Initially, I was going to include a disclosure with this blog post.  I was going to tell you that while this is supposed to be a healthy food/lifestyle blog, most of the food you were going to see was by no means healthy, and something that should be consumed on a regular basis.  And then I realized, the dinner I had was mouthwateringly delicious, satisfying and each and every morsel was savored.  Thus, there was no need for an apology or a warning.

Image Source – flickr.com

A couple of weeks ago, FHC (Father Healthy Chow) invited me, Patrick, my sister and her boyfriend to dinner out in Chinatown.  While I love me some Chinese food (not Chinese-American food), I have a tendency to go a bit overboard and stuff myself silly.  It’s really quite hard to have self-restraint when everything tastes so dang good!  Plus, I like seeing the proud look on FHC’s face when he knows he’s ordered too much and then has to listen to us all moan, “Oh man!  How in the world are we going to be able to eat all of this?”  And then, I love watching him laugh when all of the dinner platters have been cleared – completely.

Being that there are so many restaurants in Chinatown, and to be perfectly honest with you I can’t tell the difference between them all, I let FHC make the selection.  He chose New Golden Gate Seafood Restaurant.  We had all been there before and had a wonderful meal, so no one had any objections to this being our dining destination.

The place was crowded!  Fortunately, FHC knows the management of the restaurant and was able to get us a big table.  Score! The waitstaff was rushing around taking orders and bringing out food, as their hungry patrons slurped up their meals and warmed up their bellies.  I pretended to peruse the menu, even though there was not a snowball’s chance that I was going to do any of the ordering.  FHC knows what we like, and we know we’re in good hands when he’s at the food ordering helm.  And while I was chitchatting with my sister and her boyfriend, I must have stopped paying attention for a split-second because all of the sudden, I saw an enormous sea creature coming towards me.

The one and only FHC!

People gettin’ their grub on!

They don’t call it a ‘king’ for nothing…

Oh yes!  It was an Alaskan King crab!  This is most certainly a delicacy (and an expensive one at that!), and one we only devour enjoy on special occasions.  This crustacean was big enough to feed a small army.  It was served three different ways: steamed with garlic, wok-fried with ginger and scallion, and poached (in its shell) with egg and pork.  They were each unique, and insanely scrumptious in their own right.

Steamed with fresh minced garlic

Wok-fried with ginger and scallion

All together…

Poached with egg, ground pork and scallion – ah-may-zing!

A lil’ bowl o’ deliciousness…

Next, came the vegetable (sadly, the only veggie of the night, but at least it was good!).  It was sautéed Chinese broccoli with Chinese sausage.  Chinese broccoli tends to be a bit more bitter than its American counterpart.  However, the Chinese sausage was salty and mildly sweet, which complemented the veggie quite nicely.  And if we didn’t have enough seafood already, soon arrived our deep-fried flounder.  My sister and I had asked for it to be steamed, but the waiter declined and advised that having it fried would serve as a much tastier version.  OK, twist my arm! The flounder was soft, succulent and fried to perfection.  Along with some soy sauce and fresh scallion slices, this could have been dinner on its own (but lucky for us, it was NOT!).  And just when we thought there was enough fried goodness to last us a lifetime, there was more in the queue.  However, Michelle and I requested our final dish to be ’sweet and sour pork’, and FHC heard ’salt and pepper pork’.  Not that the salt and pepper pork was something we’d send back to the kitchen, but the sweet and sour was something to which the table was looking forward.  This dish was a tad too salty, and really tasted more like batter than pork.  But who am I kidding?!  I ate it anyway!  Hehehehe!

Chinese broccoli with Chinese sausage – love that shade of green!

Crispy-fried flounder – hey fishie, fishie, fishie…!

Salt and pepper pork

At least I was eating off of an appetizer-sized plate!

We shared all of the dishes, as they were served family style.  There isn’t any ‘excuse my reach’ or ‘can you pass me that?’ going on at this dinner.  We simply Chowed and grabbed what we wanted to eat.  Dinner with FHC is usually relaxed, entertaining and filling.  That night’s dinner was no exception.  The food we enjoyed was exceptional, and the service we received was fast and attentive (I think FHC may have had something to do with that).  But, my favorite part of the night was seeing my dad and spending time with him.  He truly is one-of-a-kind.

Hi Dad!

