• Curry in a Hurry

    by  • 21 April, 2013 • 0 Comments

    Since this is the start of our two-week final exam period, you might not be seeing as much of me in the days to come. But instead of skipping a post today, I figured I’d show you the quick dinner I put together tonight. Why not? It’s not Southern food and it’s not very glamorous, but it’s good food!

    soul food sunday

     

    Making curry isn’t incredibly time consuming, but I really just need to cut corners wherever I can right now. Instead of making the curry sauce from scratch, I marinated and broiled a protein for each of us and then simmered it in prepared sauce.

    20130421-DSC08799

     

    The marinade is really good so I think it warrants a Recipage entry even though this is definitely a semi-homemade dish. I made it with chicken for Jason and with tofu for myself.

     

    Quick Curry

    by Lauren

    Prep Time: 15 minutes

    Cook Time: 15 minutes

    Keywords: entree Indian

     

    Ingredients (serves 4)

    • 1/2 c. greek yogurt
    • 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
    • 2 t. olive oil
    • 1 T. indian curry powder
    • salt and pepper
    • 1 lb. protein of your choice (either boneless chicken thighs or firm tofu)
    • jar of storebought curry sauce

    Instructions

    Cut either the chicken or tofu into large chunks (I like to do strips for chicken, and triangles for tofu).

    Whisk together the yogurt, garlic, olive oil, curry powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

    20130421-DSC08796

    Toss the chicken/tofu in the mixture and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. I like to use a ziploc bag for this.

    Preheat broiler to high.

    Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

    Place the marinated protein in a single layer on the pan.

    20130421-DSC08797

    Place it under the preheated broiler, turning all the pieces when the top side starts to brown.

    Remove from the oven once both sides are nicely charred. The liquids will probably burn on the foil but that’s totally fine.

    20130421-DSC08805

    Set the chicken/tofu aside.

    In a skillet, heat the curry sauce to a simmer. Add the cooked protein into the pan.

    20130421-DSC08825

    20130421-DSC08809

    Toss and let simmer for a few minutes before serving.

    20130421-DSC08826

    20130421-DSC08817

    Powered by Recipage

    One of the fastest meals ever! I paired it with some sauteed spinach and frozen TJ’s naan (which cooks in 2 minutes in the oven). Delish!

    Image1 (13)

     

    Have a great night! I hope your week is getting off on the right foot.

    -Lauren

    Saturday Snapshots

    by  • 20 April, 2013 • 2 Comments

    Sometimes, when you don’t have a lot of energy, and you don’t feel like cooking, and you’re about to embark on 2 weeks of final exam hell, and need a lot of naps…it’s good to just relax and have a day free of stress.

    Image1 (11)

     

    Image2 (7)

     

    Image3 (6)

     

    Image4 (1)

     

    Image1 (12)

     

    Image3 (5)

     

    Image4

     

    Image2 (6)

     

    I’ll resume freaking out tomorrow. For now, I have to get back to watching Skyfall with my hub. :)

    Thanks for reading!

    -Lauren

    Salted Caramel Banana Muffins

    by  • 19 April, 2013 • 3 Comments

    20130415-DSC08794

    All I have to say about these is that they are the BOMB. Essentially they’re just really good banana bread with, as Barefoot Contessa would say, the “volume turned up”. Turning the volume up is always encouraged in the kitchen. Especially when it involves things like salted caramel. I took a dozen to work...

    Read more →

    WIAW: Goodbye, Classroom

    by  • 17 April, 2013 • 5 Comments

    This week feels so monumental to me. Tomorrow is my last day of class! EVER. I don’t even know how this moment got here so fast. On the one hand I’m pumped because law school has been really hard and I’m ready for it to be done. On the other hand, I’ve been nothing but a student for the past 20 years, and can’t really imagine life without a classroom! My studying is not quite over though, since right after graduation we’ll be taking that little thing called the Bar exam…

    SO…this is my last week of school eats! AHHHH I can’t believe I’m saying that. I can’t believe it. Here’s what I ate this crazy Wednesday.



