There are many styles of cooking in China. Each style has a distinct taste and flavor. As a general rule, rice is a main staple food in southern China, as the warmer and wetter south makes it more ideal for its growth. On the other hand, dumplings and noodles are more commonly consumed in the drier, colder north.
Sichuan and Hunan cuisines are hot and spicy.
Anhui and Fujian cuisines include wild plants and animals from the mountains.
Guangdong (Cantonese), Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu feature sweet and light flavors with ingredients such as sugar, salt, soy sauce, rice wine, cornstarch, vinegar, scallions and sesame oil.
Shandong Cuisine is salty with a lot of seafood.
The recipe I created below is based on several Cantonese Chinese recipes that I like. I wanted to keep it on the healthy side and feature lots of vegetables in the stir-fry. I did not make it spicy so that the vegetables would be the star. Feel free to add more spice if you prefer hot and spicy Asian foods.
Coconut aminos is a sauce made from coconut sap. It is a dark, rich, slightly sweet, slightly salty sauce. It resembles a light soy sauce or tamari, but it is soy free and gluten-free – making it a perfect replacement ingredient. Arrowroot powder has less carbs than cornstarch and is a good substitute for thickening a sauce.
Egg Drop Soup
In Chinese cuisine, egg drop soups have a thinner consistency than most common Western versions. Depending on the region, they may be garnished with ingredients such as tofu, scallions, bean sprouts and corn.
Serves: 4 (1 cup servings)
Ingredients
4 cups low sodium chicken stock
2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder
1 clove garlic, finely grated
½ tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
2 tablespoons tamari, soy sauce, or coconut aminos
3 eggs, beaten
2 green onions, thinly sliced (for garnish)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Salt, to taste
Directions
In a medium pot, whisk together the chicken broth, cornstarch, garlic, ginger and soy sauce. Heat over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. When the soup reaches a boil, turn off the heat.
Slowly whisk the beaten eggs into the soup. Let the soup sit 2 minutes for the eggs to finish cooking. Return the soup to the stove and heat over very low heat. Do not boil. Taste the broth and add salt, if desired. Stir in the sesame oil and green onions and serve.
Chinese Noodle Stir-Fry
I used a combination of spiralized vegetables to decrease the amount of carbs in this recipe. You may use 8 oz of fresh Chinese noodles if you do not want to add the spiralized zucchini and carrot noodles. I used leftover pork roast in this recipe.
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2 servings. This recipe is easily doubled.
Ingredients
Stir-Fry Sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce or coconut aminos
2 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon arrowroot or cornstarch powder
Stir-Fry
2 tablespoons peanut oil or cooking oil, divided
1 medium zucchini
1 large carrot
4 oz fresh Chinese noodles
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 red bell pepper, thin sliced
1 cup sliced cabbage
4 whole scallions cut diagonally into ½-inch segments
½ lb cooked pork, chicken or beef, sliced into matchstick pieces
Kosher salt
Directions
Bring about 3 cups of water to a boil and pour over the fresh Chinese noodles. Set aside while you cook the other ingredients.
Combine the ingredients for the stir-fry sauce and set aside.
Cut the zucchini and carrot into noodles with a spiralizer. Set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the zucchini and carrot noodles. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt. Stir fry 2-3 minutes and remove them to a bowl.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and add the ginger and garlic, cook until for 30 seconds.
Add the bell pepper, scallions and cabbage. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 2 minutes.
Add the pork and the stir-fry sauce. Cook until thickened. Drain the fresh noodles and add them to the skillet along with the zucchini and carrot noodles. Stir-fry for a minute or until all the ingredients are hot. Serve in bowls.
My husband and I love having our children and their families come for visit and we love visiting them in their homes. Family is important to us and even though none of us live near each other, we keep in touch daily. When we are together, it is always great fun. So much to do – swimming in the pool, riding the waves at the beach or racing go-karts – brings out the hunger pangs and Grandma has a fix for that. I am sharing some of my grandchildren’s favorite foods; kid-friendly meals that I have tried to make healthy without sacrificing flavor.