To end our meal, we were served a warm and sweet red bean soup.  If you’ve never had this, you’re missing out.  It’s made with azuki beans, tangerine peel and brown sugar.  The combination may sound odd, but once you taste it and feel the warmth inside your tummy (and on top of all that food), you won’t find anything strange about it.  In fact, it’s said to aid in digestion.  Perfect!  And of course, no Chinese meal would be official without the fortune cookie.  Both of these sweet treats were a great way to finish our savory dinner.  I was happy as a clam (which is yet another dish FHC tried to order, but we quit while we were ahead)!

Warm red bean soup – good for digestion and for your taste buds!

Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the actual fortune!

I hope you appreciated my recap of all the indulgent and delectable dishes we feasted upon in Chinatown.  It’s such a treat when I am able to dine like this, and I always look forward to it.  I get to have dinner with some of my favorite people, happily gorge myself on lip-smacking good food and enjoy a fun family night out.  When the night is filled with such wonderful things, how can I be sorry?

***Would you like a chance to win a new kitchen accessory?  If so, check out Meghan’s blog for her incredible giveaway!***

Do you like seafood?  What’s your favorite kind and your favorite way to prepare it?  If not, why not?

Namasté,
Nicole

I don’t know about you all but when I’m hungry, I’m hungry! If I don’t have something quick to reheat or make in the fridge when the dinner bell (or the breakfast, brunch or lunch bell) rings, my fingers start getting itchy and I reach for those crunchy snacks (and I’m not talking about the baby carrot or celery kind either!).  And then I figure if I can’t whip up something that’s quick and healthy, I might as well just eat snacks for dinner or get some greasy easy takeout (there are way too many convenience options when you live in a college area).  I wish I could say that this doesn’t happen too often, but that wouldn’t be honest.  And then one day as I was doing some blog reading, I came across a post from The BroccoliHut.  If you aren’t already a reader of Caroline’s blog, you should check her out!  She’s quite creative in the kitchen and makes some killer hummus.  But what caught my eye that day was Caroline’s fast and hearty soup.  Not only did it look and sound delicious, but it was something that I could totally put together in that instant.  I had the exact same ingredients in my cupboard and fridge and yet, the idea never came to me.  That’s why I love all you creative and expressive bloggers! You always know how to inspire me and you always know how to shake some sense into me!

I love Trader Joe’s Soups: Carrot Ginger and Latin Style Black Bean

The nutritional facts

Not bad, huh?

Spicin’ up my soup!

My The Broccoli Hut-Inspired Soup (thanks Caroline!)
Serves 1

• 1 cup of Trader Joe’s Carrot Ginger Soup
• few dashes of curry powder
• few dashes of cumin
• 2 TSP of freshly grated ginger (I love fresh ginger – but this can be omitted)
• 1/4 cup of chickpeas (I used canned)
• 1 cup of frozen cauliflower florets
• 1 cup of frozen cubed butternut squash
• handful of spinach leaves
• salt
• white pepper

1) In a medium saucepan, heat the carrot ginger soup on medium heat.  Add the curry powder, cumin and freshly grated ginger.  Give the soup a stir to get the seasonings well-blended.

2) Once the soup starts to heat up, add the chickpeas and frozen vegetables.  Stir the soup well to make sure all the frozen veggies get heated.

3) Add the spinach to the soup and stir.  Once the spinach starts to wilt, cover the saucepan with a lid.  Turn the heat down to medium-low and let the soup simmer for another few minutes.

4) Eat immediately!

I’m so happy that this soup came together in a hurry because my appetite was growing by the second!  But instead of my usual mindless snacking (OK, I admit I had a few raw almonds), I saved my appetite for this hearty soup.  And boy, was it worth the wait!  Similar to the soup I made a few weeks back, the seasonings and ginger were the show stoppers of this soup.  The curry powder and ginger added a nice warmth to the soup without it being spicy.  But having chunks of cauliflower and butternut squash to sink my teeth into while eating this soup (versus drinking/sipping) made me feel fulfilled and satisfied.  Adding the chickpeas to the soup was a great way to get some protein into this meal.  Plus, I love the way chickpeas taste with spinach.  Is that just me? Being a visual person, I also enjoyed seeing the orange, dark green, beige and white colors mixed together.  It’s so much more interesting when your food looks good, in addition to it tasting good!

