Are you ready to eat healthy?

Transcription

1 Are you ready to eat healthy? CoolCooker eat better feel better be better 6 HEALTHY RECIPES TO START YOUR NEW YEAR

2 MAKING STEPS TOWARD A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE You want to make 2017 your year, and we want to help. What better way than to introduce you to a healthy series of international recipes, each with a calorie count low enough to satisfy any diet. We ve selected cuisine from around the globe, and included tips on how to adapt recipes for vegetarian and gluten-free options. healthy We hope you enjoy these recipes as they add spice to your life all within the healthy framework you need to satisfy your resolutions. CoolCooker eat better feel better be better

3 INTRODUCING MEREDITH happy cooking Hi, my name is Meredith Kennedy, daughter of Brian Kennedy, the inventor of the CoolCooker. I ve taken my lifelong passion for food and cooking along with me as I ve lived and traveled in several continents over the years. In Africa I cooked for groups of American college students while out in the field, sometimes with only a campfire and a box of soup mix in pouring rain. On the island of Zanzibar, I experimented with mangoes fresh off the tree, and in New Zealand I discovered kumara a type of pumpkin. Once I began cooking with the CoolCooker, I began bringing it with me on my travels. I ve made Hawaiian luau pork while out hiking in the volcanoes, mushroom soup while at the beach, and blueberry cheesecake while exploring the dikes of Holland. I am currently writing a cookbook for slow cookers, with over two hundred recipes suited for the CoolCooker. My Swahili name, Maridadi, is the basis for Maridadi s Kitchen, the CoolCooker recipe blog where I share recipes I ve adapted from ingredients as I ve traveled around the world. I hope you enjoy the following healthy recipes as you start your new year, and that you ll check into the CoolCooker recipe page for more! Happy cooking! Maridadi

4 TABLE OF CONTENTS 5 Tuscan Garlic Chicken & Mushrooms 8 Pad Thai 11 Red Beans & Rice 14 Sharing a Healthy Meal 15 Moroccan Lavender Lamb 18 Mushroom & Feta Cheese Stuffed Peppers ingredients 20 Vietnamese Beef Pho 23 Connect with Us

5 TUSCAN GARLIC CHICKEN & MUSHROOMS What do you think of when you hear the word Tuscany? How about sun-drenched rolling hills and ancient farmland of northern Italy, vineyards and fine wine, dining on fragrant pasta with rich marinara sauce and plump olives? That s what I had in mind when I had an opportunity to travel through a region called Marche, which is adjacent to Tuscany: magically beautiful and even less traveled than its more well-known cousins. It s perfect walking country, so that s exactly how I decided to explore the area. I set off before 8AM, and before long I was wandering through fantastic farmland. The air was rich with summer crops, the day was already warming up, and as I left town, the rolling fields of Marche filled up with sunflowers, their golden heads against the clear blue sky. For lunch that day, I ended up trying a fantastic meal of chicken, mushrooms and pasta in a small farmhouse cafe, on a hill overlooking a twelfth-century church in a field of sunflowers. It was an unforgettable day, and now I think of it every time I make Tuscan Garlic Chicken and Mushrooms. Tuscany

6 TUSCAN GARLIC CHICKEN & MUSHROOMS INGREDIENTS: 1 1/2 lbs. boneless chicken breast, in bite-sized chunks 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms 1/2 cup low-fat cream cheese 1/2 cup chicken broth 2 Tbsp. cornstarch 1 Tbsp. garlic paste 1 8-oz. jar sun-dried tomatoes, drained 1/2 cup parmesan cheese 1 cup chopped fresh spinach Salt and pepper to taste 1 Tbsp. dried oregano

7 TUSCAN GARLIC CHICKEN & MUSHROOMS DIRECTIONS: Place chicken, mushrooms and spinach in cook pot. Mix together the cream cheese, broth, garlic paste, tomatoes, cheese, salt and pepper and oregano. Pour the sauce mixture over the ingredients in the cook pot. Cook in the CoolCooker for six hours. Serve over pasta of your choice. Servies calories per serving

8 PAD THAI Anyone who is from Thailand or has visited there will be familiar with this popular street food. Although it is considered one of Thailand s national dishes, it probably came to Thailand from either Vietnam or China as far back as the 1600 s. But while the origins of Pad Thai are unknown, certain aspects of its history in the 20th century are not. Thailand s prime minister promoted Pad Thai as the national dish during the 1940 s, and it s not hard to see why it caught on: it s absolutely delicious. Our recipe can be easily adapted to suit any taste. Simply adjust the condiments you add at the end, or experiment to include more healthy vegetable options. Thailand

