SHOYU CHICKEN AND VEGETABLE FRIED RICE, THE HEALTHY WAY

To turn a phrase of Dr. Oz's, "Me on a Diet" is the name of the game. It's not my first attempt to shed some weight and will likely not be my last. It may, however, be my smartest since at the ripe old age of 59, I finally believe that it won't come off as fast as it went on. Sparkpeople.com has been a wonderful (free) tool to analyze what I eat and how and when I exercise. My own common sense and large collection of cookbooks enables me to cook and eat delicous food while shedding pounds.

Losing weight doesn't have to be painful if you stay away from processed and pre-packaged food. My attempt to jump start my weight loss a few years back lead me to what I affectionately called the dog food diet. That's because I wanted to howl and bark each time I opened one of the packets. I never ate the soup packets as soup; rather, I made "chips" out of them. The "delicious" shakes were like chocolate snow cones--yuk! The chili truly smelled like canned dog food. It called to mind the scene in The Prince of Tides when mom, chastised by her brutish husband for her high-falutin food, opens a can of dog food and heats it up and Voila! hash.

With pre-packaged food firmly behind me, I decided to try a recipe I had seen prepared on the Food Channel in combination with a recipe from Weight Watcher's New Complete Cookbook. I'd never seen the show Ask Aida before and probably won't tune in again, but she was preparing shoyu chicken, something I lived on each time I visited Hawaii. I cut her recipe in half since I'm only feeding 2 and I still have plenty of leftovers. For the vegetable fried rice, I made a few substitutions and added a shot of low sodium soy sauce.

Both recipes are very straightforward. There is prep work, which is typical of any Asian meal, but the actual cooking time was minimal. Both recipes got a "10" (and, yes, I do score each new recipe I try and write down my comments and scores; it helps me remember what to put in the rotation and what to ditch permanently).

Recipe for Shoyu Chicken

3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3/8 cup mirin

4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

3 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and smashed

3 tbs corn starch dissolved in 3 tbs water

3 thinly sliced scallions, for garnish

Combine all ingredients except cornstarch and water and scallions in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to low and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Turn occasionally.

Remove the chicken to a serving platter. Remove the garlic and ginger and discard. Bring the sauce to a boil, skim off any excess fat, and cook about 10 minutes, until slightly reduced. Mix the cornstarch and water together, then whisk into the pot and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, dd the chicken, and turn to coat. Serve with the sauce and the scallions.

Recipe for Vegetable Fried Rice - 6 servings (3/4 cup each)

1 cup thinly sliced carrots

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/4 cup water chestnuts, sliced into small matchsticks

3 cloves garlic, minced

12 scallions, thinly sliced

3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth

3 large eggs, slightly beaten

3 cups cooked and cooled brown rice

1-2 tbs low sodium soy sauce

Spray a large nonstick skillet or wok with nonstick spray and heat over medium high. Stir-fry the carrots, mushrooms, water chestnuts, garlic, and scallions about 5 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Transfer to a bowl.

Spray the skillet with more nonstick spray. Add the eggs and cook, stirring until eggs are set, about 2 minutes.

Add the vegetables, rice, and soy sauce to the eggs and toss to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, until heated through.