Easy S’mores, All Indoors

Happy Tuesday, or Wednesday depending on where you live in this big beautiful world.

If you’re currently experiencing summer, any anywhere near where we live in New Orleans, you’re probably being overrun by mosquitoes, Japanese beetles, and termites. It isn’t fun to spend time outside at night, even with all the fans and Citronella candles you can find in your barren-shelved grocery stores. Add the totally miserable stress of living during a very challenging time and being under quarantine doesn’t help one bit, as you earn to escape.

May072019

Dumpling Monster (WeHo, Los Angeles)

Head over to Dumpling Monster while you still can; soon there will be lines out the door and prices will increase! Years and years ago, we wrote one of the first reviews for Sunny Blue. Even though we don’t (and shouldn’t) take any credit for their success, when we first started going there, there weren’t any lines whatsoever. Once it got popular, there’d often be a thirty minute wait and eventually the quality even dipped a bit. The two founders opened another location in Culver City and were rarely at the Main Street Santa Monica location ever. We were thrilled for their success, but it lost the magic it once had.

Something similar might happen with Dumpling Monster. The prices are great and the food is both fresh and flavorful. Most dumpling spots are either dirty hole in the walls or really high-end spots with long waits, like the two in Century City Mall. This is the perfect middle ground. It is clean, well organized and easy to access. It isn’t very busy because the shop is hiding behind a pet boarding facility on Santa Monica Blvd, but once people discover this spot it will be busy.

We first tried it for delivery and were thrilled with the price and quality of the food. We decided to go into their physical location and found the overall experience equally exceptional. My only issue was that the crispy beef roll was served with a side of sriracha. Since their other dumpling dipping sauces are complex flavor profiles, this was disappointing. Fortunately, the roll itself was so good that it didn’t need sauce.

It is only a matter of time before their delivery wait times increase, their small seating area is packed and their prices go up. It is hard to predict if the quality goes up or down, but you should definitely try it sooner than later. Being on top of the game, or in front of the pack, helps you stay hungry and fit.

They travel really well! We recommend delivery for those lazy nights.

And make sure to ask for extra dipping sauce. I usually run out halfway through an order.

Jan122017

Almond Butter Chocolate Protein Bites

This new year has been so busy already! However, I’m finding more time for creative outlets, like: cooking, baking, recipe-trying, writing, and such. It provides such a great counterbalance to the other stresses of life. Being creative helps relieve that tension, burden, and stress…at least for me it does. Hungry and I have been doing a tough if not repetitive program for the whole month of January (more to come on that later) and we need all the protein we can get to help our poor muscles rebuild each day. I follow the Minimalist Baker and was inspired by one of her recipes found here. Although this recipes differs from her original, it has the same base ingredients. I wanted something easy to pop in the mouth while still getting good nutrition. So, I came up with almond butter chocolate protein bites, and I’m really trying not to eat them all in one go. The ingredients are simple and the macros are great. They are a touch sweet with wonderful texture and you know you’re eating something healthy!

Jan062015

Vegan Mushroom “Stroganoff”

Recently, some friends and I have been having “movie nights” (actually during the day) where we eat and watch a movie. This past time, we all brought food to share. I planned on making a vegan dish that our friend who doesn’t eat cheese or soy could eat. Now, I didn’t actually make it in time for this get-together, but I eventually did successfully complete it! And boy was it worth the wait! I made a vegan mushroom stroganoff. This dish is full of flavor, with the mushrooms giving that depth and heartiness. Since we live in Koreatown, there aren’t a lot of typical noodles, so we used udon noodles! It actually turned out well. Chris has been eating it every day for work, as this recipe makes a great deal of food. Let’s get to it.

Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff

2015-01-04 10:18:52

Serves 4

A yummy substitution for its beef counterpart

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Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

25 min

Total Time

45 min

Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

25 min

Total Time

45 min

Ingredients

8 oz package of any type of noodle
1 onion
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp whole wheat flour (not all used at once)
2 cups vegetable broth
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp tomato sauce
1.5 lbs mushrooms
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tbsp rice vinegar

Instructions

Chop the mushrooms into 2 inch pieces and slice up the onions
Cook the noodles as per directions on the package (undercook them slightly)
Drain and set aside
In a large saucepan, saute the olive oil and onions
Add two tbsp of whole wheat flour and stir constantly for 30 seconds
Slowly add the broth, soy sauce, lemon juice, and tomato sauce until mixture starts to become thick and bubbly
Add mushroom, sage, salt and thyme and stir
Cook for about 5-7 minutes until mushrooms have shrunk and absorbed juice
Add vinegar and continue to let simmer for 5 minutes
Now, add the noodles alongside another tbsp of flour
Serve hot!

By Hungry and Fit

Adapted from One Green Planet

hungry and fit https://hungryandfit.com/

I am very pleased with how this dish came out, and it was inspired by One Green Planet. This is a great dish for anyone and everyone because it’s vegan and has no soy. It holds well for leftovers as well as the mushrooms continue to marinate with flavor. It’s very simple, the only time-consuming part is chopping up the mushrooms and onions, and even then it’s not a very long time at all. I’d be interested to see all types of noodles work with this, so please share if you decide to make it. It’s a perfect winter dish–full of flavor and warmth. It’s even been cold here in Los Angeles with temperatures of 39 degrees in the morning! That is cold for LA, let me tell you. Please enjoy this warm dish and as always, stay hungry and fit!

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