Shrimp Tacos

This one also came directly out of Cooking Light’s August 2013 issue.  I’ll be honest- the corn relish makes this thing happen. More specifically, the lime juice in the corn relish makes this thing happen. The flavor was fresh and the meal was not heavy at all. Very light and delicious for summer. I highly recommend making it now while corn is still fresh on the market!!

2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears- please note that the original recipe called for 1 cup. I frankly  just felt this wasn’t enough and after making it, I was right. I’m glad I went with the 2 cups for 3 people)

1 ½ teaspoons olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped green onions

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (I didn’t add this in, but left it on the side for people to decide. Also, I gave an option for parsley instead. If you want to pick one, I will say that the cilantro was the better option with the lime juice)

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 diced peeled avocado

Cooking Spray

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 teaspoons honey

¼ cup light sour cream

8 corn tortillas (I got gluten free)

Preheat boiler to high (I had mine set on 550, although my pan started to warp, so I’d probably go to 400F next time). Combine corn and oil in small bowl; toss gently to coat. Arrange corn in an even layer on a jelly-roll pan; broil 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Combine corn, onions, cilantro, 1 tablespoon juice, salt, pepper, and avocado in a medium bowl; toss gently.

Heat a large grill pan over medium high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Combine shrimp, 1 tablespoon juice, and honey in a medium bowl; toss to coat. Add shrimp to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done.

NOTE: I did this step differently. I skewered my shrimp and broiled them at 400F after mixing them in the juice/honey concoction.

Combine sour cream and remaining 1 tablespoon juice in a small bowl. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Place 2 tortillas on each of 4 plates. Top each tortilla with about ¼ cup corn mixture, about 4 shrimp, and 1 ½ teaspoons sour cream mixture.

Serves 4

Enjoy!!

Sour Cream and Onion Dip

This one comes directly out of Cooking Light’s August 2013 issue.  It was quite delightful and smooth. I dipped carrots, celery, lentil chips, and orange bell pepper.  The carrots and lentil chips were my favorite options. The dip was really delightful and extremely fast and easy to make. I highly recommend it for casual parties.

I did make some tweaks, though since the recipe originally called for canola oil (mmm..healthy…NOT) and canola mayonnaise.  See below:

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 cups finely chopped sweet yellow onion (it took me 2 onions to reach this- one large and one small)

1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

¼ teaspoon salt, divided

1 cup reduced fat sour cream

½ cup safflower mayonnaise

2 tablespoons minced fresh chives, divided

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper (they originally used white, though)

Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, garlic, and 1/8 teaspoon salt; cook 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Cool onion mixture slightly.

Combine sour cream, mayonnaise, 1 ½ tablespoons chives, pepper, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add onion mixture; stir well. Top with remaining 1 ½ teaspoons chives.

Serves 12

Enjoy!

MANE-tenance Talk

In keeping with my theme this year to use and ingest more natural, quality products in my diet, I’ve decided to do the same with my hair.  Having my hair cut short has really given me an opportunity to see what truly works for my hair and what doesn’t.  There have been some surprises along the way. Below are some of the products I’ve experimented with over the past couple of weeks.

Moroccan Oil: Regardless of whether this is still a fad or not, I can honestly say that this doesn’t do anything for my hair. In fact, it really just dries it out. I’ve noticed over the past week or two that not only does my hair lose some of its curl when I use this, but mid-day, my mane is just looking shaggy as anything. I am not a fan.

Coconut Oil:  This was a surprise for me since I’ve been using this for a little while. Shockingly enough, this also does not do anything for my hair except dry it out in the end. At first it seems to really respond, but then it somehow falls flat. I used to put it on my hair the night before I’d shampoo it, but I noticed the last time I did this not only did it just kind of cake on my hair and not soak in, but my hair also kind of dried out a little bit. It was just weird. I am also not a fan.

Olive oil: Finally, something that works! My hair perks up and darkens nicely when I use olive oil. The only downside is I smell like a salad for a few hours.

Macademia Nut Oil: This one’s expensive, but man does it work!!  My hair really responds nicely to this. All of the curl comes back to my hair and it gets dark. I am a HUGE fan. This is my number one oil choice.

Yogurt:  I am also a HUGE fan of treating my hair with a yogurt mask. If you want some extra protein, you can add an egg or egg white to it and then put it in. This really worked. My hair grew a lot within the week after I did that. I’ve also used a yogurt mask with olive oil in it, and that worked nicely as well. What’s nice about the yogurt is that it is a gentle cleanser, it gets rid of dandruff, and if you have curly hair it gives your curls a nice boost. I highly recommend this treatment.

