Miso Soup

I made this for dinner last week. I had planned to make some salads with an asian ginger dressing, as well, but I gave up on that for lack of time and we just had this soup with some veggie stir-fry. It was a super tasty, very low-calorie, healthy meal! And pretty quick to prepare, too! Gotta love that kind of meal! :) This recipe is from my Biggest Loser 30-Day Jump Start book. I've always had miso soup at sushi or hibachi restaurants - they usually bring this out with a salad with ginger dressing before your main meal is brought out or prepared. Miso is such a simple, yet super tasty and warming soup - I love it! Kevin didn't think he'd ever had it and wasn't too sure what to think of such a simple soup, but he loved it, too. And Carson... wow, he totally loved it! He ate every last drop... drinking the broth from his bowl... and asking for more! I'll definitely be making this again very soon! Everything I used was organic.

I'll update later with a picture.

Miso Soup

1 Tablespoon olive oil or sesame oil
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 Tablespoon peeled, finely chopped fresh ginger
4 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth (or veggie)
2 Tablespoons sweet white or yellow miso
4 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/4" cubes (about 1 cup)
1 cup fresh spinach leaves, cut in fine chiffonade
1 scallion, white and green parts, very thinly sliced

Heat the oil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add teh onion and cook for about 5 minutes, or until very soft, but not browned. Add the ginger and cook for 1 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil.

Whisk in the miso until it is dissolved into the soup. Add the tofu and spinach and simmer for 1 minute. Serve warm, garnished with scallions.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 90 calories, 6 g protein, 4 g carbs, 6 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 360 mg sodium

Pad Thai

I made pad thai for dinner earlier in the week. We love thai food - even Carson does! I've made pad thai this way before, but have never posted it. Its super easy, since you just use a packet seasoning. I've been looking to make the seasoning on my own, but haven't been successful in finding a recipe yet. I made this meatless this week, but it is very good with chicken or tofu. This is a super quick work night meal, filling, and tasty!

Pad Thai

Pad Thai seasoning packet
1/2 cup water
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
Rice noodles
Fresh veggies of your choice (I used broccoli, green peppers, carrots, mushrooms this time)
1 egg

Chop veggies - or skip this step and use frozen vegetable mix... I like fresh veggies best, though.

Boil a large pot of water. Throw in the rice noodles, cover, and take off the heat..

Saute the veggies in a pan with some oil or water (I use water). When the veggies are almost done, push them to the edges of the pan. Crack an egg into the center of the pan and stir until scrambled.

Add the Pad Thai packet, water, and soy sauce (or whatever is recommended on the packet of seasoning that you use). Drain the noodles and add them to the frying pan, coating them with sauce. Toss everything together and serve hot.

Japanese Beef Stew

I made another recipe from my Biggest Loser Family Cookbook on Tuesday... for japanese beef stew. This was so good! It had a great flavor and it was a great meal to eat on a cold night! And it was healthier than other recipes for beef stew that I've seen. I just threw everything in the crockpot to cook all day on low since I was home with Carson and didn't know how he'd be feeling later on in the day, so didn't know if I'd have time to spend watching it on the stovetop. It was delicious in the crockpot, but I do want to try it on the stovetop some time, too. I wasn't thinking and threw in the peas in the morning, instead of waiting until the last half hour or so... so they kind of disintegrated and turned all fibrous and tough. Other than that, it was an awesome dinner, though! We all loved it!

I'll update with a picture later.

Japanese Beef Stew

1 Tablespoon whole grain oat flour
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of ground black pepper
1 1-lb trimmed top round steak or london broil, cut into 1" cubes
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
6 whole scallions, ends trimmed and chopped, about 1 cup
1 Tablespoon freshly minced garlic
1 Tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 3/4 cups low-sodium, fat-free beef broth
2 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 6-oz can whole peeled straw mushrooms, drained (I used an 8oz package of fresh mushrooms and just chopped them up)
4 small carrots, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
1/2 pound sugar snap peas
salt, to taste

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, garlic powder, and pepper. Add the steak and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Place a large nonstick soup pot over medium-high heat. When hot, add the oil, then the beef and cook to brown on all sides, about 1 minute per side. Reduce the heat to medium and add the scallions, garlic, and ginger. Cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until the garlic is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, soy sauce, mushrooms, and carrots. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 45 minutes.