I’m not quite sure why I have a tendency to feel a healthy meal can’t come together in a few minutes.  It’s really not that I don’t think it’s possible, it’s that I don’t think I will have the ability to pull it all together.  I tend to rely on recipes and ideas that I see online and in magazines and cookbooks, so when I have to pull something out of thin air, it’s not as easy as I would like.  But, I’m learning and I thank all you healthy living/food bloggers for always pushing me to do so in your own special ways.  Those Trader Joe’s boxed soups are a staple in my house and I tend to just eat them as they are.  I never dreamed that these little boxed wonders could be transformed into a speedy and simple meal.  But that’s the beauty of cooking!  You can take something as plain as soup and with a bit of creativity and experimenting, you can have something as wonderful as this meal.  There are no right’s or wrong’s; if it tastes good, you win! No one ever told me that ‘cooking’ meant having to slave over a hot stove for hours upon hours, for some reason, I just had this preconceived notion.  But after being inspired by Caroline and realizing that there is magic in simplicity, I know there’s a whole other world to explore when you can think outside of the box.

Speaking of  ‘my soup in a box’ (or that famous skit brought to you by JT and Andy Samberg), what’s your favorite SNL skit?

***Do you like sparkly things?  Well, if you do, you’re in luck!  Check out my giveaway!***

***BTW, if you like natural sodas, go and check out the Zevia giveaway on Morgan’s blog.  Better hurry up, it ends tomorrow, 11/20!***

Namasté,
Nicole

When I first started reading healthy food/lifestyle blogs, I noticed that people really seemed to like their chia seeds.  I had never heard or seen such a thing, except for those Chia Pets, and was puzzled as to why the chia was all the rage.  Then, I read on Allie’s blog that if I was interested in trying some samples, she would put me in touch with the person that could arrange it.  I was sold! This Chow needed to try some chia!

Within a few days, Allie had put me in touch with Diane from Greens Plus and my samples were on their way to Boston.  I couldn’t wait for my goodies to arrive in the mail.  I mean, who doesn’t like getting packages in the mail? Plus, who doesn’t like getting healthy food samples to try in the mail?  Healthy Chow is all over that!

Finally, my Chia seeds arrived! I couldn’t believe what a generous sample Greens Plus had sent me.  Thanks Diane! In addition to the canister of Chia, Diane also sent me a sample of the Greens Plus dietary supplement powder, a Chia single serving stick and a brochure filled with any information I would need to know about Chia seeds and about Greens Plus’ products.  It was like Christmas for your girl.  I was jumping up and down like a child for Chia…hehehehe!

According to my vat of seeds:

Chia (pronounced chee’ah) is the richest and only unprocessed, whole food source of pure Omega³.  A member of the mint family, Chia is native to Central America and has been used traditionally for over 3,000 years.  Ancient Aztec warriors prized Chia as an endurance promoting Superfood, eating it in bread just before battle, and drinking it in water before running long distances.

Due to its high fiber content, Chia seed absorbs up to ten times its weight in water, making it an excellent source of hydration.  Omega³ Chia’s soluble fiber forms a gel that slows the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream, binds it to toxins in the digestive system, and helps eliminate waste.

Omega³ Chia is especially rich in essential fatty acids and high-ORAC antioxidants like quercetin, caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid.  As a result, Omega³ Chia seeds maintain a 99% sprout rate and have a shelf life of up to 5 years.  Omega³ Chia seeds are rich in calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, many trace minerals and biologically complete protein, making them the perfect survival food.  Omega³ Chia is organically-grown, certified kosher and is pesticide, herbicide, gluten and GMO-free.

Holy smokes!  For something as small as the head of a pin, Omega³ Chia seeds really give you a whole lotta bang for your buck.  When I was reading the facts and benefits of the Omega³ Chia seeds, I was overwhelmed by how wonderful these little creatures are and finally just had to try them.  For something as powerful and healthy as the Chia seed, I thought there was no way that they could actually taste good.

Gong! I was wrong again!  These seeds don’t taste bad and they don’t taste good.  Actually, there really isn’t a taste to the Omega³ Chia seeds.  They are a tad crunchy and may get stuck in your teeth, but there really isn’t a taste or an aftertaste.  Being that they are a blackish-grey in color and resemble little bugs, I was a bit nervous to try my new food sample.  I knew I wanted to test the Chia seeds in something safe and something that I knew had already been tried in the blogosphere.  While my selection was unoriginal, it certainly was a traditional one.  For my first meal/recipe made with my Chia seeds, I chose the green monster smoothie.

