Featured Ingredient: Coconut

Coconut is rich in protein. It’s a favorite among fitness freaks (and CollegeCandy writers) for its ability to promote muscle growth. Coconut is also rich in Calcium, Vitamin A, and (good) fats. Studies show that it also helps maintain proper thyroid and kidney function. That makes it the perfect ingredient for a satisfying, tasty, easy, healthy meal!

You Will Need:

2 TBS coconut or sesame oil (or cooking oil of choice)
¼ cup shredded coconut
1 small onion
1/2 cup broccoli
1/2 cup carrots
1 Package firm tofu
4 TBS peanut butter (or tahini sauce)
1 TBS soy sauce (optional)
Ginger or coriander to taste (optional)

Recipe:

1.     Cut your veggies to size of choice. Cut the tofu in cubes.

2.     In a large bowl, mix your oil, peanut butter (or tahini), and soy sauce. Add in veggies and tofu and mix until all is coated.

3.     Pour mixture into a baking-safe dish and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. At this point, take the dish out and stir up the mixture to keep it from sticking. Add in the coconut. Bake for another ten or fifteen minutes, until the tofu is golden and the veggies are nice and soft.

Pour this over rice, quinoa or even some thai noodles and voila! You have a Thai-inspired dish faster than the delivery guy could bring one!

Need to cut back on the dining out to save some money? Get more awesome and yummy Intro to Cooking right here!

There’s a great many things to do and places to see in this world of ours.  As humans, our lives are pretty short (and if you party like I do, it’s probably going to be even shorter).  So we have to prioritize!  We have brains for a reason and that reason is…reasoning (well, at least some of us use them for that purpose: see comment about partying above).  Let me be your voice of reason as I show you all the things you should be doing right here, right now.

It’s hard to be sure of what to eat these days.  Health reports come out with a study against a certain food one day and for it the next.  Do I eat the egg yolk or do I stick with the whites?  Are pomegranates that good for me?  How many more vitamins do I really need to take?  It’s confusing.  And I don’t like being confused about food.  I just like eating it.

Everyone’s heard the old adage, “Everything in moderation.”  Sounds pretty obvious, right?  You can eat your egg yolk (as long as you don’t eat five eggs a day) and not feel guilty.  Even dessert isn’t off limits if you don’t gorge yourself.  So this is why I’m going to give a shout out to something that has gotten a lot of bad press lately: meat.  It seem everyone is jumping on the vegetarian wagon, what with all the new vegetarian options out there.  Hey, I don’t have anything against tofu (I actually love tofu, but that’s a different story), but I have to defend my meat.  It’s delicious, packed with nutrition, and can be used in a million different ways.  Here’s why you should eat more meat:

Stronger Muscles – Meat has mad amounts of protein.  The health benefits are endless and as college women we suffer from some of the lowest protein levels of any age group (I blame cafeteria food).  Have a steak, gobble a burger, or grab a pork chop to pump up your protein levels.  There’s a reason they make protein powder: it helps build up your muscles and makes your workouts more effective.  If that means I’m going to get more benefit from the same amount of work (true story), then I now have a reason to drag my butt from the couch and go to the gym. With a steak.

Guy Cred – Meat has long been considered a man’s domain.  Men are in charge of the grill, they are the ones who traditionally hunt game animals, and they tend to be masters of meat preparation.  If you practice a bit or even take a barbecue class (they have those), you will get major respect when you step up to the plate and pull off a perfect medium rare steak (instead of a charred hunk of flesh).  You’ll probably get a Woman Of The Year award or something from Spike TV.

Shiny Hair – Want hair like you see in the shampoo commercials?  Then save your money on expensive product and head over to your local butcher instead.  Meat, particularly red meat and fish, can make your hair look all shiny and amazing like you’re an Herbal Essences model.  This is because of the high levels of iron and protein in these foods (and the fat content, which can be beneficial).  So, not only will your hair benefit, but your nails and skin will look amazing as well.  Done deal.

