Healthy Fried Rice

I really like Chinese food, but I often feel dehydrated and unhealthy after eating it.  One of my favorite dishes is fried rice.  This recipe is my attempt to keep everything I like about fried rice, while making it a healthier meal.  The finished product ends up having a ton of flavor, whole grain goodness, more veggies than usual, and only 2 Tb of oil total.  I hope you like this as much as we do!  (I made the recipe as large as my pan could hold so that we could have a lot of leftovers - leftover homemade Chinese food is just as awesome to have in the fridge as those little take-out boxes!)

 

Healthy Fried Rice (serves 6)

 

Ingredients:

• 2 Tb sesame oil (or vegetable oil)
• 2 eggs
• 3 Tb plus 1/4 tsp low sodium soy sauce
• 3 Tb apple cider vinegar (or rice vinegar)
• 1 tsp Thai fish sauce (optional)
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger (or 1 Tb fresh ginger, minced)
• 3-4 shakes cayenne pepper (to taste)
• 1 bunch scallions
• 3 carrots
• 3/4 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 lb ground turkey
• 24 medium (51-60) raw shrimp
• ~3 cups brown quick cooking rice (defer to box for serving for 6 people)

Steps:

• Cook 6 servings of brown rice according to directions on box (substituting 1 Tb of low sodium soy and 1Tb of cider vinegar for some of the water).

 

• Prep the veggies - peel and dice the carrots; slice the scallions on an angle and separate the green and white portions.
• Premeasure the spices (ginger and cayenne) into a small bowl.  Premeasure the remaining liquids 2 Tb soy, 2 Tb vinegar, 1 tsp fish sauce, 1 tsp lime juice) into another small bowl.  Set aside.
• Heat 1 Tb sesame oil over high in a large skillet (at least 12").
• Lightly beat 2 eggs with 1/4 tsp low sodium soy sauce.

 

• Pour eggs into skillet and swirl to coat the bottom.  Cook (no stirring) for about 1 minute, until egg is set.

 

• Use a spatula to fold the egg into thirds, then transfer to a large plate or cutting board.  Don't wash the skillet, you'll use it again shortly.

 

• Cut the egg into thin strips (about 1/4").

 

• Peel and devein the shrimp and remove the tails.  (I buy frozen raw shrimp that are deveined and have a split shell.  I thaw them by putting them in a bowl and letting cold water run over them.  Once their thawed, they're very easy to peel.)

 

•  Heat the remaining 1 Tb of oil in the large skillet over high heat.
• Add the scallion whites, and carrots and cook for about 1 minute.  Crush the garlic into the pan.  Cook for another 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
• Add ground turkey and premeasured spices.  Cook, crumbling meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes.
• Add shrimp.  Cook for about 1 minute.  (Shrimp will finish cooking with the rice.)
• Add peas, rice, and egg.  Stir to combine.
• Add premeasured liquids and cook, stirring constantly until rice is coated.

 

• Let cook, undisturbed, until warm and shrimp is fully cooked, about 1 more minute.

 

• Top with scallion greens and serve.
• Enjoy!

BTW - made this Saturday and we've been LOVING the leftovers!  Will be making it again very soon!

"Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."

I first heard Michael Pollan speak when he was a guest on NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me.  "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."  It seems like such a simple statement, but when you really delve into it, they're words to live by.

Salad - Its What's for Dinner

"Eat food."  Not as dumb as it sounds.  There's a big difference between food and "all these edible, food-like substances" (MP) that you can buy at the grocery store.  "Food" is fruit, veggies, fish, whole grains, meat, milk, eggs, nuts, etc.  While shopping, its usually easy to see the difference between food and food-like substances.  This doesn't mean that all packaged food is bad - be a label reader.  Could you feasibly make the "food" that's in your grocery cart in your own kitchen?  Do the ingredients sound like they belong in a chemistry set?  I'm certainly not perfect - I'll eat Kraft Singles (aka processed cheese-food), chicken nuggets, instant pudding, etc on occasion, but if I ask myself "is this food or a food-like substance" I often make better choices.

Healthy Meals

"Not too much."  Eat like almost every other country on earth eats - stop eating when you're no longer hungry.  Don't wait until your brain tells you you're full.  I've found that if I serve smaller portions and have to physically get up and go to the kitchen to get more, I'll often think twice about whether I'm actually still hungry.

Boulder Farmer's Market, Take 2

"Mostly plants."  Plants are good for you.  For the past year, I've made a point to serve a meal without meat/fish at least once a week.  I also try to make the veggie the largest portion on the plate, and the meat (if I'm serving it) the smallest.

