Asian Salmon with Fried (Brown) Rice

Asian Cuisine is probably my favorite. I love the culture and the history behind the food. They are masters of flavors, truly genius people, who passed down recipes from centuries ago. And religion plays a big part in how they eat. For the Daoists, Yin and Yang balance in all food is very important. The 5 Tastes are also important--sweet, sour, spicy, bitter, salty. Go here for more details.
So, I wanted to make salmon, for some reason I was craving it, even though it isn't my favorite fish in the sea. But I guess my body needed some Omega-3s. Those are the healthy fats your body needs. They are found in avocados, dark chocolate, fatty fish, some nuts and nut oils. If you are feeling down, you should add more of these to your diet, because it reduces depression.
So all of you people who think food is just something that doesn't matter, or doesn't affect you, think again. What you eat now will directly affect your body in the near future. It's not just eating healthy that's important, it is knowing WHY you need to eat healthy that makes a difference. If you are interested in being healthy and learning new things about food and the way it affects your body, check out My Food Pyramid.

I decided to treat Jen (I make my friend's lunches $6 each) with a delicious meal. She very much enjoyed it too! Excellent!

Asian Salmon

2 salmon filets

1/4 c low sodium soy sauce

2T rice wine vinegar

1.5 T miso paste (optional)

drizzle sesame oil

grated ginger (or very finely chopped)

1 clove minced garlic

chopped green onion sprinkle of brown sugar

1. Mix all ingredients, except salmon, in a bowl. Place salmon in a large plastic bag (or two small separate) and pour marinade over top. Make sure all of the salmon is covered with marinade. Set salmon in a small bowl so it doesn't leak and put in fridge for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat broiler to 400 degrees. Place a piece of foil on a baking sheet. Take out salmon with tongs, and shake off excess sauce. Place on foil. With a fork or spoon, or even the end of the tongs, take out the garlic, ginger, and green onions from the marinade and place on top of the salmon. (just try not to get too much of the sauce with it). Place fish in oven for about 20-30 minutes. 

3. Every 5 minutes, spoon some of the marinade over the top of the fish. The fish will be done when it is firm like a pound cake and the outside is crispy.

Veggie Fried Brown Rice

3-4 c precooked (day old, optional) brown rice, you want it to be a little dry so it doesn't turn out mushy like mine did

frozen mixed veggies

broccoli (cut small)

green onions

1 egg

soy sauce

ginger, optional

garlic, optional

1 tsp sugar

2T soy sauce

drizzle sesame oil

any other green veggie you want

1. Because I have only made fried rice once in my life, and it was this time, and I slightly failed at it, I will give you a BASIC fried rice recipe that will satisfy all of your needs. All you need to do is add the veggies (like broccoli) to the pan and cook a bit before you add the egg. You may also add the ginger and/or garlic when the veggies have cooked for 2-3minutes. You want the vegetables to be slightly cooked, but still crunchy throughout. Push veggies to the side and scramble the egg in the bottom of the pan. Add the rice, sugar, soy, sesame, green onions. Stir and cook for a few more minutes. But if you can't figure it out go here.

Enjoy!

Pork Gyoza

For those of you who have never been to the wonderful land of Dim Sum, I pity you. You may not know, but you've missed out on the most wonderful food of your life. Don't fret, I'm here to help
I've only made gyoza (dumplings) on a handful of occasions, but that's enough times to know how to make them correctly and incorrectly.
Now you might be wondering, "Aren't pot stickers really difficult to master?" I will answer No. Maybe your first 25 dumplings wont look the greatest, but they will taste delicious!

Asian food is to me as Soul Food is to the south. It's what I crave, it's what I want on a perfectly rainy Sunday afternoon, and it's the only thing I want when I'm sick.

Now, you might look at the recipe and freak out at the list of ingredients, but honestly, you'll love these SO MUCH that you'll want to make them all the time. Those ingredients like Fish Sauce, Rice wine Vinegar (probably the most useful ingredient you'll have to buy for this) and Sesame Oil will probably not get used as frequently as you wish, but you should try to experiment with them. I use Sesame Oil on numerous things to finish them off.  Maybe add it to your favorite marinade for a new twist...