The dish that wins, hands down, as the number one favorite, is chicken fingers. They are healthy because they are baked with minimal fat instead of fried. To date, no one has noticed that they are not fried. The steps to prepare this dish are listed below:
Unfried Chicken Fingers
- 1/2 pound chicken breast tenders (fingers), about 8
- 1/4 cup refrigerator egg substitute
- 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Olive oil cooking spray
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Coat a 9”x 13” glass baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
Place chicken fingers in a shallow dish and pour the egg substitute over them. Rotate and coat all the fingers.
Chicken Fingers coated in egg substitute.
Place bread crumbs in another shallow dish and dredge fingers in crumbs.
Chicken Fingers coated in bread crumbs
Place in prepared baking dish in a single layer. Drizzle fingers with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Chicken Fingers drizzled with oil
Bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees F. Turn fingers over and bake 15 minutes more.
Baked Chicken Fingers
Serve this dish with a healthy ranch dip (recipe below) and apple slices for lunch.
Chicken fingers may be frozen and reheated in a hot oven. I usually prepare a supply when I know the children are coming, so that they are handy when we need them.
Healthy Ranch Dip
- 1/2 cup plain low fat Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup low fat buttermilk
- 1/4 cup olive oil mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Dash of Worcestershire
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper
Whisk together all the ingredients and chill.
- Chicken fingers also make a good dinner option with low-fat macaroni and cheese and a green vegetable.
Low-fat Macaroni and Cheese
Yield: Makes 8 servings
Ingredients:
- 16 oz. uncooked elbow macaroni ( whole grain pasta is better)
- 2 cups skim milk
- 3 oz. Velveeta Light Cheese cut into thin strips
- 8 oz. Monterey Jack shredded cheese
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons Italian seasoned bread crumbs
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat a 13”× 9” baking dish with cooking spray.
Boil macaroni in salted water until tender but firm.
While pasta cooks, whisk together flour and 1/2 cup milk in small bowl.
Pour remaining 1½ cups milk into large saucepan and heat on low. Once milk is slightly warmed, turn heat to medium-low and add flour and milk mixture, stirring until thick.
Reduce heat slightly and add butter, cheeses and salt.
Cook until smooth (about 5 minutes).
Drain macaroni, then combine with sauce mixture, stirring thoroughly.
Pour into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle breadcrumbs lightly and evenly on top and bake 25-30 minutes.
2. Another good dinner option: soup and calzone:
Easy Stracciatella Italian Soup
Ingredients
8 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup uncooked orzo pasta (very small pasta)
10 oz. package frozen, chopped spinach ( thawed and well-drained)
1 egg (beaten)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
In a large pot bring chicken broth to a boil on high heat.
Stir in orzo; cook approximately 10 minutes until tender but slightly firm.
Stir in spinach, salt and pepper to taste.
Cook approx 5 minutes.
Add in beaten egg to soup stirring constantly until set and cooked.
Serve in kid- sized bowls.
Sprinkle with cheese before serving.
Tomato and Mozzarella Calzone
- Store bought pizza dough or ½ of the recipe for homemade dough, (see post, http://jovinacooksitalian.com/2012/05/04/its-friday-lets-have-pizza/)
- Flour, for dusting
- Homemade Tomato Sauce (see post for recipe, http://jovinacooksitalian.com/2012/04/19/hello-world/
- Sliced skim mozzarella cheese
- Salt, pepper and dried oregano
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces, shape into balls, then flatten and roll out into 6 inch rounds on a lightly floured surface. Brush cold water around the edges.
- Spread marinara sauce over the dough, spreading evenly and leaving a small border around the edge. Place slices of mozzarella on one side of each dough round and season with oregano and a little black pepper.
- Enclose the filling by lifting over the other side of the dough. Press the edges firmly together to seal and transfer to a large baking sheet.
- Cut a couple of tiny holes in the center of each calzone. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the calzone is pale-golden. Serve with additional sauce.
Vanilla & Chocolate Rocks
Of course we can’t forget dessert. My grandchildren (and children) love these cookies. This recipe can be doubled and the cookies freeze well.
Adapted from King Arthur
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 egg
- 1 cup unbleached all- purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chunks
Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. (I put 12 cookies on one baking sheet) Bake the cookies for 9 minutes, until they’re barely set.
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