SOUND DIETITIANS LLC
  • HOME
  • About
    • Philosophy
    • Our Team
    • Locations
    • Telehealth
  • Work With Us
    • Nutrition Counseling
    • Clinics & Businesses
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Giving & Receiving

Warm Up to Curry

9/26/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
With the temperatures cooling down, its human nature to start craving hearty, cooked meals that warm you from the inside out. Soups and stews are a popular choice, but by mid-November it’s easy to get bored of the regular recipes. When I start getting chilly, I reach for my curry powder.
 
The word curry actually means “sauce” in Indian and Asian cultures. It is typically made with a cream base, cooked with meats and vegetables of choice and served over rice. There are many different kinds of curries from the dairy-based Indian curries to the coconut milk-based Thai curries.
 
The fun part about making your own curry is that it is pretty much impossible to mess up! They can be a one-pan meal or even done in a slow-cooker. You can use any vegetables that you like, your favorite protein source, and can use cow’s milk, coconut milk, or a vegetable stock as your liquid base. Additions like curry powder, red curry paste, lemongrass, garlic, and onion will bring ethnic flare to your dishes and can be found in most grocery stores.


Thai Red Curry with Chicken and Veggies

  • 2 Tbsp canola oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp Red Curry Paste (more or less depending on spice tolerance, this will be mild to medium)
  • 1 pound chicken breast, cubed  (Veggie option: 1lb super firm tofu, cubed)
  • 4 cups of frozen or fresh mixed veggies (broccoli, red pepper, and sugar snap peas are my favorite)
  • 1 can reduced fat canned coconut milk
  • 1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
  • 4 cups of cooked brown rice
  • 3 Tbsp smooth, natural peanut butter (optional)
Picture
Picture
Picture
  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium.
  2. Sauté onion in oil for about 2 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 min more, stirring constantly. Stir in curry paste and simmer until the onions are soft (1-2 minutes more).
  3. Add chicken and cook until done, 8-10 minutes if already thawed.
  4. Once chicken is almost done, add in all vegetables and pour in coconut milk. Let this simmer until the veggies are soft, but still vibrant.
  5. If you choose to use the peanut butter, add it in here and allow it to melt into the sauce. I highly recommended if you can  - add the peanuts!
  6. Serve over brown rice.  Makes 6 Servings.

Nutrition facts per 1/6 of recipe: 483 calories; 18g fat; 54g carbohydrates; 5g fiber; 27g protein; 231g sodium.

This next recipe uses seasonal vegetables, is vegetarian, and is easy on the wallet! The lentils pack a ton of iron, fiber and protein to help satiate you until your next meal. Butternut squash lends a slight sweetness, and bright green kale adds a great dose of vitamin K. Curry powder is made of a blend of healthy spices, but doesn’t make the dish spicy-hot. This may be better for children and folks with sensitive palates. Since this dish is so hearty, it doesn’t need to be paired with rice and can be eaten more as a stew. Feel free to add in whole grain brown rice if you miss it.

Autumn Butternut Squash and Lentil Curry
Original recipe by Lauren Hoffman, Dietetic Intern

  • 11/2 cups dry green lentils, rinsed well 
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 medium butternut squash, washed, peeled and cubed
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced or chopped
  • 5 kale leaves, destemmed and torn into pieces
  • 2 Tbsp canola or grapeseed oil
  • 2 Tbsp curry powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground pepper, or to taste
  • Salt to taste

Serves 4-5
Picture
Picture
Picture
  1. In a large pan over medium heat, add oil and sauté onion and garlic until tender, about 2-3 minutes.
  2. In the same pan, place the lentils along with the butternut squash and 4 cups of water. Cook until the lentils and squash are soft. Add more water as need to keep the dish from drying out, about 20-30 minutes.
  3. When the lentils are soft, stir in kale, curry and pepper powders. Allow the kale to wilt into the curry for 3-5 minutes.
  4. Season with salt and serve!
Nutrition facts per 1/5 of recipe: 320 calories; 6g fat; 53g carbohydrate; 11g fiber; 15g protein; 21g sodium
Curries are a wonderful way to satisfy your comfort food cravings and still pack in a ton of nutrients. These two recipes are very versatile, so feel free to add and take out any vegetable or other ingredient that you like. Try out your own variations and leave us a comment about what you did!
 
Enjoy!

