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We eat mostly chicken, fish, and tofu at home, so I have to constantly think of new ways to make our proteins exciting. The best (and healthiest) way to do that is by adding flavor from spices and herbs, rather than adding more fat through heavy creams and butter. Asian spices are something that I think add great flavor to a meal and make it totally different from your usual fare.
Here, I use a blend of turmeric and Chinese five-spice (hence, my six-spice chicken! Ok, I can just see y’all rolling your eyes). Turmeric is very fragrant – it’s a powdery bright-yellow spice that’s used in curry powders and comes from a ginger-like plant, Curcuma longa. If you look closely, you’ll see turmeric listed as an ingredient for many foods – it’s used as a color additive, like for yellow mustard. As for health benefits, it’s been researched that turmeric may have potential in cancer prevention and as an anti-inflammatory in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Chinese five-spice (ngu vi huong in Vietnamese) is a blend of Szechuan peppercorns, cinnamon, star anise, coriander, and cloves. It’s great in barbequed chicken, as well as Vietnamese bo kho (beef stew). Be careful with using too much of this spice as it can be overpowering to a dish and it will be hard to balance flavors after it’s in – I had a slip of the hand once and threw in a good heaping tablespoon in a dish I made a few years ago for my husband (then-boyfriend). Needless to say, it wasn’t the best dinner we had 
. But don’t worry – this dish is savory and balanced in tastebud-awakening flavors, and best of all, takes barely any cooking skills to master.
Six-Spice Chicken
Serves 4-6
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp gingerroot, minced
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
3/4 tsp Chinese five-spice
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
A pinch of sea salt
2 1/4 – 2 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, fat trimmed off, and chicken cut into 1-inch slices
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup green onions/scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
1. In a medium bowl, combine the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sugar, turmeric, five-spice, red pepper flakes, and sea salt. Add the chicken pieces and stir until all ingredients are evenly incorporated. Let the chicken mixture marinate for about 10 minutes.
2. After the chicken has marinated, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan (about a 12-inch pan should be good) over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken with the marinade. Cook the chicken, stirring until all sides are cooked through, about 15 minutes or until done. Add the green onions in the last few minutes, stirring into the chicken until slightly wilted. Serve.
When I was a student going through my nutrition classes, I had the opportunity to work with Evelyn Tribole for a year on her book, The Ultimate Omega-3 Diet. I would spend hours sorting through research articles, looking at how many milligrams of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids certain foods contain, and test out some high-omega-3 recipes with her. It was fun times, and I was stoked when I saw my name in the acknowledgments section of her published book. I was in the bookstore and said a big “woohoo!” while an old man gave me an annoyed stare and walked away from me (I mean, it’s a bookstore, people, not a library).
One thing definitely stuck though – I’m always trying to eat foods that beat inflammation, such as fruits and veggies rich in antioxidants, and walnuts, flaxseed, and fatty fish chock-full of omega-3s. Omega-3s are touted to support brain function, reduce triglyceride levels, fight against inflammation, and reduce risk of heart disease, amongst other things. I think prevention is definitely key – the more strides you make towards bettering your health now, the more life you can enjoy.
Brain Food Breakfast
1/2 100% whole-wheat bagel, toasted
1 1/2 Tbsp fat-free or 1/3-less fat cream cheese, softened
2 oz smoked salmon
A sprinkle of capers
Freshly cracked black pepper
A few slivers of thinly sliced red onion (I could do without it – no need for onion breath in the morning!)
1. Assembly: Spread the cream cheese on the bagel and add slices of smoked salmon. Top with capers and black pepper, and red onion if you so desire.
When you’re in a bind, this is a quickfire meal to make in less than 30 minutes. My cousin, Nam, made this for Phong and I on a trip up to NorCal, and Phong liked it so much that I think he ate a whole head of Romaine with the turkey she made (thanks cous)! This is also great as an appetizer – guests can just help themselves and it’s so easy! Ground turkey is a good source of lean protein, and the Thai basil with Thai bird chili peppers add a nice hit of flavor (if you’re wary about the heat in this little pepper, just use a deseeded jalapeno, or even a diced red bell pepper if you’re really anti-spicy).