Add the sweet potatoes, cover and cook unti the beef is tender, 45 minutes or longer. Add the snap peas and cook 5 minutes longer, or until peas are tender. Season with salt and additional pepper. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 291 calories, 33 g protein, 35 g carbs, 6 g fat, 50 mg cholesterol, 7 g fiber, 658 mg sodium

Crockpot Thai Peanut Noodles

Tonight we had a crockpot meal that I found on 365 Days of Slow Cooking, which is a blog by Karen, a SAHM that has set a goal of using the crockpot everyday for a year... this goal seems to be a theme these days, doesn't it? It seems like there are so many blogs devoted to this same task. I love it because I find lots of tasty new recipes! And who doesn't like to use their crockpot? It really can't get any easier to prepare a healthy, great-tasting meal that is waiting for you when you get home! Anyway, back to the meal... this was very good - we all ate it and enjoyed it. It has a wonderful flavor. Kevin and I both added a few squirts of Sriracha chili sauce for a little kick, but its definitely not necessary. Very easy prep and I loved that there was grated zucchini in the sauce and its totally hidden. Its a great way to sneak in even more veggies with kids (and picky husbands!). :)

Thai Peanut Noodles

12 oz. linguine or spaghetti, cooked (I used buckwheat noodles)
2 garlic cloves
2/3 c. chunky peanut butter
1 cube chicken bouillon (I used Organic Better than Bouillon)
1 cup water
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 c. shredded zucchini (I used more than this... probably about 1 2/3 cups or so... a medium zucchini)
1/3 c. soy sauce
1-2 tsp sugar
(Sriracha chili sauce, optional and to taste)

Dissolve the bouillon into water.

Add garlic, peanut butter, bouillon, chicken, zucchini, soy sauce, and sugar to a 3 quart crockpot (I used a 4-quart). Cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2-3 hours. Stir until smooth.

Meanwhile, cook your pasta to al dente. Serve chicken and sauce over pasta.

Garnish with peanuts, if desired (I did not).

Serves 4.

(Adding some grated carrots would be great in this, too... I'd eliminate the sugar then, I think, since carrots are so sweet.)

Cherry Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Being that we're in peak cherry season right now, I figured I'd better do a little cooking with them before their short season comes to an end. I found some more local sweet cherries grown about 12 miles up the road from me, actually. So I thought they'd be perfect to use in making cherry chicken lettuce wraps, which I found on AllRecipes. I've made lettuce wraps similar to those at PF Changs before and we've loved them, so I thought we'd probably love these, too. These were super easy to make and super tasty, too! My dad was over when we ate them and Carson, my dad, and I all loved them. Kevin would have loved them if he didn't have an allergic reaction to the cherries. :( Even though I sauteed my veggies in with the chicken and didn't leave them raw, he still had a reaction to them. Other than that, this is a great recipe to try!

Cherry Chicken Lettuce Wraps

2 tablespoons canola oil (I used sesame oil for more of an asian flavor)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce (I didn't have any, so just use 1 T soy sauce and 1 T worchestershire sauce)
1 tablespoon honey
1 pound dark sweet cherries, pitted and halved
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/3 cup toasted and sliced almonds
12 leaves of lettuce

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ginger and chicken and saute until cooked through, about 7 to 10 minutes. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together remaining 1 tablespoon oil, vinegar, teriyaki sauce and honey until mixed together. Add chicken mixture, cherries, carrot, green onion and almonds; toss together. (I sauteed all of mine together for a few minutes.)

To Serve: Spoon 1/12 of the chicken/cherry mixture onto the center of each lettuce leaf; roll up leaf around filling and serve.

Spicy Shrimp and Pac Choi Noodle Soup

I tried another recipe that I had seen on Two Peas and Their Pod quite awhile ago for Spicy Shrimp and Bok Choy (Pac Choi) Soup. It's a Rachael Ray recipe. Its a little hot to be eating soup, I know, but since the pac choi in my garden is growing strong right now, I figured this was the perfect time to try it. This was delicious! Kevin really loved it - it actually got a "this is really very, very good... I really like this a lot." He hasn't said that about a new dish in awhile, so that was nice to hear.

Spicy Shrimp and Pac Choi Noodle Bowl

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, 3 turns of the pan (I used canola)
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (I only did about 1 t so that it wasn't too spicy for Carson)
4 cloves garlic, chopped (organic)
2 inches ginger root, peeled and cut into very thin matchsticks or grated
1/2 pound shiitake mushroom caps, sliced, a couple of cups (I left these out and added green beans instead - I know they're completely different, but its what I had in the freezer)
1 medium bok choy, trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces, then cut sticks lengthwise (from the garden)
Salt and pepper
1 quart chicken broth (I used organic BTB chicken base and water)
1 cup seafood stock, available on soup aisle or, 1 cup clam juice (I used BTB, the clam base, plus water)
1 1/2 pounds medium peeled and deveined shrimp
1/2 pound vermicelli (thin spaghetti) (organic)
4 scallions, cut into 3 inch pieces, then shredded lengthwise into thin sticks (organic)

Heat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil, 3 turns of the pan, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, and bok choy, then season with salt and pepper. Add chicken broth and seafood stock or clam juice. Put a lid on the pot and bring soup to a boil.