Pork Gyoza/Dumplings/Pot stickers

somewhere between 1/2 and whole pound of ground pork (as lean as you can find)

(For a vegetarian option, use sauteed cabbage)

sauteed spinach, finely chopped and squeezed in a paper towel to get out extra moisture

2 green onions

thumb-sized piece of ginger

2-3 garlic cloves minced and mashed

Few dashes of Fish Sauce

2 tsp sugar

2Tbls soy sauce

1 tsp rice vine vinegar

round wonton wrappers

Dipping Sauce

soy sauce

sesame oil

rice wine vinegar

1. Get out the wonton wrappers to thaw (if they are the frozen kind). Start by finely chopping all veggies and grating the ginger on a micro plane. Mix all ingredients into the pork and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.

2. Set up a workstation with a cutting board in front of you, the bowl of pork near your working hand, and get a small bowl of water for your fingers. Unwrap the wrappers and lay a damp paper towel on top.

3. Start with one wrapper in your hand and with the other hand, grab a very small (about a small teaspoon size, you might want to measure first to get the feel) amount of pork mixture. Place it into the center of the wonton wrapper. With the same hand that grabbed the pork, dab your finger into the water and run it around all the edges of the wonton wrapper, making sure every part is moistened. Then bring together two opposite edges of the wrapper, pressing to seal. Starting on the right side, bring the front part of the wrapper towards the center, making a pleat, and press to seal. You should have room for about two-three pleats before you get to the corners. When I get to the corners, I push the very end in towards the center and press to seal. Repeat on the other side. While making these, since you are taking more wrapper from the front side, your dumpling will start to shape like a half-moon. Keep working till you run out of pork and/or pot stickers.

4. Heat a large, flat skillet on medium and spray with good amount of oil. Place filled dumplings onto the  hot pan and cook until the bottoms turn brown (you can lift them up to peek). Then add about a 1/4-1/3 cup water to the pan and cover quickly with a lid. Steam pot stickers until they are cooked through and most of the water is cooked off. (Note: the wrappers may look transparent when cooked completely) You might have to try one to see!  :]

5. For the sauce, start with about 1/3 c soy sauce, drizzle in 1 tsp sesame oil and 1 tsp rice wine vinegar. Garnish sauce with chopped green onions.

ENJOY!

Tilapia with Spinach Salad

It's nice to switch it up a bit, especially if "switching it up" means buying fish instead of chicken and beef. There's really not much else to say about this dish besides it's deliciousness...

So my favorite part about this dish is how the flavors all work together. First of all, spinach and cranberries were a match made in heaven! Secondly, and most importantly, goat cheese goes perfectly well with a light, mellow fish such as tilapia. I once saw on a show, and have made it myself, tilapia with goat cheese pucks, where both were breaded and pan fried then served on a bed of spinach. YUM!

 

Yesterday I found myself at Your Dekalb Farmer's Market in North Decatur and I had the most spectacular time! They had large tanks packed with live tilapia and catfish and blue crabs. BUT I didn't want to reach my hand in and grab a whole fish (they don't let you do that anyways) and there was a long line at the fish counter so I grabbed some at Publix on the way home. 

Tilapia with Spinach Salad

1-2 Tilapia filets

1/2 c flour (I used whole-wheat of course) seasoned with salt and pepper

3-4 Tbls veg oil

baby spinach

handful of walnuts (toasted) and craisins

1-2 oz goat cheese

Newman's Own Oil and Vinegar Dressing

1. Heat oil in a large skillet. Combine flour with salt and pepper on a plate. Run the filets under water and shake off excess. Coat with flour on the plate. 

2. Once the skillet it hot, cook the tilapia for about 4-5 minutes on each side (depending on the thickness). While it is cooking, mix together the salad. Break up small chunks of goat cheese on top or mix in.

3. Take out fish, sprinkle with more salt (if desired) and serve on top or along side the salad.

Enjoy!

Winter Waldorf Salad

Ever had a craving for a really yummy salad? Well, I'm sure this salad will be the one you crave and your new favorite! It's fairly easy (especially if you have leftover chicken). So the supermarkets are now packed with pears! They are such a glorious fall treat. Here's a helpful hint on picking out pears: with any pear with a thin skin (most except Bosc) feel for a slight give, but don't bruise them. It's best to buy them a couple to a few days in advance, depending on how ripe they are in the grocery store. Secondly, since Bosc pears have a tougher skin, they wont ''give'' as much when you press on them. Also, I have found that if I wait until they do "give," they are too ripe. [Stay tuned for a  Bosc pear recipe!]

Also, my favorite salad dressing is used. Newman's Own Oil and Vinegar is so delish and its very simple.  

