Spaghetti Squash Korean Kimchi Bowl

I wasn't originally planning on posting this, but after snapping this dinner on snapchat (annietucker93 <-- if you don't follow me) I got enough responses asking for the recipe. So, here we go. 

While Claire was in town we made homemade kimchi and also had dinner at our favorite new Korean spot. With Korean food on the brain and two big containers of kimchi, we did a little research on ways we could use it up. Claire is easily the most experienced eater in the family having been to Japan, Morocco, Australia and more. I always love to hear what she has been eating and cooking!

I came up with the recipe for this kimchi bowl inspired by different rice and noodle bowls I saw. Having just bought a spaghetti squash and being borderline obsessed with spaghetti squash, it seemed like the perfect base. It all kind of came together by throwing the contents of my fridge into a bowl, but it worked. 
**Read the directions all the way through first, so you can get the flow of when things should be made. 

Spaghetti Squash Korean Kimchi Bowl
yields 2 servings

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash
1/2 cup edamame, thawed
1/2 cup shredded carrots (about 6 baby carrots)
1/2 cup kimchi
2-3 cups spinach
2 eggs
1 garlic clove, minced
olive oil
salt & pepper
seasme seeds

Sauce:
2 Tbsp. tamari
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 tsp. chili paste
1 garlic clove

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 400. Cut the spaghetti squash in half, and scrape out the seeds. Rub with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place face down in a baking dish and bake for 35-45 minutes. Here is a step by step tutorial. Or (I cheat) you can just pop it in the microwave for 5-10 minutes like I do.

2. When your squash has about 15 minutes to go, start to prepare your add-ins.

3. Thaw your edamame if frozen and grate your carrots on a box grater, set aside.

4. Heat a tiny bit of olive oil in a small pan over medium. Add in your minced garlic clove then the spinach and sautée until wilted. I splash in a little bit of water at the end to flash fry it a bit. 

5. Once your squash is done cooking it is time to prepare your soft boiled egg. You want this to be the last thing you do. To make the perfect soft boiled egg, place a small sauce pan filled with water over high heat. Once it comes to a boil, carefully drop in the eggs. Keep the water boiling and set your timer for 6 minutes, no minutes more. Let cook while you prepare your bowl.

6. Use a fork to create strands of spaghetti squash and get out of the skin. In a small bowl whisk tamari, sesame oil, chili paste and 2 Tbsp. water. In the same pan you cooked your spinach in, toss the spaghetti squash with the sauce until it is all covered and heated through. Place the squash in a bowl and then layer in the spinach, edamame, carrots, and kimchi.

7. At this point your timer should be going off. Take the egg out of the hot water with a slotted spoon and run under cold water. Peel your egg, carefully. Slice in half and add the runny egg to your bowl. Sprinkle it all with sesame seeds and serve!

Annie

Bites of My Life

It's amazing how much I can fit in a day without having work getting in the way. Errands, shopping, lunch with old friends, recipe testing, house cleaning, laundry, meetings, dentist visits, workouts; I could get used to that life...Unfortunately/fortunately this is my last week off. So many delish bites last week in the form of food, vibes and visitors. Time to pack it all in before funemployment is over. 

-No grocery shopping last week meant helping mom clean out her fridge. I don't think she minded.
-I discovered turmeric milk last week. It's a great nighttime drink full of health benefits that do your tummy well while you sleep. 
-This Cashew Butter and Jelly smoothie recipe got slurped up almost everyday for breakfast last week and the recipe is up for you to enjoy!
-Sister and I spent our Wednesday recipe testing scones. We came up with blackberry dark chocolate and (not pictured) grapefruit brown sugar!
-The Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts came to town this week. I made an appearance twice. I'm always more interested in the "culinary arts" portion. 
-It's one of my favorite events of the year, and probably the thing I knew would be easiest to cross off my Spring TDL.
-A salad date with one of my favorite friends to catch up with. We could sit and talk for hours!
-Wallpaper vibes in Pencil Shavings house during a local neighborhood home tour.
-Such a special day for my city and a special day for my besties completing their 3rd Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon! 

