Good day dudes and dudettes!
Alright, I've been shoving BBQ and meaty goodness down your throat over the past few posts, so now it's time to switch gears and lighten the mealtime load. The following recipe was cobbled together for a certain lady friend who had no idea what to have for dinner (a fairly common occurrence, eh kitten?).
After she tried it, she said it was good, so I figure I might as well share.
Chickpea Salad
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed thoroughly (use a colander/strainer to rinse the chickpeas, give them a good rinse since they have a ton of salt on them)
- 1/2 small red or Vidalia onion, chopped
- 1 small tomato, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Mix all ingredients in a bowl with Dressing
Dressing
- juice from 1/8 lemon
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil (best quality)
- 1 tsp dried basil
- salt and pepper to taste
Whisk ingredients together with a fork.
Serve in salad bowl with good quality pita bread or baguette.
Enjoy!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
RRRRRRRRIIIIIBBBSSSSSSS....
Yeah, we all love 'em, they're delicious messy pig awesome.
Now, making ribs the 'pure' way is about as far from 'easy bachelor cooking' as it gets, but there are ways to cheat. I like to smoke my ribs, but it involves having a smoker or making a smoke packet, all of which are far more complex than necessary to make a whack of "DAMN that's good" ribs. For now. Soon, teach you smoking I will young Padawan, hmmmmm... Yeah, cause I did my first smoke job a few days ago and I all I can say is GODDAMN!
But, for now, let's make those suckers easy. Basically there are as many variations on a good rib rub/marinade as there are bad AC/DC cover bands... So, I'm going to crib from my buddy Paul and adapt his easy rib recipe for today's post:
Step 1 - Get some ribs. Side ribs are cheaper, and you don't have to remove the membrane that you do for back ribs. Granted they aren't as tender, but for this trial, let's stick with side ribs.
Step 2 - Get some cheap BBQ sauce for the marinade/pre-cook. Kraft Garlic works just fine.
Step 3 - Using a food processor (hopefully you've picked one up by now, if not, chop the bejeezus out of everything!), purée an onion and as many gloves of garlic as you think you can handle. Add a few drops of liquid smoke (and only a few drops, it's mighty powerful stuff!) and as much hot sauce as you like. Mix it all together with the BBQ
Step 4 - Here's where you get creative. Use any of the following ingredients in reasonable quantities (and when I say 'any', I don't mean all! It's an exercise in 'mix and match to your taste'):
- bay leaf
- parsley
- oregano
- basil
- dry mustard powder
- cayenne pepper
- paprika
- cumin
- coriander
- dry cocoa powder
- brewed coffee
- rice wine vinegar
- beer (my fave!)
- whiskey
- red wine (for a richer sauce)
- tomato juice/veggie cocktail (if you like a richer tomato flavour)
- pineapple (gives a nice tang, I like it!)
Mix this all together in the food processor or whisk together with the BBQ sauce & onion/garlic puree.
Step 5 - Using a roasting or lasagna pan, lay out the ribs and pour sauce over them, rub the sauce into the meat. Make sure the meat is all well covered.
Step 6 - Cook ribs in oven for 4 hours at 200 degrees Farenheit.
Step 7 - Increase heat to 240 and cook for another hour. Remove from marinade. Ribs should be close to falling off the bone, but that isn't guaranteed. And really, they're still DAMN tasty.
Step 8 - Preheat grill or broiler (the broiler works just fine, but using the grill will give your ribs that smoky BBQ flavour)
Step 9 - Brush ribs with higher quality BBQ sauce. Remember the PC Smokin' Habanero Barbcue Sauce from last time? Yeah, that stuff works nicely if you like the spicy. If not, I suggest Diana sauce of whichever variety.
Step 10 - Cook ribs until sauce glazes and forms a crust of sorts. Do this on both sides. You can do this as much as you want. Usually 3 'coats' of sauce is good, but it's a question of taste.
Step 11 - Cut ribs into portions of single ribs or sets of three. Up to you really...
Step 12 - Keep lots of napkins handy and EAT!
ENJOY!!!!
Now, making ribs the 'pure' way is about as far from 'easy bachelor cooking' as it gets, but there are ways to cheat. I like to smoke my ribs, but it involves having a smoker or making a smoke packet, all of which are far more complex than necessary to make a whack of "DAMN that's good" ribs. For now. Soon, teach you smoking I will young Padawan, hmmmmm... Yeah, cause I did my first smoke job a few days ago and I all I can say is GODDAMN!
But, for now, let's make those suckers easy. Basically there are as many variations on a good rib rub/marinade as there are bad AC/DC cover bands... So, I'm going to crib from my buddy Paul and adapt his easy rib recipe for today's post:
Step 1 - Get some ribs. Side ribs are cheaper, and you don't have to remove the membrane that you do for back ribs. Granted they aren't as tender, but for this trial, let's stick with side ribs.
Step 2 - Get some cheap BBQ sauce for the marinade/pre-cook. Kraft Garlic works just fine.
