let's make it healthy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T22:13:00.000-08:00

Menu

Bought:
Honeybaked Honey glazed Turkey
Honeybaked Ham

Homemade:
Honey glazed carrots
Cornbread in cast iron
Classic Stuffing
Mash potatoes
Vegetable gravy (My bf loved)
Cranberry sauce
Apple-Walnut Galette (pie)

Family brought over:
Potato salad
Hummus (don't ask)
Homemade squash
Asian mung bean cake

Everything was delicious and I was so happy to have all my families there. I am truly thankful for being so bliss with wonderful people in my life and great food to share!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Apple-Walnut Galette

2011-11-24T21:51:00.000-08:00

It’s that time of the year again. Where love ones come together and enjoy a big feast starring the Turkey! This year I wanted to do something special and cook for the whole family.

The main menu was easy to think of haha the turkey! But I was struggling with the dessert. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to make my famous carrot cake or a pie.

Since I know my boyfriend’s dad loves apple pie that’s what I went with. I was going through my old Food Network Thanksgiving magazine issue from last year and stumble upon this recipe, Apple-Walnut Galette. It’s like an apple pie but with a twist.

What is a Galette you may ask? It’s a type of French pastry that is made with a rich and flaky crust. It’s generally rounded and flat and tends to be very crusty. It looks wonderful because you can see all the layers of apples and it tasted divine.

Korean Fried Chicken and Crispy Baked Garlic Fries

2011-11-22T20:05:00.000-08:00

Pho tomato broth with fish and crab meatballs

2011-11-18T23:11:00.000-08:00

Pork Noodle Salad

2011-11-18T21:34:00.000-08:00

My oven broke so I had to improvised. The recipe instructed to bake the pork in the oven, so instead I pan fried it. I don’t have much experience cooking with pork, but boy did I learn one good lesson.

One of my chops were cooked perfectly. I shared that with my bf and it was juicy. The rest was still slightly pink inside. I ended up microwaving it and that was a HUGE mistake. All the juices came out of the pork and what was left was a gray chewy dry piece of meat. It was that bad I ended up throwing the rest away. Luckily I still had the noodles and it had pretty good flavors, so not all was lost. I definitely would make this again and bake the chops. And I’ve learned my lesson, NO MORE microwaving the pork.

Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes. Cook time: About 30

You need:

6 ounces uncooked rice vermicelli
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 cup julienne-cut carrots
¾ cup thinly sliced red bell pepper (about one small pepper)
½ cup thinly sliced green onions
1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
¼ cup chopped dry-roasted peanuts
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon minced ginger
½ teaspoon minced garlic
4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut pork loin chops
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray

Directions

Preheat broiler.
Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water; drain. Place noodles in a large bowl. Add ¼ cup vinegar and next 4 ingredients) through fish sauce; toss well. Top with carrots, bell pepper, green onions, basil, and peanuts.
Combine hoisin and next 3 ingredients (through garlic). Sprinkle pork evenly with salt and pepper; place on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Brush half of hoisin mixture over pork; broil 3 minutes. Turn pork over rush remaining hoisin mixture over pork; broil 3 minutes or until done. Serve pork thinly sliced over salad.

Southeast Asian Fried Rice

2011-11-18T21:31:00.000-08:00

I had some leftover brown rice and decided to make this Thai-style stir-fried one-dish meal. The key to making fried rice it to use old leftover rice. If you use fresh rice you will end up with a mushy dish.

I didn't have any broccoli the recipe called for at the time. Instead I added celery. I also did not add bacon. It was good, but next time I will try it with broccoli to get that extra vitamin C.

Recipe

4 servings, 1 ½ cups of rice

You need:

1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon less-sodium soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sambal oelek, divided
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 bunch green onions
2 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
2 ½ cups left over rice
¼ cup vertically sliced shallots
1 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into ½ inch pieces
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup julienne-cut red bell pepper
1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic
Cooking spray
2 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
4 lime wedges

Directions

Combine first 4 ingredients, ½ teaspoon sambal oelek, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine eggs and remaining ½ teaspoon sambal oelek in a bowl. Separate green tops from green onions, and diagonally chop; set aside. Cut green onion bottoms (white part) into 1-inch pieces; set aside.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil to pan and coat evenly. Add rice; stir-fry 2 minutes, constantly. Transfer rice mixture to a large bowl. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in pan. Add shallots to pan; stir-fry 30 seconds or until tender. Add chicken; stir-fry 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Add brown sugar mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute or until liquid thickens slightly, stirring occasionally. Add chicken mixture to rice mixture.
Wipe pan clear with a paper towel; return pan to medium-high heat. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to pan. Add broccoli and bell pepper; stir-fry for 3 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add green onion bottoms, and garlic; stir-fry until fragrant. Add chicken/rice mixture to the pan and cook for 2 minutes or until heated through; return chicken mixture in a large bowl.
Return pan to medium-high heat. Coat pan with oil. Add egg mixture to pan, swirling to coat pan; cook 30 seconds or just until egg is set. Transfer egg to a cutting board; chopped. Stir egg and bacon into rice mixture. Top with green onions and garnish with lime wedges.

