Best Simple French Toast with Whole Grain French Loaf

Here is the super simple,yummy, chewy, healthy way to make my favorite Sunday treat. After literally one day of purchase of French loaf, the bread gets dry and crust is no longer crispy and does not taste as good as freshly baked. This is the best way to use days old french bread. You can also use Italian loaf, but I like French loaf with thicker crust. Try to find the dense whole grain bread with crispy crust.

French Toast with Whole Grain French Loaf
( Serving: 2, Cooking time: less than 10 min.)

Ingredients

1. Whole Grain French Loaf: 4 slices (in 3/4" thick)
2. Egg: 2 extra large 
3. Soy milk: 1/4 cups
4. Pure Vanilla Extract: 1/2 teaspoon
5. Butter: 1 tablespoon
6. Maple Syrup ( Grade B) to taste

Direction:

1. In the bowel, beat eggs, add soy milk and vanilla extract.
2. Soak slices of bread into the mix until all the mix is soaked in.
3. In the pan with medium -low heat, melt butter and cook till surface gets slightly brown both side. 

My Shopping List:  Whole grain loaf  from LaBrea Bakery , Soy milk: Kirkland Original soy milk
Where: Costco

Ramen Noodle Recipe with Vegetable: 1

Even I try to eat so called 'healthy', it's not like I eat salmon, broccoli and brown rice all the time. I sometimes even eat instant ramen noodle for convenience! But every time I do this crime, I add or avoid little to the package and suddenly it will make meal not so bad. Just find any kind of hard leafy vegetable in the fridge and cook and add. Also, one very bad thing about instant ramen is the soup base comes with it. It contains amazingly high amount of sodium and long list of chemicals. For instance, the one package of Sapporo Ichiban Miso ramen shows sodium of 663mg per 1/3 block of noodles with soup. It looks like one package contains that much, but actually three times more. That means, if you drink all the soup base, you will consume 1,989 mg of sodium by eating 1 pack. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting sodium to less than 2,300 mg a day — or 1,500 mg if you're age 51 or older, or if you are black, or if you have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease. I know the soup is what ramen makes good, but when I cook, I don't eat soup.
  
Miso Ramen noodle with Vegetables
( Serving: 1, Cooking time: 10 min.)

Ingredients

1. Instant Miso Ramen noodle: 1
   
2. Kale: 2
3. Broccoli crown
4. Organic carrots: 2 sliced
5. Shiitake Mushroom: 1 sliced
6. Organic green onion: 1 chopped
7. Sesami Oil (or Olive Oil): 1/2 table spoon

Direction:

1. Cut all vegetables and saute (except for green onion) with sesami / olive oil for 2 min with medium heat till some part of the surface of some vegetable (carrots) gets light brown. Cover and cook for additional 3+ min till vegetable is cooked. Don't cook to long. Cook vegetable as much as you desire if you like. Don't add salt when cooked. For less fat version, steam vegetable instead of sauteing.
2. Cook Ramen noodle as directed on package.
3. Add cooked vegetables and chopped green onion on top of noodles.

Chicken Drumsticks with Shiitake Mushroom and Tomato Red Wine Sauce

Another my favorite chicken drumstick recipe. It's fantastic dish for economically challenging time. It's fantastic dish for not so economically challenging time too. Again, easy. But this time I took time to cook chicken (1 hr) to make very tender. Make sure you take out skin before you cook (for health benefit = less fat). It will still taste really good without skin flavor.

