broccoli – Discover Healthy Food

Dirty Rice with Kielbasa and Broccoli

What would life be without rice?! It comes in many different varieties and goes with just about everything.

I usually prefer to cook basmati rice as a side dish, but having a box of ready to cook mix is really helpful for weekday meals. When I purchase these boxed rices, I often get the bigger size so that we have left overs for lunch. Here’s a quick weeknight meal suggestion.

Ingredients:

Kielbasa (I usually get the low sodium), cut into 1/4″ inch rounds
1 box Zatarain’s Dirty Rice
1 head of broccoli, small pieces
Olive oil

Directions:

1. Large skillet heated on medium, add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Heat the kielbasa for about 5 minutes to get some nice color and crispiness. Set aside cooked kielbasa.

2. Using same pan, cook Dirty Rice based on instructions.

3. During the last 5 minutes of cooking rice, add in the broccoli and kielbasa. Stir to mix together, replace lid and finish cooking last few minutes. Add about 1/4 cup water if needed, but there should be enough steam in the dish to cook the broccoli.

Veggie Notes:

You can omit the kielbasa all together, or add in veggie sausage.
In addition to broccoli, I like other veggies in this dish like diced bell peppers, white or yellow onion. Best to sauté first so the onion loses it’s bitterness. In my book, the more veggies the better!

Dish goes great with a leafy green salad too. Enjoy!

I’ll see you at the table!

Easy Chicken Tika Masala for Dinner

Working full time out of the house and raising a family has it’s own challenges. One of those challenges is meal preparation. Wherever I can cut corners to save on time – but still provide healthy and yummy food – I take those opportunities! This dinner is super easy to make because the hardest part of making the Chicken Tika Masala is already prepared for you. I’ve made Tika Masala from scratch before – several hours of prep and cook time – but my family loves this ready-made version from Costco more… win for Costco!

For an easy dinner for 4 people (2 adults, 2 teenagers) try this menu for Easy Chicken Tika Masala:

Sukhi’s Chicken Tika Masala from Costco
Basmati rice
Stonefire mini naan from Costco
Vegetable
1 cup cilantro, rough chop for garnish

Directions:

1. Use your rice cooker to prepare 1.5 uncooked rice.

2. While the rice is cooking, start a pot of water to boil. Once boiling, carefully drop in one of the bags of Sukhi’s Chicken Tika Masala. Don’t open the bag, keep it sealed to boil. You can start from frozen if you forgot to take out of the freezer earlier, it’ll just take a few minutes longer. I usually let it boil for about 8-10 minutes. You can microwave the Tika too, but I try to avoid microwaving food as much as possible so that it’s not rubbery. The boiling doesn’t take that long anyhow.

3. Prepare your vegetables while the Tika Masala is boiling. We prefer steamed broccoli or roasted Brussels sprouts. You can make a green salad too, but with this yummy masala sauce, I think you’ll enjoy having some warm veggies to dip into it.

4. The Stonefire Mini Naan is a great way to enjoy the Tika Masala. Keep it in the fridge to last longer. Just as you’re about to eat, toast the mini naan to heat it up. Stack on a plate to keep warm. Be careful, the bread will be hot out of the toaster.

To put on the table:

1. Put cooked rice in big bowl with serving spoon.

2. Carefully remove the Tika Masala package from the boiling water. Cut the edge with scissors and pour into a serving bowl – careful of splatters because it’ll be hot from the boiling water. Provide serving spoon.

3. Veggies in a bowl with a serving spoon.

4. Fresh chopped cilantro in a small bowl as a garnish for the Tika. This adds a wonderful extra layer of flavor.

5. Plate of toasted naan.

To plate from the table:

Each person will want a heaping scoop of basmati rice, then scoop the Tika Masala on the rice – add a sprinkle of cilantro! Scoop of veggies on the side of the rice. Break off a third the naan and scoop up some of the Tika Masala sauce, chicken and rice. Yum!

Leftovers make for a great work lunch the next day… if you have any left overs. Enjoy!

I’ll see you at the table!

Turkey Spiral Casserole

I find it very helpful to have dishes that I can make better all in one part, pan, baking dish. This casserole was inspired from a recipe that I got at Costco of all places! In typical Jennifer fashion, I’ve added some additional ingredients to really pack in the additional nutrition.

