What's the Difference Between a Spring Roll and a Summer Roll?

SEASONING!

Actually that is not the difference at all... but I can't resist a corny pun.

Summer Rolls, or Gỏi cuốn  in Vietnamese, are the perfect combination of fun and flavor. They are light and full of healthy ingredients. They are the perfect meal for a hot day. We always make them at the dinner table so each one is custom made and everyone has a blast making them. I always thought these were called these spring rolls, but spring rolls are crispy and have a wheat flour skin.

Summer rolls are wrapped in  a rice paper skin like the one pictured above.  You simply soak the wrapper briefly and then fill it with whatever you want. There really isn't a recipe.

For mine I simply cut cucumbers, green onions and carrots into match sticks.  I boiled shrimp, peeled them and then cut them in half. I cooked some rice noodles and grabbed some lettuce leaves out of the fridge. Then I made a sweet chili sauce and we were ready to roll... literally. The only hard part is resisting the urge to overstuff them... if you put too much in them it is difficult to roll them up.

When you roll it simply place your soaked wrapper on a damp towel and roll it up like a burrito: Fold one end down over the filling, roll it up and then fold the other end down... and wah-la... a perfectly rolled summer roll. 

I made this chili sauce to go with it:
1/4 C. rice vinegar
2 T. water
2 T. sweetener - I used honey (the recipe called for maple syrup) but I think next time I'll use sugar
1 T. soy sauce
1 clove garlic
1 inch ginger, minced
1 t. red pepper flakes
juice of one lime

The recipe I modeled this after was vegan most recipes use fish sauce instead of the the soy... it's all up to you.

You can also make a peanut sauce... just google it.

What would you like in your summer roll?

Salad Days

 Over the past week I have been trying to eat healthy foods, do more exercise and live the clean life.  I have been eating salads and drinking smoothies. I have reduced red meats and I cut out the beer and red wine entirely.... and NOTHING.... not a pound shed. Usually the first few pounds drop pretty quickly and that motivates me to keep going. This week, however, I actually gained a few pounds... so I just stopped stepping on the scale. I'm feeling frustrated because me and my husband actually had a bet riding on it... and I'm losing (the bet...not any inches or pounds).  So last night we ordered pizza and had some wine with it. Salad days no more! That said, I'm not giving up... I'm still going to keep plugging on. Even if the only thing lighter right now is my pocketbook. Tonight I'm making Indian food and homemade naan... but starting tomorrow it's back to salad days once again.

I'm on the hunt for interesting low fat foods and ways to make exercise fun. I love to cook and the only way I will get through this is by resetting my thinking and finding fun food and cooking projects that aren't bad for me.

I have my work cut out for me. My biggest weakness is fresh baked bread. I can't give that up entirely, but I will try my hardest to make my baking healthier and less frequent. If I fail at that I may be delivering baked goods to my friends to save myself!

What is your favorite trick to eating healthier and getting more active?  Leave a comment and share!

Pokebowl GO!

Today for lunch I made Poke bowls.  Normally we have salmon and cream cheese on bagels as one of our afternoon meals but this week my husband and I are embarking on a healthy eating challenge and I thought I'd look for an alternative to the  bread-y bagels  and rich cream cheese. This was filling and wonderful and it could be made with a variety different ingredients. Several of the recipes that I found even used "anything bagel" topping in place of the furikake. The possibilities for these bowls are limited only by your imagination. It would be a great way to use leftover slaw or salad and rice.

If you'd like to know more about the origin of Poke I found this article on Chowhound.

Furikake (this makes enough for 4-6 servings)

2 nori sheets cut into small pieces
2 T. toasted sesame seeds
2 t. sugar
1/2 t. sesame oil
pinch of salt

Dressing (I doubled this recipe and I had plenty leftover for another round of salads)

2 T. soy sauce

2 cloves garlic

Juice from one half a lime

1 T. each rice wine vinegar, sugar and sesame oil

The Bowl:

• You'll need to make some rice (brown, long grain, or jasmine all will work)
• 2 oz smoked salad per serving
• 1/2 - 1 scallion per serving
• 1/4 of an avocado per serving
• 2-4T chickpeas (I didn't have soy beans and I was surprised at how well this worked)
• Thinly sliced veggies (I used cucumbers and sweet peppers)
• pickled gin

I marinated the salmon in some of the dressing for about a half hour, but frankly I don't think that was totally needed. Smoked salmon is already pretty salty and I think it could have done with a lighter marinade of just a little sesame, citrus, garlic, vinegar and sugar.

