Breathe in. Breathe out.

That’s what I think to myself sometime when I feel like there will never be enough hours in the day for me to do everything I need and want to. But it’s okay. A little centering and a cup of coffee goes a long way, right? I think so.

The Motherhood recently asked if I was interested in trying the newest additions to the Lawry’s marinade and spice rub lines, and I agreed. When the box arrived, I eagerly dug out the bottles and jars, imaging what I would create with them. With new flavors like the Mediterranean Herb Seasoned Salt and Fire Roasted Chile & Garlic, it was hard to decide what to use first. Spying the Santa Fe Chili Marinade, I knew just what I wanted — something with Southwestern flair that could be made quickly and easily (with a little advanced prep).

Basically, I was trying to make a rich, craveworthy dinner in under 30 minutes so that when we got home from Paige’s weeknight ballet class, we’d be able to eat long before bedtime for the kids. It was a good plan and this dinner worked out just right.

I marinated a London broil in the Santa Fe Chili Marinade for about two hours — it works in 30 minutes, but longer produces a deeper flavor. And then grilled it to just past medium. Then the London broil rested while I finished up the Avocado, Cilantro and Lime Rice that we had with it.

The intersection of creamy, slightly tart rice and rich, spiced beef was a lovely place to be. The flavors went well together, especially when I spooned a little of the meat drippings over the rice. Mmm.

Making the rice was so simple. I know I say that a lot, but really it’s because that’s how I like dinner to be — simple, but flavorful. Can you blame me?

So, back to making this, I cooked white rice ahead of time in my rice cooker (you could make yours however you want though — on the stovetop, in the microwave, whatever works for you). Then I simply stirred it all together and seasoned it with salt and pepper. Actual cooking time (aside from the rice itself)? About 10 minutes. Max.

Once everything was ready, I served thinly sliced pieces of London broil on top of the rice. And we had some corn too. With all the components prepped ahead (London broil marinated, rice cooked), it took about 20 minutes to whip up when we arrived home. Now that’s perfect timing for a busy night … right?

Make it. You know you want to!

Back to Lawry’s for a second, I was also asked to create and share a Lawry’s Dinnertising thing with you. I’ve made a couple now, but this one was especially cute with the bear and all. These are really just a fun, cute way to get your family excited about dinner. Make your own Dinnertisement here. Also, be sure to scroll all the way down for a giveaway too.

Avocado, Cilantro and Lime Rice
serves 4

4 cups cooked white long grain rice
1 lime, zested and juiced
1/4 cup finely minced cilantro
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and mashed
salt and pepper, to taste

Add the rice, lime zest, cilantro and avocado to a large mixing bowl. Pour the lime juice directly over the avocado.

Using a big spoon, stir until mixed well. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve.

NOTE: I served this topped with thinly sliced grilled London broil that was marinated in Santa Fe Chili Marinade from Lawry’s

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Enter the Lawry’s Giveaway!

Lawry’s has generously offered this fabulous Dinnertising Kit for one lucky Sarah’s Cucina Bella reader. Here’s what’s in it:

• Rachael Ray Lasagna Lover Stoneware
• 2 Zak Designs Serving Spoons: Either happy or surprise spoons
• Lawry’s NEW Marinades and Spice Blends: Mediterranean Herb Seasoned Salt, Fire Roasted Chile & Garlic, Roasted Garlic Salt, Santa Fe Chili Marinade and Mediterranean Herb and White Wine Marinade

To Enter:

Create your own Dinnertisement. Then leave a comment on this post describing your Dinnertisement and including a link to it.

Fine Print:

This contest is open to U.S. residents only. Must be 18 or older to win. No purchase necessary. Chances of winning depend on number of  valid entries. Entries will be accepted through 11:59 pm EST on 5/31/2012. One winner will be chosen at random using the random number generator at Random.org and contacted via email. The winner will have 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen.

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Disclosure: I received the Lawry’s marinades and seasonings for review purposes from The Motherhood. I am also being compensated for my time. All opinions are my own.