​Lauren - Dietetic Intern 
0 Comments

The Master Mystifier- Zucchini Squash

9/7/2016

0 Comments

 
Isn’t it clear to everyone that those who don’t already love zucchini, just haven’t prepared it right? The seasonal summer squash peaks in June through August, but can sometimes be harvested year-round, making it convenient and affordable for the average consumer. Remember Grandma’s zucchini bread, where no vegetable could be detected whatsoever? Zucchini has long been coveted for its neutral taste and versatility. Not only is it rich in fiber, the starchy vegetable also contains essential nutrients like vitamin A and C, manganese and potassium (most hide in the skin, so try to keep it on)! Additionally, a high water content makes the zucchini low in calories while being filling at the same time. Whether it is a moisture additive, texture component, or low-carb starch replacement- a zucchini is sure to add to any meal- in color and health benefits. If you are not a fan, maybe it’s time to rekindle your relationship with the ever-so-lovely zucchini? Perhaps peering at our recipes below will make you want to give it a second chance! 
​
Summer Zucchini Rounds

2 small zucchini
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
3 ounces goat cheese
1 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 oz. cilantro microgreens
 
Slice zucchini into 1/4 inch pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Top with tomatoes, goat cheese, basil and microgreens. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.
​These little zucchini rounds are great for potlucks, or having ready as a healthy after-school snack for the family. Remove the goat cheese and it’s also suitable for your gluten-free/vegan co-worker, thus saving you some time and money instead of frantically reading nutrition labels at the local health-food store. 
Picture


​Side Note: Microgreens-if you’ve never heard of them- are the edible sprouts of veggies and herbs. The microgreens in our recipes may be substituted with regular sprouts or fresh herbs, depending on your desired flavor combination. 


​Zoodles Pad Thai

Zucchini Base:
1.5 pounds zucchini (spiralized or peeled)
2 cups bean sprouts
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
2 large carrots (spiralized or peeled)
4 green onions, chopped
1 oz microgreens
2 Tbs. sesame seeds
2 Tbs. olive oil
Lime wedges

​
​Sauce:
1/2 cup Menno’s Peanut Sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. honey
2 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
1 pinch red pepper flakes

Use a spiralizer on zucchini and carrots or use a vegetable peeler to make long, fine strips, stopping when the seeds are reached. Turn zucchini over and continue 'peeling' until all the zucchini is in strips; discard seeds.  Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir zucchini, carrots and mushrooms in the hot oil for several minutes. Whisk sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Transfer zucchini to a large bowl. Drizzle and toss zucchini in sauce. Top with sprouts, green onions, microgreens, sesame seeds and lime wedges. Optional: Add chicken, shrimp, or tofu
Picture
If you have not yet experienced the magic of zoodles, here’s what I can tell you: it is a culinary life changer. The zucchini seamlessly cooks down into a soft, flexible “noodle”; perfect for decorating with sauces or garnishes you would find in any kind of pasta. This recipe in particular steers away from a classic pasta by incorporating zoodles in a vegetarian Pad Thai. It has just the right amount of spicy and sweet. Don’t have Menno’s? Feel free to use your own favorite peanut sauce, or plain peanut butter diluted with water for a milder taste. Need some meat to go with those veggies? Both shrimp and chicken work well with this recipe, as well as pack in some extra protein.

Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

10-12 zucchini flowers, cleaned and dried well
2 eggs, whisked
3/4 cup cheese of choice goat, feta, ricotta or mozzarella
1 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
2-3 tablespoons light olive oil for frying

Picture
1. To clean and stuff flowers: snap stems off flowers, rinse well under cool water, carefully open each flower and remove insides. Set aside on towel to dry.
2. Set up your sauté station: shallow wide bowl for whisked eggs, large plate for seasoned flour, and large plate with paper towel for cooked flowers.
3. Once flowers are completely dry, carefully open and stuff about a tablespoon of cheese, closing petals if you can. Use judgment on amount of cheese based on size of flower.
4. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet. Using your fingers, carefully dip each stuffed flower into egg mixture and let extra drip off. Place egg covered flower into flour mixture and gently toss to coat, shaking off excess flour. Place into hot oil.
5. Once flowers are browned on bottom, about 3-4 minutes, carefully flip and cook other side. Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until browned and then take out and place on paper towel so that extra oil will be absorbed. Repeat until all flowers are cooked.   Adapted from http://aggieskitchen.com/cheese-stuffed-zucchini-flowers/ 
​OK, let’s say you are already a zucchini fanatic and have cooked it as many ways as you possibly can. Have you ever thought about eating the flowers? This ingenious recipe could not be more delicious. Zucchini blossoms have a wonderfully delicate texture, and have been incorporated in traditional Latino dishes for quite some time. Even more interesting is that the flowers contain all of the same vitamins and minerals as the zucchini itself! Try out these nutrient-rich stuffed flowers the next time you’re craving something cheesy. If you’re not a gardener yourself, these blossoms may be hard to come by. Try asking your local farmers, searching a fruit stand, or stopping by a Hispanic food market if you’d like to give this recipe a try!
 
Happy cooking, squash connoisseurs (and zucchini lovers in the making)!
 
Olivia Love
0 Comments

Root For Vegetables

9/6/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
With the season changing, our focus for the Everett Farmers' Market on Sunday was root and tuber vegetables. Did you know that all root and tuber vegetables provide fiber, while some are also sources of vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, and potassium? Fiber is important for our digestive health and the other vitamins and minerals make important contributions to our health as well. Taking a simple look around the market, many roots including carrots, beets, and onions were ready for visitors to pick up from vendors around us for great nutrition and fun in the kitchen. Visitors to our booth spun our vegetable wheel to identify sweet potatoes, turnips, beets, ginger root, onions, parsnips, radish, and sunchoke (Jerusalem artichoke). Some visitors identified the sweet potatoes as yams and the turnips as rutabagas. Both of these vegetable pairs are easy to confuse. We had a great time discussing the difference between these two roots and sharing the recipes below. 

