Kevin Costner- August 2010

Kevin Costner sings? Who knew! Actually,his voice wasn't bad!

Bryan Adams/Beach Boys- August 2010- Empire Stadium

This update is long overdue! Great concerts, even though it was obvious that the Beach Boys guy was just lip-syncing!

High Tea

Some pictures from my high tea experience

K'naan - Malkin Bowl - 25th September 2010

This might be my last concert of the year; I've been to too many! Great show, although it was an outdoor show and it rained so much!

Baked Tilapia

Wow, tilapia is really cheap! To make this, I marinaded 4 tilapia filets in some olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, chili flakes and lemon juice. Then I baked it in the oven at 400 degrees fahrenheit for 10 minutes or so. Very easy!

Before it went into the oven:

After:

Brown Rice and Chicken Casserole

I'm really enjoying cooking with brown rice! I decided to try a casserole. I made about 2 cups of brown rice, with 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and a teaspoon of vegetable stock to the cooking water. When that was done, I fried some chicken in olive oil and added some seasoning I also added some garlic and onions to the chicken. Then I cooked some broccoli. After that, I mixed everything together and baked it at 375 degrees Celsius for roughly 30 minutes.

This is what it looked like before entering the oven:

 After baking:

 Next I sprinkled a cup of grated cheddar over the top:

And after melting the cheese in the oven:

Verdict? It tasted really good! Next time I'll probably use a paler cheese purely for aesthetic reasons.

Brown Rice Soup: Part 2

It was so delicious I had to make it twice! This time I fried some chicken and added a teaspoon of turmeric but everything else was done the same as the last recipe. I much preferred this method; I guess chicken goes really well with rice. I made a whole batch and it lasted me for a few meals.

Brown Rice Soup with Italian Sausage

Yum! This was good!

Method

Fry some Italian sausage. Set aside.

Fry some onions and vegetables together(I used a frozen veggie mix of broccoli, cauliflower, peas and corn), 1tsp cumin, 1 tsp thyme and some chili. Stir until browned (10-15 minutes).

Add reserved sausage, 4 cups of chicken broth,1 cup of soymilk, 1 cup of brown rice, 2tbsp flour, 3/4 cup lentils, salt and pepper.

Bring to the boil, then lower heat to medium low.

Cook partially covered, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes until the lentils are done.

Stir in some chopped spinach and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add more watre if necessary.

Ingredients of the Month: Brown Rice and Apple Cider Vinegar

I've decided to switch from white rice to brown rice. I eat a lot of rice and I'd always figured that white rice was healthy. Not so! I learned that white rice is nothing but empty calories. I was a bit apprehensive about brown rice, not because of the taste but because I heard that it is a bit more tricky to cook. Anyway, I was so wrong!

The second ingredient I wanted to try is apple cider vinegar.

 I've heard so much about it from an online forum I frequent. It's purported to have lots of health benefits so I decided to give it a try and use it in my cooking. 
So far I've:

• Used it as a hair rinse
• Added a tablespoon of it to my brown rice to keep it fluffy
• Used it as a fish marinade
• Added some in my morning smoothie
• Added a tablespoon to my evening rooibos tea. I also add a tablespoon of honey to it because it's a little sour, but I'm actually getting used to the sourness!