Aug

Crunchy Carrot Salad

It has taken me a long time to develop a friendly relationship with carrot salad. I like creamy desserts but creamy “salads” and healthy do not go together much for me. I had never made carrot salad before but, thanks to SusanV’s recipe, I was encouraged to try it. I wanted more crunchy, less creamy and more sweet, but less sugar. I definitely modified her recipe, but I thank her for the idea.

Crunchy Carrot Salad

1 pound of carrots, washed

Juice of 1 lemon

1 TB agave nectar

1/3 cup raisins

1/4 cup granola (optional, preferably with a little cinnamon or apple)

Time to make: 5 minutes; Time to eat: 5 minutes; Servings: 4

In a food processor, grate carrots. Of course, you can do it by hand, but the processor takes 1 minute flat.

Put the grated carrots in a medium bowl. Using a fork, stir in lemon juice, agave nectar, and raisins. Top with granola for extra crunch.

Fridge for 30 minutes to let flavors set. But, if you can’t wait like me, devour immediately.

Yum!

Time for a slice of humble pie…

I found this great recipe for Chicken with Swiss Chard. I’d never cooked with chard, so I was excited. Matt was excited to eat it. It was a

I know, it’s horrible!

The cooking went well, and I followed the recipe closely (a rarity). HOWEVER, we realized that neither of us like the taste of chard. It was too earthy. Maybe we’ll try it again another time. But for dinner last night, we had the chicken and then some Blue Bell. (Matt got it to cheer me up…I haven’t bought Blue Bell in quite a few years.) So there’s our little run with chard. Next time, I’ll have it at a restaurant. Any tips? Let me know.

~Laurel~

15 years ago Short URL

carrot/granola/lemon/raisins/swiss chard

Jul

Not-so-fried Rice

No arteries need to meet greasy, limp Chinese take out. But this *healthier* version is easy, tasty, and has endless possibilities. For this adventure, I used a food I’ve never cooked with before:

napa cabbage.

It gave a bit of crunch, some filler (besides rice), and color to this dish. After making a batch, I put the leftovers into 2-cup containers and have been grabbing it for an easy lunch at work or a no-thought dinner after a long day. (PS: Napa cabbage has 28 calories per cup, according to this awesome USDA Food-a-pedia.)

Not-so-fried Rice
4-6 servings

Ingredients:::
4 cups water + 1/3 cup water
2 cups wheat rice
1 1/2 cup carrots
1 zucchini
3 stalks celery
1/2 cup peas or snow peas
1 egg + 1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Dash of ground ginger
3 cups Napa cabbage
1/2 TB sesame oil (optional)
Garnish: sesame seeds, 1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce

pot for water with lid, large wok or skillet with lid, wooden spoon
Directions:::
step one: Heat a pot of water with rice and cover. When it boils, remove lid, stir, and recover, reducing heat to a simmer. Let cook 15 or so minutes.

step two: While waiting for the rice, chop up the carrots, zucchini, and celery and put into the heated wok with 1/3 cup of water. Cover and let cook on medium-high for 5 minutes. Add the egg and peas and let egg cook for a few minutes. (Some people like to scramble and cook egg first, before adding to veggies.) Next, add the garlic powder, ginger, sesame oil, and cabbage. Gently stir with spoon and recover for a few minutes.

step three: Check on the rice. If all of the water has been absorbed and a taste test of the rice shows it’s cooked, remove rice from heat and gently add to wok. Combine with spoon and add soy sauce. Toss thoroughly. Let cook in wok for a few more minutes and serve in a bowl with garnish.

I mentioned the USDA’s new My Food-a-pedia

This is super helpful. You can look up nutrition values of various foods, get personalized meal plans, etc, and it’s also great for kids to use, too. Try this: Click on “Look up a food.” Put in anything…I did popcorn. Not only does it give you the nutrition facts for popcorn (and which category it goes in on your plate), it gives you the facts of buttered, low fat, natural popped with butter, air popped, and other varieties. So simple! I hope this helps keep you and your family healthy and happy.

Happy eating!

~Laurel~

15 years ago Short URL

cabbage/carrot/eggs/rice/sesame oil/soy/zucchini

Jun

Summer Squash

This is embarrassingly simple, but I’ll state the obvious:

When you catch produce in season, you can be really lazy in the kitchen.

What do I mean?

Produce in season is at its peak, both in providing the most nutrients possible but also the most flavor possible.
With all of that flavor, all you want to add is spices/foods that ENHANCE the natural flavors. With that said, let’s cook!

Simple Summer Squash
2 carrots, sliced
2 yellow squash
2 zucchini squash
1 cup cherry tomatoes (optional)
sea salt
ground pepper
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

step one: Rinse and peel (if you must) all veggies. (I tend to leave the peel on edible produce…save those nutrients!) Slice carrots and squash into 1/4-inch rounds.

step two: In a large pot, toss in veggies and tomatoes. Pour 2 cups water over veggies and tomatoes, and sprinkle sea salt and pepper over. Lightly stir. Heat on high until water starts to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and let veggies cook for 12 minutes, or until tender. Drain, eat.

This is so simple, so healthy, and delicious. My grandmother used to make this and, on the many days she’d pick me up from school, she‘d serve this on the side of an awesome dinner. This was my introduction to fresh veggies and understanding what squash and carrots taste like, in their purest form. Of course, a 10 year old doesn’t mind dousing it in shredded cheddar, too. 🙂

We served this as a side with leftover chicken and buttery noodles. Happy Monday and

Happy Birthday to our favorite NINE YEAR OLD niece,

KEELY!!!!

Which big kid is 9 today???

~Laurel~

15 years ago Short URL

carrot/squash/zucchini

Memoir Munchies

Tag Archives: carrot

Crunchy Carrot Salad

Not-so-fried Rice

Summer Squash