Honest Hair Nothing But Curl Wake-Up Spray: I’ll be honest—I’m not quite sure what this spray “wakes up”. I don’t really see a difference in my hair when I use this product and once I run out (it doesn’t harm it, it just doesn’t help), I probably won’t be buying it again.

Honest Hair Nothing But Curl Pure Pudding:  I L-O-V-E this product. Period. Yes, it does cake on after a few days and you have to co-wash it out or rinse your hair out, but it does what the wake-up spray probably should do.  When my hair is looking more fluffy than curly, I put some of this in and POW! I get some bangin’ curls for my ‘fro. This is a definite keeper.

As I Am Coconut Co-Wash: Perhaps it’s because of the coconut oil in it, but I’m not a fan of this. It really dries out my hair. I’m going to finish the jar, but once it’s done I’m going to be switching to Honest Hair Nothing But Curl’s co-wash and see how that works. Not a fan of this product.

What does “Right Speech” mean?

While reading one of Thich Nhat Hanh’s books (more to come on this in the next week or so), I came across his interpretation of the five precepts, which he refers to as the five mindfulness trainings.  One thing I’ve been really trying to work on is “Right Speech”, which is the fourth mindfulness training. I think Thay phrases it beautifully:

“Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I am committed to cultivate loving speech and deep listening in order to bring joy and happiness to others and relieve others of their suffering. Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering, I am committed to learn to speak truthfully, with words that inspire self-confidence, joy, and hope. I am determined not to spread news that I do not know to be certain and not to criticize or condemn things of which I am not sure. I will refrain from uttering words that can cause division or discord, or that can cause the family or the community to break. I will make all efforts to reconcile and resolve all conflicts, however small.”

We are socially taught that it is rude or unacceptable to be silent, even more so now with internet forums such as Twitter or Facebook where everyone who is anyone is chiming in their opinion on everything.  A lot of these opinions are less than helpful, often uneducated, and frankly are just meant to hurt another person at any cost. To me it’s all a bunch of unnecessary noise.

Speaking has become so impulsive. I’m quick to realize that right speech doesn’t just come from my mouth. It comes from my frame of mind. I’ve noticed that as soon as a judgment or thought enters my mind, I’ve already begun to communicate it—not just through words, but through facial and bodily expressions and sensations. The idea of “Right Speech” is truly something more difficult to grasp than the simple, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all”. While this is certainly a piece of it, I think it goes a lot deeper. Simply closing my mouth and not speaking harmful words is one thing (and certainly helpful); however, it does not address the fact that I have not opened my mind large enough to accept what is in front of me.

Thus, I’ve decided to take this next month to commit to this mindfulness training seriously.  I’m going to strive to be more deliberate with my words and see communication as a helpful tool rather than something to be taken advantage of.

In the meantime I challenge you--The next time you are about to post something angry, condescending, or negative on the internet (or say such things to another person), I ask that you stop and examine how your body feels. Are you tense? Do you have a sick feeling in your stomach? Perhaps your chest feels tight? Feel the physical sensations. Then think of something nice to say. What does your body do? Does it relieve that tension? I challenge you to do the same thing when you read something mean that another person says and when you read something nice that another person says. I guarantee you there is a difference in the way your body reacts. Words can be poison or they can be medicine. YOU are the difference in how they are used. I ask that you please use them for healing. It makes the world that much better.

Gluten Free Zucchini-Walnut Bread

I made this absolutely delicious zucchini-walnut bread today.  When I say delicious, I mean my family and I (three of us) almost ate the whole thing in one sitting.  Moist and not too sweet, I made it to accompany dinner. I was really surprised that the bread actually rose (if you aren’t used to gluten-free cooking, not many doughs actually rise).  I HIGHLY recommend this recipe.  AND! It’s gluten-free. It’s not candida-friendly since it contains maple syrup, but it does have a good amount of fat in it and some protein (which is great if you are a fast oxidizer like me!).  Below is the recipe, which I tweaked because it was originally a Betty Crocker recipe and no offense to Betty, but she "ain’t" all that healthy.

Gluten Free Zucchini-Walnut Bread

½ cup pure maple syrup (if you don’t feel it’s sweet enough, you can still add up to another ¼ cup in order to get the equivalent of the cup of sugar that the original recipe called for)

2 brown, organic eggs

2/3 cup olive oil (If you aren’t using olive oil to bake, I suggest using it.  Your baked goods are guaranteed to always come out moist.)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ¼ cup gluten-free all-purpose rice blend (Note: I used one that already had guar gum in it, but if you are using one that doesn’t have guar or xantham gum, then add ½ teaspoon xantham gum to the recipe)

1 teaspoon gluten free baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon sea salt

2 cups shredded zucchini

½ cup chopped nuts

Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease bottom only of 9x5-inch loaf pan (I used coconut oil to do this and the bread slipped right out when it was done). In large bowl, beat maple syrup and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add oil and vanilla; beat until smooth. In medium bowl, mix flour blend, baking powder, cinnamon, xanthan gum (if needed), baking soda and salt. Gradually beat into egg mixture on low speed until blended. Stir in zucchini and nuts. Pour batter into pan. Bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack; cool completely, about 2 hours.