Green Monster Smoothie with Chia Seeds - 1 frozen banana, 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk, a handful of baby spinach and 1 TSP of Omega³ Chia seeds

I figured whirling them in my blender along with my smoothie ingredients would be a pretty risk-less first way to try these little guys out.  I couldn’t taste the Chia seeds at all.  Like the spinach in a green monster smoothie, all you can taste is the banana and a hint of the almond milk.  But knowing that I was getting a good dose of antioxidants, nutrients and omega³’s was enough for me to want to add these seeds to my list of staple ingredients for smoothie making.  It was delicious and gave the smoothie a thicker than usual consistency.  Because I let the Chia seeds sit in the almond milk in the blender for a few minutes before blending, the seeds began forming their gel and added to the chewy consistency of the smoothie.

My next dish I made with the Chia seeds was another blogosphere favorite.  I decided to make protein pancakes.  I love breakfast, anytime of the day, and oatmeal takes the crown.

Protein Pancakes with Oatmeal and Chia Seeds - 1/3 cup of dry oatmeal (quick oats), 1/4 cup of egg whites, 1/2 of a mashed banana, 1/2 TSP of baking powder, 1/4 cup of unsweetened almond breeze, 1/2 TBSP of Omega³ Chia seeds, cinnamon and salt.  Add everything into a bowl and then let it sit for 5 minutes.  Add the mixture to your blender and blend until smooth.  Cook on stovetop like a pancake.

I mixed my usual ingredients for my protein pancakes and then added a sprinkling of Chia.  The result was fabulous! Again, the seeds didn’t add any additional flavor to the pancakes.  However, you could see some subtle black specs.  But the best part was that these pancakes kept me full for four hours – which is rare in Healthy Chow’s world.  I topped my pancakes with some maple syrup, but you could also use nut butter (for more protein), applesauce or fresh fruit.  Delicious, nutritious and filling – that’s a winner in my book (or blog)!

After seeing pics of fruit paired with Chia like here, here and here, I knew I just had to give it a try.  Fruit is one of my snacks I try to turn to midday or after dinner when I am craving something sweet.  Why not make a healthy snack even healthier?

Chia Seed Topped Apple and Ricotta - 1 sliced Gala apple, 2 TBSP of nonfat ricotta cheese and 1 TSP of Omega³ Chia seeds

I’ll admit my version wasn’t as fancy (or labor intensive) as the versions I mentioned previously, but it tasted great.  I made this one night as I was craving something cold and sweet but didn’t have want ice cream or frozen yogurt.  This was a fantastic and nutritious call! The Omega³ Chia seeds served as a crunchy topping to my apple and was a nice contrast to my creamy ricotta cheese.

And what kind of a food blogger would I be if I didn’t incorporate Chia seeds into a bowl of hot oats? I love oatmeal (I think I’ve said that already, more than once) and I could have it for every meal, every single day of the week.  It’s just such a comforting and simple food to prepare.  I like to say it’s like a hug for my stomach !

Asian Inspired Chia Oats – 1/2 cup of oatmeal, 1 cup of water, 1 heaping TBSP of freshly grated ginger, 1/2 TBSP of Omega³ Chia seeds, 2 TSP of soy sauce and a handful of frozen peas

I whipped this little diddy up the other day as an homage to my Chinese grandmothers.  Also, I knew my sister would love it!  When we were growing up, our grandmothers would make us oatmeal (but in a more porridge-like consistency) with thin slices of beef, ginger and soy sauce.  It was one of our favorites and brings back so many fond memories.  We were often given this dish to eat for lunch but I could really eat it any time of the day.  It’s a great snack and a quick hot and healthy dinner.  The freshly grated ginger is the star ingredient in this dish; be sure to use the fresh stuff.  My oats were so fragrant and warmed my belly from the inside out with the spiciness of the ginger.  I added some frozen peas to give this dish some sweetness and to give it some color.  The Omega³ Chia seeds made the oatmeal thick and chewy and gave it the gelatinous texture that I love.  While a bowl of sweet oatmeal is always welcome, savory oats really seem to take me home! Wouldn’t you agree, Sarah?

After making all those fast and easy dishes with the Omega³ Chia seeds, I decided to kick it up a notch and bake with my Chia.  Since I still had a bunch of apples left from my apple picking adventure, I decided to bake something that involved both apples and Chia.  I decided to make a hearty apple oatmeal bread.  Again, I had to involve oatmeal, because really, I feel it is the perfect food.  So why not incorporate it into everything?