When Will started playing soccer three years ago, I was adamant that I wasn’t a soccer mom. Nor would I ever be. At time, it was a distinction that mentally didn’t jive with who I was. Yes, I was a mother. Yes, I had a child paying soccer. But I wasn’t the mom with the minivan, doling out snacks and managing homework while simultaneously watching soccer practice. No, I was a working writer with deadlines who took meetings in New York regularly and also managed to get her son to soccer on time. I’m still most of those things (getting anywhere on time can be a challenge and I take a lot more conference calls than face-to-face meeting these days), but I’m also a lot more comfortable with where I am. Perhaps even who I am.

Back when I bucked at the idea of being a soccer mom, I still harbored fantasies that my family would move to Manhattan or Brooklyn. I thought that being closer to the publishing industry would boost my work and provide opportunities to the kids that they can’t have here. It’s true, but it’s not everything. I can do my job from here and be happy. My kids have plenty of opportunity here too. And we can always run into the city to enjoy all those things. It’s not that I don’t still love the city. I do. But when I close my eyes and picture my ideal home, it’s not a New York brownstone (as much as I wish it was), it’s a home on a beach with waves lapping the shore.

Maybe it’s getting older, but I feel like it’s time to just admit that I love the beach more than I love the city. I adore New York. Going in for meetings or brunch or for visits with the kids makes me so happy. But the beach is home.

As for being a soccer mom, that’s okay too. Looking back, I really don’t know what was wrong with the image to me. Perhaps it just didn’t fit then. Or maybe I was just in denial. It doesn’t matter though. I’m okay with it now. It’s fun even.

Being comfortable with who I am and where I am in life is an important thing. It’s like a warm embrace. Or comfort food shared among loved ones. Risotto, to me, falls firmly into that comfort food category (and is loved much like the beach).

If you are scared to make risotto yourself, don’t be. The first time or two is a little nerve-wracking. But risotto is generally easy to make despite being time consuming and requiring organization and preparation. Before you start cooking, you need to gather your ingredients, chop and mince everything that needs it and have pretty much everything measured. You also need to warm the stock so that it absorbs easier into the rice. If you’ve done that, then you just quickly cook the garlic, rice and add the white wine. Then, once it’s absorbed you just stir in one ladle of stock at a time, letting it absorb into the rice, until you’ve used it all. Then you stir in the seasonings and veggies and cheese and voila, you have a craveworthy dish.

You can do this. I swear. Just give yourself time to do it right.

And yes, the cheese is important. It finishes off the delicate, creamy risotto on a graceful note. I always grate mine from a block just before using so that the Parmesan I swirl in is at its softest and freshest. The little things like this make a difference.

Herbs stirred into this risotto brighten the flavor of this creamy, sweet roasted vegetable dotted dish. It’s a combination that will envelop you in its happy flavors — especially those roasted vegetables. I don’t think I will ever tire of roasted veggies. They have a special spark to them.

The only problem with making this is that I immediately want to make it again the next night. And the next. Or maybe that’s not a problem.

What’s your ideal place to call home?

Garlicky Roasted Spring Vegetable Herbed Risotto
serves 4

1 1/2 cups cut fresh asparagus (1-inch pieces)
4-5 spring onions, sliced thin
1 shallot, chopped
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
salt and pepper, to taste
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken stock (unsalted recommended), warmed
1 tsp fresh chopped thyme
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss together the asparagus, spring onions, shallot, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper in an oval baking dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are lightly browned and slightly more tender than crisp.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large stockpot. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant and tender but not browned. Stir in the rice and toss to coat. Cook for 1 minute.

Stir in the white wine and cook, stirring occasionally until fully absorbed. Add one ladle of stock, stirring well after the addition, and let cook until fully absorbed. Repeat until all the stock has been added and absorbed. Stir in the vegetables and herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in the parmesan. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Enjoy immediately.

A few weeks ago, I bought some brown basmati rice for a night when my husband was working. Though we’ve never really loved any brown rice in the past, this time the kids and I enjoyed the nutty grain. But when it came time to make rice a few days later for the whole family, I pulled out white rice thinking my husband would never want to eat brown rice. So, you’ll imagine my surprise when he made some last week for dinner — without any prompting. Turns out, he was ready to give it another go. And he liked it too.

