Healthy Stir Fry

I'm definitely a foodie who finds it hard to say no to delicious but bad for you meals, but I also know that getting the right nutrients and incorporating healthy foods in your diet is very important. It's even more important to me now that I am expecting my second child. The only problem with that is, as I get deeper into my second trimester, I am continuously craving salt and fat (hellooo triple layered chocolate cake!). So it's been a little challenging to try to come up with good healthy food that satisfies me at the same time. I came up with a recipe with some fat from ground chicken and avocado oil and it is salty enough to make me happy.

I'm a fan of stir fry because it's easy to make, can include tons of veggies, you can make it with anything, and it always tastes great.

I never make the same stir fry twice because I tend to just make it with whatever I have hanging around at the time. This particular recipe came out of having a pound of ground chicken in the freezer and an eggplant that needed to be used. A lot of stir fry recipes will use thicker and/or sweeter sauces (like oyster sauce, teriyaki sauce, hoisin sauce, etc.), adding more calories. While those sauces certainly taste great, this is a stripped down, healthier version of a stir fry that gets all of its flavor from using fresh vegetables (instead of frozen or canned) and is super satisfying. It was one of my favorite dishes by far (of course that could just be pregnancy talking :)) so I thought I would share it. This recipe is pretty balanced and provides me with much needed nutrients such as Potassium and Vitamin C. The rice gives me some additional Folic Acid that is great for the baby.

Just a note about rice - brown rice provides more protein and fiber than white rice, though calorie-wise they are relatively the same. I should eat more brown rice, but the Filipina in me causes me to go back and forth between the two each time I make it. For a healthier and more nutritious option, I suggest a good medium grain brown rice.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

1 lb ground chicken
2 cloves fresh garlic (minced)
1/2 medium yellow onion (roughly chopped)
Half an Italian eggplant (sliced or cubed)
1 red bell pepper (chopped)
a handful of fresh basil (chopped)
3 tbsp soy sauce (try low sodium)
1 tbsp avocado oil
3 oz shredded carrots
1 C rice (makes 2 Cups cooked)

Salt/Pepper as you wish

Prepare rice for later - I use a rice cooker so that I don't have to watch it carefully. Always cook rice with 1 part rice to 2 parts water (2 Cups water in this case). Heat a tbsp. of the avocado oil in a skillet or wok and saute the eggplant on its own. Eggplant soaks up the oil quickly so be sure to stir frequently and add a little more oil at a time as the eggplant cooks. Set the eggplant aside. In the same skillet or wok, using the remaining avocado oil, brown the ground chicken with garlic and onion. Add the remaining ingredients, stirring frequently on medium heat. Once the vegetables start to get a little soft, remove from heat and toss in the eggplant. Serve over 1/2 cup of rice. If you want a little spice with no additional calories, I always add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.

Nutrients

CALORIES - 1 serving - 551 (this is with mahatma jasmine rice)

PROTEIN - 43%

CARBOHYDRATES - 32%

FAT - 25%

The Year for More Filipino Cooking...

Here we are again, January, it's another new year. So I guess I'm ready to do a handful of posts before I get distracted with something shiny in the sand and fail once more at being a good blogger. Maybe this year I'll be better :)

We just made a long awaited move to Sunny San Diego which allowed us to spend the holidays with family. Being with family always makes me want more and more Filipino food. From the standard party fare like pancit and lumpia to spam and rice for breakfast and dinuguan and pinakbet and longanisa and my this list could go on forever.  There are so many foods that I love so much but rarely get to eat so, this year, I plan to cook many more Filipino foods. More specifically, I plan to work on some amazing dishes that I haven't yet learned to cook. Well, I just recently learned how to make Tortang Talong, and since a great friend, who I know enjoys food and culture as much as I do, asked me for this recipe, I decided it should go here.

One of my favorite vegetables is eggplant. I love it so much that usually if eggplant exists on a restaurant menu I will order it, prompting people to ask me "oh, are you a vegetarian?" No, no, no. I do respect vegetarian cuisine greatly, but I was born a meat eater! Eggplant just sometimes seems to be one of those vegetables that gets reserved for vegetarians, but WHY? It's so great. So I will share here my recipe for Tortang Talong, or Filipino Eggplant Omelet. It's an excellent eggplant recipe for you meat eaters. For you vegetarians, I promise this dish will still taste amazing if you cut out the meat.

Ingredients

1/2 lb ground meat (pork, beef, turkey)

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 medium onion, minced

3 medium sized carrots, peeled and diced

2 Chinese eggplants

3 large eggs, beaten

2 tbsp. soy sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp. Vegetable or coconut oil

Instructions

1. Broil the eggplants on a low setting for about 4 minutes, flip and broil 4 more minutes.
2. Peel off the charred skin, but keep the crown and stem. Flatten the flesh and set aside.
3. In a pan, brown the ground meat with the garlic and onion. Drain if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl.
4. Once the mixture is cooled, add the eggs and mix well.
5. Add ½ tbsp. of the coconut oil to the pan and heat the pan. Add the flattened eggplant to the pan and spread half of the omelet mixture on top of it.  Cook for about 3 minutes, then carefully, using the stem and a spatula, flip the omelet and cook the other side for about 2-3 more minutes.
6. Drain on a paper towel if necessary.
7. Enjoy!

Note: For you spicy food lovers, in the picture above, I threw in some green chiles. You can also add fresh diced jalapenos or some good ole Tapatio.