spinach bean soup

Don't be fooled by my food posts. I have been eating too much junk food and failing miserably at my one month new year's resolution.

I just made a large batch of this soup so hopefully I can get back on track. It's kind of like a white bean kale soup except I didn't have any kale and a I didn't have any white beans, so it's a spinach kidney bean soup (w/assorted veggies).

What you need:

Vegetable stock (1 box for this recipe. You can add water if you need more liquid or add more stock. I recommend stock because stock has a little more flavor than broth)
Can of beans
Mix of veggies (Confession: I keep a bag of frozen vegetables on hand because my fresh vegetables go bad too quickly)
Chopped spinach (I also used frozen)
Half and onion diced
Garlic (optional)

Whole wheat bread
Garlic Clove

What to do:


Saute veggies and onions in a pot. I added liquid amminos for extra flavor.
Pour in box of stock, drained beans and spinach. Let frozen spinach melt. Season with salt and pepper.
Let boil then reduce to medium heat and cook for 15-20 minutes.

Serve with toasted garlic bread. My favorite way to get a hint of garlic flavor onto bread is super simple. Get toasted bread and while it's hot, cut a garlic clove in half and rub the cut half onto the bread. The garlic will melt and the bread will soak in all of the garlic flavor. The bread also has a little kick. This method is also great for making sandwich bread.

It's not the best looking soup but it was surprisingly comforting and pretty good. I know it's hard to get excited about healthy food. If I cooked like Paula Dean of course everything I make would be good because let's face it, anything with a lot of fat tastes good. 

This dish is good for people who don't want to chop anything and want to make soup in 20 minutes so you can start your night watching all of your favorite t.v. shows.

dichotomies and a survey

I don't like dichotomies because I don't like being forced into a category, although I admit I am guilty of doing such things to other people. Dichotomies are incredibly reductive and force us to choose sides. Society is ruled by dichotomies, from politics to entertainment to the market place. Dichotomies even permeate minute details of our every day lives like grocery shopping—paper or plastic? We are constantly being compartmentalized.

I have engaged in several conversations for some time with other people about dichotomies and since then its presence has been quite noticeable. The other day I was online shopping (which really should be my second job) and online shops like Shoemint have increased in popularity. These are online stores that cater to your specific style. Before you can shop you are presented with a series of questions: Which celebrity’s style do you identify with most? At what store would you go on a shopping spree? What shoe would you likely wear? You pick one of three choices for every question (I realize three choices do not count as a dichotomy but I think you get my point about being reduced). When you’ve finished, you are finally presented with a selection of shoes that are suppose to be to your exact liking based on the five questions they asked you. They now know who you are. I can see the appeal in this because it simplifies choices for people but my problem is that I can’t help but wonder what other style of shoe I am missing out on because I answered a certain way. Needless to say I went back and reloaded the damn website and started all over again with different answers. I know this is a lot of time I am investing in an online shoe store but you see how it has led to this important reflection on life?

My point in all of this is that I really do not like being reduced to a type or a category but I probably belong to one or maybe I have some serious identity issues.

Now, I am going to do the very thing I just ranted about and reduce you into a type. Here’s a series of dichotomies and based on your choices, you’ll be put into a category. This survey is not based on any science or scientific method. I made up the categories. It’s kind of like writing a horoscope.

Some of the questions may be gender specific but a majority of them are gender neutral.

	A	B
1	Gay	Straight
2	Wine	Beer
3	Cats	Dogs
4	Mac	PC
5	Pessimist	Optimist
6	Single	Married
7	Ranch	Blue Cheese
8	Chess	Checkers
9	Pepsi	Coke
10	Edward	Jacob
11	Fries	Onion rings
12	Chocolate	Vanilla
13	Blended	On the rocks
14	McDonalds	Burger King
15	Heels	Flats
16	Oxford dress shoes	Tennis shoes
17	Trousers	Jeans
18	Fedoras	Baseball caps
19	Elvis	Beatles
20	Tea	Coffee

If you chose mostly A:

You enjoy the finer things in life although you have a tendency to think the worst in people. Based on your love for cats and chocolate, you are probably either gay or evil. You are single because you choose to be. You think you are better than everyone. You like to pretend you care about the planet. You are probably a liberal.

If you chose mostly B:

You like doing things with your hands and you think you can kick everyone’s ass. You’re married but you likely miss being single. Based on your love for PCs and checkers you are probably afraid of change. You are most likely a conservative.

If you chose 50/50:

You probably like both men and women. You are confused. You swing both ways politically and sexually.

