Combo Fried Rice

Every now and then I get an insatiable craving for fried rice. Growing up, it was a comfort food. On one occasion, I was so rushed to make it backstage before a performance, my go-to fast food was an order of pork fried rice. Now that I’m watching my calories, my carbs, and my sodium I thought it’d be important to give a healthy version of fried rice a try.

Hubby still hates whole grains, so I thought this would be a great way to disguise the much loathed brown rice with a little bit of soy sauce flavor but still all the look of a heavily soyed fast food rice.  It even surprised my coworkers when I brought this in as my lunch - they couldn't tell the brown color was from the rice and not the soy sauce! 

Note:  The ham I used was really salty so I didn't need much soy in addition to this - if you manage to find an unsalted or lower sodium ham, I recommend adjusting to taste.

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked and cooled brown/white rice mix (1 ½ c brown, ½ c white)
¼ lb chicken or turkey breast, cut into strips and sautéed in olive oil until cooked
½ lb raw shrimp, deveined and unshelled and sautéed in olive oil until just opaque
¼ lb cured ham slice, cubed
2 – 3 green onions, chopped
1 medium yellow onion diced
1 ½ cup frozen peas and carrots
2 whole eggs, scrambled
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce mixed with 1 tbsp cold water



Prepare the chicken and shrimp and cook in olive oil. Set aside with cubed ham.

In a separate skillet, sauté the onion until translucent. Add the frozen peas and carrots and heat until warm. Set aside

Using the same pan, cook the scrambled eggs until firm. Dice on a cutting board and set aside with green onions.

Heat a wok with peanut oil on medium high.  Add the cooked meats and reheat. Set aside.

Add the cooked rice to the wok, adding more peanut oil if necessary. Add the low sodium soy sauce and water mixture to the rice and work quickly to toss the rice with the soy.

Add the cooked meat and mix.

Add the peas and carrots and onions and mix.

Lastly add the scrambled egg and green onions. Mix lightly and remove from heat.

Serve with sriracha or hot chili pepper oil.

Enjoy!

Roasted Veg Head: Asparagus

It’s recommended by nutritionists and doctors alike that Americans should consume more vegetables – at least five servings a day! I admit that vegetables are not my favorite produce item. Years of seeing iceberg lettuce go brown or tomatoes turn blue in my mother’s fridge created a rift between myself and that healthy section of the grocery store. I still gag at the thought of something composting in the vegetable bin.

It wasn’t until I started dating my fiancée that I discovered the other great and simple ways to prepare vegetables. Put aside steaming and poaching and gnawing like a rabbit – I have a series of roasted vegetable ideas that will fill your tummy and make you think differently about vegetables, including Brussels sprouts.

We love roasted Asparagus with almost everything.  For the best results, select firm "snappy" asparagus that are on the skinnier side (as skinny as your pinky!)  You'll know if the asparagus isn't great if it feels rubbery and wilty.  Keep asparagus fresh in your fridge for up to 5 days by cutting off parts of the ends and then standing them upright in a container of water (about 1" deep).
 
What you need from your kitchen:
 
Sharp knife, cutting board, baking or broiling pan
 
 
Ingredients:
 
1 bunch of asparagus
1/4 c olive oil
Pine Nuts (optional)
Lemon Wedge (optional)
 
Preheat oven to 400 - 425 degrees (broil also works for this, just be sure to position the rack about 4 or 5 inches below the heat sources)
 
Wash the asparagus and prep by snapping of the cut end of the stem.  It will naturally break where it is supposed to.  Line that piece up with the rest of the bunch and trip the remainder of the stems off.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Place the asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet or broiler pan.  Drizzle the olive oil over the asparagus and toss lightly to coat.  If you have pine nuts, sprinkle them on top.  Slivered almonds also work well.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Broil/Bake for 12 - 15 minutes depending on asparagus thickness.  They're done whenever the tips are crunchy and the bodies are lightly charred and wilted. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
For extra flavor, squeeze lemon on the roasted vegetables.  Serve with virtually any meat or entree - left over asapargus are great when cut into 1 inch pieces and tossed in a pasta salad with italian dressing and herbs.
 
Enjoy!