After the rice was made I cooled it and topped it artfully with all the wonderful things I chopped up. 

Some things I might add that I didn't today: something crunchy like nuts or chopped cabbage, other veggies like radishes and carrots, other meats like left over chicken, marinated tofu... the possibilities are endless!

What do you like on your Poke Bowl?

Egyptian Lentil Soup

Lentil soup can be found at many restaurants here in Egypt.  My daughters both love it and so I had to find out how to make it for myself.  I found several recipes online and played around with them based on what I had in the kitchen.  This is my third attempt... and my first with a blender.  The kids loved it and so I'm documenting it here. 

 

Lentil Soup

1 cup lentils

2 medium potatoes

Salt and pepper

2 cups broth

1 carrot

1 onion

2 tbsp butter

1 cup water

3 cloves garlic

1 T. cumin

Directions:

Wash lentils well and drain. Chop veggies into small-shaped cubes.

Heat half the butter in a large saucepan then add the lentils and veggies mix. Sauté for 5 minutes.

Add broth and stir. Cover saucepan and cook until everything is tender.

When lentils cook, mix it in blender.  In the meantime add other half of butter and garlic to the pot.  Cook for a minute or so and then add the cumin.

Pour the lentil mixture back into the saucepan with the garlic and cumin and spice with salt and pepper.

Gradually add water until you get a desired consistency and bring to boil.

Serve in small bowls and you can sprinkle fresh herbs on top.

Posting this as part of Foodie Friday

Yaki Soba

After my birthday visit to Kobe Steak House where my daughters had Yakisoba... my oldest daughter has wanted to prepare noodles this way. So while at the store she picked out here favorite veggies and we grabbed a bag of soba noodles and gave it a try. It turned out wonderfully.
First we gathered together our ingredients. We had a 6oz bag of noodles, celery, carrots, scallions, and broccoli.
My daughter peeled and grated the carrots while I washed and chopped the rest of the vegetables.
While the noodles cooked we stir fried the vegetables in a little sesame oil. Once they were beginning to get tender... but still crisp we added the cooked noodles to the mix. Then we seasoned the noodles with our version of yakisoba sauce by adding some ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. It seemed a little odd... but I combined several recipes based on what I had. I just added a little of this and a little of that and it tastes surprisingly similar to what we had at the restaurant.


We served it with dumplings and edamame and it was wonderful. It was a meal that both the kids and the adults loved and it was vegetarian as well. We will make this one again for certain.

Cheers,
Jenn

I'm late this week in posting anything. I had a pretty busy week. More about that later. I hope everyone is having a great week.

Could You? Would you... with a goat?

OK... so this has nothing to do with goats...but I just couldn't let the birthday of Dr Seuss go by without encouraging everyone out there to try something new today... be it a new food... a new beverage or a new experience. My oldest daughter has been extremely open to trying new things lately. She tried shrimp and scallops this weekend and loved them... yesterday she sampled my enchiladas in Verde sauce and enjoyed it (recipe to follow soon) and today she ate my twist on her all time favorite... spaghetti and meatballs... I made the meatballs out of turkey (instead of beef) and tossed it with pesto sauce instead of the usual red sauce. I know it's not green eggs and ham... but the pasta and meatballs certainly had a green tint to them and so did the broccoli...

Here is how to make it:

Saute vegetables of your choice in olive oil. Season with the juice of one lemon, salt and pepper. Cook them until they are beginning to get tender... but still have a bit of crisp.

Mix ground turkey with one egg, 1/2 C. of bread crumbs, and 1/2 C. of Parmesan cheese. Form into meatballs and brown in olive oil until cooked through.


Add pesto sauce (or sauce of your choice and simmer the meatballs in it for 5 or 10 minutes. You might need to add a little water to the pan if the pesto is particularly thick.

Toss with cooked pasta and the veggies. Toss with Parmesan cheese and a bit of olive oil.

Do you like green meatballs and pasta?

You do not like them. So you say. Try them! Try them! And you may. Try them and you may, I say.

Rasam

Recently I made up a batch Rasam. Rasam is a soup that is popular in Southern India. It is usually a brothy soup that is made with lentils... but there are other varieties as well. Rasam translates to mean juice or soup... so technically I guess any soup would be a Rasam... but the ones I've tried are usually a tangy spicy lentil broth. They have a tangy flavor that is often a result of the use of tamarind... but since I didn't have any tamarind on hand I used lemon juice (a common substitution). The texture of a Rasam ranges from slightly chunky to a thin and broth like consistency... Mine fell somewhere in between.

