Chicken Cauliflower and Rice Mash (Arroz con Pollo)

How often do you put cauliflower on your kids' plate and they yell "YES! I love this stuff." That's what happens here when I serve up this dish. This one takes a little bit longer to cook, but boy is it worth it. You will also have healthy leftovers of the rice and cauliflower mash to pack for lunch the next day. Because everything simmers together, the rice and cauliflower absorb the flavor of the chicken and for a type of mash. Also, you do not lose one drop of the nutrients from the vegetables. Awesome. Your kids won't even know its cauliflower unless you tell them, and once they take a bite it won't matter. Believe me, I have a picky kid. Preparation Time: 45 minutes Ease of Prep Index: ☺☺☺/5 Healthy Index: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥/5 (yes - it's that good for you:) Servings: 4-8 depending on the number of chicken thighs used HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN WITH CAULIFLOWER: (click picture to enlarge) 1. Slice up 1/2 a cauliflower into small chunks. 2. Slice 1 cup of green beans into small bits (I keep these sliced in my freezer-see pic) 3. Chop or food process 8 baby carrots with a full handful of cilantro leaves 4. Pour enough oil into an 8-quart pot on medium heat to cover the bottom and add a heaping spoonful of garlic 5. Add the cauliflower, green beans, and cilantro mix and allow to saute for a few minutes, stirring once. 6. Push the vegetable mix to the side and lay chicken thighs flat on the bottom of the pot. Move the vegetables again until the bottom of the pot is covered with the chicken thighs and allow to saute for five minutes. (Buy boneless chicken thighs for the best results) 7. Add one cup of water, a tablespoon of salt, stirring once and allow to simmer for five minutes. (Here's where you can add a bit of saffron and cumin for a spanish twist). 8. Add two cups rice and three more cups water. Allow it to simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring every once in a while, until the rice is cooked. you need to stir or the rice on the bottolm will burn (been there!) Serve it up by ladling out the cauliflower mash in a heap and laying the chicken thighs on top as picture. buen provecho!

Repost:: Jumpin Steak and Corn with Brown Rice

The surprising savory taste of this dish will have everyone clamoring for more. Quick and easy to make, it combines an entire nutritious meal in one. As my mother-in-law says: "tiene de todo".

Preparation Time: 20-25 minutes
Ease of Prep Index: ☺☺☺☺/5
Healthy Index: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥/5

Click below for a printable page with the ingredients and step by step cooking instructions with pictures:
http://healthyfamilycook.wikispaces.com/

I am Blue...and Loving It

When baseball comes around, you know blueberries are in season. When you find them at the grocery store 2 for $3.00, it is time to stock up! That's my freezer, with blueberries taking up almost the entire top shelf.

I know I hyped tomatoes below, and they deserve it, but a Tufts University study found that blueberries battle cancer causing free-radicals best. Say that five-times quickly. Better yet, eat five spoonfuls of blueberries a day, or top off your yogurt or cereal with them while they are in season.

They also improve the health of your cell system, and have been found to help prevent everything from glaucoma, to cataracts, to varicose veins, to hemorrhoids. Yep, your mom would have been more correct telling you to eat your blueberries for good vision rather than carrots.

Feed them to your whole family, as diets rich with blueberries have been found to increase learning capacity and motor skills and protect against degenerative brain disorders such as alzheimers because they are packed with antioxidant phytonutrients called anthocyanidins.

Buy a bunch and don't worry about them going bad. They make a great finger food snack. My daughters will eat a package at one sitting, or just set them on the table with a meal. Rinse them in the package and let them drain. I leave 1-2 packages in the fridge for my cereal and yogurt. I then use the frozen ones for smoothies, blended with a frozen banana (see post below), yogurt, and milk. They'll stay good in the freezer for months. Athletes might throw in an egg white or two and get some extra protein. I also put some honey in the mix.

All fruits can provide similar benefits, but the season will pass and I have a hard time buying $5 packages of blueberries, so I git 'em while the gittin's good.

The Super Fruit Disguised as a Vegetable

I know someone who eats tomatoes like apples. Why not? You'll more likely keep the doctor away by eating a tomato a day rather than an apple, after all.

These red beauties are loaded with lycopene, an anti-oxidant which catches those nasty free-radicals that interfere with normal cell growth. Eating a tomoato is like sending little Terminators into your body to clean the place up.

Tomatoes are also high in vitamin C and contain a lot of potassium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin A and vitamin B. One medium tomato will equal one slice of whole wheat bread with a penalty of only 35 calories - there's a way to get guilt and pound-free fiber.

Plus, they ARE delicious on their own. Try eating them this way as a snack or a side to any of the meals posted:
(click pic to enlarge)

1. After washing it well, cut the top off of a tomato and cut it into slices.
2. Sprinkle with grape seed or canola oil.
3. Sprinkle with red vinegar.
4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Enjoy! Plant some in the backyard so you have all you can eat in August and September! Your body, and tastebuds, will thank you.

Grilled Shrimp Sticks That Won't Stick (or dry out)

I almost gave up on grilling shrimp because they dried out and stuck to the grill, but my neighbor, who also loves to cook, helped me with this one.

Thank goodness too, because this will now be a staple on our dinner table. Not only is shrimp delicious, but it is low-calorie, low in saturated fat, and contains helpful omega-3 fatty acids. Consider this: eat 7-8 shrimp in this recipe and you are taking in less than 200 calories.

