Some weeks I just feel like I am in need of veggies, lots and lots of veggies. The last week I had had an encounter with pizza, cake, blueberry muffins, and who knows what else, and I was really trying to get back into the swing of "normal" healthy eating habits. I took one look at my fridge and decided I would roast up a couple pans of veggies, not only did it use the poor neglected veggies but it meant little prep, and very little babysitting of the food while it cooked. I decided about half way through the roasting process that I would make a pot of rice (also little prep and no babysitting required!) and I would make up a quick stir fry sauce to toss the veggies in when they came out. The result was very stir-fry like but with the wonderful caramelization on the veggies from roasting. If you want to bulk this meal up feel free to add some garlic shrimp or chicken!
Roasted Veggie Stir Fry: serves 4
1 Large Onion
4 Large Carrots - Peeled
2 Large Bell Peppers
2C Brussels Sprouts
1 Large Zucchini
2TB Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
1C Chicken Stock
1tsp Soy Sauce
2TB La Choy Teriyaki Sauce
1TB Corn Starch
1tsp Sriracha
2C Water
1C Rice
First I prepped all of my veggies, I cut the ends off the sprouts and sliced in half, peeled and halved the carrots, slicing into 3-4" long segments, chopped the onion and peppers into approximatly 1" squares and chopped the zucchini into 1/4" rounds. I suggest keeping all the veggies separate as they all require different roasting times. Toss the veggies with the olive oil (approximately 1tsp per type of veggie) and salt and pepper. I then placed the Brussels Sprouts and Carrots on one greased sheet pan, and the peppers and onions on another.
Heat your oven to 400° and place the sprouts and carrots in the oven, in 15 minutes add the second pan with the peppers and onions (don't worry the zucchini will be added!) and toss the carrots and sprouts around. Now start your rice - you have about 30 minutes of cook time left on the veggies which is about how long it takes the rice to cook. Place 2C of water and the rice in a sauce pot with the remaining teaspoon of olive oil and some salt. Bring up to a boil, stir once, reduce to a simmer, cover tightly with a lid then let the rice do its thing and continue to cook until all the water has evaporated. Once the rice finishes cooking fluff with a fork.
Okay first 15 minutes of cooking are done, rice is cooking. Once you hit another 15 minutes (30 minutes total cooking time so far) add the zucchini to the pepper and onion pan and toss all the vegetables again. Continue cooking for another 15 minutes, at the end of 45 minutes your veggies should be done (if your oven runs hot or cool you may need 5 minutes less / 5 minutes more).
Mix together the remaining ingredients (chicken stock, soy & teriyaki sauce, corn starch and sriracha) and cook in a large saute pan, stirring often until the sauce thickens, add all the veggies to the pan and coat in the sauce. Serve over the rice and enjoy!
(note I originally used Goya Yellow Rice but swapped it out for regular rice on day two. I found with the stir fry sauce it was too salty to have the yellow rice as well)
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WW: 7 Points Plus / serving
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Corn & Zucchini Skillet
The other day I made Jamie Deen's Marinated Molasses Steak which was ooooh so good and wanted a nice tasty and healthy side dish. I had fresh corn on the cobb, onions and zucchini in the fridge so I did what I do best...toss it all in a skillet and see what happens! Lucky for me it was delicious and now you get to try it too. This is a great way to stretch a starchy vegetable, corn, with a really healthy one like zucchini.
Corn & Zucchini Skillet: Serves 3-4
1.5C Fresh Corn On the Cobb Kernels
3C Shredded Zuchinni
3/4C Chopped Onions
1tsp Olive Oil
2tsp Butter
Salt & Pepper
Carefully slice the kernels off the cobb. In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onions and corn to the skillet with some salt and pepper. Cook and stir for approximately 5-8 minutes until the onions are translucent and cooked through and the corn turns vibrant yellow. While the corn is cooking squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the zucchini, add the butter to the pan and then add the zucchini to the corn and onions with more salt and pepper. Continue to cook the veggies for another 4-5 minutes until the zucchini cooks through and everything is super delicious. Serve & Enjoy!
__________________________
WW: 2 Points Plus / serving @ 4 servings
3 Points Plus / serving @ 3 servings
Corn & Zucchini Skillet: Serves 3-4
1.5C Fresh Corn On the Cobb Kernels
3C Shredded Zuchinni
3/4C Chopped Onions
1tsp Olive Oil
2tsp Butter
Salt & Pepper
Carefully slice the kernels off the cobb. In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onions and corn to the skillet with some salt and pepper. Cook and stir for approximately 5-8 minutes until the onions are translucent and cooked through and the corn turns vibrant yellow. While the corn is cooking squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the zucchini, add the butter to the pan and then add the zucchini to the corn and onions with more salt and pepper. Continue to cook the veggies for another 4-5 minutes until the zucchini cooks through and everything is super delicious. Serve & Enjoy!
