Julia Child Ain’t Got Nothing On Me… Except Maybe Alcohol…

This week has been a blue banner week for the ole Whitmeister in the kitchen portion of the house.  No, I didn’t suddenly become a master chef… and no, it’s not because I didn’t burn the house down this week.  I actually made 3… count them… THREE dishes that I actually loved.  Like so much so that I’m thinking of just doing the same dinners next week.  That rarely happens, unless it’s a sandwich or a salad… and when I say rarely, I really mean NEVER!

The first recipe that is always a hit in my book… and I love the recipes where you just dump and simmer… was vegetarian chili.  LOVE me some chili, yo!  I realize it’s more of a late fall/winter food, but I just wore my white pants after Labor Day while making it and it totes worked out okay.  Chili is pretty awesome because you can eat it so many different ways and have a new meal every time:  Taco salad… on top of a baked potato… with a Snickers (um… oops… how did that one get in there)… and it’s pretty much tasty just on it’s own as well.  And then with the leftovers, you can soak your feet in it at night… totes makes them soft as a baby’s bumbum… minus the baby’s with diaper rash.  I’d recommend wearing your strait jacket before you stick your feet into a vat of beans… because seriously now… that’s just psycho.

Whitney’s 3-Bean and Corn Chili

1 Tblsp. Olive Oil
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
Handful of carrots, diced
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 can no-salt-added corn
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
3-1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
2 cups water
1 can salsa (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in large pot over moderate heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and carrots, cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the cumin and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.  Stir in the tomatoes, beans, corn, water, oregano and salt and pepper. Simmer, partially covered, stirring from time to time, for 30 minutes.

Note:  I found beans that were either low sodium or no salt added since sodium can be through the roof.  If you make this as is, it is about 254 calories for about 1-1/4 cup. 

The next hit of a meal was Vegetable Noodle StirFry and Baked Vegetable Egg Rolls… um, seriously, a huge plate of homemade Chinese food for under 500 calories?  Yes, please!  The baked egg rolls were so tasty… and only about 73 calories each.  The StirFry was super simple when I found me some Yakisoba StirFry Noodles next to the egg roll wrappers… just threw those into a pan with a bag of broccoli slaw, pineapple tidbits, a diced green pepper, and a diced onion… and voila!  The StirFry Noodles came with a Teriyaki sauce.  Then I sprinkled a few chopped peanuts on top for the protein factor.  This meal looked a little beigish on the plate, so maybe next time I’ll add red peppers instead of green to the stirfry.

It’s obvious that I’m a professional egg roll wrapper, right!?  RIGHT!?  Okay, so I won’t quit my day job… but these little things were mighty tasty.  I liked them better than the fried ones, in fact.

Baked Vegetable Egg Rolls

1 Package of Coleslaw Mix
Green Onions, sliced
Sliced Mushrooms, chopped & diced
Zucchini, diced
1 Can Bean Sprouts, drained

Soy Sauce (I used 1 Tblsp.)
Oyster Sauce (optional)
Fresh minced garlic (I used 1 clove)
Fresh grated ginger (optional)

Egg Roll Wrappers
1 Egg, beaten
PAM Spray

For the filling:

Add all the veggies to the pot on a medium heat and mix for a few minutes until the veggies are warmed up.  Mix the soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic and ginger in bowl and dump over the veggies and mix well.  Set veggies aside to cool for a few minutes.

Once the veggies are cooled, fill your egg roll wrappers with filling and assemble (there are tons of instructions online on how to assemble an egg roll.  It is even on the back of the egg roll wrapper).  Be sure to use a little egg to seal the wrapper.

Spray a cookie sheet with PAM and line the egg rolls on cookie sheet.  Spray the top of the egg rolls with PAM (just a little, you don’t want to coat too much).
Bake on 350 for a good 25 minutes.  You might want to broil for a few minutes too to get them crispy on top!

Each egg roll is only 73 calories and they are a pretty good size!

Leftovers tomorrow are the best part!  Bring it on, Julia Child… me and you in the wine cellar at 4:00!

Question of the Day:  What is your favorite food cuisine (i.e., Mexican, American, Chinese, Italian, Indian, etc.)?   Any dishes you’ve found a way to healthify? 

Note:  Have a splendid weekend!  Thanks for reading and see you all on Mondee for more crazy making.  To those of you who volunteered to send me your motivational story… I sent you out the information… if you didn’t get it, holler my way and I’ll try again!