Spring Rolls, Take Two

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

I screwed up my spring rolls that were supposed to go with my pork spare ribs for dinner last night. This blog is a correction.

I just bought a new wok, so I decided to make Asian inspired dishes this week to take it for a test run. I wanted to make spring rolls as a healthy, veggie side dish to go along with them. I've never made spring rolls before. I thought they were made similarly to wontons, like you wrapped them, then steamed them.

Nope. After I steamed them, they completely fell apart when I put them on the dish. They were not spring ROLLS - they were veggie BLOBS.



Closeup of not-a-roll:



It was still delicious! But...not a roll.

So back to work. What did I do wrong?

1. The veggies need to be steamed FIRST, then put in the rice wrap. The rice wrap will melt under direct steam.
2. Double wrap. Maybe a spring roll grandmaster can wrap with just one sheet of rice wrapper which are paper thin, but I'm a mere grasshopper.

First, here are the rice wrappers. You should be able to get these at almost any asian grocery.



Cabbage and carrots are steamed in my steamer pan FIRST. Green onions are mixed in after they are steamed.



The rice wraps are dipped in a warm bowl of water for 5 seconds so they can be rolled. Any more than 5 seconds seemed to make them fall apart for me. I dipped 2 sheets at a time to wrap.

Couple of spoonfuls of veggies are placed in the wrap. The temptation is to overstuff, so use less than you think you need to start and adjust.



Fold up the sides.



And roll up!



I made six of them and put them in a container to eat later. I separated layers with wax paper in the container.



And that is a Spring Roll!



Not this.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

VHALKYRIE 10/6/2010 2:54PM

ThinRonna: LOL - American ethnic aisle has mayo and Rice Krispies, eh? That's so funny! Reminds me of when we went to the UK and I met my future mother-in-law. We said hellos, then she said, "The American accent is so cute!" It caught me off guard. Oh yeah - I'm the one with the foreign accent! Report Inappropriate Comment

THINRONNA 10/6/2010 1:53PM

I love making spring rolls and you just reminded me of this! Maybe I can get to the Ethnic market soon...they carry some things like that and they also have things there for that one Ethnic group of us here who use such things as Hellman's Mayo and Rice Krispies! Report Inappropriate Comment

VHALKYRIE 10/6/2010 12:59PM

I'm so glad you liked the eggplant roll ups! Yay! They were ThinRonna's idea, so gotta give credit where credit is due! And credit to the Culinary Artists Spark team who are inspiring me! The recipe for the spring rolls are here: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/reci pe-detail.asp?recipe=1274163 Comment edited on: 10/6/2010 12:59:38 PM Report Inappropriate Comment

SNOWHIT 10/6/2010 12:48PM

I love this blog. You are completely inspiring me with your cooking lately. I made the eggplant roll-ups (don't know the Italian name) last week. My boyfriend bought like 5 eggplants (our local eggplants are smaller than the ones you find at the store) at the farmers market on Saturday because he wants me to make it again this week. Report Inappropriate Comment

FREDINSEOUL 10/5/2010 3:29PM

This looks good. My wife and I eat the wrappers often. We slice up a bunch of veggies, add a bit of meat, usually pork and then top it off with hoison (sp) sauce and a Vietnamese hot sauce. Thanks for the step by step. Report Inappropriate Comment

Homemade Chinese Takeout - Pork Spare Ribs

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

In today's Spark episode of "Cathy's Kitchen" we're making more Chinese "takeout" at home.

Today's recipe: Pork Spare Ribs.

If you're interested, the recipe is here: recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detai
l.asp?recipe=1273327

Make the marinade first. I made this on my "Sous Chef" Sunday after I chopped up all my veggies. I just simply cut the ribs into single pieces, and put all marinade ingredients in with it.



Heat a wok or deep dish saute pan with a little oil over medium high heat. Add the ribs a few at a time and brown evenly on all sides.



Pour any remaining marinade liquid into the wok/pan. Cover and let braise 45 minutes.

While that's cooking, I wipe down my counter tops and put dishes in the dishwasher.

About 15 minutes before the ribs are finished, I start a pot of boiling water in my steamer pot for steamed spring rolls. I made spring rolls with very thin rice wraps you can buy from an Asian grocery, shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, and green onion.

