Dairy Free and Egg Free

Simple Sauteed Pea Shoots

April 23, 2019 by NaturalDeets Leave a Comment

Part of the excitement of getting a CSA box is not knowing what you are going to get. In a time when we are used to researching and reviewing everything before we receive it, the CSA box is still truly a surprise.

That doesn’t mean that I don’t hop on line and try to see if the farmer has posted this weeks produce…I certainly do! But the information is never posted. Just be patient, I tell myself. But it’s hard when you are a control freak like me!

Why is Farm to Table Important?

Farm to table is the movement of getting food directly from the farmer to the consumer with no middle man. It is important because as consumers, we need to know where our food is coming from.

Farmers work hard and they deserve to be paid for their work. For example, in order for us to enjoy pea shoots in April, the farmer had to plant to seeds earlier in the year when it was still cold. I don’t know about you, but I was still keeping warm indoors!

Buying directly from the farmer, whether it be a CSA or farmers market, means the food is much fresher and the farmer is being paid fairly. As a bonus, you can get to know the farmer that you are supporting!

Keep in mind that some farms use organic practices, including avoiding pesticides. However, it is expensive to be certified organic and they may decide that the cost is not worth the label. In that case, I encourage you to ask the farmers if they use organic practices.

If the answer is yes, then you will typically get a better deal on the “organically grown” produce that you would in the store.

When Are Pea Shoots in Season?

It’s an exciting time when pea shoots start showing up in farmers markets! They mark the beginning of Spring produce and typically mean that we will start to see a larger variety of vegetables real soon!

Pea shoots have a very short season in early Spring. So snatch them up as soon as you see them. it may only be there a few weeks! interested in the nutritional benefits of Pea Shoots? Read more HERE

What Part of Pea Shoots Do You Eat?

What if I told you that the entire pea shoot is edible? The tendrils are the most tender and flavorful part of the shoot, but the stems can be eaten too! The stems are a little tougher but not compared to some other vegetables.

If you wanted to have more tender stems, you could cut and separate them from the tendrils. Then saute them first for 3-5 minutes before adding the tendrils. This will ensure everything cooks evenly and that the stems are softer.

I prefer the difference in texture (and I value my time!), so I cook both the tendrils and stems at the same time.

Where do Pea Shoots Come From?

Pea shoots come from the pea plant! You may have suspected it, but I’m here to tell you that it really is just the plant that the green beans or snap peas grow on. The curly vine parts are called tendrils and pea shoots often contain the tendrils.

How Healthy Are Pea Shoots?

Like all green vegetables, pea shoots are very healthy for you! They are high in folate, fiber and vitamin C!

So eat up! You can’t get too much of this delicious, short seasoned crop!

Sauteed Pea Shoots

Whenever I see a strange vegetable in my box, the first thing I do is taste it. It will taste different after it cooks but you can get a good sense of what it might taste like. In this case, it tasted like a snap pea but the texture was more of a cross between spinach and kale. That made it perfect for sauteeing!

Turns out it was really easy and delicious too!

In this recipe, I included frozen peas to add a variety of textures. I first soaked the peas in hot water for a few minutes then added them to the saute.

It was perfect.

This entire recipe takes about 5 minutes and the results are amazing. Try it once and you will be hooked!

Kid Note: The kids didn’t like this one for some reason! So I chopped the cooked Pea Shoots into small pieces and mixed it into their rice. They couldn’t taste it with the rice and ended up eating it without complaining!

Sauteed Pea Shoots

Pea Shoots mark the beginning of Spring! Once they start popping up in Farmers Markets, you know that the good stuff is one its way!

This sauteed Pea Shoot recipe is so easy and delicious and that you will want to make it a couple of times before the short pea shoot season is over! You will be reaching for this easy clean eating recipe each Spring!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword pea shoots, clean eating sides

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 122 kcal

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons Avocado Oil or Olive Oil
1 Bunch Pea Shoots
1 Cup Peas Frozen
1 Tablespoon Basil Fresh, Minced

Instructions

Place the frozen peas in 4 cups of hot water. Set aside
In a Saute pan, heat the Avocado Oil over Medium heat
Add the Pea Shoots and saute for 3 minutes
Drain the peas, and add the peas to the Pea Shoots
Add Salt and Pepper, to taste
Saute another 3-5 minutes or until the pea shoots are tender
Sprinkle with fresh chopped Basil. Serve and Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Sauteed Pea Shoots

Amount Per Serving

Calories 122 Calories from Fat 90

% Daily Value*

Fat 10g15%

Saturated Fat 1g5%

Sodium 1mg0%

Potassium 88mg3%

Carbohydrates 5g2%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 1g2%

Vitamin A 305IU6%

Vitamin C 14.5mg18%

Calcium 9mg1%

Iron 0.5mg3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

15 Minute Tofu Stir Fry Recipe

April 18, 2019 by NaturalDeets 38 Comments

This Tofu Stir Fry Recipe can be put together in just 15 minutes. It is my go to recipe at the end of the week! I use up any remaining vegetables in the fridge and dinner is ready faster than I could order delivery!