Serves 6
Ready in 55 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cups spiral pasta, cooked and drained (you can use macaroni too)
1 – 12.5 ounce can Harvest Creek diced turkey, drained (this is the turkey you can buy at Costco, any canned turkey will be good)
2 cups shredded cheese (I used a cheddar and Jack cheese combination, you could also do just Swiss cheese for a bolder flavor)
1 – 10 ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
one soup can of water
half white onion, diced
2 cups broccoli, small pieces
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In medium pot cook pasta until done.
3. Using a large mixing bowl to combine the turkey, cheese, soup, water, onion, broccoli, and black pepper.
4. Softly fold in the cooked pasta and transfer to a 9 x 13 baking dish.
5. Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes or until it is hot and bubbly.
6. Combine the Parmesan and bread comes in a small bowl then evenly spread out over the top of the casserole. Broil for about five minutes or until a nice golden brown color.

Serve with a large green salad. Enjoy!

I’ll see you at the table!

Recipe: Thai Coconut Chicken

I haven’t cooked this favorite recipe for years, but had a dear friend ask me for the recipe again, which I happily obliged. I love it when old friends continue to enjoy my recipes again and again… brings me much joy to my heart!

For you, sweet Lisa! xo

Thai Coconut Chicken: serves 4

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
2-14 oz can coconut milk
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 carrot julienne sliced
1 medium broccoli crown, cut into small florets
Olive oil
1 while onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced

Dry rub ingredients:
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (omit if you don’t like spicy)
1 tablespoon coriander
1 teaspoon black pepper

Garnish:
1 bunch of cilantro, rough chop
1 lime, cut into 4 wedges
1 cup of crushed peanuts
Spicy chili sauce – my favorite is Sriracha

Directions:
Using a gallon sized Ziploc bag, add all the dry rub ingredients and shake to mix together. Add raw chicken breasts and seal, leaving some air in the bag. Shake the bag to coat the chicken breasts evenly. Rub it around from the outside, if needed. Place in bowl and put in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 1 hour, ideally overnight.

In large skillet on medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When hot, add the onions and garlic, stirring constantly for about 1 minute.

Add the chicken and brown for 1-2 minutes per side. Be careful to not let the chicken breasts cook in one place in the pan for too long because will burn and rip off a section of the meat. Your goal is to keep the chicken breasts in one piece so that the juices will sear into the meat.

Slowly pour in the coconut milk and scrape up all the seasoning and bits stuck on the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Turn chicken breasts over halfway through and stir the coconut milk to make sure it’s not sticking to the bottom of the pan, plus helps to loosen all the yummy bits of cooked onion and spices and blend into the coconut milk. You’ll notice the milk turning a yellowish/orange color from the spices.

Add bell pepper, carrots and broccoli and stir until covered with the coconut milk. Cover and continue to simmer for 5 more minutes.

Serve immediately. Best served over rice – I prefer black rice or basmati rice. For garnish, toppings of cilantro, lime, peanuts and chili sauce are the best. I love it all, but best to allow others to choose how they want to garnish, so put these in individual bowls on the table for self serving.

To my old friends and new friends, enjoy!

Recipe: Lentil Vegetable Soup

While traveling, I look for places to stay where I have access to a kitchen which allows me to cook healthy food and save money from eating out all the time. A pot of soup that is ready to eat whenever I’m hungry is a great way to eat healthy too.

On the first night of this two week trip to Spain, I headed to the grocery store and bought several items to sustain me for a few days. Perhaps I bought too much because while walking home, several times I had to set the bags down in order to give my arms a break!

Cooking for someone else can be interesting too because they don’t always like what you like to eat. But, luckily my travel partner is game to try anything I will cook on this trip. She is curious to know what it would be like to try some recipes that don’t have sugar, oil nor salt.

Lentil Vegetable Soup: (Yield: 2 quarts)
Ingredients:
Half red bell pepper, diced
Half broccoli head, rough chop
Half yellow onion, diced
2 clove garlic, minced
2 small turnip, diced
5 small yellow potatoes, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 stalk leek, white end sliced in 1/4 inch rounds
2 medium zucchini, diced
3 stalk celery, diced
1-12oz can diced tomatoes
2 cup cooked lentils
2 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoon Italian seasoning

Directions:

Using a large soup pot, on medium high heat, water sauté the onion for about 5 minutes.
Add garlic and leek, continue water sauté for 3 minutes.
Add carrot, celery, bell pepper, continue water sauté for 3-5 minutes or until celery is soft.
Add broccoli, zucchini, can diced tomatoes, lentils and seasoning. Stir thoroughly and bring to soft bubbling boil.
In a separate pot, boil diced potato and turnip for 10-15 minutes until soft. Strain and add to vegetables when they have reached the soft boil. Stir to thoroughly incorporate.
Using a handheld blender, purée about 1/3 of the soup mixture. If you don’t have a blender, then you can enjoy a chunkier style.
Add the frozen peas, turn down heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
If you want it spicy, add 1 teaspoon dried chili pepper flakes.