Indian food. Lentil soup and Spicy curry fish

2011-10-08T17:23:00.000-07:00

My boyfriend, his dad and I have been watching Bizzard Foods with Andrew Zimmerman where he visited India. My boyfriend started craving Indian food and asked if I can make it for him. I decided to make him lentil soup and spicy curry fish serve with curry naan bread. It might sound like curry overload but it actually all complimented very well. If you are looking for something simple and fast I would recommend the lentil soup. The fish curry had a lot of preparation, but it was worth it. Enjoy!

Recipe for Lentil soup

You need:

Tomato (chopped)
4 cups of water
Lentil
4 teaspoon Rasam powder or curry and tumeric powder
1 teaspoon salt
Juice of 1 lime and extra for wedges
Cilantro
Black pepper for taste

Directions

Boil the water. Add spices and salt. Reduce water to simmer when it reaches to a boil. Add the lentils and cook until desire texture.
Add lime juice and cilantro. Cook for another 5 mins and garnish with lime wedges and cilantro

Recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 35 minutes

4 servings

For the marinade:

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil

You need:

4 white fish fillets
1 onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped
5 cashew halves
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Mix the mustard, pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a shallow bowl. Add the fish fillets, turning to coat. Marinate the fish in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Combine the onion, garlic, ginger, and cashews in a blender or food processor and pulse until the mixture forms a paste.
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the prepared paste; cook and stir for a minute or two. Add the cayenne pepper, turmeric, cumin, coriander, 1 teaspoon salt, and sugar. Cook and stir for an additional five minutes. Stir in the chopped tomato and vegetable broth.
Arrange the fish fillets in a baking dish, discarding any extra marinade. Top the fish with the sauce, cover the baking dish, and bake in the preheated oven until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 30 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken

2011-09-18T19:11:00.000-07:00

Three cup chicken is a Taiwanese dish.

Mediterranean food. Tabbouleh. Hummus.

2011-09-17T19:46:00.000-07:00

I felt like Mediterranean food and decided to make tabbouleh with hummus. You can pair it with chicken and pita bread, and you'll have a wonderful light healthy meal.

Recipe for Tabbouleh

Prep time: 35 minutes Cook time: 40 minutes

4 servings, 1 cup each

You need:

1 cup water
½ cup bulgur
¼ cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon minced garlic
¼ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 cups finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (about 2 bunches)
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
2 tomatoes, diced
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
4 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions

Combine water and bulgur in a small saucepan. Bring to a full boil, remove from heat, cover and let stand until the water is absorbed and the bulgur is tender, 25 minutes or according to package directions. If any water remains, drain bulgur in a fine-mesh sieve. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool for 15 minutes.

Combine lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add parsley, mint, tomatoes, cucumber and scallions to the bulgur. Add the dressing and toss. Serve at room temperature or chill for at least 1 hour to serve cold.

Recipe for Hummus

Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 5 minutes

You need:

4 garlic cloves, mashed and then minced
2 15-ounce cans of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
2/3 cup of tahini (roasted, not raw)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup water
¼ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon of salt
Parsley (chopped) for garnish

Directions

In a food processor, combine the garlic, garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, 1/2 cup water, and olive oil. Process until smooth. Add salt, starting at a half a teaspoon, to taste.

Spoon into serving dish and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and chopped parsley.

Serve with crackers, raw dip vegetables such as carrots or celery, or with pita bread. You can cut the pita bread into thin triangles, brush with olive oil and toast for 10 minutes in a 400°F oven to make pita chips with which to serve the hummus.

Makes about 3 cups.

Korean Kogi BBQ Tacos

2011-09-14T19:11:00.000-07:00

Recipe

Serves 4

You need:

1 pound cooked pulled pork, cooked shredded chicken
12 corn or flour tortillas
1/4 cup Quick Cucumber Pickle (below) or prepared kimchi (Korean pickled, spicy cabbage)

For the Kogi BBQ Sauce

2 tablespoons Korean fermented hot pepper paste (gochujang)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Directions

Whisk all ingredients together until sugar has dissolved and mixture is smooth. You can make this a few days in advance and store tightly covered in the refrigerator.

