Saturday, November 24, 2012

Whole Wheat Pelmeni!


There are so many delicious places to eat out in Bellingham. One of my personal favorite is Pelmeni. Pelmeni is a very successful Russian dumpling restaurant on State street with two menu items: beef or potato. Every time I go and spend 6 dollars I always wonder: if they are able to make so many Pelmeni in such large quantities I bet I could too while improving the recipe. So, that is exactly what I have done. I have replace the white flour with whole wheat flour and the beef with ground turkey and pork. Here is my healthier Pelmeni recipe for a fraction of the price. Enjoy!


Ingredients



Dough:

1 ½ cups Whole Wheat Flour
2 eggs
½ cup warm water
½ tsp salt

Filling:
¼ lb ground turkey
¼ lb ground Pork
½ onion grated
3 cloves garlic minced
salt and pepper

Directions

1. Pour flour onto a large cutting board and make a volcano
2. In a mixing bowl mix eggs, water, and salt together
3. Pour half the egg mixture into the volcano and carefully mix dough together
4. Add the rest of the egg mixture slowly until dough just comes together, you may not use all egg mixture
5. Kneed the dough for about 5 minutes
6. Place dough in a bowl, cover with cellophane, let rest for 30 minutes
7. While dough rests, place turkey, pork, onion, garlic, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl and mix until completely combined.
















Forming the Dumplings

You can make the Pelmeni any size that you like. The ones at Pelmeni are about the size of a chestnut. I chose to make mine a little bigger to make it easier to work with the dough this first time. By the end I was able to make tiny dumplings that would be great in chicken soup!











Directions


1.  Cut the dough into small pieces and roll into small balls like seen in photos
2. Dusk the the ball with flour so it does not stick
3. I used a wine glass to roll out the dough, make sure it is very thin
4. Roll until about 2 inches in diameter.
5. Place a small amount of meat mixture into center of dough
6. Pull sides together and pinch all sides to close the dumpling
7. Pull the ends of the dumpling together to form the shape of the dumpling
8. Dust with flour so it does not stick with others
9. Repeat until all dough or mixture is gone.

Cooking


1. Boil a large pot of salted water
2. Reduce heat to simmer and place desired amount of dumplings into water
3. Cook until the dumplings float
4. Cook for an additional minute or two
5. Drain and serve in bowl with white wine vinegar, salt, pepper, curry powder, chopped cilantro or dill, and sour cream on the side.

The pelmeni also freeze great! Now, we all know that this is not a balanced meal, there are not veggies or fruits! I would highly recommend making a spinach and yam filling pelmeni with your meat pelmeni to make sure you are getting enough vitamins and minerals with dinner. A great veggie substitute for the meat is mushrooms (especially chanterelles). Enjoy! Remember to have passion for your food and compassion for your body :)








Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Substituting Stroganoff




There are many recipes that can be improved in little ways to vastly improve the nutrition of the dish without disrupting the flavor. Today I am going to give you a list of some healthy substitutes along with a fantastic recipe! Some of these substitutes may seem obvious and some may seem silly but if given an open mind I think everyone could really see the benefits. Here is my list of favorite substitutes:

      1.     Whole Wheat Flour, I know this is a duhhh but I’m not talking just with the breads or pastas. Who told us we couldn’t make our cookies out of whole wheat?
      2.     Unsweetened applesauce for butter or olive oil (in baking). This one is amazing! I have made everything from brownies to bread by replacing the olive oil or butter with unsweetened applesauce.
      3.     Evaporated skim milk for cream. This is a great way to lower the saturated fat while still keeping the thick creamy flavor.
      4.     Olive oil for butter (in cooking).  In previous posts we have already discussed the benefits of replacing the saturated fats in the diet with unsaturated fats and this is an easy place to start.
      5.     Quinoa for couscous. Couscous is in fact a form of pasta. It is made from refined white flour there for there is a way to improve it. The best way I think is quinoa. It has virtually the same flavor with a much healthier profile.
      6.     Ground Turkey for ground beef. This is a great substitute. It has much less saturated fat.