    Last night I was at my job until 11pm, after which I stayed up all night to finish a paper that was due this morning at 9. Jason had pulled an all-nighter too and so after turning in our papers we felt we had earned a decadent breakfast. In the time we had before we had to be in class, we went out to Aroma’s for some eats.

    Breakfast: french toast, big soymilk latté

    I was going to order something healthy (there was a veggie scramble on the menu), but Jason convinced me to get whatever on the menu sounded most amazing to me. And what sounded amazing was the Brie Stuffed French Toast. I like it when Jason is right.

    photo (25)

    Morning Snack: muffin of epic deliciousness

    Recipe to come very soon!!!

    20130415-DSC08787

    Lunch: black bean soup, garlic naan

    Image2 (5)

    Dinner: whole grain pasta with broccoli, marinara, and TJ’s beef-less ground beef

    Image1 (8)

    Dessert: piece of Swiss milk chocolate (from TRADER JOE’S OF COURSE)

    Image3 (4)

     

    I also ate a slough of undocumented samples at work. This happens every time I have a shift. Today I dipped into milk chocolate peanut butter cups, chocolate covered cranberries, white chocolate cranberry dunkers, and peanut butter pretzels. Oh my.

    Thanks for reading!

    -Lauren

    Reflections on Meat-Free Life: 60 Days Later

    by  • 15 April, 2013 • 2 Comments

    I was actually planning on writing a post after my first month of vegetarianism, but the truth is that time has been going so quickly that a month of this new lifestyle went by without me even noticing. So far it’s had it ups and downs, but I’m overwhelmingly VERY HAPPY with this life. I’ve elluded...

    Read more →

    Rest Day

    by  • 14 April, 2013 • 2 Comments

    I had fully intended on getting up early and making a nice, early Southern meal on this lovely Sunday and making an awesome post out of it. But this is the first day since Easter that I haven’t been going to classes and working all day long (I’m talking in the classroom at 10am and not home from work until past midnight) so I just decided to enjoy Sunday for what it is supposed to be…a day of REST. And boy does it feel nice. Your soul needs rest just as much as it needs food!

    soul food sunday

    Instead of an elaborate dinner, I’ll show you a few things that have been feeding my soul lately. Sometimes it’s the little things (and by things I mean food) that make life awesome.

    #1- STARBUCKS

    I have unleashed my inner Starbucks beast. Grande vanilla soy latté please, thankyouverymuch.

    790235de513211e19e4a12313813ffc0_7

    (SUPER old picture…excuse my laziness)

    For the past several years, I’ve made a concerted effort to only visit Starbucks a few times a year as a special occasion. I did that because I know how much I love their drinks and how easy it is to get carried away and spend a ton of money there. BUT since I started working last year, I decided that I deserve to frequently enjoy a treat that I love. Plus there’s a Starbucks across the street from the Trader Joe’s where I work. Plus I just got the Starbucks app and really want that darn Gold Card!

    photo

    #2- Brie cheese and crackers

    I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I cannot stop eating brie cheese. I NEVER used to eat soft cheeses, and if I did I would eat it in melted form only. I didn’t even know that anyone ate brie cold! Manning the sample table at work got me to try a few new cheeses, and now I’m hooked on cold brie with crackers. I have it pretty much every day. And every week I buy a new variety of cheese to try at home. My absolute favorite it the Brie with Mushrooms, but I’m also loving the “spotlight” cheese of the month, Pont L’eveque. It’s a soft and creamy rind cheese with an incredible earthy flavor. Jason thinks it’s nasty and smelly, and I think it’s delicious. I think interesting cheeses are to him what spicy foods are to me. Everyone’s palette is different!

    Image1 (7)

    My favorite TJ’s crackers to eat with my cheese are the stone ground wheat crackers (they look like saltines but taste even better) and the new Brioche Toasts!

