Strawberry Cranberry Overnight Oats

Hi All ~

Anyone who knows me also knows that I'm perpetually lazy. There's no cure. And I'm also not a morning person. Which means… I almost never have breakfast.

At least, until I found overnight oats. It's literally a lifesaver. You just throw a bunch of stuff into a jar, shake it up, stick it in the fridge, and you're done! And here's the kicker - they're to die for, and you can use a bunch of different ingredients! In this recipe I use cranberry juice, which is a great source of antioxidants and Vitamin C.

You can make these oats the night before for breakfast, and they can keep for up to 3 days.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of overnight oats
• 1/2 cup of greek yogurt
• 1 cup of cranberry juice
• 1 tablespoon of chia seeds
• 1/4 cup of strawberry jam
• a handful of craisins
• a tablespoon of dried coconut flakes

Tools:

• measuring spoons
• a large jar (I used a leftover ragu tomato sauce jar, thoroughly washed out)

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients into the jar except for the craisins and coconut flakes.
2. Put the lid on the jar, and shake well.
3. Put the jar in the fridge, and leave it there overnight
4. Next morning, take the oats out of the fridge, spoon it into a bowl or container, and sprinkle it with the coconut and craisins.

And there you go! Super easy, and really delicious. I'll be putting a recipe up for apple-cinnamon overnight oats soon as well.

If you make this, let me know how it turned out! You can leave me a comment, or tag or hashtag me at kitchen512 on Instagram or Twitter. You can also email me at eatsatkitchen512@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments!

Happy Eating!

-Tiffany

Cucumber Coins with chili pepper and furikake

Hi All ~

As I've affectionately named them, Cucumber Coins are my new favorite snack! They're extremely low in calories, and super healthy - and they taste good. What more could you ask for?

My recipe for Cucumber Coins has an asian flair. If you can't find the ingredients at your local market, and if you don't have an Asian market near you, Cucumber Coins can also be sprinkled with turmeric or garlic powder, brushed with olive oil and lemon juice and sprinkled with a little sea salt - the possibilities are endless! I'll be putting more cucumber recipes on my blog as I go.

Isn't it pretty?

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tbsp Nanami Togarashi (a mix of japanese chili peppers and sesame seeds)
• 1 cucumber or english cucumber
• 1 tbsp Aji Nori furikake
• sesame seeds

Tools:

• cutting board
• knife

Directions:

1. If you have a regular cucumber, peel off the outsides first. I've found the skin of English Cucumbers to be less bitter, so you can eat them without peeling the skin
2. Slice the cucumber in rounds of about 1/8 of an inch thick. They don't have to be perfect, but cutting them thicker will mean you have less spices for the surface area of the cucumber coin.
3. Lay the cucumber coins out on a plate or platter, and sprinkle it with the nanami togarashi and the furikake. I don't measure what I use, so if you would like you can use more than the recipe calls for.
4. Top with sesame seeds

There you have it! An easy, healthy snack - and it's perfect for taking on the go too! Let me know if you've topped your cucumber coins with anything different by commenting below, or tagging or hash tagging me at kitchen512 on Instagram or Twitter.

Happy Eating!

-Tiffany

How To Make White Rice In A Pot

Hi All ~

I know making rice in a pot may be intuitive for some, but since I've come to college, I've quickly realized that many people have actually never made white rice before! Being Asian, even the thought is sacrilege.

So, here's an easy recipe for making rice in a pot! If you have a rice cooker making rice is much easier, but if you don't eat rice very often, a pot will do just fine.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rice (I use medium grain calrose) 
• 2 cup water or broth

Tools:

• A pot with a lid (make sure it's big enough - rice expands when it cooks! A two quart saucepan is a great size for one or two cups of uncooked rice)
• a fork

Directions:

1. First, wash your rice; this can be done by pouring your rice into the pot or a large bowl, then rinsing it with water. Make sure to drain out all of the water afterwards; if there is too much water, your rice will end up mushy. Do this a few times.
2. As you're rinsing your rice, you can pour the two cups of water or broth into the pot, and bring it to a rolling boil. Using broth will make your rice more flavorful, but the classic way is with water.
3. Once your water is boiling, pour back in your rice. If you would like, you can also add butter, or scallions for more flavor, depending on the dish you're serving it with.
4. Bring your water back down to a gentle simmer by turning the stove to low heat.
5. Cover your pot and cook on low heat for 18-25 minutes. Don't take the lid off before 18 minutes, as this lets out the steam and screws with cooking times.
6. Check your rice after 18 minutes; if it needs more time, keep checking at 2 minute intervals.
7. When your rice is done, it should be tender, and not crunchy. Don't overcook it into mush, though. Fluff it with a fork and let it sit for a few minutes; this will get rid of the watery sheen it has after it's done cooking.

