Cooking Thursday for 03.29.12

If you are new here, then you've stumbled upon my favorite day of the week, next to weigh-in days of course.  Thursdays are dedicated to the premise that in order to lose significant weight and/or maintain a healthy lifestyle, we need to eat the majority of our meals at home.  Homemade, healthy deliciousness.  Today, I am bringing you two side dishes that I have made in the last few weeks and really enjoyed.  Each of these dishes can have a simple protein added to make a complete, healthy meal.  Enjoy!

Braised Cabbage with Apples
Serves 4

1 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
6 cups green cabbage, sliced into 1/4" ribbons
1 Honeycrisp or Fuji apple, diced to 1/2"
1/4 cup vegetable or chicken stock
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbs honey or agave syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 Tbs caraway seeds (optional)

• Heat oil in a large skillet or wide pot (use one with a lid available) over medium heat, until shimmering.
• Saute onions until translucent, stirring often (about 4 minutes)
• Add the rest of ingredients and stir. 
• Bring liquid to a simmer and reduce heat to medium-low.  
• Cover and cook until the cabbage is tender, stirring occasionally (about 15 minutes). 
• Adjust seasoning if needed.

*Great with a broiled chicken breast or low fat chicken sausage.

Sweet Potato Hash
Serves 4 as a side dish or 2 as a main dish with 1 fried egg

1 Tbs olive oil
1 small red onion diced
2 cloves garlics, minced
1 Tbs fresh rosemary, rough chopped
1/4 cup water
3 cups of sweet potato, diced into 1/2" 
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

• In a large skillet with (use one with a lid available) heat oil over medium heat, until shimmering.
• Add red onion and cook until caramelized, stirring often (about 8 minutes)
• Add garlic and rosemary and cook until aromatic, stirring constantly so as not to burn the garlic (about 40 secs).
• Add water, bring to a simmer and scrape up bits on the bottom of the pan.
• Add sweet potato, stir and cover, cooking until potatoes are almost fork-tender (around 4 minutes)
• Uncover, add salt and pepper.
• Cook until water is gone and the potatoes start to brown.
• Turn with spatula every so often until there is a nice crust on the hash.
• Adjust seasoning, to taste

*An over-easy egg makes a great addition as an entree.

I hope you try and enjoy these healthy recipes.  If you want to use less salt or oil, or cooking spray instead, feel free.  As for the hash...it's a hash!  Add whatever you like!  Diced red pepper or chopped pecans would be great too.

Cya tomorrow,
M

What I ate and how I exercised:

Breakfast ~ Pumpkin Flax Raisin Bran w/unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Lunch ~ Vegetarian Turkey sub, on whole wheat roll

Dinner ~ An awesome roasted beet and fennel salad, w/orange segments, toasted pecans and an orange mustard vinaigrette, garnished with shredded basil.  It was an experiment that turned out delicious.

Exercise ~ None today