Remember the shredded cabbage from Sunday?



I rolled these ahead of time on Sunday as well.

Everything is done! Time to plate. Scoop of rice (about 1/2 cup serving), two spare ribs, and 2 spring rolls.



A "man" sized portion with an extra rib.


One of the things I used to love about Julia Child was how she would react to her mistakes. Well just laugh at it, learn from it, and move on! This one is for you, Julia. Something went wrong with my spring rolls. They are more like spring...blobs. But they were still delicious! Ah well, I'll try again! Maybe I overstuffed the rolls? Soaked the wrappers too long in water? Steamed too long? Need to parboil the veggies before wrapping? Hmm...

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

VHALKYRIE 10/6/2010 2:57PM

ThinRonna: LOL! Aww shucks, thanks!! That's a huge compliment! I'm blushing! Well if we ever go backpacking through Scandinavia, I'll keep that in mind for a summer job or something - LOL Comment edited on: 10/6/2010 3:04:30 PM Report Inappropriate Comment

THINRONNA 10/6/2010 1:57PM

Your meal looks wonderful!...as far as cooking school goes you could probably skip it...Patrick has already asked me if you are available as a sous chef! Report Inappropriate Comment

VHALKYRIE 10/5/2010 10:43AM

Thanks, Karen! That's quite a compliment! I'm honored! I think running a quiet, internet cafe in retirement would be more my speed, though I suppose that means I need to learn how to make an edible pastry - ack! I just really enjoy cooking. My 'hobby' is taking favorite restaurant meals and trying to recreate them at home. My challenge is to make them fast, convenient and healthy to fit with my full time work schedule. I like 'making things' in general, and making things you can eat is the best! Comment edited on: 10/5/2010 7:03:35 PM Report Inappropriate Comment

ARCHIMEDESII 10/5/2010 9:45AM

Yum !! Have you ever considered going to cooking school ? You'd make a marvelous professional chef. You certainly have a talent. Check your area for classes. I'm lucky, there is a wonderful cooking school not too far from where I live. They occasionally give seminars for non students. I used to make a very tasty beef and broccoli dish. hmm... maybe I ought to pick up a bottle of oyster sauce and give it a try again. If you've never made beef and broccoli, that's a very simple and tasty disk you could do too. Great, now I'm craving ribs. LOL !!! Report Inappropriate Comment

VHALKYRIE 10/5/2010 9:30AM

Ok, I figured out what I did wrong with the spring rolls! I'll post a follow up blog later. Turns out I needed to steam the veggies first, soak the rice wrappers, then roll them. That's it! I don't need to steam in a pan. I was thinking of them like wontons, but turns out it's even easier than that! Report Inappropriate Comment

HISARTIST 10/5/2010 8:41AM

Sounds awesome!! Chinese is one of my weaknesses, so I'll have to give this a try. Thanks for sharing! Report Inappropriate Comment

KISSFAN1 10/5/2010 7:48AM

Looks delicious! I love Julia Child and was thrilled to see her kitchen at the history museum in Washington, D.C. last year. Report Inappropriate Comment

Healthy Stir-Fry in a Snap

Monday, October 04, 2010

Yesterday, I wrote "The Sunday Sous Chef" where I explained how I do all my veggie/fruit prep work on the weekend when I have time. When I want to make something during the week, I just throw it in a pan and go. You can read more about it here:

www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_jo
urnal_individual.asp?blog_id=3689903

Today I'm going to blog about stir-fry. Not so much my recipe, but my technique for making it come together in a snap using all the prepped veggies.

First, my new kitchen toy. A cast-iron Le Creuset wok. I bought it as a present to myself for getting a promotion at work! Well, that's not really true. I got a 40% off coupon from them last month, so I was planning on getting it anyway. I've been wanting it for a long time. With the coupon and the good news at work, it seemed like the right time!



I marinaded short ribs in soy sauce, sugar, green onion, and garlic earlier. I sliced it into strips and added it to my hot wok.



Once browned, I added my sliced bell peppers and onions. Remember when I sliced them up earlier? Just grab a handful of each.




