The Bento Box Snapshot: Late Night Classes

Grad school. It can be overwhelming and exhausting with all the reading, late night classes, projects and papers, and discussions. In most cases, you have on campus nourishment to get you through the lectures when they’re taking place during mealtimes, usually in the forms of drip coffee and a sandwich.

There are some gluten free options provided such as fruit salads, chips, nuts, and meal bars, but I prefer bring my own food to ensure certified Morri friendliness. That, and it has been a substantial amount of time since I’ve posted a BBS.

Leftovers are the perfect starting point for delicious and filling bento boxes. There was some red and white quinoa and a sweet potato to enjoy, and I was feeling inspired to make sushi. The answer: quinoa nori rolls. Although I didn’t do it on purpose, the entire BBS turned out grain-free and vegan. It helped keep me alert and satiated up until class had ended at 10:00 p.m. 

(And I will admit I beamed at it with pride when more than one of my peers commented on how pretty it looked.)

Goodbye April Woes

The hardest thing after being sick is getting back into your old routine. Running two miles proved to be a lot more winding than I remember, and I could only rock climb for twenty minutes before getting frustrated and tired. I still haven’t done much yoga (not at all, actually), and I was at least able to complete seventy-five percent of my core workout, but I feel like my two week hiatus has completely thrown all my hard work out the window. Now, a week later, and I’m almost back to where I was, running three miles and climbing for an hour.

April was going to be the month of recipes and thyroid information galore. It was going to be the month I would be running at least nine miles per week. It was going to be the month I could rock climb V1s with ease. I was going to be Morri, Super Duper Gluten Free Blogger Extraordinaire, making The Perfect Recipe for this month’s Gluten Free Ratio Rally.

By the way, we made bagels.

On the other hand, I did set out what I wanted to accomplish for the week: I did exercise; I did go out into the world specifically to be social; I did make recipes; and I have been studying extensively on the culinary arts and the business behind it. My goal was to ease my way back to where I was before getting sick, and I think I did a fairly good job at it, despite not posting here every day. There’s even a new page on Meals with Morri, one I am particularly excited to make a place of information and growth.

In between my moments of angst, frustration, and little pity parties, this is probably the best week of sleep I’ve had in… months? Years? I can’t even remember the last time I’ve slept past 5:30 in the morning. But this week, I’ve been waking up after 6:30, a personal triumph in my sleep maintenance insomnia.

For now, I want to talk about comfort, and fulfillment, and presentation.

There are some foods out there that don’t look particularly glamorous or are especially difficult to photograph. I personally have the darnedest time taking pictures of beverages and condiments. Maybe it has to do with the settings on my camera that I haven’t fully mastered quite yet, or maybe it has to do with the containers I put them in, but some foods need some help in looking delicious.

Beverages, dressings, and condiments aside, pilaf is the perfect example of this.

Pilaf is a class of rice (though not always) dishes found all over the world. It is found in the Middle East, South and Central Asia, and terms for [rice] pilaf are found in Mandarin, Danish, and Greek. It’s the sort of One Dish Wonder food that can have all the fixings: grain (typically rice), meat (at least, a protein), fat, fruits, and veggies. It is closely related to the Spanish paella and Creole Jambalaya, two dishes that are definitely on my “To Make” list. Oh, and biryani, how could I forget?

Pilaf is the ultimate comfort food: nutritionally balanced, texture and flavor diverse, and able to feed a ton of people in one batch. It’s not the prettiest thing in the world, I know, but it’s one of the most adaptable and economical dish there is. Pilaf is the sort of dish you could have every day and every day it would be a little different, one that could feed a family that needs that kind of security.

This recipe is all about its personality, and not necessarily how it looks on a plate. So go on, make some pilaf/plov/pilav/pilafi. I guarantee a feeling of contentment, fullness, and leftovers for the next few days. 

