfully wins best breakfast for the bucks. Don’t sleep on The Buff or Turley’s for best breakfast even though they place third and not on the top five. And please try the Panaderia on 28th Street. It has a museum’s worth of delicious Mexican and Latin American baked choices. That should definitely be on the top five for best bakery now that we think about it.

Our latest trip to Spruce

Dot’s Diner breakfast

Us at the Buff! (that's my brother on the left)

Us at the Buff! (that’s Alana’s brother on the left)

Racks of delicious baked goods at Panaderia

Larkburger winning best burger is a sham. It was the worst burger I’ve had in town yet. Expensive, slow, small, and worthless. Mountain Sun takes the cake for me, and Mustard’s Last Stand is the best burger for the buck. Moe’s bagels and service has been awful every time that I have gone and we have Einstein’s in Pennsylvania so it wins by default for having locations near New Jersey and New York.

Tempeh burger at Mustard’s (basically what Alana gets)

Las Palmeras in Longmont has the best burritos along with some Taqueria on Lashley Street. Seriously, if Boulder locations win best burrito with the population of Mexican Americans that exist in Longmont, it’s obvious where people have eaten. Not in the right place. China Gourmet and Tsing Tao are the best Chinese restaurants. China Gourmet is one of the best Chinese food places I have ever eaten in my life. If you want a good restaurant dessert, you need to go back to Kho’s Asian Bistro or Pasta Vino in Boulder. They have a tower of puff pastry and fresh fruit greatness that tops anything I had at The Med.

Pasta Vino awesome dessert

I have no quarrels with Best Fine Dining because we’ve only been to John’s Restaurant and The Cork. Ripple and Glacier win as they should for frozen yogurt and ice cream. Tibet Kitchen should win best Indian/Nepali Restaurant or whatever category it fits best into. We haven’t been happy with any Italian yet so that’s that.

Tibet Kitchen…heaven

Snarf’s sandwiches are the best. Sun Deli has some good sandwiches as well, definitely better than Deli Zone. Best overall restaurants are Kho’s Asian Bistro and Korea House. Tibet Kitchen and Mediterranean Market are best non restaurant style eateries. Abo’s is the best slice and pizzeria… the makers of this poll don’t know what a pizzeria is. The best gyro is Med Market and not Falafel King. Kho’s and Korea house have the highest quality fish for sushi we’ve had so far. Much higher than Tora and Japango. Tibet Kitchen is the most vegetarian friendly so says Alana the veggie. It also gets the best chai drink. You can tell where we like to eat right? Well that’s enough of my ranting. I’ll stop there before we get into gyms and grocery stores and useless things. We’ll try more restaurants and have a better input for next year. Stay hungry and fit!

Alana's choice...Tuna Melt with everything from tomatoes to lettuce to hot peppers

Snarf’s

Mediterranean Market platter

Apr222013

Biscuits, Tofu, and Vegetarian Gravy

So this is a twist on the traditional biscuits and gravy. First of all, the biscuits are pretty healthy. Second of all, the gravy is vegetarian. So those are two big upsets there. And if you’re a constant reader on this blog, you know that we do tofu and we do it well. This idea came from a friend of ours from Bali. She made it for us a few weeks ago, and I know how much Chris loves biscuits and gravy, so I gave it a try and it turned out wonderfully. I took the recipe from several different places and made my own. Let’s start with the gravy first.

Vegetarian Gravy

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20-45 minutes

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp flour
2.5 cups vegetable stock
1 tbsp dried sage
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 onion [I only used 3/4 one]
1 clove garlic

Directions

Chop up the onion and garlic
In a medium pot, heat the oil and then add the onion and garlic. Only cook until soft (not brown)

Add the sage and thyme
Slowly add in the flour and cook until the mixture is a golden brown

: Now to brown…

Pour in the vegetable stock and continue to whisk and/or stir to prevent clumping. You want the mixture to simmer as long as it needs to until it thickens

Once thick, put the gravy through a strainer in order to discard the garlic and onions and let the rest go into a pot for serving.

Your gravy is ready to go! Just put on low heat until everything else is ready.

Now as you were letting the gravy thicken, you should start the biscuits. Let’s try these out, it’s a very easy recipe!

Biscuits

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups flour
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup buttermilk
3 1/3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees
Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium-sized bowl
In a smaller bowl, combine the buttermilk, olive oil and honey

Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and stir until it is well-mixed and dough-y.

On a lightly-floured surface or cutting board, knead the dough for about 12 strokes and then roll to a thickness of 3/4 inch. Mine were all different because that’s how I…roll.

