Veggie Stir-fry with Egg

One of the perks of living in a bigger city in my opinion is the Asian markets. These were not to be found in Bismarck or Billings. Here they seem to pop up in just about every neighborhood. I love how I can one minute be in Minneapolis, Minnesota and the next minute, after stepping into one of these markets feel like I am in Hong Kong, Thailand or Vietnam. The produce is usually very cheap (4 limes for $1, a bag of shallots $2, package of dry noodles $.75) and you can find any and every Asian sauce or paste you could ever think of. This past week for less than $4 I bought- 7 baby bok choy, 2 Thai eggplants, 1 purple eggplant, package of dry noodles, fresh ginger and fresh fenugreek, everyone around me was speaking Chinese and it was great! Here is one of the dishes I made with the purchases. It reminded us of some of the Cambodian street food we had and the best part is that you can add whatever vegetables you have on hand. Plus, what isn't delicious topped with a fried egg? Enjoy!

Stir-fry Veggies with Egg (serves 2)

1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp honey
dash of sesame oil
2 tbsp chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 tsp fresh garlic, diced
2 cups cooked noodles
vegetables of choice, chopped (e.g. carrots, peppers, onion, egg plant, zucchini, bok choy, spinach, baby corn cobs, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, mushrooms, broccoli)
2 eggs, fried
chili sauce (optional)

1. In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tbsp of grapeseed, canola or vegetable oil. Add vegetables (except spinach/bok choy, bean sprouts, water chestnuts if using). Sauté for several minutes until starting to soften.   2. Add garlic and ginger and cook for several more minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add a splash of chicken broth to deglaze the pan.
3. Add spinach/bok choy and other vegetables if using. Cook for 2-5 minutes until greens are wilted. Add noodles to pan and combine with vegetables.
4. Combine cornstarch, soy sauce, fish sauce, chicken broth, honey. Pour over vegetables and cook for an additional 2-4 minutes. Add more soy sauce or chicken broth to taste.
5. Serve in a large bowl topped with an egg. Add additional chili sauce as desired. Eat with chop sticks if you can!

Kale Chips

Aaron and I are working on increasing our vegetable intake these days. One of our goals when we got married was to avoid the inevitable newlywed weight gain. The problem has been that I love cooking and Aaron loves eating my cooking! I cook pretty healthfully most of the time, but this month with the new year ahead we decided  to work a little harder on our diets which means more vegetables. I am always on the lookout for good vegetable recipes, because as much as I love them they can get boring if you don't change it up. As I have mentioned before, I love roasted vegetables. The crunch, crispyness and caramelization that roasting brings to vegetables really gives them new life in my opinion. The usual vegetables that I roast are green beans, asparagus, broccoli, peppers and potatoes. Next up- kale.

Kale? Isn't that the green curly lettuce they use to decorate trays on a buffet? Yes, that's the one! For years I have known that kale is very healthy. It is full of vitamins and minerals including vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C and maganese. It actually has over 20 nutrients in it and one of the most important benefits of kale is that it is full of antioxidants which fight cancer cells and it is anti-inflammatory. The problem with it I think that most of us (including me) don't know what to do with it. Its probably not the best raw, so sauteed would be one option. I don't really like cooked spinach, so I have just assumed that cooked kale wouldn't be my favorite either. I once heard of a dietitian who drys kale and sprinkles it in all sorts of foods like spaghetti sauce and even brownie mix. Nice idea but also seems like extra work to me.

This past year I saw two blog posts about kale chips. Interesting idea- chips make out of a leafy green. Both of these bloggers raved about the kale chips, so finally this week I decided to try it. It was so good that I actually made them twice! Aaron's first response was "These are kale? They taste like chips." I think kale chips is one of those recipes that you really won't believe until you try them. They sound strange but really are surprisingly delicious. You can flavor them how ever you would like. I have been sticking to salt, pepper and garlic, but experiment until you find your favorite combination. These make getting in those veggie servings a little easier and tastier! Enjoy!