Like dals all over India, making this soup requires that you cook the lentils until they are the desired texture and then add a mixture sauteed in ghee (clarified butter) that usually consists of onions, garlic, chilies and whole spices like cumin and mustard seeds. Other possibilities are curry leaves and asafoetida (a really smelly powder that tastes somewhat like onions and garlic)

Rasam in it's many variations is a year round favorite in Southern India... and it is also used as a folk remedy for a variety of cold and flu like symptoms. I can speak from experience... this nice spicy broth really clears your head and make you feel better when your feeling under the weather.

Here is what I did to make mine....

First I gathered together my ingredients:

1/2 C. pink lentils (washed several times and then soaked in 1 cup of water for 30 minutes)

water

1/4 t. turmeric

1/2 t. salt

a good size chunk of fresh ginger (grated)

1-3 green chilies

1 medium tomato

2 whole dried red chili peppers

1/2 t. black mustard seeds

1/2 t. cumin seeds

1/2 t. black pepper

1 small onion

a few cloves of garlic

2 T. lemon juice

1/2 C. chopped cilantro

Transfer lentils with soaking water into a pan and add turmeric. salt and 2 more cups of water. Bring to a boil and cook over medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes. The dal should be very soft at this point. I then used a hand held mixer to make the mixture as smooth as possible. in the meantime blend the tomatoes, ginger and chilies for about 30 seconds in a blender. Add to the dal to make approximately 4 cups of soup. Simmer for another 5 minutes or so.


Heat oil or ghee and cook the mustard and cumin seeds until they begin to pop. Add the onions, garlic and dried chilies. Cook until the onions are golden and soft.

Add it all to the pot along with the lemon juice and cilantro. Bring it all back up to a boil and then it is ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Jenn

Feed a cold... Starve a fever...

This is a photo of me Christmas morning with a fever of 102 (lovely picture I know... does that thermometer make my chins look big?)... Now 2 months later once again I'm feeling a little blue... but it is not the flu this time... it is a cold. No fever... just that crappy stuffy nose-chapped lips-sore throat kind of a thing... So last night I started thinking... Is it... Feed a fever starve a cold? or feed a cold and starve a fever? I couldn't remember so I looked it up on my handy dandy computer and low and behold.... I am suppose to feed a cold... Thank God! I was really in need of some chicken noodle soup! And apparently this old folk remedy isn't totally crap. While technically you are not suppose to starve a fever... you naturally experiences a loss of appetite during fevers that is part of your body's natural defense mechanisms... and as for feeding a cold... everybody knows that a good dose of chicken soup will have you feeling better in no time(but chicken soup lore is a post for another day). Check out Dukehealth.org for more about this common wives tale.

Since feeding is what this blog is all about I'll share with you just exactly how I fed my cold. I made a pot of good old fashioned chicken noodle soup and I baked a batch of beer bread. The soup had chicken in it of course... but it could easily be made vegetarian by using vegetable broth and substituting extra chickpeas for the chicken.

Chicken Soup

Cook 3 breasts of chicken in 4 C. of broth (veggie or chicken) and 2 C. water. While that is cooking you can saute 3 ribs of celery (chopped), 2 carrots (sliced), one small onion (diced) and 6 garlic cloves (mined)... pause for one moment to reflect on the many ways I just indicated that you should cut up your vegetables and then move on to the next step.

Once the chicken is fully cooked remove it from from the broth and cut it into small bits... return it to the broth along with the sauteed vegetables. Add a can of drained chickpeas (optional) and some fresh herbs ( I used rosemary since it is one of the only herbs that survived the recent freeze). Add about 8 oz of noodles in the last 15 minutes of cooking time... and salt and pepper to taste... mmmm Soup is good food!

While soup was cooking I made up a batch of beer bread rolls...

Beer Bread

Sift together 3 cups of flour, 3 t. baking powder, 1 1/2 t. salt, and 3 T. sugar...then slowly add the beer. I also added some minced rosemary and a couple of cloves of minced garlic to the mix.

