Whew! I’ve made it through yet another exam season. Grad school is a bit different, we tend to have large research papers to hand in. I’m relieved to be done course work for a few weeks. And am working on a few other projects before the spring term begins. One is a research project I’ve been working on for a little over a year. It’s nice to see it coming together! The other is an event for game enthusiasts: Make a Game or DIY Trying. We’ve invited local speakers who work in the game industry to talk about their careers and will host a design competition in the afternoon. I’m looking forward to taking a few days off next week to relax before the next set of classes start.
With everything coming to an end for the term, Bryan and I took the evening of April 23rd off to celebrate our 9 year anniversary! 9 wonderful years. It sounds like a long time. It hasn’t felt all that long.
Us at Bryan’s convocation — there are very few pictures of us because I’m usually the one holding the camera
Anyway, we were both quite busy during the day, but were able to spend the entire evening together, starting with dinner at our favourite restaurant, Taka! It’s on the opposite side of the next town (near where I grew up), but is always worth the trip! The family that manages the restaurant is very generous, they always greet us with enthusiasm, give us appetizers on the house, which usually means we go home with leftovers. Yesterday was no different. Warm welcome, fantastic and friendly service, delicious food, and enough leftovers for a quick lunch today. We then headed home for a quiet evening. We’ve been watching Game of Thrones (I got the DVDs for my birthday a while back) and watched the final episode of season 2. We can’t wait for season 3 to finish and come out on DVD!
The recipe I’m sharing with you today is a salad that I’ve been making a lot recently that we’re both very fond of. The idea for the salad is based off of a recommendation from a friend. It’s very easy to make and surprisingly filling!
Asian-Inspired Bean Sprout Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups bean sprouts – approximate cost $2.00
- 1/2 cup watercress – approximate cost $1.00
- 1 1/2 cups frozen edamamae beans – approximate cost $1.50
Method
- Cook edamamae beans according to package.
- Soak hot edamamae beans in an ice water bath.
- Rinse the bean sprouts and watercress.
- Pat dry.
- Combine bean sprouts, watercress, and edamame beans in a large salad bowl.
- Mix well.
- Top with Citrus and Soy Salad Dressing.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Citrus and Soy Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice – approximate cost $0.10
- 1 1/2 teaspoon lime juice – approximate cost $0.15
- 1 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar – approximate cost $0.15
- 1 1/2 teaspoons mirin (Japanese sweet cooking wine) – approximate cost $0.15
- 3 teaspoons Kikkoman soy sauce – approximate cost $0.20
- 3 teaspoons sesame oil – approximate cost $0.50
Method
- Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing glass. 5.75
- Mix well.
- Pour over salad (before the oil and citrus separate).
Makes 2 meal-sized servings (approximate cost: $2.88 per serving) or 4 appetizer-sized servings (approximate cost: $1.44 per serving).
Wednesday Link Parties
- What’s Cooking Wednesday (hosted by Turning The Clock Back, and Confessions of an Overworked Mom)
- Cast Party Wednesday (hosted by Lady Behind the Curtain)
- Fresh Foods Wednesday (hosted by Kristy from Gastronomical Sovereignty)
- Allergy Free Wednesdays (hosted by Gluten Free Pantry, Real Food Allergy Free, The Tasty Alternative, Tessa The Domestic Diva, The Willing Cook, Gluten Freely Frugal, and Whole New Mom
- Whatcha’ Whipped Up Wednesday (hosted by DJ’s Sugar Shack)
- Wednesday Whatsits (hosted by White Lights on Wednesday)
- Fluster’s Creative Muster Party (hosted by Fluster Buster)
The Cook's Sister 