Side note: During G.W. Bush’s 2004 Presidential campaign, Karl Rove (a.k.a Darth Vader) employed a similar tactic in gaining votes. He used marketing data in order to determine which way people were going to vote. The kind of beer people drank, the kind of movies people watched all were a tell on a persons political leaning. Rove somehow used all of that data to his advantage. I’m not exactly sure how. I am assuming it involved some dark Jedi mind powers. 

shopping guidelines and a very large sweater

This is a post that boasts consumerism, materialism and narcism. That's a lot of "isms" in one post.

I may have already confessed on this blog that I have a little obsession with anything that has to do with fashion (blogs, shopping online, reality t.v. shows, etc.). I am fully aware of the fashion world's ridiculousness-- people obsessing over a pair of snakeskin skinny jeans or "dying" over an extremely impractical 6-inch sequined-studded-rhinestone encrusted stilettos but yet I can't help but be amused-- even participate in all of it. I do like the occasional designer hand bag or sunglasses but I am also a little more practical. When I shop I consider the following:

1.) Is it going to suit my body?
Will this dress/pant/shorts/top make me look like a tree stump or like woman. The most important thing is that the clothing will fit me right. I see a lot of women wear really nice clothes but their look is ruined because it's ill-fitting. 


2.) Will I be able to actually wear it anywhere?
This is the reason why I do not own any cocktail dresses or ball gowns. I don't attend cocktail parties or get invited to dinner with the Obamas or The Queen (shocking, I know). I also do not often go to clubs where the dress code requires that I look like slut. I like clothes that I can wear to work and on the weekends, which is probably another reason why I do not own any suits. 


3.) Is the item age appropriate?
Will people ask me how many kids I have or will I get carded at a bar. When a woman in her thirties wears clothes fit for 21 year olds they look exactly just that-- a thirty-something year old trying to pass for a twenty-one year old. Famous people are great at being "ageless" even without the botox. I'm not sure I've found the perfect balance but what I want is to have style that is appropriate for my age group.


4.) Will I be comfortable in it?
This applies more to shoes. I am a big fan of flats. I know heels make women have better posture, longer legs and I admit when I am wearing heels I feel more "womanly" but at the same time I can feel the corns and blisters growing on my toes. 


5.) Can I afford it?
If I was really practical, I would also add, do I need it? I am terrible at purchasing things I only need. 


Now that I've told you what goes through my head when I shop I'd like to talk about this oversized sweater I recently purchased.

The sweater is like a poncho but with arms. I purchased this sweater out of guilt but I have grown to really like it. I mistakenly walked into a local boutique where I was the only customer and talk about awkward. The owner, a very sweet petite Chinese woman, was more than happy to see me. She had me try on several items and she kept calling me "Shweery" which I realized was "Sweetie" after 15 minutes of talking to her. I decided I needed to buy something because she had put so much energy in trying to please me. This sweater had no tags (unbranded) and has no size which means this sweater was probably made with the blood, sweat and tears of 10 year old kids. I dig it. It's warm and perfectly hides my food baby.

Speaking of food...

What I ate and drank today. Don't you just love Bloody Mary's? It's like a meal in a glass that makes you feel good.

my vices: potato chips and shopping

To satiate my potato chip craving without having to eat a large bag of oily chips I have finally found a way to make oil-free potato chips. I cannot express enough how excited I am for this new discovery.

I finally bought a slicer but it doesn't work very well or maybe it's operator error.

The key to getting the potatoes crispy is to soak them in cold water to get rid of the starch then dry the chips on a towel.

Lay the chips on a plate (not crowding them) and microwave for about 3 minutes but keep an eye on it before it starts to get too brown. Make sure you see a little brown it means they're crispy. Flavor the chips before you put them in the microwave.

You can use a little bit of cooking spray on the plate to make sure it doesn't stick. A paper plate will work as well.

The chips are crispy. They don't quite taste like baked potato chips but you can flavor it with garlic salt or onion salt.

That's one vice I've sort of kicked, now if only I can quit shopping.

New Year's (one month) Resolution update: 

I went shopping two days in a row because once I started, I opened the flood gates. I purchased pants, two sweaters and a necklace.

As far as losing 5 or more lbs. in one month that progress is slow. I've lost 2 lbs. since the first. 

"beautiful on the inside" (i'm sure that is a line in some annoying christina aguilera song)

In every ugly person lies someone beautiful inside. Is that how the saying goes? Anyway, I discovered this website/blog that I feel like my blog is on the inside.

Sous Style

This website is run by Pippa Lord who is the Photo Director for Elle magazine. The website is dedicated to food, cooking and of course the photographs are gorgeous as well as the subjects of the photos.

Good looking, chic and stylish people cooking food. In my mind, this is how my blog looks.

On this website, you'll find recipes, restaurant reviews, household tips and other home-related topics.

This brown rice stuffed bell pepper I had for dinner is beautiful on the inside.