Serve hot with bread or toasts. For a fuller meal, add a green salad and fruit for dessert. Enjoy!

Note from my travel companion: She added salt because is accustomed to eating food with added salt, but overall loved the soup and ate several meals from this one pot. Guess she liked it!

In the comments section below, let me know what you think of the recipe. Thank you!

Healthy food close to home and far away tastes great and fuels your body to have the energy to enjoy the trip. I’ll see you at the table!

Recipe: High Cruciferous Vegetable Stew

A little sun shining on my stew… It’s like God himself is pleased with this healthy dish! Another good one from the Eat To Live book.

Serves 10 (Yep! That’s going to be a lot of leftovers for us. But, I like do have extra for quick dinners during the week)

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups of water [we did 5 cups]
2 1/2 cups carrot juice
1/2 cup dried split peas
1/2 cup dried lentils
1/2 cup adzuki beans, soaked overnight, or no- or low-salt canned adzuki beans, drained and rinsed [we used one whole can]
1 bunch of kale, tough stems and center ribs removed and leaves coarsely chopped [we used half bunch]
1 bunch of collard greens, tough stems and center ribs removed and leaves coarsely chopped [we used half bunch]
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
8 ounces fresh or frozen Brussels sprouts, cut in half if large [we didn’t have any, so used 1/2 head of cauliflower cut into pieces]
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, cut in half [we didn’t include, I don’t like mushrooms]
10 ounces celery sticks, cut into 1-inch pieces [we used 8 stalks, diced]
3 leeks, coarsely chopped
3 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 parsnips, cut into 1-inch pieces [we didn’t have]
3 medium onions, diced
4 medium zucchini, cubed [we used 2 zucchini and 2 yellow crook neck squash]
4 cloves garlic, chopped, or 2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 (28-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, no-salt-added or low-sodium
1/4 cup Dr. Fuhrman’s VegiZest or other no-salt seasoning [we used 1/3 cup no-salt seasoning]
2 tablespoons Mrs. Dash [we didn’t use]
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup broccoli sprouts (optional) [we didn’t use]

DIRECTIONS:

Place all the ingredients except the parsley and sprouts in a large soup pot. Cover and bring to a simmer, cooking until the adzuki beans are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. (If using canned adzuki beans, simmer until the vegetables, lentils and split peas are tender and the flavors blend, about 1 hour.) In a food processor or high-powered blender, blend one-quarter of the soup until smooth. Return to the soup pot and stir in the parsley and broccoli sprouts (if using).

Restaurant Review: The Wild Grape

Business lunch in downtown Salt Lake area, so I invited my guest to join me at The Wild Grape. She hadn’t been before, so that was a nice bonus!

Pamela enjoyed the Beet Salad with side of grilled salmon. Love how the yellow beets are so bright and springy! She really liked the meal.

I enjoyed theGrape Salad. Their signature salad normally has an awesome honey vinaigrette, but to keep it vegan, I requested lemons instead. They provided me with steamed asparagus and broccoli rabe with garlic. This was a great vegan meal – hooray for another business lunch spot that meets my vegan preferences!

British folk love their chips, so Pamela tried a side of fries. I had a few… the salt and oil just about caused a coughing fit, but soooo good.

Restaurant Review: Slanted Door – CA

With a great view of the Bay Bridge, Slanted Door at the restored Ferry Building in San Francisco is a fabulous Vietnamese inspired restaurant. I heard about the Slanted Door from my brother, who is lucky enough to live in San Francisco. I mentioned the restaurant to my Vietnamese Utah manicurist and even he had heard about Slanted Door… cool!

After a 5 mile run across the Golden Gate Bridge, my long time friend Sharon and I were hungry for something healthy and yummy. Off to Slanted Door we go!

Based on the crowds, we expected a long wait but were pleasantly surprised with a quick seat outside. The glass wall between the outdoor eating space and the pier walkway makes for a nice wind break, but didn’t obstruct the view… and views are always beautiful in San Francisco!

The service was perfect as the waiter came often enough, but not too often. When I’m out to lunch with a friend, I don’t want to be interrupted too often. Other than occasional water refills and random needs, I thought that their frequency of service was just right.

Lunch consisted of:

Pho
Lemon grass chicken
Chinese broccoli
Spicy chicken stir fry
Spring rolls with peanut sauce.

Amazing. Flavors were not too spicy. The vegetables were fresh and crisp. The sauces were complimentary. I can see why this restaurant is so popular. Next time you’re in San Francisco, I highly recommend that you check it out.

I can’t wait to try some other dishes at the Slanted Door again… and hopefully Klint will be with me next time!