Lots of pictures today, so I shall try to cut the crap and get right down to the chase…but I just have to mention this ONE thing:

I am an idiot. Okay, you all already know that, but here’s yet another concrete proof: Last night, my prayer group and I went out to Cheesecake Factory for dinner to celebrate one of the group member, Mark’s, birthday. I wanted to read about reviews on that place, so I looked up on Foodbuzz for restaurant reviews…and one of the reviews that came up contained the entire nutritional facts of Cheesecake Factory.

Yeah, I should have totally walked away. But curiosity got the better of me. I clicked on the site, and scanned through the calorie quantity in each dish. Holy shit. Every dish, besides the Weight Management menu, was 800 kcal and above. And the dish that I was planning to order, the Cuban Sandwich, was a whooping 1135 kcal. What. The. ???!!!

Ever heard of “curiosity killed the cat”? This little tidbit of nutritional info totally killed my gung-ho attitude towards eating out. It killed all appetite in me, period. What to do? We already decided on the restaurant and everything, and this was going to be a birthday dinner celebration. There was no way I could back down now…And I’d sworn to myself never ever to order salads in a restaurant until I reached my target weight, so taking a safe option was out for me.

There was nothing I could do, but to suck it up and just…face it. It was a complete “in-your-face” moment.
I should have poked my eyes out. Why the hell did I have to look at the nutritional information?

As I ordered my dish, I almost blurted out, “May I have the 1135 kcal dish?” That number was ringing in my head the whole time, and I had to really struggle to eat it…
Hello, 1135 kcal. I chickened out a bit and ordered broccoli as the side, so now it’s probably like 800 kcal. But still, the fear remained in me. I wanted to knock myself against the head for being so stupid as to look up on details I totally didn’t need to know.

Cuban Sandwich: Slow-Roasted Pork, Ham, Swiss Cheese, Pickles and Mustard on a Grilled and Pressed Cuban-Style Roll

It was delicious. Way too delicious for me to skimp. The roll was really buttery, and the thick slather of full-fat mayonnaise freaked me out a bit, and grease dripped down my fingers, but I managed to eat everything up, and even helped my friends finish theirs:

The Club: Freshly Roasted Turkey Breast, Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato and Mayonnaise Served on White Toast with French Fries

Pasta Da Vinci: Sauteed Chicken, Mushrooms, Onions and Garlic in a Delicious Madeira Wine Sauce Tossed with Penne Pasta and Parmesan

Pasta Carbonara: Spaghettini Tossed with Smoked Bacon, Sweet Green Peas and a Light Garlic-Parmesan Cream Sauce with Chicken
Shrimp and Chicken Gumbo: Shrimp, Chicken, Andouille Sausage, Tomatoes, Peppers, Onions and Garlic Simmered in a Spicy Cajun Style Broth with Cream. Topped with Steamed White Rice

This one was my other favorite. I stole big spoonfuls of this.

Fresh Fish Tacos: Three Soft Corn Tortillas Filled with Fresh Grilled Fish, Spicy Avocado Cream and a Spicy Citrus Salsa. Served with Black Beans, Rice and Guacamole (I helped with one piece of taco, but seriously…don’t order this unless you like bland food)

And strawberry cheesecake, decorated with a special greeting for the birthday boy:
Please excuse the horrible pictures. I really did not want to use flash, but the restaurant was so freaking dark! Grr…I hate restaurants with low light settings…Apparently it’s supposed to give off a romantic mood? Romantic my ass! I want romance with my food, and how can I appreciate the full beauty of my food if I can’t even see it?

Anyway. I digress. I shall rant about the horrible restaurant lightings in another post. Today, it’s all about food, especially because I’ve been cooking and baking some mighty fine stuff. Check this out:

Do you know what this is? If you shouted out “Taro root”, give yourself a huge clap on the back! Taro is my favorite root vegetable besides kabocha. It has this gorgeous, purplish-flecked flesh and is really, really starchy. It tastes slig
htly nutty, with a hint of floral sweetness that is really subtle yet intriguing.

