Vegetable Fried Rice Totally Rocks!

Today is a grey day, and it's starting to get me down, so thought I'd turn to Make it Healthy to get that productive feeling.
Many months ago I was perusing the internet for a healthy fried rice recipe.  I found a few good sounding candidates, and then started modifying and fine tuning.  I have borrowed the most from one of those recipes, and I just tried to locate it online and had no luck.  The one I am presenting today is different enough from the original, but I would still prefer to be crediting the source. If I locate it I will let you know, but after checking out about 35 recipes online, I am not optimistic.  Anyway, I have a strong feeling that this highly adapted one is a real winner. If you're vegan you know how to modify it, and I can attest to the fact that it is quite good without eggs.  With wok cooking you want the wok hot so everything cooks quickly and does not steam or overcook.  Make sure all ingredients are at the ready! Things happen fast.

Vegetable Fried Rice

      3 1/2 cups previously cooked brown rice (1 cup raw rice cooked as per package directions)

   2 tablespoons sesame oil for stir-frying

      2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

      one clove garlic, sliced very thinly

      1 medium onion, diced or sliced

      1/2 cup frozen peas

      thinly sliced or julienned carrots (1-2) or other veggie of your choice  (mushrooms are great)

      1/2 red bell pepper, deseeded, sliced fairly thinly

      2 scallions cut on the bias in 1-2 inch lengths

      2 teaspoons soy sauce

      Black pepper, to taste

      Two eggs, beaten, optional

      Dark sesame oil

       

Preparation:

Cook the rice.  Heat oil in a wok on medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic, and stir until fragrant (less than a minute). Add onion, stir-fry for about 2 minutes, until softening.

Push the onion to the sides of the wok; then add the peas and the carrots or other veggie in the middle, and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Don't overcook veggies.  Push that to the side and then add red pepper and scallions in the middle and stir-fry for 1 minute. Push to the sides of the wok and add optional egg, let cook for several seconds, then break up with spatula quickly until just about done.

Add rice to the pan. Stir until heated through (about a minute or two), using a wooden spoon or wooden spatula to turn the mixture.

Stir in soy sauce, and pepper. Taste, add a bit more soy sauce if you like,  and add a drizzle of dark sesame oil.  

That's it for today.  I hope you like the fried rice.

Be well.

Chili Tofu with Noodles Soup

Tofu, AKA, "The Boss"

There is a myth that you have to do a great deal to tofu to make it taste okay.  This recipe proves that is not true.  It's pretty easy, and makes a meal with another vegetable or salad (or in the case of my husband, Dan and me, it makes a meal all by itself).  I do make a vegetable stock instead of using chicken stock, but either works really well.  And it looks lovely in the bowl.  This recipe seems to be in several locations on the internet, and I have adapted it quite a bit, including but not limited to upping the vegetable quotient, cooking the tofu for less time, making it soupier, using firm rather than extra firm tofu (more tender), and changing Chinese wheat noodles to brown rice noodles (available in many supermarkets, and white rice noodles work just as well). I use Annie Chun's brand of brown rice "Pad Thai" noodles which are about 1/4 of an inch thick before cooking and actually get thinner when cooked, perfect for this recipe.  They are delicious and gluten free too.  I use a smaller amount of noodles than most recipes suggest even though I like noodles.  I don't like when they "glop up" the broth.   Here's my version:

Chili Tofu with Noodles Soup

            Ingredients

            1 qt. reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

            2 cups water

            1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

            1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

            4 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce, divided

            1 tablespoon Asian sweet chili or chili garlic sauce

            1 pkg. (14 oz.) firm tofu, drained and patted dry

            ½ -1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I use light sesame oil or peanut oil)

            about 5 ounces rice noodles, such as pad thai noodles

            1½ cup shredded carrots or carrots cut into matchsticks (I do matchsticks)

            3 cups spinach leaves

Preparation

1. Combine broth, 2 cups water, the ginger, garlic, and 3 tablespoons of the soy sauce in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and simmer 10 minutes, partially covered.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir the remaining 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of chili sauce together and set aside.

