Miso Soup

We All Fall Off the Wagon

Maybe you've been on vacation with no healthy food access, or you've had that particular kind of stress you just can't seem to handle at all well. Or perhaps you had a time crunch with little left for shopping or cooking.  Severe stress happens too, and sometimes we turn to unhealthy "comfort" food at those times - just when our bodies need nutritious food the most.  We've all been there.  Eventually your body will motivate you to get back to your healthy shopping/cooking routine, and you immediately feel so much better.  Nobody's perfect, just keep trying.  Here are a couple of great "restart" recipes. 

One easy menu involves cooking up some brown rice (my favorite is short grain brown rice from Lundberg Farms) to serve with steamed or lightly stir fried veggies.  You can start the meal with some miso soup.  Here's a recipe I like:

Miso Soup

All the ingredients for this soup can generally be found in all supermarkets.  First you need to prepare a kind of Japanese stock called "dashi" which is very easy to put together.  This is just one kind of dashi;  there are many.  There are also many different recipes for miso soup.  

Ingredients:

For the dashi:

5 cups cold water

6 dried shiitake mushrooms


2 pieces kombu seaweed


4 ¼ -inch-thick coins fresh ginger

Combine all ingredients and slowly bring to a boil over a low heat. Remove and discard kombu once it starts to boil; reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Strain out solids. 
 

For the miso soup:

The above dashi

3-4 Tablespoons miso paste

1/4 to 1/2  block tofu (optional), cut in small cubes (less than 1/2 inch)

1/2 tsp dried wakame, cut up very small (a kind of seaweed, also available at supermarkets)

1 scallion chopped

Scoop about 1/4 cup of dashi into a small bowl, then whisk miso in until smooth and creamy paste. Whisk mixture into dashi and heat but do not allow to boil.  Add in tofu and sprinkle with wakame.  Serve garnished with scallions.  Some may want a splash of soy sauce, but if you need to watch sodium intake, it's good to know that miso is quite high in sodium.  Interestingly, it does not appear to affect our cardiovascular system as salt does.  It's also a food that is full of nutritional and health benefits.

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Below you will find a very, very different but extremely nutritious recipe, and I am not in any way suggesting that this recipe coordinates well with Miso Soup because it doesn't.  It is, however, a snap to make, tasty, and it's a dinner in a bowl.  I changed it a bit, but it's a recipe on the Mayo Clinic website - full of nutritious recipes.  Check 'em out at http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/recipes/heart-healthy-recipes/rcs-20077163.  

Creole-style black-eyed peas

Serves 8 – I cut it in half

Ingredients:

1-2 cups water, vegetable 
or chicken broth

2 cups dried black-eyed peas


2 cups canned unsalted tomatoes, crushed or fresh tomatoes, chopped small

1 large onion, finely chopped


2 stalks celery, finely chopped


2-3 chopped carrots

3 teaspoons minced garlic


1/2 teaspoon dry mustard


1/4 teaspoon ground ginger


1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper - You can add your own hot pepper if you like it hot. If you don't, skip the cayenne, or add 1/8 tsp.


1 bay leaf


1/2 cup chopped parsley

Directions

In a 3-4 quart saucepan place the black-eyed peas and cover with water. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, cover, remove from heat and let stand for 1 hour.

Drain the peas and return to the saucepan. Add the 1-2 cups water or broth, and all the remaining ingredients except the parsley. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer slowly for 1-2 hours (depending on the freshness of your black-eyed peas - you'll have to check every 15 minutes or so after an hour). Stir occasionally. Add water or broth as necessary to keep everything covered with liquid.

When black-eyed peas are done, discard bay leaf, and serve topped with parsley. 

In the words of the immortal James Brown, "Get on the good foot!"

Enjoy, and be well!

Quinoa with Black Beans and Tomatoes

A Very Tasty Quinoa Dish

I'm having a somewhat disjointed day as I'd planned on cleaning my condo but find myself utterly not in the mood.  My husband and I spent most of yesterday and last night celebrating 41 years of being together, and now it's back to reality.  First World Problem, so  I'll move on.  Writing in this blog always seems to center me.

Quinoa is a very healthful and nutritious grain that is also quick to make (my bag of quinoa specifies 12 minutes of cooking and 8 minutes of sitting, off heat, covered).  I adapted this recipe from Fast & Fresh by Marie Simmons, but recipes similar to this one are all over the internet, and I borrowed ideas from some of them too.  It's so tasty and totally good for you - though the oil could be cut down if you are on an ultra low fat diet.  It makes a fine dinner but also a super lunch.

            Quinoa with Black Beans and Tomatoes

Serves 2-3 as a main dish; a substantial side dish or lunch for 4

  

To make the dressing:

1 t grated lime zest*

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

3 T olive oil

1 t agave nectar

I-2 finely chopped jalapeno peppers – if you add the ribs and seeds of the peppers it will make it a lot hotter so be careful 

1 clove garlic, minced

½ t red pepper flakes, optional

Whisk all ingredients above in a small bowl.  Set aside.

