Healthy Meal with Kid Appeal Award: Steamy Kitchen

by Liz on March 15th, 2010

I used to spend a lot of time reading food magazines, but thanks to the explosion of thousands of amazing food blogs, my attention has turned to the web. A few months back, Diana from Dianasaur Dishes was running a giveaway on her blog for The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook: 101 Asian Recipes Simple Enough for Tonight’s Dinner, written by fellow food blogger and social media diva, Jaden Hair (Jaden just launched a new website called Food Blog Forum, so be sure to check it out). Lucky for me, I won the giveaway! This past weekend it rained nonstop in the Boston area (a la Noah’s Ark), so I finally had time to sit down and read through the book.

The recipe I decided to make was for Chinese Beef Broccoli. It was easy to prepare, called for ingredients I had on hand, and was packed with lots of broccoli. Best of all, it went over BIG with Simon (Josh and Tim were out at a Boston University hockey game eating heaven knows what, so they missed out on our feast). Since Jaden has two boys of her own, I figured this recipe would be a winner … and I was right.

Given all the great things this recipe has to offer and the fact that Simon ate every last bite of broccoli on his plate, Janice and I are honoring  Jaden from Steamy Kitchen with our Healthy Meal with Kid Appeal Award! Read on for the recipe …

Chinese Beef Broccoli

From The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook (with a few tiny tweaks)

Here’s how Jaden describes this dish: “I can’t remember the last time I went to a restaurant and ordered Broccoli Beef. Love the dish, but there’s nothing I detest more than goopy brown sauce that normally drags this dish down. I want my broccoli to be tender-crisp and taste like broccoli, not just covered in thick sauce. My tip is to steam the broccoli separate and to use a minimal amount of cornstarch (it’s only in the steak marinade).”

  • 1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce (I used lite soy sauce)
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon cooking oil (I used canola oil)
  • Freshly ground black pepper to season the beef
  • 1 pound top sirloin or flank steak, thinly sliced across the grain into 1/8th-inch-thick strips
  • 3 tablespoons oyster sauce (I used an MSG-free oyster sauce)
  • 2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
  • 2 teaspoons Chinese black vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)
  • 1 ½ pounds broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
  • 1 tablespoon high-heat cooking oil (I used canola oil)
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic

1. In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, cornstarch, cooking oil, and pepper for the beef marinade. Add the beef and let marinade for 10 minutes at room temperature.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the oyster sauce, rice wine, and vinegar for the stir-fry sauce.

3. In a wok or large sauté pan, add 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cover to steam for 3 minutes. The broccoli should be bright green, crisp tender, and you should be able to pierce the stem with a fork. Drain and set aside.

4. Discard the water in the pan and dry the pan well. Set the pan over high heat and when hot, add the high-heat cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the garlic and fry for 15 to 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the steak strips, keeping them in one layer and fry 30 seconds. Flip the strips and fry the other side.

5. Pour in the stir-fry sauce and stir to combine. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, about 30 seconds. Add the cooked broccoli back into the pan and toss to coat well.  Jaden recommends serving over steamed Jasmine rice.

Print Recipe

Here are a few additional cooking notes from MY steamy kitchen:

> Jaden suggested replacing the meat with “meaty” shitake mushrooms for a vegetarian option. I decided to make the dish with 3/4 pound flank steak and 1/4 pound quartered shitake mushrooms, and I steamed the mushrooms with the broccoli.
> I served the stir-fry with brown rice, and I cheated by using the frozen Trader Joe’s variety!
> This recipe can serve a family of four comfortably. I think it would be great with some sliced pears or orange slices on the side.
> I couldn’t find Chinese rice vinegar or Chinese rice wine, so I used the alternative ingredients Jaden called for in the recipe.

I liked this recipe so much that I definitely plan to make it again. Thanks Jaden!

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Comment | Filed Under Awards, Beef, Dinner, Vegetables 

Podcast 94: Stress Busting, Health-Boosting Tips for Moms (and Dads) … and a Cookbook Giveaway

by The Meal Makeover Moms on February 24th, 2010

Today’s Cooking with the Moms radio podcast is dedicated to YOU … all of our busy mom and dad friends out there who run ragged from morning till night taking care of everyone else but themselves. Sound familiar? For the show, we spoke with Joe Sweeney, lifestyle guru at the fabulous Rancho La Puerta spa in Tecate, Mexico, and author of I Know I Should Exercise, But …. Joe teaches a class there called Taking the Ranch Home, where he offers realistic tips for fighting stress while incorporating fitness, relaxation, and good nutrition into everyday lives.

