We all love a good protein. It used to be that we would pair a protein with some form of carbohydrate as a complete meal. Unless we required our body to perform some kind of prolong hard, physical labor, the protein-carbohydrate combination should no longer be applied, if we want to take care of our health.
We grew up having been taught that a good meal would be having our "meat and potatoes". When I hit my forties, I found out it didn't help my metabolism and my weight gain was not easily contained. Nowadays, it is a combination of "protein and fiber" which I go for in my cooking. One thing for sure is that fiber helps to digest the protein and makes the meat easier to digest and break down easily enabling the body to metabolize the food better, along with drinking plenty of water of course.
I limit myself to the carbohydrates nowadays now that I am in my fifties. In Asian countries, rice is always the main portion of a plate. The reason for this is that it soaks up all the delicious flavors of the gravy so that every bite of deliciousness does not require much meat. Many Asian dishes have lots of gravy, for example, curries, kurmas, asam pedas (sour & spicy dish), soups, and such. These dishes are meant to be served with rice. The vegetable dish is separate. Depending on whether you are a vegetable eater, vegetables seldom is the main portion.
In the past, meat was hard to come by and usually only the well to do would eat meat often.
The dishes with plenty of gravy came about so that a small portion of protein could be cut up into small pieces and cooked so that it would be enough to feed a large family.
Ever since, my two sons started eating staple food, I have always considered and racked my mind on how to make children eat their vegetables. It is well known that children don't like to eat their vegetables and for that well known fact, I have always tried many ways to disguise vegetables or make them interesting enough so that there wouldn't be a second thought on eating vegetables during a meal.
Fortunately, I have succeeded and my now grown up children do consider vegetables as part and parcel of a good meal. Also, now it has become a must for me to put in plenty of vegetables in my cooking. Even the traditional chicken curry gets carrots or some other vegetable put in along with the usual potatoes.
When I was a busy, working mom, one dish meals became a common affair as it was the most convenient way to cook a homemade dish in the limited time I had, instead of going out or resorting to fast food. Whether it was roasting, stewing, sauteing or the traditional Asian dishes, I always put the vegetables in to create a complete meal out of that one dish.
The only skill required is to make sure you put in the ingredients that takes the longest to cook first. For me, a large cast iron skillet is my main utensil for everyday cooking.
Here, I have fried the marinated chicken in a little oil and then at the very end I added the onions, celery and hot chillies before stirring them in and serving.
I like to sear the meat and cook it with all the seasonings first, or you can marinate the protein with all your spices and seasonings before searing. When the protein is cooked, then add the vegetables one by one according to which ones need to cook longer, ending with the vegetable that require the least cooking.
For carrots, I like to saute them at the beginning along with my garlic, cover the pot and let the carrots soften on low heat before increasing the heat and putting in the meat to cook.
I like my onions crunchy and depending on the heat of the chillies, I either put it at the end for a less spicy dish or at the beginning when I am sauteing the garlic to get the full kick of the heat from the chillies.
I usually put in at the last minute my onions and chillies along with any vegetable that doesn't require much cooking, for example peas, tomatoes or celery.
Stir it all up and it makes for a complete, beautiful one dish meal that can be eaten alone, or with some rice, bread, potatoes or pasta even.
Even my scrambled eggs are not without vegetables.
Knowing the benefits of having protein along with fiber has made me cook my meat and vegetables in endless ways. Trying out the many combinations of meat and vegetables is never ending and thus far, they have all come out tasty and satisfying. I look forward to working with what's available at the supermarket and what kind of spices would taste great with a particular combination of meat and vegetables.
Another source of fiber is nuts. Now that would be even more interesting.
We grew up having been taught that a good meal would be having our "meat and potatoes". When I hit my forties, I found out it didn't help my metabolism and my weight gain was not easily contained. Nowadays, it is a combination of "protein and fiber" which I go for in my cooking. One thing for sure is that fiber helps to digest the protein and makes the meat easier to digest and break down easily enabling the body to metabolize the food better, along with drinking plenty of water of course.
I limit myself to the carbohydrates nowadays now that I am in my fifties. In Asian countries, rice is always the main portion of a plate. The reason for this is that it soaks up all the delicious flavors of the gravy so that every bite of deliciousness does not require much meat. Many Asian dishes have lots of gravy, for example, curries, kurmas, asam pedas (sour & spicy dish), soups, and such. These dishes are meant to be served with rice. The vegetable dish is separate. Depending on whether you are a vegetable eater, vegetables seldom is the main portion.
In the past, meat was hard to come by and usually only the well to do would eat meat often.
The dishes with plenty of gravy came about so that a small portion of protein could be cut up into small pieces and cooked so that it would be enough to feed a large family.
Ever since, my two sons started eating staple food, I have always considered and racked my mind on how to make children eat their vegetables. It is well known that children don't like to eat their vegetables and for that well known fact, I have always tried many ways to disguise vegetables or make them interesting enough so that there wouldn't be a second thought on eating vegetables during a meal.
Fortunately, I have succeeded and my now grown up children do consider vegetables as part and parcel of a good meal. Also, now it has become a must for me to put in plenty of vegetables in my cooking. Even the traditional chicken curry gets carrots or some other vegetable put in along with the usual potatoes.
When I was a busy, working mom, one dish meals became a common affair as it was the most convenient way to cook a homemade dish in the limited time I had, instead of going out or resorting to fast food. Whether it was roasting, stewing, sauteing or the traditional Asian dishes, I always put the vegetables in to create a complete meal out of that one dish.
The only skill required is to make sure you put in the ingredients that takes the longest to cook first. For me, a large cast iron skillet is my main utensil for everyday cooking.
Here, I have fried the marinated chicken in a little oil and then at the very end I added the onions, celery and hot chillies before stirring them in and serving.
I like to sear the meat and cook it with all the seasonings first, or you can marinate the protein with all your spices and seasonings before searing. When the protein is cooked, then add the vegetables one by one according to which ones need to cook longer, ending with the vegetable that require the least cooking.
For carrots, I like to saute them at the beginning along with my garlic, cover the pot and let the carrots soften on low heat before increasing the heat and putting in the meat to cook.
I like my onions crunchy and depending on the heat of the chillies, I either put it at the end for a less spicy dish or at the beginning when I am sauteing the garlic to get the full kick of the heat from the chillies.
I usually put in at the last minute my onions and chillies along with any vegetable that doesn't require much cooking, for example peas, tomatoes or celery.
Stir it all up and it makes for a complete, beautiful one dish meal that can be eaten alone, or with some rice, bread, potatoes or pasta even.
Knowing the benefits of having protein along with fiber has made me cook my meat and vegetables in endless ways. Trying out the many combinations of meat and vegetables is never ending and thus far, they have all come out tasty and satisfying. I look forward to working with what's available at the supermarket and what kind of spices would taste great with a particular combination of meat and vegetables.
Another source of fiber is nuts. Now that would be even more interesting.
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