Who said that healthy eating means boring same-old-same-old eating? No! 

Here’s a great way to eat healthy without piling on extra fat or calories: steam your fish in banana leaves!

Wait… you’ve never heard of cooking with banana leaves? In many parts of Asia, the Caribbean, Central and South America, food is wrapped in banana leaves and then barbecued, baked or steamed. The leaves add a subtle, exotic flavor, unlike parchment paper or foil. Banana leaves are also known as plantain leaves.

Banana leaves are particularly handy when it comes to steaming fish because fillets often fall apart in a steamer. Using the banana leaves not only helps the fillets keep their shape, but if you add vegetables, you’ve got a meal in a packet. Handy-dandy, wouldn’t you say? Click here for the recipe.

You can find banana leaves in ethnic markets or large supermarkets and they are usually frozen. You can also  order online here.

Ginger Garlic Fish in Banana Leaves is a great “first recipe” if  you’ve never cooked with banana leaves. Get creative! Substitute chopped chicken, beef or pork for the fish and add whatever veggies you have on hand. The cooking time will change, so adjust the recipe as needed.

Life around my house is lived as though someone stepped on the accelerator—going 80 miles an hour, everything and everyone in constant motion (that happens when you have five kids). Lots of running around.

Last month is a good example—getting everyone ready to go back to school is a balancing act… no, a juggling act, beyond compare. Clothes to pack. Doctor appointments. School supplies. Planes to catch. Trains to catch.

And no real time for meals.

So, it’s kind of ironic that my salvation during all this activity isn’t something that moves fast. Just the opposite…it moves slowly. Methodically. It’s my slow cooker…and it’s a life-saver. Uh, make that a time-saver.

My good friends at Hamilton Beach sent me their Set & Forget 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker to try out. What do I think? In three words: I. Love. It.

What’s really great is that I’m able to prep meals the night before… like this Slow Cooker Pork Roast with Green Salsa recipe. First I sliced an onion really thick and put the slices in the bottom of the Slow Cooker’s crock. I rubbed the pork shoulder with spices and set it on top of the onions… and then put the crock in the fridge.

The next morning I added the chicken stock and programmed the Slow Cooker to be ready by the time I got home. The salsa is so easy to prepare, I made it while I got the rest of dinner ready, but you can also prepare it in advance.

I shredded the pork, stirred in half of the salsa and served it with warm tortillas so everyone could make their own tacos as we all sat down for dinner… and put on the brakes for a little while.

And if you have any salsa leftover, it goes great with eggs the next morning!

One other cool thing is that this slow cooker comes with a temperature probe so that you can cook large cuts of meat, whole chickens or even turkey breasts by relying on the internal food temperature to test for doneness.

I used the probe to cook a 4-pound chicken on High in about 4 hours (internal temperature 180°F in the chicken’s thigh). The skin didn’t crisp up and brown the way I like it, so I but it in a roasting pan under the broiler for about 5 minutes… beautiful!

One more thing… head on over to my friend, Miz Helen’s Country Cottage, to find more delicious recipes… just like this one!

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Whenever I make steak, I always make extra so that with the leftovers I can prepare my favorite summer dish: Thai Beef Salad.

The beauty of this salad is that you don’t have to include all of the ingredients. If you don’t have fish sauce, use soy sauce. Don’t like jalapeños… leave them out. You can add what you do have… like red or green peppers, cooked zucchini, broccoli or green beans. This is pretty much a “clean the fridge” type of salad with a whole lot of flavor.

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I know what you’re thinking: “A stew. Really? When it’s so hot and muggy?”

Yes… because this Vietnamese Beef Stew proves that it IS possible for a stew to be light, and, dare I say it, refreshing.

It’s the star anise and cinnamon combination that lifts this stew above the ordinary and gives it a playful summery flavor. Simmering it for hours tenderizes an otherwise tough cut of meat and allows the flavors to deepen and develop.

My inspiration for this stew comes from a similar dish I devoured at James Beard Award-winning Chef Chris Shepherd’s restaurant, Underbelly, in Houston.

I prepared this recipe on top of the stove in my Pauli Cookware. You can also cook it in a crockpot, so that after being out of the house all day enjoying summer, you’ll have a great dinner waiting for you at home!

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Star anise is a key ingredient in this dish… read more about it in my post “What is Star Anise?”
Here’s another delicious dish I think you’ll enjoy… Seafood Cioppino.