Macrobiotic Rice Krispy Treats
Plus! Grocery store Dungeness crab, the absurdity of the penny, and my exfoliant of choice.
This was the summer when I finally admitted, I really don’t like to BBQ. It’s a punishing job to be the one to “man” the grill while everyone else sips rosé in the shade, and yes, the task usually falls on me. Once the party starts I prefer to have the brunt of the cooking behind me, changed into clean clothes well before my guests arrive.
In lieu of ye ol’ American burgers and dogs this Labor Day, we took the kids to the Galleria in Little Tokyo. Deep inside this unassuming shopping mall lies a secret, stellar Japanese/Korean market called Little Tokyo Marketplace. There’s a Japanese beauty counter where I stock up on future kids’ birthday gifts: small, daisy bedazzled bandaids (a decorative way to stop kids from scratching bug bites), face gems, and some sweet little nail stickers (once inside I stockpiled training chopsticks with little panda’s holding the two sides together).
We skipped through the aisles filling our basket with banchan, frozen kimchi dumplings packaged in nothing more than an unmarked ziploc, and trays of glistening salmon roe. And then, we came upon it — the tanks of live Dungeness crabs with a sign so modest it seemed to whisper, “steamed crabs available upon request.” It came to me: more fun than a Labor Day BBQ was a DIY crab dinner, with rice, store-bought sides, and fresh perilla leaf to wrap it all up. The kids can have their way with the mallets, and the only cooking entailed pressing the button to initiate the rice cooker.
Now, on to what to consume this week, and my recipe for Macrobiotic Rice Krispy Treats, allergen-free and safe for school snack (and mine too).
WATCH
I fell into watching the charming series, Nada, a Spanish language comedy set in Buenos Aires. The main character is a washed up food critic named Vincent, a bohemian free loader, cranky and particular in an aspirational way. (Robert DeNiro is somehow the narrator of the series, but IMO, he, and his shameful Spanish accent, is the weakest link). The series is full of brilliant food photography, and spot-on set dressing (I feel like I have made salads with artists in a million apartments just like this). This is an uplifting, well written series for anyone who wishes they were in Argentina, instead of their living room couch.
READ
This article in the NY Times about the government’s absurdist inability to discontinue the one cent coin, even when it costs them more than 3 cents to produce. Writer Caity Weaver exhumes the embarrassing history of this seemingly unsolvable problem, highlighting that in reality, there really aren’t any adults in charge.
SCRUB
Yes, Goop Microderm Instant Glow Exfoliator is expensive ($125 a jar), but the superfine grit feels like a gentle sandblasting for the punim. I use a pea-sized amount once a week — a jar lasts forever. Get 25% with the code SUMMERBEAUTY right now.
EAT
There is still time to snag a box of Frog Hollow Farms Pluots and my Thai Coconut Crisp Salad Toppers on their site. The salad bundle comes with original recipes to make the most of this unparalleled produce.Use the code SFPXPLUOT for 10% off.
COOK
Fuck, I love a rice krispy treat. I like them hot and homemade before they hit the pan, and I even used to love the plastic wrapped ones from the bodega. But, there’s nothing I appreciate more than a healthy update on junky classic. I am constantly trying to refresh the snack vertical in my house, avoiding the excess packaging and pitfalls of processed snack foods while still coming up with ideas that are portable and nutrient dense. (I did recently find a packaged “bar” I could endorse, this Korean dehydrated sweet potato leather that has only one ingredient and the kids love).
This “rice krispy” is of course, no bake. It’s made with brown rice and quinoa krispies (careful not to get cereal, not “puffed”), whole hemp seeds, candied ginger pieces, cacao nibs, coconut oil, SunButter, and brown rice syrup in lieu of marshmallows.* It takes ten minutes to throw together, and the we are tearing through them.
*Note: I am linking to Nuts.com, an easy place to find some of the key ingredients. If you aren’t trying to make these allergen-free, go ahead and use any nut butter you like.
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