A few other kale chip recipes:
Lemon Kale Chips
Salt and Vinegar Kale Chips
Baked Kale Chips

Kale Chips
*I apparently didn't really check the above recipes before I tried these. All of those recipes above recommend an oven temperature of 350 degrees. I actually roasted mine at 450 degrees. Both times they turned out fine but a few turned brown and I had to watch them pretty close, so you may want to try the lower oven temperature.

One bunch of kale (I used the curly kind)
olive oil
Kosher salt
pepper
garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rinse off kale and dry very well. Chop kale into 1-2 inch wide strips and place on large baking sheet)
2. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic. Massage oil and seasonings into leaves briefly.
3. Place sheet into oven for about 4-5 minutes. Redistribute leaves with a spatula and return to oven for about 3-4 more minutes. Kale should be crispy and starting to turn brown, but not completely browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

Sipping on Soups

One of the things that helps me (and I'm sure a lot of people) to get through the cold, gloomy days of fall, winter and spring here (yes, all 3 seasons can be very cold and grey!) is the food. There is such yummy, warm foods with rich, earthy flavors that make staying inside, nice and cozy, more endurable. I have especially grown to enjoy soups.

We occasionally had soup when I was growing up- usually the canned variety and usually for a quick lunch or if we were sick. Campbell's chicken noodle and vegetable were my favorite. In kindergarten I remember one day a mom came into our class and made home-made chicken noodle soup for us with home-made noodles. It was so good! I can still taste those noodles and the savory flavor of the broth. That was over 20 years ago and I still remember it vividly and I still have never found a chicken noodle soup that matched up.

When I was doing my supervised practice to be a dietitian, to hone our skills, we had to interview many patients in the hospital about what they usually ate. One day I came back to my teacher and I made her laugh when I asked, "Why do so many old people eat soup?" It seemed like every patient said they at soup for at least one or two meals a day I just didn't get it. With all of the food out there why would someone eat soup every day if they weren't sick?!

When I got my first job working in hospital as a dietitian, we were able to eat lunch in the cafeteria and after growing tired of the salad and sandwich bar and not wanting a heavy fried meal, I started gravitating towards the soups. There was vegetable, bean, chicken noodle, southwestern chicken, Mexican wedding, split pea, etc. Most of them were pretty good. I started realizing why people ate so much soup- they were warm, comforting and filled you up for hours. I made my own version of a vegetable soup with pasta and a Mexican wedding soup for Thanksgiving eve a few years ago- I think that was one of my first experiences making soup and I was amazed at how easy it really was. Not to mention, flavorful and healthier than any canned variety that is loaded with sodium and preservatives. I was hooked on soup.

Now during the cooler months I try to make a big pot of some type of soup, chili or stew once a week. I love having the leftovers for lunches, plus you can freeze extras for later. Because we have had some cold, grey weather already, I have had the soup pot going for weeks. Last week I made a minestrone soup with an Israeli couscous mixture that I got at Trader Joe's. Yum yum. I just ate my last serving for lunch and now I will have to decide on my next variety! Enjoy!

Savory Minestrone Soup

3 large carrots, chopped
3 large celery stalks, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large can of tomatoes (28oz)
1 can kidney beans or cannelloni beans
1 quart chicken broth
1 cup of water

1 cup Israeli couscous, brown rice, barley, or small pasta
parsley
bay leaf
basil

Heat about1 tbsp olive oil in a large stock pot. Add onions and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes to 10 minutes and until soft. Add celery and carrots and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, beans and chicken broth, and bay leaf. Let cook for about 20 minutes. Add couscous and water and season with 1 tbsp chopped parsley and basil. Let simmer for another 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into soup bowls along with a warm slice of crusty, fresh bread.

