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Five Minute Asian Dinner

I tend to be a creature of habit when it comes to easy, weeknight meals. After a long day of work sometimes I lack creativity when I get home, especially if it’s after an evening event or workout. Therefore, you see lots of omelets, veggie burgers, bowls of cereal, or salads around the blog.

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But, last night, after a five mile run in Central Park and a Pure Barre class with some fellow bloggers, I was not only ravenous but I was also craving an actual meal. Since it was already 9pm, there was no way I was going out to dinner. Instead, on the subway ride home, I started thinking about what was currently in our refrigerator and pantry that could create a nutritious and easy meal.

Thanks to the Asian Sea Bass we enjoyed Sunday night, the refrigerator was filled with ingredients such as minced garlic, ginger, bean sprouts, and vegetables. Within ten minutes of walking through the front door I had prepared a warm, satiating meal fondly called a Five Minute Asian Dinner.

Five Minute Asian Dinner

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Ingredients:

1 package shiritaki noodles

1/2 package defrosted Asian vegetables

1/3 cup bean sprouts

Drizzle of sesame oil

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp minced ginger

1 Tbsp scallions

1 Tbsp peanut butter

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp orange marmalade

 Directions:

1. Par boil or microwave shiritaki noodles, according to directions, drain well

2.. While noodles are par boiling, defrost package of Asian vegetables.

3. Set aside 1/2 package of vegetables and well drained, par boiled noodles in a bowl together.

4. Drizzle sesame oil in a small saucepan on medium low heat on the stove.

5. Quickly saute garlic, ginger and scallions in saucepan.

6. Once warm, add peanut butter, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and orange marmalade.

7. Stir with a whisk over medium low heat for a few minutes until combined and melted.

8. Pour sauce over noodles and vegetables, mix well.

9. Enjoy!

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ashleyd /

Healthy Breakfast Quinoa

My parents and I are currently heading into Paia, our favorite Maui spot, for lunch before we conquer their fears again by taking a helicopter tour of Maui! After yesterday’s sun filled adventure down to Wailea, we’re excited to see Maui from a new vantage point today!

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Since I’m off gallivanting, I figured this was a perfect time for a guest post from a fellow New York City gal who manages to work full time and cook a lot more than I ever do! Since I can’t provide the number of healthy recipe ideas that I’d like, asking Caitlin for some is always a great idea!

Hello! My name is Caitlin and I write at Caitlin Lives Well about making healthy choices one day at a time. This approach has helped me lose 45 pounds and keep it off for almost 5 years now.
Despite the fact that the majority of my meal choices are healthy these days, I often gets in food ruts. I don’t pretend to be a chef – most of my meals involve a few simple ingredients and quick prep/cook times. If something is healthy, easy to make and tastes good, I’ll eat it for days on end. Oatmeal is one of those foods – I eat it at least 2-3 times a week, and lately I’ve been getting a little bored. Food ruts not only get boring but they can have a negative effect on weight loss – your body gets too used to anything, even something that’s good for you, and it gets comfortable! It’s important to switch it up often and try new things.

Taking inspiration from one of my favorite places, the Whole Foods hot bar, I decided to mix it up this week at try quinoa for breakfast. I was a little nervous as I’ve never tried sweet quinoa before, but it turned out to be a great experiment. It was quick, simple and delicious! The only thing I would do differently is make more so I can have it all week.

Breakfast Quinoa: Serves 2 – adapted from this recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups almond milk
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp vanilla
1 pinch salt

Directions: Rinse quinoa, then add quinoa and cinnamon to a pan and toast on medium high heat for 3-5 minutes until it begins to brown and starts popping.

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Add almond milk, water, vanilla and salt and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered until all liquid is absorbed and quinoa is fluffy, about 25-30 minutes.

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Add toppings of your choice – I added berries and walnuts, you could easily add other fruits, nuts, brown sugar – the options are endless! The texture and nuttiness of the quinoa provide a nice change from oatmeal – it’s also higher in protein and provides more vitamins and minerals than oats do.

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Feel free to pop over to Caitlin Lives Well to read more about me, my weight loss, and find quick, easy recipes!

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ashleyd /

Mexican Quinoa

Every Sunday, as I read other blogs, I am inspired to cook. I know that I’ll enjoy and benefit from having a few staples prepared in the refrigerator, but most Sundays, I never make my way into the kitchen.

Yesterday, feeling surprisingly energetic after an epic birthday party the night before, Bo and I found ourselves organizing the house from top to bottom. This was serious stuff folks. I was under the bed fighting dust bunnies and Bo was trying to organize our pantry for the hundredth time. By 4pm we had tackled the house and were actually able to sit back and relax for a bit. Then Bo mentioned the pile.

“Ashley, I’ve made a pile of all the things in the pantry I doubt you’ll ever use or duplicates. Can you go through it and throw what you don’t want out? “

I groaned and walked over, amazed at what he considered to be trash. While I salvaged some things, I did end up parting ways with a few age old tea bags and expired products. But then I saw my afternoon inspiration: three bags of quinoa. How we accumulated such a collection I’ll never know. Maybe I read this post ages ago and felt inspired to buy it? Or, maybe it was on sale at Whole Foods one week and knowing it was a protein and fiber rich grain powerhouse, I was enticed to buy it.

The important thing is that the lonely boxes inspired me to create my own recipe. I opened up our fridge to see what I could use and decided that a Mexican quinoa would be the perfect way to spice up my weekday lunches. After all, my friends at Choose Cherries gave me this adorable lunch box that was just screaming to be used.

001 So, without further adieu, I give you my Mexican quinoa recipe. I enjoyed it today atop a bed of baby spinach for lunch and the flavors amazed me. This is definitely one of those dishes that gets better the next day and can last all week. Bulked up with vegetables and protein, this recipe makes four very hearty servings that are filled with healthy nutrients, vitamins, and no artificial additives. Even the dressing I used, a Whole Foods staple of ours, is all natural!

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Mexican Quinoa

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients (4 servings)

  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 1 15.5 oz black beans, rinsed
  • 1. 15.5 can corn, drained
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1 yellow pepper, diced
  • 1/2 cup Cindy’s Kitchen All Natural Tangerine Vinaigrette (available at Whole Foods)
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp chili powder
  • 2 Tbsp cumin
  • Dash of salt & pepper
  • Optional: diced avocado and/or chopped cilantro

Instructions

Rinse 1 cup quinoa with water.

Combine quinoa with 1 1/2 cups water in saucepan.

Bring to a rapid boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 10 to 15 minutes until all water is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Make sure that quinoa doesn’t burn by stirring once or twice during the simmering process.

Remove quinoa from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

Pour quinoa into a large bowl.

Add beans, corn, and peppers.

Stir together.

In a separate bowl, whisk dressing, spices, salt, pepper, and oil together.

Pour over quinoa and vegetable mixture.

Stir until thoroughly combined, ensuring that even the bottom quinoa is coated.

Serve chilled and garnish with optional avocado or cilantro.

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