Well, I guess this makes us brown rice fans. Who would have thought it?

Anyway, when I went to whip up this spicy lunch for myself, I went right for the brown rice … it was perfect for it.

This dish is adapted from a Mark Bittman recipe. Recently, I was asked to join The Food Matters Project — a group of bloggers cooking our way through Mark Bittman’s Food Matters Cookbook. If you aren’t familiar with the cookbook (or the book Food Matters), the basic premise is that you should eat like your ancestors would have in the early 20th century. It’s not unlike the lessons I recently learned reading Why Women Need Fat. So, when asked to join in, I said yes right away. I could definitely use the lessons from this book to cook better food for my family.

And me too. Because sometimes recipes aren’t for everyone. This one? Totally not for my kids. And that’s okay.

This week’s recipe for the group was Chipotle-Glazed Squash Skewers. The recipe sounded amazing as is, and I am sure it would make a killer appetizer or side dish. But when I read the combination of flavors, it made me think of lunch. When the kids are in school and I am working, I love having something easy and not-kid-friendly to eat … this was totally that. So I scrapped the skewers, added sweet potatoes and more honey and served this over brown rice and raw kale. Hello.

It’s been a while since I last cooked with smoky, spicy chipotle peppers, powerful little peppers that add a punch to dishes. In this recipe, the chipotles, combined with honey and garlic, turn the sugary butternut squash and sweet potatoes into creamy sweet heat missiles. The nutty brown rice and earthy, firm raw kale make it a total party of textures and flavors.

And yes, I made this one pretty spicy. I love fiery flavors, and love it even more when it’s a sweet fire. Unfortunately, my kids and husband aren’t fans of the heat that chipotle peppers add so this dish really is perfect for my lunch — solo. Oh well, more for me. That’s why it’s perfect for me to enjoy alone for lunch …

You can check out the original recipe at 20something Cupcakes and be sure to check out the Food Matters Project to see how other bloggers interpreted this dish.

Spicy Honey Chipotle Squash and Sweet Potatoes over Brown Rice
serves 4
Adapted from Mark Bittman’s Chipotle-Glazed Squash Skewers

 1 1/4 lb butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 – 1 lb sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
2 chipotle chilis, finely chopped
2 tbsp adobo sauce (from the chilis)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp honey
salt and pepper, to taste
4 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup bite size pieces of raw kale

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with non stick aluminum foil.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the butternut squash and sweet potatoes.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, chipotle chilis, adobo sauce, garlic, honey, salt and pepper. Pour over the butternut squash and sweet potatoes and toss well to combine. Pour onto the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, stirring 2-3 times, until tender.

Arrange one cup of brown rice on each of four plates. Top with 1/4 cup kale each and 1/4 of the glazed squash and sweet potatoes. Enjoy!

When Will saw me starting to steam broccoli for this dish, he couldn’t help but let out a little cheer. It’s his very favorite vegetable — and has been since he was a toddler. Even though he’s loved it for much of his six years, I am always caught off guard by his excitement. When I was a child broccoli wasn’t high on my list. Unless it was drowned in cheese sauce, of course, but that kind of defeats the purpose. No?

But even though his enthusiasm for broccoli surprises me, I try really hard never to let my preferences color Will’s or Paige’s. I never ever want them to not try something — or worse, to dislike something — because I’m not as excited by it. I’d much rather they make their own decisions about foods — and they do.

These days though, I do like broccoli too. But I especially like it when it’s tossed with a delicious sauce like in this Baked Ginger Sesame Chicken and Broccoli. It’s a sweet-salty-savory dish with Asian inspiration. The marinated chicken soaks in all the flavors of the marinade, and then the steamed broccoli is enhanced by a quick toss with some reserved marinade, which really ties it all together.

This dish starts with an easy homemade ginger sesame sauce/marinate. You whisk the four simple ingredients together and reserve a little. Then the rest is used to marinate the chicken. You can grate your own ginger for this, or use some of this frozen crushed ginger. Either works great.

