This one is great when you need something really fast - with the added benefit of a comfort food element, even though it's healthy. Also one a 10-year old could prepare all by themselves if you have a young cook in the house. This of this as a veggie stir fry with scrambled eggs, served over quinoa. Americans tend to eat eggs only for breakfast, but they are so versatile and economical, I encourage thinking about the egg beyond the breakfast table. The veggies can be anything you have in the fridge. I'll give a few examples of what I've tried.
Serves 4
Scrambled eggs
4 eggs, lightly beated with a wisk (1 egg per person)
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
1/2 T butter
Veggie options
-1 leek, 1 cup chopped mushrooms, 2 cups loosely packed greens (spinach, mustard or chinese broccoli)
-1 1/2 cups coleslaw mix, 1 chopped red bell pepper, 1/2 cup chopped onion - extra additions can be 3/4 cup frozen corn, chopped cilantro, lime juice, tobasco
-Peas, corn, carrots and lima beans (with freezer veggies, add fresh onion and garlic to liven the flavor, cilantro, mustard greens and other fresh herbs are also nice kicks to frozen veggies)
-Leftover roasted cauliflower and sweet potato
-Leftover green beans and mustard greens
Quinoa
Cooking quinoa is about a 2-1 ratio liquid to solid. A single serving is about a 1/4 cup. To make 4 servings, 2 cups chicken broth or just salted water, 1 cup quinoa.
I'll use the coleslaw, bell pepper veggie mix for the instructions. First get the broth boiling for the quinoa. When boiling rapidly, stir in quinoa, add about 1/2 T olive oil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook about 20 minutes until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is light and fluffy. Meanwhile, heat saute pan or wok over med-high heat, add 1 T oil (veggie or pure olive, not extra virgin). Add onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes, add coleslaw mix and pepper and saute for about 5 more minutes. Turn off heat and stir in chopped cilantro and a few dashes of tobasco if you want a little kick. Squeeze half a lime in too if you want. If you don't want to use three pans, here you can move veggie mixture to a plate or bowl and set aside. Heat 1 T butter in pan, when brown and bubbling, pour in eggs. Let set over medium heat, about 2 minutes. Stir slowly. Let set again about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir again. Repeat until cooked. Add eggs to veggies. When quinoa is ready, divide into four bowls and divide veggie and egg mixture evenly over each heap of quinoa. Season with salt and pepper, tobasco, soy sauce, sesame oil, whatever you want. Enjoy!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Greens!
Eat dark, leafy greens. You have definitely heard that before. Seems like a good idea too, but you don't know where to begin, save for the weekly spinach salad. The Greeks are great at greens, they serve them with every meal, boiled in nothing more a little salted water and flavored with olive oil and lemon juice. I have been experimenting with various recipes and trying all kinds of ways to get more greens into our diet. In the US, I've found that mustard greens, kale, collard and swiss chard are the most abundant and economical. Arugula, chickory, watercress and others are fun to try if you want, but they are more expensive. I am also very lucky to live close to a giant Asian grocery store filled with gorgeous produce, including all kinds of greens never seen in typical American grocery stores.
Basic Boiled Greens - serves 4
1 1/2 pounds leafy greens (most often, I do a mix of kale and mustard greens with this)
sea salt
fresh pepper
olive oil
fresh lemon juice
Trim greens, removing stems from the middle and chop leaves. Bring about 1 inch of water in a pot to a boil, add salt and greens. Boil uncovered for about 5-15 minutes until dark green and softened (kale will take 15 minutes, spinach will take 5 - time depends on the delicacy of the green). When done, squeeze water with tongs and drain in a colander. Toss with olive oil and lemon juice to taste.
Chinese style greens - replace salt with soy sauce and olive oil with sesame oil, no lemon juice but if you want you can toss a 1-inch piece of peeled ginger in with the boiling water and greens. Remove before serving.
Greens with Tomatoes and Garlic
2 cloves garlic, minced or pushed through a press
1 can diced tomatoes
1 pound greens
olive oil
lemon juice
salt and pepper
Heat 1T olive oil in a pot, add garlic and saute about 30 seconds, just to release the flavor, add tomatoes with their juice and 1 inch water or chicken broth. Bring to a boil, add salt and greens and cook 5-15 minutes. Season with lemon juice, pepper and olive oil. Crushed red (hot) peppers are also a good addition to this style.