Turkey Quinoa Pilaf

252 g Dry white quinoa
750 ml Water
20 g Dried parsley
20 g Fresh basil, finely chopped
1.25 lb. Ground turkey
120 ml Pino Grigio (or water, if you prefer)
30 ml Unrefined apple cider vinegar
1 White onion, finely diced
1 Carrot, finely diced
1 Celery rib, finely diced
4 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 Ginger chunk (about the size of a garlic clove), finely chopped
113 g Canned fire roasted green chiles
1 tsp. Sea salt   

Prepare the quinoa with the 750 ml water and cook as you normally would prepare it, either in a rice cooker, pressure cooker, or a large pot.
Fold in the parsley and basil with the cooked quinoa and then set aside.
In a large skillet pan on medium heat, generously grease the bottom with your cooking oil of choice (I used coconut oil), and cook the ground turkey until it is browned.
Add the remaining ingredients to the skillet until softened and remove from the heat.
Fold in the turkey mixture in with the quinoa thoroughly.
Serve warm as part of a salad with lettuce, tomato, feta cheese, avocado, hot pepper, cracked pepper, and your choice of an acidic vinaigrette.

Serves 6 – 8.

The Bento Box Snapshot: Tandoori Spiced Chicken, Lemon Parsley Quinoa Salad, & Gooey Sweet Potato

Before I write about the major flop I made the other day (think the offspring of a muck monster with a vegan muffin), I thought I’d share my night of shenanigans with a Bento Box Snapshot. 

I know. It’s been a while since I’ve posted one of these.

I’ve been working at the community center’s BASE (Before and After School Enrichment) program since last fall, and I can honestly say it is the first job I’ve ever had where I felt part of a team. We work together to help each other, to making it a fun experience for the kids that come every day, and it is a growing experience. I’ve learned the art of communication, of true conflict resolution in its purest form, and how to be a team player. Yesterday night we celebrated a friend’s new job by going to Auld Shebeen, the one and only Irish pub and restaurant in Fairfax. I had always wanted to go, and I finally had the chance!

Just so you know, the merlot is fantastic.

Anyway, as I was fairly certain not much of anything on the menu was Morri friendly (save the wine list), I made a bento dinner and ate it outside the community center, reveling in the beautiful weather before joining the group to wish our friend Matt well. 

I had a chicken breast from the tandoori inspired meal we had on Wednesday on top of a lemon parsley quinoa salad (similar to tabouli), and a perfectly baked sweet potato on the side. 

This BBS kept my tummy happy and able to be with my friends while they ate without wanting to eat the table. And come on, if it has sweet potato in it, it has to be good.

All Dressed Up Quinoa Salad

Another successful night slept! It turns out I went a bit overboard with the blanket layers, but that’s what happens when we do anything in excess. I woke up about twenty minutes before the alarm clock, though I’m just so ecstatic with actually catching decent shuteye that I really don’t mind at all. In fact, I was so energized I tackled housecleaning before work, and perhaps a blog post to boot. 

This is going to be an amazing day.

So, do you remember in my last post that I had declared January to be “Breakfast Bake Month”? Well, you may also remember that I accepted the challenge to do other recipes also, just to get back on track with blogging more often. There will definitely be more breakfast bakes, but I can definitely feel the emptiness where my “Bento Box Snapshots” used to be. This month’s Gluten Free Ratio Rally has also proven to be rather difficult, but I’m not giving up.

No sir, not I.

It occurred to me that I’ve been very, uh, bakerish lately and I wanted to do something different than using an oven and letting it do all of the work in transforming the dish. I wanted to be an active participant from start to finish, and it had to be a vegetable-based recipe as a side dish for dinner. That’s where quinoa comes in.

After not having rice as often as I used to, it was no longer was my go-to gluten free flour like it once was. Although I’m not strictly following the grain-free free, sweetener free, one fruit a day diet, my body just doesn’t crave it anymore (as well as oats, white potatoes, corn, and yeasty things). And this is coming from a gal who swore by rice cracker sandwiches.

But quinoa has really shone through the drastic changes in my taste bud preferences, and even in flour form I like it much better than I had before. When I can find it, I always go for red quinoa because of its texture, but white quinoa is most common in stores and has a pleasant creaminess to it in addition to a mild, seedy taste (well, it is a seed after all).

Looking back throughout my previous posts in 2011, I am surprised to find how many of my recipes have called for quinoa, both as flour and as whole grain. But it truly is a remarkably adaptable food, as it can be a very healthy addition to any recipe you can think of.

The following recipe was an experiment on how I could “dress up” plain ol’ quinoa with the pork. I played around with flavors and textures, and mixed up fresh ingredients in with the cooked ones. I think it needed a dressing of some kind, perhaps something sweet that enhanced the apricot and tomatoes.

