Healthy and Delicious Cooking

I grew up with lots of noodles: Italian, Chinese, Thai, Malaysian, I loved them all. However I did lean towards the robust, and rarely prepared light, gingery broths and soups. I perceived them as bland. Once again I was wrong. There is something wonderfully cleansing about these types of dishes. The clean, delicate liquid infuses the silky noodles while comforting and soothing the soul. Throw in some greens and serve it with your protein of choice. I like to give a quick steam or sauté to a fillet of fish, sauce it with some broth, drizzle it with sesame oil and serve it with the noodle. It's delicious,  its healthy, and it's guilt free. Now that's comfort food! RECIPE Serves 4 4 cups chicken stock 2 cups water 1/4 cup mirin 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons minced ginger 2 cloves garlic minced 8 oz Chinese noodles of choice 4 6 oz. fillets of salmon 1 lb. bok choy 2 scallions minced 1 tablespoon sesame oil Make a broth o...

Stuffing a leaf, be it a cabbage, grape leaf, lettuce leaf, or any other type of green leafy vegetable, is  universal comfort food. The Greeks have their Dolmas, the Thais wrap their Laab, a spicy ground meat, the Vietnamese fill noodles, shrimp and pork in lettuce, and the Eastern Europeans wrap meat and rice mixtures in blanched cabbage leaves. My brother' fiance, Lucia, is Romanian, and she blanches the entire cabbage head and pickles it, like sauerkraut. Though her version is time consuming, the lovingly prepared creation, is sublime. However, it does not need to be an arduous preparation. A stuffed leafy vegetable is a satisfying and healthy entree. Just blanch the leaves, or the entire head, for a few minutes, and peel as many leaves as you require. The stuffing can be any mixture of meat, grains and vegetables, or just grains and vegetables, pleasing both vegetarians and carnivores alike. Braise it for an hour in a simple tomato sauce and the result is warm, succulent bund...