Thai Basil and Turkey Lettuce Wraps
serves 6-8, as an appetizer (less if you’re eating it as a meal)
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1.25 lb. lean ground turkey
1 cup packed Thai basil leaves
2 Thai bird chilies, sliced thinly
1 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
Juice of 1/2 lime
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
1 head Romaine lettuce, leaves separated
1. In a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is heated, add the garlic, stirring for a minute. Add the ground turkey, breaking it up into small pieces. Continue stirring for about 6 minutes, or until the turkey becomes opaque and is cooked through.
2. Next, add the basil leaves and chilies, then the fish sauce and lime juice. Add black pepper to taste, and cook until the basil leaves wilt. Take off the heat; serve with whole Romaine lettuce leaves.
If you’re like me, someone who gets a little hypoglycemic in the middle of running errands and shopping, you’d want to prevent an episode of “FEED ME…NOW!!!”, especially if you’re with your loved ones . I’m definitely not a sunshine girl when low blood sugar hits! So, this morning, to prep for a day of here-and-there stuff with the hubby, I made a filling breakfast, full of fiber and protein to prevent ourselves from getting too hungry too fast.
A quick tip: always try to add some color to every meal. Colorful veggies and fruits add different nutrients to your diet, and also plenty of water and fiber to fill you up – but with lower calories had you eaten through a few layers of buttermilk pancakes! Here, spinach adds a bunch of folate (great for you pregnant mommies out there!), Vitamins A and K, and iron. Red and yellow bell peppers are full of Vitamin C. After this breakfast, you’ll be ready to conquer the day and know that you’ve treated your body well!
A Shopper’s Breakfast: Spinach and Roasted Bell Pepper Saute, Skinny Egg Omelet, and Stewed Apples
Spinach and Roasted Bell Pepper Saute (serves 2)
1 tsp olive oil (or olive oil spray)
1 slice lean center-cut bacon, sliced
1/3 cup roasted bell peppers (red and yellow), sliced (or 1/2 fresh bell pepper, sliced)
4 cups baby spinach
Salt and pepper (optional – I left it out)
1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and bell peppers, sauteeing until bacon is slightly crisp, about 4 minutes. Add the spinach, and sautee until spinach is wilted, about another 3-4 minutes. Take off the heat and add the spinach mixture to individual plates.
Skinny Egg Omelet (serves 2)
1 tsp olive oil
3 large eggs
2 Tbsp fat-free milk
A few twists or freshly cracked black pepper
A pinch of salt
1/4 cup Gruyere cheese, grated (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. In the same large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Whisk the eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add the mixture to the skillet, and move the pan around so the eggs spread to a thin layer. Cook (don’t stir) for a couple minutes. Sprinkle on some cheese if you like, and put the pan in the oven for another minute, until the top of the eggs are set. Cut into 4 slices; 2 slices per person (it’s only 1 1/2 eggs each).
Stewed Apples (serves 4)
1 Tbsp butter
2 Granny Smith apples, sliced into 1/4″ thick slices
1 tsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the butter until melted and a little bubbly. Toss the apple slices, lemon zest, lemon juice brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla in a bowl, and add it to the saucepan. Cover the saucepan and cook the apples, about 10-15 minutes, until the apples are tender and break easily with a fork. Divide the apples into 4 servings and place in small rammekins.
My friend Karen is staying with us this week, on one of her annual business trips to Hawaii. It’s always fun when she comes – we hang out at the beach, talk about food, and cook together (our significant others always reap the benefits). I made dinner last night because her flight came in later than usual, and we ended our meal of Vietnamese bun thit nuong (rice noodles with fresh bean sprouts, salad, cilantro, and barbecued lean pork loin) with flan.
I made this flan as an experiment, using fat-free milk and fat-free condensed milk. The end result (which surprised me because I had no recipe and was being a renegade cook) was perfectly custardy, creamy, and not cloyingly sweet or overly rich, as most flans are. The only fat comes from 3 eggs yolks, which equates to 2.6 grams of fat per serving! And as a bride-to-be with her wedding coming up in a few weeks, I knew she’d appreciate the thought!
