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Posted by Homemade Health in , ,

Thai Basil Chicken Fried Rice

So, I ordered the Asian pack from Bountiful Baskets and got Thai Basil in it. I didn't know what to do with it, so I went looking for some recipes. I stumbled upon this video.  I just had to make it!  Emry was not very excited about being the interpretor or being the tast tester.  Especially when the fish sauce went in.(It does smell strong!)   But she is a true convert now. She is always asking for this dish.

1 1/2 pounds Chicken Breast, sliced
1/4 cup Canola Oil
8 cloves garlic,crushed
1 small chili pepper, crushed
4 cups day old rice
3 Tb Oyster Sauce
2 T Fish Sauce
1 ts. sugar
2 cups Basil
1 sweet red bell pepper, sliced

Heat oil. Add garlic and chili and cook for 30 seconds. Add chicken and cook til about half done. Add the Oyster sauce, fish sauce, and sugar. Finish cooking the chicken. Add the red bell pepper, and the rice. Cook until heated through. Add the Basil.

Now don't think that you have to use Thai Basil.  They really don't specify the type of Basil.  But in my limited research, it appears that Holy Basil is the common one used.  Because I live in the middle of nowhere, I had to order the fish sauce and therefore I ordered a few other things too.  I went to http://www.importfood.com/.  They have everything Thai.  I ordered Chilli Paste with Holy Basil Leaves from them too.  I stirred it in to take the place of the chili pepper and I didn't quite have enough basil, so it fit the bill well.

You have to try this yummy dish.  It is addictive.

Serves 4
Nutrition:  Calories (406kcal)  Fat (15.8g)  Carbs (28g) fiber (1.5g) and Protein (36g)

I usually automatically sub in brown rice for white. But in this dish, I didn't I really wanted to stay true to the website.  But I think that I will try it next. 

Pictures coming soon!

 

Posted by Homemade Health in , ,

Taco Soup

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 14.5 ounce cans of tomatoes with green chilies
2 15 ounce cans of pinto beans (rinsed and drained)
1 15 ounce can of black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 15 ounce can of corn
1 pkg ranch style dressing mix
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
1 cup water
1 winter squash, such as Acorn squash, cut in half (optional)

First cook the Acorn Squash in the pressure cooker for about 15 minutes.  ( I am really not sure because I haven't cooked it in there yet.) So, that is my guess. Remove the squash and  brown the ground beef.  Place in a colander and rinse it under hot water. Cook the chopped onion until translucent. Then add the ground beef back in.  Now just dump all of the rest of the stuff in.  Scrape the squash into the soup and heat.  You can eat this immediately or let it simmer for 20 minutes or so.  If you think it is too thick, add more water. I really like this with the squash in it. It adds a subtle sweetness to the soup.  

Add:  Tortilla strips (found in the salad section of your store.)
Greek yogurt or no fat sour cream
Cheese

Serves 8 
1 1/2 cup servings
285 calories

Calories with  2 T Tortilla strips (30 cal.) and 1 T greek yogurt (15) and 1/2 ounce cheese (50) are: 
380 calories

Picture coming soon!






 

Posted by Homemade Health in , ,

Oh, how I love these pancakes.  I crave them throughout the day.  I usually have them for breafast but if I am having a chocolate craving or want something sweet, I will have these for my afterschool snack.  These are all that Lyle wants for breakfast anymore!  I didn't make them for him at first. I just ate them in front of him while I gave him his cold cereal and poached eggs.  He started begging for them and now they are his favorite too! lol

Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Small Batch

1/2 cup whole grain oat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 large egg white or use 2 tsp. dehydrated egg white
1 T mini Chocolate Chips
1 banana
2 T No fat Cool Whip
1/2 cup grated yellow or zucchini squash (optional)

All this plus a glass of skim milk for only 405 calories!

Mix all together. Heat your skillet with a little oil.   When ready to use, mix 1/2 cup low fat buttermilk with the above mix.  Let sit for about 10 minutes. Or if you don't have the time move on.  Add water to reach a runnyish consistancy.  You know what you like.  Add the squash now if you like. The squash really doesn't add any flavor just changes the texture slightly. And how fun is that to eat a veggie for breakfast and not really no it?

Pour 1/4 cup pancake batter onto the hot skillet.  Sprinkle with 1 tsp mini chocolate chips.  When bubbles start to appear and leave craters, flip over.  Cook for another minute or two.  Place on plate chocolate chip side up. Well, that is just my personal preferance.  Now make the second one the same way.  When finished top with a sliced banana and 2 T Cool Whip.  Sprinkle with the remaining teaspoon of chocolate chips.  Serve.   

Nutritional data: Calories: 325,  Fat: 8.4 g, Carbs 58.6g, Fiber 5.1 g, Protein 8.2g

Now if you want to make a big batch of mix of this you will need:

BIG BATCH

9 c. oat flour
3 T baking soda
1  tsp salt
6 T dehydrated egg whites

Mix the above together.  When ready to use, scoop out 1/2 cup oat flour and add 1/2 cup buttermilk and vanilla to it. Allow to sit for a minute or two.  Add water to gain proper consitency.  Don't forget you can add your grated zucchini or yellow squash.  Then proceed as above. 