Best Dinner in a Long Time

My resolution for 2012:  make better food choices.  I've gotten pretty good at doing this at home, but I really need to improve at work, at restaurants, while I'm out shopping and a Crunchwrap Supreme from Taco Bell would really hit the spot...  What is your 2012 resolution?

Great Side Dishes

More advice from Michael Pollan below:


Michael Pollan's 7 Rules for Eating

1. Don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food. "When you pick up that box of portable yogurt tubes, or eat something with 15 ingredients you can't pronounce, ask yourself, "What are those things doing there?" Pollan says.
2. Don’t eat anything with more than five ingredients, or ingredients you can't pronounce.
3. Stay out of the middle of the supermarket; shop on the perimeter of the store. Real food tends to be on the outer edge of the store near the loading docks, where it can be replaced with fresh foods when it goes bad.
4.  Don't eat anything that won't eventually rot. "There are exceptions -- honey -- but as a rule, things like Twinkies that never go bad aren't food," Pollan says.
5. It is not just what you eat but how you eat. "Always leave the table a little hungry," Pollan says. "Many cultures have rules that you stop eating before you are full. In Japan, they say eat until you are four-fifths full. Islamic culture has a similar rule, and in German culture they say, 'Tie off the sack before it's full.'"
6. Families traditionally ate together, around a table and not a TV, at regular meal times. It's a good tradition. Enjoy meals with the people you love. "Remember when eating between meals felt wrong?" Pollan asks.
7. Don't buy food where you buy your gasoline. In the U.S., 20% of food is eaten in the car.

MP's 4 Myths About Healthy Eating

• Myth #1: Food is a delivery vehicle for nutrients. What really matters isn't broccoli but its fiber and antioxidants. If we get that right, we get our diet right. Foods kind of get in the way.
• Myth #2: We need experts to tell us how to eat. Nutrients are invisible and mysterious. "It is a little like religion," Pollan said. "If a powerful entity is invisible, you need a priesthood to mediate your relation with food."
• Myth #3: The whole point of eating is to maintain and promote bodily health. "You are either improving or ruining your health when you eat -- that is a very American idea," Pollan says. "But there are many other reasons to eat food: pleasure, social community, identity, and ritual. Health is not the only thing going on on our plates."
• Myth #4: There are evil foods and good foods. "At any given time there is an evil nutrient we try to drive like Satan from the food supply -- first it was saturated fats, then it was trans fat," Pollan says. "Then there is the evil nutrient's doppelganger, the blessed nutrient. If we get enough of that we will be healthy and maybe live forever. It's funny through history how the good and bad guys keep changing."

Read more about these myths here.  Read even more about Michael Pollan here, here, or here.  Or a ton of other places.

Baked Manicotti (and a simple sauce recipe)

 

There are certain foods that have always intimidated me.  Manicotti is one of them.  The thought of trying to pipe cheese filling into cooked tubes of pasta sounded difficult and frustrating.  And then came a revelation.  On America's Test Kitchen one Saturday morning, the topic was manicotti.  On ATK, their goal is to take something that's difficult and make it accessible.  This episode fulfilled that promise and introduced me to a novel idea:  manicotti made with lasagna noodles.  I've made them twice so far, and the reviews have been very positive - this recipe is a keeper.  Also, the sauce is very simple and tastes good on its own if you need a quick recipe.

BAKED MANICOTTI - makes 16 manicotti - serves up to 8 people.

INGREDIENTS:

Sauce:

• 2   28-ounce cans whole plum tomatoes (in juice)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (or less, to taste)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Filling:

• about 3 cups ricotta cheese - if you're fortunate enough to get to choose between several brands, choose one without stabilizers (*note* from what I've found, the big containers have ~2.5 cups - I've used these and then filled the manicotti a little bit less)
• 4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 cups)
• 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2 cups)
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Other:

• 16 no-boil lasagna noodles (*note* I've used Barilla and Ronzoni - Barilla has 16 noodles/box, Ronzoni only has 12 so you'll have to buy 2 boxes and have leftovers)

STEPS:

The sauce, filling, and noodle prep can be done simultaneously.

Sauce:

• Pulse one can of tomatoes in a food processor or blender until coarsely chopped.
• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Once hot, add garlic and red pepper flakes (if using) and cook for 1-2 minutes (the garlic will be fragrant, but not brown).
• Add first can of tomatoes to the pot.  Stir.
• Pulse second can of tomatoes.  Add to pot.  Stir.  (You could do both cans at the beginning and reserve in a bowl, but I prefer to conserve dishes.)
• Cook for about 15 minutes, until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat and add chopped basil. 

