Chinese Noodles with Sticky Orange Maple Sauce & Chicken { every day dinners }

As a food blogger (a title I'm still not quite o.k. with for some reason)  it would probably be wise to stick with one or maybe two types of cuisine that I'm familiar with and try perfecting and blogging about said cuisine. For instance, I am a native Zonie (From Arizona for those of you who don't speak Gwen). Meaning, I've lived here since I was an infant so I have self proclaimed myself a native, grandfathered in if you will.

Therefore, it would probably be wise of me to stick with the foods and flavors from the Southwest.  Yet, while Southwestern and Mexican foods happen to be one of my most favorite foods, how could they not be growing up in the midst of such a lavish and exuberant culture with spices and sauces that will set your very soul on fire? I find myself with a wondering palate. 

So, as much as I adore and often crave the flavors of the Southwest, I simply could not live on jalapenos and habeneros alone. Oddly enough, as a self proclaimed Native Zonie living in the middle of the desert,  my absolute favorite foods happen to stem from the sea. Sea Bass, Salmon, Smoked Swordfish, Grilled Crab, Barbecued Shrimp and even the occasional anchovy when it's involved in a lovingly made Puttenesca sauce.  Sushi?  Hell ya!  Breakfast is served!




Which brings us to Chinese food. Obviously.

As I mentioned, I have a wandering palate. I love that about me.

I also am not a huge fan of pasta, but I looooveeee noodles.

Stay with me.

It's all about the sauce. Correct me if I'm wrong please but a noodle is a noodle is a noodle (except, once I did have an amazingly wonderful, seriously fresh, home made linguine that would knock your socks off, another time.) and again, really, it's all about the sauce.  

Sticky sweet, orange maple balsamic sauce with an Oriental flare. 

Schazaaam! 

If you can find these twisty, curly "Ramen" style noodles I prefer them in this sticky sauce, kids and adults alike find them a fun noodle to slurp up with extra sauce. Otherwise, use regular soba noodles or even the cheap, packaged Ramen noodles will work though not as thick and yummy.

PREP TIME    15 MINUTES        COOK TIME     15 MINUTES      SERVES 4

Ingredients

1, 6 oz package oriental noodles, cooked according to package directions

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked

2 cups broccoli florets

1 small red bell pepper, julienned

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon sesame oil

sesame seeds for garnish

for the sauce

2 teaspoons tamari (organic, gluten free, low sodium soy sauce)

2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

4 teaspoons maple balsamic vinegar (or 3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup or honey)

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1 teaspoon orange zest

4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, whisked in

red pepper flakes, if you please

Cook chicken. I use my pressure cooker at 2nd ring for 8 minutes for very moist chicken breasts.

Whisk together ingredients for sauce, set aside.

Bring water to a boil, blanch broccoli florets for 3-4 minutes. Remove with a large, slotted spoon and place in colander and rinse with cool water to prevent from cooking further. Set aside. Return water to boil,  cook noodles according to package directions. Drain noodles.

In a large wok, preheated over medium high heat add sesame oil. Toss in red bell pepper, drained broccoli and garlic and toss a few times. Cook for just 2-3 minutes being careful not to burn garlic. 

Re-wisk sauce.

Combine noodles, sauce, broccoli, peppers and chicken in a large bowl. Toss to combine. 

Enjoy!

Read more ...

Fight the Holiday Fat ~ Delicious Snacks and Light Meals! ~ All about Beets

So who got through Thanksgiving without stuffing themselves silly?  * hangs head in shame...

I pep talked myself till I was sick of hearing the sound of my own voice but managed to fill my plate and go back for seconds when it came down to it. That wouldn't be so bad except that while we are extremely lucky in that we have lots of family close by, it also means we have 2 or 3 T-Day dinners and are sent home with left over rolls and pies galore! Even my 5 year old, Jack exclaimed as we made our way to Papa and Nanna's for our 3rd ( his 4th including his Kindergarten feast) holiday party "Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving! Is it ever going to end!" 

 It's o.k., I'm not complaining really I just need to nip it in the bud and stick to a mostly

Raw veggie/fruit and whole grains and legume diet so I will still fit into my jeans after Christmas!

Here are some of my favorite low-calorie, vitamin rich snacks and light meals.

Simple Chilled Gazpacho      Gorgonzola and Pecan Stuffed Figs

Spicy Broccoli Quinoa    Grapefruit Quinoa Salad    Thai Garden Veggie Wraps with Peanut Sauce

Grilled Rosemary Salmon over Lentils Rustico

Last week I was at the grocery store with my 4 year old, Nolan and he pointed to some bunches of Organic beets and said "What's that?" I realized that we have only ever had pickled beets in our salads and immediately picked up a bunch of beets to take home with us.

