Make It Healthier is a place to find either healthy recipes or healthy alternatives to ingredients.
You may notice that my directions are not very specific. I think one of the keys to cooking is being able to feel out the proportions. For instance, whenever a recipe calls for 1 tsp of vanilla, I scoff as I practically add half the bottle. Salt? I can always do with a little less salt than instructed. I never measure garlic and onion and usually add way more than instructed. Some things are just a matter of taste. Play with proportions according to what you like and what those you are cooking for like. Most importantly, have fun cooking! When measurements matter, I'll be sure to give them.
Quick and Easy Ginger Stir Fry
I had planned a meal for the night, but Derek ended up having a meeting so I decided I would just throw something easy together. Of course, when I went to the local market across the street, i got inspired to create something a little bit more interesting than I was originally planning (it was so boring that I can't even remember what it was!). The main inspiration for the dish was the bag of dry noodles I found. I have never cooked them before and love trying new things, so I grabbed them along with a broccoli cole slaw mix and a package of mixed mushrooms and I headed home.
These are the ingredients I used for the sauce, which I made over the meal. It's just soy sauce (I use lite in order to cut out some of the sodium), ground ginger, curry powder, chili powder, onion powder (of course fresh onion would be great in this!), and some lemon juice.
What's great about this dish is that, aside from cooking the noodles, everything can be done in one pot.
I also found a lot of recipes for making your own noodles from scratch. I think I'm definitely going to try that next time!
What you need:
1/2 package of egg noodles (I cooked the whole package but left some out because it would have been too much for the amount of vegetables and sauce I had. Just play with it to see what works for you.)
1 package broccoli cole slaw mix
1 package mixed mushrooms (Throw in whatever veggies you want- anything would work! I highly recommend the mushroom, though.)
garlic
onion powder (or fresh onion)
lite soy sauce
ground ginger
cumin
chili powder
lemon juice
How to do it:
Cook your egg noodles (I just threw mine in some boiling water for a couple of minutes just to soften them up, but they cook in the pan.)
In a large frying pan or sauce pan, sauté some garlic in about a tablespoon of vegetable oil (I love garlic, so the more the better for me. I used probably a couple spoonfuls of chopped garlic, but adjust to your liking.).
After about a minute add the mushrooms and the broccoli mix. You'll want this mixture to sauté for a bit, until the mushrooms start to get tender but not floppy.
While this is cooking, you can add in the spices. I'm generous with the onion powder. If it were a fresh onion I'd put a whole small one in or half of a large one, so I use between 5-8 strong shakes of the powder. For the other spices, you really want to play with what you like. I use plenty more cumin than chili powder and, while I want the ginger flavor to come through strongly, the spice is much more potent than some other spices, so I can use less and still get a great flavor. I usually cover the top of the food with spices and then mix it all in.
After that, mix the noodles in.
Now it's time to add the sauce sauce. Make sure you have enough to create a light sauce. You can really play with what you like here. I like a more subtle soy sauce flavor than Derek does, so he adds some more on after I serve it.
The last thing you want to add is just a hint of lemon.
Mix it up and taste it, then modify whatever you think needs modification. More ginger? More onion? Whatever works for you.
This meal really only takes about 10 minutes, if that, so it is a great option for a quick dinner or lunch. Next time, I definitely want to add a protein. Beef or shrimp would probably be good, but really any meat would work. Have fun! Oh and enjoy with a glass of wine, of course :)
Ever notice that those frozen vegetable medleys taste pretty bland on their own? Every discover that they somehow wind up in your freezer anyway? Well, put them in a stir fry! Here's how to make it healthier!
Quinoa Stir Fry
I try to use quinoa as often as possible because it's a super food, which means it's loaded with healthy stuff!
What do you need:
You can add in whatever you like -that's the fun of stir fry! I used quinoa, egg, frozen vegetables, garlic (of course), onion powder, low sodium soy sauce, pepper, and ginger.
Cook the quinoa as directed. This takes the longest so I suggest cooking this before you move on.
I made way too much, so I saved some. I'll post the delicious meal my husband made with the leftovers soon!
In a frying pan, scramble a couple of eggs.
Add the thawed veggies (mine were not completely thawed, so I let them cook a bit). Then add the quinoa and spices to taste alone with a generous dose of soy sauce. I like the low sodium soy sauce, just to make it even a little bit healthier.
Enjoy!
Sort of Sour Cream and Onion Cauliflower Casserole
I wanted to get a picture of the completed casserole, but it was so good that we ate it before we got the picture!
I wouldn't call this a healthy meal, but I would definitely call it a healthy alternative that does not sacrifice flavor. Since we had a couple of pieces of leftover pizza to get rid of (and who's good after just one piece of pizza?!), I figured I would make a side dish. Most of my ideas for things like this come out of a desire to use the things I already have kicking around the kitchen and to spend the least amount of money
What's in it?
1 package of frozen cauliflower (cheap and easy- some nights that's the best combo for dinner)
1 package shredded parmesan cheese
32 oz container of plain Greek yogurt
Small package french fried onions (OK so they aren't a health food, but there isn't much in them and they make a nice topper)
garlic powder
onion powder
You will also need:
A small to medium sized casserole dish (if it was clean, I would have used a smaller dish than the one pictured)
oven pre-heated to 375
When I said quick and easy for this recipe, I really meant it! All you do is steam your cauliflower according to what you have. For instance, I used frozen cauliflower so I just followed the directions on the package (microwave in the casserole dish with 2 tbs water for 8ish minutes). This would also be great if you need to get rid of some fresh cauliflower -I love fresh vegetables but frozen vegetables are great on a budget and I have felt better about eating them since I discovered this link: Eating Well -Fresh vs Frozen
Next I mashed the cauliflower with an abundant amount of Greek yogurt. OK this is one of the greatest things I have learned: plain Greek yogurt tastes just like sour cream in food. I love sour cream but I always feel guilty eating it. If I replace it with plain greek yogurt (which I always do!) I am going from unhealthy to healthy because this stuff is packed with protein! Try it for yourself- it definitely works for me, but not all taste buds are created equal.
Perhaps you noticed that I am mashing my cauliflower with a fork. We got so many amazing things for our wedding, but we keep forgetting we did not get a potato masher. I imagine that would work better, so go ahead and use that if you have one. If not, a fork does the trick with a little extra effort.
When you've mashed and mixed, add about a 1/3 to a 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese and a generous amount of garlic powder and onion powder. I always prefer fresh garlic and onion, but if time is tight, the powders work well. Mix it all up and spread evenly across the bottom of the dish.
Cover the top with french fried onions and pop in the oven for 5-8 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
This is definitely not filling enough for a full meal, but it's great if you need something cheesy, creamy, crunchy, and flavorful, with some healthy benefits! Enjoy!
Overview:
Steam Cauliflower
Mash with Greek yogurt
Add garlic and onion powder
Add parmesan cheese
Mix and spread evenly
cover top with french fried onions
bake for 5-8 minutes at 375
Serve and enjoy!
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