For the Quick Cucumber Pickle

1 large English cucumber (or 2 Japanese cucumbers), sliced very thinly
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely minced fresh chili pepper (or more depending on your tastes)
generous pinch of salt

1. Mix together all ingredients. You can make this a few hours in advance and store in refrigerator, however the longer it sits, the less “crunch” you’ll have. I like making this cucumber pickle 1 hour prior, storing in refrigerator and serving it cold on the tacos for texture and temperature contrast

Raisin Butter Cake

2011-09-14T19:04:00.000-07:00

Eggy, Crispy Polenta with Tomatoes & Mushrooms

2011-09-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

Fudgy black bean brownie

2011-09-10T15:16:00.000-07:00

I know black bean brownies might sound a bit strange, but I say don’t knock till you try it. This is a healthy way to get your proteins from a dessert! When beans are pureed with eggs and oil you get this creamy texture. That’s how it mimics a fudgy brownie. It’s a perfect recipe for those of you following a gluten free diet or just interested in lowering your saturated fats. I made this for the first time and I just love it! It’s creamy, chocolaty, and healthy! You can enjoy this without the guilt. :)

Don't knock it till you try it

Whole Wheat Calzone

2011-09-10T13:07:00.000-07:00

Whole wheat calzone with ricotta spinach filling. Serve along with homemade tomato sauce.

I did not add enough cheese, but it only made it healthier ;)

Giada Adobo Chicken

2011-09-05T19:51:00.000-07:00

One Sunday morning, I was watching Giada De Laurentiis on Food Network. She was preparing this Filipino dish called Adobo chicken. Its chicken drumsticks soaked in dark sauce topped with fresh parsley. It was falling off the bone and it looked delicious! And I was in luck. Most of the ingredients she listed I already have in my pantry. It was basic ingredients that most asian family would have in their kitchen. I substituted a few things that I did not have. I used lemon instead of lime, cilantro instead of parsley, and turbinado sugar instead of light brown sugar. Here is the recipe:

Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes. Cook time: About 3 hours including the marinating

Marinade:

1 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup light brown sugar
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 dried bay leaves
12 chicken drumsticks
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons arrowroot
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 2 large limes)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
Lime wedges or lemon wedges

Directions

For the marinade: In a medium bowl, combine the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved.

Arrange the chicken in a single layer in a 9-by-13-by-2-inch glass baking dish. Pour the marinade over the chicken and refrigerate for 2 hours, turning the chicken over halfway through.

Place the chicken and marinade in a large, high-sided skillet or Dutch oven and add the chicken broth. Bring the liquid to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 45 to 50 minutes, turning the chicken every 20 minutes, until cooked through and a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 165 degrees F. Remove the chicken from the liquid and arrange on a serving platter. Discard the bay leaves and garlic cloves. Whisk the arrowroot and lime juice into the liquid and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook until the mixture thickens, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour the sauce over the chicken or serve

Adobo Chicken

healthy almond meal banana muffins

2011-09-05T17:43:00.000-07:00

These muffins are absolutely healthy with no flour or butter!

Inside the muffin has a chocolate filling

Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes. Cook time: About 50 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.

You need:

9oz almonds + some slice almonds for topping
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs

3 oz sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 bananas (approximately 1/2 lb peeled) + extra slices for topping
Pinch of coarse sea salt (optional for topping if you like)
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (if doing cocoa center)

Directions

Preheat oven to 300F. Grease baking pan of choice (either an 8-9 inch fluted flan tin, a bread dish or muffin tin) and dust with flour OR lightly moisten baking paper and line tin.
Whizz 9 oz almonds and baking powder in food processor until finely ground, but be careful not to go too far or you’ll end up with almond butter. Set aside in bowl.
Whizz eggs, sugar, bananas and cinnamon for about 5 minutes or until pale and really fluffy. Pour over almond meal and stir through.
If adding cocoa powder, place 1/3 of batter into separate bowl and stir in 2 tbs of unsweetened cocoa powder. To create the chocolaty center, first pour 1/2 your original batter into baking tin, then do your dollop of cocoa batter and then pour remaining original batter to cover cocoa. Top with thinly sliced bananas and almonds. Bake about 40-45 minutes for bread and 30-35 minutes for muffins (or until top is browned and skewer comes out clean). You just don’t want to overcook in the oven because they’ll continue to cook a little as they cool. Sprinkle on sea salt immediately after removing from oven.