And can I just say something else? I LOVE fruit, especially craisins in salad because it gives you that sweet bite that is so unexpected, but OH SO GOOD! All of the different textures in this salad make it a delight to eat: crispness of apples, smoothness of pears, tender chicken, chewy and succulent cherries and craisins, and crunchy walnuts.

Winter Waldorf Salad

1 roasted or leftover chicken breast

1 peeled and diced apple

1 peeled and diced pear

handful of each: dried cherries, craisins, walnuts

little bit of Lemon Juice

Newman's Own Oil and Vinegar (or whatever dressing you like)

spinach and/or any greens you want

1. Start out by toasting the walnuts on a dry pan and set aside.

2. Chop chicken, dice the apple and pear and add to mixing bowl. Add the cherries, craisins and walnuts. 

3. Take a small piece of lemon and squeeze it over the ingredients and stir so all the fruit is evenly coated with lemon juice. Then add dressing to taste.

4. Serve over dressed greens. Makes 2-3 Servings.

What you've always wanted: The Perfect Risotto!

My new comfort food is anything Carbs. Actually, I think it has always been my comfort food, but I am getting the chance to indulge it more now that I am exercising more.
It all starts with Arborio Rice, which can be expensive, but WELL worth it (mostly cause it expands to three times greater than how it starts!)

This is what it looks like before it is finished cooking.

You might want to do a couple taste tests to see if it is cooked through. All of the liquid should be absorbed and it should look like a thick, semi-globby paste, with rice.

Perfect Mushroom Risotto

about 6-8 mushrooms (I used babybella) chopped

3 cups chicken (or vegetable) stock

1 c arborio rice

oregano, thyme, salt, pepper

half an onion

butter, olive oil

parmesan

1. In a small saucepan, heat the stock until just warm, not boiling. In another saucepan, chop onion and sauté in butter and olive oil. Add mushrooms just as onions start to soften. Add about 1 tsp of oregano and 1/2 tsp of ground thyme.

2. Add arborio rice and toast for about 2 minutes.

3. Using a ladle, put about half a cup of the stock in the rice pot. Stir every few seconds. This pot should be at about medium heat--enough to where the rice is cooking, but not enough to where the mixture is sticking to the bottom of the pan or that it is violently bubbling. This step requires patience and lots of stirring. I've found that if you want really creamy risotto without the cream, you must stir.

4. After the stock is mostly absorbed into the rice, keep adding, in the same increments, until you've used all the stock and the rice is fully cooked. If rice is not cooked through, heat up more stock and add it to the rice. Cut off the heat and add a small handful of parmesan cheese.

Serve on its own, topped with chicken, or as a side.

Enjoy!

What the Pho?

The Vietnamese Pho is probably one of the best dishes ever created. There's nothing more comforting that a big bowl of noodles! It can be pretty versatile too, you can omit the chicken broth and use vegetable broth, and you can also put whatever veggies you like in it.

Furthermore, you can use whatever kind of noodles you want. I used tofu noodles cause I like to limit my carbs (they are pretty good, they just need to be boiled before you make the soup). By the way, it is pronounced Fuh? (with a question mark).

Olivia's Pho

1 pkg tofu noodles (or rice noodles)
2-3 c chicken broth

chicken breast

ginger

2 cloves of garlic

dark soy sauce

bean sprouts

sugar snap or snow peas

carrots

mushrooms

cilantro

lime

salt

sambal (spicy chili sauce)

1. Slice all veggies thin and set aside until service.

2. Parboil the noodles in water first. Drain noodles, set aside. Slice chicken fairly thin, season with salt, and boil in the same pot with 2-3 cups of chicken broth. Add smashed garlic cloves, slices of fresh ginger, and a few splashes of soy sauce. Add noodles when the chicken is almost done. 

3. Let simmer until the flavors meld together. Take out cloves of garlic, add all veggies. Stir in Sambal. Serve with limes.

Waldorf Chicken Salad

If you've never experienced the sheer joy from a pre-made lunch, you are in for a treat.
Also, if you've never experienced the wonderful textures of Waldorf salad, you are in for a treat.
I apologize for the lack of pictures because (I am a college student) I have finals coming up, (I am a college student) I have papers due, and (I am a college student) I just don't have time!

So this recipe came from the South Beach Diet book (or cookbook, I can't remember) and it is just wonderful! Chicken breast is extremely low in fat, the walnuts included are a great source of fatty acids. They help your skin look youthful! Also, apples help reduce the risk of heart disease if eaten on a regular basis. Apples are also a good source of fiber (equivalent to about one hearty slice of whole grain bread). Raisins are great for your skin and have antioxidant power, too! And then we all know what they say about celery...