Hearty and Healthy Apple Oatmeal Bread with Raisins and Chia Seeds - oatmeal, whole wheat and AP flour, apples, raisins, Omega³ Chia seeds, egg whites, applesauce and agave nectar

According to the Greens Plus Chia Seed bottle, “one tsp. of Chia seed mixed in 2 oz. of water becomes the perfect egg substitute.”  Instead of using a whole egg in my bread recipe, I used a teaspoon of Chia seeds mixed in water.  It helped to make the bread moist and added to the already chewy oatmeal texture.  This truly was a healthy bread!  It was thick, hearty and delicious.  I warmed a slice in the microwave and added a schmear of buttery spread and it was a heavenly breakfast with my cup of hot coffee.  I’ll post the entire recipe for this bread tomorrow…so stay tuned!

If you couldn’t already tell, I <3 oatmeal and I <3 these Omega³ Chia seeds! Thank you, Greens Plus and Diane for sending me the samples and thank you, Allie for hooking this up!  I really enjoyed how the Chia could be mixed into anything and everything and really wouldn’t affect the taste of the food.  Plus, being able to sprinkle the Chia seeds right from the canister and not having to grind them (like flaxseeds) is another benefit.  The seeds are rich in nutrients and really do pack a punch.  Not to be too graphic, but after having a hot bowl of oats with a teaspoon of Chia, I am ready to go, if you catch my drift.  The fiber in these little babies really work fast and seem almost magical (I guess that’s part of their ancient mystique!).  The gel that forms may seem a bit odd for some, but I actually quite liked it.  It gives foods a thicker and richer consistency without adding the extra weight.  And to think the only thing I could associate with the word ‘chia’ was those terracotta heads, makes me think I have an ex’seed’ingly amount of things to learn.

What’s your favorite superfood?  Do you take any supplements or vitamins?  Do you remember the first food blog you ever read?

Namasté,
Nicole

I’m a sucker for a sale.  And this is especially the case if that sale is happening at the grocery store.  It’s like the stores know I am coming and know what to advertise or promote in order for me to buy (it’s not like it’s that difficult).  I walk in and immediately, I’m tempted by their ‘buy one, get one free’ or their ‘10 for $10′. I try to hide my eyes, but I just can’t deny it.  I want in on that sale!

A couple of weeks ago, because it was a day that ended in the letter ‘Y’, I was at the grocery store.  As I was breezing through the produce aisle (I was actually in a rush that afternoon and had only a few minutes to grab a few items), I saw one of my favorite snack foods, baby carrots.  And of course, those crunchy little orange delights had to be on sale and naturally, I had a 85% full bag just sitting in my fridge.  Immediately, I was caught in a big conundrum.  Should I buy the carrots?  If I buy one bag, I obviously have to get another since it’s free.  But then again, I know I won’t be able to eat that many baby carrots before they start getting all slimy slimerson (you know what I mean) and smelling less than good.  But then again, it’s such a good buy, how could I pass it up?  Then all of the sudden, a light bulb went off (it doesn’t happen too often, kiddies, but when it does, look out!).  I realized I could buy the carrots and keep them both in the freezer until I needed them.  I could get my great bargain and I could escape the slime factor.  Problem solved.

Image Credits – WiseGeek.com

Not so fast.  When I finally finished the 85% full bag of baby carrots that was sitting in my fridge, I dove into the freezer to find my frozen babies and then quickly tossed them into the fridge to defrost.  I’m not quite sure what I thought the carrots would be like once they thawed.  I guess I assumed (you know what that means) that they would be like the snappy mini veggies I normally bought and dipped into hummus.  To my disbelief, the usual crisp and hard baby carrots had now been reduced to a limp and lifeless mess (I’m not even going to say it…).  What was I going to do? Not only did I have one bag of orange mush, but I had two.  Not good.

Then, another light bulb went off.  Can you believe it? If I wasn’t going to eat the thawed baby carrots in their mushy state, then why not enjoy them in a ‘mushy-er’ state?  Why not mash them up so much that they no longer resemble carrots and no longer remind me of the silly goof-up I made?  That said, I salvaged my purchase and turned it into what I consider a stroke of luck.