Green Beans with Mustard Greens
I discovered this when I needed to use up some mustard greens and had a fresh batch of green beans to cook up. The good folks at Cook's Illustrated came up with a way to make excellent green beans in one pan without parboiling them first. This not only means less dishes to wash, but the beans also retain their full nutritional value as nothing is drained. I'm going to try this recipe with broccoli and cauliflower too, we'll see if it works!
1 pound green beans, trimmed
1 cup chopped mustard greens
2 T butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1t dried thyme
salt and pepper
lemon juice
Heat 1 T butter in pan, add beans, salt and pepper and toss to coat and saute until browned, stirring a few times, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and saute about 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup water to pan, bring to a boil, add mustard greens, reduce heat, cover and simmer about 5 minutes until mustard greens are bright green and soft and beans are cooked through. Add remaining T butter, thyme and lemon juice and stir until butter is melted completely. Serve immediately.
Basic Boiled Greens - serves 4
1 1/2 pounds leafy greens (most often, I do a mix of kale and mustard greens with this)
sea salt
fresh pepper
olive oil
fresh lemon juice
Trim greens, removing stems from the middle and chop leaves. Bring about 1 inch of water in a pot to a boil, add salt and greens. Boil uncovered for about 5-15 minutes until dark green and softened (kale will take 15 minutes, spinach will take 5 - time depends on the delicacy of the green). When done, squeeze water with tongs and drain in a colander. Toss with olive oil and lemon juice to taste.
Chinese style greens - replace salt with soy sauce and olive oil with sesame oil, no lemon juice but if you want you can toss a 1-inch piece of peeled ginger in with the boiling water and greens. Remove before serving.
Greens with Tomatoes and Garlic
2 cloves garlic, minced or pushed through a press
1 can diced tomatoes
1 pound greens
olive oil
lemon juice
salt and pepper
Heat 1T olive oil in a pot, add garlic and saute about 30 seconds, just to release the flavor, add tomatoes with their juice and 1 inch water or chicken broth. Bring to a boil, add salt and greens and cook 5-15 minutes. Season with lemon juice, pepper and olive oil. Crushed red (hot) peppers are also a good addition to this style.
Green Beans with Mustard Greens
I discovered this when I needed to use up some mustard greens and had a fresh batch of green beans to cook up. The good folks at Cook's Illustrated came up with a way to make excellent green beans in one pan without parboiling them first. This not only means less dishes to wash, but the beans also retain their full nutritional value as nothing is drained. I'm going to try this recipe with broccoli and cauliflower too, we'll see if it works!
1 pound green beans, trimmed
1 cup chopped mustard greens
2 T butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1t dried thyme
salt and pepper
lemon juice
Heat 1 T butter in pan, add beans, salt and pepper and toss to coat and saute until browned, stirring a few times, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and saute about 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup water to pan, bring to a boil, add mustard greens, reduce heat, cover and simmer about 5 minutes until mustard greens are bright green and soft and beans are cooked through. Add remaining T butter, thyme and lemon juice and stir until butter is melted completely. Serve immediately.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Day 2- Leftover Roast Chicken
After meal 1 of roast chicken, fresh from the oven. I shred the leftover chicken from the bones and put in a lidded pyrex container in the fridge. There it's accessible for an easy sandwich or tacos or whatever else you want to do with it. Here's a few new ideas you can try.
Easy Vietnamese-influenced sandwich - Nothing beats a real Bhan-mi, a sandwich of pate, pork, pickled veggies and spices on a baguette. I don't tend to have pate or baguettes handy, which I suppose is a travesty, but I manage.
Chicken, Broccoli & Quinoa or Couscous - Quinoa, how's that for healthy! It's actually pretty rib-sticking good too and as easy to make as a pot of spaghetti. Couscous will also work with this if quinoa just isn't your cup of tea. With both, a little goes a long way, so 1/2 cup will easily feed 2+ people.
1 cup chopped broccoli, stems too
3/4 cup chopped mushrooms
1 leek
1/2 cup couscous or quinoa
3/4 cup shredded chicken
1 T butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
1T olivie oil
1 T dry sherry or lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste
Melt butter in saute pan, add broccoli, leek and mushrooms. Saute about 5 min, cover and cook for about 5 min more or until broccoli can be easily pierced with a fork and mushrooms have softened and shrunk. Meanwhile bring 1/2 cup broth to a boil, add olive oil, if quinoa, add, cover and simmer approximately 10 minutes until fluffy. If couscous, add, cover and remove from heat. Remove cover from broccoli & mushrooms and add chicken just to heat it up. Add sherry or lemon juice, salt and pepper and stir. If veggies are stuck to the pan you can add 1 T of water. Mix veggies and chicken with quinoa or couscous. Serve immediately.