Filling:

• In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan, mozzarella, eggs, pepper (to taste), and herbs in medium bowl.
• Mix well.  Set aside.

Noodle Prep:

• Bring about 4 cups of water to a boil. 
• (Very carefully) pour the boiling water into a 9"x13" glass pan.  Add noodles one at a time.  Allow to soak for about 5 minutes, or until pliable and similar to the texture of fresh pasta.  While soaking, move the noodles around with the tip of a sharp knife to avoid sticking.
• Remove the noodles and lay them out in a single layer on clean kitchen towels.  Dump out water and dry dish.

Assembly:

• Preheat the oven to 375 F.
• Scoop a scant quarter cup of filling onto each noodle.

 

• Spread the filling over 3/4 of the noodle, leaving 1/4 on an end exposed.

 

• Evenly cover the bottom of the 9"x13" glass baking dish with 1.5 cups of sauce.
• Starting at the end with filling, roll each noodle into a tube shape.  (The non-filled portion of noodle should help the end of the tube stick).
• Place seam-side down in the baking dish.  (In the occasion in this picture, I used 2 8"x8" baking dishes because my 9"x13" was in use.)

 

•  Roll up the remaining manicotti and add to the dish.  I slide them into place so that there is sauce between each tube - otherwise the noodles may stick together.
• Top with the remaining sauce, making sure to cover all of the manicotti.  (If there's enough, keep about a cup to the side to serve with them at the end.)
• Cover the pan with foil.  Bake for 40 minutes.
• Remove the foil.  Top with remaining cup of Parmesan.  Bake for an additional 4-6 minutes, until the cheese starts to get brown spots.

  

• Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
• Serve with a green salad and Italian bread.  Enjoy!

Salad - Its What's for Dinner.

I am very fortunate to not only have married a non-picky-eater, but also a man who LOVES vegetables.  If I'm at a loss for what to make for dinner and ask Joe what I should cook, I undoubtedly get the same answer:  "Can you make dinner salads?"

We probably eat dinner salads once a week.  Usually, its just a combination of whatever produce/protein I have in the fridge, but sometimes I plan ahead and come up with something worth remembering.

Some recent salads (that I remembered to photograph before we chowed down)...  BTW - I left my favorite for last.

(All recipes serve 2 unless specified.)

Locally-Grown Spinach with Grilled Sweet Potatoes, Grilled Brussels Sprouts, Avocado and Grilled Salmon

 

Sweet potatoes:  I scrubbed one and sliced it on my mandolin, then brushed with EVOO, grilled the slices, and diced.
Brussels Sprouts:  I halved them, skewered them, and drizzled them with melted butter and lemon juice then grilled/cut.
Salmon:  rubbed with dijon and topped with generous black pepper than grilled on oiled foil.
Served with Gorgonzola-Balsamic Vinaigrette (store-bought).

Shrimp Caesar Salad (adapted from an everyday Food recipe)

 

Skewers:   I tossed about ~16 thawed peeled/devained medium shrimp with 1 clove crushed garlic, 1 TB EVOO, the zest of 1/2 a lemon, and fresh pepper.  Then I tossed ~20 1 inch French bread cubes (I used 4 French Rolls) with 1 TB EVOO and pepper.  I skewered them and then cooked them on a baking sheet in a 450 degree oven for about 7 minutes (until shrimp was cooked).

Caesar:  I mixed 1 clove crushed garlic, 2 TB fresh lemon juice, 2 TB EVOO, 1 tsp Dijon, and 1 small squeeze anchovy paste (<1/4 tsp) in a salad bowl, whisked, added ~ 4 cups romaine lettuce and tossed.

 Romaine Salad with Shrimp, Mango, Avocado, and Cucumbers

Topped with sliced almonds.  Served with balsamic vinaigrette.  The avocado and mango go amazingly well together!

Salad with Red Veggies

Romaine with tomatoes, pickled beets, radishes, and herbed Feta.  Served with EVOO and red wine vinegar.

Pickled Beets - scrub the beets, peel, and slice.  Boil until tender.  Marinate in red wine vinegar and sugar.  Its also possible to boil the beets whole and then rub the skins off (with rubber gloves on).



And last but not least, my FAVORITE salad of the summer (and of course, its from everyday Food magazine...small changes from the original though)!  Pictures of a few steps included...

