#8 Ramenizza

Ramen pizza with Pork Belly, Avocado, Oyster Mushroom, Cilantro and Goat Cheese because pizza never has to be plain! Making pizza dough is a very frugal move. It takes only a couple of ingredients (yeast, flour, salt, water, cornmeal and olive oil) and holds up very well in your freezer. From another pizza making adventure, I learned that the crust cooks ideally on a grill. It's that quick exposure to high heat that gives your crust a crisp and satisfying bite. Also, if you like to load your pizza with veggies you will not have to worry about overcooking and ruining the texture of your toppings.

#7 What's that stuffing? It's RAMEN!

I'm not feeling very verbose today so I am not going to fill up this blog with too many words. I'm currently fighting a severe toothache with Nyquil, Advil, Tylenol and Wine. The cocktail has proven to be effective when I am in bed but it does not carry over well AT ALL. Anyways, here's another Ramen meal to get me through the day!

Green Bell Pepper stuffed with Ramen and Beef. Enjoy^^

#6 Scramen Sandwich and Egg Info

This meal is a homage to left-overs and laziness. I'd like to say that there is no way that you could incorrectly cook an egg, but I have had the unfortunate memory of trying to cook an omelette in the microwave. Microwave cooking is a trial-by-error process. I recommend it to the patient and strong-stomached. From my failures, I've learned that there are valuable pieces of information that you need to consider while cooking an egg.  The egg can be divided into two parts: 1) the yolk which largely consists of unsaturated and saturated fats (7:3 ratio) and 2) egg white IS the protein albumin. The yolk contains omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids which are associated with cardiac health. Now here is what is important. Microwaving egg whites alone will not go well. It will EXPLODE. I believe that this have to do with the condensation reaction that occurs when the albumin cooks.
Anyways... here's my meal for today

Ingredients:

Egg

Ramen

Refried Beans

Salt & Pepper

Bread

Cilantro

#5 Scrambled Salmon Egg Meal

There's no denying how amazing eggs are. Firstly, you can cook them any which way you so please: grilled, fried, boiled, microwaved. You can even not cook them (a.k.a "yolk dip") and call it a dish. But not only is the egg a cheap convenience, it has an excellent nutrition profile. Egg albumin is so concentrated with amino acids that consuming too many whites can actually put a strain on your kidneys. That's a potent amount of protein! I'm not sure what it is but the Japanese love their ramen with tamago. I often spot a delicate hard boiled floating in a dish of ramen... so why not scramble them? And then add salmon? DONE!

Ingredients:

Ramen

Egg

Spices (cumin, salt, pepper)

Salmon

Parsely

Cheap mission complete!

#4 Ramen Seafood "Paella"

The other day I was watching this Anthony Bourdan-inspired show about David Chang. He's a large-set, pot-smoking, slow-talking, fusion chef who appears to be the Asian version of Anthony himself. I have not watched enough episodes to confirm this, but from what little I have seen, David Chang prides himself on deconstructing traditional dishes and adding an Asian touch. During his visit to Spain, he removed tradition from seafood paella when he added ramen noodles to his Spanish dish. It looked great!

Naturally, I needed to do the very same thing. Unlike the fancy kitchens and fresh ingredients that are within David's reach, I have an HEB. So I did not use saffron or mussels; but I highly recommend adding them to get that mouthful of seafood gold. Instead, I used imitation crab, curry, and salmon.

Ingredients:

Ramen ($.17)

Grilled Imitation-Crab ($1.50)

Grilled Egg

Parsley

Curry

Chicken Soup

Salmon ($3.00)

 Thanks David!

#3 Viet-ram-ese Bahn Mi

So here's the thing with sandwiches. They are ridiculously filling, simple, and cheap to make. So why do restaurant's charge $10 for a bloody piece of bread with a side of meat? Heck if I know. The one sandwich that seems to defy this rule of overpriced yet scrumptious is: Bahn Mi. Vietnamese translation: PO BOY. And because I am a fan of carbohydrates, I decided to make a ramen spin on Bahn Mi.

(Side View)

Ingredients:

• Sausage
• Cucumber
• Cilantro
• Ramen
• Tomato Sauce
• Basil

Proportions? The sausage to bread ratio should be 2:1. Don't be a coward.

#2 RamenOLI

Today's rendition of noodles is a ramen interpretation of a classic Italian dish: Spinach RAVIOLI! Well, it might not necessary be a true "rendition" because I did incorporate left-over pieces of ravoli into the dish rather than recreate them. But, hey, who's judging? Anyways, I LOVE blended greens in my noodles. Not only do they give ramen a much needed color upgrade, but they provide an easy way to prevent scurvy. Also, as I get older, my bowels are less inclined to digest greens readily. And I find that pestos and blended spinach have already gone through half of the digestive process.

Ingredients:

Spinach (blend with some butter, milk, and parsley)

Nutmeg

Cumin
Ravoli
Ramen
Sriracha
Salt & Pepper

#1 Roe...Roe...Roemen?

                                                                      Fishy Ramen

Ingredients:

• Ramen ($0.17)
• Caviar ($3.50)
• Mackerel ($1.55)
• Tomato Paste ($.27)  
• Cumin
• Salt & Pepper
• Lemon Juice

This ramen dish is a slap in face to the conservationist ideology of ramen. It's rich in flavor, taste, and smell. There's no human sense that can escape the pungent nature of fish in this bowl.

Genesis

The title of the blog suggests that I will consume ramen EVERY day for a year. That is not the case. Although I highly condone taking on a commitment and using creative means to encourage doing so, I am afraid that I will not. I am just a regular girl (like you or your mother/sister/friend) with regular nutritional needs. Instead, I will not embrace the fallacy of the title and eat ramen when the time comes. You see, I was a poor unemployed recent grad at the start of the year. Currently, I am a poor graduate student. It seems like a majority of my adult life has been spent being financially-challenged. As a result, ramen has become a stable part of my diet. For better or for worse, I am stuck finding new and interesting ways to satiate my cheap excuse for food. Fortunately, my hunt to mask the taste of 17 cents has led to some flavor-packed spoonfuls that I am proud of. I know that I am not the only person in a cheap-eats predicament, so I would love to share some recipes for a well-balanced and filling ramen meal.

Let the boiling begin....