Raphe asked for it this morning and I was happy to oblige. When I’m stressed out, overworked or just a little blue, I almost always make myself fried rice. It’s quick. It’s simple. It’s satisfying.
It helps make a crappy week seem a little bit further away.
Spam and scrambled eggs over garlic rice for breakfast was always one of my favorite things about visiting the Philippines. Maybe it was the musubi, maybe it was just the need to use up the cans of Spam in the pantry; whatever it was, the boyfriend has been converted to the cause.
Here’s our lightened up version with thin cut, crispy Spam and spinach salad instead of fried rice.
Creamy and delightful
Cake and ice cream. The only two ingredients necessary for a birthday, as far as I’m concerned. Sure, like most folks in their late 20’s I’ve been celebrating in a more, um, Dionysian fashion in recent years, but at the end of the day – my birthday! – all I want is cake and ice cream. Coconut ice cream. Preferably with big chunks of avocado.
One of my favorite things about living near Carribean folks: coconut milk is always on sale.
This, as you might predict, gets a bit tricky when you find out you have a wheat allergy. Bye-bye cake. Bye-bye maltodextrin-infested grocery store ice cream. And let’s complicate matters further with a low-carbohydrate eating plan and a craving for a birthday-friendly dessert. Sad face.
Clearly, it’s time to break out the immersion blender.
Fresh coconut is hard to come by in January in my nabe - next best thing is dried
Oh, yes. This is the point where I throw caution to the wind and embrace my inner DIY-er. I try to make sugar-free, wheat-free, dairy-free “ice cream” from coconut milk.
And y’know what? It worked. It’s creamy. It’s rich. It’s sweet (but not too sweet). I’m happy to forgo the cake in favor of a bowl of this coconut loved heaven with generous slices of avocado on the side. Birthday ice cream craving satisfied. Tummy happy. New year’s resolutions unharmed. We all win.
It took a lot of will power to take a picture before eating this
It’s Cinco de Mayo. I think that means its time to visit Cinco de Mayo for dinner!
How to Cook Quinoa in a Rice Cooker (via Gluten Free Goddess)
I can’t believe it took me so long to realize this was possible. You can cook pretty much any grain in a rice cooker!!
Six Secrets to Save You from Cooking Burnout (via Casual Kitchen)
Completely appropriate for me right now. I’m just cooked out. It’s time for a break. Or a change. Or something. If you’re feeling the same way, visit Casual Kitchen to read Dan’s suggestions for breaking the funk.
Perfect Egg Yolks (via Khymos)
This guy has creating the perfect soft-boiled egg yolk down to a science. Make sure to read both Part 1 and Part 2.
Newkirk Cafe will be Vox Pop II (via Ditmas Park Blog)
I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I never made it to Vox Pop before it closed. Raphe lived in the neighborhood for over a year before closing time and we never stepped foot in the neighborhood coffee establishment. In fact, the day we decided to give it a shot was the day that a group of devoted customers were sharing the last cup of Vox Pop coffee outside of the closed café. Patronizing the new café on Newkirk will never really make up for this, but such a new café in the spirit of Vox Pop surely deserves lots of neighborhood support.
