fat free food | RealishFood

May 16, 2015
by realishfood Leave a comment

All You Need is Love II

All You Need is Love II

In my most recent post, I suggested a list of ingredients that I recommend you keep on hand on a regular basis. My reasons for choosing these ingredients are that they are easy to find, healthy, and inexpensive – and can provide a long list of versatile and delicious meals.

I gave you a list of ingredients and a list of 8 dishes you can make with them. I have previously provided 4 recipes and now I will provide the final 4. In my next post I will provide a game plan for keeping an abundance of prepared food on hand with minimal planning and work. If you are willing to do a little extra labor for a couple of nights, you can probably save yourself 2 or 3 nights of cooking later on.

I previously provided recipes for Black Beans and Rice, Lentil Soup, Vegetable Soup, and Stuffed Peppers. The remaining recipes follow.

Vegetarian Chili
Veggie Stir Fry
Fried Rice
Quick Refrigerator Pickles

Vegetarian Chili

1 medium onion – chopped
1 medium to large bell pepper – chopped
1-3 cloves of garlic – minced
1 (or more) chile of choice – minced (I like serranos and jalapenos for this)
3 cups of canned tomatoes (pureed, strained, sauce)
1 cup of water
3-4 cups of cooked beans of choice (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed)
Cilantro (optional)
Oil, Salt, Pepper (as needed)

Heat up some oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan or pot you are using). Saute onions and peppers for a few minutes. Add garlic and chile and saute for another minute or two. Add tomatoes and water and simmer for 5 or 10 minutes to combine flavors. Add salt and pepper as needed. Add in cooked beans. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Adjust seasonings as you go. Finish with chopped cilantro to taste. For a more filling meal, serve over rice.

Note: Try to use at least 2 kinds of beans for this dish. It’s nice to have variety. My favorite beans for chili are black, pink, kidney, and garbanzo. Feel free to use any kind you like.

Veggie Stir Fry

Chopped Veggies of your choice (2-4 cups)
1-3 Garlic Cloves – minced
Chile – minced (optional)
Oil (one that can stand a high heat such as canola or coconut)
Water – approx. ¼ cup
Tamari – to taste
Cilantro (optional)
Cooked Rice – 2 cups

I like to use big chunks of veggies for this. Just make sure they are similar in size so they cook at the same rate. The veggies we have on hand from the shopping list are carrots, celery, onions, and bell peppers. Heat up some oil in a sauté pan. Add all the chopped veggies and sauté for a few minutes. When veggies are cooked about halfway through, add the garlic and chiles. Small pieces of garlic burn quickly and can ruin a dish so we add them later in the cooking process. Cook for about 2 minutes and add some water. We add the water for 2 reasons. One, it will create steam and speed up the cooking process. Two, it will keep the garlic from burning. Add tamari to taste. Finish with cilantro and serve over cooked rice.

Fried Rice

Chopped Veggies of your choice (2-4 cups)
Garlic – minced
Chile – minced (optional)
Oil (one that can stand a high heat such as canola or coconut)
Water – approx. ¼ cup
Tamari
Cilantro (optional)
Cooked Rice – 2 cups

I like to use smaller chunks of veggies for this. Just make sure they are similar in size so they cook at the same rate. The veggies we have on hand from the shopping list are carrots, celery, onions, and bell peppers. Heat up some oil in a sauté pan. Add all the chopped veggies and sauté for a few minutes. When veggies are cooked about halfway through add the garlic and chiles. Small pieces of garlic burn quickly and can ruin a dish so we add them later in the cooking process. Cook for about 2 minutes and add some water. We add the water for 2 reasons. One, it will create steam and speed up the cooking process. Two, it will keep the garlic from burning. Add tamari to taste. Stir in the fried rice and cook until everything is mixed together and heated through.

Note: This recipe is very similar to the Veggie Stir Fry. The difference is that you chop the veggies into smaller pieces and you add the cooked rice into the pan instead of serving the veggies over the rice. Also, this is a great time to use the leftover rice from the fridge. No need to make fresh rice. The old stuff actually works better.

