*Fridgin' out*

*

I'm leaving to visit my parents later today... Will spend 9 days in the south, enjoying the world's biggest dance festival and the delicious typical dishes and sweets.
.
Nom!
.
But because I'll be gone for over a week, I had to clean out my fridge, so that nothing goes bad in there. And boy, was it a delicious way of fridgin' out! But then again, when is it that a stir fry is NOT delicious?
.
100 grs itokonnyaku, 1 carrot, 1 yellow pepper, one medium red onion, half a package of portobelo mushrooms sautéed with garlic, stir fried and dressed with soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sriracha, toppe with blanched and sautéed asparagus and a poached egg. With lots of sesame seeds.
I read somewhere the Japanese way of evaluating a dish as healthy or not is color. I think my lunch passed that test.
*

*more engrish. and a cup of tea*

*
No matter how strong is my desire to cook right now... whatever has overcome me is currently stronger. So all I'm having today is fruit and chicken soup, and a lot of tea.
.
Speaking of which, I am quite the enthusiast. So I thought i would share my most recent acquisitions:
Black tea from the Japanese market
Mate with almond extract
Green tea with Lychee and Vanilla
Green tea with Tangerine and Clover
.
The mate tea with almond extract looks specially comforting. But due to the poor condition my stomach is currently in I'm sipping a concoction of lemon grass with apple and strawberry. Comforting and delicious.
*

*
Obviously, the reason why I am feeling so poorly is due to my excess of gastronomical curiosity/enthusiasm on Sunday. Enchiladas from Chile, Acarajé from Bahia with hot sauce, Korean ice cream, sandwiches, and sushi and a lot of chocolate to top it all off did not prove to be a wise combination.
.
But as always, our weekend visit to the Oriental side of Sao Paulo proved very entertaining... The Chinese food markets are not as clean or organized as the Japanese, but have some interesting items.
Cock Fish Sauce. Yeah, Cock.
What in the world is a wife plum?
Oh my poor native nuts.
On a personal note, I must say that the spicy Chinese pickles (specially Chard, Mustard Leafs, Bamboo and Turnips) have become one of my favorite things to put in a quick omelet or to eat with rice. Yummy.
*

*
Back to my tea. And that chicken soup.
*

*thinking food*

*
Maybe yesterday in the afternoon was a turning point. A trigger to force me through a complete food "rehabilitation", for good. I hope. But it is bad that it had to get to the point of me fainting after a hefty lunch to feel the real extension of the worst of my habits: skipping meals.
.
Its not that I don't like to eat. On the contrary. I appreciate food so much some times I actually fear it. You know, that old love and hate relationship. Neither is it that I don't know what to eat. Food to me is as much a remedy to the soul as it is to the body. And I love to cook, oh I do...
.
"So why do you skip meals?". Well, because I do not like to eat alone. Its not just the eating alone. Food to me is a social event. Something to be shared and enjoyed, savored and talked about.
.
But no matter how I put it, it is very very hard to have more than one meal a day with the Mister. Except for the weekends, when we usually set out to explore new menus. And eating alone is... It's just sad.
.
I guess that even if it is sad, one must eat. And at this point I am very stubborn: Food is not supposed to be boring and sad. Its supposed to be enjoyed and uplifting. After a lot of food porn skimming, the answer dawned on me: Bento. That is the way I can enjoy cooking once a day, preparing the ingredients for the next days meal in advance and experiment, inside a box.
.
Last Friday I set out on a journey for Bento supplies in the Oriental neighborhood. Although I still lack a few staples, right now I have enough to get me started on my favorite part of this new interesting universe. And that is cooking cute.


Takoyaki in the making.
Takoyaki: Japanese octopus dumplings!
A traditional Japanese grocery store in Liberdade. This place has the best bento trays for sale, but they don't carry much of the hardware required for making your own.
Corean coffee icecream.
I also had a Yam and milk black pearl drink this day, and that is my favorite flavor, definitely.
Ume-boshi, Onigiri molds, Temaki kit, and Chinese plum candy (low cal).
This cotton candy is supposed to become bubble gum. Hmmmm... sugar.
A lot of chinese preserves. I specially like the mustard leaf one.
And my brand new first bento box.
.
According to Just Bento, cooking in advance and freezing makes the task of creating healthy and enjoyable meals a walk in the park. So that is what I did today (actually, today was busier than the whole of last week - and it feels as if it were a full week too): I cooked, and cooked, and cooked. And also ate. Yum!

For typical Brazilian black beans:

Select the desired amount of beans on the night before. Wash well, and leave in water overnight.
Cook in pressure cooker for an hour.
In another pot, stir fry garlic, onions and pepper. Add bacon or desired meat (bacon is traditional in Brazil although I prefer using a poultry sausage of some kind).
Add beans and salt to taste, and some more water.
To make the beans creamier, mash them slightly at this point.
Let boil until the broth has thickened as desired. Serve with rice.


Salad: Romaine and iceberg lettuce, shredded. Sakura and star shaped Roma tomatoes and chayotte, miniature onions and mint leaves, dried parsley.

.
Right now I have a freezer full of healthy foods. And a heart full of good intentions, food wise. Hope the latter lasts longer than the first.
.
Maybe "Cooking Mama" will help me. Its truly a fun way to spend even more time in the kitchen. And kitchens sure are fun.

*