Warm Spinach Salad with Shrimp and Beans

The Christmas season is here and I'm really trying to stop eating all the cookies that are brought into the lab. Gah! So much temptation and so little space in my jeans :( I've been trying to incorporate more veggies and warm salads into my meals because who wants to eat cold salads in the winter everyday? This dish is also great for potlucks and can be served on a huge platter. Fill up on salads first and then touch the sinful desserts later (this advice is always lost on me...)

Let's do a boozy myth buster for the holidays!
MYTH: Alcohol Kills Brain Cells
FACT: NO it doesn't! Whatever your parents told you or what you learned in high school is a lie. But, before you bring on the kegstands, know that alcohol does many other things that could injure your brain. Although, it clearly doesn't wipe out neurons or brain cells, booze does reduce your ability to remember. Recall those moments when you woke up on the bathroom floor? Or being drunk and have no perception of depth, direction and advice? hahaha... Author Braum says:

Research shows... [Alcohol] disrupts the cellular machinery most widely believed to underlie our ability to form new memories.

Also, binge drinking can lead to decrease in breathing (heavy boozy breath) that can starve the brain and of course, making you do stupid things, like drinking and driving. So remember kids, drink responsibly and moderately.

Taken from my holiday reading...Buzz: The Science and Lore of Alcohol and Caffeine by Stephen Braum

Warm Spinach Salad with Shrimp and Beans
Adapted from Food and Wine
Serves 4

Ingredients
1/2 pound spinach blend (7 cups)
1 pound shelled and deveined shrimp
Garlic Salt + Pepper (or regular salt)
2 tsp Crushed red pepper
One 15-ounce can white beans, drained

1/4 cup olive oil
1 small red onion diced
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

1. Divide spinach onto 4 plates or spread on a large platter. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet, season shrimp with salt and pepper and cook until just white through.
2. Add beans, season with more pepper, chili flakes and salt if needed and toss until heated through. (2 minutes). Scrape the shrimp and beans onto the spinach.
3. In same skillet, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil, cook red onion until softened and then whisk in the mustard, vinegar, and 1/4 cup of olive oil.
4. Pour over salad and serve with freshly cracked pepper.

Haemul Soondubu Jjigae - Seafood Soft Tofu Stew

My biggest regret this month is to miss the audition for the Spicy eating challenge at BCD Tofu House sponsored event at the Ktown Food Fest. OMgoodness, I would have totally owned it. But I didn't know there was an audition. I thought...I thought... ahhh. I missed my chance to win an iPad!! There were other contests like choco pie eating, but I can almost imagine choking down chocolate covered dry pieces of bread. bleh...

Anyhoo, I can make my own Soft tofu soup and eat it. Wuah wuah. Although, BCD's hot stone pot rice is soo fluffy and delicious. Something I can't make at home, unless I burn down my house.

Here's a short human body fact for today. I promise a more substantial, interesting and intellectual story next time...unless you guys really don't like reading too many words :p

FACT: 250,000 pores that exist on the soles of the feet secret almost 1/4 cup of sweat every day
Now I know why my feet smells like flowers.... :)

Haemul Soon dubu - Seafood Soft Tofu
Makes 2 servings

Shrimp and Veggie Scramble

How do you guys like my new and remodeled blog? The banner took me all night, because I'm not very good at photoshop (and my sister is never home). Even my brother had to help me with setting it up! So you guys are going to just have to like it, because I ain't going to be changing it for a while... Need. to. get. off. Internet.

Check Depression levels with How You Use the Internet
Computer science nerds at Missouri University of Science and Technology recently published an article  about a group of students and how their use of the Internet correlated with the depression levels. They explained in the New York Times that 216 undergrads first did a questionnaire to measure how depressed they were and then monitored their internet activity.

Apparently, those with indicated depression from the survey had high levels of sharing files (like movies and music). That sounds like me (NOooo). To add further insult, depressed students also tended to engage in very high e-mail usage, which could indicate high levels of anxiety. Lastly, they also have a habit of switching between applications frequently, like e-mail, chat rooms and games. It's called normal behavior @(%*(#_@($@ <-- denial

The research is being conducted to develop a software app that could be installed into computers and mobile devices and alert you if you show symptoms of depression. That could be your parent monitoring your mood swings during puberty. Sounds like a terrible idea!! What do you prefer? Data privacy or mental health?

Shrimp and Veggie Scramble
Serves 4

Green Bean Stir Fry with Sambal

This is going to have to be short post, since I'm in the middle of exams. I want to keep my promise of updating at least once a week. Besides, this is my study break...along with shopping online, reading food blogs and youtubing. I need to go to shopaholics anon or something. During exams, I keep randomly buying crap. I already spent 50 bucks on clothes. That purchase is justified since I really needed more shorts :/ But another 60 bucks on dinner plates. WHAT? Yes, dinner plates and bowls. Umm no idea?? Sometimes you just make the wrong choices on those shopping sites like Gilt or Ruelala, and they give you 10 mins to decide and then..and then... :'(

Oh and if you like http://www.gilt.com/invite/mabelcchan. That's my referral link so you can continue to feed by addiction :D

So I also bought these pretty rad skinnies from Diesel but now I'm not too sure if I should return them...

Factoid: Skinny Jeans Can Kill Damage your Health
On ABC recently, I was watching an interview with Dr. Karen Boyle from Greater Baltimore Medical Center. She's been seeing many women coming into her clinic suffering pain from wearing tight jeans. The disorder is apparently called "Meralgia Paresthetica" or when one of the nerves running in your outer thigh gets compressed. The pressure can cause tingling, numbness and intense pain. Some report a floating sensation (doesn't sound too bad) but they can't feel their lower legs :/


The news is even worse when you (men & women) wear high heels because it can cause the pelvis to tilt and increase the pressure on the nerves. We learned from our Sexual Reproduction Class this year about what it can do for men! Way-too-tight jeans for men reduce airflow around the crotchal area and make it really hot down there (in a bad way). Normally it's kept nice and cool, otherwise its infertility and a lower sperm count. 


Sorry for being the bearer of bad news. But guys really shouldn't be wearing pants tighter than women's skinnies right? 


Here's a quick vegetable dish to accompany rice. You can make it vegan/vegetarian by substituting out the dried shrimp with a little soy sauce.


Green Bean Stir-fry with Sambal

Ingredients
3 dried shrimps soaked in water until soft
4 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp ginger minced
2 tbsp sambal chili sauce (+ salt if needed)
3 cups green beans
2 tbsp water
2 tsp chili powder

Soak the dried shrimp in water for about 5 mins. Then mince it up real good so it is almost paste like.
This is optional for vegetarians but it gives a more umami flavor.

Mince your garlic and ginger. Trim your green beans and cut them in half.

Heat up a frying pan, add about 1-2 tbsp of oil to it. Once the oil is heated, add the garlic, ginger and paste. Fry that until the moisture from the shrimp has evaporated a bit. Around 3 mins.
I doubled the recipe so this looks like a lot.

Add the Sambal sauce and stir fry that for 30 secs.

Toss in your green beans and add the water. Give it a good stir and let it cook for about 2 mins.

Add some salt to your liking and add chili powder.
Keep stirring it so that the green beans get a good coat of sauce. Another 3 mins. It's done when the green beans are soft but still has a good amount of crunch.