Tonight I made one of my favorite dishes making 3 easy substitutes in order to significantly improve the health while still creating one delicious dish: Stroganoff. I took the classic Beef Stroganoff with pasta and turned it into Ground Turkey and Spaetzle. Okay, I feel like maybe you read the work Spaetzle a few times trying to figure out what exactly it is I was trying to spell. I assure you Spaetzle will be a new favorite after this. They are a cross between a past and a tiny dumpling. You make a batter that is sieved through a colander into boiling water to make the small pasta like dumplings. The three substitutes I make were ground turkey for beef, whole wheat Spaetzle instead of white, and condensed skin milk instead of cream.

Ground Turkey Stroganoff
 
Ingredients

1.5 pounds ground turkey
12 whole cremini mushrooms sliced
2 shallots ½ inch dice
1 tbsp thyme
1 tbsp better than bouillon paste
½ cup White Wine
Condensed Skim Milk
 
Directions
     1.     Place ground turkey in skillet over medium high heat until all pink is gone. Salt and pepper. Set aside with juices from meat.
2.     In same skillet add 1 tbsp canola oil and shallots over medium heat.
3.     Once shallots have become see through add the cremini mushrooms, thyme, and allow to caramelize
4.     Add white wine and bouillon and stir till completely dissolved.
5.     Add ground turkey back into skillet
6.     Add condensed skim milk until desired thickness and creaminess.
7.     Allow to cook together for another 3-5 minutes
      8.  Salt and pepper to taste







Colander Spaetzle

Ingredients

2 eggs
½ cup water
1 ½ c whole-wheat flower
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking powder
Dash of nutmeg





Directions

     1.     Bring a pot of water to boil
     2.     Meanwhile, In a small bowl beat eggs and water together
     3.     In a larger mixing bowl at all other ingredients
      4.     Whisk eggs and water into the dry ingredients
      5.     Beat with a spatula until batter becomes gluteny
      6.     Hold colander over water, place mixture in colander and using a    spatula push the contents through the holes of the colander.
      7.     When finished bring back to a boil and turn off heat.
      8.     Strain Spaetzle
      9.     In a skillet with 1 tbsp olive oil add the Spaetzle and toss until Spaetzle just starts to become a little crispy on the edges











Monday, November 5, 2012

Sushi Sunday!



Sushi night is always one of my favorites. It is easier than you would think, more fun than going out to sushi and it is much nicer on your wallet. Last post we touched on the different types of fats: saturated, unsaturated, and trans fat. The Squash Soup was a way to get a creamy taste without adding cream or  other saturated fats. This post is about finding health alternatives to our protein choices to lessen the dangerous fats and allow for the healthy fats in our diets. Many of our popular protein choices in America today are high in saturated fats. The fat you can see in steaks or other animal proteins is mostly all saturated fats and a lot of it at that. High saturated fat diets have been seen to lead to many diseases like heart disease. Although there are many different benefits to red meat including minerals such as iron only a limited amount should be consumed. When fatty animal meat is limited fish is a great meat to get the protein you need with the healthy unsaturated fats such as Omega-3. Omega-3 and Omega-6 are two types of fatty acids that our bodies need and cannot make themselves. Omega-3 and Omega-6 are both shown to have great health benefits including lower blood pressure for a heathy heart and brain functions. There are many tasty and healthy fish dishes you can prepare but I would like to share with you sushi making. This is a fun way to make dinner with friends and family. It gives everyone an opportunity to be a part of the process. Enjoy!




The first part to making sushi is the shopping. There are a few necessities but lots of room to make your favorite creations for any kind of sushi you would like to make. Let us start with the shopping list:

Essential

  • Bamboo sushi roller (you can find at Haggen)
  • Sushi seaweed paper
  • Sushi Rice (I use Kokuho Rose)
  • 1 carrot, julienne 
  • 1 cucumber, julienne
  • 1 avocado sliced
  • Sushi grade fish, I use tuna from the Coop
  • Wasabi
  • Soy Sauce

Optional


  • Imitation Crab
  • Cream cheese (very little remember this is the saturated fat)
  • Panko Flakes (adds a crunch to your sushi)
  • Any thing else you desire from tobico caviar to apple slices (get creative)

Once you have all your ingredients you need to make your sushi rice. The trick to making the sticky rice is FOLLOW DIRECTIONS. This is one of the only times I will say don't try and be creative. The best say to make the rice is to follow this video (I do not use the kombu seaweed in the video). Make sure you rinse the rice very very well.