Generally, a good rule of thumb about rice to water proportions is 1 cup of rice: 2 cups of water. I use a little less, because I like my rice to be drier.

And there you go! If you have leftover rice, it usually lasts in the fridge for up to 5 days, but it will be best fresh or on the second day.

Happy Eating!

-Tiffany

Seattle Asian Salmon Bowl from Skinnytaste.com

Hi All ~

I know I've promised a lot of recipes on my Instagram page, Kitchen512, and I swear that they'll be posted here soon. For now, though, here's the recipe for a Seattle Asian Salmon Bowl! I stole this recipe from skinnytaste.com, and it was absolutely delicious.

Here, I cut the recipe down into a fourth of what was listed, because I only wanted to make one salmon bowl for myself:

Ingredients:
For The Salmon Bowl:

• 1-2 stalks of green onion, thinly sliced

• 1/4 English Cucumber, sliced (save the rest for a healthy snack, like cucumber coins!)

• 1/4 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

• 1/4 of an avocado, diced (save the rest for an avocado toast in the morning)

• 1/2 a cup of white or brown rice

• 1/4 of a cup of sprouts (like daikon) or daikon root, which gives it a little crunch

• 1 strip nori, shredded or a sprinkle of furikake

• 4 ounces wild salmon, skinned

• olive oil spray  

• salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

For the Soy-Wasabi Vinaigrette:

• 1/2 tbsp less sodium soy sauce (or GF Tamari)

• 1/2 tsp wasabi in tube
• 1/2 tbsp mirin

• 1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

• 1/4 tbsp sesame oil

Tools Needed:

• a small frying pan
• a spatula
• a bowl to mix the vinaigrette
• a fork or whisk
• a cutting board
• a sharp knife
• a pot or rice cooker for the rice

As you can see, college students don't have a lot of these ingredients on hand - however, many of them can be bought at your local grocery store. I actually used instacart.com to order some of the more obscure ingredients from Uwajimaya, the local asian food market! If you use the link above, you get $10 off and free shipping on your first order!

The English Cucumber can easily be substituted for regular cucumber, and if you have furikake, you can leave out the toasted sesame seeds and shredded nori. Also, I accidentally bought the daikon root instead of daikon sprouts, but it worked out well because it added a nice crunch and flavor! You can save the rest of the root and make takuon as well.

Directions:

1. Combine the vinaigrette ingredients in a bowl and whisk to mix. Set Aside. Make the rice in your rice cooker or a pot. You can find how to make rice in a pot here.
2. Skin the salmon if it's not already skinned. To do this, grab the slimmest end of the fish, and slide a sharp knife under the edge of the skin. Keep holding the end of the fish, and slowly work your knife underneath it until it comes off.
3. Season salmon with a pinch of salt and fresh pepper. 
4. Heat a frying pan or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Spray the pan lightly with oil spray. If you don't have oil spray (I didn't), either wipe the pan down with olive oil or just drip a little in and swirl it around.
5. when the pan is hot, sear salmon, around 2 - 4 minutes per side (depending on the thickness of the fish). Don't overcook it; salmon can actually be eaten raw, as in sushi, but overcooking it will leave you with a dry, crumbly mess. To check whether or not it's cooked, take a fork and pry apart the center of the fish. If it's opaque, it's done.
6. Put your rice in a bowl, and top it with the avocado, green onions, cucumbers, sesame seeds, and sprouts. Place the salmon on top, drizzle with the vinaigrette, and sprinkle with the furikake or shredded nori.

The finished product!

The salmon should always be made fresh - it loses its crispiness if you put it in the fridge. You can keep raw salmon in the fridge for up to 3 days, but you should cook it as soon as possible. If you can't, stick it in the freezer, and defrost it in the fridge a day before you're ready to make it!

As always, if you make this dish let me know how it turns out! You can comment on this post, or tag or hashtag me at kitchen512 on Instagram or Twitter.

Happy Eating!

-Tiffany

Welcome!

Hi All ~

Welcome to my food and foodie blog, Kitchen 512! As this is my first post, I should probably introduce myself:

My name is Tiffany, and I hail from the San Francisco Bay Area. I'm a sophomore at Seattle University, where I study Finance (but that doesn't stop me from being a total spendaholic).

I'll be dedicating this blog to my journey through the food life of college - the good, the bad, and the hopefully-not-ugly. I'll be posting recipes, reviews, and pictures; my goal is to inspire major food envy!

If there's anything you'd like to see me cook (within reason), or if you'd like any tips or pointers on how to cook and eat well on a college budget, shoot me an email at eatsatkitchen512@gmail.com, leave a comment on any one of my posts, or hashtag kitchen512 on instagram or Facebook and I'll get back to you personally, or make a blog post on it!

Happy Eating!
-Tiffany