Quick Refrigerator Pickles

2 Cups of Water
1 cup of Vinegar (I like white or apple cider)
1 tablespoon of salt
1 tablespoon of sugar (or agave or honey)
3 cups of Veggies of your choice (carrots are my favorite but celery works too)

Bring water, vinegar, salt, and sugar to a boil and let simmer for a few minutes until salt and sugar dissolve. Clean, peel, and slice veggies into bite-size pieces. Place in clean glass jars. Pour in pickling liquid. Let this cool before you cover with lids. Place in refrigerator. These will be ready in a few hours and keep for about 2 weeks, if refrigerated. They only get better with time. Serve as a snack, side dish, on a sandwich, any way you like. These pickles will be very mild. Feel free to adjust salt and sugar ratios or add garlic or chiles to spice things up a bit. If using garlic or chiles, add them to the cooking liquid and simmer along with the other ingredients.

Note: You can save old jars from store-bought pickles, or salsa for this use. No need to buy new ones. You can also use plastic containers, but I prefer glass for this.

February 25, 2015
by realishfood Leave a comment

Veganomics – Greens and Beans – Recipe

Greens and beans are an Italian classic, especially escarole and white beans with lots of garlic. If you are not familiar with escarole, it resembles a thicker head of green leaf lettuce. It’s delicious and stands up to cooking, but can also be used in salads if it’s allowed a little time to marinate in it’s dressing. I love escarole but I also love cabbage, and I find it to be less expensive and more versatile. Since this is part of my Veganomics series, I’m going with the cabbage for this recipe. You can use any cabbage you like, green cabbage, savoy cabbage, or napa cabbage. These are the three most popular ones that I find readily available. I love savoy cabbage. I call it “medium” cabbage. Regular cabbage can be a little heavy and napa tends to be very light. While the savoy can be a little pricier than the green, I don’t mind spending a little extra and it still stretches a buck.

Even though we are basing this Veganomics series on the versatility and delicious nature of beans, I’d like to give you some ideas for using the leftover greens from the recipe below.

Slice it up for a lighter version of cole slaw
Chop or slice it and use it as a base for salad in place of your favorite lettuce
Add to soups, stews, or stir-fries to bump up the vitamins and fiber in your meal
Use it as a wrap in place of bread or tortillas
Use whole leaves as serving containers for dips at parties

As I’m writing this, I’m thinking that cabbage might play a big role in my next Veganomics series. More to come on that…

Here is my favorite recipe for greens and beans. Mangia!

Greens and Beans

½ lb. of dried white beans (or 2 – 15 oz. cans drained and rinsed)
½ head of savoy cabbage – thinly sliced
1-3 cloves of garlic
Salt and Pepper
Oil of choice for sautéing
Red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
Fresh lemon juice to taste (optional)

Cooking the beans

Rinse and then soak dried beans for at least a couple of hours or overnight, if possible. If you don’t have time to soak the beans, you can skip this step. Just keep in mind that it could extend your cooking time. Simmer for approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour until they are cooked through. Add about one teaspoon of salt to the beans about halfway through cooking. If using canned beans, skip this step.

Coat the bottom of a large sauté pan with oil. Over low heat, cook whole cloves of garlic until they are very soft. Remove them from the oil. Mash the garlic with a little salt to make a paste. At this point you can raise the cooking heat to about medium. Add the cabbage and cook until wilted. If the pan seems a little dry add some water. This will create some steam and quicken the cooking time without having to add extra oil. Remove cabbage from the pan. Add a little extra oil if needed and then sauté the white beans to heat through and soften up. Add in the mashed garlic and stir to incorporate with the beans. Add cabbage back in and cook until everything is heated through and cooked to your liking. Along the way add salt and pepper to taste. Pile on a serving platter. Just before serving you can drizzle lightly with a good quality olive oil and some lemon juice or balsamic vinegar. Use the red pepper flakes at any point during the cooking process or serve at the table for a finishing touch. Enjoy. Serves 4 as a generous main course portion or as a side dish for 6 – 8 people.

Leftover Tips

While this is delicious reheated, as is, for lunch or dinner, here are some other tasty options.

Turn it into a soup, by adding stock and veggies of your choice (i.e., diced potatoes, carrots, tomatoes) and simmering until the veggies are cooked through. Adjust seasonings and enjoy.

Toss it with pasta and sun-dried tomatoes and dress with some pasta water and olive oil.

