Well, Veg Chef asked me to post this - I wasn't planning to originally. It's really just a compilation of things I found in my refrigerator. But just for you, VC -
Chicken and Veggie Stirfry
Ingredients
------------------------------------------------------------------
Chopped chicken breast
string green beans
zucchini
bell pepper
mushrooms
Serano chilis
sesame oil
soy sauce
szechuan seasoning
Stir fry it all together and server over the rice of your choice.
P.S. I didn't have them at the time, but next time, I'll toss some water chestnuts in there too. They would have been perfect.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Turkey Stroganoff
Tonight I made one of my sister-in-law's recipes. We still have a cabinet full of traditional pastas & noodles that I'd like to clear out eventually, so I used regular egg noodles. I also always double the spices, as I like things quite flavorful. I tried triple once, but that was a bit over the top, so I stick with double now.
Turkey Stroganoff
Serving Size : 4-6
Preparation Time :1:00
Ingredients
---------------------------------------------------
3 cups noodles
1 pound ground turkey -- extra lean
1 medium onion -- chopped
1 can Campbell's beef broth (or 1 cube beef bullion + 12 oz of water)
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 pound mushrooms -- sliced
1 cup non-fat plain yoghurt
Cook the noodles. Brown the turkey in a skillet. Drain and add onions. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, pepper and flour. Stir in beef bouillion and water, simmer 10 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, simmer 5 minutes. Stir in sour cream. Don't boil, but heat through - 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and pepper to taste. Stir yoghurt & sauce constantly. Serve over noodles.
Turkey Stroganoff
Serving Size : 4-6
Preparation Time :1:00
Ingredients
---------------------------------------------------
3 cups noodles
1 pound ground turkey -- extra lean
1 medium onion -- chopped
1 can Campbell's beef broth (or 1 cube beef bullion + 12 oz of water)
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 pound mushrooms -- sliced
1 cup non-fat plain yoghurt
Cook the noodles. Brown the turkey in a skillet. Drain and add onions. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, pepper and flour. Stir in beef bouillion and water, simmer 10 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, simmer 5 minutes. Stir in sour cream. Don't boil, but heat through - 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and pepper to taste. Stir yoghurt & sauce constantly. Serve over noodles.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Vegetable Enchiladas (an experiment)
First, let me say, Kirk and I are not vegetarians. However, I remember this recipe from years ago - a friend made it for me, I got the recipe and later made it for a friend of mine. I remember it being quite delicious. So after the recipe had gathered dust for about 12 years, I decided to give it another try.
First, I was unable to find the Hunts Stewed Tomatoes so I substituted S&W Mexican Style Stewed Tomatoes. This was a bit more labor intensive as they came sliced, rather than chunked, and needed to be cut down further. Also, I'm not a huge fan of tomatoes, especially if they "taste tomatoey" or are in large chunks. So, I used one can of the stewed tomatoes and 1 can of Rotelle style tomatoes (with chiles).
Secondly, in the interest of cutting down on cheese (and fat), I minimized the cheese - using only about 2-3 ounces, rather than the 6 that the recipe calls for. I used Pepper Jack, instead of Monterey Jack. I like the pepperjack, however, I noticed that the recipe lost a good bit of its flavor by cutting down on the cheese. I wonder if there's a good substitute (that would be more healthy than 9 grams of fat per 1 ounce serving)?
At any rate, the dinner was passable, but not oustanding. I think it would fare better if you stuck closer to the recipe than I did. Especially if you like cheese.
Vegetable Enchiladas
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:35
Ingredients
----------------------------------------------------
1 1/3 cups water
1/2 cup dried lentils
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 flour tortilla, white or wheat -- 6"
2 medium carrots -- sliced thin*
non-stick spray
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cooking oil or olive oil
1 medium zucchini -- sliced in thin stick
2 cans chunky chili style stewed tomatoes -- Hunts, 14 ounces/can
6 ounces monterey jack cheese -- but can use more
*Long skinny sticks
In medium sauce pan, combine water, lentils and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15-20 minutes. Rinse with cold water and set aside.
