When Stress is too Much and Sleep is too Little

Kale and Friseé Salad, Seared Tuna, Croutons and Matcha Green Tea Vinaigrette

As this is being written, it’s almost 2 in the morning. There’s a major deadline at work. A major deadline at home. There was a major deadline missed on Monday. Taxes are due in April. And, I’m trying to maintain what’s left of my sanity. My body aches every time I wake up in the morning. It begs for a few days of sleep. Normally, when waking up in the morning, I reach for a bold cup of coffee to feebly add a little energy to my tired body. This time a generous cup of The Republic of Tea’s u·matcha Green Tea Latte (recipe here) is whisked into a foamy drink. Matcha is green tea leaves grinded into a fine powder, and it has more caffeine than whole tea leaves. The amount of caffeine doesn’t cause my nerves to become jittery like coffee. Instead, the matcha (as with most teas) steadily increases my energy in an unnoticeable calm manner. With a banana, whole wheat toast slathered with butter and marmalade, I calmly start the day to weave in and out of crowded subways to walk up numerous stairs that lead into work. 

Kale and Friseé Salad with Matcha Green Tea Vinaigrette

As one can imagine, planning meals, grocery shopping and extracurricular activities are put on hold. However, a raw kale and friseé salad with an amazing u·matcha vinaigrette dressing was made. The vinaigrette is adapted from The Republic of Tea, and the raw kale and friseé salad is inspired from a famous restaurant in Brooklyn, The Farm On Adderley. To make the salad a more substantial meal, thinly sliced seared tuna and homemade croutons are added.

Quite honestly, it’s difficult to eat incredibly great tasting and healthy meals when working around the clock, because the creativity for such meals is being greedily allocated to other projects with pending deadlines. Which is why I love the simple creativity of this salad with a complex flavor. It’s nutrient-rich, goody greens tossed in a stress-fighting green tea vinaigrette. The total time from prepping to eating is about 30 minutes (that’s including searing tuna steaks). And, when days require long work hours, it’s important to will ourselves into hour-long breaks.

As mentioned, it’s in the wee hours of the morning. In the next few short hours, I begrudgingly wake up to curse the alarm clock. The day slowly starts with a light foamy u·matcha latte. Then, I will make a crazy rush for the front door of my apartment to meet another deadline.

Stressed out these days? Share how you’re keeping your sanity in the comment section below.

Would you like to try u·matcha Green Tea? Receive a complimentary electric matcha frother with any online order of U-Matcha Tea from The Republic of Tea. Use the promo code: #MATCHA2. Please note: promo begins March 22, 2013 and is effective until March 29, 2013.

The Republic of Tea's Yuzu Matcha Green Tea

Kale and Friseé Salad with Matcha Green Tea Vinaigrette and Seared Tuna

Ingredients

  • 2 to 3 tbsp. olive oil; as needed
  • 2 cups wheat or white Italian/French bread; cut into 1 inch pieces
  • Sea salt; as needed
  • 5 oz. kale (tuscan, curly...); finely shred
  • 1 to 2 heads of friseé lettuce; discard core and finely shred
  • 1 shallot; thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup toast sesame seeds
  • Matcha Green Tea Vinaigrette (see recipe below)
  • Thinly sliced seared tuna (recipe and ‘how to’ here)

Directions

  1. Toss together kale, friseé, shallot, sesame seeds and three-quarters the Matcha Green Tea vinaigrette (quickly whisk before using). Set aside.
  2. To Make Homemade Croutons: Heat olive oil in a black skillet over medium heat. Add bread pieces. Frequently stir until bread is golden brown. Remove croutons onto a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle a little sea salt over the croutons. Set aside.
  3. To Serve: Gently toss greens and divide them onto individual plates.Top each plate with seared tuna slices and homemade croutons. Share unused vinaigrette for people who want to add more to their salad.
  4. Enjoy.
http://myliferunsonfood.com/2013/03/kale-frisee-salad-matcha-vinaigrette/

Matcha Green Tea Vinaigrette

Ingredients

  • The juice and zest of one lemon
  • 3 tbsp. white miso paste
  • ½ cup quality olive oil
  • 2 tsp. white wine or rice vinegar
  • 2 tsp. u·matcha green tea (natural or yuzu)
  • Sea salt and fresh black pepper; as needed
  • Crushed red pepper; as needed

Directions

  1. Whisk all ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.
  2. Whisk again before using.

Notes

Recipe is adapted from The Republic of Tea.

http://myliferunsonfood.com/2013/03/kale-frisee-salad-matcha-vinaigrette/

Seared Tuna

Kale and Friseé Salad with Matcha Green Tea Vinaigrette

5 thoughts on “When Stress is too Much and Sleep is too Little

  • April 18, 2013 at 1:30 pm
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    I can relate how you feel. I deal with other peoples problems all day. When I come home I hit the exercise bike and watch the ball game on tv …. hey it works for me …

  • March 29, 2013 at 11:12 am
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    Thank you! I’m intrigued by Matcha. I see it everywhere, and haven’t tried it. As a fan of green tea, I think I’m just a little late to the party, but am looking forward to working it in.

    A forced shut down with a cup of homemade Chai, a good book (or stack of food magazines), and a cozy position on our new matress has been taking the edge off of things for me lately! Continued Best!

  • March 26, 2013 at 9:56 am
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    The green tea dressing sounds amazing. I live in Thailand, where green tea is in just about everything — cakes, cookies, ice cream, in pastries and in traditional desserts. I’ve never had it on a salad though, so must try this.

    Thanks for the recipe 🙂 I love salad dressing and the healthier the better.

  • March 22, 2013 at 1:53 pm
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    I can relate to how you are feeling. I sometimes feels like all I do is work.
    Lately I have been working 6 days and sometimes even 7 days.
    I keep my sanity by cooking and grilling on my days of,
    During the week I relax after work on the computer, reading about cooking and on my day of I cook on of the recopies I found that week.
    That and trying to eat healthy keeps me “sane” .
    But, like yo I could use 2 days of sleep to charge my inner battery again.
    Thanks for sharing
    Eddie

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