As promised on my Facebook page, although, very late, here is the recipe for my grilled pork banh mi. You can easily substitute chicken. Most Vietnamese sandwich shops use the thigh meat. It tends to be more flavorful and moist. If you don't like fish sauce, you can use soy sauce. I am not crazy about a strong fish sauce taste, but like a hint of it to give authentic flavor. 

I used a baguette that is partially baked and you finish baking it right before serving. Fresh bread makes this sandwich so much better! If you have a bakery you can get a fresh baguette at, that's even better. 

Some places use a pickled carrot mixture in the sandwich, but I just keep it simple with plain carrots, cucumber, jalepeno and cilantro. I love the freshness that the raw veggies and cilantro bring to the sandwich.

Marinade:
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp pepper
6 scallions, tender parts only
2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 pork tenderloin, thinly sliced
Cilantro
Jalepeno, fresh
Cucumber sticks
Carrot sticks
Mayonnaise 
Hoison (optional)
Sriracha (optional)
Fresh baguette
Skewers

Add the soy sauce through garlic to a food processor or blender and mix. Pour the mixture over the pork and refrigerate for 2-4 hours.

Heat the grill to medium high. Thread pork on skewers. Cook for 4-6  min until meat is done.

Slice baguette lengthwise, spread with mayo ( I used the low fat version). Top with pork, cucumber, carrots, jalepeno slices, cilantro and condiments if wanted. ​

Summer rolls are pretty perfect for, well, Summer! This let meal won't leave you feeling heavy and you can take advantage of all the summer produce. But, summer rolls are really great year round. The rice paper wrappers are naturally gluten free, so they are a great go to for those with Celiac disease or gluten intolerance. 

Typically summer rolls come with a protein like cooked shrimp, tofu or pork, along with some fresh herbs and veggies. Many times they will also have rice vermicelli noodles. Traditionally, they are served with a peanut dipping sauce.

The rolls I made used fresh sliced avocado, rice noodles, mint leaves, basil leaves, cucumber, carrots and cooked shrimp. I served them with a homemade peanut sauce and also a pre-made thai sweet chili sauce. The sweet chili sauce has quite a bit of sugar, so it should be used in moderation.

These rolls are a fun way to get kids involved in the kitchen. If they don't like the traditional type ingredients, let them roll up something they do like - maybe chicken and broccoli! The sky is the limit with this dish. The wrapper is really just a casing for your creativity. 

The only difficult part about the rolls, is getting the rice paper properly wet. The rice paper is hard and you need to soak it in water briefly to soften it up. if you leave it too long it quickly gets sticky and the paper will tear. It just takes a little practice. I wet the paper for about 15 seconds until it is pliable, but not 100% soft, then transfer to my work surface to start rolling everything up.

Summer Rolls
Rice paper wrappers
Cucumber sticks
Carrot sticks
Rice vermicelli noodles (optional)
Bibb lettuce or shredded cabbage
Avocado slices
Basil leaves
Mint leaves
Cooked Shrimp

Follow the instructions for wetting the rice paper wrapper to make it pliable. Place ingredients on top of one another in a nice pile toward the end of the wrapper closet to you. Don't overfill or it will tear. Begin rolling like you would a burrito or egg roll. Bring the closest end over the top of the ingredients, roll, then fold the sides in and continue rolling. That's it!


Peanut Dipping Sauce
1/3 cup all natural peanut butter
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1-2 tsp brown sugar
chili garlic sauce*
hot water

Mix the peanut butter through the brown sugar. Add hot water slowly until desired consistency is achieved. If you want spicy peanut sauce top it with a dollop of chili garlic sauce.

​I always have the best intentions with my dinners, but somehow time seems to fly out the window. Last night was another one of those nights. I realized I needed something really quick and the recipe I had planned was going to take a little too long. I had already thawed out some shrimp, so I just jumped on the Skinny Taste website for some inspiration.

What transpired was an amazing and quick meal! She has a recipe for Bang Bang shrimp. I didn't have all the ingredients, but knew I could make something similar. This dish is spicy and can be made even spicer with the addition of added cracked red chili pepper. A couple of my kids ate the shrimp plain. So, if you have shrimp eaters, just leave the sauce off for them. 