3. While the broth is simmering, cut the tofu horizontally into 4 slabs; dry both sides of the tofu well. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until quite hot. A nonstick pan tends to work better, but if you'd rather use a regular pan, just use a bit more oil.  Put tofu into the pan carefully and sear, turning once, until lightly browned in most spots, about 4 minutes total. Do not overcook. Remove from heat and place on a plate lined with paper or kitchen towel to absorb any extra oil.   Remove towel and, using a spoon, spread soy-chili mixture over tofu and turn gently to coat both sides. 

4. Add the noodles to the broth and cook, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes and then add the carrots.  Cook another 1-3 minutes until carrots are still a bit crunchy and noodles are done.  Stir in spinach and cook just until wilted (seconds). Ladle noodles, broth, and vegetables into four bowls and top each with a slab of tofu. Drizzle tofu with more chili sauce if you like.   Can serve four with salad or another vegetable.

Let me know what you think.

And meanwhile, be well!

Tofu is Amazing

Get to Know Tofu (or Learn a New Tofu Recipe)

It seems people are warming to tofu these days.  Tofu is a whole soy food, as are miso and tempeh.  Everyone, from the American Heart Association to Women's Day Magazine, is endorsing this versatile, delicious and nutritious food.  Yes, there was a time when some warned of estrogen in tofu, but as long as you don't eat it more than twice a day (and who would?) you are fine.  In fact, Asian women who eat a great deal of tofu have a much lower risk of developing breast cancer.   It seems to be catching on as folks have almost stopped making a sour lemon face when tofu is mentioned - that's progress!

It is heart healthy - follow the link below for some comments and a recipe that looks pretty good: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/Recipes/Asian-Tofu-Salad_UCM_442430_Recipe.jsp 

Tofu contains mono-unsaturated fats and poly-unsaturated fats which are very healthful, (in moderation, since they are fats).  It has no cholesterol, or sugars, 8 grams of protein per serving and provides 10% of your daily need for calcium.  It also contains folate, iron, zinc, and magnesium.  No animal is abused or has to die so that we can eat tofu, and the production of tofu doesn't pollute the planet.

Check out http://www.prevention.com/which-healthier-chicken-or-tofu to see a nutritional comparison between chicken and tofu.

I buy organic non-GMO firm tofu, available at the supermarket, and it costs under three dollars per package.  It lasts for quite a while in the refrigerator (without any preservatives). If you have family members who feel negatively about tofu and have never eaten it or have eaten it in a dish they didn't like, try pressing it (see below), cutting it into small rectangles and frying it in hot peanut or sesame oil.  Serve it with peanut sauce - there are many recipes on the internet.  Present it as an app or snack which is less threatening.  After this, ease them onto Vegetarian Ma Po Tofu.

This recipe was originally published in the Sunday Boston Globe Magazine by  The Silver Palate authors, Sheila Lukins (who, sadly, died in 2009) and Julee Rosso, and I have adapted it over the years.

To press tofu, set a block of tofu on several layers of a very clean (folded) kitchen towel. Wrap the towel around the top of the tofu so it covers the top of the tofu completely. Place a very heavy pot or pan on the towel to press the tofu for 15 minutes.  A cast iron pot or pan works very well. 

VEGETARIAN MA PO TOFU 


SERVES 4 (if you make rice - otherwise 2-3)

Cooked white or brown rice, if using

1 package (14 ounces) extra-firm tofu, pressed (see above)


1-2 tablespoons peanut or sesame oil


1 clove garlic, finely chopped


1 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped


4 scallions, sliced on the bias

1 teaspoon - 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
, depending on the heat of your chili sauce

1 cup vegetable or chicken broth, heated to boiling


1 cup frozen peas

2 large carrots sliced on the bias

2 tablespoons soy sauce


1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar


1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water


dark sesame oil (optional)

Slice the tofu in half horizontally. Cut each piece into 1-inch cubes. Set aside.  Mix the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and cornstarch together in a small bowl and keep near the stove.  Have all ingredients ready because this recipe is very quick.