Chicken Drumsticks w/ Shiitake Mushroom and Tomato Red Wine Sauce
(Serving: 3~   / Prep time: 5 min / Cooking time: 1 hr 45min)

 

Ingredients:

1. Chicken Drumsticks skinned (1 kg)
   
2. Onion: 1 medium-large (200 g) sliced
3. Organic ripe Tomato on the vine: 4 large (400 g) cut in 1/8
4. Shiitake Mushroom: 120g, sliced
5. Chicken Broth (low sodium): 1 cup
6. Red Wine: 1 cup
7. Bay leaves: 3 leaves
8. Sea salt: 1/2 teaspoon
9. Olive oil: 1 tablespoon
10. Butter: 1 tablespoon
11. (option) Marinara sauce: 2 table spoons
12. (option) Worcestershire sauce: 1/2 tea spoon

Direction:

1. In the pan (I use cast iron skillet to cook), melt butter and saute onion for 5 min and set aside.
2. In the same pan, pour olive oil and saute seasoned (sea salt) chicken for 5 min flip the drumsticks and cook additional 3 min till surface is lightly brown.
3. Add cooked onion, shiitake mushroom and tomato and saute for 2 min until mushroom is cooked.
4. Add red wine, chicken broth, bay leaves. Cover (mostly, but not completely) and cook with low heat for 1 hour.
5. Uncover and (add marinara sauce and worcestershire sauce for more taste if you need) cook with medium low heat till sauce gets thick about 30 min. Stair sauce occasionally.

* Sauce tastes better when you use fresh organic ripe tomato on the vine and it will make difference in taste where and when you get tomato. If the tomato itself is tasty, then you don't need to add marinara sauce.

* Originally this recipe was cooking with white wine. But I start using red wine and I like it. So I changed the recipe a little bit for red wine.You can substitute red wine with white wine.

The best and healthier Pancakes : Whole wheat Blueberry Pancake with soy milk

This is by far the most healthiest pancake recipe using whole wheat flour and unsweetened soy milk. Although it sounds bland, it tastes actually really good !! As you can see, I don't put any refined sugar in the ingredients. I use maple syrup (real maple syrup) instead. 

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancake w/ soy milk

( Makes 8 large pancakes)

Ingredients

1. Organic Whole wheat flour: 2 cups
   
2. Baking powder: 1teaspoon
3. Baking soda: 1/2 teaspoon
4. Fine grain sea salt: 1/2 teaspoon
5. Egg (organic): 2 large
6. Unsweetened soy milk: 2 cups
7. Unsalted butter: 2 tablespoons melted
8. Maple syrup (organic, grade B): 2 tablespoons
9. Organic Blueberry (frozen or fresh): 1/2 cups

Direction:

1. Melt butter. Use microwave (for convenience) for 20+ sec till butter just melt.
2. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt). Mix well.
3. In a separate bowl combine eggs, soy milk, melted butter, and maple syrup. Mix till all ingredients are well combined.
4. Add wet mixture into dry mixture. Use spatula combine the mixture like slicing the batter. Don't mix too much. Flour doesn't need to be completely mixed.
5. Heat the griddle to medium high. Pour batter and equally divided blueberry on top and cook till bottom is golden, edge of the pancake is cooked and till the bubble shows up on the top side batter. Flip the pancake and cook the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.

* Using pancake griddle makes it perfectly even heated pancake. If you don't have it, use non- stick coated pan. Then you don't need to worry about putting extra butter or other grease on the pan to cook. The batter already contains butter in it. Butter is saturated fat. It's not good to consume much.

* Eat with Maple syrup.My favorite - GRADE B ORGANIC. More amber flavor and nutrition.

My Shopping List: Organic Whole wheat flour, Grade B organic maple syrup, 365 Organic Unsweetened Soymilk
Where: for flour:  Fresh and Easy Neighborhood Market 
for maple syrup, soy milk : Whole Foods

Roasted Rack of Lamb with Glazed Soy Maple Syrup

It's about the time to celebrate the going year and coming year. It was interesting year for me and I am excited about the new year. So, I just cooked this very easy lamb dish to get ready celebrating! I heard this combination of soy sauce and maple syrup is good to tone down the distinct lamb's gamey flavor. I use organic "Grade B" maple syrup. This unrefined sweetner is not only tasty as caramel flavor, but it's nutritious rich in minerals and vitamins. I will talk about that later more in depth. 

Roasted Rack of Lamb w/ Glazed Soy Maple Syrup
( Serving: 2+ , Cooking time: 20 min.)