 

Posted by Homemade Health in

California Rolls
So last week, Corey says to me, "Hey. We should make sushi for New Years!"
Right.
Don't get me wrong, I like the stuff, but really, sushi? Who do we look like, the Barefoot Contessa?

So off I went to Lee Lee's Asian Market. It was raining. I do not recommend this excursion to anyone with a sensitive nose. I found almost everything I needed pretty quickly, but after searching for at least 30 minutes for tobiko (fish roe), I was desperate. So I asked for help. The nice hispanic lady in produce didn't have a clue what I was talking about. So I sought out a very Japanese looking cashier. She didn't speak English, but insisted that I shouldn't worry, she would get a price check on my rice. Great. She called over a young bagboy (I thought to translate), but sent him to get my price check. I waived frantically at him to get his attention to stay and find my precious fish roe, but he also did not speak English. Seeing the items in my cart he asked, "You make sushi?" I nodded very happily. "Bamboo?" No. I tried my fish face and making little circles with my hands, but it was to no avail. I started shouting colors; I'd heard that roe could be different colors and when I said red, he got it. He ran off to the frozen foods section. I ecstatically awaited his return with my wonderful fish eggs. He brought back this wonderful, small container of orange goop. Definitely fish roe, but ten bucks for a garnish??? I considered changing my mind, but after considering that I'd have to find a way to sign "nevermind, put it back", I decided just to get the roe.
Thankfully, our sushi - and our party - turned out wonderfully. :)

Ingredients
Rice
1 cup water
1 cup Japanese short grained rice
Vinegar mixture
1/8 cup rice vinegar
1 tbs sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
Roll
1 sheet of nori (seaweed)
1 avacado, sliced
1 handful of immitation crab meat
Equipment
Hangiri (very wide flat bowl, a glass pie pan works great)
Shamoji (rice paddle, a wooden spoon works fine)
Makisu (bamboo sushi mat, very tricky without this)
Plastic wrap

First things first: cook that rice!
Now that you have all your ingredients ready, it is time to start!  Take the rice and rise it in cold water until the water is clear running off of it.  Then, place it in a pot.  Add 1 cup warm water to the rice and let sit 30 minutes.  After the 30 minutes, cover and heat to a boil.  Once the water is at a boil, reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes are up, check the rice to make sure it's not burning. Remove from heat and let sit another 15 minutes.  This lets the steam finish cooking the rice. Do not open the cover!

You said vinegar, right, or did I hear wrong?
Yes, I said vinegar.  Be sure it is rice vinegar because there is a difference!  Combine the vinegar, sugar and salt. Mix them together until dissolved.  The dissolving proved the most challenging, so I put it in the microwave for about a minute.  the salt didn't quite mix, but the sugar mixed fine.  The sugar helps the rice stick and the mixture adds a unique taste to the rice.

Season your rice
Remove the rice from the pot and place in the glass pie pan.  Gently sprinkle the vinegar mixture over the rice.  Using a wooden spoon, gently cut the vinegar into the rice.  The object is to mix the vinegar into the rice without smashing the rice grains. At this point, most people suggest that you have a helper with a fan to help dry the rice, however this is not completely necessary.


Seaweed?
Remove a sheet of nori and fold in half.  The nori should rip easily (we actually didn't do this, so our rolls were quite large). Move one of the halves away and take the rice and gently spread it onto the nori.  Be sure to spread evenly and cover all of the nori. You can wet your hands to help prevent the rice from sticking to them.
  

At this point, you can garnish the rice with roasted seasame seeds or tobiko (fish roe).


Flip it! Flip it good!
At this point you are ready to flip your soon-to-be roll!  Place a greased sheet of plastic wrap on top of the rice and use the cutting board to help you flip it.

Add your crab, avacado, and whatever else you are adding.  Place it all on the corner nearest you.


Gently use the plastic wrap to help you roll the sushi.  Be sure to roll it as tightly as you can.  If you have the bamboo mat, it is much simpler to do this.  Once you have rolled the sushi all the way, be sure to gently apply preasure to the roll to tighten it.  This will press everything together and give it a great look.


Now you are ready to cut!
Get your knife a little wet and gently slice the roll.  If your knife isn't extremely sharp, genlty saw back and forth.  This will help your sushi stay perfectly amazing.


Once they are all cut out, place them on a plate and serve!  Do not put them in the fridge; this will make the rice hard!


We are now, officially, sushi masters.

 

Posted by Homemade Health in , ,

Ok, I found this recipe and it had a tag that said healthy.  It looks waaaay too good to be healthy, but it gets posted here because it says so.  (I have another blog, of recipes that can't play here.)  I really can't wait to try this one.  The only problem is that I don't think I can get chorizo in this small, middle of nowhere town. So I may have to wait until my next trip to the big city.  Go here for this great recipe!

 

Posted by Homemade Health in , ,




I have this sitting on my counter as we speak waiting for it to rise.  I can hardly wait.  (I also saw a recipe to go with this for maple butter). But really do you need one? Just take some butter and mix in some maple syrup til it tastes good.  This is not brain surgery, people. 

 

Posted by Homemade Health in ,

Make your own 

Since I can't get Whole Wheat Panko bread crumbs here in Blanding, I was so excited to see this tutorial. I hope the rest of you enjoy this!

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