Category Archives: Low Calorie

Pad See Ew

Easy Weeknight Meals, Low Calorie, Main Courses, , , , , , , , ,

I have been trying to make a great Pad See Ew at home for years without success.  I began trying again recently, and I’ve finally come up with something that I’m excited about.  

If you aren’t familiar with Pad See Ew, it’s a popular Thai noodle dish with broccoli and two types of soy sauce.  In addition to traditional “light” or “thin” soy sauce, this dish uses “thick” or “sweet” soy sauce for additional depth and complexity.  You can find this kind of soy sauce at Asian markets or here.  

Traditional Pad See Ew uses fresh, wide rice noodles.  I have never had success working with fresh rice noodles.  First of all, getting them requires a trip to the asian market.  I love going to the Asian market, but it’s kind of far from where I live, so I don’t there very often.  Secondly, when I work with them, they tend to break up into a million little pieces.  For me, the dried noodles just yield a better result.  

You can easily make this vegan by omitting the eggs and replacing the oyster sauce with a vegan version that is made with mushrooms or a little mushroom bouillon.  

You really need a wok to prepare this dish properly.  It’s good to be able to push the cooked egg to the side of the wok to prevent it from becoming rubbery.  Additionally, you should cook this dish on high heat so that you can get a bit of char on the noodles.

 padseeew

Print Recipe

Pad See Ew

A delicious Thai noodle dish with plenty of broccoli.
Servings: 2

Ingredients

  • 8 oz wide rice noodles
  • 2 TBSP sweet soy sauce
  • 2 TBSP oyster sauce
  • 1 TBSP soy sauce
  • 1 TBSP rice vinegar
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 2 tsp sirracha or chili garlic sauce or to taste
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 8 oz broccolini florets and stems about 2 cups*
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 6-8 large prawns optional
  • 2 TBSP peanut oil

Instructions

  • Fill a large pot of water with hot tap water and add rice noodles. Allow noodles to soak for ~30 minutes to soften them.
  • Combine sweet soy, oyster sauce, regular soy sauce, rice vinegar, sirracha, sugar and garlic in a small bowl and stir to combine.
  • Heat wok on high heat and add 1 TBSP peanut oil.
  • Add prawns (if using) and stir fry for ~3 minutes until they are nearly cooked through.
  • Move prawns to the sides of the wok and add egg and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
  • Push egg to the sides of the wok with the prawns and add softened rice noodles and sauce.
  • Stir-fry noodles until most of the liquid from the sauce is gone.
  • Add broccolini and cook until tender crisp (about 2 more minutes). During this time let noodles sit and develop a bit of char on them.
  • Once broccolini is done, serve immediately.

Notes

* I like to use broccolini, but you can use regular broccoli instead. Better yet, use Chinese broccoli if you can get your hands on some.
Adapted from Rachel Cooks Thai

Halibut en Papillote

Easy Weeknight Meals, Low Calorie, Main Courses, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Cooking fish in parchment (en papillote)  is a fast and foolproof way to create a restaurant quality-meal with delicately-flavored fish and fresh seasonal vegetables.  The bonus is that this dish is low in fat and gluten-free.  I love cooking fish in parchment in spring and summer.  This preparation takes advantage of fresh spring and summer vegetables and herbs, and accentuates the delicate sweet flavor of fresh halibut. 
halibut en papillote2
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Homemade Tortillas

Easy Weeknight Meals, Low Calorie, Vegan, , , , , , , ,

I stopped making fresh tortillas a few years ago when I lost my tortilla press in my divorce.  The other day I got a new tortilla press, and I don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner.  For a mere $15.95 I could have had fresh, fat free, low calorie tortillas anytime I wanted them, a cost that I would have recouped after the first few batches I made vs. buying Mi Abuelita Bonita tortillas at Whole Foods.  Don’t get me wrong,  Mi Abuelita Bonita tortillas are a great product that I have written about before, and they in no way resemble the the crap on the end of the supermarket isle.  That said, nothing beats a freshly cooked homemade tortilla.

These are surprisingly easy to make once you know a couple of key points.  The first is allowing the dough to sit for at least 30 minutes prior to making the tortillas allows the masa to absorb the liquid and will give your tortillas a better texture that is more pilable and less crumbly.  The second is using parchment paper in the tortilla press.  There are tons of recipes out there for tortillas that recommend wrapping the press in plastic wrap, or using pieces of garbage bags, or putting a freezer bag around each of the flat surfaces.  I have found that using plastic is really cumbersome.  It doesn’t want to hold to the press, and it’s really hard to get the pressed tortillas off it.  Parchment paper works great though. You may need two or three pieces to make a batch of tortillas though, because once the paper has absorbed a certain amount of moisture, it becomes a little more difficult to work with. 

Summer is almost here, and summer is taco season.  Pair these with homemade “refried” black beans, mango salsa, and cliantro lime crema and you have a world-class taco.  Or “refried” black beans, shredded pepper jack cheese and pico de gallo.  Or use them for shrimp or fish tacos.

 corn tortillas
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