I served it with rice, steamed broccoli, grilled red pepper and black beans, but you can serve it over a salad, with potatoes and any vegetable.

Look for my upcoming grain recipes for black beans, red beans, lentils, green peas, etc. I keep home made servings frozen and simply defrost for quick, healthy sides as shown above. Also look for my upcoming recipe on making your own garlic in oil mix - it stores for months and we use it on EVERYTHING. Garlic is great for your body too.

Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Ease of Prep Index: ☺☺☺☺☺/5
Healthy Index: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥/5

OK - enough chatter. This blog is about fast healthy food, so let's get cookin'.

HOW TO MAKE JUICY GRILLED SHRIMPSTICKS:
(click pic to enlarge)

1. We want to do things quickly, so I buy the 1 or 2 lb. bag of frozen shrimp (size 31-40 or 21-25) which is labeled as PEELED and DE VEINED. (see pic enlarged) Defrost in the fridge overnight.
2. In a shallow container, brush with garlic (see my upcoming post on how to easily do your own garlic in oil). Then shake oil over the mixture and turn with a spoon. Turn with a spoon and make sure all of the shrimp are covered. This keeps them plump and juicy on the grill. All oils are not equal and I prefer grapeseed or canola (see upcoming post on oils). Sprinkle with seasoning. I prefer season-all, but again, you can go Cajun here.
3. load the shrimp onto skewers. i like to attach both the bottom and top of each shrimp facing the same way so they cook evenly and securely.
4. Slice a red pepper into 2-inch strips. Grill bot over medium heat and turn the shrimp and peppers every 4-5 minutes four times for a total of 15-20 minutes of grill time. It can be tricky to turn a skewer full of shrimp. Grab the skewer in the middle with a grill clamp and turn.
5. Serve as you like. While they are grilling you can steam broccoli in the microwave for three minutes and the rice cooks in a rice-cooker in about 12 minutes or mic your fav kind of potatoes. the sides are different every time on my dishes.

Discover Ceviche and Let the Fridge do the Cooking

(Pronounced /say•VEE•chee/)
I make this dish once a week because it is so easy, tasty, and nutritious. It should only take 10-15 minutes to prepare, and lime juice cooks the fish in the fridge while you are away.

The main dish has only 172 calories, and 68% of those calories are from protein. You also get almost 70% of your B-12 vitamins and a full-days' serving of vitamin C.

Eat this dish regularly to slim the waistline and bring your cholesterol down. Pack it confidently for lunch — the juices kill any strong fishy odors.
Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes
Ease of Prep Index: ☺☺☺☺☺/5
Healthy Index: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥/5

HOW TO MAKE CEVICHE:
(click to enlarge the picture)

1. Begin with about 6 oz. whitefish for each serving. I have used everything from tilapia, flounder, to snapper (which is the traditional fishmeat used in Peru).
2. Slice each fish filet in half.
3. Dice the halves into bits and throw them into a glass bowl. It is easiest to follow the grain of the filet.
4. Wash 4-5 limes and cut them in quarters.
5. Squeeze the lime juice over the filet bits, turning with a spoon so all are covered.
6. Add seasoning. (I sprinkle with salt, season all, and pepper. You can also go with a little cajun seasoning)
5. Add a 2 Tablespoons of White vinegar.
6. Shred a handful of cilantro leaves and dice a half of a red onion or red pepper.
7. Throw all ingredients together in the bowl and turn until mixed well.
8. Cover the glass bowl and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours. You can leave it overnight or prepare in the morning and let it marinate until lunch or dinner.
9. Microwave sweet potatoes for 5 minutes and slice. Serve as pictured with any vegetable.

How To Cut a Mango in Two Minutes or Less

These exotic fruits have become pretty mainstream, but some may be daunted by how to get past the skin with your sanity and fingers intact. The effort is worthwhile and has many nutritional benefits:

1. They are full of phenols — anti-oxidants which help prevent cancer.
2. They are high in iron, especially good for pregnant women.
3. It is said they help unclog pores! I could have used this as an acne prone teen.
4. They are rich in vitamin A, E , and Selenium, which fight heart ailments.

Not convinced. Well, they taste darn good too. The slices freeze well and store in a ziplog for your next ice smoothie (I wouldn't mix them with milk). Beware, however, the juice stains are hard to get out of clothes!

You can find them in most grocery stores for about $1-a-piece - they pack a lot of bang for the buck. Plus they are fun to eat right off the skin!

HOW TO CUT A MANGO IN TWO MINUTES OR LESS:

(click pic to enlarge)
FIRST, wash it well. The key to cutting the mango is understanding the seed, which is essentially flat and runs the length of the fruit, so only two sides have any substantial meat.

1. Hold the mango upright with the stem staring at you. Look carefully and you can tell which way the seed runs. Cut from top to bottom as pictured, skimming the side of the seed.
2. The first cut is illustrated in picture two above.
3. Rotate the Mango and cut the other side in the same fashion.
4. Now slice off the thin sliver left on the remaining two sides of the seed.
5. Hold the slivers and slice off the skin. (or you can simply suck the fruit right off the skin.)
6. Slice the large sides in half.
7. Hold each sliver and slice off the skin. (or suck off the fruit)
8. Slice up and eat raw, use in your favorite recipe, or freeze in a ziplock bag for smoothies.

With a little practice you will slice and dice in two minutes or less.