Ingredients

1. Lamb rib rack (frenched: fat is already cleaned and bones are exposed and ready to be cooked): 1lb +
   
2. Low sodium Soy Sauce: 1 tablespoon
3. Maple Syrup ( Grade B): 1 tablespoon

Direction:

1. Heat the oven to 375 °F.
2. Mix low sodium soy sauce and maple syrup.
3. Marinate Lamb with sauce and sit for one hour in room temperature.
4. Roast Rack of Lamb bone down for 20 min for medium rare (time varies). 

My Shopping List: Lamb rib rack 1.15 lb $13.79
Where: Fresh and Easy Neighborhood Market

Whole Wheat Spaghetti w/ Shrimp and Peas and Garlic Butter Sauce

I got the 100 % whole wheat spaghetti, which I was not really the fan of because it's not that chewy as normal pasta. But I want to replace the habit of eating white flour to whole wheat flour for the health benefit. We consume so much of flour product, and benefit of white flour is really nothing besides it helps to make stomach bigger. Whole wheat pasta has more than twice the fiber ( ave.5g fiber for 2oz dry pasta) than normal pasta (2g fiber for 2oz), which we all know how good fiber does in our body. What I don't  like about the whole wheat pasta is that the texture of pasta and surface of the pasta doesn't absorb spaghetti sauce well. To ease this problem, I cook pasta little bit longer to make softer and add small butter right away to mix with hot pasta. And add this sauce! The richness of the sauce and lightness of whole wheat pasta matches pretty well.

 Shrimp and Peas w/ Garlic Butter Sauce
( Serving: 2, Cooking time: 15 min.)

Ingredients

1. Uncooked shrimp
   
2. Yellow Onion: 1/4 medium large chopped
3. Green Onion: 3 sprig chopped
4. Green Peas (frozen)
5. Crimini Mushroom (Fresh Italian Brown Mushroom) sliced
6. Olive oil : 3 tablespoons
7. Garlic: 1 clove chopped or pressed
8. Butter: 1/2 tablespoon
9. Parmesan Cheese
10. Salt / Freshly grounded Pepper

Direction:

1. In a pan, put olive oil and heat it. Add onion and green onion and sautee for about 5 min. 
2. Add shrimp, garlic, mushroom, 1 tablespoon water, little bit of salt and pepper and cook till color of shrimp change to orange. Do not cook to long as shrimp will get dry and tough.
3. Add Parmesan cheese and butter, cook additional 1 min.
4. Pour over cooked whole wheat pasta!

*It's like pasta with cream sauce, but no heavy cream. 

Super easy Spaghetti Bolognese Sauce

 I love Italian food. I don't have Italian mom, but this is my mom's recipe I grow up with and tweaked little bit in my way. This is the simplest spaghetti sauce ever and taste pretty good. Hardest part is chopping the vegetable. The finer, the better taste of sauce. I can use this sauce for many dish. Spaghetti Bolognese, Lasagna, and my new breakfast menu:  omelet ! 


BOLOGNESE SAUCE


(Prep time: 15 min., Cooking time: 1 hr 45 min.)

Ingredients

1. Ground Beef: 1 lb (15/85 is my favorite, use 5/95 for less fat)
   
2. Organic Celery: 2-3 stalks finely chopped, make 1 cup
3. Organic Carrots: 2 large or 3 medium finely chopped, make 1 cup
   
4. Onion: 1 medium large finely chopped, make 1 cup
5. Crimini Mushroom (Italian Brown Mushroom): 4 oz chopped
   
6. Olive oil: 6 tablespoons
   
7. Red Wine: 4 tablespoons
8. Low sodium Tomato juice or Tomato base Vegetable juice: 2 qts (64 fl oz)
9. Bay leaves: 3
10. Salt / Pepper: 1/8 teaspoons sea salt, freshly grounded pepper
11. Beef broth concentrate if necessary for extra taste

Direction:

1. In a 2.5 qts sauce pan, sautee chopped celery, carrots, onion with olive oil. Keep stirring for10-15 min with medium low heat.
2. Add ground beef, red wine, salt and pepper and sautee till it becomes lightly grown for about 3 min.
3. Add 1 1/2 qts of tomato juice, bay leaves (and beef broth concentrate). Cook with medium low heat for 45 min. Stir the sauce occasionally. 
4. Add mushroom and the rest of the tomato juice (1/2 qts) and cook for additional 45 min.