9 PAD THAI INGREDIENTS: 4-oz. rice noodles, angel-hair style or flat noodles, may need to be broken in half to fit into the cook pot. 2 cups diced chicken breast 1/2 cup shelled shrimp (can be frozen) 2 Tbsp. sliced green onions 2 eggs, beaten 2 Tbsp. sesame oil 2 Tbsp. fish sauce 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar 2 Tbsp. soy sauce 2 Tbsp. brown sugar 2 Tbsp. lime juice 2 1/2 cups miso-ginger broth (could also use chicken, beef or vegetable broth)

10 PAD THAI CONDIMENTS: Bean sprouts Lime wedge Sliced green onions Cilantro Crushed peanuts DIRECTIONS: Spray the inside of the cook pot with cooking spray, then place chicken, shrimp, and onions into it. Mix together eggs, sesame oil, fish sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, and miso-ginger broth. Pour this over the ingredients in the cook pot. Cook in the CoolCooker for 4 hours. Add the rice noodles and allow to soften for about 15 minutes. Turn the contents of the cook pot over into a large mixing bowls to stir all the cooked ingredients. Top with the cilantro, crushed peanuts, bean sprouts, green onions, and lime wedges. Enjoy! Serves calories per serving. Chef s Tip I prefer to add cooked shrimp to the final dish, but it also works fine to include it at the beginning and let the shrimp cook together with everything else.

11 RED BEANS & RICE Last summer, I spent a week in one of my very favorite cities, New Orleans, and stayed in the French Quarter. I loved the food, especially the quintessential New Orleans dishes like jambalaya, crawfish étouffée, and of course red beans and rice with andouille sausage. Andouille sausage is a mainstay of Cajun cooking in Louisiana. This is a coarse-grained, smoked sausage using pork, garlic, pepper, onions, wine and seasoning. If you have trouble finding it in the store, try looking for hot link sausage. If you like, you can try a vegetarian version by substituting vegetable stock for the chicken broth and replacing the sausage with portobello mushrooms, sliced carrots, or zucchini chunks. This recipe uses 3/4 of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, which gives the red beans and rice flavor, but not a lot of heat. If you like spicy food, you can add more cayenne pepper or your favorite other red chili pepper to taste. Alternatively, you could use your favorite hot sauce to fire up each serving as you like, which is a good idea if you re going to share your meal with friends who may or may not like their food as spicy as you do.

12 RED BEANS & RICE INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup brown rice 1/2 cup of water 12-oz. dried red beans 5 cups water 12-oz. sausage, cut into chunks 1 cup chopped onions 1 cup chopped green bell pepper 1 cup chopped celery 3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp. garlic paste 1/4 tsp. salt 1 bay leaf

13 RED BEANS & RICE DIRECTIONS: Place ingredients into the CoolCooker in the order they are listed. Cook for five hours. serves calories per serving, Chef s Tip Brown rice works much better than white rice in the CoolCooker, since it doesn t get mushy in the slow-cooking process. When the rice is cooked together with the main dish in the cook pot, it turns out moist and dense because you re not allowing air to circulate between the grains. This works surprisingly well, because the rice marinates itself in whatever you re cooking, allowing it to become rich and flavorful.

14 sharing SHARING A HEALTHY MEAL We re all familiar with popular New Year s resolutions like exercise more and eat healthy. But many of us also take this time of year to resolve to spend more time with friends and family. What better way to accomplish that goal than by sharing a healthy, home-cooked meal? Health is about more than diet and exercise. It s about taking time to relax, de-stress, laugh, and build memories with the important people in your life. Our healthy CoolCooker recipes will not only help you eat better, they ll give you more time to enjoy with others instead of laboring in the kitchen. By sharing healthy CoolCooker meals with your friends, you ll make steps toward two of your resolutions at once and maybe help your friends and family with theirs as well!

15 MOROCCAN LAVENDER LAMB On both my recent trips to Mongolia I ve been served a lot of lamb which is really mutton over there, since it comes from adult sheep. Some was tender, some was tough, but it got me interested in lamb, so I decided to try a lamb recipe in the CoolCooker when I got home. I came up with Moroccan Lavender Lamb, which admittedly is a far cry from Mongolian but they both start with M, right? I thought the lavender would work well as a counterpart to the strong lamb flavor, and that slow cooking would keep it tender. I couldn t find lamb rib chops but ended up with a nice boneless leg, and with great excitement got out my stash of culinary lavender. Ohhhhhh yes. The infusion of white wine, honey, lavender, and spices gives it a fascinating, exotic effect and complements the distinct flavor of the lamb. The cornstarch makes a hearty sauce (rather than a thin broth), and the peppers make it colorful. What s not to love? At the first bite I thought I was in Casablanca, looking out over a city of minarets, noisy markets, and the call to prayer. Morocco Mongolia just moved much higher my list of travel destinations!

