Healthy Eats

Just thought I'd share a couple of healthy dinner ideas. Above is my Hoisin Chicken, oven roasted sweet potato, steamed broccoli, cucumber slices and brown rice. It makes for a very delicious and healthy dinner. I just wish brown rice reheated better for leftovers!

Thanks to Athena for the heads up on the website and publication Clean Eating Magazine. I found this Ginger-Lime Kale recipe on there. It had Kale, ginger, lime, Butternut Squash, Chickpeas and Pomegrantes. Such an unusual combination but so delicious! It's a very hardy side so you only need to pair this with a protein for a complete dinner.

Vegetable Egg Scramble and Arroz Con Fideos (Rice with Noodles)

This is one of my favorite comfort meals. It's something my mom used to make for me on a regular basis and I now make it for my husband. It's pretty easy on my sensitive stomach and it's very satisfying. It also makes for a very inexpensive vegetarian dinner.

Make the Arroz con Fideos first then while that's cooking start the Vegetable Egg Scramble.

Arroz con Fideos

2 rounds of angel hair pasta
extra light olive oil
2 cups of rice, rinsed
2 cups of boiling water
salt to taste

Pastene sells Angel Hair rounds. Goya also sells them as "Fideos".

In a pot, heat up a couple drizzles of olive oil until it starts to sizzle and pop. Crumble the angel hair pasta over the oil. Stir and toast until it starts to turn brown. Stay with it because it burns really quickly. You don't want it to burn but you do want it to brown.

Add the 2 cups of rinsed rice to the pot. Stir then add the 2 cups of boiling water and salt to taste. Stir and let sit at medium heat until the pasta and rice have absorbed the water.

Turn the heat to very low and cover. Cook for 11 minutes. Then stir the rice bringing the rice and noodles from the bottom up. Then cook for another 11 minutes.

Vegetable Egg Scramble

10 eggs whisked with 1 tablespoon of water
1 large tomato or 2 plum tomatoes seeded and chopped
2 scallions chopped
1/2 green pepper chopped
Extra light olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, heat up some extra light olive oil. Once it starts to sizzle, add the vegetables and sautee until the green peppers start to get soft. You'll want to cook the vegetables before hand so that some of the moisture out. I like to cook the green peppers first then add the tomato and scallions later. You can also substitute sliced thin white onion for the scallions.

In a medium bowl, crack 10 eggs. I like to take one egg yolk out to make it a bit lighter. Add 1 tablespoon of water and whisk. The water helps the eggs blend better.

Add the eggs to the skillet with the vegetables. Stir and move the eggs around until fully cooked. You can make this as an omelet but I prefer it scrambled.

Serve with the Arroz Con Fideos and enjoy!

Mom's Special Plate

I cannot count how many times my mother made this special plate for me. It's her own creation. I like to think of it as my Mom's version of Salad Nicoise. Replace the potatoes with rice, the olives with beets and the tomatoes with avocado and voila! It's pretty similar however this is more of a plate than a salad. This plate is always the same. Hard-boiled eggs, cooked green beans, white rice, tuna with pickled red onions, sliced beets and fresh avocado. It's always very filling and delicious. Something about the combination makes it a perfect dinner. However, it does NOT make for good leftovers. This is a one-shot meal. But definitely worth the effort.

Ingredients:

5 or 6 eggs

a bunch of green beans

1 avocado

fresh lemon juice

2 cups of uncooked rice

2 small cans of tuna packed in olive oil

1/4 of a red onion, minced

red wine vinegar

1 can of sliced beets (I like the Goya one)

This makes enough for two hungry people! Or 3 people with average appetites.

Add the minced red onion to a small bowl. Fill the small bowl with red wine vinegar until it just barely covers the onions. Set aside to marinate.

Cook the rice Raquelle style. In this case, 2 cups of uncooked rice is cooked with 3 cups of boiling water.

While the rice is cooking, cook the eggs to hard-boiled (everyone has their method, I cover them in water in a large pot, bring water to a boil and cook for 10 minutes). Peel the eggs and slice in half. Set aside.

Steam the green beans whole for about 10 minutes.

Half the avocado with a knife, scoop out the halves with a spoon, remove the pit, slice and spritz with lemon juice to prevent from going brown.

Drain the can of sliced beets. Set aside.

Drain the minced red onion from the vinegar. Mix with the tuna.

Pile up a plate of rice, green beans, hard-boiled eggs, tuna, beets and avocado. Enjoy!