I sauteed (using no oil) chopped bell pepper (I used the caps), onions, garlic, chopped tomatoes and mushrooms seasoned with a little bit of herbs. I then added cooked brown rice and Mary's Gone crackers crumbs to soak up any of the juices. I spooned them into the hollowed out bell peppers (cut the top off, spoon out the seeds and save the caps to chop up and put in the filling). I also made a sweet tomato sauce (similar to my filipino spaghetti sauce, minus the hot dogs) to go with the bell peppers. Put the bell peppers into a casserole dish with the tomato sauce at the bottom, cover with foil and bake at 375 for 40 minutes. Uncover for the last 10 min.

This dish is good for people who are beautiful on the inside and outside.

use whatever is in your fridge stir-fry noodles

I can watch a marathon of "Chopped" for hours. There's something about watching four chefs vigorously cooking ingredients like lamb testicles in 20 minutes only to have their dishes judged by chefs who are more accomplished. I am addicted to this show. Sometimes when I cook I like to pretend I'm on Chopped. I look in my pantry and fridge and see what I can make using only what I have at home. This has helped me not waste any of the food I buy and I guess it fosters my cooking creativity. The result may not always be great but as long as it keeps me fed and saves me money, it's good enough for me.

What I had in my freezer were almost empty bags of frozen vegetables and I really wanted to get rid of them. I also had mushrooms, baby bok choy and these noodles I picked up at the Asian store last week.

The one on the left are Bean Threads made out of mung beans. The bean threads turn clear when they are cooked. They have a sort of rubbery texture and are great in soups. I grew up eating a lot of bean threads typically in a Filipino chicken soup called Chicken Tinola which is ginger and chicken stock based. The noodles on the right are dried wheat flour noodles kind of like a thin chow mein noodle. The best part about these noodles is they are filling, versatile and FAT FREE!

I didn't want to make a soup so I made my weird version of Pancit (which is another Filipino dish, a lot like chow mein). 

What I used:

- White button mushrooms 

- Variety of frozen vegetables: Peas and Carrots, Broccoli and Pearl Onions

- Baby bok choy

- Bean thread noodles and dried noodles (I used 2 bundles of bean threads, one bundle of dried noodles. This makes two large-ish servings)

- Garlic chili paste (1 tsp. or more depending on how spicy you like it. You can also use just plain chili paste or chili flakes)

- Soy Sauce or Liquid Amminos, I used a little of both

- Vegetable broth for sauteeing (or you can use oil)

- A little bit of Sesame Oil (at the end. This is optional)

- *Microwaved Brussels Sprouts - This is also optional. I added this on top because I had leftovers. 

What to do:

Using hot water from the faucet, in a bowl soak the noodles until they come apart and are soft. I recommend breaking up the noodles in half so you don't have really really long strands of noodles making it a little difficult to eat.

Meanwhile in a wok with some vegetable broth, cook up the frozen veggies and mushrooms. Season with soy sauce/liquid amminos, salt and pepper and chili paste. You can add a little bit of ground up ginger. Cook and taste and add seasonings as you go. 

Drain the noodles then add them into the wok. Put the flame on low-medium. Toss and add more soy sauce or liquid amminos if you want. The vegetable mushroom mixture will be a little watery if you use frozen veggies but that is ok because the noodles will soak up all of that liquid making them really flavorful. If the noodles start to get dry and stick to the pan, add a little bit of water or vegetable broth.

Take off the heat and fold in the baby bok choy until it wilts.

baked onion rings and stuffed mushrooms

I grocery shopped on Amazon* and I received a 6 month supply of Mary's Gone Crackers Crumbs. I've already talked about how much I love Mary's Gone Crackers and the crumbs are just ground up crackers and you can use them in place of bread crumbs.

I tried using the crumbs in two dishes.


Baked Onion Rings (oil and dairy free)


What you need:


- Vidalia onions
- 1 cup of Soy or Almond milk 
- 1/2 cup of whole wheat pastry flour (I like to use pastry flour because it is lighter than whole wheat flour. You can also use white flour)
- 2 tbs. of corn starch
- 1 tsp. of apple cider vinegar
- Mary's Gone Cracker Crumbs (or whole wheat bread crumbs. If you use Mary's gone crackers or pre-made crumbs you don't need to season)


What to do:


Set the oven to 450 degrees


Cut the onions into rings about 1/3 inch thick (I haven't received my onions goggles so I was teary eyed once again).


Combine the flour and corn starch in a bowl and whisk in the milk making sure there are no lumps.


Put crumbs in another plate and set up a dipping station.

Dip the onions in the batter, then the crumbs making sure you coat the onion ring. I recommend using a fork when taking the onion out of the crumbs to help keep the crumbs in tact on the onion.

Place on a baking sheet (make sure it is non stick if you aren't greasing the pan. I highly recommend using a Silpat or something like it. Totally worth buying one, you never have to grease a pan. Ever.).