Caramelized Cinnamon Flan
serves 6-8
Nonstick cooking spray
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 egg white
1 cup fat-free milk
1 cup fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Special tools: 6 (6- oz) rammekin cups, or 8 smaller rammekins
1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Lightly spray the insides of the rammekin cups with the cooking spray. Place the rammekins inside a tall-sided baking pan. Make a water bath by boiling water and filling the baking pan with the hot water, halfway up the outsides of the rammekins.
3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the sugar and the cinnamon. Continuously stir the sugar and cinnamon with a rubber spatula, until the sugar caramelizes to a light amber color and becomes syrupy. Working quickly, add about a tablespoon of the caramelized sugar to the bottom of each rammekin cup and tilt each cup so the syrup spreads throughout the bottom of the cup. It’ll start to harden and won’t spread to the outsides, but that’s okay because it will re-melt during baking.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients (eggs and milks) until throughly combined. Ladle out about 3/4 cup into each 6-oz rammekin, or less if you’re using more cups. Place the rammekins in the baking pan and bake for about 40 minutes, until the custards are set and are not wobbly when shaken. Take the rammekins out of the water bath and place in the refrigerator, uncovered, to cool, about 2 hours. (You can also eat one right away, which my husband and I did – we couldn’t resist!).
5. To serve, place a small plate on top of the rammekin. Flip both over, so that the rammekin is on top of the plate. Wait for a few seconds, gently tapping the rammekin. The flan will eventually slip out (the sugar slowly travels around the custard, freeing it from the rammekin).
This wonton soup is light, and, though a little time-consuming to make all 48-50 wontons in one sitting (it took me about 45 minutes while watching TV), you can freeze layers of uncooked wontons separated by plastic wrap to use later (that’s what I did, since it’s just the two of us and we can’t commit to eating 48 wontons in a few meals!). But don’t worry – the result is truly worth it. Wonton soup usually can be too salty or be skimpy on the filling. Here, I packed each wonton with fresh veggies, lean pork, and shrimp. If you want, you can also pan-fry the wontons, but here, I decided to make a light broth for our Sunday brunch.
Sunday Brunch Wonton Soup
makes about 48-50 wontons
2 lean pork loins (about 4 oz each), boneless and fat cut out
1/2 cup shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 clove garlic
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp mirin (Japanese rice wine)
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
3 cups mixture of grated cabbage and carrots
1/2 cup chives/green onions, sliced
1 pkg wonton wrappers (50 wrappers)
2 egg whites
8-10 cups chicken broth
2-inch piece of ginger, peeled
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup soybeans (edamame, shelled)
1/2 cup green onions, sliced, to garnish
Fried shallots, optional, to garnish
Preparation:
1. In a food processor, combine the pork loins, shrimp, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, and black pepper. Pulse until all the ingredients are combined and the meat is finely chopped.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the pork and shrimp mixture with the cabbage, carrots, and green onions. Mix throughly with a fork until combined.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the egg whites.
4. On your working area, place your wonton wrapper in front of you, pointed side down (diamond-shape). Place about 1 1/2 tsp of filling in the middle of the wonton wrapper. Brush egg white on the edges of the wrapper, and simply fold the bottom corner of the wrapper and press to the top corner, so that you form a triangle. Press all the edges together so there are no openings; make sure you minimize air pockets. Repeat with the remaining wonton wrappers. Your completed wontons should look like this:
5. To make the broth, heat the chicken broth, ginger, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil over medium-high heat in a 6-qt soup pot. Bring the broth to a boil, then turn the heat down to low, until the broth is barely simmering. Add the wontons (about 12-16 each batch should feed about 4 people) and soybeans to the broth and heat for about 6-7 minutes (if you take out a wonton and split it, the mixture should be opaque and cooked through). Ladle out the wontons and broth into a bowl, top with freshly cracked black pepper, green onion, and fried shallots to serve.
Servings: Depends! This recipe, made without the soup broth, can yield about 16 servings (3 wontons each) if pan-fried and served as an appetizer. Otherwise, you can serve about 4 people by simmering 12-16 wontons in the broth, allowing about 2 cups of broth each person.
