Running Through Sprinklers

Source: Vegan Quinoa Salad (altered to suit my taste/ingredient availability)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cups raw whole grain quinoa
• 1/3 cucumber, diced
• 1/4 red or yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp cup lemon juice
• 1 cloves garlic, minced
• dash salt and pepper, to taste (sea salt tastes best)

Preparation:

Cook quinoa in vegetable broth until it fluffs up, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While quinoa is cooking, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.

When quinoa is finished cooking, allow to cool slightly then, toss with vegetables and lemon juice mix, stirring to combine well. Add more salt and pepper to taste, and chill before serving.

Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition/serving: Calories: 270, Total Fat: 10.5g, 16% RDA, Saturated Fat: 1.5g, 8% RDA; Cholesterol: 0mg, 0% RDA; Sodium: 518mg, 22% RDA; Total Carbohydrates: 34.5g, 11% RDA; Dietary Fiber: 4.4g, 18% RDA; Protein: 10.4g; Vitamin A 21%, Vitamin C 75%, Calcium 5%, Iron 15%

Recently become obsessed with couscous and quinoa. This is the salad I’ve been making nonstop. I find that dividing the original recipe by four (aka the amount of couscous, chickpeas, and dressing, but keep the veggies the same) works best if you want a single serving meal.

Source: Couscous and Chickpea Salad. Slightly modified to my tastes.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water (or vegetable broth)
• 1 cup couscous, uncooked
• 3/4 cup garbanzo beans, drained (most of a 240g can)
• 1/2 cup diced cucumber (1/3 of a cucumber)
• 1/3 cup bell pepper (red or yellow are best), diced (1/4 of a bell pepper)
• 2 tbsp green onions (scallions) chopped
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp lemon pepper

Preparation:

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil; stir in couscous. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork; let cool for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, lightly toss couscous with garbanzo beans, cucumber, red pepper and onions.

Mix balsamic vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, and black pepper in a separate small bowl. Add to couscous mixture and toss. Garnish with lemon pepper.

Makes 4 servings

Nutrition/serving: 266 calories, 9 g protein, 44 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat (1 g saturated), 5 g fiber, 0 mg cholesterol, 16 mcg folate, 1 mg iron, 698 mg sodium.

I think the only way I’ll ever successfully manage to blog is to blog about one thing I will never get tired of: food.

Cinderella, dressed in yella, went upstairs to kiss her fella.
Made a mistake, kissed a snake, how many doctors will it take?
One, two, three, four…

Apparently I learned rather … different lyrics for the endings of “I went to a Chinese restaurant” and “Miss Suzy.”

I Went to a Chinese Restaurant

I went to a Chinese restaurant to buy a loaf of bread bread bread,
I put it in a paper bag and this is what it said said said.
My name is Kai I. Picolai, Picolai Kai I.
Jumbo whiskey *wallah-wallah whiskey*
Chinese dancers are so funny, this is how they count their money:
Mushka, Mushka: I see my mommy
Mushka, Mushka: I know karate
Mushka, Mushka: I gotta go potty
Mushka, Mushka: FREEZE.

Miss Suzy

 Miss Suzy had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell *ding ding*
Miss Suzy went to heaven, the steamboat went to
hell-o operator, please give me number nine,
and if you disconnect me, I’ll chop off your
be-hind the refrigerator, there sat a piece of glass,
Miss Suzy sat upon it, and broke her little
as-k me no more questions, tell me no more lies,
the boys are in the bathroom, zipping up their
flies are in the meadow, bees are in the park,
Miss Suzy and her boyfriend are kissing in the d-a-r-k, d-a-r-k, dark dark dark.
Dark is like a movie, movie’s like a show.
Show is like a TV, and that is all I
know I know my ma, I know I know my pa.
I know I know my sister wears a forty acre bra.
My pa gave me a nickel, my ma gave me a dime.
My sister had a boyfriend, whose name was Frankenstein.
He made me wash the dishes, he made me clean the floor,
he made me wash his underwear until I kicked him out the door!
He flew all over London, he all over France,
he landed in Hawai’i where he learned the hula dance!

I’m a Nut

I’m a nut. In a hut.
I stole an apple from a tree, so whatcha gonna do—kick my butt?
I’m craaaazy, I’m cuuuurious, and I’m COOL. 

Shame

Shame, shame, shame.
I don’t wanna go to Mexico no more, more, more.
There’s a big fat lady at the door, door, door.
She’ll hang me by my collar, and make me pay a dollar,
I don’t want to go to Mexico no more, more, more.
SHAME.

Down by the Banks

Down by the banks of the Hanky Panky
where the bullfrog jumps from bank to bank-y
with an eels, eyes, opus, oops,
bullfrog jumps and lands. on. YOU.

Continuing to look up info on the PPACA for 文章表現 class. It’s difficult translating the information and my thoughts into Japanese, since a lot of the vocabulary is specialized and often doesn’t have a single definitive translation.

For example, there were quite a few different translations for the “board” part of “Independent Payment Advisory Board,” but eventually I went with 機関  (独立支払諮問機関).

I went with 保険加入の義務付け for the “individual mandate” clause of the PPACA, which has been a hot topic since Judge Hudson of Virginia declared it an unconstitutional expansion of the Commerce Clause.

So once upon a time Nestle took advantage of Japan’s love of local and seasonal foods to localize and seasonal-ize KitKat flavors in Japan. Going to different areas in Japan yields different flavors that can’t be attained elsewhere (with the exception of international airports, as the picture below of a stand at Narita Airport shows).

For some examples: apple flavored KitKats can only be bought in the area around the border between Gifu and Nagano Prefectures. Caramel purin has only become available since the start of October in Halloween themed packaging.

Now, I spent my first year in Japan trying not to get obsessive about trying all the flavors (I love KitKats) but I have tried a fair few.

EDIT: (Nov 2010) I am no longer trying to not be obsessive. If I see a new flavor I will probably have to buy it and eat it :D

raspberry and passion fruit
maple
soy sauce
english milk tea
banana
ramune
green tea
caramel and salt
caramel purin
cola and lemon squash
framboise
aloe yogurt
cocoa (kutsurugi cacao)
sakura matcha
bitter almond
strawberry shortcake
potato (daigaku imo)
matcha milk
zanga (a sweet made from edamame)
custard purin
tiramisu