Marinate the chicken in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Longer is better though. Then you bake it — it takes about 14 minutes in the oven, total.

Then you serve it over rice with the broccoli. It’s easy — and fairly fast to make. We like it as a simple school night dinner, but it works any night.

Time to switch gears … I just don’t have a good transition for this one. Let’s just pretend I do. Please?

On to Eat. Live. Be. … Earlier this week, I sent Cate a quick message asking her what this week’s theme was for Eat. Live. Be. Reboot. I was so relieved when she said online. I knew just what I would be talking about.

See, when Eat. Live. Be. was in full swing earlier this year, I gave myself a big boost by joining Weight Watchers Online. It was just what I needed right when I needed it — the accountability, the structure, the reality-view of what I was eating. But then summer came and tracking became a nuisance. Toward the end of summer, I canceled my subscription. Throughout that whole time, I kept my weight off — despite not tracking.

It’s amazing how quickly you can get off track though. For me, it started with my asthma acting up. I wasn’t exercising. I ate more. And then, I had to take a very necessary medication to fix my asthma problem — that causes two serious side effects in me: a huge, unstoppable appetite and sleeplessness. Then the holidays came and before I knew it, I had drifted far from my healthy habits.

When I made the commitment to reboot my efforts though, I knew I needed that kick in the pants to really get moving and back on track fast. Guess where I turned? Weight Watchers Online again. I like that the program is flexible enough to accommodate my unusual lifestyle — which includes testing at least a half-dozen recipes each week — but structured enough to create a boundary for me when it comes to eating. I really need boundaries. I have high hopes.

Be sure to check in on the Eat. Live. Be. For a Better 2011 Facebook page to see what all the ELB’ers are up to this week, and where they are finding inspiration and motivation online.

Baked Ginger Sesame Chicken and Broccoli
serves 4, plus leftovers

1 1/2 lb raw chicken breast tender pieces
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp grated ginger
4 cups broccoli florets
sesame seeds (optional)
white rice, cooked

Rinse the chicken under cool water and then place in a large bowl to marinate.

Whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil and ginger. Reserve 2 tablespoons of marinade and then pour the remainder over the chicken. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes to marinate.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet, discarding any used marinade. Bake for 7 minutes then flip and cook for another 7 minutes, or until cooked through.

Meanwhile, steam the broccoli until tender (about 10 minutes). Once it’s cooked, remove to a medium mixing bowl and toss to coat with the reserved sauce/marinade.

Serve the chicken and broccoli over rice.

After Hurricane Irene knocked out our power for days, I had to restock almost everything in our fridge and freezers. It was somewhere between a colossal pain and a tremendous relief to start fresh like that. I hated losing everything, but being able to start from the basics again was nice. Anyway, when it came to restocking, one of the first things on the restock list (after nonfat milk, an assortment of cheeses and butter, of course) was bacon.

Now, while I think the bacon trend has seen its day, bacon is still a great thing to keep around. It adds tremendous flavor to braised cabbage and elevates an otherwise ordinary grilled cheese sandwich. And bacon with Brussels sprouts? OMG good. So, I always keep bacon in the freezer, slicing off a little whenever I need it. It’s so easy and then it’s always on hand.

I’m telling ya. It’s worth it.

In this fried rice? It’s amazing. The bits of bacon, egg and kale are fabulous together in the rice. And since the kale is actually cooked in the bacon fat, the flavor of bacon really permeates throughout the dish.

If you haven’t made fried rice before, I assure you that it’s easy. If you have all your ingredients prepped, it takes a whopping 15 minutes or so to cook this homemade recipe. And, yes, your ingredients should be prepped and ready to go before cooking.

This is a perfect side dish for Baked Sticky Orange Chicken Drumsticks.

Oh, and one more thing … This is also really amazing with a good swirl of Sriracha stirred in.

