chef(s) at home

In light of the new year (in a couple of hours), there’s nothing like starting the year with a fresh mentality.

“I’m going to get a 6 pack this year.”

“I’m going to read my Bible everyday.”

“I’m going to run a marathon.”

While some of these aren’t bad per se, it’s just a tad unrealistic and general … 

I hate to be one of those people, but with any S.M.A.R.T goal, it’s much better to be specific and to equip yourself with the resources you need to reach your goal. If you’re thinking of cooking healthy this year, it helps when you have a couple of handy ingredients in your pantry for the new year. Friends, it’s possible to have a better dinner than ramen + fried egg on a Monday night.

This could be Soph’s lunch. 

1. Canned tomatoes.

You want to become a stoup (stew+soup = stoup) master like me? (HAH. sorry.) You have to have canned tomatoes on hand all the time. It’s affordable and it comes in big portions. My mom raised me well. 

2. Canned BEANS.

You can’t just feel like whipping up hummus or black bean burgers without beans in your pantry. They’re super high in fiber, low in fat, and makes you fart. :) 

3. Oats (but NOT the minute ones! Get the 3-5 minute ones). 

Ditch the Nature Valley or Nutri-Grain if people still eat that stuff and make yourself some homemade granola. If you haven’t read anything about weight loss articles, oats is a power food. High in fiber, keeps you full longer, and full of the good carbs that won’t spike up your glucose levels. 

Just incase you’re curious because I know my food life is so interesting,

#1 fav oatmeal combo: oatmeal, banana, pb, flax, cinnamon. 

#2 fav oatmeal combo: oatmeal, cinnamon, kiwi, roasted almonds, pb. 

4. Bag of sweet potatoes, onions, carrots.  

You always want to have a bag of root vegetables because they store for a long time and are super versatile. You can always make a sad looking pasta more exciting and flavourful with some onions and vegetables. Plus, roasting vegetables is honestly the way to go. 

This is fiftyfiveessex.tumblr.com’s first new year!!! Yay. 

Have a safe, happy, and blessed new years :) Continue following! 

you got your troubles, I got mine 

on a clear day I can read your mind

ooh it’s like a battlefield inside

you got to 

give a little love

Happy Thursday my friends. Yes, it’s been a busy week and we’ve heard it all - stress, assignments, exams … life goes on. 

I decided to make this Good Luck Hummus to cheer up my house (and myself) and because I had a lot of baby carrots. Taken from The Hummus That Changed Everything, it sounded quite promising. 

Good Luck Hummus 

• 2 cups cooked chickpeas, liquid reserved and set aside
• 1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/3 Cup tahini
• 7-8 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp reserved chickpea liquid (or water)
• 4-8 drops of Sriracha sauce (what kind of Asian household doesn’t have this… but you can also use Tabasco) 
• Olive oil, for drizzling
• Paprika, for garnish

Hah! I just realized you all now know my face is on a pepper mill. 

Place all ingredients into a food processor (except the salt) and process until the hummus is coarsely pureed. Now add in salt gradually, stopping to taste as you go. I find the salt preference of hummus varies a lot by the person, so be sure to adjust it to your needs. Also, if you use unsalted chickpeas, you may need more salt.

Scoop into a bowl and drizzle with a good quality olive oil and garnish with paprika. Makes about 2 cups and lasts for about 4-5 days in the fridge in a sealed container.

The hot sauce really makes a difference and if you like garlic, you will like this. It’s not too overpowering although it’s kind of hard to tell when you live with Garlic Queen who gets her mother to chop up garlic to fill an entire jar that lasts the whole semester. Fresh lemon also is key - go ahead and try lemon zest if you wish, it adds a nice zing. 

I should mention, if you don’t know what tahini is, it’s basically sesame paste. I tried making it myself and it really does not work at all… I know it’s a big jar, but you can totally use it in Asian marinades to replace peanut butter (why would anyone want to do that). 

 Eat with pita chips, spread it on your sandwich, dip it with carrots and celery … give a little love. 

Remember this?

I have maximized as much as I could from that glorious homemade pesto that is now in my freezer because frozen leftovers are wonderful. 

A snapshot of how you can become pesto’d-out when you buy 2 giant bunches of basil.

Because I want you to drool some more, here’s what I made! 

1. Pesto Roasted Chickpeas

2. Which inevitably became Pesto Roasted Chickpea Salad

3. Pesto Hummus - Huge winner. Best hummus I have ever tasted.

4. Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich - Forget the kids, you will not want to share this. I ain’t kiddin’. 

5. Pesto Salmon Pasta 

6. Pesto Chicken Pizza (the lazy way) 

7. Pesto Chicken Quesadilla (It’s literally the pizza with another tortilla on top…)