While my stir fry, err...fried, I boiled water in a saucepan. I lightly wilted spinach, rinsed briefly in cool water, then set aside.

My rice was started in my rice cooker hours ago, and was ready to go on the plate! So just a scoop of rice, stir fry, the romaine lettuce I reserved for wrapping, and spinach lightly seasoned with a tiny dab of sesame oil and soy sauce.



Took about 15 minutes to finish cooking. In between my beef and veggies browning, I put all my dishes into the dishwasher and wiped down the counters. No piles of dishes to groan at - it's all done! Just sit down and chow!



Once dinner is done, dish goes in the dishwasher and the dishwasher is turned on. Spent the rest of my night writing blogs, reading messages, and kicking back.

15 minutes to dinner, start to finish (thanks to veggie prep and the miracle rice cooker). As fast or faster than Chinese takeout. Healthier - I didn't use much oil, and there's no MSG or funny food coloring. Why not eat at home?

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

THINRONNA 10/6/2010 2:01PM

You are truly inspiring me to get down that Wok we have up above the stove! (I've been reading your blogs backwards!)...(date wise, not literally :) Report Inappropriate Comment

TIGERJANE 10/4/2010 10:38AM

wow, you're completely impressive! Are you for hire? :) Report Inappropriate Comment

VHALKYRIE 10/4/2010 8:56AM

Literal LOL! That's so funny, Anne! Stayed tuned for the next episode... Comment edited on: 10/4/2010 9:00:36 AM Report Inappropriate Comment

55WALKER 10/4/2010 8:55AM

Cathy, since I don't own a television your blogs are my one stop shop for cooking and reality tv! Report Inappropriate Comment

The Sunday Sous Chef

Sunday, October 03, 2010

One of the most important keys to my weight loss and maintenance is making home cooked meals. I work 40-50 hours a week at a full time job, so I understand all too well the feeling of, "I'm too tired to cook. Maybe I should order a pizza".

While I learned to cook fast meals by watching Rachael Ray's "30 Minute Meals" on the Food Network, it takes me a lot longer than 30 minutes if I have to prep and chop everything on the fly. I'm just not as fast as Rachael chopping, or something!

One of the things I do to shortcut things is to do all my veggie chopping on the weekend when I have more time. I typically do my grocery shopping on a Saturday. I put on a "sous chef" apron on Sunday and chop them up.

I usually have an idea of what I want to make for a week ahead of time, but sometimes I change my mind or get an inspiration to try something on the fly. Having ingredients already prepped and ready to go makes this a snap.

Here's my veggies for the week all chopped up, put in containers and ready to go!



I have bell peppers sliced into strips and into rings. I'll use the strips for stir-fries, and the rings typically go into salads.



Romaine lettuce chopped into salad bites. The bigger leaves I reserve for lettuce wraps for my stir fry I'm making for dinner tonight.



Sliced onions are for stir fries. Diced onions are so versatile, they go into just about anything. Always handy to have ready, even if I don't have a menu planned.



Celery chopped into pieces for salads. Cut into sticks for snacking. I've reserved the celery hearts for a soup, stew or roast.



Chopped green onion. I like to have these for marinades as they give a nice mild oniony flavor without being too strong. Also great for sprinkling as a garnish, if I'm so inclined.



Carrots for either snacking or recipes. I like baby carrots because they are a great size to throw into a pot without a lot of prep work. Or ready to go for healthy snacking.



Half a cabbage head shredded for spring rolls. The rest of the cabbage may be steamed for wraps.



Brussel sprouts. I may sound weird, but I love brussel sprouts! There is an 'Iron Chef' challenge on the Culinary Artists Sparkteam this week for brussel sprouts as well, so these may come into play with some inspiration.



Everything is sealed and ready to go in the fridge!



If this looks like a lot, it is. We eat a ton of veg at my house though. I eat a salad for lunch and dinner, so there's at minimum 10 salad portions, just for me. I eat big salads, not puny 'side' salads. The fiance usually eats a salad for dinner, so there's an additional 5 veg servings.

If there's any leftover veg at the end of the week, it will get thrown into a pot either to make a stock/broth, or a soup/stew. Nothing will go to waste, promise.

