More Medical Sh*t, Leeks,

I am getting fed up with medical problems. Tuesday afternoon I developed a severe pain just under my left breast. I didn't have any other signs other than high Blood Pressure readings, but eventually I called an ambulance and went to the local hospital. The ambulance took my first ecg in the hallway at our building. They can't get the stretchers into the apartments. So there was I lying on a stretcher with my shirt up and breasts exposed whilst they stuck those things on me to attach the appropriate leads. They promised me they would cover me quickly if any door opened. It didn't. I was hooked up and left that (hooked up not exposed) way whilst we travelled to the hospital and the wires were only detached when they had me in a bed in emerg. They disappeared and it was at least 20 minutes before anyone came near me. However, I figured if they had thought I was having a heart attack they would have been with me sooner. I hope. In the end I was in there for over 5 hours with no positive results. They did say I had a bundle branch block. I had blood tests and a chest X-ray so most of the time is waiting for results. I had problems with high blood pressure too. It did not want to come down. Eventually they sent us home at about 1:15 a.m. with a requisition for a stress test.

So whilst all this was going on I was preparing supper and decided to roast some leeks although I wasn't doing the full version of yesterday's recipe. Our stove works by pushing buttons so I set everything up and when it beeped I put the leeks in. However, without thinking I pressed the off button for the oven so when the leeks came out they weren't done. I was cursing the recipe because it hadn't been anything like long enough. It wasn't til much later, in the hospital, that I realised what I had done. I guess the moral is don't cook if you have a pain. Still have some leeks both part cooked and uncooked so going to try again. I did cook them again and have decided it wasn't all my fault. I gave them 17 minutes, not long enough, 20 minutes is the absolute minimum I think, and maybe 25-30 minutes.

So, sorry about all the medical rubbish. Thursday we can go bowling so that will be a better day for us. Didn't go to exercise classes as I was feeling tired. Had to post my blog when I got home LOL

Another recipe which caught my eye. It was posted by Yummly and turned out to be from The Woks of Life. It occurs to me this is not only vegetarian, but with the right noodles could also be suitable for vegans. As I am such a noodle freak as well as an asparagus freak I should be looking out for such combinations.

Vegetable Lo Mein

Ingredients

1 pound (450g) fresh white noodles or lo mein egg noodles

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon sugar + 1 teaspoon hot water to dissolve the sugar 

pinch of five spice powder (optional)

1 tablespoon oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup sliced mushrooms (shiitakes, button mushrooms, or anything you like)

1 scallion, split at the thick parts and cut into 2-inch lengths

1 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, julienned

1 small carrot, julienned

1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine

a handful snow peas, trimmed

a handful of leafy greens (bok choy, choy sum, etc.)

Boil water in a large pot for the noodles. If using the lo mein egg noodles, you can skip this step, as those noodles do not require any pre-cooking. But if using fresh white noodles, you will have to boil them. Just cook until al dente, drain, and rinse in cold water. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauces, sesame oil, dissolved sugar, and five spice powder if using. Heat oil in a wok over high heat and add the garlic, mushrooms, and the white parts of the scallions. Stir-fry for 30 seconds and add the peppers and carrots. Make sure your hot is searing hot, and then hit it with the shaoxing wine. Stir fry for another minute.

Next, add the snow peas and leafy greens to the wok and cook until the greens are just wilted. Then add your noodles. Make sure that before you add them to the pan, they're somewhat loose and not all clumped together (you can rinse them in warm water to loosen them up before adding them to the pan).

Pour your sauce mixture over the noodles and stir-fry until the color of the noodles are uniform. A folding or scoop and lift motion works well for that. Once everything is well-combined, dish out the noodles and serve.

Have a great day