Picture
Picture
Picture
What is the difference between a sweet potato and a yam?
Sweet potatoes are part of the morning glory family. This means that sweet potatoes are not actually potatoes at all and are part of a different family that grows with beautiful vines and flowers. While sweet potatoes are edible roots, yams are large tubers that are starchier and are more similar in texture and taste to russet potatoes. It is hard to find true yams in the U.S. because these tubers are grown in parts of the world with specific climates such as the Caribbean and Africa among others. Keep in mind that many varieties of sweet potatoes are available in our country, ranging from the typical orange flesh varieties to white flesh varieties. 

Picture
What is the difference between a rutabaga and a turnip?
It is hard to visually distinguish the difference, but rutabagas have a yellower flesh and turnips have a whiter flesh. This color difference explains why rutabagas are a source of vitamin A and turnips are not. The taste and texture of these two roots are similar and for sweeter taste, choose smaller rutabagas (4 inches in diameter) and turnips (2-3 inches in diameter). 

Picture
Some market visitors were also unfamiliar with a sunchoke. This tuber is similar in taste and texture to the artichoke that most of us recognize, but it is actually a variety of sunflower. Keep in mind that it provides an amount of inulin that can cause gastrointestinal discomfort in large amounts. Try sunchoke in small amounts to enjoy the great flavor with comfort. It is in season starting in October, according the Washington seasonality chart.  For more information on different root and tuber vegetables visit Berkley Wellness.

The following recipes incorporate root vegetables with simple and tasty combinations whether you are cooking dinner after work or preparing meals on the weekend for busy weekdays.

Beet, Radish, Cucumber Salad
with Basil Pesto Vinaigrette

Recipe from Little Broken
Serves 4-6
 
3-4 medium beets (trimmed , not peeled)
8-10 radishes (julienned)
1/2 seedless cucumber (julienned)
Salt and pepper to taste
 
Place trimmed beets in medium saucepan, cover with water and cook over medium/low heat until tender, about 20 minutes. Cool completely. Peel beets and cut into matchsticks. Toss beets, radishes, and cucumber with basil vinaigrette (below). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
 
1/4 cup basil pesto - store bought or homemade
1TBS finely chopped walnuts
1 TBS finely chopped almonds
1 TBS lemon juice
1 TBS olive oil
 
Whisk all ingredients together as  dressing for salad (above).
Picture
Picture
Picture
Roasted Root Vegetables
Serves 4-5
 
5 large carrots (1 inch pieces); try carrots in various colors!
2 large sweet potatoes (1 inched pieces)
2 medium sized beets (1 inch pieces)
3 medium sized rutabagas (1 inch pieces)
4 cloves garlic (sliced)
1.5 TBS fresh chopped rosemary
0.5 TBS fresh chopped thyme
3 TBS olive oil to coat
Picture
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Before cubing, wash and scrub the root veggies well so you don't have to peel them. In a large rimmed sheet pan combine the vegetables. Add the garlic, rosemary, and thyme. Drizzle olive oil to coat vegetables and toss well to coat. Space the vegetables in single layer with plenty of room; consider using a second baking sheet if needed so that veggies are not touching each other. We want them to roast (lots of air circulation needed) rather than steam. For the same reason, use a low rimmed sheet versus a higher sided casserole dish. Roast in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until tender. Flip the veggies about every 10-15 minutes to ensure even roasting on all sides. Enjoy hot or cold!

Next time you are at the store or your local market, include root and tuber vegetables for an in-season and tasty meal during the week. We hope you enjoy the season of root and tuber vegetables for great nutrition as the weather changes! Please share your experience with these recipes or reaction to this blog post by tweeting @sounddietitians or posting to our Facebook page.
-Emilyann
Picture
0 Comments
    Picture

    SD Blog 

    A place for our consultant Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) to share nutrition science, yummy and healthy recipes, tips on seasonal ingredients, and other nutritional musings. Enjoy!  

    ​Megan Ellison,
    ​MS, RDN, CSOWM, CDE Founder

    Categories

    All
    Diabetes
    Dinners
    Farmers' Market
    Food Preparation
    Food Preservation
    Grocery Shopping TIps
    Gut Health
    Hydration
    Lunches
    Proteins
    Seasonal
    Snacks
    Sweets
    Veggie Sides
    Wellness
    Whole Grains

    Archives

    October 2024
    May 2024
    February 2024
    November 2023
    October 2023
    June 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    December 2022
    October 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    September 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015

    RSS Feed

Providing Expert Nutrition Services to the Greater Puget Sound Region. 
Newsletter
Photo from jeffreyw
  • HOME
  • About
    • Philosophy
    • Our Team
    • Locations
    • Telehealth
  • Work With Us
    • Nutrition Counseling
    • Clinics & Businesses
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Giving & Receiving