Grilling Without a Grill ~ Memorial Day Plate

Barbecue Grilled Chicken Breasts - Steamed Green Beans - Honey Glazed Biscuits

Not all of us are blessed with an outdoor grill. If you live in the city or in apartment building, chances are you have little to no outdoor space and having an outdoor grill is not really an option. That doesn't mean you can make delicious "grilled" food on your own. And when grill-happy holidays like Memorial Day and the Fourth of July come around, you can still celebrate by doing some clever indoor grilling.

There are two basic methods of grilling without an outdoor grill. The first is using a grill pan and the second is using your oven's broiler. A grill pan is essential and is not as big of a financial investment as a real outdoor grill. You can easily find a good quality grill pan for $20 to $50. The grill pan has grooves that simulate the rack on an outdoor grill and gives any meat or vegetable those grill marks that we all love so much. And if you have an oven, chances are you have a broiler. If you have a gas oven, your broiler will produce flames which is as close as you'll get to cooking directly with fire inside your own home. If you have an electric oven like I do, the broiler is still useful for producing a blast of intense heat but isn't quite as effective as the gas oven broiler's flame.

So if you are celebrating Memorial Day tomorrow by yourself or with family and friends but you don't have an outdoor grill, why not try this plate? It's simple and delicious and easily feeds a couple of people or a small crowd.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day!


Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts per person
Your favorite Barbecue sauce
green beans
Pillsbury Grand Biscuits - 3 per person
honey

You'll need a steamer, pastry & basting brushes and a grill pan.

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Honey Biscuits - Preheat your oven to package instructions and arrange your biscuits on a nonstick baking sheet. Add a few tablespoons of honey to a small bowl and add a little bit of water or some lemon juice to slightly dilute the honey. With a pastry brush, brush some of the honey onto the biscuits. Bake to package directions and then add a bit more honey to the top of the biscuits while they are still hot. Set aside.

Chicken - Season your chicken with salt. Add your chicken breast to a bowl and smear each breast with your favorite barbecue sauce. You can either heat up a grill pan and grill the breasts that way (about 4 minutes each side) or you can preheat your broiler and broil your chicken on the middle rack (remove any upper racks) for about 5-6 minutes each side. You can baste with more sauce as you go or just add some more sauce at the end.

Green Beans - Steam with whatever method you steam vegetables with. I use a pot with an inch of water and a steaming rack. I let the water come to a boil then add the green beans as season them with salt. I cook them for about 8-10 minutes or less if I want them bright green and crunchy. Check on them every couple of minutes so they don't over cook.

Enjoy!

Meatloaf Plate

 Cheddar Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf ~ Cucumber & Dill Salad ~ Grilled Corn with Sea Salt

I cannot count how many times I've made some version of this plate but I have yet to post it here. Usually, this meal is accompanied by buttered red potatoes but I wanted to keep things light and I omitted potatoes altogether. There are a couple things to keep in mind with this plate. For the meatloaf, instead of making one gigantic loaf, I make smaller individual loaves. Four mini-loaves per 2 pounds of ground beef. I use ketchup instead of a tomato sauce because I like how it creates a tangy coating. I stuff my meatloaves with cheddar cheese when I can. It's just nice having a little surprise in the center of each loaf. Also, Carlos loves ordering a custom plate of meatloaf, corn, pickles and mashed potatoes from a nearby restaurant, so this plate is inspired by that combination. I hope you'll give it a try!

Cheddar Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf

Ingredients:
2 pounds of ground beef
2 slices of cheddar cheese (half slice per loaf)
1 small onion finely diced
1-2 garlic cloves minced
1 egg beaten
1/4 cup of breadcrumbs (or less based on taste)
Ketchup
salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

Makes 4 loaves

If you are not sure of the seasonings, make the mixture and try cooking up a tiny patty on the stovetop. When cooked, taste it. You can always add seasoning but you can't reduce it.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

In large bowl, add the ground beef and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Then add the diced onions, minced garlic, egg and breadcrumbs. Mix thoroughly with your hands (don't even think about using a spoon it won't work). Separate into four servings.

Take a 1/2 slice of cheddar cheese and create a small stack by breaking it up. Mold the individual loaf around the cheddar cheese so it's completely hidden in the middle.

Once your four loaves are done, add them to a baking dish lined with foil. Squirt a generous amount of ketchup on each and coat the loaves with ketchup using your hands. Cover very loosely with foil.

Add to your oven and make for 25-30 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for 5-10 minutes more, depending on how well done you like your beef.