There’s just some recipes that you always go back to, and these cookies are what I like to make when that chocolate craving hits. I first made these when my brother came to visit us last year, and he took such amazing pics of my food, that when I made these again, I figured, hey, why bother taking another pic when I have the perfect one he took already? So, thank you little brother! (I repaid him by letting him have these cookies, of course).
I got this recipe from Cooking Light, a publication I love-love-love and tend to hoard old copies of magazines just to re-read old nutrition articles and recipes. It’s always proved to be useful at the gym, if I’m on the bike or elliptical and want time to go by faster. The addition of yogurt makes these cookies so chewy and fudgy – just perfect with an ice-cold glass of milk. I need not say more.
Cocoa Fudge Cookies from Cooking Light magazine
makes about 2 dozen cookies
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter
7 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray or silpat liners
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, soda, and salt; set aside. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat; stir in cocoa powder and sugars (mixture will resemble coarse sand). Add yogurt and vanilla, stirring to combine. Add flour mixture, stirring until moist. Drop by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray.
3. Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes or until almost set. Cool on pans 2 to 3 minutes or until firm. Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks.
Nutrition info (serving size: 1 cookie): 78 calories, 2.7 g fat, 1 g protein, 13.4 g carbohydrates
I love going to farmer’s markets. One of my favorites is on Saturday mornings, by Diamond Head Crater. If we get there early enough, I can browse the many stalls and we usually get breakfast along with my pickings of fresh vegetables. Among my goodies for this weekend, I got apple mint (yes, apple-flavored mint!), a couple of ears of Kahuku sweet corn, and an avocado. I bought a fresh fillet of Mahi-mahi the same day, and pan-fried the fillets in a panko crust. The result was a moist fillet of fish with a crispy, non-oily crust with a tangy salsa to boot. I serve it here on top of some wilted greens. A fresh and healthy dinner from the land and the sea!
Panko-Crusted Mahi-Mahi with Avocado-Corn Salsa
For the Mahi-Mahi:
1 lb Mahi-Mahi, cut into 4 fillets
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 egg
1-2 Tbsp water
1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 Tbsp canola oil
Avocado-Corn Salsa:
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 avocado, diced
1 Roma tomato, deseeded and diced
1 Tbsp apple mint (or just regular mint leaves), thinly sliced
Juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp sweet chili sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste (optional)
Preparation:
Mahi-Mahi:
1. Take 3 shallow dishes and place them assembly-line-style on your counter. In the first shallow dish, combine the flour, seasoning salt, and black pepper. In the second, mix together the egg with water, and add a dash of seasoning salt to that if you wish. In the third, add the panko breadcrumbs.
2. Take one fish fillet and dredge both sides in the flour mixture. Shake off any excess flour mixture, and then coat both sides in the egg mixture. When both sides are moistened, place the fish fillet into the panko breadcrumbs, making sure both sides are coated in the panko. Set the fish fillet aside. Repeat with the remaining three fillets.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the canola oil. After about 5 minutes, add the fish fillets. Do not disturb or move the fillets around. Pan-fry the fillets for about 6-7 minutes. The oil should just lightly sputter (if the oil is too hot, you risk burning the breadcrumbs and under-cooking the fish). After about 6-7 minutes and the underside of the fish is golden-brown, flip the fillets over, and cook for another 6-7 minutes, until the fish is firm, and both sides are golden brown. If you’re still unsure if the fish is done and you don’t mind sacrificing a fillet, it’s basically done if the fish easily flakes with a fork. Take the fish out of the pan and immediately serve with the salsa.
Avocado-Corn Salsa:
1. For the avocado-corn salsa, simply combine all ingredients. Adjust seasoning (salt and pepper) to your taste. Serve on top of the fish.
