Staying healthy should be a lifelong target of every individual. To remain healthy, one must eat regular, well balanced meals that are low in fat and high in fiber. Nourish our body with plenty of green, leafy vegetables, citrus fruits and berries. About 50-60% of your diet must consist of complex carbohydrates. As much as possible, cook with as little oil, drink plenty of water and exercise consistently.

Shu-Mai (Steamed pork dumpling)

• 1 lb of ground lean meat or chicken 
• 4 stalks Napa cabbage chopped, diced into fine pieces
• 16-oz can of finely chopped/diced water chestnut
• 6 Chinese mushrooms soaked and finely diced
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Sauce for Shu-Mai

• 4-5 thin slices of ginger root cut into thin strips
• 1 tsp of garlic oil or sesame oil
• 1-2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp oyster sauce 1 Tbsp white vinegar
• 1-2 Tbsp water

In a large mixing bowl stir the shu-mai filling ingredients together until they are blended. Put one heaping teaspoon of filling into a thin wonton wrapper and fold the skin like a pleated skirt around the edges and slightly squeeze the mid-section to push the filling to the top. Steam finished shu-mai for about 5-10 minutes in a steamer and served with shu-mai sauce.

Stir-Fried Mixed Vegetables

• 1 lb asparagus cut into ½ inch pieces
• 2 medium size zucchini cut into ‘/a” round pieces
• 18-oz box of brown mushroom cut into thick slices
• 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
• 1 Tbsp extra light olive oil

Heat oil in a wok and add chopped garlic. Add asparagus and zucchini and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms and stir-fry for another minute. Add ½ tsp of oyster sauce to vegetables and cook for ½ minute more. Serve with noodles or rice.

Curry Potatoes

• 6-7 medium all purpose potatoes cut into 3/4″ square pieces
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas
• 2 medium onions finely diced
• 1/2-1 cinnamon stick 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 Tbsp one-gram-fat cooking oil
• 1 Tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 (14-oz) can low fat, low salt chicken broth:
• 1/2 tsp salt

Heat oil in a pot and add onions. Cook until brown and fragrant. Add cinnamon stick, bay leaves and mustard seeds into the pot, stir for 20 more seconds. Lower heat to medium setting, then add curry powder, cumin powder and stir for a few seconds. Add potatoes and green peas and 1 can of low fat, low salt chicken broth and ¹/2 tsp of salt. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender. Water may be added if potatoes stick to pot. Serve over pita bread (Lebanese bread).

Fragrant Garlic Noodles

• 5 sections of Chinese shrimp flavor noodles
• 4cloves garlic, chopped into small pieces
• 3 Tbsp oil
• 1/2 Tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 strip of Chinese roast pork sliced thinly
• 3 stalks green onions cut into thin pieces

Cook the noodles in a medium pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes and drain. In the meantime, in another pot, heat the oil and add the garlic, cooking until light brown. Remove pot from heat. Toss the noodles with two tablespoons of hot garlic oil and oyster sauce on low heat, add sliced roast pork and green onions and mix until evenly distributed. Par boiled or microwaved vegetables can be added to the dish or served as a side dish. Toss the vegetables with 1 tablespoon of garlic oil and salt to taste. 4 servings

Curry Flavored Fried Rice

• 1 ½ cups of long grain rice (rice cooked with chicken broth instead of water)
• 1 medium onion chopped finely
• ½ to 1 chicken breast (skinless and boneless) chopped finely
• ¾ cup frozen green peas
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 egg (Egg Beaters or another egg substitute may be used in its place)
• 1 ½ Tbsp oil
• ¼ cup dried shrimp (optional)

In a non-stick pan, add oil and heat over medium heat. Stir in onions when oil is hot and fry until medium brown. Add chicken breast and cook until meat turns almost white; add 2 tsp curry powder and cook until chicken is done. Add peas and one beaten egg; stir for one minute or until eggs are thoroughly cooked. Add cooked rice to the pan stirring until all ingredients are evenly mixed. You may add salt according to your family’s taste. Serve 4-6 people.

 

Por-Piant (Vegetarian Steamed Egg Roll)

• 1 medium to large Jicama, grated
• 4-5 carrots, grated
• 3/4 lb string beans, thinly sliced lengthwise ¹/2 cabbage sliced thinly
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• ½ cup chicken broth
• 2 Tbsp cooking oil
• 1 package spring roll skin
• 1 bunch leafy lettuce

In a large wok add 1 tablespoon of oil and heat until hot. Stir half the amount of garlic and fry until fragrant. Add jicama and string beans, cook for about 5 minutes. Add ¹/4 cup chicken broth, reduce heat, cover and cook until tender. Remove the vegetables when they are tender and put them in a separate pot. In the same wok, add another tablespoon of oil with the other half of the garlic and fry until fragrant. Add the carrots, cook for 2 minutes and add the cabbage and remaining chicken broth, cover, reduce heat and cook until tender.