__________________________
WW: 2 Points Plus / serving @ 4 servings
3 Points Plus / serving @ 3 servings
Friday, June 21, 2013
Jamie Deen Marinated Molasses Steak
This weekend I caught Jamie Deen's new Food Network Show - "Home for Dinner with Jamie Deen" where he showed some of his favorite recipes for Father's Day. One of them was a Marinated Molasses Flank Steak, well lo and behold I go to the grocery store on Sunday and there are two bottom round steaks, totaling 1/2#, perfect amount for me for dinner and lunch the next day! Now I know you are probably thinking "Molasses....isn't that a bit much?" Well with all the other ingredients in the marinade it really turns into a nice tangy sauce that delivers a lot of flavor, but doesn't taste like a molasses cookie, I promise.
On top of that I made a great corn and zucchini side dish to go with the steaks - you will have to check back in a few days for that recipe.
Jamie Deen Marinated Molasses Steak: Serves 2
1/2# Flank or Bottom Round Steak
3TB Molasses
3TB Dijon Mustard
3TB White or Red Wine Vinegar
1TB Soy Sauce
1TB Olive Oil
2TB Chopped Fresh Rosemary (2tsp dried)
2-3 Garlic Cloves - Minced
Take a fork and stab the steak all over on both sides, mix the marinade ingredients together and cover the steak with it (I used a shallow bowl, you could use a ziplock bag). Place in the refrigerator and marinate for at least an hour and up to four to six. 30 minutes before you are ready to cook remove the steak from the fridge and set on the counter to come up to room temperature.
Heat a grill or a cast iron skillet over high heat and once hot add the steak for 3-5 minutes per side (I like my steak rare to medium rare and 3 minutes on each side was perfect for me). Once the steak is finished cooking remove to a plate and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing into it or you chance all the juices running right out of the steak.
Serve and Enjoy!
__________________________
WW: 6 Points Plus / serving**
** NOTE: I only used point values for 1/3 of the marinade ingredients as the majority of the marinade does not get used.
On top of that I made a great corn and zucchini side dish to go with the steaks - you will have to check back in a few days for that recipe.
Jamie Deen Marinated Molasses Steak: Serves 2
1/2# Flank or Bottom Round Steak
3TB Molasses
3TB Dijon Mustard
3TB White or Red Wine Vinegar
1TB Soy Sauce
1TB Olive Oil
2TB Chopped Fresh Rosemary (2tsp dried)
2-3 Garlic Cloves - Minced
Take a fork and stab the steak all over on both sides, mix the marinade ingredients together and cover the steak with it (I used a shallow bowl, you could use a ziplock bag). Place in the refrigerator and marinate for at least an hour and up to four to six. 30 minutes before you are ready to cook remove the steak from the fridge and set on the counter to come up to room temperature.
Heat a grill or a cast iron skillet over high heat and once hot add the steak for 3-5 minutes per side (I like my steak rare to medium rare and 3 minutes on each side was perfect for me). Once the steak is finished cooking remove to a plate and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing into it or you chance all the juices running right out of the steak.
Serve and Enjoy!
__________________________
WW: 6 Points Plus / serving**
** NOTE: I only used point values for 1/3 of the marinade ingredients as the majority of the marinade does not get used.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Roasted Parmesan Cauliflower
I spent today making 100 guys happy as I delivered beer around a golf course as part of a fundraiser on a near 90° day in Baltimore. I came home with the desire for something healthy but tasty after having a burger and a cookie or two at lunch! I saw a huge head of cauliflower in the fridge and decided I'd experiment a little which is how this recipe was born, it is a great way to dress up cauliflower without needing a lot of ingredients or any extra time. Literally in the oven withing 5 minutes of getting the ingredients out of the fridge.
Roasted Parmesan Cauliflower: serves 3-4
1 Large Head Cauliflower - Cut into equal size pieces
2TB Olive Oil
Salt / Pepper
1/4C Grated Parmesan Cheese
Toss all ingredients together and place on a greased cookie sheet. Place in a 450° oven for approximately 45 minutes, tossing every 15 minutes, until the cauliflower is nice and golden brown and fork tender. Serve & Enjoy!