Bake for about 8 minutes, then turn over and bake for another 6 minutes. Let sit for a minute, then enjoy.

These onion rings were super crispy, light and full of flavor. I love how they are not greasy at all and the batter isn't too heavy. 


Stuffed Mushrooms (oil-free)


What you need:


- Whole white button mushrooms stems removed but save the stems!
- Onions
- Seasonings of your choosing
- Garlic minced (optional)
- Mary's Gone Cracker crumbs (or another type of bread crumb)
- Vegetable broth

What to do:


Set your oven to 350-375 degrees

Remove stems from the mushrooms, but save them. Clean the mushroom caps with a damp cloth.

Cut the bottom (the brown dirty) part of the stems, then chop into small pieces. Chop the onions to about the same size as the mushroom stems.


Saute the mushrooms and onions in a pan using vegetable broth. Make sure to season well, but if you are using pre-made crumbs you don't have to season as much. Cook until onions are translucent, then add crumbs. let crumbs soak up any liquids. Taste the filling and season as desired. You can also add a little bit of liquid amminos (which I did) for added flavor.

Bake for about 20 min or until the cap is soft and the top is browned.

The stuffed mushrooms are packed with flavor using the crumbs. 

These dishes required a little more work than I like but if you have time, I highly recommend trying to make them.

*Grocery shopping on Amazon seems like something I can really get into. The only problem is everything they sell is in bulk and I don't really need 200 packets of ketchup or 1 gallon of ketchup.

the (one-month) new year's resolution

1.) Not spend any money on clothes, shoes, accessories, etc. (anything that is not a necessity).

2.) Eat healthier and lose anywhere between 5-10 lbs. 

3.) Finish my thesis so I can finally have a Master's degree.

4.) Be nicer to people, I guess.

These are concrete (aside from #3) goals that I have decided to set for myself for one month which seems do-able. Number 2 is part of a larger goal I have. In about 6 months (June) I turn 30 and I would like to lose 30 lbs. by then (30 before 30, catchy right?). I don't really have a strategy for this except that I am going to mainly do a plant-based oil free diet and more exercise. I've decided to eat this way because when I did a month trial in October, I actually felt really good health-wise. I never felt sluggish, I hardly had any stomach aches and I never had heartburn. 

Numbers 3 and 4 are ongoing. 

I find that blogging about the progress of my goals helps me keep on track even if no one ends up reading the posts.

I think the most difficult of the 4 resolutions will be 1, 3 and 4. Two days into the new year and I almost bought a pair of jeans (but I couldn't find my size) and I was mean to Asians at the Asian grocery store. They deserved it. They couldn't drive their shopping carts like they way they can't drive their cars. It's ok, I can say things like that and have it not be racist because I'm Asian. 

holiday relief

I have a confession to make. I am relieved the holidays are over--mainly Christmas and New Year's Eve. To me, there seems to be too much pressure surrounding the holidays. No one wants to be the one who gets crappy presents or be the jerk who gives no presents (or maybe people do want to be that person?). Also, no one wants to be the loser who stays home alone on New Year's Eve and falls asleep early but maybe sometimes we do and that's okay. We just don't want to have to tell people that's what we did on NYE because you get the aww-how-sad-you-have-no-friends-and-you're-single face. Anyway, I enjoyed Christmas (I received great presents and I gave presents), NYE (I didn't spend it home alone) and time off work but I am glad things are going back to my normal routine. (<--- That statement just made it official. I am old, maybe older than I should be).

Here are some snapshots from my holidays.

Lawn chairs in my living room. Classy Christmas in my household.

Do I blend in with the teens? NYE Fireworks with my nieces.


I hope you enjoyed your holidays even if you did get crappy gifts and spent NYE alone. More power to you. *raises fist and nods head once* (<-- LOL)

no fuss brown rice bean casserole

This dish involves only one pot, opening packages and cans, NO slicing.

What you need

-Frozen brown rice with black beans. This one I got from Whole Foods but you can use frozen brown rice (fresh steamers) and a can of black beans (liquid drained)
-Jar of salsa (I used medium and that was not very spicy). For two packets of rice, use a large jar of salsa.
-1 can of corn or frozen corn (if using can, drain liquid)
-Corn tortilla (optional)
-grated cheddar cheese (optional). I didn't use cheese in my dish.

What to do


Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour all of the ingredients except corn tortilla and cheese if you're using it in a casserole dish and mix. Crumble corn tortilla on top. (You can sprinkle the cheese on top, then add tortillas).

Bake for 30-40 min and you're done! Let sit for a few minutes to let the dish set (let the rice absorb the liquids).

You don't have to add any seasoning but you can. The corn tortillas get crunchy but a little chewy so you can add already made tortilla chips at the end. I made a plant-based oil free version of this dish and I enjoyed it very much.