Bread and Dip

THE DIP

1. Pull together your favorite veggies and puree them in a blender or food processor. It really doesn't matter how much you puree, if you do too much you can always freeze the excess for later use. I start with about 3 cups of veggies.

2. If you like a creamy dip, stir the veggies into a creamy base like yogurt, sour cream, mayonnaise, etc... until you get the desired consistency.

Another option is to make a bean paste out of your favorite bean... I particularly like black beans or chickpeas... and stir the veggies into that.

A third option is to simply stir the pureed veggies into some flavorful olive oil to pull the veggies together.

If you are using a creamy veggie like avocado or artichoke, you could omit any stir in options and go for the all natural approach.

3. Season to taste with your favorite seasonings.

THE BREAD

I usually have several different breads lying around my freezer in slices. This is a great way to use those up, and I like a little variety on my dip tray. I simply thaw out the bread and cut them into strips suitable for dipping. Sometimes I toast the bread, sometimes I don't. Have some olive oil on han

If you aren't a bread packrat like me, you can buy some or make a loaf of bread or some pita rounds... I have several bread recipes on this blog...

Mix-n-Match Stir Fry

What can be quicker than stir-fry?! Not only is stir-fry fast and simple, but there are an infinite combination of flavors! Here are a few of my favorites.

INGREDIENTS
Meats - any meat will do... just be sure the pieces are bite-sized.
Chicken
Beef
Pork
Shrimp
Seitan

Veggies and Fruits - You can purchase bags of pre-mixed and chopped veggies OR you can buy fresh and chop them yourself... For ease and speed, I keep several bags of different mixed veggies from my supermarket's frozen food section. Veggies that work well with stir fry are chopped very small so that they cook quickly. Some fruits also work well in stir-fry... especially if you are doing a breakfast stir-fry! When using fruits or veggies that give off liquid, it will be necessary to add them after any veggies are done cooking and before adding sauces and seasonings. I can't possibly name every veggie and fruit out there, but here are some of the ones I have used. Use your imagination and make a creation entirely your own!
Garlic (goes in almost every stir-fry I make!)
Broccoli
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Onions
Green Onions
Cabbage
Kale
Spinach
Green beans
Green peas
Yellow summer squash
Zucchini
Cherry and Grape Tomatoes (cut in half, add with fruits)
Snow peas
Red or green peppers
Pimientos
Water chestnuts
Baby corn
Eggplant
Jicama
Radish
Ginger
Sea Vegetables (seaweeds)
Coconut
Apple
Raisins
Cranberries (dried)
Mandarin Oranges
Kiwi
Strawberry
Pomegranate
Berries (blueberries, huckleberries, raspberries, blackberries...etc...)
Rhubarb
Pineapple
Grapes (cut in half)
Dates
Figs

Sauces and Seasonings - This is what makes a stir-fry truly successful. You can use just about any commercially made sauce that matches your meats and produce, but there is just something special about concocting your own unique sauce. Besides, when you make your own you can reduce the amount of salt... most commercial stir-fry sauces have a lot of soy sauce which can add a lot of unnecessary salt to a meal... I do keep some commercial sauces on hand for those time when I just want to make a meal as fast as possible... Don't limit yourself to the Asian cooking aisles when choosing commercial sauces... many barbecue marinades work equally well! I will list my two favorite sauces here.

Teryaki Stir Fry Sauce
2 Tbs. Soy sauce
2 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs. Vinegar of your choice (red wine vinegar works well!)
1 Tbs. Oil (I use Olive, but peanut works well too)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. powdered ginger
1/2 cup Pineapple juice
Dash pepper

Schezuan Stir-Fry Sauce
1 Tsp. Oil
1/2 Tsp. minced fresh ginger
1/2 Tsp. minced garlic
1/4 Cup Veggie broth
1 1/ 2 Tsp. red wine vinegar
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1 tsp. Hoisin sauce
1/8 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. pepper


DIRECTIONS
Stir-frying is a VERY fast process. Make certain that you will not have to take more than one step away from your wok or skillet from the time you add your first ingredient to the time you serve.

Have your serving platter or individual bowls close by with cooked rice or noodles on it. As soon as your stir-fry is done, you will not want to let it sit while you prepare your rice or noodles.

Once you have chosen the ingredients for your stir-fry, AND HAVE THEM PREPARED and ready to go into the wok or skillet, you will need to heat a wok or a very large skillet to high heat and add a small amount of oil, water, or sauce to keep the meat from sticking.

FIRST add your meat. Keep the meat moving around your wok or skillet to prevent sticking and promote even browning. When the meat is browned and cooked thoroughly.

SECOND, add non-liquid bearing veggies and fruits. Stir-fry just till barely softened.

THIRD add your liquid-bearing ingredients. When it starts to give off liquid add your sauce. Remove from the heat source and turn the stir-fry to coat well in the sauce. Return to the heat source and cook off some of the liquid.

SERVE.

Stuffed Tomato

So, you want to eat healthy foods, but it seems like it takes forever to make that healthy dish... How about some simple healthy ideas for meals that take 10 minutes or less to prepare, from fridge to plate! This month I am going to provide simple ideas for those of us who don't have the time to make more elaborate meals.



Ingredients

1 Medium/Large Beefsteak Tomato
1 Cup Cottage Cheese
2 Tbs. Dried fruit bits (raisins, cranberries, apricots, etc...)
1 Tsp. Mediterranean Seasoning

Directions

Cut tomato in half and scoop out the insides. Chop the tomato insides into bite sized pieces. Combine chopped tomato and remaining ingredients. Divide mixture and stuff back into the tomato "cups". Serve!