Steam is Clean

Lately it's been smelling like a sauna in my kitchen...

Weird right? It's actually not that weird. It's because I've been using my new Bamboo Steamer for cooking lately, and when this wooden basket heats up with steam, it really does kind of smell like those Bamboo saunas filled with hot air and steam.... minus the sweaty people of course.

Quite honestly, I don't know how I got along without one of these amazing things! They cook both veggies and meat so well, and it doesn't take constant stirring or checking on to make lunch. I can literally toss in my carrots and broccoli, go fold laundry or take a shower for 15 minutes, come back, and lunch is ready!

It's also very healthy for you too. Much healthier than microwaves, sauteing vegetables in oil, or even boiling vegetables in water.

Studies show that microwaving vegetables destroys a high percentage of its nutritional value, as does boiling vegetables in water. The nutrients just drain out of them! You might as well drink that water to get them back...

And of course, adding oil to vegetables adds unnecessary fat, which isn't always a bad thing. But if you're looking for a super-healthy way to get your veggies in, steaming is definitely the way to go!

Here's a great recipe I just had yesterday, and it was easy as pie to make!

Steamed Veggies with Chicken and Quinoa-Rice 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup red quinoa 
1/2 cup brown rice
5 cups water
1 thawed chicken breast
2 cups of chopped vegetables (I used baby carrots, broccoli, red pepper, mushrooms, spinach, and lentil sprouts)
Some seasonings of your choice

Steps to Make:
1. Heat 2 cups of water in a small sauce pan 
2. Pour in quinoa and rice into the water and bring to a boil
3. Reduce heat, and cover with a lid
4. Meanwhile, chop up veggies into large pieces (the larger pieces will allow the vegetables to maintain their nutrients) 
5. Heat another larger sauce pan with 3 cups of water and bring to a boil
6. Place the steamer on top of the boiling pot (if you don't have a steamer, you can use a colander with a lid over it)
7. Place the chicken on the steamer first, followed by the larger veggies, then the smaller ones (if your steamer has two layers, you can put the chicken on the bottom layer and the veggies on the top layer)
8. Allow to steam for 15 minutes, turning the chicken over halfway through
9. Sprinkle chicken and veggies with seasoning
10. Spoon rice and quinoa mixture into a bowl
11. Cut chicken into strips and mix into the same bowl
12. Top with steamed veggies
13. Enjoy!

Zucchini Lasagna

Hokay folks, no falafel yet, but I did find a great recipe for low-carb lasagna that I made altered slightly to fit our needs. I basically added more veggies and replaced some ingredients for better ones :-)

Here's my version of the recipe:

Zucchini Lasagna  

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded chicken breast 

(I actually left it out for my first time making it, since I'm a Veggie)

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper

1/2 cup mushroom

A few handfuls of spinach

2 cup tomato/spaghetti sauce 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon basil

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

4 medium zucchini sliced thinly in long strips

1 cup plain greek yogurt 

1 egg 

3 tablespoons whole wheat flour or cornmeal

1 cup (4 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. 
2. Cut your zucchini into thin slices the length of the zucchini. (These will act as your noodles.) 
3. Boil zucchini for 3 minutes and then lay out on paper towel with another paper towel on top to absorb the excess water. While these are drying make sauce.
4. In large skillet sprayed thoroughly with cooking spray, combine cooked shredded chicken, pepper, mushroom, and onion over medium heat. 
5. Once onion, pepper, and mushrooms are sauteed, add tomato sauce and seasonings. Bring to boil;  reduce heat to simmer, uncovered, for about 5 minutes.
6. While your sauce is cooking, combine the yogurt, egg, and flour/cornmeal (I also tossed in some extra seasoning as well). 
7. Line the bottom of a 9x13 sprayed baking dish zucchini strips. 
8. Top with the yogurt and egg mixture, then spinach leaves, and then the chicken/sauce mixture. 
9. Repeat layer of zucchini and top with the yogurt and egg mixture, then spinach leaves, and then the sauce.
10. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese
11. Bake at 375° for 40 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

So How Was It?

This meal was great! Dennis said it was one of this favorites, so it goes on my mental list of things to make. I loved the extra spinach, and the red pepper and mushrooms were fantastic. We didn't even miss the noodles at all with the zucchini!

The greek yogurt was actually a substitute for cottage cheese... which it not my favorite thing in the word, to put it lightly. But if you enjoy that sort of thing, then you can feel free to sub it back into the ingredient list. 

This meal is super healthy because it is full of protein (especially if you use the greek yogurt), and has the taste of home-cooked comfort food without all the usual fat. It's chock full of veggies too! 

Overall, wonderful meal. Hope you can try it soon!