Chop, Chop, Chop… are you a fast chopper? If so, you may even be able to do this in less than 15 minutes! Sometimes we just need a fast and healthy dinner idea that can be thrown together so we can get a minute to relax!

This Clean Eating recipe for a 15-minute vegetable stir fry recipe is exactly that! I added some baked tofu (recipe to come) which does add some extra time to the recipe.

If you don’t have time to prepare the tofu, just skip that part and use fresh tofu. It will be more delicate, but more on that later…

The Secret to Perfect Stir Fry Vegetables

So there is actually one secret to perfect stir fry vegetables. Are you ready? Cut the vegetables into uniform pieces.

This way they will all cook evenly! No one wants a stir fry where the carrot is still crunchy while the broccoli is mushy and overcooked (trust me, no one wants to serve that either!). The best way to ensure the vegetables all cook at the same time is to cut them to the same size.

Some vegetables like celery will need to be added at the end of the stir fry since these will cook quicker and you will want to keep them bite-sized. Other than that, a tofu stir fry is easy!

How to Make Tofu Stir Fry Without it Falling Apart

Have you ever wondered how Asian restaurants are able to make tofu stir fry without having the tofu fall apart? Well, I have too! The first trick is to start with firm tofu.

When you go to the store, you will see several options for tofu. From silken to extra firm. Silken tofu is typically used in desserts and rarely for anything else since it falls apart easily.

How to Make Baked Tofu

Extra firm is dense and holds its shape. It could be used in this recipe but it is a little too dense and dry for my preferences. I stick to the Firm tofu. If you can find the sprouted soybean tofu, that is an added bonus since it has extra nutrition!

The second trick is to Bake the tofu first. This gives it a nice outer crust that holds the tofu together. It also helps any sauce stick to the tofu…and it’s delicious! Be sure to check out my post on: How to Bake Tofu in the Oven

The Secret Easy Stir Fry Sauce

So there is a secret in Asian cooking. When in doubt, use Oyster Sauce. If this is news to you, it may sound crazy!

But so many Asian dishes use Oyster sauce. In fact, once you taste it, you will start to notice it in a lot of the dishes you already eat. It is salty so you won’t even need to add salt to your dish.

It is low on the food-map for those concerned with that and yes, Oyster Sauce is considered Clean Eating. So it’s perfect for almost everyone!

How to Make Tofu Stir Fry – Clean Eating Recipe

If you are using fresh tofu (not baked tofu – fresh would be straight from the container). Drain it, cut the tofu to square pieces and place the squares on a dishcloth to drain while you chop the vegetables.

Chop the vegetables into bite-sized, uniform pieces. In this recipe, we used mushrooms, red bell peppers, and zucchini but feel free to use whatever vegetables you have on hand.

Putting it all Together

Start by heating 3 Tablespoons of oil in a large pot or saute pan. Add vegetables and stir fry for about 5-10 minutes or until your desired doneness. Add 3 Tablespoons of Oyster Sauce and mix it evenly into the vegetables. Taste the vegetables and add more Oyster Sauce, as needed. Gently mix in the tofu and serve!

Are you serving this to Guests? Or perhaps your family is looking for something sweet after tofu. Consider these recipes for dessert!

Quick and Easy Homemade Applesauce

Clean Eating Strawberry Muffins

Healthy Zucchini Banana Muffins with Flax

Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Blueberry Banana Muffins

5 from 1 vote

15 Minute Tofu Stir Fry

This 15-minute Tofu Stir Fry is fast and simple! Use any vegetables you have on hand and get dinner on the table in 15 minutes!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword Tofu Stir Fry Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 205 kcal

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
14 Ounces Tofu Extra Firm
1 Cup Mushrooms Chopped
1 Cup Red Bell Pepper Diced
1 Cup Zucchini Diced
3 Tablespoons Oyster Sauce + More Per Taste