Annie

CB&J Smoothie

The taste is similar to the childhood classic peanut butter and jell, but with cashew butter and blueberries this smoothie is brought up to age and multiplied in health benefits. It is a recreation of my current fav from our local smoothie place, Organic Squeeze.  The menu may allege it to be "kid friendly" but that doesn't mean adults can't enjoy it too. 

I took oldest sis to Organic Squeeze after a spin class while she was in town last week. I insisted she try the CB&J. She loved it. One of my roommates and I are hooked on this flavor too, so I've been set on recreating it. With a few rounds of testing I think I got it to taste to be just like the original. 

P.S. the pink himalayan sea salt is key! It gives it that little salty bite you find in a PB&J sandwich! And I find no problem with having pink salt around the house. 

CB&J Smoothie
yields 1 smoothie, inspired by Organic Squeeze

Ingredients:
1 cup almond milk, depending how thick you like it
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 frozen banana
1 Tbsp. cashew butter
2 Tbsp. oats
1 tsp. flax seeds
pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt
handful of ice

Directions:
Throw all your ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Annie

Best Banana Bread

Banana bread is like a blanket. One bite feels like that moment when you first tuck your feet into bed and pull the covers up to your neck. Warm, cozy and comfortable...

How bout that poem? Ya it was a stupid as you were thinking it was. But in all honesty banana bread is an ultimate comfort food. Anything you can eat for breakfast, dessert or a snack is a win!

This recipe makes some tasty batter and even better bread. You will get one or two loaves from this recipe depending on the size of pan you use. I like to use the disposable foil pans you can find at the grocery store and bake up a couple of loaves. Wrapping one up and using as a hostess gift and freezing the other to pull out for breakfast when I have company in town.

Banana Bread
yields (1) 9x5in or (2) 8x4in loaves

Ingredients: 
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
4 tsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3-4 overripe bananas
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease one or two loaf pans, depending on what size you are using, with cooking spray and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter on medium for two minutes. Scrape the sides then add the eggs one at a time. Add the milk, vanilla and bananas then mix. The batter will look a little lumpy and curdled but that's right!

Add the flour and baking soda and mix. Scrape down the sides and make sure everything is combined. Divide the batter among the two loaf pans, making sure to save a little bit to lick the bowl:) For (2) 8x4 pans bake for 45 - 55 minutes, for (1) 9x5 pan bake for 55 -65 minutes, until a knife is inserted into the middle and comes out completely clean.

*Saves in the freezer really well just wrap in foil then place in a large ziplock baggy. When you are ready to eat, just pull out and let it thaw on the counter. 

Annie

Bites of My Life

Week 1 of funemployment was a little too fun. Let's hope this week can compare. With oldest sister also between jobs, she made a trip down from New York for the week. We took full advantage of her being here and having time off from work. Lunch, dinner, workouts, shopping, pedicures, puppy time, family time, we squeezed it all in. Having a family of foodies meant lots of eating, cooking and snacking. We amped up our workouts to counteract the calories! Sad to see last week go, but this week is already shaping up to be a good one!

-Started my week of "funemployment" off right with a fun stack of raspberry pancakes!
-Kept the fun going by treating myself to a massage at Udander. Seriously amazing, highly recommend to locals. 
-Lunch at my current fav, Cultivar. I could eat those chips and guac for every meal. 
-With oldest sis in town, we instantly became sous chefs for the week! Spring green salad with scallops over garlic ginger pea puree.
-Showing sis the OKC can be just as cool as NYC. 
-Another dinner win with slow roasted citrus salmon and harissa israeli cous cous salad.
-My sweet little site has officially been published for 3 years. HBD TAB!
-Made a stop in Norman, OK to visit my grandmother, which led to lunch at this college town staple. 
-Made homemade kimchi with big sis while she was home. Used the recipe from Edible OKC.
-Randomly craving bananas in any form. And I usually hate bananas... Recipe for this banana bread tomorrow!
-Homemade cashew butter about to come in handy for a recipe later this week. Followed the same recipe as my homemade almond butter just roast the cashews for 7-9 minutes instead.
-Spaghetti Squash Kimchi Korean Bowl slayed Sunday night dinner, comment if you want the recipe and I will post it!

Annie