__________________________
WW: 2 Points Plus / serving @ 4 servings
3 Points Plus / serving @ 3 servings
Roasted Parmesan Cauliflower: serves 3-4
1 Large Head Cauliflower - Cut into equal size pieces
2TB Olive Oil
Salt / Pepper
1/4C Grated Parmesan Cheese
Toss all ingredients together and place on a greased cookie sheet. Place in a 450° oven for approximately 45 minutes, tossing every 15 minutes, until the cauliflower is nice and golden brown and fork tender. Serve & Enjoy!
__________________________
WW: 2 Points Plus / serving @ 4 servings
3 Points Plus / serving @ 3 servings
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Shrimp & Broccoli Noodle Stir Fry
My friends remembered how excited I was to find Vinegared Red Pepper Paste when we went out for Korean food a few months ago so when they were at a Korean grocery store they picked me up a new bottle which was great as I was out! I'm not good at waiting so I immediately decided to make a stir fry, I only had onions and broccoli for veggies so that was what went in my stir fry, you can feel free to add any veggies YOU like. Note the red pepper paste is spicy, but with the chicken stock and teriyaki it adds more flavor than heat to this dish!
Shrimp & Broccoli Noodle Stir Fry: Serves 4
8oz Rice Noodles
1lbs Shrimp - Peeled & Deveined
2-3C Fresh Broccoli Crowns
1 Onion - Thinly Sliced
2tsp Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves - Minced
1C Chicken Stock - Fat Free
1/4C Vinegared Red Pepper Paste
2TB Teriyaki Sauce - LaChoy Brand
Rice noodles are finicky, as my favorite Thai Restaurant Chef told me the other day "If you can't get the noodles cooked right you won't get a good result" It took me a while to realize the instructions on the back of my box of noodles had me soaking the noodles too long. I prefer to get my noodles soft but not completely loose, I drain while they are still very al dente so they continue cooking with the sauce for the stir fry. So lesson to learn here....read the instructions on your individual box of rice noodles, follow those, but experiment as well so you get the texture you want for your noodle!
Now for the instructions....cook your noodles, set to the side. In a large saute pan over medium heat add 1tsp of olive oil with the garlic and onions and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the broccoli to the onions with the other teaspoon of olive oil and cook for another 4-5 minutes (or longer if you don't like your broccoli to have a crunch to it). While the broccoli is cooking mix the chicken stock, red pepper paste and teriyaki sauce together.
Remove the veggies to a side bowl, add the shrimp and about 1/4 of the sauce to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until your shrimp is completely cooked through. Once cooked through put the shrimp with the broccoli, add the cooked noodles to the pan and about half of the remaining sauce, stir it all around to coat the noodles, let them absorb in and once they have absorbed the sauce add the rest of the sauce along with the broccoli and shrimp and toss it all around until the noodles have absorbed the majority of the sauce. Turn off the heat, serve and enjoy!
__________________________
WW: 10 Points Plus / serving
Shrimp & Broccoli Noodle Stir Fry: Serves 4
8oz Rice Noodles
1lbs Shrimp - Peeled & Deveined
2-3C Fresh Broccoli Crowns
1 Onion - Thinly Sliced
2tsp Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves - Minced
1C Chicken Stock - Fat Free
1/4C Vinegared Red Pepper Paste
2TB Teriyaki Sauce - LaChoy Brand
Rice noodles are finicky, as my favorite Thai Restaurant Chef told me the other day "If you can't get the noodles cooked right you won't get a good result" It took me a while to realize the instructions on the back of my box of noodles had me soaking the noodles too long. I prefer to get my noodles soft but not completely loose, I drain while they are still very al dente so they continue cooking with the sauce for the stir fry. So lesson to learn here....read the instructions on your individual box of rice noodles, follow those, but experiment as well so you get the texture you want for your noodle!
Now for the instructions....cook your noodles, set to the side. In a large saute pan over medium heat add 1tsp of olive oil with the garlic and onions and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the broccoli to the onions with the other teaspoon of olive oil and cook for another 4-5 minutes (or longer if you don't like your broccoli to have a crunch to it). While the broccoli is cooking mix the chicken stock, red pepper paste and teriyaki sauce together.
Remove the veggies to a side bowl, add the shrimp and about 1/4 of the sauce to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until your shrimp is completely cooked through. Once cooked through put the shrimp with the broccoli, add the cooked noodles to the pan and about half of the remaining sauce, stir it all around to coat the noodles, let them absorb in and once they have absorbed the sauce add the rest of the sauce along with the broccoli and shrimp and toss it all around until the noodles have absorbed the majority of the sauce. Turn off the heat, serve and enjoy!
__________________________
WW: 10 Points Plus / serving
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