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One of the things we have more time for in ER is cooking, and its something I've really taken to.
I thought I'd share some good recipes that I've come up with. We're mostly what is called these days "flexitarians"...people who eat primarily low fat vegetarian dishes but arent militant about it and incorporate some meat and fats in our diet.
I'd encourage ER's to borrow Dean Ornish's "Eat More, Weigh Less". An excellent book by a real doctor who explains how our bodies handle nutrition, how it reacts to various diets, and includes some really good recipes in the latter 3/4 of the book.
The big drawbacks to such a diet is increased shopping and time to prepare. Dont we have a little extra time on our hands to challenge those 40 year firecalc runs?
Here's the one I made tonight. Neither meatless or really low fat, but adjustable.
Thai Chicken Stew
This has a more or less traditional thai soup base (coconut, ginger, garlic, lime), with a variable protein source and veggies.
1 lb ground chicken or turkey (beef is workable, "gimme lean" or other soy based "ground meat substitute" is also workable). Chunks of chicken or turkey can be used. I generally go for the 99% fat free ground turkey breast I can get for about $1.30 a pound at my local market.
Mix or rub the protein with a tablespoon of chinese 5 spice, a teaspoon or more of hot pepper flakes, and a teaspoon of salt. I grow a variety of chili peppers in the summer and whatever I dont chow down on I dry on an aluminum cookie sheet in the back window of my car...a cheap dehydrator...then I grind them in my blender and put them in tupperware...homemade hot pepper flakes/chili powder. Everyone that gets in my car draws a deep sniff and says "your car smells REALLY good!".
Let your meat mix or rubbed meat stand for an hour in the fridge. Please, no jokes about rubbing your meat.
While thats happening, slice, dice or matchstick a chunk of ginger the size of your thumb, or more, or less. I use a LOT. Use a lot or less. See if I care. Add a similar amount of chopped garlic. Shhh...I use the stuff in a jar most of the time because I'm too lazy to skin and chop it, and I'd rather use an inferior product all the time than a superior one now and then. Slice the white ends of four to six green onions.
Heat a large broad pan and add a tiny bit of olive oil. I have spray cans of olive and canola that work fine for this. Roll the meat (or whatever) mix into 1" balls and add to the pan. The original recipe called for rolling them in flour. I dont, but whatever makes you happy. Brown them nicely all around. When thats done, add all the stuff you sliced and diced above. Toss until fragrant, a couple of minutes. No deep browning is needed here, but do what works for you. You might preserve the garlic until last, since it cooks and turns bitter a lot faster than the other aromatics.
Add one or two cans of coconut milk. You can use full or low fat. More cans = more broth to stuff ratio. I like two. Add one or two cans of stock...chicken or vegetable works well. I use a roasted vegetable stock I get from Trader Joes.
Roughly chop and add 2-4 tomato's, depending on how much you like tomato's. I add 3 romas, seeded and chopped.
Another variable, added veggies. A can of baby corn and a can of straw mushrooms are my base standard. You could add fresh corn or fresh mushrooms. I've put in bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, etc. Use whats fresh and local or buy a couple of big cans or frozen pouches of "stir fry vegetables" and throw those in. In the winter I use frozen and canned, in the summer when its all fresh and cheap, I use what looks good to me. Next time I do this I may add a diced sweet potato.
Simmer over medium heat until everything is warm and the meat is definitely done through.
I then add a green, either fresh baby bok choy or spinach. I got a nice big bunch of fresh spinach this afternoon, still had dirt clods on the roots. Turn off the heat, cover and let the greens "steam down" into the broth.
If you raise any fresh herbs, add a big double handful here. I raise several types of parsley and basil. I add some cinnamon basil leaves, some lime basil, and some italian curly parsley to this at the very last minute. Cillantro would also go well if you have it and you like it.
Serve in a big bowl with the chopped green remainder of the green onions over top and a half a lime to squeeze into the soup...the lime is ESSENTIAL. Big spoons and crusty bread.
After your first time through this, it goes together in about 15 minutes, you can use the fresh local ingredients, and its yummy.
If you're using chunks of extra firm tofu instead of meat, rub those with the same spice ingredients above, chill for an hour, and stir them in at the last minute before serving. Less fat, lower cost, and high protein, plus the benefits of soy isoflavones.
