The 5th Salubrious Sunday - Indonesian Chicken with Fried Rice

Well...for this weeks Salubrious Sunday, I didn't even open my Cooking Light cookbook. Instead I got out Eat Well Live Well by Pamela M. Smith, R.D. My first Salubrious Sunday was one of her recipes; French Country Meal.

This weeks Salubrious dinner was Indonesian Chicken and Fried Rice. I enjoyed it. My husband didn't. He's not a curry fan and I am. My youngest told me to never make curry again. Apparently the house still smells like curry, 24 hrs later. Soooo....I guess I won't be making this recipe again, which is unfortunate because it was very flavorful. And apparently very healthy. And that was the main goal. Right? Right. Only next time, I have to omit any recipe containing curry. :(

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled (how can anything with that much garlic be bad?)

2 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (a little heat never hurt anyone)

2 teaspoons canola oil (I used EVOO)

2 eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute (I wasn't in the egg mood, so I left those out)

2 teaspoons water

3 whole chicken breasts, skinless, boneless, and cut into strips

1/4 cup celery, chopped

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce (unfortunately I didn't have the low-sodium kind)

3 cups brown rice, cooked (will white work? I ran out of brown)

1/2 cup cucumber, chopped (I am really bummed that I didn't have this on hand)

Ya...I need to go to the store, don't I?

you know what I did? soooo blonde!! I love my rice cooker! I love the fact that I can cook the rice without having to worry about it. I love that it comes out perfect every time. So I removed the bowl from the cooker abd set it next to the sink. I poured my rice into a strainer to rinse the starch off and swung around to pour the rice in...only I forgot that I had removed the bowl and dumped the rice right into the cooker. Do you know how long it takes to clean wet rice out of the innards of a cooker? and trying to get them all out of the heating element? Forever. Rice everywhere! All over the counter. All over the floor. And now my rice cooker sounds like a mariachi whenever I pick it up. But it still works!! What a little trooper.

In a food processor or blender combine onion, garlic, curry powder, salt and red pepper.

Process for 1 minute and set aside. I have this cute little food processor that I got as a wedding gift. oh...am I suppose to say "we" got as a wedding gift? Cuz seriously, the "he" part of "we" has never used "our" wedding gift. He doesn't even know where it goes after he's washed it. For reals....the parts sit on the counter until I put them away. Anyways...it't perfect for little jobs like this one.

Heat a wok or large, heavy skillet. Add 1 teaspoon of oil

If you are going to use the egg in the recipe: In a small bowl beat eggs with water. Pour into the skillet over medium heat until eggs are cooked. Remove from skillet and slice into strips. Set aside for garnish.

Add and heat the remaining oil. Add the onion mixture and stir-fry for 2 or 3 minutes:

Add the chicken and celery and stir-fry until chicken is cooked through (amount of time will depend on how thinly you sliced your chicken)

Stir in soy sauce and rice. Stir fry until hot and well mixed:

(sorry...either I forgot to take a picture, the picture turned out worse than normal, or I decided this picture was really pointless)

Garnish with egg strips and cucumbers. (man...those cucumbers would've been soooo good!!)

Since I didn't have the proper garnishes, I just stuck a piece of celery green on top and called it a night.

Have you ever tried curry and soy sauce in the same dish? I didn't think about it as I read the ingredients and chose this particular recipe. But when I started to add it as I was cooking it, for some reason I cringed inside. Both are such strong intense flavors on their own and I thought they'd clash. (ok, I'm going to go nuts. I can't hear myself think. A cricket has found its way into my den and well...apparently he has restless leg syndrome. I love the nightly sounds of a cricket but this is a little much). Where was I? Oh ya...flavors clashing. They...whats the word? balanced (not the word I was trying to think of but the cricket is winning) each other out...and both flavors mellowed. I think someone was even talking about this over in BakeSpace the other day. Interesting how that happened.

Sorry I don't have the calorie count and all that, but it wasn't provided along with the recipe. All it said is that this meal serves 8, counts as 2 proteins, 1 complex carbohydrate and 1 simple carbohydrate. Basically, this cookbook breaks food down to proteins, complex carbs and simple carbs. It includes a great, simple, healthy way to maintain your weight or lose weight. It has a chart on how to determine your ideal weight, your recommended daily calorie intake and how to plan healthy meals to fall under your needs. Its pretty interesting and flexible. For example if you wanted to lose weight, instead of telling you what to eat for breakfast, it says:

Complex Carb: 1 slice whole wheat bread, or 1/2 whole wheat english muffin, or 3/4 cup cereal with raw bran added

Protein: 1 oz part skim cheese, or 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt, or 3/4 cup skim milk, or 1 egg

Simple Carb: 1 small piece fresh fruit

So basically I could have 1/2 grilled cheese sandwich with fruit. Or I could have toast, egg and fruit. Or cereal with milk and fruit cut up in my cereal. Or an egg sandwich and fruit.

Hmm...so if you have a dinner that counts as 2 proteins, does that mean you should give up a protein during the day?

Here are a few Healthy Eating Tips:

Less then 25% of a days calories should come from fat

Monounsaturated oils increase good HDL cholesterol and decrease bad LD cholesterol

Saturated oils increase bad LDL cholesterol

Polyunsaturated oils decrease bad LDL and good HDL cholesterol

Eat at least one vitamin A-rich selection a day (dark green, orange)

Eat at least one vitamin C-rich selection with each meal (citrus, broccoli, green pepper)

Eat at least 2 high-fiber selections each day (prunes, legumes)

And last but not least: Get your vitamins and minerals from food, not pills