Of course, I had to use this to make yet another “mix-it-up” bowl:

Coconut-orange Taro Stir-fry with Crushed Peanuts

The base:

• Taro, steamed then pan-fried (instructions and pictures below

The “mix-ins”:

• 2 large shitake mushrooms, chopped
• handful of soybean sprouts
• smaller handful of shredded red cabbage

The dressing:

• 1/4 small onion, minced
• 1/4 cup crushed peanuts
• spoonful dried unsweetened coconut
• pinch of chili powder and flakes (as much/little as you wish)
• ~1 tsp fish sauce
• ~2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
• salt and pepper

The toppings:

• chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup crushed peanuts
• orange segments
• sprinkle dried coconut

For the taro:
 1) Steam

2) Pan-fry, set aside. Easy, peasy.

For the dressing:

Heat up some oil on skillet. Toss in the onion, peanuts, stir until soft and fragrant. Toss in the coconut until toasted, then sprinkle in the chili powder and flakes.
Pour in the fish sauce, soy sauce, and coconut milk, and let simmer until thickened. Squeeze in the orange juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Altogether:

When the dressing is done, leave the heat on, and throw in all the “mix-in” ingredients. Cook until soft and fragrant, then toss in the taro to cook. Remove from heat onto a serving dish, then sprinkle on the toppings. Decorate with the orange segments. Conclusion:

I know I say this all the time, but this is seriously my best “mix-it-up” bowl yet…I’m certain!

Every mouthful was a burst of fresh flavors: The nutty peanuts (duh), the fragrance from the coconut milk, the citrus splash from the orange, the kick from the chili powder, the carbiliciousness of the taro…
I loved, loved, loved the crunchy bites of peanuts in every forkful.

And how could I have neglected soybean sprouts for so long? It used to be the only vegetable I’d eat as a kid. I need to create more dishes with these wonderful, crunchy, noodle-like sprouts. Yum~ 

What? More pictures of this tantalizing dish? Your wish is my command…

But wait! That’s not all! Guess what I baked today!

Mini Chocolate Chip Butter Bites!

When I saw this recipe on Donna from My Tasty Treasure’s blog, I knew I had to make these…I really needed to use up the much-neglected bag of mini chocolate chips, and the amazing, mouth-watering pictures on Donna’s blog sealed the decision.

Not only was it all cute and snowy, it was truly delicious. A bit too sweet for my taste, but I knew my youth group would love it. I decided to pack half of it up for my dear student Jennifer, who let me borrow her glasses for a week while my eyes were still healing from the freak accident at the church retreat.

Look, I even packed her glasses into a small gift bag!

The recipe for these delicious buttery cookies can be found here.

Phew! Did I get everything?

• Did I mention that I am a retard? Check.
• Did I rant about the stupid restaurants with dark lights? Check.
• Did I brag about my genius taro dish? Check.
• Did I show off how sweet I am to bake for my youth group? Check.
• Did I give credit to dear Donna for her fabulous recipe? Check.

Sorry, I’m all over the place at the moment. But thanks for bearing with me and still reading! >___<

Question of the day: What is your opinion about restaurants posting their nutritional information on the menus? Do you look up on nutritional stats beforehand?

P.S. Thank you, thank you, thank you all for your prayers. Lee Mama had a successful surgery. The surgery was tough and took much longer than expected, but she’s fine now. My parents went to visit her and came back marveling about her high spirits and her courage. Thank the Lord for the sweet woman’s strength! She is my role model for the kind of granny I wanna be…A kick-ass granny!

Related posts:

1. Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Korean Fusion Street Food BYOB
2. I’ll Study Here for the Food
3. Just Eat. Mostly With Eaters. Not Too Much Food Talk.
4. Transit to America
5. One Month

Tagged as: "mix-it-up" bowl, baking, cabbage, cheese, coconut, cookies, eating disorder, fear food, fruits, nuts, pickles, pork, sandwich, sprouts, taro