Just remember, folks:  you can dress up any sort of gluten free grain to fit your needs to any meal. Play with your food, and your stomach will thank you.

Trust me, I'm a Blogger.

All Dressed Up Quinoa Salad

168 g White quinoa
480 ml Water
1 tsp. Unrefined apple cider vinegar
1/4 – 1/2 tsp. Sea salt
1 tbsp. Olive oil
1/2 Large (or 1 small) Red onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 Garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 Medium carrot, sliced into thin circles
14 g Fresh parsley, stemmed and coarsely chopped
122 g or 15 Mini pearl grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 Fresh apricot, pitted, peeled, and thinly sliced (note: you want a slightly firm one that is tart in flavor)
1 Avocado, pitted, peeled, and cut into small chunks 

Place the quinoa, water, cider vinegar, and salt into a rice cooker (or in a medium saucepan on the stove) and prepare it as you would white rice.
On medium heat, place the olive oil in a hot sauté pan and cook the onion, garlic, carrot, and parsley until the onion has become translucent (you want the carrot to have a little crunch).
After the quinoa is cooked, place it in a large mixing bowl and add the cooked veggies as well as apricot, tomatoes, and avocado.
Lightly toss with a wooden spoon until thoroughly integrated.
Serve warm.

Makes 4 – 6 servings.

The Mediterranean Table: Tabouli

There was a time that the words "green" and "leafy" were terms I didn't want anything to do with in regards to food. As a kid I’d slather my dinner salad with ketchup or hot sauce, just to avoid the crunchy lettuce green underneath. I didn’t like sliced tomatoes, only in sauces or condiments. I liked raw celery, but only if there was something creamy on top. My parents had to literally hide vegetables in really creative ways just so I'd have a more balanced diet. This went on for years, even the months prior to becoming gluten free.

But I’m a different person; vegetables are Morri’s best friends. In fact, the Burt-man gripes how large the dinner salads I make are. At most, it’s three servings of veggies… maybe.

The best thing about salads is the creative license that comes with making them. You can put anything into it, from vegetables to fruits to nuts to protein to grains. They can be vegan, vegetarian, dairy free, and/or gluten free. They can be a starter to any meal, the meal itself, or a light snack in between. It’s a beautiful concept, really.

Whenever our favorite family friend comes to visit to talk shop about community conflict resolution, we always have a Mediterranean buffet on the dinner table with a smorgasbord of meats, breads, spreads, and veggies. Tabouli (or tabbouleh) was, for some reason or another, one of the few vegetable plates I actually enjoyed during my pre-evolved palate years. It was also one of the dishes I missed after going gluten free. But there’s a way to making it without the bulgur wheat among the parsley. Sure, you can just remove the bulgur wheat, but I think the salad would be lacking.

This is the beauty of quinoa. This South American seed is a wonderful substitution for the gluteny specks. Plus, it’s filled with protein-packed goodness with a mild taste that really enhances the overall flavor.

Quinoa Tabouli

Two bushels Parsley
1/2 Medium white onion, finely diced
2 c. Quinoa, cooked
1 c. Seedless cucumber, finely diced
16 oz Cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 tsp. Crushed garlic
13 Mint leaves put through the food processor, roughly 1 1/2 tsp.
1/3 c. Olive oil
1/6 c. Unrefined apple cider vinegar
1 Lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp. Sea salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1 – 2 tsp. Black sesame seeds

In a medium pot or rice cooker, cook the two cups of dry quinoa by the instructions on the box.
When the quinoa is done, set aside to cool.
Wash the bushel of parsley and drain of excess water, then pull the leaves off the stems.
Add the remaining ingredients in with the parsley, and fold in the quinoa (this salad is quinoa-heavy, so if you want the focus to be on the veggies, use half of the quinoa).
This can be served immediately or made ahead of time and put it the fridge to chill.

Serves 6 – 8 people as a side salad.

Combatting Stress with Saucy Spaghetti Q’s and More-Than-Meatballs

I should be studying for my final exam tomorrow. I should be studying for my final(s) next week. I should be packing up my things and slowly moving back home. I should be doing a lot of things, but am I doing them? 

Sadly, no.

