Mango Salsa

I made the previously posted seared sesame tuna again, but this time added a mango salsa as a topping and sauteed bok choy instead of mustard greens as a side dish. The mango salsa turned out so great that I had to post it! It was very fresh and citrusy, with a little kick from poblano pepper. It can be made up to 4 hours ahead of time (keep refrigerated and tightly covered) to let the flavors mingle together. I think it'd work with any kind of white fish, I especially want to try it in fish tacos!

1 ripe mango, peeled and diced

1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup poblano pepper, diced fine

1/4 cup red onion, diced fine

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

dash salt

Combine the mango, poblano, red bell pepper, onion, and garlic in a bowl and stir to combine. Add the vinegar, cilantro, and salt, and stir well.

UPDATE: I made fish tacos with this mango salsa for a light lunch. Season tilapia fillets with salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne and broil them in the oven for 5 minutes on each side. Wrap shredded tilapia, 3 slices avocado, and a splash of lime juice in a whole wheat tortilla. Fresh and tasty!

Where to buy cheap Asian ingredients...

I forgot to mention....after spending a lot of cash at the local fancy market (similar to Whole Foods) for specific Asian ingredients, I discovered that you can buy this stuff online for much cheaper! I recently ordered from www.pacificmercantile.com and got all the non-produce ingredients I needed to host my soon-to-come sushi making party along with some really cool serving platters and dishes.

Shrimp & Tofu Pad Thai

Continuing my Asian theme, which I am getting into more and more lately, I was craving my favorite dish at Pei Wei today, Tofu & Shrimp Pad Thai, so I decided to attempt it myself! It turned out really really good! It was more flavorful than Pei Wei's version for sure and had the same kick. I am proud of it. :)

REVIEW: Once I had collected all the right ingredients, I think the recipe was pretty easy. By far the hardest ingredient to find was the talamarind sauce. My curiosity dictated that I had to research it on Wikipedia; apparently it's a tree and the fruit makes the sauce, in case you were wondering. Getting the proportions right was tricky, I think I had way too much noodles in proportion to the other ingredients but I'm a carb-o-phobe, and I would use more tofu next time, but overall it turned out awesome...even my (slightly inebriated) neighbor came over to taste and agreed with me! To quote him, "Youss rocked thish, arlishhhhaaa." :-D

RECIPE:
4 oz vermicelli, Japanese "rice sticks" noodles
10 oz firm tofu, cut into bite-sized slices
8 oz frozen shrimp
2 shallots (I used leftover pearl onions), chopped
1/2 cup scallions, sliced small
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped
2 cups bean sprouts
1 egg
2 tsp grated ginger

Sauce:
1 cup tamarind sauce
1 cup fish sauce
1/3 cup sugar
chili sauce to taste

Soak the noodles in a bowl of warm water. Make sauce by combining tamarind sauce, fish sauce and sugar over medium heat. Add chili sauce to taste (I used about 4 tsp but as mentioned previously, I am a wimp) and simmer until fully mixed, then turn off and let sauce rest.

Heat olive oil in skillet or wok. Sautee tofu, garlic, and onion until onions are translucent and tofu is crispy brown at the edges. Add noodles to skillet and pour enough sauce to coat skillet contents. Cook until noodles are soft, then push to side and add egg to skillet to cook until hard. Chop cooked egg and mix into rest of ingredients. Add bean sprouts, cilantro, scallions, shrimp, peanuts, and ginger to mixture. Add more sauce if necessary. Simmer for a few minutes until all are well coated by the sauce. Serve in bowl with fresh lime squeezed on top.

Homemade Protein Bars

Have you ever tried one of those store bought protein bars that costs $3 and leaves that nasty metallic taste in your mouth? Here's an alternative: homemade protein bars! Each one has 11g of protein and they taste sooo much better without all that processing.

REVIEW: These are really easy to make, and are filling and tasty. Perfect for when you're starving leaving work but don't want to eat too much before you work out. There is a distinct flavor of protein powder in these, so if you don't like the taste of your protein powder, you'll hate these. I have discovered Dymatize Elite brand which tastes delicious, even in bar form. I recommend the cafe mocha and rich chocolate flavors! Also, I could not find nonfat dry milk like the original recipe said, so I used buttermilk powder which is low in fat and worked fine.