Instructions

Heat the Olive oil in a large pot or saute pan
Add the Mushrooms, Bell Pepper and Zucchini to pan
Saute the vegetables for 5-10 minutes or until desired doneness
Add 3 Tablespoons of Oyster Sauce and mix evenly. Taste a vegetable and add more Oyster Sauce as needed
Gently mix in the tofu. Be gentle or the tofu will crumble
Serve and Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

15 Minute Tofu Stir Fry

Amount Per Serving

Calories 205 Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value*

Fat 15g23%

Saturated Fat 1g5%

Sodium 378mg16%

Potassium 235mg7%

Carbohydrates 7g2%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 10g20%

Vitamin A 1230IU25%

Vitamin C 53.6mg65%

Calcium 136mg14%

Iron 1.6mg9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

How to Make Quinoa on the Stove – Don’t Worry, It’s Easy!

March 28, 2019 by NaturalDeets Leave a Comment

Quinoa is one of the most versatile clean eating recipes. Make it savory with cheese and a protein, or keep it sweet with maple syrup. But whatever you choose to make, you will need to first know how to make quinoa!

Quinoa Can’t Help It!

“Ew, what is that smell? I hope it’s not quinoa!“. Nope, that wasn’t my kids, that was my friend! She was visiting and I was cooking quinoa in the rice cooker. I like to mix one cup of quinoa into brown rice when I make it in the rice cooker. It adds a little extra texture to the rice and I also won’t feel like my kids need more nutrition if they only eat the rice!

At first, I didn’t notice the smell, but once she mentioned it, it couldn’t be ignored. Quinoa has a very distinct smell when cooking but it honestly doesn’t bother me. My friend explained that she likes to eat quinoa but she can’t cook it because of the smell. I then showed her how to make it on the stove top and we both agreed that the smell was not as much of an issue. It helps that we turned on the hood vent too. But don’t let that stop you from trying quinoa, the smell doesn’t bother most people I know! I used the quinoa to make her this Quinoa Breakfast Bowl and she was a believer!

Why Eat Quinoa – Quinoa Benefits

There are so many Quinoa Benefits, so even if you have tried it in the past and didn’t like it, you owe it to yourself to try it again! The best part is that most kids like it…I have even fed it to really picky kids. They just assumed it was a different kind of rice!

Quinoa is Gluten Free and high in protein so it is great for almost any diet.

Quinoa Nutrition:

High in Fiber - relieve constipation, claims to reduce cholesterol and regulate blood sugar
High in Magnesium - for bone strength, muscle maintenance and claims to contribute to healthy blood pressure
Iron - prevent anemia and increase oxygen circulation in your body (red blood cells)

Additional Quinoa Benefits:

Calcium - Strong bones and teeth, also benefits the blood clotting systems in the body
Amino Acids - One of the only foods to contain all nine amino acids! Called the building blocks of life, they help your body build and repair muscles and increase nutrient absorption
Many other vitamins and minerals that your body needs to stay healthy!

The Secret to Cooking Delicious Healthy Quinoa Recipes

The key to delicious quinoa recipes is making delicious quinoa! And there is only one step to take quinoa from good to amazing. The secret is to toast it before cooking it. This creates a nutty flavor and adds a whole new dimension to your dish. For example toasting the quinoa first made this Stuffed Kale Leaves Recipe even more delicious!

To make toasted quinoa, simply add the quinoa to a pan and toast for a few minutes, or until you hear it popping (like popcorn). Remove the pot from the heat and then VERY CAREFULLY add your water or broth. I can’t emphasize carefully enough because it will splash since the pan is so hot, and you can get burned if you just dump in all the liquid at once. Not to mention it will splash everywhere and make a mess.

Now give it a try and you will see what I mean!

Quinoa Flour – Bonus tip!

You can also make Quinoa Flour using uncooked quinoa and a high powered blender. Just add the quinoa and blend until it resembles a fine powder (you can also do this with oatmeal to make oat flour!).

How to make Quinoa

Have you ever wondered how to make quinoa? Let me show you just how easy it is to do!

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword quinoa

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 649 kcal

Ingredients

1 Cup Quinoa
2 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth

Instructions

Add the quinoa to a stock pot. Toast the quinoa over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes, or until the quinoa starts to brown and pop
Turn off heat and remove the pot. VERY CAREFULLY and slowly add the broth. It will splash because the pot is so hot
Put the pot back on the heat and bring to a boil. Cover and lower heat
Cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 12 minutes. Watch it carefully so it doesn't burn
Turn off the heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes to allow any remaining liquid to absorb
Fluff with a fork and serve!

