General Tso's Chicken, Hot and Sour Soup, Sticky Rice, Edamame

Last night Jonathan and I decided to take it easy and order Chinese from Chinatown. Jonathan ordered Shrimp Curry and I ordered General Tso’s.  We then proceeded to sit on the floor and watch back-to-back Bones…’cause we’re slothful like that

Usually I love Chinatown’s food—they’re an interesting place for your typical Chinese. A huge menu and an even bigger winelist—and usually, usually the food is super good. But my General Tso’s sucked last night. Too much fat, too much dark meat and just…gross. I ate maybe two-and-a-half pieces. Jonathan liked his, though.

We ate it with another Navarro wine, the ‘Edelwicker’.

Navarro Vineyards "Edelzwicker": Gewürztraminer, Riesling and Pinot Gris

Perfect match for Chinese food! A little sweet, a little full and a dry finish. Perfect for fatty and sweet/sour tastes.

Kung-fu Kitty looking for Chinese food

Ninja! From under the couch.

This morning I got up early and had a peaceful breakfast.

Spinach smoothie, Yogi Digestive Health cereal, PG Tips tea w/ milk & sugar

Loving this cereal!

For lunch I made up a couscous pilaf.

Moroccan-spiced couscous with currants, chickpeas, carrots and spinach

Moroccan Couscous

1/2 c. orange juice

1/2 c. broth, vegetable or chicken

1/4 c. water

Dashes of: cinnamon, cumin, cardamon, coriander, salt and black pepper

1/2 c. currants

1 c. chickpeas

1 can chickpeas

1 carrot, grated

Walnuts, chopped, optional

Greek yogurt, optional

Vinaigrette, optional

Spinach

Directions

Bring orange juice, broth, water, spices and currants to a boil. Add couscous and chickpeas, take off the heat and let seat for 5 to 7 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Place spinach on a plate. Spoon pilaf over spinach, sprinkle carrots, walnuts on top. Dollop of yogurt or drizzle with vinaigrette to taste.

The plan for the day is to write, run, go grocery shopping and then fix French Onion soup and grilled cheese for dinner. See ya later

Curried Root Vegetable Soup

Equipment:

Stick/immersion blender, preferably, or a normal blender

Spice Mixture

1 tbsp. curry powder

1 tbsp. garam masala

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. allspice

Dash: coriander, ground cloves

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 parsnips, peeled and chopped

1 tbsp. fresh ginger, chopped

6 cups water

1 can coconut milk, regular or lite

1 tbsp. fenugreek leaves, optional

Directions:

Mix together the spices.

Heat olive oil in pan. Add onion and 1 tbsp. spice mixture. Add the vegetables and ginger, sauté for 10 minute. Add rest of spice mixture, stir. Season with salt and pepper here. Add water and leave to boil for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Stir occasionally.  Blend either by using stick blender or by transferring batches into a regular blender. Blend until the vegetables are well puréed. Stir in coconut milk. Rub fenugreek leaves between your fingers, stir into soup.

Yum!

Today I made lunch out of Making the Cut. I wanted to get a feel for the recipes in the book.  I’ve made recipes through my fair share of diet books—South Beach, Atkins, The Mediterranean Diet—you name it.  All I can say is: how many different ways can you cook a chicken breast? Ick.

Making the Cut is a bit different. Sure, there are the go-to chicken recipes, but also lamb, beef, bean and pasta. Plenty of veggies throughout. It’s also portends to an  international flare: there are “Moroccan”, “Peruvian” and  “Pacific Rim” dishes. Interesting.

For the first recipe I tried something that, if I didn’t like it, I could easily fix: Bean Salad with Artichokes

Verdict?

Aesthetically pleasing? Check. The colors in the salad were really beautiful. Reds, greens and creams.

Taste? Umm….YES. Frankly, I was kind of surprised. The dressing was a balsamic/lemon/feta with herbs and…wow. I chilled the salad for 2 hours, but I can’t wait to eat it tomorrow.  The salad tasted sweet, tangy and savory, and there were chewy, crunch and smooth textures. Win-win-win…(the Office, anyone?)

The plan for the rest of the day: watch Barefoot Contessa (the woman is truly inspirational), Yoga flash cards, yoga, running, weight lifting, Whole Foods…ah, another typical Tuesday.  An the best thing? Our first disc of season 4 of Weeds is arriving tonight…excited? Yes.