RECIPE:
1 1/2 dry oatmeal
2 scoops chocolate whey protein powder
2 tbsp flaxseeds
1 cup cultured buttermilk powder
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup water
raisins or dried fruit

Spray 8x11 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine oatmeal, whey powder, flaxseeds, and powdered milk in a large bowl. Add peanut butter, vanilla, and water to create a sticky dough mixture. Knead in dried fruit. Spread mixture in pan evenly, using wet hands or spatula. Freeze for 1 hours or refrigerate overnight. Cut into squares and wrap individually to grab on the go. Makes 12 servings. (per serving: 200 cals, 5g fat, 11g protein, 25g carbs)

Onigri (Japanese Rice Balls)

Today I finally got around to making the delicious snack I had while on vacation in Tokyo! They sold these cute little rice balls in 7-11 all wrapped up in cellophane and ready to go. It took a little research but I found the official name and a recipe to make my attempt.

REVIEW: Using the right amount of rice and shaping them into triangles was tricky, but the rest of the process was easy.These are very portable, healthy snacks that are simple to make.

RECIPE: I followed the instructions on this website http://www.justhungry.com/2007/01/onigiri_omusubi_revisited_an_e.html and used canned tuna seasoned with salt, pepper, dill, and soy sauce. along with my now perfected (ha) sushi rice.

Spicy Chicken Tomato Bean Soup

A soup like this is PERFECT for a chilly night when I'm in my PJ's watching a movie! I'm nursing a bit of a cold, so I wanted to make something that would warm me up and treat my body right. This recipe is so flexible, once you have the base, you can add any veggies or spices you want to it. The chicken and beans in it made it a filling meal rather than just a first course.

REVIEW: The soup came out very flavorful, and I added just enough kick for me with cayenne pepper and a few drops of Louisiana hot sauce. I love love love cilantro so I chopped up about half the big bunch I bought at the store and threw it in there. Topping choices are endless...avocado, fat free sour cream or nonfat plain yogurt (i swear they taste the same to me), tortilla chips, shredded cheese.

RECIPE:

2 cans low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup water

1lb chicken breasts

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

14oz can diced tomatos

1 can condensed "healthy request" tomato soup

1/2 bag frozen corn

14oz can black beans

14oz can garbanzo beans
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

ground black pepper

dried parsley

chili powder

cayenne pepper

tobasco sauce

nonfat plain yogurt

avocado slices
shredded cheddar cheese

In a large soup pot over medium heat, combine chicken breasts, chicken broth, water, garlic, onion, parsley. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken and shred (use two forks to pull chicken apart), then add back to soup pot along with the diced tomatos, tomato soup, black beans, garbanzo beans, corn. Add chili powder, cayenne pepper, and hot sauce according to taste. Simmer on low for 30 mins. Top with a dollop of yogurt, shredded cheese, and sliced avocado before serving. Serves 8.

Spinach, Artichoke & Feta Lasagna

Ok, if I were to have a "Best of Beyond PB&J" category ('cause I'm cool like that), this would DEFINITELY be in it. This turned out soooo delicious, for how easy and healthy it is. I just ate the huge piece pictured here, and I'm seriously considering having another one before the night is over. Don't judge, you would too! :)

REVIEW: It's been a long time since I've had veggie lasagna, and I was afraid this one would turn out bland, but it didn't. It rocked. I really have nothing else to say...oh except I forgot to get "marinated" artichokes, but I really don't think it made a bit of difference.

RECIPE:

9 oz whole wheat oven-ready lasagna noodles
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5oz) can vegetable broth
3 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
1 (14oz) can marinated artichoke hearts, drained & chopped
1 (10oz) package frozen spinach, thawed
1 (28oz) "heart healthy" pasta sauce w/ mushrooms
4 oz fat-free feta
8 oz reduced-fat mozarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350F. Coat a 9x13 pan and a large skillet with cooking spray. Saute onion and garlic in skillet for 3 minutes until tender. Stir in vegetable broth and oregano; bring to a boil. Stir in artichoke hearts and spinach; reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in pasta sauce. Spread 1/4 of the artichoke mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish; top with 3 lasagna noodles. Make sure the noodles are completely coated with the sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over noodles. Repeat layers 2 more times, ending with artichoke mixture and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle crumbled feta on top. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover, and bake 15 minutes more. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Serves 8. (per serving: 427 cals, 5g fat, 24g protein, 40g carbs)