"Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead"

It sneaks up on all of us. You wake up in the morning and you have these aches and pains that you can't remember where they came from. Maybe you went in for a check up just to see how things are doing and your doctor drops a few subtle hints about maybe indulging on fast food a lot less than you would like to admit. For my wife and I, it was simple. Make the changes in order to set an example for our daughter and in turn having a better quality of life, but just as important, quantity of life.

Now unlike the documentary, we won't be going on a juice fast. For now, one 16 ounce glass of raw juice should be a great start to bumping up our vegetable intake. Coupled with a reduced intake of meat a whole lot fewer trips eating out and we should be on our way to better health. Sort of like a tune up for the daily driver that we so often under appreciate and at times....abuse. 

So off to Amazon and saw this well reviewed juicer which was actually the brand used on the documentary. 

Breville BJE200XL Compact Juice Fountain

This one is $99 plus tax with free shipping and it was at the doorstep in 2 days. Not too shabby. There are some that are cheaper and plenty that are much more expensive, but after skimming through the reviews, the keywords that kept coming up were quiet and durable. It was good enough for us. A friend had bought the Black and Decker version for well under $100 and it was about half the size of this and it sounded like an industrial wood chipper while juicing a carrot. Again, different strokes for different folks...

The first of hopefully many juices to come! The apple was there to try to balance out the kale, but we realized the carrots added enough sweetness to the concoction and so we left it out in our subsequent juices. On that note, our daughter has enjoyed the apple juice. We will be sneaking in some carrot juice in there so hopefully she doesn't end up "accidentally"  spilling the juice.... in the toilet. Stay tuned for that. In any case, we will be sticking to juicing vegetables from now on because from the articles we've read, the sugar and the calories along with that from fruits really do start to pile up and so it starts to become counterproductive in that regard. 

True to the tune of most of the reviews on this product, it was strong, fast and quiet. Job well done. 

I gotta say, looking at this glass of juice filled with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients makes me want to honestly go out and grab a nice juicy burger. We will have to save that for a cheat day. I'd like to say after finishing this tall glass of goodness that my wife and I felt like 2 million bucks. Sing the praises of our bodies feeling more alive than it has in a long time. Not quite, but it did feel great to put great things in our bodies. The prospect of regularly replacing bad meals with raw juice and more vegetables is an exciting one because even if the results aren't as quick and drastic as those people in the documentary, they will come. 

There hasn't been much research done on the benefits of juicing, but if common sense prevails, it could only help, right? Treat it as a supplement to your regular diet. It really is a difficult prospect to eat in a day our recommended daily intake of vegetables. Juicing will help get you the vitamins and minerals you need, but realize that the fiber, which is very important for our diets are practically eliminated during the juicing process. Eating whole vegetables and fruits is still just as important, so try not to completely neglect them in your diet. 

On a side note. If you do get in to juicing, it might be an opportune time to start a compost bin. All that processed pulp will turn out some quick compost and in turn, maybe have yourself an organic garden of vegetables that will eventually find its way through your juicer... and so a cycle begins. Just a thought. Until the next time!

Health is Wealth.

Pan Fried Tofu with Soba Noodles

I gave up smoking 4 years ago and to this day I still get cravings. Everything in moderation doesn't work for cigarettes. Well not for me at least. Being a vegetarian never crossed my mind but I do understand that cutting down on meat should be addressed. Maybe one meatless day will be a nice step towards a healthier lifestyle. Well maybe one meatless meal for that day. To be continued...

Pan Fried Tofu with Soba Noodles

Pan Fried Tofu with Soba Noodles

1 package tofu cut in to desired size

cornstarch for dredge

salt and pepper

 lightly dust tofu pieces and brown on both sides. set aside

1 package soba noodles under-cooked according to directions (since we will be stir frying the noodles, it's best to be at least 1 minute before the cooking time.

3 cups of your choice of shredded vegetables

(shredded yellow squash, carrots, cabbage onions and some minced garlic)

2 tbsp of sesame oil

5 tbsp of soy sauce

salt and red chili flakes to taste

stir fry the onions and garlic until fragrant then work your way down the vegetables from hardest to softest. leave the vegetables with a slight crunch and then add the noodles, sesame oil and soy sauce. season to taste. 