Cut into pieces and place on an non-greased baking sheet
Put into oven for 12 minutes or until golden brown [this is when you start working on the tofu…]
Make sure to serve warm!

While that’s baking, quick let’s do the tofu!

Tofu

Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cooking Time: 7 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 box firm tofu
nutritional yeast flakes
olive oil

Directions

Drain the tofu juice out of the box and place the tofu on cutting board. Cut long-ways first, into thin 1/2 inch pieces
Cut short-ways, making little squares
Have a pan hot with a very light amount of olive oil and carefully place tofu on the pan, letting each have enough room to cook. I put the temperature on a little less than high (medium-high)
Takes about 5-10 minutes to cook, I use a fork to turn them over. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn on the outside, but get cooked on the inside. Turn them over one by one when the first side is done.
After both sides are ready, pop them onto a plate. Sprinkle the nutritional yeast flakes on top of each piece

Okay, so all of our dishes are ready to be put together! Let’s do this

Directions

Open the biscuits and lay the tofu on top of one half
Once the biscuits are ready, go ahead and SMOTHER THEM with gravy!

It may look like a mess, but boy is it delicious! We ate all of it up (somehow), and I was incredibly full after but it was well-worth it. We ended up burning it off while trying to sled down a hill after 13 inches of snowfall last weekend. That was a blast.

You could try this with regular gravy or store-bought biscuits, but I always prefer to make my own. I actually bought a Pillsbury can of biscuits just in case I screwed up (I obviously have incredible faith in my biscuit-baking ability), but never used it. It looks like a lot of work but, boy, is it worth it!

Cheers! And as always…stay hungry and fit!

Apr212013

Ridiculously Easy and Healthy Oat Chocolate Chip Raisin Drops

This one has no sugar or flour…OR EGGS. Wait, what? How is this possible? You got me, but it worked and here they are…delicious, warm, and gooey. I got it from this awesome blog, and added a little bit to it. I’m amazed at A) How healthy these are (just choc chips + raisins for sweetness), B) How easy it is (took me 5 minutes to assemble), and C) How good they are! You can play around with the recipe, add or subtract, have fun with it! And you don’t have to feel guilty eating them. A healthy, nutritious (delicious) snack awaiting your baking:

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Baking Time: 12-16 minutes

Ingredients

2 large bananas
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup oats
handful of raisins
small handful chocolate chips [optional]

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F
Mash up the bananas til they’re smooth and gooey

Mix bananas with oats in a medium-sized bowl
Pour in the cinnamon and then fold in raisins and chocolate chips

Place little rounds on a greased cookie sheet and place in oven for 12-16 minutes

Deeeeelicious!

And that’s it. What’s an easier baked good than that? PLUS with it being so healthy! I’m very happy I found this recipe and I have a feeling I will be frequenting it. Cheers! And stay hungry and fit!

BONUS KITTY PIC

Sleepy Sajah

Apr192013

Hungry Reviews… Snarf’s (Boulder, CO)

It’s safe to say that I haven’t tried every sandwich in Boulder. We’ve only been here so long and there are lots of places to eat so it’s hard. I have had a fair share of sandwiches from Deli Zone, Cafe Food, and Snarf’s and only one place knows how to put together a sandwich.

Cubano sandwich (Snarf’s)

Cafe Food is oversimplified to the degree that I can’t distinguish the egg from the mayo in their egg salad, which the owner claims is the best in Boulder. He claims everything is the best there but after the tuna salad and egg salad a few times, I decided there’s no need to return… ever. Deli Zone offers the best bang for your buck as there are plenty of large sandwiches at very reasonable prices. However, they fail to execute on more complicated orders than your basic sandwiches. I’m not talking about gastronomical creations either, just basic stuff like the reuben. Still, it’s on par with Cafe Food food-wise but the customer service puts it slightly ahead.

Then there is Snarf’s. I frequent the one on Pearl, at least once a week. I’ve had it as many as four times a week… and I’m a sandwich snob from the melting pot of great heroes, subs, and hoagies. Sure, Snarf’s is the most expensive of the three but it’s well worth the extra that you pay.

Stack of awesome chips

They offer simple dishes and complicated pieces as well. I usually get the French Dip at least once a week because it is extremely filling and because the au jus is delicious. I recommend not getting many toppings on your order because it distorts the natural flavors of their creations. My typical trip involves a bag of Zappo’s Voodoo Style Potato Chips, a 12″ Pro French Dip with no topping on white bread, and a black and white milkshake.