Lovin' Veggies

If there is one lesson about food that I have learned since becoming a dietitian, it is to love vegetables. I wouldn't say that I hated vegetables before, but I really didn't realize the value they had in a healthy, balanced diet. I was very fortunate to grow up in a household where we had family dinner 6 out of 7 nights per week. My mom cooked very balanced meals complete with a meat of some sort, rice or pasta, cooked vegetable and often a salad. Our table was always covered with a plethora of food. I still love going home today, knowing there is never a lack of food to eat!When I first started cooking in college, I started with simple meals like beef stroganoff, spaghetti, sloppy joes, and our (my roommate and I) weekly staple, chicken stir-fry. Vegetables were not always included. When I graduated from college and started working at my first job, I had more time to cook and the more I talked about food all day with my patients, the more interested I became in it. I work a lot with weight management, so I am constantly preaching about portion control. I myself have a big appetite and I love to eat. I am not full with 3oz of meat, 1/2 cup of pasta and 1/2 cup of vegetables (a "portion controlled" meal). I hate telling my patients to do something I myself can't or won't do, so knowing the calories of food and realizing that vegetables give the most bang for a buck, I started to fill up on vegetables. I became a huge fan of mini sweet peppers, snap peas, cucumbers, baby carrots, zucchini, and all types of salads. Soon, I was feeling more healthy, had more energy and the 20-30 pounds I had gained in college slipped away (I was also exercising most days of the week, something I hadn't been doing as much in college). So one of the biggest tips I now tell patients is to eat vegetables. They are amazingly low in calories and fill you up, not to mention the vitamins, antioxidants and fiber they provide. You really can't go wrong with eating vegetables- I think we all need a food group we can really binge on and vegetables are it!
I wouldn't call myself a picky eater, but broccoli has never been one of my favorites. I don't like it raw and it seems to get mushy very quickly when you steam or boil it. I had a patient tell me that they liked to roast vegetables, so I have been roasting sweet potatoes, red potatoes, and green beans for years, so why not broccoli? I tried it this year, and now I am addicted! I have been having roasted broccoli at least once a week for the past several months I love it so much! Roasting vegetables is quick and easy and it brings out a more nutty flavor that I really enjoy. Roasting gives the vegetables a nice, toasted color, and makes them almost caramelized but crunchy. If you haven't tried roasting your vegetables I strongly recommend it! I think any vegetable can be roasted, so try it with some of your vegetables that you usually steam or boil. You will be in for a delicious treat!Tonight, for a quick meal I made some talipia with roasted broccoli. The best part is that it can all go on the same pan, at the same temperature for the same amount of cooking time. It is truly a 2o minute meal! Usually I make roasted vegetables with just some salt, pepper, and olive oil, but I dressed it up a little tonight. Enjoy!

2 talipia or cod steaks
2 cups of broccoli florets
1 tomato, roughly chopped or 1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes
handful of basil, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
olive oil
salt
pepper
dried parsley
cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the talapia on one half of the sheet. Drizzle the fish with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, parsley, and cayenne pepper. Place the broccoli, tomatoes, basil and garlic in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Place broccoli mixture on other half of the baking sheet. Place in the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Broccoli should be browned and fish should be golden.

Good bye to Summer!

Summer is by far my favorite season. Living in the mid-west, it is usually hot and dry. I am one of the few people who loves the feeling of getting into a piping hot car and just basking in the heat!I try to see how long I can go before turning on the air-conditioning because I like feeling warm. Weird I know. I always feel a little sad when these hot months are over. It means the end of vacations, the end of lazy, long summer nights, and a return to "normal" life. This week I started to feel the swing towards fall. Kids have started school this week and the stores are full of long sleeves and neutral colors.


Fortunately, some of my favorite summer flavors are still here. My little garden is full of fresh basil, mint, cherry tomatoes and peppers. Today the sun shining bright and warm,with no sign of fall or winter in sight! I decided to make one of my favorite summer salads. The base is quinoa- an ancient grain, once used by the Aztecs. It is a complete protein as well as a grain. One 1/2 cup has 7g of protein and 3g of fiber promising to keep your hunger satisfied for several hours! I am loading my salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives, but you can add which ever vegetables you have on hand. You could also add a grilled chicken breast or tuna for some extra protein. Enjoy!