Bon appetit...
I thought I'd share some good recipes that I've come up with. We're mostly what is called these days "flexitarians"...people who eat primarily low fat vegetarian dishes but arent militant about it and incorporate some meat and fats in our diet.
I'd encourage ER's to borrow Dean Ornish's "Eat More, Weigh Less". An excellent book by a real doctor who explains how our bodies handle nutrition, how it reacts to various diets, and includes some really good recipes in the latter 3/4 of the book.
The big drawbacks to such a diet is increased shopping and time to prepare. Dont we have a little extra time on our hands to challenge those 40 year firecalc runs?
Here's the one I made tonight. Neither meatless or really low fat, but adjustable.
Thai Chicken Stew
This has a more or less traditional thai soup base (coconut, ginger, garlic, lime), with a variable protein source and veggies.
1 lb ground chicken or turkey (beef is workable, "gimme lean" or other soy based "ground meat substitute" is also workable). Chunks of chicken or turkey can be used. I generally go for the 99% fat free ground turkey breast I can get for about $1.30 a pound at my local market.
Mix or rub the protein with a tablespoon of chinese 5 spice, a teaspoon or more of hot pepper flakes, and a teaspoon of salt. I grow a variety of chili peppers in the summer and whatever I dont chow down on I dry on an aluminum cookie sheet in the back window of my car...a cheap dehydrator...then I grind them in my blender and put them in tupperware...homemade hot pepper flakes/chili powder. Everyone that gets in my car draws a deep sniff and says "your car smells REALLY good!".
Let your meat mix or rubbed meat stand for an hour in the fridge. Please, no jokes about rubbing your meat.
While thats happening, slice, dice or matchstick a chunk of ginger the size of your thumb, or more, or less. I use a LOT. Use a lot or less. See if I care. Add a similar amount of chopped garlic. Shhh...I use the stuff in a jar most of the time because I'm too lazy to skin and chop it, and I'd rather use an inferior product all the time than a superior one now and then. Slice the white ends of four to six green onions.
Heat a large broad pan and add a tiny bit of olive oil. I have spray cans of olive and canola that work fine for this. Roll the meat (or whatever) mix into 1" balls and add to the pan. The original recipe called for rolling them in flour. I dont, but whatever makes you happy. Brown them nicely all around. When thats done, add all the stuff you sliced and diced above. Toss until fragrant, a couple of minutes. No deep browning is needed here, but do what works for you. You might preserve the garlic until last, since it cooks and turns bitter a lot faster than the other aromatics.
Add one or two cans of coconut milk. You can use full or low fat. More cans = more broth to stuff ratio. I like two. Add one or two cans of stock...chicken or vegetable works well. I use a roasted vegetable stock I get from Trader Joes.
Roughly chop and add 2-4 tomato's, depending on how much you like tomato's. I add 3 romas, seeded and chopped.
Another variable, added veggies. A can of baby corn and a can of straw mushrooms are my base standard. You could add fresh corn or fresh mushrooms. I've put in bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, etc. Use whats fresh and local or buy a couple of big cans or frozen pouches of "stir fry vegetables" and throw those in. In the winter I use frozen and canned, in the summer when its all fresh and cheap, I use what looks good to me. Next time I do this I may add a diced sweet potato.
Simmer over medium heat until everything is warm and the meat is definitely done through.
I then add a green, either fresh baby bok choy or spinach. I got a nice big bunch of fresh spinach this afternoon, still had dirt clods on the roots. Turn off the heat, cover and let the greens "steam down" into the broth.
If you raise any fresh herbs, add a big double handful here. I raise several types of parsley and basil. I add some cinnamon basil leaves, some lime basil, and some italian curly parsley to this at the very last minute. Cillantro would also go well if you have it and you like it.
Serve in a big bowl with the chopped green remainder of the green onions over top and a half a lime to squeeze into the soup...the lime is ESSENTIAL. Big spoons and crusty bread.
After your first time through this, it goes together in about 15 minutes, you can use the fresh local ingredients, and its yummy.
If you're using chunks of extra firm tofu instead of meat, rub those with the same spice ingredients above, chill for an hour, and stir them in at the last minute before serving. Less fat, lower cost, and high protein, plus the benefits of soy isoflavones.
Bon appetit...