Yesterday, I hosted a potluck with some other residents from my program. It was kind of bad timing as work has really picked up this week and I have been quite worn down. But it makes me happy to share good food with good people and I made two "Old Faithful" recipes for guests who hopefully liked the flavor and color combinations in high summer. I'll share one with you tonight. It's not that original, but it's still awesome.
Chop and Dump Salad
The look of this salad reminds me of confetti. It's so easy, delicious, and nutritious that when I forget to make it for a few months I kick myself because the effort to flavor ratio is quite in my favor!
1 can black beans (16oz), drained
2 cups frozen corn (or 1 can whole kernel corn)
1/3 cup chopped purple onion
1/2 cup (loosely packed) cilantro, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado chopped (optional, but really, how could you turn an avocado down?)
1/3 cup vinegar (pick your favorite I like apple cider)
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
In a medium bowl, dump the corn and black beans together. Next, chop up the tomatoes, avocado, onion and cilantro and add them to the bean mixture. Dump vinegar, extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Anybody can Chop and Dump!!
You can really make this salad shine by featuring it as an accompaniment to your favorite summer entree. You can also spruce it up to be a filling lunch salad by serving it on a bed of some chopped romaine lettuce. Embellish as you see fit: hard boiled egg, chicken, carrots. Hurray for high protein/high fiber beans to fill you up and never let you down.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Quinoa Queen
As you come to know me and my style of cooking you'll learn that I love quinoa. I have used it in cooking for years...probably since sometime in high school when I was experimenting with all the bulk foods in the local natural foods store. High in protein and fiber with a texture somehow similar to rice and couscous (with a grassiness that some either love immediately or affectionately acquire a taste for), it cooks as fast as white rice with way more nutrient value!
Here's a basic recipe.
Basic Training
1 cup Quinoa
2 cups Water
Bring water to boil. Add Quinoa and cook 15-20 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for 4-5 minutes. Fluff with fork. Salt and pepper to taste. Personally, I always use a rice cooker and put it on the quick cook or white rice setting and it always comes out perfectly.
Savory Quinoa: use broth instead of the water or toss a bouillon cube into the water for instant flavor. Keep in mind you'll have to adjust the post-cooking salt in this case!
Toasty Quinoa: Saute 1 cup Quinoa and 1/4 cup slivered almonds in 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil or butter over medium heat until the grains begin to brown. Then add 2 cups liquid (broth or water) and cook as before. **Pepitas, sunflower seeds, walnut pieces work great, too!**
Here's a basic recipe.
Basic Training
1 cup Quinoa
2 cups Water
Bring water to boil. Add Quinoa and cook 15-20 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for 4-5 minutes. Fluff with fork. Salt and pepper to taste. Personally, I always use a rice cooker and put it on the quick cook or white rice setting and it always comes out perfectly.
Savory Quinoa: use broth instead of the water or toss a bouillon cube into the water for instant flavor. Keep in mind you'll have to adjust the post-cooking salt in this case!
Toasty Quinoa: Saute 1 cup Quinoa and 1/4 cup slivered almonds in 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil or butter over medium heat until the grains begin to brown. Then add 2 cups liquid (broth or water) and cook as before. **Pepitas, sunflower seeds, walnut pieces work great, too!**
Curry Up! Eggplant vs. Taste and both win
Curry-Me-Crazy!
Think you hate eggplant? I challenge you to try this puppy. Keeps in the fridge for a few days or freeze for a lunch treat your work colleagues will fight over to try.
1 eggplant cut into bite sized pieces
3 tablespoons oil
1 onion, chopped
1 14 or 16 oz can tomatoes
1 16 oz can coconut milk
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
3 Tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon ginger
1/2 Tablespoon red chili paste (red pepper flakes work, too--if you like it hot. If you are a true Midwesterner skip this step altogether!)
1 teaspoon salt
In a saucepan over medium heat, add cumin and mustard seeds. Cook until they start to pop. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, salt, and chili paste. Cook until the onions are golden brown. Then add the eggplant and cover. Cook for 10-15 minutes stirring frequently until the eggplant is soft and mushy. Add the tomatoes and curry powder and bring to a boil. Then add the coconut milk and heat for a few more minutes. Season to taste, adding more curry or chili depending on your preference.