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Cucumber & Dill Salad

Ingredients:
3 pickle cucumbers or 1 English cucumber
1 tablespoon of dill (or less per taste)
juice of 1/2 lemon
3 tablespoons of light olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Slice the cucumbers very thinly but keep the skin on. Season with salt and pepper and add the dill. Add the juice of the lemon and the olive oil and mix. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.

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Grilled Corn with Sea Salt

Ingredients:
4 ears of corn
Sea salt to taste
Light olive oil

You can use flash frozen corn if corn is out of season. Just let it thaw first.

Heat up your grill pan until it's nice and hot.

Now comes the sexiest part of this recipe. Take each ear of corn and drizzle some olive oil on it. Then with your hands, very sensually rub the oil all over that ear of corn. Trust me, the ear of corn will like it very much.

Add the corn to the grill and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side. While it's nice and hot, add some sea salt.

Easter Dinner For Two

Glazed Ham ~ Artichoke, Leek & Potato Gratin with Gruyere ~ Roasted Asparagus with Lemon Salt

This Easter, if you are not trying to feed a crowd and just want a simple supper to share with your significant other, this is the dinner for you. It's simplicity dressed up! You don't have to go crazy and try roasting a leg of lamb when a tiny piece of ham glazed and heated in the oven will do. In my case, I bought the tiniest ham I could find and we still had leftovers. This meal to be very satisfying and unusual enough that it kept my taste buds interested. I got the recipe for the Gratin from Epicurious but the rest is my creation. Enjoy!

Leek, Artichoke and Potato Gratin with Gruyere

3 large leeks, cleaned, trimmed and sliced into half moons
1 11 oz. can of Artichokes in water, chopped
5-7 Yukon Gold Potatoes peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup of grated Gruyere
2 cups of half-and-half
salt and pepper to taste
grated parmesan cheese to taste

Preheat your oven to 375 Degrees.

Sautee your leeks in a pan with olive oil, salt and pepper until they begin to soften but are still bright and green. Set aside.

Grease a large casserole dish with cooking spray. Add a layer of sliced potatoes on the bottom making sure the bottom surface is covered. You can overlap potatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

On top of the potatoes add a layer of filling. This will consist of half your leeks, half your artichokes and half your gruyere cheese.

Repeat by adding another layer of potatoes (seasoned) and another layer with the remaining leeks, artichokes and gruyere cheese. Cover with a final layer of potatoes. Slowly pour the half and half on top making sure it seeps into all the nooks and crannies. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Add to your oven making sure that there is a baking dish below to capture any over flow.

Bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil. Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese over the top and bake for another 15 minutes uncovered. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 15 minutes so the cheese and cream sets. This is really good at room temperature.

Glazed Ham

Tiny ham

1/2 cup of brown sugar

2 tablespoons of dijon mustard
Pineapple juice.

Turn down the heat of your oven to 375.

In a small bowl mix your brown sugar and dijon mustard. Add a tablespoon of pineapple juice at a time and incorporate. Keep adding until the mixture is a nice thick glaze. You'll probably only use 2 tablespoons or so. Pour most of your glaze over your ham. Transfer the ham to a baking dish that is lined with aluminum foil. Cover loosely with more foil. Cook in the oven for 30-35 minutes or whatever the ham's package instructions indicate. Slice your ham into thin slices across and serve with a drizzle of the leftover glaze.

Roasted Asparagus with Lemon Salt

A bunch of asparagus with the bottom snapped off

light olive oil

sea salt

grated lemon zest

Keep your oven at 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and add your asparagus. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over your asparagus and mix to coat. Roast in the oven for about 10 minutes. Most people roast their asparagus at higher temperatures, but I like to do it at a slightly lower temperature so I don't over-roast.

In a small bowl, combine 1 part lemon zest with 2 parts sea salt.

When the asparagus is done, remove from the oven and sprinkle the lemon/salt mixture over the top.

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Have a Happy Easter!

Kielbasa, Sauerkraut and Perogies

This is just a set up I created for a date night with my beau. I sauteed sliced kielbasa in a little bit of olive oil until nicely brown. Then I added some drained and rined sauerkraut and sauteed that for a little bit until it got some color from the kielbasa juices. I steamed some frozen perogies then sauteed them in some olive oil. I mixed everything together in a big plater and served with slices of sourdough bread and some dijon mustard.

Because it was a hot day and this meal is rather heavy, I prepared some tomato and cucumber sticks for snacking on. It's a great way to clear the palate in between bites of richness. I included a small bowl of salad dressing for dipping too.

Next time I'll have a nice plate of sliced Swiss Cheese, some bigger hunks of bread and perhaps some Thousand Island dressing along with the mustard.