But before we share Joe’s strategies, we have to tell you about our latest giveaway. To help you eat a healthier diet packed with delicious, seasonal meals, one lucky blog reader (or podcast listener or Facebook fan) will win a copy of Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta. This beautiful cookbook was written by spa founder, Deborah Szekely, and it features a bounty of delicious-sounding recipes — Corn, Cilantro, & Arugula Salad with Yogurt Dressing, Lasagna Azteca, and Chocolate Banana Bread. We have cooked quite a few recipes from the book including Squash-Apple Soup with Thai Red Curry and Mexican Red Rice, which you’ll find further down in this post.

To enter our Cooking with the Seasons cookbook giveaway all you have to do is post a comment on this blog post or on our Facebook fan page with your best tip for how you squash stress, relax, or fit fitness and nutrition into your day. The giveaway ends on Friday, March 5 at noon.

We Will Enter You into the Giveaway Multiple Times if you do any or all of the following (just be sure to leave us a new comment every time you do one of these things):

> Tweet about our giveaway on Twitter.
> Tell your Facebook friends about it with a link back to this blog post.
> Become a Facebook Fan.

We hope many of you will enter the giveaway and listen to this week’s podcast, and we certainly hope you’ll read on for Joe Sweeney’s realistic tips … that really do work.

Address Your Stress:
> Schedule at least 10 minutes of relaxation daily.
> When you’re in stressful situations, breathe deeply to calm yourself down.
> Worry for 10 minutes every day. After 10 minutes, no more worrying permitted.
> Look for the humor in life. Begin by taking yourself more lightly.
> Exercise to relax: stretching, yoga, birdwatching, easy walking, easy bicycling.

Make Time for Exercise:
> Make exercise fun. Select activities you enjoy, and frequently vary your workouts.
> Start small and build gradually to at least 30 minutes of exercise every other day.
> Plan to move. Schedule your exercise for the upcoming week by adding it to your calendar in red ink.
> Take active vacations such as spas, walk or bike tours, raft trips, or environmental vacations.
> Make exercise a priority by committing to it for 30 days. After that, it will become a habit.

Other Tips from Joe:
> Switch your weight loss obsession to healthy habits.
> The worst thing for weight loss is to try to lose weight. Instead, focus on gaining health (we really LOVE this tip).
> Don’t give up your favorite foods. Instead, eat less of them.
> Location, location, location: Pack healthy snacks and plan ahead.
> Write down specific and realistic health goals, find a friend to do the same thing (a “goalmate” if you will), and touch base every two weeks to offer support and encouragement.

Below, are two recipes from Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta. We consider these recipes more on the adult friendly side than kid friendly (especially the soup since it’s got a bit of heat from the Thai curry paste). Let us know what you think.


Squash-Apple Soup with Thai Red Curry

Makes 6 Servings

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil (we used 1 tablespoon)
  • 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into cubes (we used a 1 pound, pre-peeled/sliced squash)
  • 1 apple, cored, peeled, and diced
  • 2 leeks, white part only, washed and sliced
  • 1 small carrot, peeled and sliced
  • 1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
  • 2 teaspoons thai red curry paste
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt, or more to taste (we used 1 teaspoon kosher salt)
  • Thinly sliced chives
  • Thin strips of orange zest, optional

1. In a 4-quart saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the squah, apple, leeks, carrot, celery, and basil and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened; do not brown (this took about 15 minutes). Add the curry paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the stock, water, brown sugar, and salt. Simmer for 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are very soft.

2. Cool for 30 minutes, then in a blender or in the bowl of a food processor, puree until absolutely smooth.

3. Reheat and taste for seasoning, adding salt if needed. Serve very hot, with a sprinkling of chives and the orange zest, if desired.

Print Recipe

Mexican Red Rice

Makes 6 Servings

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1/2 small white onion, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice, about 1/2 cup
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1/2 small green bell pepper or anaheim chile, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice (we used half a red bell pepper)
  • 1/2 cup minced carrots
  • 1 teaspoon ground California chili (we used chili powder)
  • 1 cup long-grain brown rice
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt (we used kosher salt)
  • 1 medium tomato pureed with 2 cups water
  • 1/2 cup cooked green peas or cooked edamame, optional

1. In a 2-quart saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the onions, garlic, green pepper, and carrot for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the rice, chili powder, and salt and cook for 1 minute.

2. Add the tomato puree to the pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 40 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed.

3. Remove from heat. Fluff the rice with a fork and stir in the peas or edamame if desired. Replace the lid and let the rice steam for 10 minutes.

Print Recipe

For all of our Rancho La Puerta photos, visit our flickr page.