After the rice is made and the veggies are julienned it is now finally time to assemble and make your creations! 





Directions

1. Lay your sushi mat on a flat surface such as a cutting board or counter top.
2. Lay one sheet of sushi seaweed paper on top of sushi mat
3. Wet fingers to keep sushi rice from sticking to your hands and flatten a layer of rice on 3/4 of the seaweed paper
4. Place a few grains of sticky rice onto the edge of the paper to allow the sushi roll to stick together on the ends
5. Add the desired ingredients, here are some of my favorite combos:
        ~California Roll: Imitation Crab, Carrot, Cucumber, and avocado
        ~Tuna, cream cheese, and cucumber
        ~Spicy Tuna (recipe at bottom), carrot, cucumber
        ~Spicy Tuna and Creme Cheese
        ~Imitation Crab, cream cheese, and panko flake
        ~ Avocado, carrot, and cucumber
        ~Anything your heart desires

6. After you have your ingredients chosen make sure it is not too much and place about an inch from the edge of the start of the rice layer

































7. After the ingredients are placed it is time to roll. Orient the sushi paper so the side lacking rice on the edge is farthest away from you. Grab the paper and rice closest to you and fold over on top of the ingredients. Try and tuck the paper tightly under the ingredients and proceed to roll the sushi as tight at possible.

8. Once the roll is formed roll it into the bamboo sushi mat and press firmly between hands to form a tight roll.
9. When cutting the sushi you want to use the sharpest knife you have. Wet the knife under cold water. When slicing the sushi try and make one cut through the sushi as apposed to sawing the knife back and forth.
10. After slicing the sushi place on a platter and proceed to the next roll.




There are many different ingredients to use and many different ways to roll your sushi. For tips on rolling youtube is your friend. Enjoy your glorious sushi dinner! Be creative and remember to have passion for your food and compassion for your body. Cheers!

Spicy Tuna Recipe

1 cup Chopped Tuna
1 tbsp Mayo
1 tbsp Ground Chili Paste (Asian aisle at Haggen)
Sriracha to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. You can leave tuna as coarse or as fine as desired.









Monday, October 22, 2012

'Tis the Season to be Squashy




There are many things to dread in the northwest with the change of seasons including the lack of sun. Along with the cold weather people tend to be pulled towards the comfort food, generally high fat and high starch foods, such as pasta with a cream sauce or maybe the chicken pot pie. Once I get my first squash in my CSA basket from Terra Verde I am fully prepared for the return of soup season. There are ways to make that creamy rich soup while staying away from the bottle of heavy cream, it is possible. 

When shopping through the market there are people who grab and go and people who linger and read the ingredients or labels of the goods they are buying. What are people looking at on the labels? They obviously care about their health in some shape or form but are they looking at the right things? Instead of tackling the whole Nutrition label lets just look at one component, the fats. Let's understand the breakdown and know what it means to consume saturated or unsaturated fats what what is can do to your health.

Most Nutritional Fact labels are broken into the main categories of Calories, Total Fats, Cholesterol, Sodium, Total Carbohydrates, and Protein. Some then have subcategories and even sub-subcategories. Under Total Fat there are 2 main subcategories specified, saturated and trans fat. There are many more types of fat but these are the two that are sub-labeled, why? Because they are seen as the most important to recognize. Both trans fat and saturated fat have been linked to many diseases including heart disease. Lipids start with a chain of carbons linked with single bonds. Saturated fat are lipids that are saturated with hydrogens to every carbon, some examples are coconut oil or animal fats. Unsaturated fats are lipids that are not completely saturated with hydrogens there for some of the carbons are required to form a double bond, some examples are canola oil or Flaxseeds. Trans Fat is the last subcategory usually specified on a label. Trans Fats are polyunsaturated fats that are made more hydrogenated making them more stable. One way of determining stability in a fat is by its physical properties at room temperature. A saturated fat or trans fat is characterized by being in a solid state at room temperature. A unsaturated fat is characterized by being a liquid at room temperature. Most foods come with a combination of different fats and it is that combination we need to look at. Both saturated fats and trans fats have been linked to disease so it is important to minimize those intakes. That can be hard, so a good way to instead of decreasing your total fat intake is to first replace the saturated fats you would have eaten with unsaturated fats. Is canola oil instead of butter. Even better in our recipe today is eliminating the saturated fats by using rich squash and cauliflower puree instead of heavy cream.




