Category Archives: Meatless Monday

Meatless Monday – Rad Thai Salad

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It’s Leap Day and for the last several days I have been recovering from the class I took during Union Square Fest at Athleta.  That workout was so intense that I struggled walking up and down the stairs for several days.  Right after the workout, I decided to swing by Sweetgreen.20160224_204541 Sweetgreen uses all their ingredients grown from local and community farms so everything is fresh.  I decided to order the lowest calorie dish (375 calories) called the Rad Thai, derived from the Thai street dish Pad Thai.  This salad consists of organic arugula + organic mesclun, sprouts, carrots, shredded cabbage, spicy sunflower seeds, cucumbers, basil, citrus shrimp, and one round of spicy cashew dressing.  The salad was incredibly filling.  My favorite part of the salad was the citrus shrimp.  The total cost of this salad was $12.85 plus tax.  The price is reasonable given the ingredients used.  I would definitely return and try the Spicy Sabzi.

For those who do not have access to Sweetgreen or the organic ingredients, this salad can be made on a budget and it can serve more than one person.

Salad Blend – Arugula & Mesclun or any mixed salad = 2 for $5 at Stop & Shop

Sprouts – Chinese or Asian Supermarket usually sells for a decent price.

Shredded Carrots = 3 for $5 at Stop & Shop

Cabbage – usually the best sale is before St. Patrick’s Day at the price of either $0.19 and $0.29/lb. at Stop and Shop.  Red Cabbage is usually purchased at $0.99/lb. on sale at any supermarket.

Shrimp – $6.99/lb at Stop and Shop

Spicy Sunflower Seeds – convenience store e.g. CVS, 7-11, Duane Reade

Cucumbers – usually purchased $0.99/lb and below.

Basil – I usually purchase a fresh pack at an Asian supermarket (approx. $2.00/lb)

Citrus Marinade – orange juice, lemon juice, olive oil, sriracha

Spicy Creamy Cashew Dressing (Derived from “Redeeming the Table”) – Juice of 1 orange, Juice of 1 lime or lemon chopped raw cashews, garlic, sea salt, red chili flakes and Grinds of black pepper

I have not made this dish personally, but after researching the ingredients, now I want to make this dish.  It would be serve as a great and quick potluck dish too.

 

 

 

 

Traditional Tuesday – Egg in a Hole

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Happy Tuesday! Starting off my revising diet with a recipe I have been making and consuming for several weeks and complementing with either a half avocado or a cup of strawberries.

Egg in a Hole is a fried egg on toast.

The original recipe was published during the late 19th century by Fannie Farmer, author of the Boston Cooking School Cookbook.  The recipe was called “Egg with a hat”.  The dish was made using a two-and-a-half-inch cookie cutter to remove the bread’s center.  It is served with a cooked egg, that becomes the “hat”.

The dish has many names such as “Egg in a Basket,” “Egg in a Frame,” “Toad in a Hole,” “Egg in a Nest,” “Sunshine Toast,” and even “Gashouse eggs.”  Movies such as “Moon Over Miami,” “Moonstruck” and Vendetta” have made this very simple dish popular.

The dish itself is primarily made of two ingredients: toasted bread and an egg.  It is a fun, quick and simple dish to make.

1 extra large egg = 70 calories (recipe below I used a jumbo cage free egg = 90 calories)

1 toast bread, I used Udi’s Gluten Free Omega Flax Fiber Bread = 75 calories/slice

Total calories = 145 calories (using a jumbo egg = 165 calories)

Total cost = Investment of $10 (ingredients last about 1-2 weeks)

1.5 dozen Eggland’s Best large eggs  on sale this week for $3.99 at C-Town.

Bread on sale this week ranging from $2.99 to $4.99 at Stop & Shop

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Two ingredients used – toast bread and egg

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Cut a circle in the center of the toasted bread, set it to the side, then place the “hole” bread into a non-stick pan.

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Crack an egg into the hole and let it fry for about 2 min.

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Flip the bread over and cook the other side.

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Egg in a hole is cooked and ready to serve.