February 23, 2015
by realishfood Leave a comment

Veganomics – Black Beans and Rice – Recipe

Black Beans and Rice

½ lb. of dried black beans (soaked and cooked)
or 2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 chili, diced (I like serrano, but jalapeno would definitely work)
1 clove garlic, diced
15 oz. can of tomato sauce
½ can water
Cooked Rice (start with 2 cups, uncooked and then cook any way you like)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 handful of cilantro, rinsed and chopped

Saute onion and pepper until softened, then add chili and garlic and cook for another minute. Add tomato sauce and then ½ can of water. Simmer for a few minutes and then add beans and rice. Stir until combined and heated through. Season as you go with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve. Serves 4 as a generous main course and 6 – 8 as a side.

Note: You don’t have to combine the rice and beans in one pot. You can keep them separate and serve them that way. I just really like it this way.

Leftover Tip

This also makes an awesome burrito filling with some salsa or guacamole.

July 17, 2014
by realishfood 4 Comments

Gringa Mix

It only seems right that my first recipe on RealishFood.com should be for a relish of sorts. I’m going to give you the key to making any Latin style dip a winner every time. For as long as I can remember, I have loved Latin food. Having lived my entire life in both the NYC Metro Area and California was probably a major contributor to this outcome. I grew up in a very diverse town, with a large immigrant population that included Columbians, Peruvians, Cubans, Equadorians, Puerto Ricans, etc. You get the picture. In school, I heard just as many people speaking Spanish as English. Then I moved to San Francisco, where I became well versed in Mexican Cuisine – you know the kind that was actually cooked by Mexicans as it is cooked in Mexico, not as cooked by a teenage line cook in a chain restaurant according to the corporate manual written by gringos. I almost always have rice and beans in the fridge for a quick meal. I have plantains on hand as I write this. I also use cilantro more than all other fresh herbs combined. That wouldn’t seem like a big deal, except that I’m a Gringa. I take no offense to that label. I embrace it.

Below, I’m going to give you my recipe for Gringa Mix and a few salsas and dips that you can build from it. Make a big batch and you can knock out three dips in not much more time than it would normally take to make one.

I want to caution you that the measurements I provide are approximate. I’m not a big fan of measuring. What I want you to learn is the technique and the flavor profile. In this case the flavor profile is basically chiles, citrus, cilantro. Then you can adjust as you go. Add garlic if you like. Cut the chiles if you can’t take the heat. If you don’t like pineapple, use mango. Jump in and give it a try.

Warning: If you accomplish this method, you will be responsible for making dips for all future parties to which you are invited. Or you could just send your friends to RealishFood.com and they can learn for themselves.

Gringa Mix

Red onion – 1 quarter medium sized

Cilantro – ¼ to ½ bunch

Serrano or chili of your choice – diced

Lime – 1 or 2 or more depending on how juicy they are

By hand: Finely dice first 4 ingredients. Add lime juice to taste. Combine in a bowl. Use as a base for salsas, pico de gallo, quacamole, etc.

Food processor method: Peel and quarter onion. Remove stems and halve chiles and remove seeds and ribs for a milder heat. Put all ingredients into a food processor or blender and process until all ingredients are combined.

Use as a base for salsa, pico de gallo, quacamole, etc.

These are approximate measurements. You should adjust ingredients according to taste.

This recipe is good for 1 – 2 avocados, ¼ pineapple, 2 or 3 small tomatoes, or 1-14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes.

Start with this…

Turn it into this..

Tomato Salsa

1 -14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes

Gringa Mix – to taste

Salt – to taste

Strain tomatoes and reserve the juice. Puree all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Add salt to taste. Add reserved liquid as needed. Adjust ingredients to taste.

Tomato Pico de Gallo

2-3 small tomatoes – diced

Gringa Mix – to taste

Salt – to taste

Toss all ingredients together in a bowl. Adjust ingredients to taste.

Add tomatoes to get this.

Pineapple Pico de Gallo

¼ pineapple diced

Gringa Mix – to taste

Salt – to taste

Toss all ingredients together in a bowl. Adjust ingredients to taste.

Alternate – Pineapple Salsa – toss all ingredients in a food processor or blender for a smoother consistency.

Add chopped pineapple to get this.

Guacamole

1-2 ripe avocadoes

Gringa Mix – to taste

Salt – to taste

Hot sauce – to taste

Mash up avocado. Add ingredients and stir to combine. Adjust ingredients to taste

Add mashed avocado to get this.

Use these to enjoy your dips.

RealishFood

Relish Real Food!

Tag Archives: fat free food

All You Need is Love II

Veganomics – Greens and Beans – Recipe

Veganomics – Black Beans and Rice – Recipe

Gringa Mix