Stir the previously cooked vegetables back into the wok and cook them together for another minute.

To serve, peel one sheet of spring roll skin and put it on a plate. Place a layer of leafy lettuce on top of the spring roll skin. Spread 1/2 tsp of hoisien sauce on the lettuce and sprinkle on some hot sauce if desired. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetables onto the lettuce, roll the skin like an egg-roll and serve. This recipe will make approximately 12-15 por-piants.

Curry Chicken

• 1 whole chicken cut into 1/2″ pieces. Remove all skin and fat.
• 1 Tbsp curry powder
• 1 Tbsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp red hot pepper (optional)
• 3 dried bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2-3 large onions chopped into small pieces (use 3 onions for thicker gravy)
• 1/2 Tbsp cooking oil (preferably one-gram-fat oil)
• 1 tsp of salt or more according to taste
• 4 medium size potatoes, quartered

In a large pot heat oil, bay leaves and cinnamon stick for 30 seconds and stir in onions. Cook until soft and slightly brown. Add curry, cumin, and coriander powder and stir for about 1 min. until fragrant.

Stir in chicken pieces and brown chicken for two to three minutes. Add potatoes and salt and stir for another few minutes. Add a cup of water, reduce heat and cover. Cook until potatoes and chicken are tender. Serve over white rice.

 

Stir-Fried Curry Chicken

• 1 skinless boneless chicken breast sliced thinly
• 1 medium onion, cut into quarters lengthwise
• 1/2 red pepper, cut into strips
• 1/2 yellow pepper, cut into strips
• 1 medium carrot, par boiled for 2 mins
• 1 Tbsp curry powder

Marinate chicken breast with 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp curry powder, and 1 tsp low fat cooking oil for at least one hour, preferably overnight in refrigerator. Cut carrots into round thin pieces. Coat the chicken pieces with 1 tsp flour. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in the wok. Add onion to the wok and stir until fragrant, then add marinated chicken. Add curry powder (more or less, according to taste your preferences) and cook chicken until it is almost done. Add red and yellow pepper strips, season with salt according to taste. Cook for one more minute. If the chicken sticks to the wok, add 1-2 Tbsp of low-salt, low-fat chicken broth or water. Serve over white rice.

 

Stir-Fried Chicken and Shrimp

• 1 Tbsp cooking oil
• 4 thin slices ginger
• 1 skinless boneless chicken breast
• 10 medium raw shrimp
• 5-6 pieces Napa cabbage, cut into 1″ strips
• 1 Tbsp low salt soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp Teriyaki sauce
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp tapioca or cornstarch for chicken
• 1/2 cup low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth

Cut chicken breast into ¼” strips. Sprinkle chicken with 1 tsp flour. In the wok heat 1 Tbsp cooking oil. Add ginger to the hot oil, brown and remove from oil. Add chicken and stir until chick en turns white. Add cabbage, cooking for 2-3 minutes. Add Teriyaki, soy and oyster sauces into the wok, cook for 1 minute. In a separate bowl, mix tapioca or cornstarch with broth; add mixture to wok and stir. Add shrimp and cover for 30-60 seconds. Serve with white rice.

 

Duck With Soy Sauce and Mushrooms 

• 1 cup regular or low sodium soy sauce
• 4-5 anise seeds
• 10 stalks Napa cabbage
• 10 dried Chinese mushrooms pre-soaked in warm water
• 1 whole duck

Wash the duck and pat it dry with a paper towel. Put the duck in a wok without oil, and brown until sufficient grease comes out of the duck. Take the duck out and pat dry with paper towel. Drain and wipe the wok of all grease. Into the wok put soy sauce, anise seeds, mushrooms and two cups of water; bring to a boil. Add duck and simmer until duck is tender (1-2 hours). You may add more water if the gravy is reduced to less than one cup. Place the duck and mushrooms on a platter. Use a e a gravy back separator and drain the fat from the gravy. Put the gravy back into the wok and add the Napa cabbage; cook for 5 minutes until tender. You may thicken the sauce by mixing 1 tsp tapioca starch with low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth in a separate bowl, and then stirring it into the gravy. Serve hot with white rice.

 

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