The veggies are done, now the fruit is prepped. Cubed watermelon, diced fresh pineapple, grapes, bananas, oranges and limes. Not pictured here are frozen blueberries I like to put in my yogurt and cereal in the morning for breakfast. I prefer the frozen kind because I can buy a big bag, and just use small quantities when I want them.



My limes and orange "tree". I like having a lot of limes on hand for flavoring my water. I also use them for marinades and other flavorings. Oranges are eaten as a snack, or used as marinade flavoring as well.



This took about half my Sunday to get done, but I don't mind. I had plenty of goof off time. I actually look forward to the Sunday chopping. I find it a great time to be alone with my thoughts. I listen to music, or just reflect in silence. Making all this ahead of time will save me the hassle during the week, where it's too easy to say, "I'm too tired to cook". All I have to do now is throw stuff in a pan and go. That's time well spent, in my book.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

THINRONNA 10/6/2010 2:14PM

This is just amazing! I had asked the team earlier for ideas on getting meals ready or meal planning...you have just topped even what I expected from you lady! So impressive! I'm going to have to try this to some degree now that I am starting to feel better. We have kitchens the sizes of broom closets here and dorm sized fridges but I can still do a couple of days worth I bet...Thanks for the great idea! Report Inappropriate Comment

SNOWHIT 10/5/2010 12:26PM

This is a great idea! Report Inappropriate Comment

VHALKYRIE 10/4/2010 4:33PM

SCHENPOSSIBLE: I agree! I try to eliminate the excuses for the things I should be doing. Exercising, eating at home, etc. Speaking of which, I better get my butt to the gym tonight! ;) COCACOLACUTIE: If you're short on space in the fridge, you can use bags like KYEM2007 commented below. I prefer reusable containers because we don't have recycling in my area. Report Inappropriate Comment

COCACOLACUTIE 10/4/2010 11:25AM

That is phenomenal! I would like to do something like this. I have to figure out a way to organize my fridge to accommodate that! Report Inappropriate Comment

WOMANCHEF 10/4/2010 7:42AM

This is such a great idea. I bow down to your organization and veggie consumption. Good for YOU!!! Report Inappropriate Comment

SCHENPOSSIBLE 10/3/2010 11:36PM

my boyfriend and I both have depending jobs. Usually I get my workouts done in the mornings and dedicate my evenings to preparing dinner. Twice a week my boyfriend cooks since I go to the gym in the evenings on those days. Prepping and chopping sounds like a wonderful idea because there really isn't any excuse not to prepare dinner at home when most of the grunt work is done already. Great thinking! Report Inappropriate Comment

TIGERJANE 10/3/2010 10:01PM

wow, my husband and I really need to up our veggie consumption. There is NO WAY we're eating that much produce in a week - and we should. Salads for dinner need to start happening more often! I showed your blog to him (thank for putting pictures and being so specific about what each item was destined to be!) and he was floored! Thanks for posting this!!! Report Inappropriate Comment

MUSKWA2 10/3/2010 9:37PM

Wow!!!! What a great idea! Report Inappropriate Comment

KYEM2007 10/3/2010 9:37PM

This is an awesome idea!!!! I do the same thing, but put all my chopped veggies into bags. Keep up the good work!! Report Inappropriate Comment

Essential Kitchen Tools for a Busy Life

Thursday, September 30, 2010

One of the most common themes on the message boards is, "I'm so busy with work/school/kids, and I don't have a lot of money. I don't know how to cook well. How can I make meals at home?"

Many of us still have the image of a home cooked meal from our grandmothers or moms who slaved away in the kitchen all day. They made pasta sauces that slow simmered all day, or a pot roast that slow roasted in the oven.

The modern age has made it difficult for most of us to make the traditional recipes, the traditional way. We replaced home cooked meals with fast food, packaged processed meals, and restaurants. For many of us, this resulted in weight gain and health issues.

Making meals at home can be easy, fast, and delicious. You can even make your grannie's/mom's all day meals without using the stove or oven. You just need a few essential kitchen tools.

Good quality knife
Cutting board
Slow Cooker
Rice Cooker
Plates
Fork/Spoon

That's it!