Bacon and Kale Fried Rice
serves 4

4 slices bacon, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch kale, ribs discarded and leaves minced
1 cup Jasmine rice, prepared
1 tsp sesame oil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

Heat a large skillet (or a wok) over medium heat on the stove. Add the bacon and cook until browned. Remove the bacon from the skillet to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon.

Add the garlic and the kale to the skillet. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the kale is wilted. Add the rice and toss well to combine. Add the sesame oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss well.

Push the rice mixture to one side of the skillet and add the eggs. Cook, without disturbing, for 2-3 minutes, until mostly firm. Break apart with your spatula and cook for 1-2 minutes more, until no longer liquidy. Stir together with the rice mixture. Scrape the bottom of the pan well.

Remove from heat and stir in the bacon. Drizzle with soy sauce. Stir well to combine.

Serve immediately.

When I went into the kitchen this afternoon, Paige came running in, dragging a chair behind her. “Mommy, I want to help.” I was there to clean, and told her so. “Then I’ll watch.”

And she did, waiting patiently until the counters were wiped clean and the dishes in the sink were washed or transferred to the dishwasher. She knew what was coming when I was done: cooking.

Paige and Will both revel in helping me in the kitchen. Even if it’s as simple as washing basil at the sink or transferring chopped veggies to a bowl, they’re happy to be involved in any way. And as a result, they know the difference between kale and lettuce, eggplant and pepper, and so many other foods.

It’s a good thing too. Whereas some foods do give me pause, the kids are unaffected. Eggplant in this dish? Yum. Mushrooms? Paige’s favorite. Peppers? Oooh. This rice dish could have been a hard-sell, but it wasn’t.

Will and I really enjoyed the flavors and textures of this Tomato Basil Veggie Rice. Really, anything with the vibrant combination of tomatoes and fresh basil is a favorite for me, but this rice also had that richness that you want with fall and winter foods. Paige wasn’t as into it though … but that’s okay. She ate quite a bit anyway.

This is a one pot dish that takes a little more than 30 minutes to whip up (most of it is hands off time), which makes it totally weeknight friendly. The rice cooks in a bath of vegetable stock and the juices from a can of diced tomato, rendering tender grains with a hint of sweet gravy. It’s a complex, contrasting story of flavors and textures: sweet and savory, meaty without meat, substantial without heaviness. The bits of diced tomato are a shock of sweet next to the meaty mushrooms and eggplant bits.

We eat this as a side dish with chicken, but the recipe could be a meal in of itself too.

http://community.educationworld.com/content/lesson-plans
serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small eggplant, peeled and diced
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes
1 sweet bell pepper, diced
3/4 cup rice (I use jasmine)
1 1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup basil leaves, finely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven. Add the eggplant and the mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes until tender and lightly browned.

Stir in the diced tomatoes (with the liquid), bell peppers and rice. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the vegetable stock. Cover. reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes.

Stir in the basil, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let sit for five minutes.

Serve.

If I had to describe this rice in just five words, they’d be creamy, bright, fresh, tender and satisfying. It’s unexpected – a very green rice, dotted with red tomatoes – but absolutely delicious. It’s a soothing mix of flavors and textures.

Avocado-Basil Rice with Tomatoes combines the flavors of mild guacamole with tender, warm rice. It’s a perfect side dish for spicy foods and bloody steaks. I came up with this one afternoon while sitting on the beach, contemplating dinner. We were having steak with a chipotle honey sauce, and I wanted something that could stand up to those flavors. This was totally it.

What made this even better for me was that it took about 10 minutes to make. I used Trader Joe’s frozen Jasmine Rice, and did everything else from scratch. Easy peasy.When dinner is late to hit the table (it was) and you don’t feel like spending a long time in the kitchen (I didn’t), then a dish like this is a blessing.

Avocado-Basil Rice with Tomatoes
serves 8

2 ripe Hass avocados, pitted and peeled
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
1 medium tomato, diced
4 cups cooked white rice

In a large mixing bowl, mash the avocado with the prongs of a fork. Stir in the lemon juice, basil, garlic, salt and pepper and tomato.

Pour the hot white rice into the bowl and stir well to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Serve immediately.

