3 January 2013

New Year Egg Drop Soup with Pork

This is, hands down, my new favorite recipe. I’ve already made it three times and I’m not sick of it. That’s saying a lot because usually I have a hard time eating something more than two or three times in a row.

It’s an easy recipe, but one ingredient you really can’t skimp on is this one:

Sesame oil makes this recipe, so please don’t try to make it without some!

You’ll need (makes 4-6 servings):

• 2 boxes chicken broth (organic, free range is best if you can swing it)
• 4-5 Tbsp sesame oil, divided
• 5-6 heads baby bok choy
• 1 cup green onion, diced
• 1-2 lbs ground pork
• 2-3 Tbsp coconut aminos (or substitute with soy sauce)
• 4-5 eggs, whisked together
• crushed red pepper to taste
• salt to taste

Make it:

Begin by sauteing the ground pork in 1-2 Tbsp sesame oil in a large soup pot. When the pork is around 75-80% cooked, add the broth, coconut aminos, and crushed red pepper. The pork should look kinda like this before you add the additional ingredients:

Bring everything to a boil, then add the bok choy and green onion. Cook for about 5-10 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat source. Wait until the soup has cooled just a bit (1-2 minutes). Then, add the eggs by stirring the pot consistently while you slowly pour in the egg mixture. Turn the heat back on to low/simmer, and cook for another 5-10 minutes to help marry all the flavors. Add salt if necessary.

Garnish with more green onion if desired.

It doesn’t look like much, but it is completely and utterly delicious.

For vegetarians: use diced tofu instead of pork and add rice noddles if desired. You could also add pre-made veggie wontons.

5 November 2012

Green Soup with Ham (Meatballs)

This recipe will officially help you Fit Yo Pants!

Whoa! I feel like I haven’t been here in a while. How’s are all the Fit Yo Pantsers doing? We have a little less than a month to go, so I hope you’re making some progress and committing to all the things I asked you to.

I’m coming to you with a rich, hearty soup that will fill you up as it helps you fit yo pants!It’s full of green veggies, satisfying pork, and warming broth. Yeah, yeah, there’s no actual ham in it, but I couldn’t resist the title!

You’ll need (makes 6-8 servings):

• 2 boxes chicken broth or stock (or you can use 1.5 boxes + water to make up the rest of the liquid)
• 1 bunch kale*, torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1-2 large leeks*, washed thoroughly and chopped
• 1-2 lbs green beans*, cut into thirds or fourths
• 1 lb ground pork
• salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil

*You can sub in ANY green veggie if you don’t have these on hand! Broccoli, spinach, zucchini — whatever you got.

Make it:

• Add the olive oil to a large sauce pan. Start sauteing the leaks over medium heat, then add the green beans.
• As your veggies cook, roll your pork into bite-sized meatballs and then add to the pot.
• Cook everything together for 5-10 minutes, being careful not to smush the meatballs.
• Add the chicken broth and kale, then bring to a simmer.
• Simmer soup until the kale softens and the meatballs are cooked through.
• Season with LOTS of salt, pepper, crushed red pepper (for spice), and any other spice that strikes your fancy!

Weird? A little bit. Delicious? You bet.

23 October 2012

October-Appropriate Pumpkin Chili

This recipe will officially help you Fit Yo Pants!

I know that when most of you see the word “pumpkin” in a recipe title, you roll your eyes. I get it. Trust me, I do. But sometimes that ubiquitous squash just makes a recipe really special. This is one of those times. And really, we only get to abuse pumpkin for a couple months out of the year, so let’s make the most of it!

The addition of pumpkin in what is otherwise a fairly standard chili recipe adds a warmth and depth of flavor most chilis just can’t accomplish. I also think it makes it a bit more hearty.

You’ll need (makes 4-6 servings):

• 1 lb ground beef (I used grass-fed 85/15). If you want to keep it vegetarian, you could use beans instead — kidney or black would work best. You could also use beans in addition to the ground beef.
• 1 15-oz can pumpkin
• 42 oz diced tomato (fire-roasted works well). I used a 28-oz. can and a 14-oz. can.
• 1 small white or yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large green pepper (or 2 small guys), chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp crushed red pepper (if you like spice)
• 1-2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp  cayenne
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• salt and pepper to taste

Make it:

• Saute the beef, onions, and peppers in olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot until the beef loses most of its pink. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Add tomatoes, pumpkin, and all spices.
• Simmer for as long as you can, but at least 20 minutes.
• Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

10 October 2012

Shrimp Pad Thai with Spaghetti Squash

You guys. This recipe. I can’t even describe to you how amazing and delicious it is. You seriously won’t miss the noodles at all. I actually liked this dish better than traditional Pad Thai (which I often find sorta bland and boring). Because I’ve never made Pad Thai before, I used a few recipes for inspiration and ended up adapting/combining them to create an entirely new recipe.