Winter Squash Soup


8 cups Stock (chicken or veggie)
1 Red Kuri Squash (or any winter squash of your choice)
½ Butternut Squash
3 cups small Potatoes cut in half (such as fingerling)
1 small head of cauliflower cut from stem and chopped
½ large onion
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Large Shallot
Crisped Ham for garnish

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400
  2. Cut Red Kuri and Butternut squash in half and remove seeds, spray with oil, salt and pepper. Place squashes on baking sheet and cook in oven for 40 minutes or until tender. Test for tenderness with a fork. May want to do this step the day before.
  3. While squashes are cooking bring a pot of water to boil with potatoes in it and bring stock to boil in a separate pot. Cook potatoes until tender.
  4. Dice the ½ large onion and put into an oiled pan with cauliflower to caramelize on medium high. This may take 15 minutes or more. After onions are caramelized add about 1 cup stock to pan and cover. Allow cauliflower and onions to steam until very tender.
  5. Once squash has cooked remove from skin and put half the batch into the blender with enough stock to allow contents to blend till a smooth puree. You may need to stop the blender a few times and stir to get a good puree. Do the same with the second batch. Depending on blender size it may take more then two batches to blend. Empty into a bowl or pot.
  6. Put the cauliflower, onion, and stock mixture into blender and blend until smooth. You will need to add more stock to make a smooth puree. Add to squash puree in bowl or pot.
  7. Drain potatoes when they are tender and smash with a fork. Add to purees.
  8. Add remaining stock to puree and mix until combine. Salt and pepper to taste.
  9. Dice shallots and sauté in pan with olive oil until tender. Mix into soup.
  10. Dish up, garnish with cooked chicken breast, crisped prosciutto or ham.

Don't forget to save the seeds and roast them (especially the meaty Red Kuri seeds)



Sunday, October 14, 2012

Enough with the Eight Dollar Sandwich

School has started and it is way too easy to just go for that $8 sandwich instead of making your own lunch in the morning. It is close to impossible for me to make and pack a lunch in the morning and still make it to campus on time. The other options on campus are either way more expensive, not for the nutritionist, or not for the foodie. Usually it ends up a mixture of the three. I have been able to solve my lunch dilemma with a little extra time added onto my Sunday dinner. 

The only thing stopping me from a healthy lunch is the need for complete convenience. For me, it's not about just making lunch the night before, it's about making them all before the hectic week even begins. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to make all your PB&Js on sunday night for the week but really there are many different ways to make a nutritious and delicious lunch that will last for the week in the fridge. You can make soup, pasta salad, slow cooked stews, breakfast parfait, the list keeps going. Storing them can be a pain but ever since I started canning I realized there are a ton of more uses you can get out of a Mason Jar then just canning, including lunch storage. Mason Jars are my new favorite Tupperware. You can buy all different sizes and the top fits on all of them! Just pick whether you want a wide mouth jar or a narrow mouth jar for your collection. I have both for different canning projects but I still only need to sift through 2 different sizes of tops. There is no more time searching through your tupperware for the one matching top, AND there are no leaks or spills! Mason Jars have the air tight seal so you don't have to worry about your soup leaking all over your work. I don't see any better way to bring my lunches to school. For the first of the many Mason Jar Meals to come here is a n all time favorite: quinoa salad.


