If only I could chew...

This past Monday I got my wisdom teeth out so for this week, I had to cut back on my recipes to be completed due to my lack of being able to chew. Despite that, I still made grilled tuna steaks last night that I ate slowly, chewing with my front teeth (it wasn't a pretty sight). Then for dinner tonight I had left over grilled tuna that I thought would go great with sauteed broccoli and green beans, one of the recipes in Everyday Italian. Broccoli and green beans... sounds simple enough right? Wrong. I stared at the broccoli florets and thought "...is there a certain way I'm supposed to cut these?" Ahh, one of the basic abilities that reminds me why I chose this project. I called the one person I know is always there to give me cooking advice - Mom to the rescue!! She explained to me that I cut a little bit of the stem off, and separate the stem into smaller florets. So I followed the recipe, blanching the broccoli and green beans and sauteing them in olive oil, red-pepper flakes, and garlic. After I finished cooking, I realized that I underestimated how difficult it would be to chew broccoli and green beans with my front teeth. Then once I felt a burning sensation on my lips, it was clear that I put a little too much red pepper flakes. Good thing my parents are Indian, because they don't mind the extra spice! Even though I didn't get to properly taste this dish, I'd say it was a success and something I'll probably make again with some adjustments. So what I've learned from today is 1) how to cut broccoli florets, 2) be wise with spice, and 3) you can't chew broccoli OR green beans with your front teeth.


Time spent: 40 mins