Arugula, Chicken and Rice Salad (serves 4)

Cook 4 servings of Jasmine rice according to the directions (I found brown Jasmine - yum!).
Marinate and grill 2 chicken breasts.  Chop.

Slice 1 pint of Heirloom cherry tomatoes in half (or regular cherry tomatoes - the Heirloom were on sale at the store and they're sooo pretty!).  Slice a small bunch of green onions.  Toss with the tomatoes.  (I often keep a few onions to the side to garnish the salad with.)  Add to the chopped chicken.  Add cooked rice.

Blend 3 cups of fresh herbs (I used basil, parsley, and sage leaves) with 3 Tb white balsamic vinegar (or red wine vinegar) and 2 Tb EVOO.  Gradually add about 1/4 cup of cold water.  Blend as you go.  The goal is to get a smooth, pourable dressing (use water if needed).  Season with black pepper.

Toss 1 clamshell (typically 5 oz) of arugula with 1/2 of the dressing.  Add the remaining dressing to the rice/chicken mixture.  Toss.  Divide arugula among the plates.  Top with generous scoops of the chicken and rice salad.  Top with remaining green onions.  Enjoy!

If you're only serving 2 people at a time, only dress half of the arugula at a time.  Store remaining arugula and dressing separately until time to serve.

The Evolution of a Recipe

I am so lucky to have grown up in a family where my mother cooked dinner regularly, and we ALWAYS sat down as a family to eat (whether it was a new recipe, an old favorite, "must-go" night - AKA leftovers, or at a restaurant).  Dinner time with my family is something that I'll never take for granted.  People have asked where my love of cooking has come from, and I can say without a doubt its from growing up with parents who appreciated food, pushed us to help cook dinner, and encouraged us to try new foods.  Because of my parents, I've been helping in the kitchen for as long as I remember.

I've been asked how I "make up" recipes, how I know what to add to make something taste better, how I know what will taste good together, etc.  Experience over time and practice are the only keys.  There is no magic list that tells you what to add, but knowing the basics of flavors that go well together and seeing what other people combine in recipes helps you perpetually add to your mental cooking encyclopedia.

Sometimes I start from scratch when I'm making something up, but often I start with a recipe I know that I love.

For example, recently, I started out with my Chicken Marsala.  (A recipe that I cook 3-4 times/year, which is a lot for any recipe for me.)  Keep in mind that this recipe (like any recipe) is just a basis for me - if I don't have shallots, I'll sub onions.  Sometimes I use prosciutto, if I don't have it I add some extra smoked paprika.  Etc.

Chicken Marsala

Mix about 1/2 cup of flour with the following spices (to taste):  smoked paprika (~1 Tb), garlic powder (~1 tsp), black pepper (~1 Tb), cayenne pepper (pinch), dried oregano (~4 shakes), dried thyme (~2 shakes).  Pound 1-1.5 lbs of chicken tenders to 1/4" (between sheets of plastic wrap).  Heat enough EVOO to coat the bottom of a large skillet over medium-high heat (on my electric stove, that's about 1 tick below medium - I hate electric stoves...).  Dredge the chicken in flour mixture.  Slip into pan and fry on each side until golden brown (~3 min/side).  Do not crowd the chicken - cook in batches.  Remove chicken to a platter in a single layer.  Lower heat to medium heat (for me, approx halfway below low and medium on the dial).  Add 3Tb unsalted butter, 1 diced medium shallot, and 2 oz of thinly sliced/ribbon-ed prosciutto and saute for 2 minutes.  Add 3 cups of sliced crimini mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are slightly brown on the edges and have given off their liquid.  Add 1 cup of sweet Marsala, bring to a boil, and scrape brown bits off the bottom.  Reduce the Marsala by half.  Add 1 cup of chicken stock and cook 3 minutes.  Lower to medium, return chicken to pan, and cook about 5 more minutes until chicken is cooked through and hot.  Serve over pasta (bowtie is my favorite).


THE EVOLUTION

While grocery shopping, I saw a package of frozen portobello mushroom ravioli.  Immediately I thought about making a Ravioli Marsala.

First try:

 

I followed my Chicken Marsala recipe almost to a T (with 4 servings of ravioli).  Obviously, there was no chicken to dredge in flour, so I dusted my onions in about a Tb of flour and small amounts of the spices.  I also had no prosciutto.  The result?  It was ok.  Not terrible but not something I'd want to identically duplicate.  There wasn't enough sauce, and the sauce that was there was very thin.