Heat a wok or heavy skillet a bit, and when fairly (not burning) hot, add the oil.  (Heating the pan or wok before you put the oil in makes it more non-stick.)  

When oil is hot, (which will take only seconds) add the tofu and cook over medium-high heat, turning gently, for 1-2 minutes or until it starts to brown. Remove it from the pan to a paper or kitchen towel lined plate.  Tofu does not require any cooking, so don't worry about under-cooking.  

Sauté the garlic, ginger and scallions over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add the chili sauce (try not to inhale the chili sauce!). Then add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the carrots and peas and cook briefly until the peas are almost cooked (1-2 minutes as they will cook a bit more after sauce is added).  Stir in the soy sauce, vinegar, and cornstarch mixture, add the tofu back to the pan and cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens slightly (it happens fairly quickly). 

Spoon the mixture into 4 shallow bowls, sprinkle with a little dark sesame oil if you like, and serve with rice or without rice. 

This recipe which is one of my faves.

Enjoy and be well!

Chickpea Salad

Making Ethical Food Choices

I know I'm getting into an area that is emotional for folks on all sides of this issue.  I am reading a book called The Ethics of What We Eat:  Why Our Food Choices Matter  by Peter Singer and Jim Mason.  The book is quite factual and objective, and it's impossible to quarrel with the secrets they reveal about damage done by factory farming - harm to our environment, to nearby communities and, most compelling to me,  to the animals suffering more horrific torture than I had ever imagined.  Here's a fact from the book:  each day approximately ten billion birds and mammals are killed in American slaughterhouses.  And although this number is staggering, it was less shocking than the descriptions of conditions and treatment at factory farms - unbelievably miserable and shortened lives that lead up to painful deaths for birds and mammals.

The good news is there are humane farms - for example Bell and Evans is cited as a chicken farm that is humane and has improved over the years.  Vital Farms sells eggs laid by chickens who go out to the pasture and never have less than 108 square feet of outdoor space each.  (This contrasts with factories in which laying chickens don't get outdoor space and can barely move, and live their lives in less than an 8' by 11' space.)  Singer and Mason make the important point that we can "vote with our dollar" at the supermarket (or in restaurants) and create a demand for humanely raised animals and/or choose to be mostly or completely vegetarian/vegan.

It is a fact that it would be a healthier, cleaner and kinder world if everyone ate a whole lot less or no animal food. As far as the environment is concerned, that change alone would go a surprisingly long way toward saving our planet. Go to http://www.sustainabletable.org/266/air-quality to learn more.

Gandhi said that a society can be judged by how they treat their animals.  Do you want to change? What are the obstacles to making a change?

Don't worry about protein - a diet containing grains, veggies, fruits, and beans will satisfy your need for protein.

So here's a veggie/bean recipe that I've made many summer nights.  Back in the days of family meals when my children were young, they always loved this summery recipe, and the leftovers vanished quickly.  I adapted this recipe from one I found in the Boston Globe many years ago, and it still works for me.

Chickpea Salad

When you haven’t got much around except canned chickpeas and it’s too hot to cook…

2 cans chickpeas, drained, rinsed, then shake the colander to get rid of water

½ cup pitted black olives, sliced

handful of parsley sprigs, finely chopped

3-4 T olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 bunch scallions, white part only, sliced or ½ small red onion, sliced fairly thinly

1 red or green pepper, cut in small strips

juice of one lemon or more

Place the drained and rinsed chickpeas in  a bowl with the olives, parsley, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir very gently and then add the scallions or onion (or a reduced amount of both), the strips of pepper and lemon juice.  Taste to see if it needs more lemon juice or olive oil.  A little fresh garlic could be added as well.

Enjoy and be well!