Are We Becoming Healthier?

I just got back from visiting my parents in Grand Junction, Colorado, and I noticed the health food store business is alive and well in this small market. It may be because Coloradans are often at the top of the list of healthiest Americans, or it could be more broad based. Either way there was enough demand for Sprouts, a natural health food type grocer, to come into town with a spiffy new store. Here on the East Coast I have seen a large and modern Whole Foods store built not too far from my Baltimore home lately. This new Whole Foods in Pennsylvania is quite a large store compared to the ones in the Baltimore area. It leads me to believe this progression of consumers wanting more natural, less processed food is gaining momentum. Could it be that we are waking up and realizing our American diet is not worth it? After all, Twinkies are no longer being made last I heard. I have noticed these healthier stores are never empty when I go shopping, and sometimes so busy I have a hard time navigating around all the shoppers. I think that if this trends continues we will have more access to healthy choices both at grocery stores and restaurants. I buy the bulk of my groceries at stores that carry the widest variety of organic produce, and makes an effort to have it be as fresh as possible. When I go out to eat I appreciate a restaurant that gets as much of it’s food close to home, likes organic suppliers, and highlights the season. So be on the lookout for this new type of grocery store that has a reason to keep you eating healthy, and looking good.Here at Fast and Furious Central I’ll do my part to provide you with fast, healthy recipes to get you in your kitchen whipping up the good stuff. This week’s recipe is a very fast, about 10 minutes, way of eating loads of vegies, or can be tweaked to add meat if you like. I hope you like it!

The ingedients

Thai Broccolli Rice Bowl

1 teaspoon oil

1 clove garlic minced

1/3 cup chopped onion

2 cups broccoli florets

4-6 oz button mushrooms quartered or halved if larger than golfball size

2 stalks celery sliced diagonally

1 carrot sliced diagonally

6 oz lowfat coconut milk

1 teaspoon soy sauce

2-3 teaspoons Thai green chili paste

1/2 teaspoon fish sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt, optional

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

Heat oil in a wok or large saute pan over high heat just until it starts to smoke, see note*. Add garlic and onion and cook for 30 seconds. Add broccoli and mushrooms and cook for about 3 minutes stirring often. Add rest of the ingredients and stir in the green chili paste well cooking another 3-5 minutes. Serve over rice. Serves four as a side, or two as a main.

Note:

This dish cooks fast so be sure and start your rice ahead of time.

Be sure not to heat pan in the beginning if it is a teflon or non-stick type pan as some of them give off toxic fumes!

Add your favorite meat, or tofu to make this a main dish.

Thai Broccoli Rice Bowl