Amazing milkshake

Zappo’s Voodoo chips

Snarf’s sandwich

It costs a bit but fills me up, makes me feel good, and tastes great. I rarely have been given anything bad there, especially for the amount of times I have been. You have to get used to the crew that works there, and some can get on your nerves, but most of them are great. Snarf’s on Pearl gets Hungry’s seal of approval. Go there and you can stay hungry and fit.

Alana’s choice…Tuna Melt with everything from tomatoes to lettuce to hot peppers

Another tuna melt from another time

Note from Alana (and shout out to Santa Monicans): If it were a competition, Snarf’s could rival my favorite sandwich place from home, Bay Cities. Different vibe, but delicious sandwiches.

Apr182013

Home Workout Thursday: Push Muscle Group

Sometimes we neither have the time nor drive to get ourselves to the gym. That’s when you do a home workout. No matter what, you can always get a workout in! This workout will focus on our push muscle group: shoulders, chest, and triceps. For best results, do 3 sets. But hey, one is better than nothing! So if that’s all you have time for, that’s fine. Cardio exercises are 1 minute each. Strength exercises are until failure. NO REST IN BETWEEN EXERCISES.

Equipment Needed: Dumbbells, a floor (…)

Ready, set, go!

Jumping jacks – 1 minute
Chest press – Until failure

Triceps extension – Until failure

Mountain climbers – 1 minute

Arnold press – Until failure

Side triceps extension – Until failure

Boxing (with weight) – 1 minute
Pec flies – Until failure

Again–NO REST IN BETWEEN EXERCISES. You can, however, rest after each set. Let’s shoot for 3 sets. Use the heaviest dumbbells you can manage, really get your muscles tired and worked out. Let us know if you have any questions in the comment section below! You can always get a workout in, even if you don’t have a gym! And remember…stay hungry and fit!

Apr172013

Timed Abs: You Have 3 Minutes to Spare

I don’t want to hear that you don’t have 3 minutes to spare for a little exercise. Because you do. So let’s sit down and get it over with. “Timed abs” is one of my favorite abs routine. It’s different every time, but the technique is the same–no resting between the exercises. I first picked it up during high school track and saw its effectiveness. So, I brought to my own workouts as I grew up and also to my clients as I train them.

. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

How many exercises and/or how many sets you do is up to how much time you can spare for your health. Here’s an example routine that you can try out. Either do 30 reps or 30 seconds of each:

Crunches
Toe touches (lift your legs up and reach for them over and over)
Slow bicycles (the slower you do them, the harder they are)
In n outs (I call them rows)
Side crunches
Reverse crunches

And that’s it! It would be even better if you could do more than one set, but one set will definitely set your core on fire if you do it right. If you have the time, go for three sets. If not, do as much as you can. Put your 100% effort and work into it. The best way to show dedication is hard work into yourself.

Abdomen (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By doing this set of exercises, you are hitting each part of your abdominal muscles. Here’s a list of more exercises for each abdominal section. Let us know if you have any questions. Cheers! And stay hungry and fit!

Apr152013

Hungry Reviews… Antica Roma (Boulder, CO)

Saturday night and I am recovering from hurting myself, Alana has a cold coming on too. We rested a lot Saturday after working a ten-hour shift so once we wake up we are hungry!

Alana wanted to take a walk to be active since we took the day off of working out. Since it was so nice out, I had no problem limping and hobbling down the Pearl Street Mall to a restaurant that I wanted to go to since our last trip in that area of town. It was a nice looking Italian restaurant called Antica Roma. When we last walked past it, I loved the decor and thought the menu was reasonably priced and had good dishes. I was only partially wrong, fortunately/unfortunately.

Alana was dressed nice and I was wearing… black sweats and a black tee covered in Sajah’s hair but it was a nice atmosphere that tried to mimic the streets of Ancient Rome, to a certain degree. The waitress was nice, energetic, and attentive. Our water was never empty for too long and she was more than willing to refill our bread and help us with recommendations. I was in the mood for pesto or alfredo and they didn’t really have either. Oh well.

Menu and bread

I told myself I was hoping they wouldn’t make the same mistake that Trattoria on Pearl made… but was it really my mistake expecting decent seafood in Boulder? Why would a restaurant serve something bad? Well, who knows but moving on to what we ate.