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31 Comments | Filed Under CulinaryAdventures, Giveaways, Grains, Podcast, Sides, Soups/Stews, Sustainability, Vegetables, Vegetarian 

Cuisinart Covered Casserole Giveaway & Piping-Hot Peanut Butter Soup Recipe

by The Meal Makeover Moms on January 21st, 2010

January is National Soup Month (no surprise there), and to celebrate we’re giving away a gorgeous Cuisinart 5 QT Round Covered Casserole, perfect for cooking savory soups and stews on cold winter days. To enter, all you have to do is post a comment here or to our Facebook Fan Page with your family’s favorite soup recipe (see below for more entry details).

We’ve also cooked up a steamy new recipe for Piping-Hot Peanut Butter Soup. This soup is a huge hit with our kids. Something magical happens when the flavors of the peanut butter and all those seasonings — cumin, curry, cinnamon — hit the taste buds. This soup has big-time kid appeal, so we hope you’ll give it a try.

Piping-Hot Peanut Butter Soup

Makes 7 Servings

The inspiration for this recipe came from Janice’s sister Lori who got the recipe from Apollo’s Pasta & Pizza restaurant in Olympia, WA. Her husband and kids absolutely love the soup which motivated us to give it a try. After a few Meal Makeover Mom tweaks, we created a soup that your family will gobble up, and that’s a promise.

  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped (about ¾ cup)
  • 1 large orange or red bell pepper, cut into ¼-inch dice (about 1 ¼ cups)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • One 32-ounce container all-natural chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
  • One 15-ounce can tomato sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup chopped cooked chicken (we cut the meat into ¼-inch pieces)
  • 3/4 cup instant brown rice
  • 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
  • Unsalted, roasted peanuts, chopped, optional

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the peppers soften, an additional 5 minutes.

2. Stir in the broth, tomato sauce, curry powder, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, celery salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer 30 to 60 minutes.

3. Whisk in the chicken, rice, and peanut butter until the peanut butter melts into the soup. Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the rice is done, about 10 minutes.

4. Serve in individual bowls and top with peanuts as desired.

Nutrition Information per Serving (1 generous cup): 280 calories, 16g fat (3g saturated, 0.2 omega-3), 790 mg sodium, 22g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, 15g protein, 30% vitamin A, 70% vitamin C

Print Recipe

To Enter our Cuisinart 5 QT Round Covered Casserole Giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling us about your family’s favorite soup recipe. The more details on the ingredients and preparation the better! A link to your favorite recipe would also be great.

We Will Enter You into the Giveaway Multiple Times if you do any or all of the following (just be sure to leave us a new comment every time you do one of these things):

> Tweet about our giveaway on Twitter or tell your Facebook friends about it with a link back to this blog post.

> Become a Facebook Fan.

> Add one of our buttons/widgets to your blog or website. They are located in the upper left sidebar of our blog. We have three to choose from: Our blog post widget, our Recipe badge, and our Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen badge.

Our giveaway ends on Friday, February 5, 2010 at noon. As always, we’ll use Random.org to choose the winner. Good luck!

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180 Comments | Filed Under Dinner, Giveaways, Grains, Lunch, Poultry, Soups/Stews, Vegetables 

New Grant Brings Fruit & Vegetable Gardens to Schoolyards!

by The Meal Makeover Moms on January 16th, 2010

Welch’s is one of our blog sponsors, and when they told us about their new Harvest Grants program, we were eager to share the news with all of you. In conjunction with Scholastic Parent & Child Magazine, Harvest Grants aims to help schools across the U.S. plant and grow fruit and vegetable gardens.

Two K-8 schools in every state will receive a Welch’s Harvest Grant:  Welch’s will award 100 garden packages, together valued at $35,000, to the winning schools.  Five schools will receive $1,000 packages; 25 schools will receive $500 packages; and 70 schools will receive $250 packages. Each package will be filled with a variety of tools, seeds, and educational materials that will help students connect with nature and better understand the origins of their food supply.

Between leaders like Michelle Obama whose White House Garden ignited the public’s interest in backyard vegetable gardens and chefs like Alice Waters who founded the Edible Schoolyard, there is no doubt in our minds that the popularity of fresh produce straight from the backyard garden is growing (even Liz, a self-professed plant killer, sowed her first backyard garden last spring with her family).

Getting kids out of the classroom and into the dirt teaches children about sustainability and where their food comes from, and it motivates them to eat nutritious fruits and veggies. They learn as they dig, and it’s fun!

If this sounds like something you think YOUR school would be interested in starting (or if they already have a garden that you think could use a little nurturing), tell your children’s teachers about the Grant (they’re the ones who can apply). Entries will be judged by experts at the National Gardening Association, and the deadline for submission is February 6, 2010. For all the details and the official rules go to the Scholastic Harvest Grants page. By the way, our friends at Welch’s tell us the application will only take 10 minutes to fill out!

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1 Comment | Filed Under CulinaryAdventures, Fruits, GivingBack, Vegetables 
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