Carrot Ginger Potato Soup
Adapted from AndreasRecipes.com
Serves 6

• 1 1/2 TBSP Smart Balance Light (feel free to use butter or your choice of buttery substitute)
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup peeled grated fresh ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (I used a heaping tablespoon of minced jarred garlic)
• 4 cups chicken stock (I used Trader Joe’s Organic Low Sodium Chicken Stock – you could use vegetable stock)
• 1/2 chicken bouillon cube (I only had one carton of TJ’s chicken stock on hand, I probably needed 2 more cups)
• 1 cup cooking wine (I used Goya Dry White Cooking Wine)
• 2 cups of water
• 1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (mine were mushy, but feel free to use non-mushy)
• 3 small white potatoes, cubed
• 1 TSP cornstarch
• 2 TBSP of honey
• dashes of curry powder
• dashes of cinnamon
• dashes of nutmeg
• dashes of dried parsley
• juice of half a lemon juice
• s&p
• chopped chives for garnish (optional)
• Greek yogurt for garnish (optional, but highly recommended)

1) In a large pot, melt the Smart Balance Light on medium heat.  Once warmed, add the onion, ginger and garlic and cook until the onion starts getting translucent and your kitchen smells unbelievable (about 5 minutes).

2) Then add the chicken stock, wine, carrots and potatoes to the pot.  Turn up the heat to high and bring to a boil.  Stir.  Add the bouillon cube.  Stir again.

3) Reduce the heat back down to medium and simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes or until the vegetables are very tender and can be easily broken up with a spoon.

4) If you are lucky enough to have an immersion blender (I am not), this is the time to purée the mixture in your pot.  If you are using a regular blender, be sure to let the mixture cool down a bit first before dumping the mixture in batches into the blender (you don’t want to overfill your blender).  Blending hot items can be dangerous; take precaution! I blended my cooled down mixture in three different batches.

5) Once all of the mixture has been puréed, add it back to the pot.  Turn the heat back on to medium/medium-high and let the mixture get hot.  In a small cup, mix the corn starch in a tablespoon of warm water until well dissolved.  Add the corn starch mixture to the pot.  Stir the mixture.

6) Add the curry powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, parsley, salt and pepper to the pot and season to taste.  Give it a good stir.  Then add your honey and lemon juice and give your soup a thorough stirring as it heats up.

7) Once hot, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish (if you wish) with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of dried parsley or chives.   Voilà!  Soup’s on!

Not only did my kitchen smell heavenly with the scent of warmed onion, ginger and garlic, but my belly was pretty much on cloud nine, too.  Not only is this quite the hefty soup (it’s actually more like babyfood consistency), but the curry, ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon warmed me from the inside out.  And while a cup of a regular broth-like soup would not normally fill up Healthy Chow, this one kept me from raiding the kitchen cupboards for at least three hours.  The Greek yogurt may have also helped to fill the usual insatiable hole that is my stomach.  I also like being able to swirl the yogurt into my soup.  The color of the stark white Greekness against the vibrant orange of the carrot was like having art in my bowl.  And the sprinkling of the green parsley just made me want to take pictures (hey wait, I always take pictures of my food ).

I was so pleased with this recipe.  It was easy to make, I pretty much had all the ingredients on hand and I managed to save my carrots on clearance from going into the trash.  Ahhh, what’s there to complain about?  When life hands you lemons, you need to make lemonade.  And when your weakness for produce bargains hands you mushy carrots, make carrot soup!

Are you a sucker like me for bargains?  What’s your favorite thing to stockpile?

Namasté,
Nicole

***Awesome Giveaway Alert! – Shannon at Tri to Cook is celebrating her blogiversary by giving away a Cuisinart ice cream maker!  If you’re interested, go to Shannon’s blog for further details…***

***It’s week two of Project Feed Me!  Please go to Natalie’s blog to see what to buy for this week.  And if you haven’t signed-up yet, you can still do so by going here.  And if you want to see how photogenic canned chili can be, please go here.***

I’ve always liked meat.  OK, that sounded weird.  I meant, I’ve always liked eating meat.  I grew up eating everything and anything.  As I mentioned before, in my household my grandmother made all sorts of traditional Chinese foods, so ‘different’ foods (ex: organ meats and other edible animal parts) don’t really make me flinch.  But recently, I’ve been wanting to eat meat less and less.  I’m not sure of the reason why but the idea of centering my meals around a gigantic piece of poultry, pork or beef, just doesn’t appeal to me the same way it used to.  Don’t get me wrong; I’m certainly not a vegetarian.  And the omnivore in me is still alive.   But with so many delicious and creative meatless options available these days, it’s easy to not be so meat-centric.