Tofu sauce

1 tsp prepared black bean sauce

1 tsp sambal

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp rice wine

1/2 cup water or your choice of broth

2 tbsp cold butter

reduce this mixture in a pan by half then whisk in the cold butter to thicken the sauce. 

arrange the noodles in a serving platter, place the tofu slices over the noodles and sauce over the whole dish. serve immediately. ENJOY!

Whole Grain Thin Spaghetti Aglio e olio with Roasted Tomatoes

Andiamo a mangiare! Let's eat. Simple doesn't have to mean dull. Proper preparation and fresh ingredients can mean a very nice meal. Here's to Italy's mac and cheese!

Whole Grain This Spaghetti Aglio e olio with Roasted Tomatoes

Whole Grain Thin Spaghetti Aglio e olio with Roasted Tomato

Pasta

1 box whole grain thin spaghetti
6 large garlic cloves sliced thin
1 tsp red chili flakes
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive

Roasted tomatoes

4 Roma tomatoes diced
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp dried oregano
salt and pepper

toss ingredients together and roast in the oven for 25 minutes at 450 until tomatoes have caramelized.

Garlic-Butter spread for bread

1 stick unsalted butter softened
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup fresh basil
1 tsp paprika

Procedure

Cook pasta according to instructions. (no sense in guessing games and throwing pasta at the fridge to see if it's done. it says right on the box. HA!)
as soon as the pasta goes in to the water, place the sliced garlic in the cold oil and fire it up until it starts to sizzle. at this point, turn down the fire to low so it doesn't burn. we are looking for a pale golden brown hue to the garlic. once the garlic is light brown add a quarter cup of the pasta water to the garlic and oil to stop the cooking then turn the fire off. drain the pasta and place on a platter then drizzle the garlic and oil over them. add the Parmesan cheese and chili flakes and toss to coat.

Serve with garlic bread. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Tops Salad (Talbos ng Camote Salad)

We figured it would be best to slowly get in the habit of eating healthier. Everything in moderation, right? Adding a little more color here and a lot more leafy greens there and we start feeling better physically. Sort of giving the old car a tune up. In a way, it's more satisfying that the star of your salad was free because you grew it yourself. Noble idea, right? Saving a little money here and there and being a better owner for that body of yours. Baby steps...

Our  Sweet Potato plant

Sweet Potato Tops Salad  (Talbos ng Camote)

Sweet Potato Tops Salad

2 cups blanched sweet potato leaves
2 pieces Calamansi or 2 tsp of lemon juice.
1 medium onion diced
1 tomato diced
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp olive oil

wash and blanch the leaves for a minute then once wilted, throw in an ice bath to stop the cooking. squeeze as much of the water as you can then cut them in to one inch pieces. add the rest of the ingredients and serve cold.

Mushroom Ravioli in Tomato Sauce

So it isn't your traditional ravioli. This is more about making do with what you have and fixing something nice. We look in the fridge then the freezer then the pantry and we experiment and add to our repertoire. I made this ravioli a few weeks back and had them in the freezer. The easy part is using won ton wrappers. What you choose to fill them with is the fun part. Lot's of times, a busy moms and dads get in these situations where you gotta rush home and make dinner, but you don't really have time to go to the market and you're tired of eating fast food so you need something quick and easy. Having good old homemade food in the freezer can be a life saver so stock up when you do have time and are feeling a little creative.. and motivated.

Ravioli Filling
1 cup sliced Crimini mushrooms
1 cup shredded Oyster mushrooms
1 small pack of reconstituted dried Porcini mushrooms
(feel free to use any combination of mushrooms you find at your grocery)
1 cups raw baby spinach
1 tbsp Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic minced
1/2 medium onion small diced
1 tbsp of any chopped fresh herbs you have. parsley, oregano, thyme or sage etc
salt and pepper to taste

Heat up 5 tbsp of olive oil and sweat the garlic and onions. Add the mushrooms and saute until soft. Add the spinach and saute until wilted. Remove from the fire then add the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Mix and then place in a strainer and let cool it the refrigerator.