Add shrimp and noodles and cook 3 minutes. Add in scallions and cook 2 minutes, then turn off soup and let it sit 2 to 3 minutes more. Adjust salt and serve.

Soba Noodles with Edamame and Zucchini

Last night we tried a recipe that I had seen on Two Peas and Their Pod last week. It is supposed to be soba noodles with edamame, zucchini, and spinach... but I forgot that last part - oops! I wasn't planning on using spinach anyway - I was going to use some baby pac choi from our garden, but like I said... I forgot about it. It was awesome the way it was, though, too. I'll post the original recipe below. All three of us really liked this dish. It had some spice to it with the chili sauce in there, but you can adjust to your liking on that. Carson had a ball helping me shell the edamame (I only ever buy it in the pods b/c I steam it sometimes for snacks). I thawed out the bag of pods and Carson loved reaching in, grabbing a pod, and chewing on it. He ate so many raw beans - but he loved them! He kept trying to steal my shelled edamame to eat them, even! This is definitely something I'll make again and is a great recipe to change up and work with to make it your own.

I did take a picture, but it's still on the camera. I'll update later on.

Soba Noodles with Edamame, Zucchini, and Spinach

Sauce:
Low sodium soy sauce (organic tamari)
Water
Rice wine vinegar
Honey (local, pure, pretty much organic, just not certified)
Garlic Chile Paste (I used Sriracha chili sauce)

Soba noodles (I used one bunch)
1 T Sesame oil (organic)
2 cloves garlic, minced (organic)
2 zucchini, chopped (organic)
1/2 cup shelled edamame (from Trader Joe's... though I don't think it was organic)
1 cup fresh spinach leaves (was going to use pac choi, but forgot to add it)
3 green onions, chopped (organic)
Black pepper, to taste
Sesame seeds (left these off)
Extra green onions for garnish

First, make the sauce. In a small bowl whisk together the ingredients. I guessed on the measurements, so just make sure you taste as you go. Sorry we forget to measure sometimes.

Cook the soba noodles according to the package instructions. Drain them and set aside.

In a large skillet heat the sesame oil. Add in garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. Add in zucchini, edamame, spinach, and green onions. Cook until the zucchini is tender and the spinach is wilted.

Pour in the sauce. Stir well. Add black pepper, to taste.

Stir in the soba noodles. Let everything cook together for a couple of minutes.

Serve in a bowl. Add sesame seeds and green onions on top, if you wish.

Peanut Turkey Burgers

So I changed up the menu again this week. I did make the ham yesterday, but I ended up making the smallest one that I had in the freezer, so I didn't have the leftovers I needed for the casserole I had planned to make today. My SIL Mary made some peanut turkey burgers earlier in the week that I had also seen originally on A Good Appetite, but had forgotten about them. I had all of the ingredients on hand already, so I decided to make them for dinner tonight. And I'm so glad I did because, wow, these were awesome turkey burgers! So moist and flavorful - a delicious asian flavor with just a little kick. I think these were probably the best turkey burgers I've had so far. Kevin and Carson both liked them a lot, too. These were very easy to make and will definitely be a keeper recipe for me! I doubled the recipe below to get four very good sized burgers.

Peanut Turkey Burgers

1 medium carrot, julienned (I grated a handful of organic baby carrots, probably had about 1/2 cup of grated carrots)
1 scallion, chopped (I used half of a vidalia onion, diced)
1/8 t ground ginger (organic)
1 t kosher salt
10 oz ground turkey
1 1/2 T chunky peanut butter (I used organic creamy b/c that's what I had)
1/4 t sesame oil
1/2 t sriracha chili sauce (you definitely need the sriracha sauce, don't substitute other kinds/brands)

Place all the ingredients together in a bowl. Work with hands to mix but to do overwork. Cook on a griddle/grill pan (turkey burgers tend not to hold together well on a grill) until done, about 6 to 7 minutes per side.

Serve with lettuce leaves, more julienned carrots & garlic mayo. (We had ours with some co-jack cheese, light mayo, and organic ketchup. Served with a side of roasted asparagus.)

Makes 2 burgers

Crockpot Chicken Fried Rice

I'm playing catch-up here on some posts. Last week we had crockpot fried rice from A Year of Crockpotting. It was super easy and very, very good! Definitely a keeper! I cooked up a bunch of organic short-grain brown rice in my rice cooker the other morning - some to use for this recipe and the rest I froze in 2-cup portions. I've heard that you can freeze cooked rice and that it thaws very well. I've been wanting to try that for awhile now, so I finally did. We'll see how it is when I thaw some. Anyway, I made a double recipe of this fried rice so we have some for today's and Monday's lunch, but I'll post the original recipe with those proportions.

