Healthy Sweet and Sour Chicken

The sauce for this dish is surprisingly simple for how delicious tastes. I guess I'm finding that out a lot lately--it doesn't take much to replicate flavors from really unhealthy dishes with good-for-you ingredients (or just less of the bad stuff). Anyway, the recipe below is for 2 people plus some leftovers, but could definitely stretch to 4 servings if need be. The sauce is versatile so use it for other stir-frys and Asian inspired food, too!

Sauce:
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup white vingear

In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce and vinegar. Set aside.

Stir-fry
1 cup white rice (make according to directions and set aside) 
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 bell peppers (any color), seeded and diced large
1 cup green beans (I used frozen because that's what I had, but fresh would be ideal)
1 small bunch scallions, trimmed and sliced
2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
chopped roasted peanuts (optional)

Heat about 1 tbsp vegetable oil in large skillet or wok over high heat. Add chicken, bell peppers, and green beans and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add scallions, ginger, garlic and cook, stirring until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk soy sauce mixture and add to skillet, and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Fluff rice. Serve on rice and top with peanuts.

Variation: For more crispy chicken pieces, omit the cornstarch from the sauce, and increase to 3 tbsp and season with salt and pepper. Toss uncooked but dry chicken pieces in cornstarch mix before adding to pan. Continue the rest as above.

Spiced-rubbed Cod over Lemon Rice and Zucchini

This fish meal was delicious with barely any fat--the only cooking oil you use is a little bit of butter at the very beginning to soften the onions. The spice mix was so aromatic I think I will make it a day ahead next time just to let it smell up the kitchen with spicy goodness. Try slicing thing lemon pieces and putting them on top of the fish toward the end to give the fish a lemony essence and provide a pretty serving presentation.

Spice Mix:
1/4 cup ground coriander (Using a soup can I banged coriander seeds up in a double-bagged plastic baggie. lol)
1 tbsp. ground ginger
1 tbsp. paprika (use cayenne pepper if you want something really spicy)
1 tbsp. course salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Main dish:
1 tbsp. butter
1 small yellow onion, chopped small
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 cup white rice
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 tbsp lemon juice
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into one inch pieces, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper
salt and pepper
enough cod for 4 fillets
spice mix (recipe above)

In a medium saucepan, heat butter over medium. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Stir in rice and cook 1 minute. Stir in lemon zest and juice, broth, and zucchini and season with salt and pepper.Bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 13 minutes. Sprinkle spice mix over fish. Arrange fish snugly in a single layer, spice side up, on top of rice, cover and cook until rice is tender and fish is opaque throughout. The original recipe told me this takes about 5 to 7 minutes, but it actually took mine about 12 minutes for the fish to fully cook--just watch the rice on the bottom of the pan to avoid burning it. Using spatula, scoop fish fillet and rice from pan to plate, and serve.

Monster Cookies

I've never tried to make monster cookies before, but they were a request so I gave it a shot. Most recipes I found called for something like 12 eggs--needless to say they were very large batches. This one seemed like the best smaller version. The cookies turned out pretty good--a little chewier than ones you would get at the store. You have to press them flat after you put them in balls on the cookie sheet so they get bigger in the oven, otherwise they will just end up being really condensed mounds of chocolate chips and M&Ms.

1 stick butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. soda
1 3/4 c. flour
3 eggs
1 1/2 c. peanut butter
3 c. quick oatmeal
1/4 bag of chocolate chips

1/4 bag of plain M&Ms
1/4 bag of peanut butter M&Ms

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Mix ingredients in bowl (does order really matter?) Drop by large tablespoon or ice cream scoop and flatten. Bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees. Do not over bake! 

Washington Street Tuna

Drew loves the Third Street Tuna from the Good Food Store. Unfortunately a 5 oz. deli size costs almost six bucks. So we did a little detective work and bought all the ingredients on the nutrition label to try and come up with our own (much cheaper!) version. Luckily, it turned out almost perfect the very first try. 

4 cans (5-ounce size) solid white tuna in water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 ribs celery, minced
1/2 minced red onion

1/3 cup currants
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup canola mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Drain tuna in colander. I rinsed with a little water than wrung out the excess moisture with my hands before transferring to a bowl.  Shred with fingers until no clumps remain and texture is fine and even. Mix in salt, pepper, celery, onion, currants, vinegar, and thyme.

Fold in mayonnaise and mustard until tuna is evenly moistened. Since it will probably be at room temperature, I recommend popping in the refrigerator for about a ½ hour so all the ingredients really meld with each other and the salad gets cold. Then, enjoy!

Berry Crisp

I made this little dessert on Friday night when we were craving something sweet--amazingly all the ingredients were already on hand! This is a very easy and quick dessert if you're looking to whip something up in a hurry or just craving a semi-healthy sweet. We ate it with Breyers (of course!) vanilla bean ice cream and a glass of Vhino Verde. Muy delicioso!

Berry Filling: 
2 cups fresh raspberries
2 cups frozen blueberries
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Crisp:
1/2 cup flour
2 packets uncooked instant oatmeal
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Berry filling: Mix berries, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in an 8 inch square pan.

Crisp: Cut butter into dry ingredients and put topping on berry mixture. Top with nuts. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly and slightly browned. I also put it under the broiler for about 1-2 minutes before taking it out to completely brown the top--careful though because the nuts on top will burn quick if you don't watch it!

Thai-Style Steak Salad

I've never had such a unique salad--the mint flavor with the sweet/spicy juices of the marinated steak was delicious and refreshing. I also liked cutting the carrots with the peeler instead of just chopping them--it put carrots into almost every bite. Instead of using peanuts, I used crushed almonds which really complimented the fresh flavor of the dish. Plus, it was really filling for a salad! Everyone went back for seconds.

This is also a very easy dish because you can break up the steps for easy preparation. I made the marinade (5 minutes), then marinaded the beef for about 45 minutes while doing laundry. After laundry was drying, I came back and chopped the veggies while cooking the meat, then rested it and finished prepping the other ingredients,  sliced the beef and presto! Fifteen minutes later it's time to dig in--just in time to fill up for a night of folding. :)

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes*
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 boneless rib-eye steaks (each 8 ounces and 3/4 inch thick)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/2 pound carrots (3 to 4 medium)
• 1 medium head romaine lettuce, cut crosswise into 1-inch ribbons
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1 cup fresh bean sprouts (optional)
• 1/3 cup salted peanuts, chopped (optional)

Directions

1. Make marinade: In a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, red-pepper flakes, and oil. Season steaks with salt and pepper; place in a baking dish. Pour 1/4 of marinade over steaks (reserve remaining marinade); turn steaks to coat. Let steaks marinate up to 30 minutes. * I didn't have any red pepper flakes, so instead, I substituted some spicy Thai peanut sauce that was in the fridge. I think it increased the consistency of the marinade and actually gave it more depth than just adding red pepper flakes.  
2. In a large skillet, cook steaks on medium-high heat, turning once, 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board; tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest, 5 to 10 minutes. Slice steaks across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices; halve slices crosswise. Transfer to a large bowl, and toss with reserved marinade.
3. With a vegetable peeler, cut carrots into long ribbons. Add to steak in bowl, along with lettuce and mint; toss to combine. Divide salad among four shallow bowls. Sprinkle with bean sprouts and peanuts, if desired. 

View the original recipe: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/thai-style-steak-salad