That said, one of my latest interests has been experimenting with various grains, beans and meat substitutes.  So when I saw that my grocery store was having a sale on tempeh, I jumped at the chance to buy some.  I’ve had tempeh before but it never really ‘thrilled’ me.  In the past, I’ve stir-fried it with some soy sauce, ginger and sesame oil after taking it right out of the packaging.  It always seemed kind of hard and chewy to me and as if I was missing something.  But when talking with my sister (who is a much better cook than Healthy Chow), she mentioned that I should try steaming the tempeh first before stir-frying and/or baking.  And that the steam will soften the grains a good deal and thus, allow the flavor to seep in better.  What a genius!
***Edit: I was just informed by my sister’s friend, Susan, that the tempeh should be steamed for 30 minutes to ensure thorough cooking.  Once thoroughly cooked, the tempeh will soften and thus, will be able to soak up any flavoring.  Also, the steaming will get rid of any bitterness.  Thanks Susan!

Instead of stir-frying my soybean cake (or brick) this time, I decided to incorporate another goodie I’ve been anxious to try.  Plus, I had a can of pineapple slices that was starting to collect dust in my cupboard, so I wanted to use that as well.  Thus, my mini recipe of Tempeh’d By the Fruit was born…

• package of Lightlife Organic Three Grain Tempeh (8 oz.)
• 2 TBSP of Annie’s Naturals Organic BBQ sauce – smokey maple flavor, plus more for dipping
• pineapple rings (canned or fresh)

The Three Musketeers

1) Take the tempeh out of package and place into steamer with about a half of an inch of water covering the bottom of the steamer.

Hefty, hefty!

Thanks Mom for the Tupperware!

2) Microwave the whole block of tempeh for a minute and then flip.  Microwave the other side for another minute.  Then, cut the block into thirds and steam again for another 45 seconds to a minute.  This will soften the tempeh and also remove some of the bitterness that some people taste with tempeh (not me, I don’t find it bitter at all for some reason?)

Gettin' my steam on!

Nope, I'm not a Rice Krispy Treat...

3) Brush on 2 TBSP of BBQ sauce onto the tempeh.  Make sure to cover each piece in it’s entirety (using your hands would be best here - yeah, your hands are gonna smell).  Then, refrigerate for an hour or so.

Smothered.

4) Right before you decide to heat up your grill, take out the tempeh from the fridge and let it warm up a little.

5) Place the tempeh on your grill and let it cook for about 5 – 7 minutes.  Don’t forget, this is not meat, so you don’t have to worry about it being undercooked.

6) Take your tempeh off of the grill once you get those sexy grill marks.

Don't cha just love the grill marks?

7) Place your pineapple rings onto the grill and let them cook for about 2 minutes.  I had to flip mine even though I was using a Foreman, and this is not usually necessary.

More grill marks...

8 ) Place your grilled pineapple ring on top of your grilled tempeh and then place both on top of a toasted piece of bread, a salad, brown rice, anything you want!

All of the sudden, I feel like I'm in Hawaii!

Look at all the circles...

Gulp!

I loved the smoky tangy-ness of this BBQ sauce.  Plus, since it was all natural and didn’t have all of those ‘extras’ like most of the other BBQ sauces at the grocery store, I felt good about putting it on my organic tempeh.  Steaming the tempeh was definitely key in this recipe.  The softened tempeh was better able to soak up the sauce and thus, it was much more flavorful.  Also, the tempeh was not as chewy and after grilling it for a few minutes, the consistency was more like a ‘burger’ than a soybean cake.  To top it all off (get it?), the grilled pineapple gave the recipe enough sweetness to balance out the smoky flavor.  This was certainly a unique flavor combination and one that is worth repeating in my near future.  Are you tempeh’d yet?

Do you remember the group, Squeeze?  If so, what’s your favorite song?  If not, are there any food related songs that you like?

Namasté,
Nicole

I love food.  I don’t know of any kind of food that I dislike or wouldn’t want to try.  When I was in elementary school (man, that was close to a quarter of a century ago!) my father opened a Thai restaurant and I had the chance to explore and enjoy cuisine that was unique, flavorful and different from any other food that I ever had.  Although I may have been intimidated by the different spices and seasonings at first, I soon grew to love Thai food and took pride in the fact that I was regularly consuming these exotic dishes that most people had not even had the pleasure of trying.

