Tag Archives: healthy

Little Q Hotpot, Arlington

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Little Q is my favorite Szechuan hotpot restaurant in Massachusetts. Hotpot is a traditional Asian meal that makes eating more of a social event. The general idea is that you boil or blanch your food in a hot broth to cook it. I love that their mascot is a cute little ram and they do not use MSG in any of their food. I frequently went to eat there when they were first located in Quincy, especially during colder weather. They relocated to East Arlington, near the Capitol movie theater about 2 years ago. The prices are fairly reasonable and the food quality is consistent. Service is friendly and quick. There are many other hotpot spots that are good, but having tried quite a few, I keep coming back to this one. It’s got a homey feel to it and every time I go, I can’t help but think of a certain sweet someone. This restaurant will always hold a special place in my heart and my gullet!

Little Q always provides complimentary pickled cabbage and boiled peanuts. I adore the pickled cabbage. It is sweet, spicy and tangy with a slight crunch. The boiled peanuts are also delicious but I usually leave them for my dining companions.

The broths at Little Q are very flavorful and you have 8 choices- mala, black bone chicken, herbal, summer cooler, Mongolian veggie, seafood, curry chicken and Chinese miso. In the picture above, the top half of the soup base is herbal broth and the bottom half is  black bone chicken. The chicken soup is made from silkie chickens which has dark gray, almost black skin. The Chinese believe this chicken tonic broth is very beneficial as a curative food.

My absolute favorite soup base is the mala, pictured on the right side of the hotpot. It’s a sweat-inducing, sinus-clearing kind of spicy that I love. I must caution you it is very spicy and gets even spicier as the broth cooks down and condenses. After the broth cooks down, I like to take it home to use as a base for a quick ramen or vegetables. On days when I am congested, I’ll go to Little Q and order the mala broth with extra “ma” or hot spices to clear me up.

One thing I do like to mention is a lot of people order the set combinations. A set combination will have a meat, assorted vegetables in a basket, and a starch (rice, vermicelli or udon). You don’t have to do that. I don’t usually eat the included starch and prefer to order a side of taro instead. Separately, plates of meat cost about $5.

Little Q Hot Pot and Szechuan House on Urbanspoon

Granola

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I am so glad I finally tried making homemade granola. I prefer granola that has a deep brown color and the nuts to be really roasted. I do not think I will ever go back to purchasing store-bought granola.

I really enjoy having the granola with a bit of almond milk, sprinkled on oatmeal for additional crunch or just grabbing a handful as a snack. This recipe yields granola with a light sweetness, nutty flavor and crispy oats.

Adapted from Tamra Davis Cooking Show and My Father’s Daughter

  • 2 cups rolled old fashioned oats
  • 1 cup chopped nuts (slivered almonds or walnuts)
  • ½ cup seeds (sesame, sunflower or chia seeds)
  • 4 teaspoon of fine salt
  • 1/3 a cup of oil
  • ½ a cup of honey or Vermont maple syrup
  • ¼ cup of apple or orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla
  • sprinkle of cinnamon
  • 1 cup chopped dried fruit (raisins, apples) optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Stir together everything, except the raisins.

Spread the granola out on a nonstick sheet pan covered with parchment paper or silpat and coat with a  little vegetable oil. Make sure the granola is not more than one inch thick or you may need to use two pans. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occaionally, or until evenly browned. Check and stir it up after about 10 minutes. Don’t let it burn. Stir in dried fruit once it’s cooled a bit.

Serve with your favorite milk or yogurt. It keeps well for 2-3 months in an airtight container.

*Granola Bars – put 1 cup of granola, 1 tablespoon of butter, 1 tablespoon of flax oil, 2 tablespoons of honey in a food processor. After it’s blended fine, add a few organic chocolate chips and form it into a shape on a Silpat that’s sitting on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 375 degrees.

Oats, nuts, seeds, honey, salt, cinnamon

Old-fashioned oats

Organic California RaisinsSlivered almondsMixing the liquids, juice and syrup with dry goodsPre-baked granola mixturePost-baked homemade granola

Blueberry-Raspberry Cheesecake Squares

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Summer is almost over but when it’s in full swing and nothing seems better than fresh, local berries. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries in particular! This simple dessert is always a hit at barbecues and parties because of the ripe tender blueberries and raspberries in every bite. However, I hate Cool-Whip or any form of instant topping. There are so many creepy chemicals in it. Have you ever seen the experiment where someone left out Cool Whip for 12 days and nothing happened to it? ‘Nuff said. Make your own. It’s easy!

adapted from AllRecipes.com and Mark Bittman’s No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

Makes 16 servings

  • 2 C almond flour or finely ground almonds
  • 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 C (1/2 stick) butter, melted
  • 1 (8 oz) package light cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 C Stevia (can substitute Splenda or white sugar)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 T lemon zest
  • 1 C ricotta cheese (optional)
  • 8 oz of homemade whipped topping (recipe at the bottom)
  • 3 C fresh blueberries and raspberries (any fresh fruit such as blackberries, or strawberries also work well)

In a bowl, mix together melted butter, cinnamon, ground nuts, and graham cracker crumbs. Sprinkle evenly into a 10″ springform pan (can also use a 9′x13″ pan) and pack down into a solid crust.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 mins to make sure the crust sets. You don’t want it to crumble when you cut it.

In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Stir in salt, lemon zest, lemon juice and ricotta cheese. Fold in whipped topping until blended. Fold in blueberries. Spoon into springform pan and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving. Overnight is best.

Homemade Whipped Topping

  • 1 C cold milk
  • 1 1/2 tsp Splenda or Stevia, up to you
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp xanthum gum

In a chilled bowl, mix all the ingredients in a  Kitchen Aid mixer with the wire whip attachment on medium for 2 minutes. Then for the following 6-8 minutes mix on medium high. Note that this whipped topping will turn out much lighter and more airy than store-bought Cool Whip. You could use soymilk to make a vegan version.

Maple Apple Breakfast Sausage

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Who knows what is really in commercially made sausage these days? When in doubt, I always like to make my own healthy version to make sure I’m eating something chemical free.

  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 1 large apple, peeled and diced fine
  • 3 T sweet onion, minced 3 T pure maple syrup, grade A or B (use grade B if you prefer a strong maple flavor)
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1-2 tsp fennel seed, to taste
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp sage
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp sea salt, to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Form 16 patties from the mixture. You can size the patties to your taste.

Fry the patties in a skillet for about 15 min until golden brown. I used a George Foreman grill because my skillet was being used to make an omelet.

Drain sausage patties on paper towel if necessary.

Store any cooled leftover sausage in the freezer for a future impromptu breakfast.

Note: If you would like to use ground pork, ground beef, ground buffalo or even venison, it would also taste great in this recipe.

B. Good Burger, Back Bay, Boston

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B. Good has many locations throughout Boston and Cambridge. I’ve frequented the Dartmouth Street and Newbury Street locations.

The food seems like a healthier alternative to most fast food locations and with full transparency, they list calories and nutritional information on their menu and website.

I am happy to frequent B.Good for their Turkey Burgers, seasonal shakes, and baked fries. I really enjoy their crispier fries, two versions sweet potato and regular. You can sub out fries for veggies and make it a combo with fruit or yogurt shakes for a $10 meal.

This is the buffalo turkey burger, which is juicy, the bleu cheese and buffalo has the right balance of heat and tang. The fries are crispy for baked fries. I would suggest El Guapo and there are great seasonal salads.

There are specials including the Goomba burger (swiss and mushrooms) which is to die for.

B Good on Urbanspoon