I might have saved you this recipe

Hiiiiiiiii.

You didn't think I could go a whole 6 days without blogging, right? I miss you guys!In the last few days I've been meeting new people, rubbing shoulders with some of the most influencial names in my field, and seeing some really cutting edge science. I have to give it up to the conference organizers for highlighting some very new and young research groups.

 I also have to thank the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and National Institutes of Health Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases for offsetting the cost of my travel expenses with a generous scholarship.


Ok as I said before, Vancouver is BEAUTIFUL. I've been wandering the city in my free time, and it's quite possibly the cleanest modern city I've been in. Plus, there is a lot of pedestrian traffic, bike lanes, public transit, and commerce.

Today we had 6 hours free, and there were options for day trips to ski on the mountain or go on a bus tour of the city, but I didn't come prepared for skiing and I get motion sickness really easily, so I decided to go on a little running tour. I didn't bring my camera, but I went out on this little peninsula where there is a park on the seawall and the view was breathtaking.

 (Thank you Google, for your map!)

I have a little more free time on Wednesday, so I think I'll be using it for another run. This time I'll bring my camera as long as it's not raining too hard.

The only real downside to this conference is that it is very possible I'll lose 5 lbs this week. It's not that the food is bad, just that competition for food is fierce! Plus, I'm easily distracted, so I'll get some food, start talking to someone, and then forget to eat. But, before I left Iowa, I made something for you guys...

Ohhh....what is that? It looks strange, and it also looks like I spent some time trying to make it look pretty on a plate (I'm trying! I'm trying!). It might be bok choy, grilled marinated tofu, and rice. And it might be an easy weeknight meal.

The details? Press yourself some extra firm tofu. I pressed two blocks between two plates and put a heavy object on top for about 15 minutes. With extra firm, you don't have to press too long. I cut them into medium thick strips. Maybe 8-10 per block. I obviously wasn't trying too hard.

Then, I assembled a marinade. The players:

The product:

The bath:

The shake:

15 minutes in the fridge. Shake again and turn upside down. 15 minutes more.


Blog-people: Meet Mr. Foreman. George Foreman. Yes, it's like I'm in college again, but it gets the job done.

George, meet tofu. I swear it works!

2-4 minutes. Done.

In the meantime, chop some bok choy. Add some oil, garlic, and ginger to the pan. Fry it just a minute. Then dump in your bok choy.

 I put a lid on it and just steam it for a few minutes. Stir, add about a tablespoon of oyster sauce (err on the side of caution!) and stir again. It's delicious and low-calorie!

This was a perfect weeknight meal, filling but low calorie!

Some people may be concerned about the relationship between soy and estrogen mimicry leading to cancer. I did a post on it previously (link here), but I'll summarize my general thoughts on the topic again:


Unless you have a sensitivity to estrogen (possibly a hormone linked cancer or a hormone imbalance), soy is a delicious and healthy source of protein in moderation. However, if you are eating a lot of processed foods, you should keep an eye on your total soy protein intake. For instance, I am eating a lot of energy bars and granola bars that contain added soy protein this week, so I'll probably avoid tofu and other soy-based proteins in my regular meals. I think the above post also contains some example daily meal tallys for how much soy the average westerner might ingest. 

Ok, I'll see if I can blog on my layover on Thursday, but otherwise I'll see you all when I'm back in the States!