You can use some of the Asian ingredients you picked up for last week's special dinner for this meal. After the initial investment, you won't have to replenish your stash for quite some time, so while it might seem like a bit extra in your budget, it will balance itself out.
2 c. cooked brown rice
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 small carrot, diced
1 small burdock root, diced
2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, sliced
1/4 c. pecans, chopped
2 Tbsp. pumpkin seeds, toasted
1/2 Tbsp. brown rice vinegar
2 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. mirin (or white wine)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the sliced onion in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add a pinch of salt and cook for 3-4 minutes, until the onion begins to soften.
Add the mirin to the onion and stir, reducing the heat to low. Cook for about 15 minutes until the onion starts to turn brown and caramelize.
While the onion is cooking, add the rest of the olive oil to a saucepan and cook the ginger, carrot, burdock, and a pinch of salt to a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. You still want them to have some crunch, but not to be totally raw.
Turn off the heat in the vegetable pan and stir in the pecans and pumpkin seeds. Add the cooked rice and the brown rice vinegar, and stir to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl and put the caramelized onions on top.
Per serving: 289 calories, 14g fat, 120 calories from fat, 5g protein, 38g carbohydrates, 4g dietary fiber, 0mg cholesterol, 306mg sodium, 2556IU vitamin A, 43.8mg calcium, 1.5mg manganese, 3.5mg vitamin C
Miso soup is warming and nutritious, and with fresh bok choy, not much is better. Bok choy is an Asian green that grows readily in the United States. It has a pleasant, simple flavor, and cooks quickly. This soup takes almost no time to prepare and makes a great addition to any meal. You can use only one miso, if that's all you have, but the combination gives the soup great flavor.
2 1/2 c. water
1 small onion, diced
1 small head of bok choy, chopped, whites separated from the greens
1 1/2 tsp. brown barley miso
1 1/2 tsp. mellow white miso
1 sheet nori
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. shoyu/tamari/soy sauce
small piece of wakame, chopped
Bring the water to a boil in a medium soup pot. Lower the heat and add the wakame and the onion, simmering. After about 5 minutes, add the white part of the boy choy. Simmer for 1 minute.
In a small cup, add the miso to ladle of soup both. Stir it until the miso dissolves, and then add the mixture to the soup pot. Simmer for two minutes, but never bring the pot to a boil with the miso in it as the healthful properties will cook away at high temperatures. Add in the green part of the bok choy, cooking for about 1-2 minutes, until the greens have just begun to wilt. Remove from the heat and serve.
Per serving: 61 calories, 2g fat, 16 calories from fat, 3g protein, 10g carbohydrates, 2g dietary fiber, 0mg cholesterol, 204mg sodium, 10,415IU vitamin A, 100mg calcium, 83.3mg vitamin C, 1.3mg iron, 0.1mg riboflavin, 0.2mg vitamin B6, 28.4mcg folate, 31mg magnesium, 357mg potassium, 0.2mg copper, 549mcg vitamin K, 0.6mg manganese
These are fun to make on an outside grill on a warm spring night, but just make sure to have aluminum foil on top of the grill. Otherwise, use an indoor kitchen grill. This is over the top with coconut extract, but if you prefer not to buy a new extract that you're unlikely to use often, vanilla is nearly as good.
4 small bananas
2 Tbsp. dark rum
1 tsp. coconut extract (or vanilla)
2 tsp. brown sugar
Oil for grilling
Combine the rum, extract, and sugar in a small measuring cup and stir well.
Cut a slit 1/4 of an inch deep into each banana, directly through the skin. Into each hole, drizzle in the rum mixture. Use a toothpick to sew up the skin so the liquid cannot seep out.
If you are using an outside grill, you want to find a spot that is about 6 inches from the heat and not too hot. On an inside grill, heat to medium temperature. Grill the bananas in their skins for about 30 minutes, until the skins are blackened and very hot.
To serve, remove the toothpicks and fluff the bananas with a fork. This is delicious with coconut milk ice cream, if you have any on hand.
Note: The alcohol in the rum will completely cook out, so don't be afraid to use this recipe as is with children. If you are still nervous about it, you can leave the rum out of the recipe.
Per serving: 132 calories, 0g fat, 3 calories from fat, 1g protein, 29g carbohydrates, 3g dietary fiber, 0mg cholesterol, 2mg sodium, 10.3mg vitamin C, 7.9mg calcium, 2.1mg manganese, 0.3mg manganese, 0.4mg vitamin B6