Summer Qunioa Salad
1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken broth
2 tomatoes diced or a handful of cherry tomatoes quartered or halved
1 cucumber, diced
1/2 cup kalamata olives, halved
handful of fresh basil, chopped
handful of fresh mint, chopped
handful of fresh parsley, chopped
juice from 1 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup feta cheese

Start with the quinoa simmered in the chicken broth for 15 minutes or until tender and the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, herbs, vegetables, and cheese. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Serve warm or chilled with pita bread, flat bread, whole grain chips or crackers, over a bed of greens, or by itself. Serves 4.

New Jersey Flavors

I was recently in New Brunswick, New Jersey for a week called "Urban Plunge." Teams came from several states in order to serve in various areas throughout the community. Fortunately, I was placed on a track that served at Elijah's Promise soup kitchen. Started in 1989, Elijah's Promise is now the largest soup kitchen in New Jersey. As a nutrition professional, I was very excited to learn that they are not just about putting food on the table but that they strive to provide nutritious meals that are fresh, balanced, healthy and taste good. It was such a rewarding way for me to spend my time!
In the mornings they would put us to work chopping fruits and vegetables for the lunch meal. It was truly amazing how the chef would organize the different volunteers every day, putting them to work (many of whom likely not having much cooking experience). And somehow the food always turned out great and no fingers were chopped off! One day we actually made fresh pizzas--enough for at least 175 people. The soup kitchen receives donations from area markets and farmers, plus they have a plot of land on a farm where they grow their own produce. We covered the pizzas with all of the vegetables, cheese and meat we could find, plus we also served sauteed pesto vegetables. Yummy!

Last week as I was thinking of what to make for dinner with friends, I decided to use my own pizza dough recipe and make calzones. A co-worker had given me zucchini from her garden and my little garden was ready to harvest tomatoes, green peppers, and some fresh herbs; so I thought pesto vegetable calzones would be perfect. You can fill yours with whatever you have on hand--ham, pineapple, peppers, mushrooms, sausage, chicken, tomatoes, olives--pull out what you can find in your freezer or refrigerator!

Elijah's Veggie Calzones
Serves 4

1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) yeast
1 1/2 c warm water
1 tsp salt
3 c white flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1 T honey
Pesto vegetables (see below.
2-3 cups fresh spinach leaves
16oz mozzarella, fresh cut into slices or shredded
4 oz Parmesan cheese
1 handful of fresh basil- chopped
1 handful of fresh oregano- chopped
8oz can of tomato sauce

Measure water into bowl and sprinkle with yeast. Stir thoroughly. Add 1 c white flour to liquid. Beat 3 minutes with mixer. Add salt and honey. Mix by hand or with dough hook on mixer. Add remaining flours, 1 c at a time; knead for 5 minutes. Roll into ball and let rest of 10-15 minutes. Preheat oven to 450. Grease and dust baking sheet with cornmeal (or use airbake pan). Separate dough into four equal balls.
Roll out the dough and brush with a little olive oil. Leaving about a 1 inch perimeter, spread several tablespoons of tomato sauce over the inner portion of the dough. In the bottom half of the dough, spoon about 1/2 cup of the pesto vegetables, handful of spinach leaves, handful of mozzarella cheese, some of the fresh herbs and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Fold the upper half of the dough over the vegetable mixture. Pinch the dough to form a lip and then twist the dough together to close the calzone. Brush with olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crust is browned.

Pesto Vegetables-Give all of the vegetables a rough chop
1 small zucchini
1 small yellow squash
2 small green bell peppers
1 large tomato or 2 small-medium tomatoes
1 small yellow onion
3-5 cloves of garlic minced
1/4 cup pesto sauce (homemade or store bought)

Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a skillet, heat on medium-high and add garlic and all of the vegetables. Saute for about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the pesto sauce and evenly disperse through out the vegetables. Saute for 2-3 more minutes and remove from heat.