This morning, I found out that a friend of mine has cancer. No, wait, that’s Cancer, with a capital ‘C.’ I’ve been processing this all day and am still at a loss for words. I am praying for her health. But my friend’s story isn’t mine to tell.

Learning that this wonderful, kind, sweet woman has cancer hit me like a ton of bricks. Cancer doesn’t care how good or nice you are. It just attacks, a cruel and invasive enemy.

This got me thinking … What can we do so that we set ourselves up to avoid this monstrous disease? How can we give ourselves a fighting chance against cancer?

We can’t prevent it. But what we can do is take steps to give ourselves the best chance of avoiding it. How? Eat well. Live well. Be fit.

For diet, there’s something called The Anti-Cancer Diet, which stresses lots of fruits and veggies, healthy oils and fats and more plant-based food than meat. It sounds similar to the Mediterranean Diet and Clean Eating. It’s important to think about what you are eating and make deliberate, informed choices.

See also Eat. Live. Be. For a Better 2011.

Then there is exercise — regular exercise. As if by a strange coincidence, the kids and I started jogging this week, and I am considering running a 5K. But whether you jog or hit the gym or Zumba like crazy, doing something to raise your heart rate and keep your body fit helps.

So, with The Anti-Cancer Diet in mind, Paige and I made this for lunch today. This recipe draws on healthy, anti-cancer foods like cauliflower, sweet potatoes and garbanzo beans. The filling combination of sweet and savory is perfect over rice. If you want to up the health ante, use brown rice.

What’s your favorite anti-cancer food?

Roasted Cauliflower, Sweet Potatoes and Garbanzo Beans
serves 4

1 medium cauliflower, cut into 1″ florets
1 4-5″ long sweet potatoes, cut into a 3/4″ dice
1 15.5 oz can garbanzo beans
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cauliflower, sweet potatoes, garbanzo beans, olive oil, ginger, tumeric and cinnamon. Toss well to mix, taking care to distribute the spices all over.

Slide the tray into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Stir well. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, until the veggies are cooked through and lightly browned at the edges.

Serve over rice.

Remember how I was meal planning for a while? It worked so well, and being organized (and planned) made the evenings go really smoothly.

Unfortunately, I really haven’t done that in a long time. In fact, my meal planning calendar still lists a week in October. As a result, dinner has become a great big hectic feat — I hate that. It’s awful when you see 5 p.m. fast approaching with nothing defrosted and no idea what to make. Clearly, I need to start doing that again.

When I took out pork chops for dinner last night, I knew I needed to have a plan long before dinnertime arrived. Otherwise, I would be freaking out, and trying to figure out how to turn them into something tasty.

I rarely make pork of any kind, so I turned to my vast collection of cookbooks. I don’t often cook from cookbooks, but when I do it’s because I need to make something that will most likely work. Since I am relatively inexperienced with pork, this stir-fry recipe allowed me to experiment with a new way of making chops … and it turned out great. I will definitely use this cooking method again (and this recipe too).

Making this Quick Pork and Peanut Stir-Fry was so easy. I traded out chicken broth for vegetable stock that I had in the fridge. I also used a low-sodium soy sauce and halved the amount of ginger in the recipe. The result was an intensely flavored dish that everyone polished off fast. I loved the sweet-ish sauce with the crunch of the peanuts and onioniness of the scallions (aka green onions).

The trick to making this quickly is to have all the ingredients ready to go when you start cooking. It takes maybe 15 minutes to make, max, so you won’t be waiting long to enjoy it.

What’s your favorite stir-fry?

Quick Pork and Peanut Stir-Fry
serves 4
Adapted from All You Eat Well, Save Big Cookbook

1/4 cup low-sodium vegetable stock
1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp light olive oil
1 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
5 scallions, chopped with the white parts and the green parts separated
1 lb boneless pork chops, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts, chopped (plus extra for sprinkling)

Whisk together the vegetable stock, soy sauce, rice vinegar and cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat (closer to medium than high). Add the white part of the scallions and the ginger and cook for one minute, stirring once or twice.