In large skillet, stir-fry carrots and chili powder in hot oil for 2-3 minutes, add zucchini & stir-fry another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and add lentils. Add 1 can tomatoes and 1/2 the cheese.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Make the tortillas. Spray the bottom of the baking dish - bake for 8 minutes. Top with tomatoes and cheese and bake another 7-12 minutes.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 177 Calories; 9g Fat (44.4% calories from fat); 12g Protein; 13g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 25mg Cholesterol; 260mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 1 Fat.
First, I was unable to find the Hunts Stewed Tomatoes so I substituted S&W Mexican Style Stewed Tomatoes. This was a bit more labor intensive as they came sliced, rather than chunked, and needed to be cut down further. Also, I'm not a huge fan of tomatoes, especially if they "taste tomatoey" or are in large chunks. So, I used one can of the stewed tomatoes and 1 can of Rotelle style tomatoes (with chiles).
Secondly, in the interest of cutting down on cheese (and fat), I minimized the cheese - using only about 2-3 ounces, rather than the 6 that the recipe calls for. I used Pepper Jack, instead of Monterey Jack. I like the pepperjack, however, I noticed that the recipe lost a good bit of its flavor by cutting down on the cheese. I wonder if there's a good substitute (that would be more healthy than 9 grams of fat per 1 ounce serving)?
At any rate, the dinner was passable, but not oustanding. I think it would fare better if you stuck closer to the recipe than I did. Especially if you like cheese.
Vegetable Enchiladas
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:35
Ingredients
----------------------------------------------------
1 1/3 cups water
1/2 cup dried lentils
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 flour tortilla, white or wheat -- 6"
2 medium carrots -- sliced thin*
non-stick spray
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cooking oil or olive oil
1 medium zucchini -- sliced in thin stick
2 cans chunky chili style stewed tomatoes -- Hunts, 14 ounces/can
6 ounces monterey jack cheese -- but can use more
*Long skinny sticks
In medium sauce pan, combine water, lentils and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15-20 minutes. Rinse with cold water and set aside.
In large skillet, stir-fry carrots and chili powder in hot oil for 2-3 minutes, add zucchini & stir-fry another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and add lentils. Add 1 can tomatoes and 1/2 the cheese.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Make the tortillas. Spray the bottom of the baking dish - bake for 8 minutes. Top with tomatoes and cheese and bake another 7-12 minutes.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 177 Calories; 9g Fat (44.4% calories from fat); 12g Protein; 13g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 25mg Cholesterol; 260mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 1 Fat.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Fish Food
I was chatting with a friend recently about fat content in food. It's something I used to watch, had gotten out of the habit of doing, and I'm starting to do again now. Fish is one of my favorites - cooked, raw, I love it all (especially raw, i.e., sushi). But fish also seems to have a wide variety of nutritional value. For example, salmon, which both Kirk and I love, is really quite fatty. My friend had suggested halibut instead. There's a nice 3 pound package of halibut at the local CostCo, but the price is steep - $26. Today, as I was wandering the fish aisle, I noticed that the Mahi Mahi was about 1/2 the price of the Halibut. Upon checking the nutritional values, I discovered that Mahi Mahi had about 1 gram of fat per serving (compared to Halibut's 3-4 grams).
So, for dinner, of course, we had Mahi Mahi. I marinated the fish in soy sauce (low sodium) with lemon juice. I sprinkled lemon pepper (well, actually, I had none on hand, so I used the Cook's Thesaurus to discover what could be substituted - lemon zest mixed with black pepper and a bit of salt) over the top. Then I put it in the oven (actually in our toaster oven) on 375 degrees for about 10-12 minutes.