Instead, I’m downing a steaming cup of espresso with steamed whole milk and thinking of what to write for today’s post, trying to keep my eyes open while I await the arrival of my late dinner guests. Today was the first day in such a long time that all was quiet and peaceful (save for waking up two hours earlier than I wanted to, in tears, from a nightmare). I got to extend my morning routine past noon, wearing my bloodthirsty bunny slippers with pride. I got to run five miles without having to be elsewhere immediately afterward. Sure, I was productive; I ran five miles after all, and I did a load of laundry while putting away dishes.

This week has been stressful, and most of it had little to do with academics. I said goodbye to old friends, of whom it may be quite some time until I see them again. The boyfriend is leaving on Saturday for his annual summer internship (this time in Texas), and I am trying to be strong about that. I’ve taken a break from “grains” for a bit, and have been trying out different types of breakfasts in the morning. And after the semester ends, when I’m officially moved out of campus housing and back into the parental units’ abode, I’m cleansing my system for a week.

I’m doing all I can to take care of myself, but sometimes I feel it isn’t enough.

Just for the record, I am compensating my lack of grain intake with other food and I’m sleeping a good number of hours a night. But when I look at the study guides and the take-home exam for my four classes, my eyes glaze over and I look for other things to do.

Also, tomorrow’s exam is probably the one I’m going to do the best on (besides the take-home final), simply because it’s my favorite class this semester taught by one of my favorite professors in S/CAR. But when you get right down the things you have to do in a day/week/month like I do, life tends to overwhelm you. No matter how well you hide it, the stress builds up and all you want to do is laze on a hammock and listen to music that comforts you (Carlos Santana, Tori Amos, Chris Botti, and the Indigo Girls come to mind). 

I think I have a hammock around here… somewhere.

On Monday I told Cheryl all the things that were simultaneously going on in my life, how the calorie counting and poor body image had returned, how simply being seemed simply impossible, how the future seemed hazy, how isolated I felt from the people that mattered most to me, how I wanted to try grain-free living for a week or so, then a cleanse after school let out.

She answered my frustrations, questions, and fears with a story:

(source)

Mara Comes for Tea - Retold from Thich Nhat Hanh's Heart of Understanding

One day the Buddha was sitting in meditation in his cave while his most trusted disciple, Ananda, was outside collecting food for their next mealtime. Ananda looked up from his chores when he saw, coming toward the cave, the Buddha's nemesis, Mara. Mara was a demon king who sought to prevent the Buddha from reaching enlightenment beneath the bodhi tree. Since then he had continued to be a perpetual thorn in the Buddha's side, so to speak, cultivating greed, desire and hatred in men. Ananda new this and was immediately enraged by his appearance at the Buddha's cave.

Ananda approached Mara: "Get out of here! The Buddha does not wish to have his cave invaded by demons!"

Mara replied: "Go and ask him for yourself. I simply wish to speak with your master."

Reluctantly and nervously Ananda did as the demon king asked and entered the Buddha's cave. "World Honored One, the demon king, Mara approaches your cave and seeks an audience with you. I have already instructed him to leave but he insisted I ask you myself."

The Buddha's eyes opened from his meditation and he smiled, widely. "Mara is here? Really? It has been so long since we have spoken. Yes, yes, ready some tea and invite him in and we'll talk."

Dumbfounded, Ananda did as the Buddha asked, putting a pot on the fire to boil and then going outside to tell Mara that he was welcome in the Buddha's cave. "As I knew I would be, little Ananda," said the demon king arrogantly, brushing past the Buddha's humble disciple.

When Mara entered the cave the Buddha rose to his feet, nearly leaping into the air with excitement. "Mara, my good friend, it has been so long since we have seen each other. Please sit, have some tea and tell me why you have come to visit."

Ananda was very nervous now and listened to the conversation between his master and the demon. Mara sipped his tea slowly and then spoke. "Buddha, things are not going well. I wish to be something else. Something other than Mara."

"But, Mara, you are so good at being Mara. Remember when you sent images of sense pleasures and warnings of how difficult it would be for me to fully reach enlightenment when I sat beneath the bodhi tree? That was a fantastic job of being Mara. I really had to struggle to get where I am now. I truly owe you a debt of gratitude."

Now Ananda was getting very fearful. He did not like the idea of Buddha having a debt of gratitude to Mara. This was very upsetting but he listened further.