Add the pork to the skillet and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no pink is visible.

Pour the sauce into the skillet and add the peanuts. Stir well to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the sauce is thickened and coats everything. Add a little extra vegetable stock, if necessary, to give the sauce your desired consistency.

Serve over rice.

Disclosure: I don’t know if I actually need to disclose this or not, but this cookbook was a gift from someone at the publisher. I wasn’t asked to review it (as it was a gift), but I liked this recipe so much that I wanted to write about it. I wasn’t asked to write about this at all. I chose to.

The first time I set foot on Barnard College’s campus, I fell instantly in love. At the time, I was living near Lincoln Center, amid the hustle-bustle of the city. I loved that area, and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. But when I emerged from the subway at 116th Street, it was like walking into a different world — a village within the city. Something just clicked for me.

I was still in the city, still close to everything, but the pace of life in Morningside Heights was a little slower … a little more suburban. And as I learned more about the school itself, I decided it was perfect. Just perfect.

Three months later, I moved into a dorm at Barnard. It was the spring semester, and although I was so excited to be there, I was also nervous and a little shy about everything. Thank goodness for good roommates. I lived with four people — three girls and a guy — and they were all so inviting and nice. Even when I wasn’t sure how to befriend them, they dragged me out and included me.

Two of those roommates are still among my closest friends, more than 10 years later.

Those same wonderful roommates also introduced me to the amazing world of Korean cuisine. If I close my eyes, I can take myself back to that first encounter. I was a little scared (new food! eek!) and a little apprehensive. But I asked my friends what I should try and took their advice.

The only problem with this whole thing? I loved that dish so much that I have never had anything else Korean. That first dish turned out to be an amazing, life-altering flavor experience. It was Bi Bim Bap (or bibimbap), a rice dish, sometimes served in a hot stone pot. Warm veggies, often sauteed and lightly seasoned, top the rice and then there is a fried egg on top of it all. Sometimes it’s served with beef too. Then you add some red chili paste. Oh, it’s divine.

At the restaurant we used to go to near the Barnard and Columbia campus, they would bring out these steaming hot stone pots, and we’d stir them vigorously, adding copious amounts of the red chili paste. It was a thrilling flavor experience. Every bite, from the tender beginnings to the crispy rice at the bottom of the bowl, was fabulous.

Unfortunately, I don’t often get back to that restaurant (or any other Korean restaurant), since I live and work in Connecticut, where there is a definitive lack of Korean cuisine. Yes, there are a few restaurants in New Haven and Hartford, but none are close enough to my house to warrant a trip.

Fortunately, I am all about adapting favorite dishes to be more accessible, and this one was perfect for that.

I’ve traded the hot stone pot (really, folks, that’s awesome at the restaurant, but not so much at home) for a more sensible bowl. The veggies are narrowed to just a few and served mostly raw. The egg is poached, instead of fried, since I find poached eggs easier to make. But the resulting dish? Absolutely divine. In fact, when I served it to Will and Paige (minus the Sriracha), they loved it. And Will begged for me to make some for his lunch the next day for school.

So, how do you make this Bi Bim Bap wanna-be dish ultra simple? It’s all in the prep.

• Make the rice first. I use a rice cooker, and it takes about an hour.
• Once the rice is nearly done, julienne-cut the veggies. This can be done really fast if you use a food processor fitted with a julienne blade or a mandolin fitted with a julienne blade.
• Use frozen chopped spinach. Simply heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and add two crushed cloves of garlic. Stir in the spinach, cover and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring twice.
• Have all the veggies cooked and ready when you slide the eggs into the water for poaching.

Korean-Inspired Rice Bowl
serves 4

4 cups cooked white rice
2-3 carrots, peeled and julienned
1 yellow bell pepper, julienned
1 cup chopped spinach, sauteed with two cloves garlic
4 large eggs, poached
Sriracha, to taste

Divide the rice evenly among four bowls. Top with carrots, yellow pepper, sauteed spinach and one poached egg each. Drizzle with Sriracha (if desired), and stir vigorously to combine.

Serve immediately.