Piss Off Some Vegetarians – Sure, it may be petty and wrong and you might not even know any vegetarians, but some of them deserve to be antagonized.  Whether their patched-up, baggy corduroys piss you off or their unidentifiable, stinky vegan mash makes you sick, there’s a sure-fire way to get back at those annoying plant eaters:  eat meat.  This is what portable meat was made for, people!  Hot dogs, hamburgers, corn dogs, shish kabobs, and anything else that you can eat on a stick or with your hands.  Sweet, delicious revenge.

More Bang For Your Buck – Okay, so meat isn’t cheap.  However, it does have a ton of nutrition.  So if you were to try and get the same amount of nutritional value from veggies, you’d end up paying more for the massive amounts of greens you’d need in comparison to the small amount of meat that does the same thing.  See the value?  And I’d much rather have a turkey burger than five pounds of salad.  Just saying.

Look Classy – Nothing says “I’m a classy lady” better than a filet mignon.  Or a rack of lamb.  Extra points if you can actually cook these things (and cook them well…).  Think about it: every movie that includes a romantic dinner or a expression of extreme wealth has meat.  Steak Oscar, and coffee-rubbed hunks of beef (okay, now I’m hungry) are all a great way to say, “I’m classy and enjoy great food.”  Trust me, you’re not gonna see any tofu casserole on the menu of the restaurant on the top of the Eiffle Tower.

As an Asian, I’m unable to fully understand how many Americans can’t use chopsticks. Especially my friends. I thought I’d rubbed off on them enough to take them to a local Chinese fast-food place this past weekend. Guess not.

“How can people use two little wooden sticks to eat food?!” <Looks at the food. Looks at the chopsticks. Wipes hands then digs in. With hands.>

“Is this why Chinese people are so skinny?” <Does several frantic scooping motions with the chopsticks, ultimately picking up one grain of rice.>

“I’m too hungry for this! I give up.” <Throws one chopstick on the table and proceeds to stab the chicken and veggies with the other. Makes chicken kebab.>

(All of this while the group of Asians a table over looks at us in distaste. And silently condemns me for not teaching them the sacred Chinese tradition.)

Well, this doesn’t have to be you! After you make these awesome rubber-band chopsticks, you’ll never face disgrace at Panda Express again.

Materials

1 pair of paper-sleeved chopsticks (the kind you get at fast-food joints)
1 rubber-band (thin ones work better)

Steps

1) Remove the chopsticks from the paper sleeve and separate them into two sticks.
2) Take the paper sleeve and roll-and-fold from the bottom all the way up, until you’re left with a small rectangular shape.
3) Place the folded-up paper onto one stick about an inch from the top (the top is the thickest part) and place the other stick on top of the paper, so that the paper is sandwiched in the middle.
4) Take the rubber band and begin wrapping at the very top of the chopsticks above the paper.
5) Keep on wrapping the rubber band around the two now-intertwined chopsticks (how you wrap it isn’t really important, just make sure you keep wrapping until there’s no more slack)
6) You’re done! Since the paper creates a little leverage in the middle, you’re all ready to squeeze and eat like a real Asian.

Now that you are a chopstick pro, here are some recipes for you to test your new skills on!

Sweet and Sour Wontons

Szechuan Braised Meatballs

Shrimp Fried Rice

Chinese Chicken and Mushroom Lettuce Cups

Rice Congee

Ma Po Tofu

Green Tea Ice Cream

On second thought, our fridge only has beer and peanut butter in it, so we’re good to go. Bring on the tofu!

So wouldn’t it be great if you could make that rice in your own kitchen and avoid shelling out $8 for an all-you-can-eat meal of regret?

Yeah, that’s what I thought.

Here’s the good news: you can, and it’s easy. In fact, if you ever have stray vegetables or leftovers lying around (like I do almost… oh, let’s see, EVERY DAY), it’s even easier. Fried rice is incredibly forgiving—you can toss whatever you want in there, and it will still taste great.

So here’s a basic recipe, but feel free to play around with it!

