I'm always on the lookout for easy weekday meals, now the mains jump out, however, side dishes are always a pain to find. There are staples that I run back to but when you want something that is quick, tasty and healthy it is quite the gamut.
This recipe for Andie Mitchell's Healthy Peanut Sauce reminds me of Gado Gado, which is always good! I figured I'd pair it with some spicy baked tofu and drench the sauce on some noodles. I found some mung bean noodles which I thought would make a good alternative to regular wheat or buckwheat versions.
Yay or Nay: Yay
The sauce was a no-brainer, I mean peanut butter, who doesn't love?! I do have to say that the sauce was a lot thicker than I was expecting but the recipe does say to add water to get the consistency right. The mung bean noodles were a surprising hit - chewy and carb-free so win-win! I would rinse the noodles as instructed but I thought the heat from the noodles would help loosen and coat the sauce a bit better.
This is going to be a quick post as the holiday weekend was pretty full and I'm writing this just before bed. As you know I've been on a sugar cut-back, I would like to say that I am going cold turkey but it's not always realistic!
I picked up some rhubarb at the public market and immediately I thought of stewed rhubarb mixed in with yogurt or crumble. Crumble won out so I immediately grabbed Deliciously Ella's cookbook as I remember seeing a crumble recipe in there. In the past I make my crumble with mainly flour, oats and butter so I was intrigued about Blackberry, Apple and Maple Crumble as it had less dairy/fat but a little more sugar than I was hoping for. It was worth a try however I knew I wouldn't make the same filling as rhubarb is one of my faves!
Yay or Nay: Yay
Deceptively, I managed to fool the Husband into thinking it was a similar recipe to my original. He had no idea there was no flour or butter in it, though I bet if I mentioned it he would say he could taste it! It was so yummy it barely lasted a couple of days! Result!
I stewed my rhubarb and added some honey as it can be really tart and although I was apprehensive about adding honey to the topping, I think it helped bind the ingredients together. I wonder what it would be like using just coconut oil instead as a binding ingredient. Also, I never usually add cinnamon to my topping as I'm not the greatest fan of it but it worked well with the rhubarb so I guess I'm a convert.
My public market haul included pineapple and fresh corn on the cob so I knew I had to combine it with the pork chops and dirty rice I was making for dinner. I typed in quick corn and pineapple salsa, then waited for what the web could magic up. The first three links included Rachael Ray's recipe for Grilled Pineapple and Corn Salsa which was pretty much what I googled for - a result I guess!
Yay or Nay: Yay
I mean, I didn't even look at the recipe...I pretty much looked at the ingredients and then just made it up as I went along. I knew I wanted raw corn but I grilled up the poblano (which I had leftover from Sofritas last week), chopped everything up and mixed it together. Voila, easy peasy and a nice fresh side for dinner!
I admit, I have made this before and I totally forgot about this until I saw a pin about sofritas and I knew I had to make it for the site. Every time I make this I seem to change the quantity of one of the ingredients. One time it was the poblano, another was the adobo pepper and both times it was waaaaaaay too spicy. I like spicy but this was burn your mouth off so that you can't taste anything else. I've followed the recipe to the T to make sure I can give you a proper review.
Yay or Nay: Yay
After following the recipe properly, I must admit it had the right balance of everything, just enough heat for the warming or warning tingle! Instead of brown rice I used farro following the cooking instructions on the packet. I did mix the lime juice and coriander and nope the red onion and garlic didn't go into the recipe at all, I only realised they were for the guacamole after I took the pic!
I've been actively trying to cut refined sugar out of my diet for the last week, it has been a gradual thing and when things pop up e.g. birthdays (note: my own!) it's hard to say no. Or rude especially when someone has baked you a cake for the occasion! Side effects have been some headaches but that could be hayfever or just plain stress!
So protein bites or raw balls or whatever you call 'em are a great option especially if you work out or juggling two jobs and can't find the time to make/bring a healthy snack. I scoured the net for easy, no fuss and minimal ingredients to make mine and these Cacao Coconut Cashew Balls seem like a great place to start!
Yay or Nay: Yay
I must admit I made two versions of these and the bottom two pictures are from a prior batch I made with different ingredients. The first set are for this post; the only difference was the one prior had almond butter and almonds in them and the other (current batch) had soaked dates. Essentially the idea is the same, put all the dry ingredients together and whizz, then add the oil, water and dates. The cashew batch were definitely wetter for soaking the dates and harder to roll when the time came. The other recipe was actually better for rolling but both taste amazing!
Back home I loved Dorset Cereal's Mueslis however now I'm in Upstate New York it is definitely harder to find this brand. Dorset Cereal's were pretty much natural and sugar free so finding an alternative is a bit of a chore especially with all that ingredient list reading. Now I know granola is a completely different bowl entirely but every now and then I need that crunch without all the gunk!
At lunch I'll usually have plain Greek yoghurt with raw seeds, nut and unsweetened coconut flakes but to mix it up I figured sykr yoghurt with homemade granola would be an alternative. Deliciously Ella's recipe for Cinnamon and Pecan Granola looked enticing and most importantly healthy. As a plus I could control the amount of sugar if necessary.
Yay or Nay: 50/50
This one had me torn, I admit that I kind of doctored the recipe as I didn't want to make a ton (mostly because I didn't have the right quantity for some of the ingredients) in case it didn't turn out how I thought it would. In actual fact I think I was pretty close but I halved all the ingredients to try balance it out. I also substituted maple syrup for honey (plus put slightly less in) but I think that's why it didn't clump together that well. I also put less cinnamon in as I don't like a ton of it but the final result is a slight hint of sweetness and cinnamony-ness! However I do think 30 mins in the oven is a bit too long (I only put it in for 25 stirring at the 12 minute mark) as I ended up with slightly burnt pecan pieces which can taste horribly bitter! I would try this again though but I might stick with the recipe to see if there is a difference!
I love me some kimchi but I didn't have an idea what the hell it was eight years ago. When I moved to South Korea to teach English, I kept hearing about kimchi. How did people know about this and I hadn't the foggiest!? I must admit, it took a while for the tangy, fishy (in some cases stronger than others) crunchy veggie to win me over. However, now I love kimchi at least once a week and I can't imagine a life without it now!! Cue ahhhhhhh from the audience!
Ramen was always something quick and easy to eat in my house but in Korea, it is on another level. Every now and then the carby delight is all you want, so to combine it with some dumplings or mandu makes it a triple threat. This recipe for Spicy Korean Kimchi Ramen would use up a glut of kimchi and hit the comfort food spot fo' sure.
Yay or Nay: Yay
The recipe is to make the broth for the soup but we didn't want to eat meat nor did we want to spend hours waiting for the broth to appear! So I substituted the broth for regular chicken stock for the base, although I added a sneaky shake of the spice packet that comes with the ramen. I also added korean red pepper powder as well as a splash of rice vinegar for added oomph. Make sure you wait for the ramen to release its carby goodness to make the soup extra slurpy!