To make the quinoa mixture:

1 cup quinoa

1 t ground cumin

½ red, yellow or orange bell pepper, diced

1 cup tomatoes, diced

1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions (both white and green parts)

1 carton black beans (or one can), rinsed and drained

½ cup chopped cilantro

½ - 1 chopped avocado

Rinse and drain quinoa; cook, with the teaspoon of cumin, according to package directions.  Place cooked quinoa in a bowl and allow to cool.  Add the tomatoes, bell pepper, scallions, black beans, and cilantro to the quinoa.  Add the dressing a little at a time – you may want to use only some of it, and you may want to add additional lime juice, but beware of making it “wet”.  Add salt to taste.  Serve with the chopped avocado on top of each portion or in a bowl as an optional topping.

* t = teaspoon; T = tablespoon        

I hope you enjoy this - be well!            

Roasted Cauliflower

Change is Sometimes Not Hard:  Roasted Cauliflower is Delish!

I've made a big change in the way I eat, but, looking back, I really did make it very gradually.  After reading The Ethics of What We Eat - Why Our Food Choices Matter I found it more difficult to justify the killing and/or abuse of animals for my food.  I was down to eating fish and chicken for quite a long time, but most people know how chickens are treated on factory farms, and even on "humane" farms they do get slaughtered.  Fish are treated abominably; they feel pain and suffer horribly. So now I am a vegetarian who eats an egg now and then and sometimes a small amount of cheese.  I know my eggs come from a humane farm, but I've never been there to see just what it's like, and most cheese is from "dairy cows" whose lives are short and terribly unhappy.  Much of it is imported. I'm not quite vegan, but definitely working on it.

If you're vegetarian or just love vegetable dishes, and you like interesting and delicious food a lot, you are probably looking for new recipes quite frequently.  I don't like to spend hours in the kitchen for every dinner, so I peruse the internet but also buy cookbooks fairly often.  Recently I bought Fresh and Fast Vegetarian by Marie Simmons.  So far I really love it, and if I get two great recipes (that become standbys) from a cookbook, I am thrilled.  With this cookbook I think I'll net quite a few.  I have made the Curried Lentils with Walnuts. Spinach and Cherry Tomatoes, and everyone who tasted it loved it.  Last night I made Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Quick Black Bean Chili.  It was pretty easy - although she says 30 minutes for total prep, I'd say 45, but that was the first time I made it.  I know the Curried Lentils dish was much faster the second time I made it, and I was wondering why I had whined towards the end the first time I made it.  The sweet potato dish is basically roasted halved (the long way) sweet potatoes or "yams", topped with a yummy, quick chili which includes a teaspoon of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (I used more).  She also has a vegetable broth recipe that is very simple, much easier than mine.  Perhaps most important, she has recipes for various small items you can put on or serve with your dishes that are quick to make and really add interest and flavor.  For example,  a roasted cauliflower dish includes a suggestion for an orange gremolata topping that is simple to make (garlic clove, Italian parsley and orange peel chopped up) that turns a tasty dish into a more sophisticated one.

My one criticism of this book is that she gives a recipe and then has a sidebar in which she shows you how to "Make a Meal" of the dish by adding unnecessary and time consuming sides.  Last night I did serve the sweet potato and chile dish with some fresh organic corn that was fantastic and of course very easy to steam. But I could also have thrown a green salad together...or more likely have just the sweet potato dish that covers a lot of ground nutritionally.   I find some of her sides too labor intensive for me, and there is the danger of too many competing strong flavors.  I think many if not most of these recipes stand on their own as a meal in a dish.  I love that. If you have company, I can definitely see cranking it up with one of her fancier "Make a Meal" dishes on the side.

Ever notice how many recipes say "serves 4... or 6 or 8"?  But two of you can finish off the meal that serves 4?  Well, another reason to love this cookbook so far is that the servings are pretty close or right on target.  By the way, no one is paying me to review or recommend this book.

Getting back to the title of this blog, one of the wonders of the world is roasted cauliflower - roasting does turn cauliflower into a pretty amazing vegetable.  You don't have to line the baking sheet but clean up is faster with it.  Here is a recipe which I adapted from several I found online:

Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients

         1 head of cauliflower                           1/2 inch wedges of onion or shallots                          

          3 tbsp olive oil                                    a few halved garlic cloves

         1 small pinch of salt

         some ground black pepper to taste

Method

            Preheat the oven to 450 F. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.  Wash and dry the cauliflower and cut into small (about one and a half inch) florets.   

            Place the cauliflower florets in a bowl and pour the oil over them. Toss the cauliflower so it’s coated with oil. You may need one more tablespoon of oil.  Add the onion or shallots and garlic cloves if you are using them and toss well.

            Put the vegetables on a baking sheet, so the cauliflower pieces are not touching. If the cauliflower doesn’t fit, just put the rest on a second baking sheet.  Place the cauliflower in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Stir, and bake another 5-10 minutes, checking frequently to see if the cauliflower is cooking too quickly; remove garlic when it is soft.  If the cauliflower is cooking too quickly, turn heat down to 425 or even 400 degrees.   Roast until the cauliflower is browned and tender.  

            This is very delicious plain and also great on pasta, topped with chopped parsley, more pepper, and a squeeze of lemon.  Save some pasta cooking water and add some of that so it won't be dry.

Enjoy and be well!

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!