It wasn't great - but I wasn't giving up.  This happens a lot - good idea but mediocre result.  I generally don't stop trying though until I've tried a few more times.

Luckily, this was an "easy" one - the second try was YUMMY!

Mushroom Ravioli Marsala

This time, I didn't take out my recipe and instead cooked by what looked/felt right and what was in my fridge at the time.  It helped that I've cooked my Marsala on many occasions, so I knew the basic steps.

Finely chop 2 medium red onions.  In a bowl, toss with ~6 Tb of flour, 1 tsp of smoked paprika, 2 hefty shake of garlic powder,  1/2 tsp black pepper, 1-2 shakes of cayenne pepper, 1 pinch of ground cloves, 2 shakes of dried oregano, 2 shake of dried thyme.  Heat enough EVOO to cover the bottom of a large skillet over 'high' heat (on my electric stove, that's medium).  Add the onions.  Cook for ~2 minutes.  Add ~4 ounces of diced prosciutto.  Add ~4 cups of sliced crimini mushrooms and 2 Tbs of butter.  Reduce heat to med-hi and stir occasionally until mushrooms are golden brown around the edges.  <Meanwhile, bring your ravioli water to a boil.>  Add a can of beef broth (to the sauce, not the water).  Simmer for 4 minutes.  Add enough Marsala to make a generous amount of sauce (~1 cups).  By now your water should be boiling.  Add 4 servings of ravioli (32ish) to the water and cook according to package (mine take 3 minutes).  Remove the ravioli to the pan of sauce.  Ladel one spoon of sauce into the bottom of the bowl.  Add ravioli.  Top with more sauce.  Enjoy!


I know that next time I make this, my recipe will vary slightly - but thats ok with me!  At least I know I have a place to start from.

Best Dinner in a Long Time :-)

I know I've mentioned it in this blog before, but I really like everyday Food magazine.  One of the things I've noticed recently is that the recipes often ignore the American idea that every meal needs a meat, a carb, and maybe a vegetable.  The majority of the dinners are instead light and fresh and leave you feeling satisfied but not heavy/over-full.

Tonight for dinner, I made 2 recipes from the magazine.  I was excited about them when cooking, but also curbed my enthusiasm because sometimes meals aren't as awesome as they look in pictures/sound in recipes.  Luckily, this one was.  This was our favorite dinner that I've made at home for a long time.

Unfortunately, our camera was low on batteries, so I only got one picture of each and didn't get to try a few angles/lighting settings to make them look as awesome as they tasted...  We had two "entrees" and I thought for a while about serving them in sequence, but due to timing, I served them simultaneously instead.  We had:

Green Bean Salad with garbanzo beans, heirloom cherry tomatoes, red onion, and lemon/olive oil dressing.  It was a pretty recipe in the magazine, but subbing a mix of purple/red/yellow/green/orange heirloom cherry tomatoes for the standard red ones made it so visually appealing and also amazingly delicious!

 

Recipe in brief:  Cook 1-1.5 lbs green beans until "tender-crisp" -- about 4 minutes in boiling water.  Meanwhile, whisk the juice of 1 lemon, about 2/3 of a lemon worth of lemon zest, and 2 Tb EVOO.  Add 1 can of drained/rinsed chick peas, 1/4 of a red onion slivered, and 1 pint quartered/halved cherry tomatoes (heirloom preferred).  Stir.  Plate drained green beans, top with tomato mixture, and sprinkle with Feta cheese.

The magazine advertises the green bean salad as an entree on its own (and it certainly could have been one) but I had some leftover coconut milk in the fridge that I wanted to finish.  I used it in a Coconut Curry Clam recipe (originally mussels, but the store only had clams).  Joe wasn't too excited about it initially when he read the recipe, but we ended up fighting over the last few clams and then eating the broth/sauce like soup!  It was very rich, so we ended up with leftovers that I'll be VERY excited to serve over rice later this week!

 

Recipe in brief:  Melt 1 Tb of unsalted butter over medium heat.  Add 1 Tb fresh minced ginger and 2 cloves of crushed garlic.  Add 1/2 to 1 can of unsweetened lowfat coconut milk (depending on # of clams) and increase heat to medium high.  Whisk in 2-3 Tb of green curry paste.  Add 2-3 dozen clams (or mussels) cover, and cook til open.  Squeeze the juice of 1 lime over the mixture and top with about 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro.

Such a yummy dinner!  And we're very excited about our leftover Green Bean Salad for lunch tomorrow!  (Yes, me the non-leftover eater, is looking forward to both of these leftovers!!)