To serve two, you should have:

• Rice (about 2 cups cooked)

• Oil

• Meat or tofu (I like to use chicken)

• A little sweetness, like raisins, currants, orange rinds, or pineapple bits

• Veggies (most crucial are probably onions, and I also often use carrots, cabbage, broccoli, corn, peas, bell peppers…)

• Scrambled eggs (optional but delicious)

• Seasoning—If you’re going for Indian flavor, use chili powder, cumin, and garam masala. For Chinese style, use soy sauce, stir-fry sauce, and sesame oil. Garlic is good for both kinds, and so is ginger.

Get Cookin’:

First, stir-fry your veggies and your sweetness in a frying pan with a little bit of oil. I like to fry my veggies and meat/tofu together, but you can do them separately and then combine them later, as well. Stir-fry everything on medium heat until it’s tender and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.

Your rice should be pre-cooked before you begin stir-frying the vegetables because, otherwise, it will be too moist. So, make it ahead of time if you can; if not, try to get it done at least 15-30 minutes in advance.

When your veggies and meat/tofu are done cooking, combine them if you haven’t already. Add your seasoning, lower the heat, and continue cooking them for a minute or two until you think the spices have infused their delicious flavors into the ingredients.

Finally, add the cooked rice to the pan, and stir everything together. Turn off the heat. Add more spices if necessary, serve, and enjoy!

[Image courtesy of maona.net.]

I can honestly say that I’m getting used to eating vegan, although I did wake up in a cold panic last night thinking I’d accidentally had nonfat milk instead of soy milk in my morning coffee yesterday, so maybe I take that back…

Breakfast: Breakfast is definitely the hardest meal for a vegan. I think cereal with soy milk is an acquired taste (or maybe just always gross), and as I found out yesterday, scrambled tofu is just plain nasty. I looked up some vegan recipes online, but everything requires baking. You can make versions of muffins, waffles, pancakes, etc, but who has time for this when running out of the house in the morning? Today, I have oatmeal and a Starbucks soy latte for breakfast… again.

Lunch: Nothing. Nothing.

Dinner: I meet up with some friends at Real Food Daily in West Hollywood after much convincing. I’m starving because I didn’t eat lunch, so my plan to order something small and light goes out the window and I get myself a “Supreme Burrito” with ranchero sauce and taco mix (tofu spiced like taco meat, I think). I devour it so quickly I forget to take a picture first (for College Candy, not because I’m some food obsessed freak), which is why it looks so gross in the pictures. But believe me, it was delicious.

If you live in a city where there are vegan restaurant options, you’re seriously in luck. It’s great to be able to just look over a menu and order whatever you want without having to worry about it being vegan. If there aren’t vegan restaurants in your area, look for vegetarian ones, or check out a website like vegetarian-restaurants.net for their advice on vegan-friendly restaurants in your area.

[photo from veganyumyum.com]

I think I did a dance around the kitchen when I finally figured out how to replicate this Chinese dish so that it actually tasted authentic. SCORE! It’s a tad on the salty and oily side, but it’s sooooo good.

Ingredients for two portions: 1 tablespoon of vegetable or canola oil, about ¼ lb ground beef or ground pork, dried chili pepper flakes to taste (or red chili paste), 1 tablespoon of black bean garlic sauce, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, one fresh package of extra-firm tofu, a little bit of broccoli (optional), and 4-5 green onions (scallions).

In a medium-sized pan, heat the oil and cook the ground meat over low-medium heat. Mix it with the chili pepper flakes or paste, the black bean garlic sauce, and the soy sauce.

Meanwhile, cube the package of tofu and slice the green onions (and broccoli, if you’re using it). When the meat is completely cooked, add the tofu.

After 3-4 minutes, add the broccoli (if you’re not using it, then, well… don’t add it).

Let the tofu mixture cook for almost 10 minutes. If some of the tofu cubes crumble, that’s OK. Near the end of the cooking time, everything should be hot and at least some of the tofu cubes should be a little crispy or browned. In the last minute or so of cooking, toss in the green onions.

Turn off the heat and serve right away with white rice. Mmmmmmmmm… it brings me right back to China.