 

Meatless Monday/Traditional Tuesday – Vegetarian Cee Eiw

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Happy Presidents Day Weekend and Post-Valentine’s Day!! Welcome to the second Meatless Monday post and deciding to “knock two birds with one stone”, this post will discuss a traditional Thai dish that is usually made with stir fry wide noodles with soy sauce called Pad Cee Eiw.  In the attempt to create a vegetable stir fry dish using the ingredients from the Sunday Game Plan posted on SuperBowl weekend, I decided to make it my own.  This vegetarian stir fry consists of ingredients that I grew up eating with on my Filipino and Thai dishes.

Almost all Thai menus and noodle dishes in the US have misinterpreted the title of “Pad Cee Eiw”.  Pad Cee Eiw is a Thai noodle dish of Chinese origin and are relatively recent additions to the Thai culinary universe.  The dish is often made to accommodate Chinese clients and is considered a “street food” dish.

“Pad” in Thai means “stir fry” and “cee eiw” in Thai means “soy sauce”.

This is a very quick dish, but one important thing is to make sure that the wok is very hot.  Also, this dish can be gluten free if the sauces used does not contain gluten.

No Carb Pad Cee Eiw

Number of calories provided by My Fitness Pal

1 tbsp olive oil = 120 calories

2 tbsp chopped onions = 8 calories

3 cups (48 tablespoons) kale = 68 calories

1 cup spinach = 7 calories

1 cup broccoli rabe = 9 calories

1 tbsp Healthy Boy Black Soy Sauce = 40 calories

1 tbsp Kikkoman Less Sodium Soy Sauce = 10 calories

1 tbsp Datu Puti Native Vinegar (any vinegar will work) = 0 calories

1 jumbo egg, scrambled = 90 calories

Total cost of fresh ingredients: $5 (broccoli rabe, onions, spinach and kale) and the rest was on my pantry.

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Ingredients

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Add olive oil and stir fry chopped onions. Saute chopped onions for 2 minutes.

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Add chopped kale and spinach.  Saute until vegetables are wilted about 2 minutes.

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Add broccoli rabe and stir fry for another two minutes.

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Add soy sauce, black soy sauce and vinegar.  Stir and let the mixture boil until the sauce starts to thicken.

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Push vegetable and soy sauce mixture to the side and spray empty space with cooking spray.  Add egg and stir to scramble.

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Combine eggs with the vegetables.

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Transfer to the plate and serve.

 

 

Meatless Monday – National Potato Lover’s Day

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Happy National Potato Lover’s Day! As Chinese New Year officially begins, let’s start off the year right by focusing on the goal of Tablespoons and Teaspoons!

As previously mentioned in the Sunday Game Plan and commemoration of National Potato Lover’s Day, let’s begin the first Meatless Monday post with a recipe that was made from a previous Sunday Game Plan, which has been addicting.  The awesome part of this dish is it consists of only five (5) ingredients, all of which have health benefits.  But today we will focus on Yam and its history and health benefits.

Sweet Potato is one of the oldest vegetables that originated in Central America and Peru at around 750 B.C. It became widespread when Christopher Columbus brought back the crop to Europe.  Sweet potato is sometimes referred to as yams despite their physical differences for marketing purposes by Louisiana farmers.

In addition, coincidentally it’s African American History Month, George Washington Carver demonstrated how the sweet potato is useful economically and nutritionally.

Health Benefits of Sweet Potato Consumption

  • High source of Vitamin A – helps with fertility, lactation, vision, slows age related degeneration
  • Beta-carotine – may help reduce prostate and colon cancer, maintain healthy immune system
  • Contains antioxidants, which can have an anti-inflammatory effect
  • Regulates blood sugar
  • Contains batatins and batatosides, which are anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties
  • Contains vitamin B5, B6, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, and, due to their orange color, are high in carotenoids
  • High fiber – prevent constipation & help with the digestive tract
  • Low glycemic index

Here’s the first Meatless Monday Recipe – Total Cost: Less than $10, 4/5 items can be part of the pantry and used for other recipes:

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Honey and Cinnamon (adapted from Tyler Florence’s recipe)

1 sweet potato = 103 calories

1 tablespoon olive oil = 120 calories

2 teaspoons cinnamon = 12 calories

2 tablespoons honey = 129 calories

Black pepper

 

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Peel and slice sweet potato.  

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Preheat oven at 375 degrees.  Line baking sheet with aluminum foil.  In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients until seasoned.  Lay seasoned sweet potato slices in a single layer on the foiled baking sheet. 

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Roast potatoes in the oven for 30 minutes and remove potatoes from the oven.  Serve.