Layered Quinoa Salad


Ingredients

1 cup Quinoa
2 cups Water
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
8 Cremini Mushrooms, chopped
1/2 Onion, diced
1/2 tablespoon "Better than Bouillon" (optional)
1/2 bunch Asparagus, cut into 2 inch sticks
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1+ cup cooked Spinach
1+ cup fresh diced Tomatoes
Salt and Pepper to taste 
5  Pint Narrow Mouth Mason Jars

Instructions

1. Bring water to a boil, add quinoa and reduce heat or low, cover with top
2. Allow Quinoa to cook for 20 minutes or until water is gone
3. While Quinoa cooks sauté mushrooms and onions with olive oil in a pan over medium high heat 
4. Cook down until onions  and mushrooms are tender
5. Add "Better than Bouillon" beef stock paste to mushrooms for flavor (can be found at Costco) and salt and pepper to taste
6. Set mushrooms and onions aside to cool
7. Using the same pan as mushrooms and onions add olive oil, asparagus, salt and pepper to taste
8. Allow asparagus to cook down until tender
9. Set aside Asparagus to cool
10. Add spinach to pan and allow to cook down, salt and pepper to taste
11. Using 5 narrow mouth pint jars layer spinach on the bottom of each, then diced tomatoes, quinoa, mushroom mixture, and asparagus.
12. If there are left overs, make an extra for a saturday lunch or have it with your dinner!

This post, like all, is about being creative with your food. Add some chicken or tofu for more protein (any protein you desire). Enjoy your time in the kitchen and at the table. Remember, have passion for your food and compassion for your body! 








Friday, October 5, 2012

Subscriber to Fiber


Diet after diet tries to tell you eliminating something is going to solve a weight problem and usually the diet asks you to remove one of our essential nutrients. There are about 45 essential nutrients our body needs to complete its processes. To name a few, there are fats, carbohydrates, sugars, minerals, and vitamins. It is pertinent that we allow our body all the nutrients it needs and requires in the most balanced way possible.

For many of these diet fads carbohydrates are the enemy when really they are exactly the opposite. Carbohydrates can be broken down into two categories, simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates are the sugars and complex carbohydrates are the starches and fibers. This is where I see the big issue in cutting out carbohydrates: cutting out fiber.

What makes fiber so different from the other carbohydrates? The enzymes in the body cannot break down the connecting sugars; therefore the fiber passes through the body. Water soluble fibers break up in water and form a gel making them easily digested. These soluble fibers are found in oats, barley, legumes, and citrus fruits. Insoluble fibers do not dissolve in water and are found in whole grains and vegetables. Both of these dietary fibers are shown to reduce heart disease, diabetes, diverticular cancer, and colon cancer to name a few. 



Now comes the challenge for some: finding ways to eat adequate dietary fiber that actually tastes good. My BeePower Bars are one my favorite breakfast items packed with all the nutrients needed to wake up our brains and our digestion. When I'm craving my bars I will make a batch at the beginning of the week as a part of my breakfast, lunch, or workout recovery snack. This is a great recipe to start from but it leaves a ton of room for creativity. If you hate raisins then add whatever dried fruit you love. If you are allergic to wheat there are great substitutes for the few wheat ingredients. And on top of the convenience and creativity of this recipe, they actually do taste delicious! Foodie vs. Nutrition, I say it's a tie!





BeePower Bars

Ingredients 

1 cup prunes, chopped
1/3 cup golden raisins, chopped
1/3 cup sour cherries, chopped
1/3 cup dried blueberries
1 ½ cup whole oat flour
½ cup finally ground pecans
½ cup chopped pecans
½ cup finally ground almonds
½ cup chopped almonds
2 tbsp oat bran
3 tbsp ground flaxseed
1/3 cup flaxseed
2 tbsp Cream of Wheat or Cream of Rice
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
3 tbsp honey
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tbsp water








Cooking Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F
  2. Measure out and chop all dried fruits, add to bowl
  3. Grind pecans and almonds in food processor or nut flours can be purchase (Bob's Redmill or Coop bulk section)
  4. Mix all ingredients in bowl until completely combined
  5. Spray pan with vegetable spray or line with parchment paper
  6. Empty mix into 9x9 baking pan and press down evenly with hands
  7. Bake in oven for 35 minutes
  8. Let cool in baking pan
  9. Turn pan over onto a cutting board to remove from pan
  10. Each recipe should yield approximately 15 bars. 
Like I said, substitute anything, be creative and remember to have passion for your food with compassion for your body.