    Image2 (4)

    #3-CHOCOLATE

    Of any sort. I’ve devoured at least a couple bags of Milk Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Pretzels and inhaled this sucker along with help from Jason:

    Image3 (3)

     

     

    Before I go I have a question and would love your input! I thought it might interest some readers if I did an informative post (or two) about TJ’s. What would you guys like to know? Anything about Trader Joe’s you ever wondered? What are the most tasty cookies? The products with the best value? Best convenience foods? Best wine…anything like that? I’m open to pretty much any topic. Of course I don’t represent the company in any way, but I do have a lot of experience with their products and am happy to provide my honest opinion. Let me know!

    I hope you enjoyed some rest today, too. Thanks for reading!

    -Lauren

    Jumbo Corn Muffins!

    by  • 13 April, 2013 • 1 Comment

    Since I don’t even have enough free time to eat three meals a day, Jason is helping me out again with another guest post! He’s the best husband a blogger girl could ask for. ;)

    —————–

    LWH here.  One of my favorite foods in the world is muffins… jumbo muffins.  My favorite muffins are corn and blueberry (not together).  Unfortunately, LWW doesn’t like muffins nearly as much as I do, so I took this special opportunity to make some muffins.

    20130404-DSC08623

    I got this recipe from Barefoot Contessa, one of Lauren’s favorites.

    Ingredients:

    3 cups all-purpose flour
    1 cup sugar
    1 cup medium cornmeal
    2 tablespoons baking powder
    1 1/2 teaspoons salt
    1 1/2 cups whole milk
    1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled
    2 extra-large eggs
    Yield: 7 jumbo or 14 regular-size muffins
    Directions:
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl.  Combine wet ingredients in separate bowl.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  Scoop into muffin tin (use either papers or nonstick spray) and bake for 25-40 minutes, depending on size (25 minutes for regular size muffins; 35-40 minutes for jumbo size).

    I made mine jumbo size, of course!

    [Pictures]

    These muffins are moist and delicious and have just the right amount of sweetness.  I recommend them if you like a bready type of corn muffin.

    20130404-DSC08628

    However, I personally like my corn muffins a little… cornier.  You will note that this recipe has a 1:3 ratio of corn meal to flour.  Others have a 1:1 ratio.  I think next time I might try one somewhere in between.

    20130404-DSC08639

    Still, these are certainly tasty and I will have no problem polishing them off.  They might be perfect for you!  Enjoy and thanks for reading!

    - LWH

    Last DC Weekend

    by  • 9 April, 2013 • 0 Comments

    Now that we’re so close to graduating and moving away, I’m starting to realize all the “lasts” we’re experiencing. This past weekend was my last seminar class in DC (I was learning about the evils of campaign finance) and so Jason and I stayed the night to enjoy the city for a last time...

    Read more →

    Coconut-Mango Granola Bars

    by  • 4 April, 2013 • 1 Comment

    20130403-DSC08604

    There have been a lot of days lately that I’ve been eating breakfast on the run. And by that I mean I eat breakfast on the run every. single. day. I’ve gotten into the bad habit of grabbing just a bagel or waffle to eat in the car, but I’ve been meaning to make...

    Read more →

    WIAW: Just Popping In

    by  • 3 April, 2013 • 2 Comments

    I feel like every time I post I’m just popping in to say hi because I have no time! If you’re tired of hearing me say how ridiculously busy I am, I’m equally tired of saying it. But it’s true. I barely have time to eat and get to the places where I’m supposed to be. Many meals have been sacrificed lately, which I hate. I can’t remember the last time I sat down at the table and ate breakfast…or lunch. But such is life! I’m sure many of you can relate. So here I am, just popping in again, to tell you what I ate yesterday.


     

    Breakfast: Van’s organic waffle

    Not a balanced breakfast at all! Don’t be like me.
    Image1 (5)

    Lunch: eggplant parmesan, sweet potato

    The Easter leftovers we brought home from New Jersey make very convenient lunches! This is actually a picture of my plate at the Easter party, but it’s pretty much the same as what I had for lunch yesterday.

    20130330-DSC08541

    Dinner: greens, candied yams, roll, chicken fried tofu

    20130402-DSC08562

    The tofu was really good but not perfect enough for me to share the recipe. I’ll keep working on it!

     

    I have 30 minutes to eat lunch, write a few networking emails, and change for work! Gotta run!

    -Lauren