For an appetizer, Alana got a bruschetta with avocado, goat cheese and other goodness. She didn’t like the sweet chili sauce on it but she devoured everything but the raw red onion. I got the soup of the day, which happened to be a butternut squash soup… a personal favorite. It made me quite happy. The bread was burnt bad on the outside but the inside was delicious and their sun-dried tomato dipping sauce was very good.

Butternut squash bisque

Alana’s bruschette

Alana’s devoured bruschette

Then came the entrees and I don’t know how she recommended this dish as her favorite. It was a lobster and tiger shrimp aragosta on fettuccine, but it wasn’t actually. There were two small shrimp… not tiger shrimp. There were three to five small pieces of lobster claw meat that hadn’t been completely defrosted. The fettuccine noodles were as thick as Chinese biang biang noodles and they all stuck together. It really was awful, and it was one of the most expensive dishes on the menu. This place had me hooked until this point. It wasn’t as bad as Trattoria because I didn’t get sick but I don’t know why they bother serving seafood if they can’t prepare it correctly. I understand its Boulder and it might be easier getting it frozen, but learn how to prepare it. Alana got a spinach cheese dish that she enjoyed.

My dish

All done

Alana’s dish

We took a look at the dessert menu and didn’t like the selection so we got the bill, put our 20% tip, and took our leftovers. We had a nice walk home and got more sleep! It’s a shame I wouldn’t go back because it’s so beautiful inside.

Apr132013

Tony’s Italian Kitchen: Our Favorite Pizza

Watch out, it’s another stop on our New Jersey Easter Vacation! And of course, yes, it’s another food stop… And this time, it’s PIZZA! Who doesn’t love pizza? (Awkward for lactose intolerants…) So if you read our About section, you know I hail from California. Before I went to New York, I thought we Californians had pretty good pizza. Boy, was I wrong! Not that Californian pizza is horrible, but it just doesn’t compare to New York or New Jersey pizza. Especially, Tony’s Italian Kitchen.

Us driving around Chris’ hometown

It’s easy to pass up Tony’s, it’s in a tiny strip mall along with some other offices like Chris’ chiropractor and other little places. But once you discover it, it’s a gem! Luckily, Chris and his family had been getting Tony’s pizza for years, so all I had to do was tag along. The first bite I had, I was able to declare this the best pizza I’ve ever had, and trust me, I’ve had a lot of pizza. More specifically, it has the best cheese pizza. His family very often gets it to bring it home. And then I always eat too much.

So during this New Jersey Easter trip, it was our second food stop after having bagels for breakfast. We had two of our friends with us and split a large cheese pie between us. The wait was tantalizing. And then it came out to us, sizzling and hot. We always let it cool a little so the cheese can settle. And you should always have a Peach Snapple with it too. That first bite into that pizza was awesome. We hadn’t had it for six months or so, so it was that much better!

Drool-worthy

What really makes Tony’s the best is the amazing sauce. I don’t know what they do to it, but it is so fresh. It was really difficult not to scarf it down way completely fast. The crust is scrumptious and dusted to perfection. If you think you’ve had good pizza, come to Tony’s Italian Kitchen and see if you’ve really had the BEST. Cheers!

BONUS KITTY PIC

Cute Sajah

Apr122013

The Perfect Breakfast: Warm Weetabix

When I was pretty young, my mum would have Weetabix cereal with warm milk and brown sugar. What is Weetabix? It’s a commonwealth shredded wheat cereal that’s either rolled into a circular pattern or into a rectangular block. Sounds so appetizing, doesn’t it! It doesn’t have any added bad stuff in it, and packs a good amount of fiber to boot.

I hadn’t had Weetabix for awhile, it’s not a very American thing, but I know my mum had it in New Zealand all the time (yes, she’s a kiwi–which makes me half!) and then brought it to the States for us. I was talking about it with one of my clients (why do I have the most awesome clients?) and how I haven’t had it in forever because I don’t look for it. Well, a few hours after our training session, I came to the Front Desk and found a big box of whole-wheat Weetabix waiting for me with a kind note.

So how should you eat this stuff?Most Americans would have it in some cold milk with maybe some fruit like strawberries or blueberries. I, however, was brought up to heat some milk, put in two weetabixes, sprinkle a little brown sugar on top, and then mush the weetabix into a less solid form.

It may not sound appetizing, but is one of the most delicious, healthy, comforting breakfasts. And serves as a wonderful afternoon tea or morning tea snack as well. And I owe it to my client for bringing these childhood memories back! Try it out, you actually can find these in American grocery stores now. It’s a healthy breakfast, filling, and satisfying! Not to mention, it doesn’t break the bank.