In my mind, the key to this recipe is the delicious Red Boat Fish Sauce I special ordered. If you don’t have the patience/budget/etc. for that, feel free to use any fish sauce you can find. Just try to find one without weird ingredients or added sweeteners if possible. Red Boat has only two ingredients: wild anchovies and salt.

You’ll need (serves 4-6):

• 1 lb frozen or fresh uncooked wild-caught shrimp
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 1 medium spaghetti squash
• 1/2 cup creamy almond butter
• 2 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp coconut aminos (I would have used this, but it was another special order and didn’t arrive in time! You can use regular soy sauce as well.)
• 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, crushed
• 2 eggs
• 2 limes
• 1 clove garlic, crushed 
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp salt
• crushed red pepper to taste

Make it:

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Begin by cutting the spaghetti squash in half and cooking it for about 45-60 minutes on a baking sheet or foil (sliced side down). You can do this ahead of time (I did).
• Once your squash is cooked, scrape out the “spaghetti” with a fork. If it’s cooked through, it should be easy to get the spaghetti out. Set it aside.
• In a small bowl, combine juice from one lime, almond butter, fish sauce, soy sauce/coconut aminos, crushed red pepper, and a dash of salt. Set it aside.
• In a large pan, heat sesame oil and then add green onions, garlic, and shrimp. Stir continuously for about five minutes.
• Whisk eggs in a small bowl and then add to the pan. Keep stirring so the eggs don’t set!
• Once the eggs start to solidify, add spaghetti squash and the sauce from the small bowl.
• Keep stirring for another five minutes, or until the shrimp is cooked through. Season with more salt and crushed red pepper to taste.
• Garnish with crushed macadamias and cilantro.

This is a crappy phone pic, but trust me: it’s DELICIOUS and tastes as good or better than any Pad Thai I’ve had!

27 August 2012

Basil and Bacon Eggplant Stir-Fry

I’m not going to lie. This was one of those “use up all the veggies in the fridge” type of dinners. But was it easy? Yes. Was it delicious? Um, you know I wouldn’t have eaten it if it weren’t.

I was inspired by a coworker’s lunch: a lasagna-style eggplant casserole with lots of yummy mozzarella and parmesan. Since I’m sticking to a Whole30-style diet and trying to minimize my dairy consumption, I wanted to create something similar but cheeseless. Since cheese is what really holds that type of dish together, I decided to move away from the casserole idea. A stir-fry seemed like the best way to marry all the flavors.

Since cheese lends a lot of flavor and decadence to a dish like this, I knew I had to find something to replace it. I knew immediately what that decadent ingredient would be: BACON. Bacon was key to making this recipe the rich, hearty dish it turned into.

You’ll need (serves 4-6):

• 1 small eggplant, chopped
• 2 small yellow squash or zucchini, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 large tomato (you could use 2-3 tomatoes or even a large can of diced tomatoes to add more tomato flavor if you like)
• 1 lb 85% grass-fed ground beef
• 4-5 slices bacon, diced
• handful of fresh basil, torn or cut into small pieces
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• crushed red pepper to taste (if you want to make it spicy!)
• salt and pepper to taste

Make it:

• Begin by sauteing the bacon in a very large pan until it begins to crisp up (but don’t let it get too crispy!).
• Add the onion, eggplant, and squash/zucchini and saute over medium heat until the onion begins to become translucent, 5-10 minutes. While you’re doing this, saute the ground beef in a separate pan until 75% cooked through.
• Add the tomato and basil to the veggie mixture, then add the ground beef. 
• Season with additional dried basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper if desired.
• Simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Make sure the beef is cooked through.
• Serve with parmesan cheese if desired.

I served my eggplant stir-fry with some Apple-Pine Nut Kale Salad and called it a night. I do feel like this dish would be more suited for the upcoming cooler temps, but I’ll eat something this tasty in any season.