There are fancy slow cookers and rice cookers with timer features and what not, but you don't need them if you're on a budget. A basic rice cooker can be bought for $30. You can probably get one for $10 on craigslist. A basic slow cooker is about the same price. If you're just making food for one or two, get the smallest model you can find. Large models will be more likely to burn food if you put in small quantities.

Here are some of the things you can make with a rice cooker:
Rice of all kinds
Steamed veggies
Oatmeal
Anything you can steam

Things you can make in a crockpot:
Spaghetti sauce (slow cooked just like grannie used to make!)
Pot Roast (just like mom!)
Jerk Chicken (I posted this on my blog a few days ago)
Ratatouille (also posted on my blog a few posts down)
Braised Chicken
Chili con carne
Cowboy chili
Slow cooked ribs in BBQ sauce
Anything that uses liquid!

There are all kinds of crockpot cookbooks. It's not just for Sunday church brunch or potlucks. Avoid the ones that use "Cream of xxx soup" as an ingredient, though.

With your knife and cutting board, just chop your ingredients and drop them directly in the pot. Set the crockpot on low, add rice and water to your rice cooker, and turn it on. By the time you come home from work or school, dinner is ready! It really is just that easy.

And cheap. A cup of cooked rice comes out to about $0.20 per cup in my area. A crockpot of veggie stew shouldn't cost more than a dollar per serving, even if you use organic veggies. It only starts getting pricey when you add meats. Cheap cuts of meat like London broil when slow cooked get very juicy and tender. A bag of chicken breasts are always an economical choice.


Tips:

When using meats in a crockpot, though, make sure to start your crockpot on high and let it full boil until cooked through, before turning on low. Or you can quick saute in a fry pan first. Low setting on a crockpot is usually a slow simmer just below the boiling point, and may not be hot enough to kill food pathogens. Just start it on high when using raw meats, or quick cook first, to be safe.

Don't overfill your crockpot. If you put in too much, it may not get to a safe cooking temperature. Read the instruction booklet, but as a general rule, don't fill more than 2/3 full.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

VHALKYRIE 10/3/2010 11:22AM

It depends on your crockpot. As long as the food temperature reaches the safe internal temperature for the meat, then it's fine. I just start mine from high until it reaches boiling temperature, then switch to low. If you want to test whether your crockpot on low reaches safe temperature, heat a pot of water on low. After 4 hours, if the water temperature is 160F or higher, then it should be fine for all day cooking. Report Inappropriate Comment

WINE4GIRL 10/3/2010 8:59AM

Awesome info! Good to explain about killing the pathogens. Lots of folks think that if you simmer all day it'll be fine. Great clarification. Report Inappropriate Comment

THINRONNA 9/30/2010 1:37PM

Great list and great tips! Report Inappropriate Comment

DIANE7786 9/30/2010 11:41AM

Good ideas. I love my mandolin because it makes slicing food for even cooking quick and safe. Report Inappropriate Comment

SNOWHIT 9/30/2010 10:32AM

I love my crockpot. Report Inappropriate Comment

ARCHIMEDESII 9/30/2010 9:54AM

I've used a wok on a portable electric burner. I gave my brother the BEST electric wok for his birthday one year. Check this out. It's a fabulous wok from Breville. I love their cookware. http://www.amazon.com/Brevi lle-EW30XL-Electric-Gourmet-Wok /dp/B00008ZCKM/ref=sr_1_1?s=gat eway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285854815&sr=8-1 Report Inappropriate Comment

VHALKYRIE 9/30/2010 9:44AM

Good call on the cast iron skillet and wok! I was just thinking back to my college days when I had a dorm room and no stove. I had a crockpot and a rice cooker to make meals outside of the cafeteria. Comment edited on: 9/30/2010 9:45:28 AM Report Inappropriate Comment

ARCHIMEDESII 9/30/2010 9:39AM

You know, I have an extremely well stocked kitchen. But do you know what I don't have ??? I don't have a crock. Can you believe it ? I do slow cook, but I have a wonderful old pot my mom used to use. It may be older than me. I love it. That's my version of a crock. I would also add to your list, a good cast iron skillet of some variety. Cast iron lasts forever. I like my WOK too. WOKs are wonderful things. Report Inappropriate Comment