Waldorf Chicken Salad

2 chicken breasts (with bones)

3 stalks of celery (and some of the leaves)

1 apple

1/2 c raisins

1/2 c toasted walnuts

oil and vinegar dressing

1. Put chicken breasts in a medium pot and cover with water. Season water with a few celery sticks, garlic, and onions. Add in some thyme and parsley or whatever spices you like. Put on the lid. (After it's cooked, this liquid can be frozen and re-used as chicken stock!) Let the water get to a boil, then turn it to simmer. I think mine took about 20 minutes, but just stick a knife through and peek inside to see if your chicken is done.

2. Chop the apple and celery fairly small. Toast the walnuts on a dry skillet until you smell them cooking. Chop the walnuts. Add these ingredients, plus the raisins to a bowl.

3. Once the chicken has finished cooking, let cool on a plate for 10-15 minutes. Then remove the bones and chop into small pieces (about the same size as the apple; chop them smaller than I did). Add to the other ingredients.

4. Add your oil and vinegar dressing (I like Newman's Own) and stir. Serve on romaine spears, by itself, with crackers, or over greens!

Enjoy!

Get Your Salad On!

Its Spring!
Here's a light and fresh salad that reminds me of my grandpa! He grows cucumbers, tomatoes, and sweet onions in his garden and sometimes they make a salad like this, only sliced different and excluding the tomatoes cause they are too good on their own.

Veggies are so yummy! And this salad is like free calories. Just wait until the tomatoes are in a good season for eating almost plain.

Summer Salad

2 medium tomatoes

1 medium cucumber

half of a small red onion or sweet onion

olive oil, vinegar

salt, pepper, splenda

1. If you have oil and vinegar dressing (hendriksen's or newman's own), use that. Otherwise, mix 1/4 c vinegar (apple cider is good here or red wine) with 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and a sprinkling of Splenda. The sweetness counteracts the flavors and the vinegar breaks down the onions. Whisk in 1/3 c olive oil.

2. Chop or slice cucumbers and rest of veggies. Mix with the dressing and let sit for at least an hour.

Enjoy!

Spinach and Feta Frittata

My new go-to meal is the Frittata. I usually make it when I have forgotten to thaw out a protein for dinner or lunch.

It is pretty simple to make, and you can customize it however you like! Chopped ham would be yummy too!
I added spinach for its nutrients and flavor. Spinach, along with those fruits and veggies high in Vitamin A like carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, mangoes, guavas, kale, and pumpkin, are excellent for people with acne. As David Grotto states in his book 101 Optimal Life Foods, "Six to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day will keep acne away. These same vegetables also support your liver's detoxification ability" (25).

                          

Spinach and Feta Frittata

6 eggs

3/4 package frozen chopped spinach

1/4 c milk

1/2 medium onion

1 clove garlic

Feta cheese

salt & pepper

1. Chop the garlic. Sprinkle with salt and mash with the side of your knife to make a paste. Slice the onion. In a small pan, sautee onions with salt, pepper, and olive oil on medium heat. As the onions start to get softer and brown, add a splash of water. Do this every couple of minutes until you get the consistency that you want (I made them soft, easy to cut with a fork). Then add in garlic paste to slightly cook it.

2. Thaw the spinach in the microwave (about 6 minutes) then place in a couple paper towels and squeeze it until most of the excess moisture is out. Meanwhile, heat a large, oven-proof pan on medium and turn on your oven broiler to a high setting (about 425). In a bowl, crack the eggs and whisk with milk. 

3. Thoroughly spray the pan with cooking spray. Add the onions and spinach to the egg mixture, season with salt and pepper, then pour into the pan. Using a rubber spatula, stir the eggs around a bit until they start to set. Turn down the heat a little bit as not to brown the bottom. Run the spatula around the edge of the frittata as it is cooking so it does not stick.

4. Let the frittata cook on the stove until most of the eggs are set. Place pan under the broiler until all eggs are cooked. Slice into thirds and top with Feta cheese.

(good for breakfast, lunch, or dinner)

Funds

eggs= 1.59 carton =.79 (for 6 eggs)

feta= about 3-5

half onion=.74

Total Tally= $3.00* (for whole frittata)

*prices based on individual ingredients, not the whole package they come in.