On the side, I served a salad made from romaine lettuce, cilantro, edamame, mushrooms, zucchini, yellow bell pepper, white onions, crushed pita chips and TJ's reduced fat parmesan ranch dressing.
I'm interested in any other Mahi Mahi recipes you might have.
So, for dinner, of course, we had Mahi Mahi. I marinated the fish in soy sauce (low sodium) with lemon juice. I sprinkled lemon pepper (well, actually, I had none on hand, so I used the Cook's Thesaurus to discover what could be substituted - lemon zest mixed with black pepper and a bit of salt) over the top. Then I put it in the oven (actually in our toaster oven) on 375 degrees for about 10-12 minutes.
On the side, I served a salad made from romaine lettuce, cilantro, edamame, mushrooms, zucchini, yellow bell pepper, white onions, crushed pita chips and TJ's reduced fat parmesan ranch dressing.
I'm interested in any other Mahi Mahi recipes you might have.
Heathly Pizza?
Kirk and I have had a tradition for a while now - Friday night is pizza night. But if you are trying to eat "healthy", pizza isn't really the best thing. Or is it?
I just have to say, I LOVE Trader Joe's. If you don't have one near you, lobby for it. The food is good, quite well-priced and they have an interesting variety, often things you can't find in other stores (or at least not easily).
With all that said, between a trip to TJ's and a trip across the street to Vons (our local grocery), I came up with the necessary ingredients for a "healthy" pizza. At TJ's I bought a package of garlic naan (a sort of Indian bread). Each piece is about 340 calories and only 3.5 grams of fat. Not bad, especially compared to regular pizza crust. I also picked up a package of sliced mushrooms.
At Von's I found the rest of the items I needed. It's amazing the differences in nutritional value for Spaghetti sauce! I generally like "Classico" brand - particularly for making pizzas. But I compared it to the other brands on the shelf. Classico won. But even Classico, which makes a variety of flavors, had some variance (e.g., Classico's Roasted Garlic sauce had only 1 gram of fat per serving compared to the Spicy Tomato & Basil sauce, which had 3.5 per serving). Vons also carries a reduced fat brand of pepperoni slices by Galileo Foods (3 grams of fat in 18 slices, approximately 75% less fat than normal pepperonis). No pizza is complete without cheese - and though mozarella cheese is generally made from skim milk anyway, it has 5-6 grams of fat per serving. So, I went with Lucerne's fat free mozarella. I'm not sure how it would taste in a salad, but melted atop a slice of pizza, it was perfect.
Once assembled, it made a quick trip (10 minutes) to the oven at 350 degrees. I then topped it with crushed red pepper and tasted the concoction...
It was good! Yay! A keeper.
I just have to say, I LOVE Trader Joe's. If you don't have one near you, lobby for it. The food is good, quite well-priced and they have an interesting variety, often things you can't find in other stores (or at least not easily).
With all that said, between a trip to TJ's and a trip across the street to Vons (our local grocery), I came up with the necessary ingredients for a "healthy" pizza. At TJ's I bought a package of garlic naan (a sort of Indian bread). Each piece is about 340 calories and only 3.5 grams of fat. Not bad, especially compared to regular pizza crust. I also picked up a package of sliced mushrooms.
At Von's I found the rest of the items I needed. It's amazing the differences in nutritional value for Spaghetti sauce! I generally like "Classico" brand - particularly for making pizzas. But I compared it to the other brands on the shelf. Classico won. But even Classico, which makes a variety of flavors, had some variance (e.g., Classico's Roasted Garlic sauce had only 1 gram of fat per serving compared to the Spicy Tomato & Basil sauce, which had 3.5 per serving). Vons also carries a reduced fat brand of pepperoni slices by Galileo Foods (3 grams of fat in 18 slices, approximately 75% less fat than normal pepperonis). No pizza is complete without cheese - and though mozarella cheese is generally made from skim milk anyway, it has 5-6 grams of fat per serving. So, I went with Lucerne's fat free mozarella. I'm not sure how it would taste in a salad, but melted atop a slice of pizza, it was perfect.