This recipe is also yummy without the coconut milk or with less, depending on your desire for richness or its availability in your cupboard.
Serve the Curry on a bed of brown rice, white rice, couscous, or quinoa.
**Note** Some people swear that soaking eggplant in a bath of saltwater prior to cooking takes away its bitterness and/or prevents it from turning brown. These are also probably the people who never smudge a manicure and always drive the speed limit. Personally, I think this is a high maintenance, fussy step that is unnecessary. I'm all about a favorable flavor to effort ratio!
Think you hate eggplant? I challenge you to try this puppy. Keeps in the fridge for a few days or freeze for a lunch treat your work colleagues will fight over to try.
1 eggplant cut into bite sized pieces
3 tablespoons oil
1 onion, chopped
1 14 or 16 oz can tomatoes
1 16 oz can coconut milk
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
3 Tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon ginger
1/2 Tablespoon red chili paste (red pepper flakes work, too--if you like it hot. If you are a true Midwesterner skip this step altogether!)
1 teaspoon salt
In a saucepan over medium heat, add cumin and mustard seeds. Cook until they start to pop. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, salt, and chili paste. Cook until the onions are golden brown. Then add the eggplant and cover. Cook for 10-15 minutes stirring frequently until the eggplant is soft and mushy. Add the tomatoes and curry powder and bring to a boil. Then add the coconut milk and heat for a few more minutes. Season to taste, adding more curry or chili depending on your preference.
This recipe is also yummy without the coconut milk or with less, depending on your desire for richness or its availability in your cupboard.
Serve the Curry on a bed of brown rice, white rice, couscous, or quinoa.
**Note** Some people swear that soaking eggplant in a bath of saltwater prior to cooking takes away its bitterness and/or prevents it from turning brown. These are also probably the people who never smudge a manicure and always drive the speed limit. Personally, I think this is a high maintenance, fussy step that is unnecessary. I'm all about a favorable flavor to effort ratio!
Burgers, Pizza, and subs: oh my! Who said there's no such thing as a free lunch?
My first week of residency was filled with shaking hands and learning names, filling out forms, compliance training, tours...and an abundance of quick, convenience food that can feed a crowd. By the end of the exhausting few days (none of which came close to preparing me to assess my first patient!), a few colleagues mentioned to me that they felt bloated or yucky after eating all the free but salty and fatty food. I, on the other hand, had brought most of mine from home. I felt a bit embarrassed getting more than a few compliments on my greens with the kitchen-sink salad or asking for a microwave for my eggplant curry, but it was so delicious I wondered why more people didn't bring their own food from home. And I felt great!
What I now have realized is that people would like to, but they don't know how easy it is to prepare healthy, yummy meals in a quick and easy way.
It's my hope this blog can help readers become more confident at cooking healthy, easy meals that are easy to transport for lunch or on the go. Never cooked Swiss Chard? No problem! It's broccoli's first cousin and even more delish. Don't be intimidated by healthy fresh food...empower yourself to eat well and feel good.
My first week of residency was filled with shaking hands and learning names, filling out forms, compliance training, tours...and an abundance of quick, convenience food that can feed a crowd. By the end of the exhausting few days (none of which came close to preparing me to assess my first patient!), a few colleagues mentioned to me that they felt bloated or yucky after eating all the free but salty and fatty food. I, on the other hand, had brought most of mine from home. I felt a bit embarrassed getting more than a few compliments on my greens with the kitchen-sink salad or asking for a microwave for my eggplant curry, but it was so delicious I wondered why more people didn't bring their own food from home. And I felt great!
What I now have realized is that people would like to, but they don't know how easy it is to prepare healthy, yummy meals in a quick and easy way.
It's my hope this blog can help readers become more confident at cooking healthy, easy meals that are easy to transport for lunch or on the go. Never cooked Swiss Chard? No problem! It's broccoli's first cousin and even more delish. Don't be intimidated by healthy fresh food...empower yourself to eat well and feel good.
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