* Sauce tastes the best next day
* I use the low sodium tomato (or vegetable) juice because the normal tomato juice has too much salt in and this will make sauce too tangy. The lower the salt intake, the better for your health too. The sauce tastes slightly varied depends on the tomato juice.

My Shopping Cart: Low Sodium Garden Patch (vegetable juice) 64 fl oz
Where: Trader Joe's

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

There are many kinds of way to cook stuffed cabbage rolls. Most popular one is with tomato sauce. But I love making with clear broth. I can taste of cabbage rolls itself more than with strong tomato sauce.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Beef Bouillon Soup

( Makes 8 rolls)

Ingredients

1.  Green Cabbage: 1 large (use 8 leaves)
2. Ground Beef: Lean (96/4) 1/2 lb
   
3. Ground Pork: Lean 1/2 lb
4. Onion: 1 small finely chopped
5. Butter: 1 tablespoon
6. Panko: 3 tablespoons
7. Milk: 3 tablespoons
8. Egg: 1
9. Fine sea salt: 1/2 teaspoon
10. Freshly grounded pepper: 1/4 teaspoon
11. Nutmeg: 1/4 teaspoon
12. Organic Celery: 1 stalk with leaves, cut in 1/4
13. Organic Carrot: 1 large, cut in 1/2"
14. Bay leaves: 1
15. Water: 4 cups
16. Beef bouillon cube: 1
17. Black Pepper corn: 3

Direction:

1. In the large pot, boil water.
2. Remove center core of whole cabbage and place cabbage into pot. Cook for 2-3 min. till leaves are bright green and tender. Take out whole cabbage from pot and remove outer leaves. Put cabbage back into pot and repeat till you have 8 leaves. 
3. Slice off the hard center vein of cabbage, set aside.
4. In the pan, sautee chopped onion with butter for 3 mins. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
5. In the small dish, add milk into panko and make it well soaked.
6. Place ground beef, ground pork, panko mix, egg and salt, pepper, nutmeg in the bowl with the onions, and mix together with hands until well blended. 
7. Place 1/8 of mixture on a cabbage leaf, starting from stem end, roll the cabbage up. Use wooden toothpick and tuck together at the end. repeat 8 times.
8. In the pot, place cabbage rolls and pour water, celery, carrot, bay leaves, pepper corn and bouillon cube. Cook for 30 min.

Sake Poached New Zealand Red Snapper

I got wild caught New Zealand red snapper (whole) from the market.
Cook with sake and eat with little bit of ginger soy is my favorite way to eat them...... >^_^<
It's so tender and tasty.

Tonight's dinner: Sake poached red snapper w/ shiitake mushroom, Green mix (broccoli, cauliflower, green bean, romanesco: I love this Italian vegetable!), Grape tomato, Israeli couscous w/ garbanzo bean, Snapper egg drop soup.

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SAKE POACHED NEW ZEALAND RED SNAPPER W/ SHIITAKE MUSHROOM
(Serving: 2, Prep time: 5 min., Cooking time: 15 min.)

Ingredients:

1. 1 wild caught New Zealand red snapper (1 - 1 1/2 lb)
   
2. 4 large shiitake mushroom, sliced
   
3. 1 green onion, sliced in 1/2"
   
4. 1/2" ginger root, sliced
   
5. 4 tablespoons sake
   
6. salt / pepper

Direction:

1. Rinse red snapper and put in a roasting pan. Lightly salt and pepper both side.
2. Pour sake in the pan.
3. Put sliced shiitake mushroom, ginger, green onion on top of red snapper.
4. Cover and put in the oven. Bake about 15 min.
   