The Tomato sauce for this is very easy. A shortcut if you may by fortifying a can of seasoned diced tomatoes. How easy is that? Remember, this is having something great in a pinch. Pat yourself in the back because you're a kitchen MacGyver!

Tomato Sauce
1 15 oz can Italian style diced tomato sauce  (whatever kind you have hiding in the back of your pantry)
1 whole medium onion small diced
5 large gloved of garlic minced
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp dried chili flakes
1 tbsp unsalted butter (cold)

Making the ravioli
1 pack of won ton skins
1 beaten egg for egg wash

like an assembly line, line up 6 won ton skins and place 1 tbsp of filling in the middle, brush the edges all the way around with the egg wash and place another won ton skin on top and pinch off the air pockets to seal the ravioli. make sure to flour the ravioli liberally on the storage tray to prevent them from sticking to each other.

Procedure

Boil 6 quarts of salted water in a pot. While that is going, heat up 4 tbsp of olive oil and sweat the onion and garlic for a minute then add the oregano. Once fragrant, add the diced tomatoes and the chili flakes then turn down the heat and simmer the sauce on low. When the water boils, add the ravioli and boil until the skin is translucent. Since the filling is already cooked, 3-4 minutes should do. Fish out the ravioli and arrange in a plate.

To finish the sauce, turn up the fire on the sauce and add 1/2 cup of the pasta water in to the tomato sauce and once it comes to a boil, whisk in the cold butter to thicken the sauce a bit then ladle over the ravioli. Enjoy!

Lumpiang Sariwa (Fresh Vegetable Springroll)

Woke up today craving for some deep fried vegetable egg rolls. Filipino style of course and I was motivated enough to make it.  This is a dish we usually make in a big batch and store in the freezer. I had the ingredients on hand so I started the process and halfway through peeling the carrots I just remembered I don't have the wrappers. Fantastic.

After a little pantry diving I found these tucked away in the back.

Add caption

Looks like lunch will be a little healthier today. It won't be your traditional Filipino fresh lumpias, but I think this version is lighter and just as good.

Note that the ingredients and measurements in this recipe is very flexible. Substitute and omit as much as you like and tailor it to your taste, but we had this for lunch and I can tell you, we loved it...except for the little one. I'm still working on that one to eat more vegetables.... but that's another post.

This tool right that I picked up at the Asian market is worth it's weight in gold when it comes to prep for this dish and the uniform cuts will make for even cooking of the vegetables.

 Lumpiang Sariwa filling:

3 cups shredded Japanese sweet potato
3 cups shredded carrots
2 cups shredded jicama
2 cups sliced green beans
2 cups bean sprouts
1 medium onion think sliced
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 cup rough chopped Chinese celery leaves (or cilantro)
1/2 cup sliced green onions
salt and pepper to taste
vegetable oil

<sup>Make a habit of organizing your ingredients before you fire up the stove so as to avoid forgetting things then  running around the kitchen yelling to your wife (or husband) where the fish sauce is. In the professional kitchen we call this your Mise en place. (French for putting in place)

Turn the heat up high and when  the oil is hot (but not smoking) sweat the onions then garlic until fragrant. (do not brown)
Follow it up with the green beans for about a minute
Toss in the carrots and the sweet potato and stir for about 2 minutes
Add the jicama and about 30 seconds later add in the oyster sauce, fish sauce, salt and pepper.
Stir for about a minute then add the bean sprouts and rough chopped herbs. 
shut the fire off and stir.

At this point the vegetables will still have a delicate crunch to them but not raw. Transfer the mixture in to a tray to cool it quickly.</sup>

^{Once the filling has cooled to touch, make sure to drain it.}

^{Warm water is best when reconstituting the rice paper.}

 It is not necessary to wait for the wrapper to be completely soft in the water. It's much easier to work with when it is still a bit stiff.

^{Pat dry to remove excess water}

^{and to finish}

 

Here is a great recipe for Nuoc Cham, a Vietnamese dipping sauce from the folks at Sunday Night Dinner

Nuoc Cham 

And here is our lunch. 

It doesn't hurt to have a vegetarian meal once in a while. We, like the rest of you are at least trying to eat a little cleaner. Plus making this meal had plenty of filler for the compost bin. :) Let us know what you think of this recipe and visit us again soon!