This was definitely a winner! You can use pre-chopped veggies for the salad to make your life easier. I think it took about 15 minutes to make and it tasted awesome!

Kind of Bang Bang Shrimp Salad
Serves 4

For the Shrimp
1 lb jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tbsp corn starch
2-3 tsp avocado or canola oil
Salt

For the Sauce
3 tbsp light or Olive Oil mayonnaise 
1 tbsp honey
2 -3 tsp chili garlic sauce
1 tsp sriracha sauce

For the Salad
Romaine lettuce, chopped
Shredded Cabbage
Shredded Carrots
2-3 chopped scallions
1/4 cup chopped cashews

Heat a wok or pan on medium high. Add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Coat shrimp with cornstarch and sprinkle with salt. Cook in pan about 3-5 minutes or until shrimp turns opaque. Flip halfway through cooking to brown both sides.

Meanwhile whisk together the sauce ingredients and set aside. Mix the salad ingredients evenly among four bowls or plates.

Top salad with shrimp and then drizzle with sauce. Enjoy!

​











Hi Everyone,
Hopefully, you are following me on IG or Facebook @kimjuulnutrition. I try to post recipes a couple times a week or more. My goal is to get the details posted here. 

Yesterday, we celebrated my daughter's birthday and her favorite thing to eat at daycare currently is tomato soup. She had 3 bowls last week, half of which may have ended up on her dress by the looks of it. I contemplated buying the soup in a can because I figured it would be very similar to what she gets and also a whole letter easier than making soup. But, alas, I felt like a bad mom and dietitian and foodie, so I made it from scratch.

I used the Skinny Taste recipe for Crock Pot Creamy Tomato Soup. Everyone, but my birthday daughter enjoyed it :(. It has a little bit of prep, but then it all gets cooked in the crockpot. I needed it a little faster so, I just cooked it on the stove top. I think it would have tasted even better with some fresh basil stirred in before serving. For the record, I used the San Marzano tomatoes from a can.

Crock Pot Creamy Tomato Soup
5 Freestyle Points 177 calories

TOTAL TIME:6 hours 50 minutes
PREP TIME:10 minutes
COOK TIME:6 hours 40 minutes
This creamy, rich crock pot tomato soup is made in the slow cooker with tomatoes, herbs, milk and Pecorino Romano cheese, plus the cheese rind for added flavor.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup finely diced celery
• 1 cup finely diced carrots
• 1 cup finely diced onions
• 28 oz can whole plum tomatoes, with juice
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 3 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth (or vegetable for vegetarians)
• Parmesan or Romano cheese rind (optional)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1 3/4 cups reduced fat (2%) milk, warmed
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, then add the oil, celery, carrots and onions; cook 5 to 6 minutes, or until golden.
2. Add to slow cooker.
3. Pour the juice of the tomatoes into the slow cooker, then roughly crush the tomatoes with your hands; add to slow cooker.
4. Then add chicken (or vegetable broth), the cheese rind (if using) thyme, basil, and bay leaf.
5. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours, until the vegetables get soft and the flavors blend.
6. Remove the cheese rid and, using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth (or you can carefully do this in small batches in the blender).
7. Melt the butter over low heat in a large skillet and add the flour.
8. Stir constantly with a whisk for 4 to 5 minutes.
9. Slowly whisk in about 1 cup of the hot soup, then add the 1 3/4 cups of warmed milk and stir until smooth.
10. Pour back into the slow cooker and stir, add the grated Pecorino cheese and adjust salt and pepper, to taste.
11. Cover and cook on low 30 more minutes.

NUTRITION INFORMATIONYield: 6 servings (9 1/4 cups), Serving Size: 1-1/2 cups 

• Amount Per Serving:
• Freestyle Points: 5
• Points +: 5
• Calories: 177 calories
• Total Fat: 10g
• Saturated Fat: 4.5g
• Cholesterol: 21mg
• Sodium: 600mg
• Carbohydrates: 17g
• Fiber: 3g
• Sugar: 8g
• Protein: 8g

All images and text ©Gina Homolka for Skinnytaste