It was an honor to be in New York City this week leading a media event and cooking demo with Master Chef top 4 finalist Chef Cate Meade and talented food blogger and stylist Jessica of Savory Experiments. Thank you to NAKANO and Holland House for inviting us and for everyone who attended and tried out dishes!
Here are some tips I shared during the event:
Instead of dreading the New Year, start 2020 on a delicious, healthy and flavorful note by making conscious decisions that will inspire you to develop healthy eating habits. Here are five key takeaways that I want you to think about as you start the new year:
- You don’t have to add a lot of calories or fat to recipes in order to bump up the flavor. Use low calorie flavor hacks to enhance your recipes in 2020 including spices, herbs and NAKANO rice vinegar.
- Making home-cooked meals is good for your health. A study conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed that meals eaten away from home are typically higher in fat and sodium, which we want to limit in excess due to their links to increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Cooking less and consuming more meals prepared away from home, is a trend that is only increasing according to a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Cooking more allows you to have control over the ingredients including the amount and type of fat used and the amount of sodium.
- Preparing healthy, balanced meals doesn’t have to be hard, simply focus on these three components: protein, carbohydrates and veggies (fiber). Use low calorie flavor hacks like spices, herbs and rice vinegar to enhance the dish.
- For quick and healthy meals in 2020 – keep these 5 affordable and nutritious items in your pantry/fridge: low-sodium canned beans or eggs for protein, frozen vegetables, whole grain rice or quinoa, your favorite dried herbs or spice and NAKANO rice vinegar.
15-Minute Low-Carb Teriyaki Chicken Sheet Pan
Ingredients
Sheet pan
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup snow peas
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
- 3 large carrots, sliced diagonally
- 1 cup broccoli, cut into small florets
Teriyaki sauce
- 2 tbsp NAKANO Natural Rice Vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup gluten-free tamari
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475 F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a small pot, whisk together teriyaki sauce ingredients until smooth and heat over medium- high heat until warm. Whisk until honey dissolves. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium, whisking constantly until desired thickness is achieved. Set aside.
- Place chicken, carrots and bell pepper on your lined baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle teriyaki sauce on top and bake for 7 minutes.
- Remove from oven and add broccoli and snow peas to the baking sheet. Toss to coat all ingredients and arrange in a single layer. Cook for another 7-8 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and veggies are cooked and tender.
15-Minute Chopped Chinese Chicken Salad with Sesame Dressing
Ingredients
Salad
- 12 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
- 6 cups romaine, chopped
- 6 cups purple cabbage, chopped
- 1 cup mandarin orange
- 2 cups edamame, shelled
- 1/4 cups sliced, toasted almonds
- cooking oil spray
Dressing
- 1/4 cup sesame oil
- 2 tbsp gluten-free tamari
- 2 tbsp NAKANO Toasted Sesame Rice Vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp ginger, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
- Spray a large sauté pan with nonstick cooking oil spray and place over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally for about 3-5 minutes or until cooked and no longer pink. Set aside.
- Add all salad ingredients to a large mixing bowl and toss to combine.
- Add all dressing ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk together until combined and uniform. Pour over salad ingredients and toss to coat.
Cauliflower Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 4 cups organic cauliflower rice
- 1 cup organic frozen peas
- 1 cup organic frozen peas
- 4 organic eggs
- 1 cup organic red cabbage, chopped
- 2 tbsp NAKANO Organic Natural Rice Vinegar
- 1/4 cup organic Gluten-free tamari
- 1/4 cup organic Sesame oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- cooking oil spray
Instructions
- Add eggs, salt and pepper to a medium bowl and beat with a fork.
- Spray a large skillet with oil and place over medium heat.
- Add the eggs and cook, turning a few times until set. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Add sesame oil to the skillet and increase heat to medium-high. Add peas, carrots and cabbage to the skillet and sauté for 3-4 minutes or until soft.
- Add riced cauliflower to the skillet with tamari and NAKANO Organic Natural Rice Vinegar. Mix, cover and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until cauliflower rice is tender and slightly crisp, stirring occasionally.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in the egg.
