A Practical Guide To Healthy Living

I’m always looking to get more veggies into our diet (heck, if could get any veg aside from baby carrots into L’s body, I’d attempt a cartwheel).  So when I see recipes that offer wiggle room on veggies, I jump at the chance.  Casual dishes that involve sauces can usually be stretched so that you could add, say, double the vegetables called for – helping you on your way to 5-9-a-day.

This delicious looking recipe from the new Everyday Food cookbook called Fresh Flavor Fast caught my eye.  I had an over-abundance of bell peppers in the fridge and a bag of frozen cut green beans on hand – voila!  A veggie-full combo, easy enough for a weeknight and easily convertible to please any vegetarian or vegan palate as well.  I made this to serve 2 generously, but you can easily double either the whole lot, or just the protein portion to suit however many mouths you have to feed.

Thai Green Chicken Curry With Chicken (or Tofu) (adapted from Everyday Food Magazine)

Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add the chicken cutlets or tofu and cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes each side.  Remove to a plate, let rest for 5 minutes and then cut into bite-sized pieces.

Meanwhile, add the onion and season with salt and pepper (if you are using tofu in your recipe, you may need to add a bit more olive oil here).  Cook until translucent, then add the green beans and bell pepper strips.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the beans are heated and the bell pepper begins to soften.  Add the curry paste and cook until the paste is slightly darkened, approximately 3 minutes.  Add the chicken or tofu, coconut milk and broth and bring to a simmer.

Cook until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally, about 5-8 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the basil and lime juice.  Taste for seasoning and add more salt and/or pepper accordingly.  Serve over rice.

Serves 2.

© 2010, Semi-Sweet. All rights reserved.

This is going to be quick, ’cause right now, I’m the only one in this house who’s awake.  I’ve got three jet-lagged Madrileños and a 7-year-old all wound up about her school open house tomorrow all snoozing upstairs and it’s only 8:30 p.m.  I’m left up laundering and munching marshmallows, so I thought it’d be a good time to check in and let you in on tonight’s recipe success.

This spinach and cheddar strata is SO easy and it can even be made ahead of time.  I whipped it up this morning while L. had a friend over, covered it, put it in the fridge and pulled it out when I got home from the airport with my sister and her family.  30 min. in the oven and out popped a warm tasty treat – just enough but not too much for anyone who wants a lighter meal.  Like anyone who’s been trapped on a plane for 7 hours with a 9-month-old.  Just a for-instance.  The gang loved this, and I hope you will, too.

Spinach and Cheddar Strata (adapted from Everyday Food Magazine)

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.  Add the spinach and cook, stirring constantly, until it’s wilted, about 4 minutes.  Transfer to a colander and drain, pressing with a spatula until the spinach is as dry as possible.  Transfer to a cutting board and chop coarsely.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, 1/4 of the cheese, some salt, pepper, the cayenne and the nutmeg. 

In an 8-inch square baking dish, or one of similar capacity, layer the bread cubes and then the spinach.  Pour the egg mixture over the lot and sprinkle it all with the remaining cheese.

Bake at once in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or else cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.  Remove from fridge and bake in a 400 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.

Serves 4.  This would be great with a nice tossed salad alongside . . . but tonight, I just had to get something in their bellies before they fell asleep – so this was a one-dish meal.

Sweet tip:  I keep odds ‘n’ ends of bread in the freezer for just this sort of purpose.  Sometimes we don’t make it though a whole loaf of good Italian or French, so the next day when it’s less than appealing, I bundle it into a Ziploc, label it, and sock it away.  Great for stratas, croutons, breadcrumbs etc.

© 2010, Semi-Sweet. All rights reserved.