Nutrition Facts

How to make Quinoa

Amount Per Serving

Calories 649 Calories from Fat 99

% Daily Value*

Fat 11g17%

Saturated Fat 1g5%

Sodium 1728mg72%

Potassium 1333mg38%

Carbohydrates 111g37%

Fiber 11g44%

Protein 26g52%

Vitamin C 32.9mg40%

Calcium 108mg11%

Iron 8.7mg48%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Stuffed Kale Wraps – aka The New Cabbage Roll

March 21, 2019 by NaturalDeets Leave a Comment

You read that right! These Asian stuffed kale leaves are kid friendly! Just leave off the Siracha 🙂 I wanted to create something different from typical stuffed cabbage rolls and I did not want to smother it in tomato sauce. So this stuffing is my take on an Asian Kale Roll!

Searching for Kid Friendly Kale Recipes – A Unicorn?

Not Kale again! It was Thursday evening, after a very long day at work and an even longer commute. I was excited to see what we got in our veggie box this week so I quickly picked it up off our porch and carried it to the kitchen.

I pushed everything aside and made room for the box. As soon as I opened the box, I saw it. Kale. Not again, I thought! We had kale the last 2 weeks and I had been sauteeing it with random dinners.

We all know how healthy kale is for us but that doesn’t mean I want to eat it every week. It can be tough if not cooked properly, and it just doesn’t look all that appetizing!

Honestly, I prefer chard, but I had to make do with what we got. My resolution this year was to waste less food, so I had to get creative…damn resolutions!

Before we get in to the recipe, and explain how this is a great recipe for cooking with kids, let talk about why we force ourselves to eat kale. Becuase come on…does anyone really love kale?

Kale is high in:

And Helps With:

Protein
Fiber
Vitamins A, C and K
Folate, Vitamin B

Inflammation
Damage from Free Radicals
Is a Detoxifier
Healthy Vision

Want to read more about the health benefits of Kale? Check out this page!: https://draxe.com/health-benefits-of-kale/

Stuffed Kale Leaves

I wouldn’t group this recipe into the easy kale recipes category since it takes some time to make, but I also wouldn’t call it difficult. If you have made cabbage rolls before, you know how difficult it can be to wrap the rolls without tearing them.

Sometimes they rip and tear before you even have a chance to try rolling them. I’m convinced that this is the main reason people have come up with recipes for Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls!

Well, that is where the kale leaves shined! Because they are so thick, they actually rolled easily. There is a sweet spot though. I found that boiling the leaves for 4 minutes was perfect.

Anything longer resembled a cooked cabbage leaf and was difficult to roll without tearing. Anything shorter and the kale stem wasn’t pliable enough to roll.

How to Make Asian Stuffed Kale Leaves

This clean eating recipe is easier than you think and even the kids enjoyed it! They helped me roll a couple of these but it was a little difficult for them.

When I let them know that dinner was ready, they made faces and didn’t want to eat it! But once they tried it with the stuffing, they ended up eating everything!

Start by boiling 6 cups of water in a large pot. It needs to be large enough to fit the kale leaf, but it is also ok if the edges of the leaves fold onto themselves. While the water is boiling, wash your kale leaves and trim the stems.

Prepare the Filling for the Stuffed Kale Leaves

The filling is simple to prepare. We used 1 cup of cooked quinoa. You can make this ahead of time on the stove, or just use leftovers if you have it. Check out this post if you need to know How to Cook Quinoa.

Cooked Quinoa does great in the freezer so it is a good idea to make a large batch and freeze what you don’t use.

Once the quinoa is cooked, the filling can be made! To give it the Asian flavor, I added garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and oyster sauce. If you don’t have oyster sauce, it can be excluded. It just gives it a sweeter subtle flavor.

Try adding a touch of honey if you exclude the oyster sauce. I also added ground turkey to give it some substance!

Once the filling is complete, you can roll your leaves!

Wrapping the Kale Leaves

To wrap the kale leaves, start by taking one leaf and laying it flat on a cutting board, or another large surface. Make sure the stem is facing you.

Place about 1/4 cup of filling at the base of the leaf. Fold in the sides over the filling and start rolling from the bottom to the top. Gently use your fingers to keep the filling in the leaf. Once rolled, you should be able to easily pick it up and transfer it to a greased pan.

Take your time with the first few until you get the hang of it!