16 MOROCCAN LAVENDER LAMB INGREDIENTS: 1 lb. boneless leg of lamb 1 cup chopped red onions 1 cup mixed chopped bell peppers 1/4 cup cornstarch mixed in 1 cup water 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh ginger 1 tsp. chopped fresh garlic 1 cup white wine 1 tsp. garam masala 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. turmeric 1/2 tsp. cumin 1 tsp. ground culinary lavender 1 tsp. salt and pepper 1/2 cup honey

17 MOROCCAN LAVENDER LAMB DIRECTIONS: Remove excess fat from the boneless leg of lamb, cut it in half and place in the cook pot. And add the onions and peppers. Mix together the water and cornstarch, and stir it with all the rest of the ingredients. Pour this mixture over the lamb and veggies in the cook pot, and cook for ten hours. When finished, skim the excess fat off the top and stir the sauce. Pull the lamb apart with two forks into chunks, mix into the sauce. Serve over rice. Serves calories per serving

18 MUSHROOM & FETA CHEESE STUFFED PEPPERS I spent three weeks on the Big Island of Hawaii with my mom, my friend Rebecca, and the CoolCooker. The best way to experience Hawaii s amazing cultural diversity is to visit the local farmers markets. Everything is locally grown, culturally unique, and has its own history; this is the journey of food through time, space, and culture. We were excited to see what we could find especially what kinds of produce, herbs, spices, and locally made foods we could use for new recipes in the CoolCooker. We investigated local foods in farmer s markets, local shops, and the Hamakua Mushroom Factory...which is where we ended up with three pounds of gourmet mushrooms! Our first mission with all these fabulous mushrooms was to make Mushroom Stuffed Peppers in the CoolCooker. It did most of the work for us while we were out exploring Hawaii. This is a quick and easy recipe you can have ready in just a few hours. The bell peppers and mushrooms keep the recipe healthy, while the feta adds just the flavor you need to throw an interesting twist in your diet. Hawaii

19 MUSHROOM & FETA CHEESE STUFFED PEPPERS INGREDIENTS: 1 lb. chopped fresh mushrooms 6-oz. crumbled feta cheese 2 slices dry toast, crumbled into bread crumbs 1 beaten egg 1/2 cup diced onion 1 Tbsp. minced garlic 1 tsp. ground black pepper 1 jar tomato salsa 1 Tbsp. cornstarch Three bell peppers, tops sliced off and emptied DIRECTIONS: Mix everything except the salsa and peppers together. Stuff the three peppers and place into the cook pot. Pour the salsa over everything. Cook for 3 hours. Serves calories per serving

20 VIETNAMESE BEEF PHO Pho is a low calorie broth soup with beef and vegetables, common as a street food in Vietnam, and gaining popularity around the globe. Early vendors used to sell pho at dawn and dusk, carrying pots of broth in mobile kitchens with noodles and other ingredients on the side. This makes it easy to customize the dish to taste, by adding many of the fresh ingredients as condiments at the end. Pho allows for almost endless variation. You can make chicken or pork Pho by substituting the meat and broth accordingly. For a gluten-free option, simply substitute tamari for soy sauce. If you want to make it vegetarian, substitute mushrooms for beef and vegetable broth for beef broth. The fish sauce is more difficult due to its distinctive flavor, but there are some vegetarian alternatives on the market, or you can double the soy sauce. Vietnam

21 VIETNAMESE BEEF PHO INGREDIENTS: 1/2 lb. thinly sliced steak (sirloin, round eye, or London Broil) 1 cup diced onions 1 cup diced carrots 1 Tbsp. ginger paste 2 (3-inch) whole cinnamon sticks 2 whole star anise 3 whole cloves 1 tsp. whole coriander seeds 4 cups beef broth 1 Tbsp. soy sauce 1 Tbsp. fish sauce 8-oz. dried rice noodles (bahn pho, 1/16-, 1/8-, or 1/4-inch wide)

22 VIETNAMESE BEEF PHO CONDIMENTS: 3 scallions 1 chili pepper (Thai bird, serrano, or jalapeño) 1 lime, sliced 1 cup bean sprouts 1 cup fresh herbs (cilantro, basil, Thai basil, mint, or a mix) DIRECTIONS: Place steak, onions, and carrots in the cook pot. Mix ginger paste, cinnamon, anise, cloves, coriander, broth, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Pour over beef, carrots, and onions. Cook in the CoolCooker for 4 hours. Add dried rice noodles and allow to soften for about 15 minutes. Serve in bowls and add condiments to taste. Serves calories per serving Chef s Tip Carrots tend to take a long time to cook thoroughly, so using small pieces or thin slices and putting them in first is a good idea. That way, they re close to the bottom heat source.

23 CONNECT WITH US Visit our website and follow us on Facebook for more recipes and regular updates as the CoolCooker and Meredith continue to travel the globe. We hope you enjoy these recipes as they add spice to your life all within the healthy framework you need to satisfy your resolutions. connect CoolCooker eat better feel better be better