Once assembled, it made a quick trip (10 minutes) to the oven at 350 degrees. I then topped it with crushed red pepper and tasted the concoction...
It was good! Yay! A keeper.
SW Chicken Soup
So I made some soup this last weekend. Kirk loved it. This time I made it without a strict 'recipe' or measurements, but I can pretty much describe it all. I boiled chicken breast in some chicken broth and then shredded it. I then added a jar of green salsa (I prefer the La Victoria Salsa Verde - it's less salty than many other brands). A tablespoon or two of cumin, some white beans, heat it all up and serve it.
If you want to "fatten" it up a bit, put a dollop of sour cream and some tortilla strips on the top.
If you want to "fatten" it up a bit, put a dollop of sour cream and some tortilla strips on the top.
Wonderful Tofu
Tofu is a wonderful thing. It is made from soybeans. It is 99% protein, fat free and full of wonderful vitamins and minerals and some of those other little bitty things that are good for you. Tofu has no flavor in its raw state. It take up the flavors of the foods you prepare it with, or you can marinade it. Tofu is also completely allergen free. This is why lactose intolerant folks drink soymilk.
Tofu comes in many forms, and can be substituted for meat, pasta, yoghurt, mayonnaise and many other things (only limited by your imagination). If you are in the US outside of areas with large Asian populations, you may have only seen it in Tetrapak bricks. Inside these bricks you may find a soft cake of tofu in 'soft', 'medium' or 'firm' variety. If you wish to replace your wheat pasta with a non-allergenic variation, there is dried tofu in all the same forms as most popular wheat pastas available.
I enjoy taking a brick or two of extra firm tofu, removing it from the package and gently squeezing out what liquid will drain. I then wrap it in a paper towel and place it in the freezer overnight. Next morning, I remove the tofu brick, and let it reach 35°F-45°F, and then gently squeeze the moisture out. When I say "squeeze", I'm not speaking of squashing it into pulp, but rather gently pressing it with your flat hand. This freezing/pressing process repeats for 5 days.
After 5 days of freezing/squeezing the tofu, we've gotten most of the liquid out of it, and have some very very 'dry' and firm tofu. I then cut it up into 1" cubes (2.5cm) and deep fry them in your favorite healthy frying oil. The tofu will not soak up ANY oil, and will be tasty and crunchy and golden brown on the outside when it is done. I recommend serving nice and warm with your favorite natural honey drizzled over it.
More Info:
http://www.foodsubs.com/Soyprod.html
Tofu comes in many forms, and can be substituted for meat, pasta, yoghurt, mayonnaise and many other things (only limited by your imagination). If you are in the US outside of areas with large Asian populations, you may have only seen it in Tetrapak bricks. Inside these bricks you may find a soft cake of tofu in 'soft', 'medium' or 'firm' variety. If you wish to replace your wheat pasta with a non-allergenic variation, there is dried tofu in all the same forms as most popular wheat pastas available.
I enjoy taking a brick or two of extra firm tofu, removing it from the package and gently squeezing out what liquid will drain. I then wrap it in a paper towel and place it in the freezer overnight. Next morning, I remove the tofu brick, and let it reach 35°F-45°F, and then gently squeeze the moisture out. When I say "squeeze", I'm not speaking of squashing it into pulp, but rather gently pressing it with your flat hand. This freezing/pressing process repeats for 5 days.
After 5 days of freezing/squeezing the tofu, we've gotten most of the liquid out of it, and have some very very 'dry' and firm tofu. I then cut it up into 1" cubes (2.5cm) and deep fry them in your favorite healthy frying oil. The tofu will not soak up ANY oil, and will be tasty and crunchy and golden brown on the outside when it is done. I recommend serving nice and warm with your favorite natural honey drizzled over it.
More Info:
http://www.foodsubs.com/Soyprod.html
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