Now go on and try these stuffed kale leaves! Get creative too. Try adding carrots, broccoli or spinach…whatever you have in the fridge! Be sure to come back and let me know what you and your family thought!

Looking for a few side dished to go along with your kale wraps? Try theses:

How to Cut a Watermelon into Triangles

How to Saute Asparagus so Your Kids Will Actually Eat It!

Simple Sauteed Pea Shoots

Easy Green Smoothie

Stuffed Kale Leaves

These Asian Stuffed Kale Leaves are straight forward and delicious. Even the kids enjoyed them! Top with some Siracha and enjoy!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Japanese

Keyword kale leaves

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 428 kcal

Ingredients

1 bunch Kale about 9 leaves
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 Cloves Garlic Minced
1 Cup Onions Diced
1 Pound Turkey
1 teaspoon Ginger finely diced
1/2 Cup Corn Frozen is OK
1 Cup Quinoa Cooked
3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce Optional
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce Optional

Instructions

Boil the Kale Leaves

Boil 6 Cups of water in a large pot. The pot should be large enough to fit a kale leaf.
While the water is boiling, wash the Kale leaves and cut off the stems.
Very carefully, add the Kale leaves to the hot water. I did about 3 leaves at a time. Push the leaves under the water. They will float to the top, but continue to push them down.
Cook the leaves for 4 minutes, or until the stem is soft enough to roll, but not so soft that it tears

Make the Filling

Heat the Olive oil in a large skillet
Saute the onions and garlic until the onions are soft, about 3-5 minutes
Add the turkey and cook until browned.
Add the Quinoa, Ginger, Corn, Soy Sauce, Oyster Sauce, and Worcestershire Sauce.
Take off the heat.

Wrap the Kale Rolls

Oil a baking dish. I like to use an 8x8 dish, but any larger size will do.
Place a Kale Leaf on a cutting board with the stem facing you.
Add 1/4 cup of filing at the base of the kale leaf (near the stem).
Roll in the sides of the leaves on top of the filling to secure the filling. Then gently roll the leaf from the bottom to the top. Using your fingers to keep the filling from falling out.
Pick up the roll and place in your pre-oiled pan. Cover with Foil and bake for 25 minutes.
Top with Siracha, if desired!

Nutrition Facts

Stuffed Kale Leaves

Amount Per Serving

Calories 428 Calories from Fat 162

% Daily Value*

Fat 18g28%

Saturated Fat 3g15%

Cholesterol 57mg19%

Sodium 671mg28%

Potassium 744mg21%

Carbohydrates 41g14%

Fiber 4g16%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 26g52%

Vitamin A 3345IU67%

Vitamin C 44.3mg54%

Calcium 95mg10%

Iron 3.8mg21%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

How to Make Homemade Tortilla Chips Crunchy and Delicious

March 13, 2019 by NaturalDeets Leave a Comment

Homemade Baked Tortilla Chips are so easy to make that you will wonder why you haven’t tried it sooner! Grab your kids because this is also a great recipe to let them practice those knife skills!

Clean Eating Tortilla Chips

It all started with an innocent trip to Costco… I said “how about taco Tuesday?” and I threw the gigantic bag of corn tortillas in to the cart.

It sounded like a great idea until I realized that the entire family only ate about 10 tortillas! What in the world was I going to do with the rest of the package? It turned out that my kids don’t love corn tortillas as much as the flour ones so they weren’t going to help us eat them.

However, they do love chips! So I got an idea… I told the kids we were going to make chips and then I crossed my fingers that it would work.

Kids in the Kitchen – Homemade Tortilla Chips

My daughter is learning how to use a knife. I have taught her the basics and I still watch her closely when she is cutting food, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to let her practice. Aside from aesthetics, it doesn’t matter what the chips ended up looking like.

We placed a stack of tortillas on the cutting board and I had her cut them in half. Then place one of the halves over the other. She then cut them into thirds:

Baked Tortilla Chips

I took a guess and preheated the oven to 400° since we were trying to make them crispy. It turned out to be perfect!

We placed the tortillas in a single layer on a crisper pan and placed it in the oven for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes we flipped the chips and baked another 4 minutes.

Tip: Watch the chips closely as they bake. They take a while to start browning but once they do, it doesn't take long before they burn

They turned out perfectly delicious and crunchy! I added a sprinkle of salt but they really didn’t need it. The kids ate it as is but my husband and I ate it with another one of my favorite recipes: Strawberry Salsa.

And best of all, the kids had a great time! They are still talking about how they made homemade tortilla chips!

Try it and let me know what you think!

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