5. Take pan out of the oven, set aside to cool off about 3 min.

* Eat with little bit of low sodium soy sauce with grated ginger.
* If you get red snapper in the fish market and when they clean the fish for you , ask to take fish head ( if you are ok with fish head) and use it for snapper soup. It will make great soup stock. Put the head into dashi water, add sake, ginger block, green onion. Cook for few minutes, and slowly pour lightly beaten egg, cook till egg forms for 20 seconds.

My shopping cart: Wild caught New Zealand red snapper (1 lb +) $7.20
Where: 99 Ranch Market

Hirame (halibut, flounder) vs. Karei (turbot, sole or righteye flounder)

If you know about fish, both hirame (ヒラメ）and karei （カレイ）are flatfish and look similar. But there are few differences between them. Hirame has head in left side (left-eyed) and karei has it in right side (right-eyed) with few exception in some species. (You probably don't need to know the anatomy of fish.... I know) Hirame swims around and catches fish to eat, so it has tighter body. Hirame is good for sashimi for that reason. Of course you find all sorts of cooking method from baking to saute. Karei in the other hand, catches and eat food on the sea ground in the sand. It has smoother texture than hirame because of  their activity level.

Both hirame and karei are high in protein, low in fat and contains taurin and good source of vitamin B. Taurin is known to prevent liver disease, energy-giving, lower blood pressure, and lower cholesterol. It contains collagen especially around fin. Collagen supports body tissues such as skin, bone, tendons, muscles, and cartilage.

You will see more halibut in the store as an expensive fish, but karei is cheaper and taste as good as hirame. Karei tend to be lower in mercury contamination becuase it's from deep ocean.

Flounder you will find in the store also has similar habitat to karei (turbot), so it has smooth texture. But it's almost too soft and mushy for me. It almost melts down and breaks it when cooked.


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SIMMERED KAREI (KAREI NO NITSUKE)
(serving 3-4, Cooking time 15 min)


Ingredient:

1. 4 Karei (turbot or sole) pieces
2. 3 green onion
3. Ginger sliced make 1/2 tablespoons
   
4. 3 tablespoons cooking sake
5. 1 tablespoon Mirin (sweet cooking rice wine)
6. 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
7. 3/4 cup water

Direction:

1. Pour hot water on the karei to clean the skin. Quickly wash with cold water and put aside.
   
2. Cut green onion in 1 inch piece. Put in the toaster oven and grill for few minutes till it starts to get brown. (but don't burn)
3. In the pan, put cooking sake, mirin, soy sauce and water. Cook till it boils.
4. Add karei and ginger in the pan, cover and simmer for 5 min with medium heat.
   
5. Add grilled green onion in the pan and cook additional 3 min.
   

My Shopping List: Turbot fillet (4 in pack) $5.00
Where: Seafood City
If you don't have Mirin, you can substitute with organic maple syrup and extra sake.

Is chicken darkmeat bad to eat?

Usually people think dark meat is a nasty thing to eat. Not really true. Only bad thing is that it contains saturated fat. Dark meat actually contains more nutrition than white meat. Dark meat has more iron, zinc, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and amino acid than white meat. Chichen dark meat has high in vitamin A, K, B6, B12, niacin, selenium and zinc. Of course it has great source of protein. Just take off ALL skin BEFORE cooking to reduce saturated fat. Here is my favorite easy drumstick recipe.

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PAPRIKA CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS
(serving: 3-4, Cooking time: 2omin.)

Ingredients:

1. 8 chicken drumsticks, skin off
2. 1/2 onion sliced
3. 3/4 tablespoons hungarian sweet paprika
4. Extra virgin olive oil little bit
5. 1 tablespoon Butter
6. 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
7. 2 tablespoons Red wine
8. 1 tablespoon organic ketchup
9. 1 tablespoon half and half (optional)
10. salt / pepper
    

Direction:

1. Put lemon juice over skin- offed chicken drumsticks.
2. In the pan, put butter and olive and saute chicken 2 min. both side.
3. Saute onin for 2 min.
4. Add 1/2 cup water and pinch of salt and pepper
5. Add paprika, red wine and ketchup, cover and cook for 10 min.
   