Serves: 4
Vietnamese vegetarian food is so good – Buddhist temples, for example, definitely have the best of it, in my opinion. You can always look forward to some kind of salad of tender bamboo shoots or lotus root; pressed, marinated tofu in soy glaze; vegetarian spring rolls; and some type of cool, coconut and fruit dessert. One of my favorites is a vegetarian curry loaded with sweet potatoes, tofu, carrots, and mushrooms. Purple Okinawan sweet potatoes (abundant here in Hawaii, also called khoai lan in Vietnam, or ube in the Phillipines) add color and a depth of flavor. Unlike many curries that heavily rely on coconut milk, I use only a cup here (compared to using 4 cups I see in many recipes – too much fat!). The result is a light and very flavorful curry that is abundant with veggies and tofu. If you love curry (like me!), you should definitely try this one!
Purple Okinawan sweet potatoes
Vietnamese Vegetarian Curry
Serves 6-8
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp chili oil, optional
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 3 pieces and bruised
1 block (12 oz) extra-firm tofu, cubed
1 tray (8 oz) button mushrooms, whole
1 medium-large sweet potato or yam (about 1 lb), peeled and cubed
2 small purple Okinawan sweet potatoes (about 3/4 lb), peeled and cubed
1 cup baby carrots
2 1/2 Tbsp Madras curry powder
1 or 2 dried red chilies, soaked in water and sliced (get rid of the seeds unless you like it really spicy)
2 kaffir lime leaves
1 cup coconut milk
2 cups water (you can omit the water and just add 4 cups of vegetable broth if you wish)
2 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth, if you don’t mind that it’s not completely vegetarian)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp sea salt, or to taste
1 cup Thai basil leaves, torn (optional – can use cilantro if you want)
1. In a large 4-6 qt soup pot over med-high heat, add the vegetable oil and chili oil. When the oil is heated, add the garlic and lemongrass. Sautee for 2 minutes, then add the tofu cubes and mushrooms. Fry for about 2-3 minutes each side, until lightly browned. Transfer mushrooms and tofu to a separate bowl.
2. If needed, add a little more oil to the pot. Add the sweet potato or yam, purple potatoes, and carrots. Fry for about 6-7 minutes, until potatoes are lightly browned. Add the tofu and mushrooms back into the pot, and then add the curry powder. Stir all ingredients until the curry powder is incorporated, and add the red chilies and lime leaves.
3. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the coconut milk, water, and broth (or omit the water and double the amount of broth) to the pot. Add soy sauce, and bring to a light boil. Adjust the taste by adding sea salt or extra soy sauce to your liking. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer the curry for about 25-30 minutes, uncovered.
4. To serve, ladle the curry into shallow bowls, and top with torn Thai basil leaves.
Nutrition Facts, using 6 servings, about 1 1/2 cups curry each: 313 calories, 15 g fat, 38.5 g carbohydrates, 9.5 grams protein.
Okay, I know many people are not raging fans of cauliflower (i.e., Phong, my mom, my mother-in-law, etc). I get it, it’s not the most exciting vegetable you can think of. I kind of agree, especially if you decide to steam them – eh. But roasted, YUM. After 20 minutes of lovin’ in the oven, you get tender, sweet, nutty, florets with a crisp crunch from caramelizing under a blast of heat. And, even though some may think that cauliflower has no nutritional benefit because it lacks color, I am happy to say that you’re wrong. Cauliflower, full of phytochemicals, has some of the same anti-carcinogenic properties as other cruciferous heavy hitters – broccoli and cabbage. It’s also a good source of Vitamin C, folate and fiber!
Roasted Cauliflower with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
1 head cauliflower, leaves removed and cut into florets of uniform size
4-5 sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, slivered
2 Tbsp olive oil (I use the olive oil that my sun-dried tomatoes are packed in – loads of flavor!)
1 tsp herbes de provence
1 tsp sea salt, or to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. In a jelly roll pan, toss together the cauliflower florets, olive oil, herbes de provence, salt, and pepper. Set the slivered sun-dried tomatoes aside. Roast the cauliflower in the oven for 10-15 minutes and toss the florets. Add the slivered sun-dried tomatoes, and roast for another 5-10 minutes, until the florets are golden-brown and caramelized.
Serves about 4, about 3/4 – 1 cup each (depends on the size of your cauliflower)
