The Healthy Cook

Edamame Wraps

2006-12-05T08:29:00.000-08:00

Edamame Wraps

Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Start to Finish Time: 15 minutes

¼ cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sugar
10 to 12-ounces frozen shelled edamame
1 cup shredded carrot
½ cup cashew nuts, pieces
Washed fresh basil leaves (if desired)
4 (12-inch) spinach tortillas

1. In a large mixing bowl, add rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, and sugar, stirring well to mix.

2. Add edamame, carrot, and cashews, tossing gently to coat with the dressing.

3. Place a few basil leaves (if using) onto center third of each tortilla. Divide the edamame and carrot mixture evenly between the 4 tortillas. Tuck in the ends and roll up the wraps. Serve immediately.

Note: You can substitute ½ cup of bottled low fat sesame ginger dressing, like “Newman's Own,” for the first 5 ingredients.

Safety Alert

2006-11-29T20:30:00.000-08:00

I love flavored oils. I like to use extra virgin olive oil and assorted flavorants. However, fresh garlic as an oil flavoring can be hazardous. I was in the kitchen a few weeks ago, raring to go and make some fresh garlic oil. I prepared a whole bulb of garlic, and dropped it all into a 6oz recycled vinegar bottle, filled it with EVOO and stuck it in the cabinet. I enjoyed it over the next few days in various dishes, and got the idea of looking it up on the internet to see if there was some way to make it more flavorful.

DANGER! is what I found. Seems that botulism spores are present in fresh garlic, and these spores grow in the absence of oxygen. Immersion in oil leads to a wonderful growth medium for botulism.

BOTULISM WILL KILL YOU IN A HORRIBLE FASHION

I've read that freshly homemade garlic flavored oil is safe with a few rules:

DO keep it in the fridge.

DON'T keep it past a week.

Further info on garlic flavored oil: http://www.google.com/search?q=homemade+garlic+oil&ie=UTF8

Garlic flavored vinegar however, is safe. Must be the fact that vinegar kills dang near everything.

Green tea: A healthy way to lose weight

2006-10-15T21:57:00.000-07:00

Green tea is a healthy way of keeping oneself lean. It increases metabolism and thereby helps reduce human weight. It has been used by the chinese for over 4000 years especially because of its ability to keep vital tissues healthy while killing the harmful cells. It is also known to reduce LDL cholesterol levels. For more info, please go here.

A fishy way to have lunch for two

2006-10-15T12:42:00.000-07:00

Ever rummage through your cupboard's looking for some thing to eat, and walk away grumbling because very thing looks like it will take to much work? I do, all the time. So my answer today was a quicky tuna sandwitch! Here's what you need:

1 can of your favorite tuna
a single mini dill pickle
tablespoon of relish
1-2 tablespoons of mayo, take your pick to which kind
any spicy mustard
(optional) several slices of cheddar
your favorite sliced bread.

(serves two hungry people)

Turn the oven onto high broil and start to mix the tuna with the dill, relish, mustard and mayo (the mayo keeps the tuna from tasting too dry after its done cooking). Assuming the can of tuna is the same size as my own, you will need two slices of bread, and a cat. Spread the tuna liberally over the bread, making sure its even. Give the leftover to the cat and spread the cheese over the tuna.

This next step is optional, but enjoyable. Dust the sandwitches with paprika... mmm

finally, place the sandwitches on a pie tin, and heat in the oven until the cheese bubbles (or, if no cheese, till the tuna gets a nice light carmalized layer). Best served with a glass of light wine, or a sweet juice.

Eggplant: In Search of Recipes

2006-10-03T21:36:00.000-07:00

I'm looking for some good eggplant recipes. Anyone have a good one I can try?

Sloppy Joes Remastered

2006-10-02T22:35:00.000-07:00

There are certain foods from my childhood that I remember fondly, and hate the idea of having to give up. So it's nice to find ways to revamp the old recipes, making them healthier and still retaining the savory flavors I have held dear for so many years. Tonight, especially with Kirk out of town, I decided to do some experimenting. Armed with ground turkey, KC Masterpiece's Original Barbeque Sauce (fat free, I might add), onions, Worchester Sauce, garlic and pita bread, I was ready to try to remake the sloppy joes of my youth.

It is quite easy actually. No cooking oil necessary. I browned the ground turkey and the onions, mixing in the garlic. Once they were thoroughly browned, I added the BBQ and Worchester Sauces and mixed it in quite well. I then served the sloppy joe mixture in pita pockets. It was less sloppy than usual, and tasted exactly as I remembered. Served with a side salad, the meal was exactly what I had hoped for! Yay!

As a side note, for you Trader Joe's fans, apparently the Banana Crisps that have been out of stock for the last couple of weeks are being relabeled. The nutritional information on the package was incorrect. Since banana crisps are one of my favorite snacks, I am hoping the error was in the favor of health, but fear the opposite.

Potato Enchiladas

2006-09-30T13:32:00.000-07:00

Here is another vegetarian twist to enchiladas. They take some time to prepare so it's not a quick one, but it's worth it when you do!

2 c diced cooked potatoes
2 c shredded jack cheese
2 diced jalepenos
2 T lime juice
3 chopped green onions
1/4 c chopped cilantro
1/2 t salt
3/4 c sour cream (I used the light type)
8 corn tortillas
3 c green chile sauce (recipe to follow)
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese
2 oz. sliced black olives (optional)

Chile Sauce
1 lb. tomatillos
8 fresh, roasted & peeled New Mexico chiles, chopped
1 lg. onion
1-2 cloves garlic
2 c vegetable broth
1/2 t salt
1/4 t cumin
1/ t oregano

Hush and wash tomatillos. Slice into wedges. In a large saucepan combine toamtillos, chiles, onion, garlic, broth, and seasoning. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Pour into blender and pulse to desired consistency. Makes ~4 cups.

For the enchiladas, combine the first 8 ingredients in a large bowl. Soften tortillas in heated chile sauce. Spoon equal amounts of potato mixture onto tortillas and roll up. Place enchiladas seam-side down in a shallow baking dish. Top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Garnish with olivs if desired. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Serves 4. We doubled the recipe for 4 people and had yummy leftovers.

Stirfry (for Veg Chef)

2006-09-27T23:14:00.000-07:00

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.

Turkey Stroganoff

2006-09-27T22:55:00.000-07:00

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.

Vegetable Enchiladas (an experiment)

2006-09-26T20:30:00.000-07:00

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.

Fish Food

2006-09-25T20:58:00.000-07:00

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.

Heathly Pizza?

2006-09-25T16:59:00.000-07:00

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.

SW Chicken Soup

2006-09-25T16:49:00.001-07:00

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.

Wonderful Tofu

2006-09-25T16:44:00.000-07:00

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

The Facts

2006-09-25T15:14:00.000-07:00

The idea of this little place is to share tips & tricks, nutritional discoveries, and recipes that all center around healthy cooking. If you would like to become a contributor, please contact one of the current contributors and provide them with your blogger name and email address.