6. Take off from heat. Add half and half. Don't put it for lower fat option!
   

Easy yummy meal less than $5 per person !

These days you just can't spent fancy $ to buy food nor spend $ in the restaurant, but you don't want to buy dinner from fast food restaurant to fill our stomach. No worries. Here are the few recipes that I love. I can run to Trader Joe's and spend less than $5 per serving to cook nice meal. It's so easy and so yummy. AND it's quite filling as well

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WILD ALASKAN SALMON WITH KALE
(serving : 2, Cooking time: less than 30 min)


Ingredient:

1. Wild Alaskan salmon (frozen) 1 pack of 2 fillet
2. 4 cups chopped Kale
   
3. 3 tablespoons butter
4. Sea salt / freshly grounded pepper

Direction:

1. Pre heat oven 325 degree
2. Saute chopped kale with 1 tablespoon of butter in the pan for 2 min till kale's volume get smaller and softer. Remove from heat and set aside.
   
3. Season thawed salmon fillet with pinch of sea salt and pepper both side
4. Slice 1 tablespoon butter into 4 and place in the bottom of roasting pan
5. Place 1 fillet of salmon (skin bottom) in the roasting pan.
6. Place sauteed kale on top of the salmon and place other fillet of salmon (skin top).
7. Place remaining 1 tablespoon butter on top of 'salmon sandwich'
   
8. Cover with foil and bake in the pre- heated oven for 15 min till salmon' s inside color just get changed from dark coral color to lighter. Don't over cook. Salmon will get dry and harder.
   
9. Take out from oven, sit for 3 min. with cover before serve.

Eat with brown rice or your favorite pasta.
You can substitute kale with baby spinach if you can't get kale.
Shopping List: Frozen Alaskan salmon ($7-8 for 2 in 1 package), Kale ($1.29) or Baby spinach bag ($1.99)
Where: Trader Joe's / Whole foods for kale

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CHICKEN SHNITZEL
(serving 2 -4, Prep time: 20 min , Cooking time: less than 10 min)


Ingredients:

1. 4 chicken breast
2. 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
3. 1 egg beaten
4. 3 tablespoons whole wheat  flour
5. 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6. 1/8 teaspoon sea salt / pepper
7. Slice of lemon and basil leaves
   

Directions:

1. Dry chicken with paper towel. Place chicken breast between cooking sheet. Pound chicken with heavy rolling pin to flatten evenly to 1/4" thickness
2. Mix Flour, salt and pepper and coat chicken
3. Dip in beaten egg to coat, allow the excess to drip off and roll in the panko bread crumbs.
   
4. Heat olive oil in the pan with medium heat. Wait till heated (drop few panko into oil. If panko start to fry immediately, it's ready to cook) about 30 sec.
   
5. Place chicken and cook 2 1/2 min. each side.
6. Take out of pan and garnish with sliced lemon and fried basil leave

Best way to eat this is just to eat as is with little bit of squeezed lemon and basil for flavor if you like. No additional sauce to dip please. We really don't need to add lots of things (usually high calorie, fat and sodium or sugar) to basically kill the taste of food itself. I use just 1 tablespoon of olive oil per chicken to cook instead of the traditional way of deep frying. It tastes as good as "deep-frying". This way, you don't need to waste a bottle of good oil and chicken doesn't get too greasy and fatty.

ShoppingList: Frozen Boneless Chicken Breast Meat with Rib Meat ( 40 oz pack ) $6. --
Where: Trader Joe's

BRUSSELS SPROUTS : anticancer agent and more

I got Brussels sprouts stalk today and thought to post my recipe. I hear Brussels sprouts is not ranked as people' favorite kind of vegetable, but given the benefit of nutrition, it's great to add to the regular daily vegetable diet. Brussels sprouts is Brassica family, which is the family of cabbage, broccoli, kale and collard greens. It is loaded with vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, protein, potassium, iron and fiber. Vitamin K has notable key roles in healthy blood clotting and metabolizing calcium. It helps to prevent postmenopausal bone loss for woman. It helps to prevent calcification of arteries. It has three times more nutrition than cabbage. It also contains substance called sinigrin. Research says sinigrin may prevent colon cancer.