Simple Beet and Orange Salad

To Make Salad:

In a medium sauce pan, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Trim and wash beets, no need to peel. Cut them into 2 inch pieces to cut down on cooking time! Boil gently for 30-40 minutes until fork pierces them easily.

Remove, let cool. Skins should slide off very easily now.  Toss cooled beets with orange segments and squeeze some orange juice over top. Fresh mint would be lovely tossed in with this salad!

I hope you take the time to read through these amazing health benefits of beets!

NUTRITION:

Beets are surprisingly sweet and mild tasting and make an excellent snack with oranges and in salads.

They are super easy to prepare and are a vitamin mega veggie with very high levels of A, B1, B2, B6 and C!

While the sweet beet root has some of the minerals in its greens to a lesser degree, it is also a remarkable source of choline, folic acid, iodine, manganese, organic sodium, potassium, fiber and carbohydrates in the form of natural digestible sugars.

The beets belong to the same family as chard and spinach. Beet leaves have a bitter taste like chard, but are rich in chlorophyll and higher in iron than spinach! Although bitter, the greens have a higher nutritional value than its roots. The greens have high levels of calcium, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, sodium and iron.

Both beet root and beet greens are very powerful cleansers and builders of the blood.

 HEALTH BENEFITS:

Beets have long been known for its amazing health benefits for almost every part of the body.

• Acidosis: Its alkalinity is essential and effective in combating acidosis.

• Anemia: The high content of iron in beets regenerates and reactivates the red blood cells and supplies fresh oxygen to the body. The copper content in beets help make the iron more available to the body. A great blood builder.

• Atherosclerosis: This wonderful crimson juice is a powerful solvent for inorganic calcium deposits that cause the arteries to harden.

• Blood pressure: All its healing and medicinal values effectively normalizes blood pressure, lowering high blood pressure or elevating low blood pressure.

• Cancer: Betaine, an amino acid in beet root, has significant anti-cancer properties. Studies show that beets juice inhibits formation of cancer-causing compounds and is protective against colon or stomach cancer.

• Constipation: The cellulose content helps to ease bowel movements. Drinking beets juice regularly will help relieve chronic constipation.

• Detoxification: The choline from this wonderful juice detoxifies not only the liver, but also the entire system of excessive alcohol abuse, provided consumption is ceased.

• Gastric ulcer: Mix honey with your beets juice and drink two or three times a week on an empty stomach (more frequently if your body is familiar with beets juice). It helps speed up the healing process.

• Gall bladder and kidney ailments: Coupled with carrot juice, the superb cleansing virtues are exceptional for curing ailments relating to these two organs.

Choosing and Storing Beets: Choose beet roots that are firm and unwrinkled. With the greens attached, beets can keep for only three to four days in the fridge as the root has to supply moisture to the leaves. Without the greens attached, beet root can keep for a couple of weeks.

Beets with round bottoms are sweeter than flat-bottomed ones. Eat beets fresh to enjoy its flavor better. Do not overheat beets when cooking as heat destroys all the essential nutrients. Remove the skin before cooking.

 HOW CAN YOU GET MORE BEETS INTO YOUR DIET?

1. Boil, steam or pickle them and add them to salads.


2. Eat them with a variety of fruits and veggies, they are sweet all by themselves!


3. Juice them or blend them with other fruits or veggies for an amazing detox!

A Word of Caution!

Individuals with a history of oxalate-containing kidney stones should limit their consumption of beets.

As beetroot juice is very potent, do not consume too much, especially if your body is not yet accustomed to it. For a beginner, start with the juice of half a medium-sized beetroot once a week, slowly increasing to one whole beetroot a week.

This delicious juice is so potent that it may cause some dizziness during cleansing as toxins are being eliminated. This process may cause some discomfort but there is nothing to be alarmed about. During this time, drink plenty water also to flush out the toxic materials.

Read more ...

Summer Broccoli-Citrus Salad with Prosciutto and Almonds

I was lucky enough to be invited to do a guest post on one of my absolute favorite blogs, Perry's Plate. What an honor. Natalie and I share a common interest in healthy and wonderful food so I had to come up with something not only healthy but delicious and fun as well. In sticking with the Simply Healthy Family standard, I also wanted to keep the dish simple and fuss free. Real Food for Real People. This is a dish anyone  can make and yet be proud to serve at a picnic or party. Please do stop by Natalie's beautiful site for this recipe and for your dinner, breakfast and dessert inspiration.