Enjoy!!!

My Entertainment Top 5 for 7/7-7/13: Hunter x Hunter, Blake Shelton, and more!

1. Hunter x Hunter- Yes, I’m an anime fan. Get over it. I’ve seen a few different anime series and the best way to impress me is to give me some action right in the beginning (although, I have to say that no anime does this better than Attack on Titan. You want to see some shizz go down fast? Just watch that. By episode 5 you won’t be able to pick your jaw up off the floor). I don’t want to mess around with basic character development (cough, Naruto, cough).  Hunter x Hunter has thus far been quite solid. I’d probably put it in my top 5.  The main character, Gon, while at first was a little on the annoying side (I think it’s the voice actor) has started to really impress me with his blatant honesty and his potential . The supporting characters (particularly Killua and Kurapika) are phenomenal and the plot is captivating. I highly recommend it if you are looking for something to watch. To say that I was sad when I finally caught up is an understatement.  I want more now. I’M SO IMPATIENT!

2. I think this video pretty much speaks for itself.

3. This singer’s voice and the tone of this song caught my attention because of how different it is from other K-Pop.  I’m really into it.

4. Dexter- Another show that doesn’t screw around. The season premiere was good.  I wasn’t sure where it was going to head after last season’s finale, but I like the direction they are taking it, clearly reminding the audience that regardless of the nature of his targeted victims, Dexter is still a serial killer. I will be devastated once this series ends after this season.

5. I’m simply including this one because, well, I can’t stop singing “Bubble butt, bubble bubble bubble butt”. 

Bucket List: #70 Get a “Different” Hair Cut

Yes, I formed a bucket list.  There’s a ton of stuff on it too, so I hope to live a long life.

Some of you may be asking why something so simple is on my list.  Well, let me give you some background.  I’ve had my hair chemically relaxed since I was 13.  As a result, my hair has always been somewhat long.  Of course, this was mostly in response to the societal cues (in my community at least) that if you don’t have long, straight (and preferably blonde) hair, you’re unattractive. Thus, although not blonde, I tried to fit into the mold with straight, relaxed, shoulder-length hair that often times was scrunched up into a ponytail since I didn’t want to take the time to flat iron it.  It’s not that I didn’t like my hair, but I found it to be a lot more time consuming and difficult to take care of.  Not to mention, my hair can be quite fussy.  In the end, I’ve generally had the same hair style for over a decade. 

After 12 years of getting my hair straightened and noticing a severe decline in the health of my hair and my scalp as a direct result of the chemicals, I felt it was time to move on. Last October after my final relaxer, I vowed to grow out my natural mane and never look back.  The original plan was to leave my relaxed hair in until my new tresses grew out to a long enough length.  I decided I definitely didn’t want a mini-fro and wanted to avoid the fro in general.

Well, as most transitioning individuals know, you reach a point when you just can’t handle the “half and half” anymore.  After my impatience and frustration peaked this past weekend, I decided I’d had enough. I couldn’t style my hair anymore- I couldn’t flat-iron my hair or I’d risk damaging my new growth and I couldn’t pull it back anymore because the new growth wasn’t being pulled back.  Not to mention, I couldn’t get to my new growth to properly take care of it.  I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to do something particularly “daring” and step outside of my comfort zone. Time to upgrade my look and knock off something on my bucket list. I took some scissors and cut out the relaxed hair. For future reference, I don’t recommend this strategy. The next day I got it trimmed up and evened out and now I’m rocking the best afro ever. 

I do confess, however, that I can still feel some anxiety over the whole thing. Over the past few days, this has challenged me in a numerous ways and some insecurities about myself have surfaced. This is why this particular task landed on my bucket list.  I wanted to challenge myself and prove to myself that I’m more than my hair or even my look. I wanted to stop and see how I react to such a significant change. Do I wallow in self-pity, drowning myself in criticism? Or do I own it like the fierce woman I am and meet it head on, seeing it as a learning opportunity to strengthen my mindfulness and Buddhist practice? I’m starting to come around to the latter and to my elation to boot, I have some of the best curls I’ve ever seen.

 

Be mindful. Be strong. Be fierce.