Kim Yum Soup
I crave the broth in tom yum soup but sometimes thai restaurants I've been to use the woody parts of the lemongrass. Different thai restaurants also have widely varying quality of ingredients they use. Really whenever I've ordered it it's because I love the broth so I researched the basic flavors and adapted it. A few recipes down is my pork in the crock pot recipe - after I reduced down the sauce consisting of hoisin and the juices from the pork, I put it in jars and put one jar in the freezer and one in the 'fridge. I took maybe a half a cup of that liquid as a base for Kim Yum. Then I added a thing of chicken stock, a little water, some coconut water, some lime juice, a jar of chili sauce (I like it hot), maybe a 1/3 or 1/2 cup of fish sauce and some lemongrass I got pre-prepared in a jar. I added a little salt. I dumped all this in the crock pot, turned it on high and left it alone for a few hours, maybe 3 or 4? I lost track. I did some laundry and puttered around the house and went out for at least an hour and half, maybe two. When I came back in the house smelled exactly as I'd imagined it - like a big fat bowl of tom yum soup. I served it with spaghetti squash and ate it with chop sticks. Completely delicious.
The Low Carb Elvis
Maybe it seems simple but some no sugar peanut butter and cut up bananas makes for a hell of a breakfast.
I Feel Good
I like to have some fiber in the morning but I'm not a real cereal lover. Flakes get soggy and I don't always have the time to sit and crunch through a bowl of museli. Breakfast bars are certainly a time-saver, but they're usually just crammed with carbs. Even if it's whole grain carbs, too many carbs converts into fat and that's not what I'm looking for. So I make liberal use of my Braun blending wand and frozen fruit to make smoothies. I pump up the fiber by quickly microwaving a combo of prunes, raisins, craisins and pureeing them into the mix. I'm partial to mango or raspberries. I use frozen fruit purely out of convenience and cost savings. Sometimes I add in a spoonful of silken tofu and/or greek yogurt for protein but not always, depends on my mood.
Pork in the Crock Pot
Today I got a pork shoulder from the Whole Foods, with an assurance from the meat guy that it's good for long slow cooking. I threw it into the crock pot with chicken stock and a jar of hoisin sauce. I also tossed in some frozen onions and peppers I had hanging out in the freezer. My intent is to pull it all apart and freeze it to use in various recipes which is why I kept the flavoring to a minimum. I'll probably pair it with brown rice and vegetables.
Essene Bread
I got the recipe from this website http://www.sproutpeople.com/cookery/print/essene.html. I love the Sprout People. I tried it originally as it is written and it lacked flavor, but it was really moist and delicious. I added bananas, some peanut butter and stewed prunes and made what is better than any energy bar I've ever had. It tastes like and has the same consistency as banana bread but it is dense and loaded with fiber. Caution: sprouting grains and putting them into a dense concentration like this is a little deceiving in that it's good to have fiber but this can be too much fiber. Careful how much you eat in one sitting.
About Sprouted Grains
I have found sprouting grains to be a very satisfying hobby. To me sprouted brown rice is much tastier than regular brown rice. The sprouting the grains makes them more nutritious - it releases the nutrients and makes them into a complete protein. And it's really a very forgiving process that yields a similar theraputic benefit to gardening with less mess and less time consumption. The sprouted grains take 1/2 the time to cook in a rice cooker. I sprout a whole package of brown rice at a time and either keep it in the 'fridge or if I'm really ambitious, store some of it in the freezer for later. The sprout people website I list above is the best website I've been able to find on sprouting.
