Kung Pao Chicken

I bought quite a few new ingredients to make this dish, so I definitely tried something different! This was my first attempt at making official sticky (a.k.a. sushi) rice like I had during my trip in Tokyo. Usually I think of rice as filler food, but the sticky rice in Japan was so good I could eat it as a meal. I am so proud of my first attempt, it turned out great! Luckily, last year I took a sushi making class at a local grocery store and learned some good tips that I could apply. I'm not sure if it would be sticky enough for sushi because I didn't try to roll it up or anything, but it seemed pretty close to me! I bought a huge bag of it because I am planning to use it on sushi rolls and some other dishes I loved in Tokyo and want to try making here!

I found this recipe on the Cooking Light website so it was healthy but I was very impressed with the flavor. The sauce made with sweet hoisen sauce was balanced nicely with soy sauce and lots of garlic, and given a kick from red pepper. I cooked the broccoli perfectly, with a little crunch and it didn't get too mushy in the sauce because I added it back in at the very end. Genius :) I also added sliced baby carrots, and cooked them with the broccoli.

RECIPE:

4 cups broccoli florets

1 tbsp ground fresh ginger

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, diced

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 tbsp hoisin sauce

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

1 tsp cornstarch

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp coarsely chopped salted peanuts

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add broccoli and 2 teaspoons ginger to pan; sauté 1 minute. Add water. Cover; cook until broccoli is crisp-tender. Remove broccoli from pan; keep warm. Heat more oil in pan; add remaining 1 teaspoon ginger, crushed red pepper, and chicken. Cook until chicken is lightly browned, stirring frequently. Combine broth and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl, and stir with a whisk. Add broth mixture to pan; cook 1 minute or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Return broccoli mixture to pan; toss to coat. Sprinkle with peanuts. Makes 4 servings. (per serving: 240 cals, 8g fat, 31g protein, 11g carbs)

Seven Layer Dip

We're celebrating the big boss's birthday tomorrow, so I made my tried and true party dip to bring in for the occasion. This baby never fails me, it's easy, quick, and people love it...especially the guys I work with who pretty much eat anything! Hmmm....guess that's not saying much for the dip, but it really is good!

REVIEW: Dangerously scrumptious, because you don't want to stop eating it once you start! I make it healthier by using fat free refried beans and light sour cream. I'm sure it would taste even better with the full-fat ingredients and freshly made guacamole!

RECIPE:
2 cans refried beans
16 oz package pre-made guacamole
8 oz sour cream
1 packet taco seasoning
1 package Mexican-flavor colby jack shredded cheese
1 large tomato, diced
scallions, chopped

Spread a layer of the refried beans in a 9x13 pan, then spread the guacamole on top of the beans. Mix the sour cream and taco seasoning in a separate bowl, then add on top of guacamole. Sprinkle cheese, tomato, and scallions to finish it off.

Chicken Jambalaya

I didn’t think I’d be able to post my first meal until next week because of my schedule, but then I ran across a recipe in my Fitness magazine that looked easy and I could make in the crock pot! The prep work was very easy, since most of the ingredients came already made. The only problem I ran into was caused by my defiance of reading directions carefully. For some reason I was certain that I had to take the casing off the sausage, but this turned into a tedious (and kinda gross) job. After a couple of tries, I gave up and cut it up casing and all. I also ran into a glitch with the jambalaya rice mix. The recipe says to put only the seasoning packet in at first, then add the rice 45 minutes before serving. When I opened the box, I realized that the rice and seasoning was all mixed together in one big packet! It didn't seem to matter much.

REVIEW: I liked the zesty flavors of the dish. I am a wimp when it comes to spicy foods, but I thought this had just enough kick without overpowering the other flavors. The chicken was soooo tender! I had to drain out quite a bit of liquid before eating, so either I didn't let the rice absorb enough or maybe two cups of water is too much. I took some of it for lunch the next day and it tasted great as a leftover. Success!

RECIPE:

"Chicken Jambalaya"
8 oz skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, diced
16 oz package frozen bell peppers and onions
8 oz smoked turkey sausage, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inc slices
2 cups water
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes w/ jalapeno peppers, undrained
8 oz package jambalaya rice mix

Place the ingredients in the crockpot in the following order: frozen veggies, chicken, sausage, water, tomatoes, seasoning packet from rice mix. Cover and cook 5-6 hours (even longer is ok too) on low heat or 2.5-3 hours on high heat. 45 minutes prior to serving, mix in rice and cook on high heat. Makes 6 servings. (per serving: 256 cals, 4g fat, 19g protein, 37g carbs)

My 1st Blog Post! (and why Beyond PB&J was created)

Ok, so it’s not like I am a TERRIBLE cook, but my meals consist of whatever I can make the fastest with the ingredients I happen to have in the fridge at the time. Since half of my fridge is occupied by alcohol, this leaves me a limited space in which to store my usual supply of fresh vegetables, fruit, egg beaters, plain yogurt, milk, hummus, cheese, deli meat, condiments, and the staple that holds it all together: Mission low-carb whole wheat fajita-size wraps. The things I make at home and pack for lunch are extremely healthy. I save my calorie splurges for when I’m out with friends enjoying Mexican food and margaritas – yum!

The problem with concocting healthy meals in little time is that they get repetitive, almost to the point where each night I want to throw my low-fat, low-carb turkey wrap out the window and drive to the nearest Sonic for a burger and tater tots pronto!

My theory is there MUST be a way to eat healthy and keep my meals interesting too! Now that my crazy schedule has calmed down a little bit, I’ve decided to dedicate one night a week to cooking a dish that is out of my comfort zone of broiled chicken and steamed veggies (boring!). Each week, I will search for a recipe that I have never tried before and tackle it! I don’t want to limit myself with too many rules, but I will try to keep my choices diverse, challenging, and nutritious.

Friends are welcome to come over on these nights; they have the choice to help, supervise (i.e. sit on my couch and drink wine), or just enjoy. Food is always better when you have friends to share it with!

Wish me luck in my culinary attempts!!