Nutrition facts by NutritionData

BRUSSELS SPROUTS with GREEN BEANS GARLIC GINGER SAUCE
(Serving 3)



Ingredients:

1. 1 lb chicken breast tenderloins or chicken breast, cut into small strips
2. 15 Brussels sprouts pieces, slice off the base, peel off loose or yellow leaves, cut in half
3. 6 oz French green beans
4. 1 clove garlic minced
5. Fresh ginger size of thumb, minced
6. 1 tablespoon potato starch (katakuriko)
7. 2 tablespoons rice wine or dry sherry
8. 2 tablespoons less sodium soy sauce
9. 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
10. Salt / pepper

Directions:

1. In the bowl combine chicken, soy sauce, rice wine and potato starch. Mix well and set aside for 10 min.
2. Heat small amount of oil in the pan with medium heat, stir in Brussels sprouts and sprinkle of salt and pepper, add 1/4 cups of water, cover and cook till water evaporates. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in the same pan with medium-high heat, stir in prepared chicken, ginger and garlic. Cook till chicken gets white color inside.
4. Add cooked Brussels sprouts and green beans to chicken. Stir for 2-3 min. Serve quickly.

Eat over brown rice. I got Brussels sprouts stalk, French green beans (frozen), chicken breast tenderloin (frozen) from: Trader Joe's

KABOCHA Dinner Soup: Immunity boost soup to prepare flu season

I hope everyone had great Turkey day. I did. I am very stuffed now. But here it is!!

I am very excited to introduce first of my fast.fit.fun.fab.food (fffff). This recipe was inspired by zen food or Buddhist food or “shojin Ryori” in Japanese created by monk. “Shojin ryori” doesn’t contain meat or fish. But I added pork for flavor in my recipe. Here is the Kabocha pumpkin dinner soup, which is perfect for winter. It contains all different nutrition you can think of to boost your health during cold winter flu season.

KABOCHA DINNER SOUP

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 large (2 lb) organic (preferred)kabocha pumpkin cut in 2-3 inches cube (with skin)
2. 3-4 large organic (preferred) carrots cut into 1 inches (1- 1 1/2 cups) (with skin)
3. 1/2 lb gobo (burdock root) peel skin and cut into 1 1/2 inches (1 cup)
4. 1/2 lb pork loin thin “shabu shabu” slice
5. 4 large taro (1/2 lb), peel skin and cut into half
6. 3/4 lb daikon radish cut into 2 inches dice
7. 7 nappa cabbage leaves cut into 2 inches
8. Udon noodle if you want to make it dinner soup
9. 2 qt dashi soup
10. 2" cut dried kelp piece
11. 1 tablespoon organic miso
12. 2 green onion sprig finely chopped for garnish
    

Directions:

1. Soak gobo and taro into water, set aside until cook
2. In a large pot, put 2 qt of water w/ dashi (* will talk about later), kelp and daikon radish into pot and bring to a boil. After it's boiled, cook additional 2 min and take out kelp.
3. Reduce to medium-low heat, Add pork into pot and cook until meat color changes to white / brown about 30 sec. Take out from pot and set aside.
4. Put carrots, gobo into pot to cook about 8 min.
5. Add kabocha pumpkin, taro into pot and cook until kabocha gets soft about 30 min.
6. Add nappa cabbage into pot cook for another 5 min.
7. Add cooked udon noodle (optional)
8. Remove from the heat and add miso and cooked pork.
9. Right before serving, garnish with green onion
   

This soup gets very delicious and more like pumpkin puree soup next day. I make big pot and feast for next few days !


I got vegetable from: 99 Ranch Market and Whole Foods for organic stuff.