Spring Recipes From Your Local Anchorage Orthodontist
Dr. Johnson and the team at Northern Smiles Orthodontics would like to wish everyone a
happy spring! Now that winter is behind us, we can look forward to warmer
weather that brings with it many opportunities to get out and enjoy the sun!
Many of
the patients we see here at our Anchorage, AK orthodontist office wonder what
foods they can eat that won't do harm to their braces. When you had your braces
put on, we talked about how important it is to avoid certain foods that can
damage or break your braces like hard, crunchy and sticky foods.
In
celebration of this wonderful time of the year, we'd like to share a few
braces-friendly springtime recipes with you here. These are dishes that are
sure to keep your braces intact while providing you with loads of great taste
and nutrition.
Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls
Ingredients (Makes 8 spring rolls):
2 ounces rice vermicelli
¼ cup water
8 rice wrappers (8.5” diameter)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
8 large cooked shrimp (peeled and sliced in half)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/3 tablespoons fresh basil
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
½ teaspoons garlic chili sauce
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 lettuce leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon finely chopped peanuts
4 tablespoons fish sauce
Directions:
Bring a
medium saucepan of water to boil. Cook rice vermicelli 3 to 5 minutes or until
al dente and drain.
Fill a
large bowl with warm water. Dip one wrapper in the hot water for 1 second to
soften. Lay wrapper flat. In a row across the center, place 2 shrimp halves, a
small handful of vermicelli, basil, mint, cilantro and lettuce, leaving about 2
inches uncovered on each side. Fold uncovered sides inward and then tightly
roll the wrapper starting at the end with lettuce. Repeat with remaining
ingredients.
In a
small bowl, combine the fish sauce, water, lime juice, garlic, sugar and chili
sauce.
In
another small bowl, mix the hoisin sauce and peanuts.
Serve the rolled spring rolls with the fish
sauce and hoisin sauce mixtures. Enjoy!
Note: you
can find the rice vermicelli, fish sauce, chili garlic sauce, hoisin sauce and
rice wrappers at Asian food markets.
Santa Fe Grilled Chicken Soft Tacos
You can
top these tasty chicken soft tacos with diced lettuce, tomatoes, grated cheese
and sour cream.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon chili powder
1
tablespoon cumin
1/2
tablespoon paprika
1/4
teaspoon crushed red pepper
¼
teaspoon salt
1/8
teaspoon pepper
1
tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
1 to 2
tablespoons oil
1 1/2
pounds boneless chicken breasts, pounded thin
8 soft
flour tortillas
Directions:
In small
bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, paprika, red pepper, salt, pepper and brown
sugar. Stir in oil. Mixture will be moist but crumbly.
Rub all
sides of chicken with the chili mixture. Let stand at room temperature for 30
minutes or refrigerate for up to one day.
Preheat
broiler to high or gas grill to medium. Set rack about 6 inches from source of
heat. Grill chicken pieces until firm or for about 5 minutes per side. Let cool
and then cut into small pieces. Warm tortillas according to package directions,
Fill with chicken and serve. Enjoy!
Lemon Parsley Shrimp Pasta
This
recipe uses two fast-cooking foods, shrimp and pasta to make a quick easy dinner
in about 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
1 lb linguine
2
tablespoons olive oil
2 medium
garlic cloves, finely chopped
¼
teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 ½
pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined and patted dry
1 cup dry
white wine
4
tablespoons or ½ stick unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
Lemon
zest from 1 lemon
1/3 cup
coarsely chopped parsley leaves
finely
grated Parmesan cheese for serving
Directions:
Put pasta
in boiling salt water and stir. After about 4 minutes of adding the pasta to
the water, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat until simmering.
Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring frequently, just until
fragrant – about 20 seconds. Add the shrimp and season with salt. Cook, stirring
occasionally until they start to turn pink – about 1 minute.
Turn heat
up to high and add wine to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally until smell of
alcohol burns off. Cook for about 4 minutes until the shrimp are cooked
through, about 4 minutes. Meanwhile, make sure the pasta is cooked al dente,
then drain, reeserving ½ cup of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot
and set the reserved water aside.
Remove
frying pan from heat, add the butter and lemon zest and stir until butter
melts. Transfer the shrimp and sauce to the pot with the pasta.
Add the
parsley and just enough of the pasta cooking water to make a creamy mixture.
Toss to combine. Taste and season with more salt or add additional pasta
cooking water as needed. Transfer the pasta to a serving dish and top with
grated Parmesan. Serve immediately.