To this day, Thai is still one of my favorite types of food.  While it has become more mainstream, I feel that Thai will always have a one-of-kind place in my heart.  I remember eating at my father’s restaurant and being interested in all the different kinds of curry, sauces, vegetables and other delicacies listed on the menu.  Sometimes, my father would come home with new dishes the chef at his restaurant would test out and I would happily be his guinea pig.  I wasn’t always sure exactly what I was eating (uh-hem, frog legs!), but nevertheless, the food my father brought home always tasted exceptional.  While it’s been years since I’ve been that little girl who’d wait anxiously for her dad to come home with an exciting and delicious meal for dinner, I still get anxious when I can incorporate a little Thai in my own cooking (even more so when I can make it Healthy Chow).

When Kate from Cooking with Kate posted her almond butter pasta dish a few months back, I bookmarked it and knew it was something that I had to to Thai (sorry, couldn’t help myself). While I loved all the dishes I would get at my dad’s restaurant, one of my all-time favorites was pad thai.  I loved the rich and peanutty taste and those slippery noodles were something  I could eat my weight’s worth in.  Thus, when I realized the bag of Shirataki noodles in my fridge were edging closer to their expiration date, I knew it was time to try Kate’s dish.  While I used most of the same ingredients that Kate used, I did make a few of my own adaptions.  Here is what I used:

• one bag of Shirataki noodles (I used the angel hair, but I think it would have been better with the fettuccine style)
• 1 1/2 TBSP of Trader Joe’s Peanut Satay Sauce
• 1/2 TSP of chili garlic sauce (or more if you like it SAH-PIE-SAY!)
• few shakes of dried cilantro (fresh would have been nice but dried worked great)
• 1 TSP of grated ginger (you can use fresh but I have this jar sitting in my fridge that I’m trying to use up)
• big handful of frozen edamame (shelled would have been the easiest, but I only had the non-shelled kind)
• juice from 1/3 of a lime

If you’ve never tried the Shirataki noodles, they are great IMHO.  However, they do not taste exactly like regular pasta or vermicelli or egg noodles.  They are made from tofu and yam flour and are low carb and low calorie.  While I love the taste of these carb friendly noodles, I know some people find the smell and prep of the Shirataki noodles to be bothersome.  Again, I grew up in a household where my Chinese grandmother cooked authentic Chinese food, so weird foods and smells really don’t affect me.

That said, the Shirataki noodles must be washed and tried before you can cook with them or eat them.  So first you need to take them out of the bag and give them a good rinse.  You will want to run them under cold water for a few seconds in a strainer to get the ‘fishy’ smell out.  Trust me, this is necessary!  Once you’ve washed them for a couple of minutes, you will want to pat them dry with a dish rag or paper towels.  Make sure to get as much of the moisture out as possible.

Then, place the noodles in a microwave safe dish and cook them for one minute.  This will not only heat them but it will get more of the moisture out.  You might want to pat dry the noodles again (be careful, they will be hot) and microwave them again for another 30-45 seconds.  Once the noodles are dry, set them aside.  The Shirataki noodles are really long, so if you want a shorter, more manageable noodle length, you can cut them now.

In a small microwave safe bowl, add a 1/2 cup of water to your frozen edamame and microwave for about 1 1/2 – 2 minutes.  Dump the water out and rinse with cold water.  Once they are cooled, shell the edamame (or if they are the shelled kind, you are lucky and can skip this step).  Set the shelled edamame aside.  Then, in another microwave safe bowl, combine the peanut satay sauce and chili garlic sauce.  Microwave the sauces for 30 seconds, mix around a bit to get well blended (you might want to add some water to smooth out and get the consistency you want) and then microwave them again for another 15 seconds or so until the sauce mixture is hot.  You might want to taste the sauce mixture here to see if you want to add some more peanut satay or chili sauce.

Add the noodles to the sauce bowl and give them a good stir.  Add the cilantro and ginger and mix again.  Then, add the edamame for the final mix (if the noodles are not hot enough, you might want to heat again for another 30 seconds or so).  Finally, squeeze the lime juice over the noodles.  All done!

Serves 1

Fast and easy, and oh so yummy!  These noodles were so good.  I love the peanutty and spicy kick this dish had – it was just enough sauce where it wasn’t too heavy.   The edamame gave it a good source of protein and much needed color.  I also loved the ginger and lime accents.  All the different flavors blended together reminded me of the Thai dishes I first tried when I was a kid.  Plus, this recipe came together so quickly and had such a bold taste.  The only thing I would have added would have been some bean sprouts for some added crunch or perhaps some chopped peanuts.  But without the two, the dish was still delish!  It was light, tasty and low in calorie and the perfect way to Thai one on (oh no she didn’t!).

What’s your favorite Thai dish?  Do you like trying new foods?

Namasté,
Nicole