After that you just plop globs of dough into a greased muffin tin... bake at 350 for about 40-45 minutes and wah-la.... beer bread. My family wasn't too fond of the bread. It had a bitter taste to it... I could have either been the type of beer I used or possibly the rosemary.... I will experiment further and let you know what I come up with.


If you are unfortunate enough to have a cold right now I hope that you can at least enjoy feeding it.

Jenn

Going Green in the Kitchen!

I just thought that this Friday I'd offer a few tips on how to "go green" in the kitchen...and I'm not talking about eating your kale or broccoli... I'm talking, of course, about all those little choices you can make each day to make a difference to the environment. Many of these are obvious things... but hey... if we all did them all the time I'm sure that the world would be a cleaner place.

1. Use reusable shopping bags... a couple of years ago I didn't know anyone who used reusable shopping bags... most of us just felt superior at the store when asked "Paper or plastic?" and we opted for the paper (much to the annoyance of the clerk)... but the truth is the best choice is cloth or canvas. The production of paper bags is not green... it produces air pollution. Sure recycling is great... but reducing and reusing is a whole lot better!

2. Pack lunches using reusable bags and containers. Instead of buying all those prepackaged snacks or putting your kid's sandwich in a plastic bag... invest in a few containers that you can reuse time and time again. While you're at it leave out that bottled water or juice box and get a thermos or reusable water bottle.

3. Pay attention to packaging. Look for products that are packaged wisely. Sometimes it pays to buy in bulk... but only if your family will really use it. Buying things in bulk is usually a good idea due to the decrease in wasteful packaging... but if buying the super pack of paper towels encourages you to use more paper then go with the smaller package.

4. Recycle... I know... it is a no brainer... but it pays to take a look at what your curbside recycle bin can take... and look for other options to recycle what it won't. Our curbside service just expanded and will now take plastics and paper that they wouldn't in the past. In the past we had to take our colored plastics and some of our paper to a local service... now the city takes it all.

5. Compost kitchen waste if you have a garden. It's good for your garden... and while your out there plant some herbs and veggies... the more you grow the less you have to buy at the store. But once again garden wisely... if you live in Arizona think long and hard before planting something that requires a lot of resourses.

6. Buy organic and local... but use your brain about it. Sometimes a green label doesn't mean that it is really green. A six pack of organic milk in little plastic bottles may seem like a good idea for you kids lunch... but what about those 6 little plastic bottles? Buy a gallon of organic milk instead and put it in a reusable container.

OK... enough self righteous preachiness... it's time to go to my kitchen and wrap the entire contents of my fridge in plastic wrap while cleaning all my counter tops with toxic chemicals.

What do you do to make your kitchen more green?

A list and a plan for healthier eating...

I have been making lots of changes lately. I have been doing yoga, exercising regularly, and working on creativity through this blog, song writing and crafty projects. These changes are good and I feel healthier and happier as a result. I haven't, however, examined my diet and my family's diet in some time. Whenever you seek to change something it is always good to look at the things that you are already doing right... and frankly I feel like my husband and I eat a pretty good diet and feed our kids well. We eat tons of fruit. We always have vegetables at dinner (and I don't consider french fries or ketchup a vegetable serving). We are VERY moderate in our junk food and fast food consumption. We buy organic milk and eggs and we try to eat organic meats and veggies whenever possible. All in all we aren't doing too bad... but like most things we could do better and so I've compiled this list of things we might change to help us eat a healthier diet.


1. I need to plan a family meeting to talk about this list and get ideas from my husband and kids.


2. Keep a food journal for myself and my family for a few days to find out what we are doing wrong and what we are doing right.


3. Make copies of the food pyramids and find out good serving sizes for me, my husband and the kids.


4. Make a list of vegetable side dishes and salads so that we can increase our vegetable consumption and add variety into dinner. We tend to get in a side dish rut around here.


5. Drink more water and help the kids do the same.


6. Make lunch and breakfast more interesting and balanced meals. Breakfast, especially, tends to be rich in carbs... How can we add more fruits and veggies to these meals?


7. Get the kids more involved in planning and cooking healthy foods. Have them make salads and such to increase their interest and awareness of this neglected food group.


8. Improve on snack options. Make a list of healthy snacks and have them ready and on hand so that the kids can help themselves to a wide variety of "anytime" foods.


9. Replace one unhealthy eating habit with a healthy one. Example- make smoothies for a treat instead of heading to sonic for a cherry limeade.


10. Reduce reliance on processed foods. We don't eat too many of these... but there is certainly room for improvement.