My dad was kind enough to invite all of us over to his gorgeous home for a big family BBQ last week. The weather was absolutely divine here in the suburbs of Phoenix and the huge trees in his backyard and constant cool breeze blowing through them made for a perfect backyard BBQ.

My dad is extremely serious about his landscape. It's a crazy passion that all of us 9 kids tease him about. He is very aware if even one single small plant or shrub 'burns out' or is looking sickly and is on top of it immediately. His front and back yards are huge and the variety and beauty of the artfully arranged desert vegetation far surpasses the Botanical Gardens in my opinion. Just ask him the name of a newly planted specimen and he will gladly tell you all about it's origin and why it is planted exactly where it is. Funny guy. It does create a very serene setting to sit and relax  next to the pool with friends and family. We are lucky ducks.

Oh, my point and I do have one....

The BBQ. Typically, BBQ's are not the healthiest of events. You have your hamburgers, hot dogs or other hunks of meat. Then there are the sides which usually include one or more of the following unhealthy foods: Potato Salad, Cole Slaw, 7 Layer Bean Dip, Macaroni Salad, Ambrosia Fruit Salad,

 Baked {sugary} Beans, Potato Chips and Soda or Lemon Aid.

I have been given the stink eye when ever I've mentioned that I am not in love with any of these foods (o.k., maybe the bean dip). Nope, not even hamburgers. And it's not just because they are unhealthy or because I have anything against meat per say, well that's not entirely true, but that's a whooooole other story. I simply just don't care for those types of foods. They are heavy, greasy,  mayonnaise-e and leave me feeling Yucky.

I'd much rather have a salad that's a real salad. Which in my view isn't covered up in mayo or smothered with cheese or Ranch Dressing. I honestly prefer to taste my veggies and to brighten their natural flavors with, well, natural flavors. What a concept huh? Take this Summer Broccoli Salad for instance.

Typically, in my experience at least, when you see a broccoli type salad at a picnic, BBQ, or get together it is tossed in some sort of creamy dressing and that's if there's a broccoli salad at all, usually it's 3 different varieties of potato salad.

I made this salad very light and healthy yet still sweet, salty and tangy, perfect for an outdoor summer supper. By very quickly blanching the broccoli, then tossing it with lemon and mandarin juices whisked with a drizzle of Organic honey it becomes a treat for the tastebuds. To make it worthy of a party side dish, I added oh-so-wonderful Prosciutto and tossed it all together with Mandarin orange segments and thinly sliced almonds which gently stuck to the broccoli giving the salad a bit of a toasty crunch.

Roll up 2 pieces of thinly sliced prosciutto and cut into thin strips.

Remember to visit Perry's Plate for the entire recipe and say hi! 

Read more ...

Shaved Brussels and Mandarin Salad with Tahini Orange Dressing

Shaving the Brussels sprouts makes them incredibly taste tester friendly. This salad is chok full of power foods, vitamins and most importantly, flavor! The tahini-honey dressing pairs marvelously with the sweet oranges and brightens the earthy cabbage and onion flavors.

I'd love to stay and chat but I have a very important move to watch with 3 of my favorite little people in the world!

recipe adapted from Cookie and Kate

TIME        15   MINUTES  HANDS ON     30 MINUTES  MARINATING              SERVES      8



You Will Need


1 pound Brussels sprouts
3 Organic carrots
1/2 purple onion, peeled and sliced thinly
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1-2 Mandarin oranges, peeled and segmented
2 tablespoons sesame seeds



Tahini Dressing


1/2 cup Tahini paste
2 tablespoons * Raw, Organic, local honey
1 tablespoon *Tamari sauce
2 tablespoons good quality apple cider vinegar like Braggs
2-4 tablespoons orange juice (to desired consistency)




Using a paring knife, cut the ends off of the sprouts and remove outer couple of leaves. Place the trimmed sprouts in a bowl. Discard ends and leaves. Place the trimmed sprouts in a food processor using the slicing blade or slice them with a paring knife.

Peel the carrots and shred them with a julienne peeler or in your food processor. Toss them in a bowl with the shredded sprouts. Thinly slice the onion and toss them with the other veggies and the segmented oranges.

Prepare the dressing in a small bowl by whisking all ingredients together. You can double or triple the dressing recipe and store in an airtight container for up to 10-14 days. Makes a wonderful dip for spring rolls or wontons.

Toss the dressing with the salad and let marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day (makes wonderful leftovers).  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve chilled. 

Using Organic local honey is not only good for the environment but helps control seasonal allergies!


Tamari is a lower sodium, usually Organic and gluten free alternative to soy sauce.

Read more ...