The Meal Before...Grocery Shopping

What did you make today?

Today I had to whip something up quickly for lunch but some of the usual staples were missing. I boiled some packaged pork and leek dumplings. I also boiled the broccoli before stir-frying it in garlic and scallions. I also drizzled a bit of sesame oil on it for the smell. The most creative dish was the uncooked tofu, shredded carrots, and three-cheese tomato sauce combination.

How long did it take?

It actually took around 30 minutes because I did it different stages and it was not preplanned.

How did it taste? Would you make it again?

There was a lot of variety in this lunch so that made the meal a 7.5. The brocolli was a little saltier than I intended and the dumplings were good though not exceptional. The tofu absorbs any flavor so it was a true fusion dish. Cold tofu is great for the summer months so I'm starting a little early.

Broccoli and Rice to the Rescue!

What did you make?

This dish uses brocolli, garlic, rice, and yogurt. My roommate had made some rice and orzo using chicken broth and butter and I was too lazy to make anything complicated to eat with this dish. I had no easy-to-cook protein with the brocolli so this is a rather vegetarian dish but there is additional protein from the European style plain yogurt that I added to my rice. The tang of the yogurt offsets the flavored rice nicely.

I usually boil water and drop in the brocolli for a few minutes so that it is mostly cooked before I stir-fry it in oil and garlic.

If you look carefully, there is one stray piece of baby bok choy in the dish because I wanted to taste test it. I bought a lot of fresh produce in Chinatown this morning so I wanted to make sure the pound of bok choy I bought tasted good---luckily, it did!

How long did it take?

The brocolli part of the dish took around 15 minutes. I just had to wait for the brocolli to be mostly cooked in the boiling water.

How did it taste?

It was very tasty. I liked to add extra garlic so that it permeates the brocolli. The only thing is that I miss having maybe chicken with this dish so I rate it a 7.8.

All Purpose Tofu

What did you make?




This was the first version of my lunch. There is a Chinese dish that is usually eaten during summer months that uses black preserved egg , tofu, scallions, soy sauce, and sesame oil. I modified it with hot sauce and some leftover canned tuna. Sadly, no preserved eggs this time.




I added the salad below ! Yes, an apple was part of my lunch too.

How long did it take?

I made it before work so it was a very very quick dish. I think it took 5 minutes. I sliced the tofu, added tuna , hot sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil and pepper.

How did it taste? Would you make it again?

I would give this a 8. It was a very lovely flavor combination for me and it was satisfying to eat something that was soft and still tasty when chilled. I will probably use this as a backup lunch recipe.

Cooking dinner isn't eggactly a science

What did you make?

I was starving and made myself a speedy dinner using eggs! My friend Erin would be surprised by my scrambled egg on salad combination for brunch but it tastes really good and it is a convenient dinner. I sauteed some spinach and mushrooms before adding eggs , hot sauce, pepper, and some cheese. I used tomato sauce for a bit of dressing on the salad.

How long did it take?

The mushrooms were presliced. The sauce was from a can. The salad was from a bag. The spinach was from a bag. All I had to do was combine, stir fry and put all the ingredients back into the fridge. Probably 15 minutes.

How did it taste? Would you make it again?

It tasted great because I was hungry. I would give it an 8. Simple but very satisfying. I admit it is a bit tricky to eat this without using some napkins :) I have made this again and just skipped the salad by adding more vegetables into the egg scramble.

Tofu Supreme

What did you make?

Lately, I've been searching for the quickest meals possible and tofu is a great protein without having to cook meat and it absorbs any flavor. This dish is my usual one dish meal for lunch. I still enjoy using frozen spinach and grated carrots for color and taste. Tuna in oil tastes much better than tuna packed in water and some of the oil can be used for the stir fry. I also added some hot sauce to this dish.

How long did it take?

Not more than 30 minutes.

How did it taste? Would you make it again?

I would rate it a 7.5. This meal was filling but not the most memorable. I like how if you use tuna, you dont need to add salt to your dish. At least I dont :) Grated carrots are easy to eat and you can taste the sweetness better. I admit if you look closely at the photo I didn't grate all the carrots.

Not your ordinary spaghetti!

What did you make?

I am a bit low on meat products and low on time so it is tomato sauce from Trader Joes and canned kidney beans, onions, garlic, peas, and corn all sauteed together in butter. Yes, I should have used olive oil but I wanted to try something a bit different. I also added some feta cheese and hot sauce for some creaminess and spiciness. What makes the dish different and I learned this from my Turkish roommate is adding some yogurt to your spaghetti. It is a refreshing tang and then you can even eat the spaghetti cold.

How long did it take?

The pasta is pretty quick to make especially if you use the angel hair pasta. I think it took 10 minutes and then the prep work for chopping the onions and garlic took 5 minutes and sauteeing it all before combining the ingredients took probably another 20 minutes. 30-35 minutes total.

How does it taste? Would you make it again?

I would give this a 7.5. It is satisfying and the kidney beans in particular make this dish more hearty. There is a goop that the kidney beans come in and it is quite thick and tasty and blends in well with the tomato sauce. The one issue I have with this dish is the tomato sauce I used. I dont really love it and I think it is because I'm not used to the basil. It is a bit strong for my taste