Crockpot Chicken Fried Rice

2 cups leftover rice/quinoa
3 T butter (I only used 2 T for a double recipe)
2 T soy sauce (I used low-sodium)
2 t worcestershire sauce
1/2 t black pepper (I didn't add this)
1/4 t kosher salt (I didn't add this, the soy sauce makes it plenty salty)
1/2 diced yellow onion
1 cup of whatever frozen or fresh vegetables you have on hand (I used some french-style green beans, corn, and peas)
cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
1 egg
sesame seeds for garnish, optional (I didn't use them)

Plop everything on in there together. Mix it around, and cook on high for 2-3 hours, or on low for 3-4. You are only heating everything up and cooking the egg. (I cooked mine on high for about an hour and a half, then on low for another 45 minutes)

Crockpot Broccoli Chicken

I modified a recipe I found on A Year of Crockpotting for broccoli beef and instead made broccoli chicken for dinner last night. I thought it was very good, though I'd probably use a tad less vinegar next time. Kevin didn't care for it, but he really doesn't like soy sauce at all and it is a dominant flavor. So I'll have to play around with the recipe and look for other suggestions to use next time so we can make our own takeout more often. I did get to use up all of the fresh broccoli I had on hand, so that is good. I modified the recipe and directions below to reflect what I did. Chicken cooks much more quickly than beef, so my cooking times below are way shorter than the original for the beef.

Crockpot Broccoli Chicken

3-4 medium sized boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced thin
1/4 cup soy sauce (I used low sodium)
2 T white wine (I left this out)
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 T brown sugar
2 t sesame oil (I used toasted sesame oil)
2 cloves smashed and chopped garlic (I minced mine up)
1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
1 bag thawed broccoli florets (I used 2 heads of fresh broccoli)

Add the liquid to the crockpot. Chop up your garlic, add to mixture. Stir in spices.

Slice meat into thin strips. Toss in the liquid and spice mixture to coat thoroughly.

Cook on low for about 3 hours. After 3 hours, add broccoli and stir, cover and cook on low for another hour or so.

Serve over steamed rice. (We had ours over steamed brown rice)

Egg Rolls

Another recipe from RecipeZaar that I found to use up the rest of the cabbage. Other than the egg roll wraps, I had everything else on hand, so I thought it was a perfect find. Plus, I thought it'd be nice to have these in the freezer for snacks for Kevin since he loves egg rolls.

The recipe says it makes 25, but I only ended up making 16 since that was all the wrappers I had in my package. I had enough filling leftover to make probably one more egg roll, but Kevin just ate the filling by itself as a snack. These are very good. I liked that they were baked and not fried. I'm going to make up a dipping sauce of sorts to have on hand, too.

Is It Egg Roll or Eggroll

1 lb ground pork
1 large onion, chopped
6 tablespoons garlic, minced
1-2 teaspoon fresh ginger, no powder please
3 big carrots, chopped or shredded
1/2-3/4 head napa cabbage, shredded or chopped, regular will work fine (I used regular cabbage)
1-2 cup bean sprout, fresh please, leave them out if you do not like them
water chestnut, optional
celery, optional (I didn't have any so I omitted this)
cilantro, optional (I used flat leaf parsley instead since my cilantro is long gone from the garden)
hot pepper, chopped, optional (I left this out)
salt and pepper
25 egg roll wraps or lumpia skins, the thin ones (my package had 16)

Brown the meat in a large pan. Add onion, garlic, ginger, carrots and some salt and pepper halfway through. Remove from heat when carrots are tender. Stir in cabbage and bean sprouts, this will help cool the mixture down. Taste it now and see if it needs any more salt, good huh. Drain this mixture VERY WELL, moisture is you enemy in this recipe. I put it in a colander with a plate on top and a weight. It will look like there are more veggies than meat, that is a good thing. Blot it with a paper towel, it does not have to be bone dry, just not puddling and it needs to be cool before rolling.

We are almost there, have a glass of wine while you are waiting for it to cool!

Stir occasionally in the colander to get the hiding moisture. Lay the wrapper so that one point is towards you. Put about about 3 tablespoons of mixture across the wrapper. Here is where I add a bit of cilantro, green onion, chopped hot pepper. Fold the point that is pointing at you up over the mixture. Now fold the corner on the right over that, now the point on the left and begin to roll till you get to the end. Moisten the last point and finish the roll.

Freeze these individually on a cookie sheet covered with plastic wrap then put in freezer bags unless you are eating them right away.

To cook them, remove to a cookie sheet (do not thaw) and spray them with Pam. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, turn over and spray again and bake another 10 to 15 minutes. They will not get all brown like fried ones but they will be crispy and delicious.