"Well, I suppose you are right," said Mara, "but being Mara I always have to be sneaking around in the shadows, talking in riddles and half-truths. It is such hard work always trying to think of the best things to say and do. I just...I think it would be easier to be something else. And the worst part: my disciples are now talking of non-duality, peace, social justice, non-violence...it is so frustrating being Mara. I think it would be much better if you took my disciples. Maybe we could switch for a while? You could be Mara and I could try being Buddha?"

At this request Ananda's heart really began to pound. He knew that his master had just said he owed Mara a debt and he also knew how profound his master's compassion truly was. He had seen him give to others when he had almost nothing. He was terrified that he would now become the disciple of Mara and the Buddha would become a demon king. No worse thought was imaginable.

The Buddha thought. He sipped his tea. And then he spoke: "Mara, do you think it is just frustrating being Mara? Being the Buddha is equally...no, doubly frustrating, I guarantee. You think you have trouble with your disciples? Mine put words in my mouth and write them into "sutras" that I have never said. I teach them about non-attachment to material things and what do they do? They build stupas and erect shrines in my name! They even build enormous statues of me out of gold just to pray to even though I have told them time and time again that I am not a god. And they sell trinkets in temples with my words blazed upon them. It is an absolute pain. But I do not give up being Buddha because that is what I am."

Mara sighed and vanished into the shadows. Ananda felt slightly relieved but continued to worry that one day Mara would get what he ultimately wanted.

Mara is Sanskrit for delusion, for the things we fear most and things that block our way to personal enlightenment. Mara is the demons that keep us from seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, the monsters in the labyrinth, the fears that drive us to insomnia.

It is human nature to avert our minds from the things that frighten us or, in my case, stresses us out. For me, inviting Mara to tea is a frequent affair, but it is one I like to keep short. As a conflict resolution major, we are taught to know ourselves, what our triggers are, what we are feeling and why.

Does that mean that the men and women of this discipline are calm and collected every hour of the day? No, it doesn’t. Mara is just as scary and intimidating, but I believe we can name our personal Mara much easier. 

So, if I invited Mara to tea (and maybe offer it this recipe as well), what would it reflect back to me across the table? Mara would reflect doubt in my abilities, uncertainty in my future, isolation from friends and family, loneliness from busy life I lead, lack of motivation, the frustrations of my health, my hunger, the stress of being in college… I could go on.

Naming Mara is half the battle, but it is a crucial step to getting to where you want to be. Mara will come and go, but you are the constant variable in the equation. As long as I remember that, all the current fears, stresses, and frustrations will pass.

In the mean time, as I’m all about comfort these days, this recipe took me back to those days when I was home sick and Campbell’s canned SpaghettiO’s were always in the pantry where I could reach.

So for those dealing with finals and graduation and other stressful things, I wish you all the luck in the world. Just take it one step at a time and, before you know it, it will be one less thing to fret about. And as for this recipe, anything with meatballs is the quintessence of comfort in my book.

Saucy Spaghetti Q’s and More-Than-Meatballs

For the meatballs
1 lb. Ground beef
1 c. Frozen petite peas, thawed
1/2 White onion, finely diced
1 Large egg
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. Crushed garlic

1 tbsp. Olive oil, for the skillet
1/3 – 1/2 c. water, for the skillet

For the Sauce
1 15 oz can Tomato sauce
1/2 Red onion, coarsely chopped
7 Baby Bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 Zucchini, quartered and thinly slices
Salt and pepper, to taste
Red pepper flakes, optional

For the Spaghetti Q’s
1 c. or more of Quinoa, cooked in your method of choice (typically the water-quinoa ratio is 2:1, but check the box for instructions anyway)

Combine the ingredients for the More-Than-Meatballs (excluding the oil and water) in a large bowl until thoroughly combined.
Add the oil and water in a large pot or deep skillet over medium heat.
Make the meatballs into whatever size you wish (I wanted particularly small ones, so I used the 1/4 c. measuring cup and split that into two meatballs), and place them into the pot or skillet.
Let the meatballs cook for about five minutes, then add the ingredients for the sauce.
Cover and cook on medium to low heat for thirty minutes. (During this time, you can cook the quinoa if you haven’t done so already.)
Once all of the parts of the meal are ready, place in the desired helping of quinoa at the bottom of each bowl and top with meatballs and sauce.
Garnish with your choice of cheese and/or sour cream (I used ricotta and it was delicious!).

Serves 4.