Lime Chicken Enchiladas - I use yogurt instead of sour cream, but you don't have to. These are actually made without cheese and still taste awesome. You can add cojita cheese if you want to the top before you add the yogurt. You're call.
Serves 2
4 corn tortillas (or small 8-inch flour, whichever you prefer)
1 Tveggie oil
juice of one lime, + 2t lime zest
juice of 1 orange
1/2 cup yogurt
1t cumin
1/2-1t cayanne pepper
1/2 t chili powder
1 cup shredded chicken
Preheat oven to 350. Mix orange juice and lime juice together, pour 2 T over shredded chicken and toss. Add cumin, cayanne, chili powder, yogurt and lime zest to remaining juice and mix thoroughly. If using corn tortillas, heat veggie oil in a non-stick pan until barely smoking. Add tortilla and fry, about 30-secs per side. Place on paper towel. Fry remaining tortillas placing a paper towel between each one to remove excess oil. Lighty grease baking pan. Place 1/4 cup chicken on each tortilla and roll tightly, placing in pan, edge-side down. Top with yogurt mixture. Bake for about 20 minutes, until yogurt mixture is bubbling slightly.
Easy Vietnamese-influenced sandwich - Nothing beats a real Bhan-mi, a sandwich of pate, pork, pickled veggies and spices on a baguette. I don't tend to have pate or baguettes handy, which I suppose is a travesty, but I manage.
2 pieces of bread - any bread will do. My favorite is Oregon local Dave's Killer Bread.
Mayonaise (low-fat if you want)
Suriacha sauce
Pickled Veggies (I do carrots, cabbage and raddishes)
Shredded Chicken
Chicken, Broccoli & Quinoa or Couscous - Quinoa, how's that for healthy! It's actually pretty rib-sticking good too and as easy to make as a pot of spaghetti. Couscous will also work with this if quinoa just isn't your cup of tea. With both, a little goes a long way, so 1/2 cup will easily feed 2+ people.
1 cup chopped broccoli, stems too
3/4 cup chopped mushrooms
1 leek
1/2 cup couscous or quinoa
3/4 cup shredded chicken
1 T butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
1T olivie oil
1 T dry sherry or lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste
Melt butter in saute pan, add broccoli, leek and mushrooms. Saute about 5 min, cover and cook for about 5 min more or until broccoli can be easily pierced with a fork and mushrooms have softened and shrunk. Meanwhile bring 1/2 cup broth to a boil, add olive oil, if quinoa, add, cover and simmer approximately 10 minutes until fluffy. If couscous, add, cover and remove from heat. Remove cover from broccoli & mushrooms and add chicken just to heat it up. Add sherry or lemon juice, salt and pepper and stir. If veggies are stuck to the pan you can add 1 T of water. Mix veggies and chicken with quinoa or couscous. Serve immediately.
Lime Chicken Enchiladas - I use yogurt instead of sour cream, but you don't have to. These are actually made without cheese and still taste awesome. You can add cojita cheese if you want to the top before you add the yogurt. You're call.
Serves 2
4 corn tortillas (or small 8-inch flour, whichever you prefer)
1 Tveggie oil
juice of one lime, + 2t lime zest
juice of 1 orange
1/2 cup yogurt
1t cumin
1/2-1t cayanne pepper
1/2 t chili powder
1 cup shredded chicken
Preheat oven to 350. Mix orange juice and lime juice together, pour 2 T over shredded chicken and toss. Add cumin, cayanne, chili powder, yogurt and lime zest to remaining juice and mix thoroughly. If using corn tortillas, heat veggie oil in a non-stick pan until barely smoking. Add tortilla and fry, about 30-secs per side. Place on paper towel. Fry remaining tortillas placing a paper towel between each one to remove excess oil. Lighty grease baking pan. Place 1/4 cup chicken on each tortilla and roll tightly, placing in pan, edge-side down. Top with yogurt mixture. Bake for about 20 minutes, until yogurt mixture is bubbling slightly.
Serve with Mexican confetti Rice: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Mexican-Confetti-Rice-3091 I make this with Mexican tomoato sauce instead of regular to give it a good kick. If you don't want a kick, try adding some oregano or cumin along with regular tomato sauce.
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