Jamaican rice and beans (quick)

My advisor is not only a scientist- but also an actor. He does community theater. I guess it is a good thing to have someone in science support having outside interests. Sometimes your life had to revolve around science, and you can never leave the lab. The environment I work in now is pretty laid back work-wise because of that - which really means I have to motivate myself.

Back to the acting, way back before I was a vegetarian - some then co-workers and I decided to go see my advisor perform in a play in a small town about an hour away. We figured we'd grab dinner out there- expecting no more than BBQ or friend chicken. Lo and behold, there was a Jamaican restaurant - right there in the middle of nowhere. The food was great, and my vegetarian coworker went nuts over the rice and beans- which were made in a thick, delicious coconut base.

Now that I am a vegetarian, I realize what a go-to rice and beans are. So simple! Following is the recipe I made, from the suggestions of both the restaurant owner and my coworker. This was easily made from all pantry food- I love emptying out my cans - and didn't have time to soak any beans.

Brown jasmine rice (enough for 4) - I stick mine in the rice cooker.
2 cans red kidney beans
1 can coconut milk
2 Tbsp jerk seasoning
Salt and Pepper

Make rice. Dump beans (juices too) into large pot. Add coconut milk and seasoning. Simmer. After about 20 minutes, I take a potato masher and mash a few of the beans to get them to break down to thicken the sauce further. It was awesome - and I am having some of the leftovers for lunch. Start to finish - 1 hour!

SALAD

I used to HATE salad- but they're not so bad when you beef them up. Below, my standard lunch for the past few weeks:

Mixed greens, red bell pepper, brown rice, lentils, blueberries, corn, avocado, cucumber, scallions, salsa and some strawberry vinaigrette I've been whipping up at h0me. Not bad for rabbit food.

FOOD and cholesterol

If there's one thing my husband loves, it's meat. I gave up meat over a year ago when the result of a lipid panel revealed my TOTAL cholesterol was 330! This is not triglycerides (free-floating fatty acids in the bloodstream,a byproduct of greasy food and/or alcohol consumed recently) - this is total cholesterol. The physician suggested I start Lipitor. Well, I had some reservations. 1- my doctorate is in Physiology and Pharmacology - so I am aware of the undesireable side effects associated with the drug 2) My father has been on Lipitor for years, with varied results. 3) I was only 25 at the time, and training for a triathlon!!!! Hypocholesterolemia is prevalent in my family - we all have a predisposition towards high cholesterol, despite healthy eating/habits.

My solution... I became a vegetarian. I gave myself the month of April to give up fish - and by May 1- I was a complete vegetarian. There was a lot of pressure from others (mainly my husband) to keep fish in my diet- but each time I tried it, it didn't feel "worth it" to me. After only 3 months, my total cholesterol was down 100 points, mt LDL (lame cholesterol) was down 100 points, and my HDL (healthy cholesterol) was UP to 77- a number I was told is driven by enhanced physical activity, and cancels out any higher number! Yes taking a pill is easy, and cutting out a whole food group is much harder - but I felt great and don't see why I would ever eat meat again.

After the wedding, I resolved to cut out dairy (mainly cheese, one of my biggest downfalls - my mom knows how much I LOVE a deep-fried cheeseball!). It hasn't been hard at home, but I haven't gotten the hang of eating out yet. Some times are good- some days (like yesterday) involve cheese quesadillas and chile rellenos stuffed with vegetables and queso fresco (drool).

This brings me back to the husband. DH will eat anything I put in front of him - because he hates to cook. I love it. But let me tell you, he has been rebelling like crazy to the newer, more limited diet. He went out and bought a bag of chicken and eats hunks of it for lunch. I BBQ'ed tofu last weekend, made a delicious potato salad, roasted vegetables, and salad... and he went out and bought a steak and shrimp and ate only meat. He has been eating 6 eggs for breakfast. I watch, I'm trying to stay quiet, But I look forward to one of his lipid panels. I wonder what's up inside of his arteries.

Dinner the other night (iPhone cameras aren't all that great):



Polenta-stuffed peppers (used Daiya cheese in the filling GREAT) from The Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers cookbook (a gift from my brother and sister in law) - chile-roasted asparagus, cilantro rice with sriracha, mineral water with Vegan Dad's strawberry syrup.

Great! Only minor grumbles and "what is that?" Well, what did you expect marrying a boy who grew up on fried chicken and hamburgers steaks?