Step 3 - Using a food processor (hopefully you've picked one up by now, if not, chop the bejeezus out of everything!), purée an onion and as many gloves of garlic as you think you can handle. Add a few drops of liquid smoke (and only a few drops, it's mighty powerful stuff!) and as much hot sauce as you like. Mix it all together with the BBQ
Step 4 - Here's where you get creative. Use any of the following ingredients in reasonable quantities (and when I say 'any', I don't mean all! It's an exercise in 'mix and match to your taste'):
- bay leaf
- parsley
- oregano
- basil
- dry mustard powder
- cayenne pepper
- paprika
- cumin
- coriander
- dry cocoa powder
- brewed coffee
- rice wine vinegar
- beer (my fave!)
- whiskey
- red wine (for a richer sauce)
- tomato juice/veggie cocktail (if you like a richer tomato flavour)
- pineapple (gives a nice tang, I like it!)
Mix this all together in the food processor or whisk together with the BBQ sauce & onion/garlic puree.
Step 5 - Using a roasting or lasagna pan, lay out the ribs and pour sauce over them, rub the sauce into the meat. Make sure the meat is all well covered.
Step 6 - Cook ribs in oven for 4 hours at 200 degrees Farenheit.
Step 7 - Increase heat to 240 and cook for another hour. Remove from marinade. Ribs should be close to falling off the bone, but that isn't guaranteed. And really, they're still DAMN tasty.
Step 8 - Preheat grill or broiler (the broiler works just fine, but using the grill will give your ribs that smoky BBQ flavour)
Step 9 - Brush ribs with higher quality BBQ sauce. Remember the PC Smokin' Habanero Barbcue Sauce from last time? Yeah, that stuff works nicely if you like the spicy. If not, I suggest Diana sauce of whichever variety.
Step 10 - Cook ribs until sauce glazes and forms a crust of sorts. Do this on both sides. You can do this as much as you want. Usually 3 'coats' of sauce is good, but it's a question of taste.
Step 11 - Cut ribs into portions of single ribs or sets of three. Up to you really...
Step 12 - Keep lots of napkins handy and EAT!
ENJOY!!!!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Fajitas made easy
Howdy y'all!
Chances are, if you were born before 1985, you probably remember the advent of fajitas in the late 80s as THE COOLEST FOOD EVER! Who doesn't have a fond memory of going to one of many brand-new Tex-Mex joints in their neck of the woods (readers from south of the Mason-Dixon line, please ignore this) and being bombarded by the smell of meat sizzling on super-hot metal plates that they served in front of you with all the cool fixins on the side? And then you got eat that goodness with your hands! YEAH! 13-year old me is PLOTZING just thinking about it!
My mother would continue the tradition at home with nearly the same amount of spectacle. And a ton of clean-up for the kids aferwards (fajitas at home = mixed blessing!).
Now, as time has passed, I've found myself craving that awesomeness, but do I have the room or implements to make that kind of meal? HECK NO! But, as with any good cook who has limited space, time and resources, I tinker. So, after a few attempts, here's my take on fajitas.
Basically this recipe takes all those different ingredients that you put on a bunch of different plates and cook differently and puts them altogether. It also is a year-round recipe. No grilling involved.
Half-assed Fajitas for 2-4
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless steak or chicken or pork (cut into strips about 2 inches or 7-8 cm long, 1/2 inch or 1.5 cm thick) OR 1 lb. peeled shrimp (remove tails)
- 1 small red pepper, cut into strips
- 1 small red or sweet onion, chopped
- 1 ripe tomato, chopped
- Shredded lettuce (optional - I usually don't bother since lettuce is about as nutritious as paper)
- Chopped cilantro (optional)
- 10 small tortillas - flour or whole wheat
- Fajita sauce
Ingredients for Fajita sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce (whichever kind you prefer, I use President's Choice Smokin' Habanero Barbcue Sauce , which is really tasty, but also quite spicy)
- 2 tbsp hot sauce (whichever you prefer, I like either old school Frank's Red Hot style, or a smoky chipotle sauce)
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/4 cup beer
- Whisk all sauce ingredients together.
Putting it together
- In a large frying pan on medium-high heat, pour in Fajita sauce, meat, peppers and onion and sauté. You can add the tomato if you like it cooked (I do it this way) or keep it aside if you want to add it raw.
- Fry up mixture for about 15 mins until everything's cooked.
- As mixture is cooking, place as many tortillas as you're using on cookie sheet and preheat oven to 350 F.
- Spoon mixture onto tortillas and roll into cylinder.
- Cook in oven for about 5 mins, to heat and crisp tortillas
- Remove from oven, open fajitas and spoon sour cream, salsa, guacamole, chopped cilantro, etc. etc. - how ever you want it!
- Eat and get messy!
Psssssst... You want a recipe for guacamole? DEAD easy!
Ingredients
- 1 ripe avocado, cut in half, pit removed (this is a bit tricky. First of all, a ripe avocado is a deep greenish-black; totally black usually means overripe. Second, to split the avocado, just cut through the soft part until you hit the pit, DON'T try cutting that in half! Just work around until the soft part is cut in half, and gently pull one side away from the pit, then the other)
- 1 tsp chopped onion
- 1-2 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tomato chopped (optional)
- juice of half a lime
- salt and pepper (and, if you're feeling frisky, a pinch or two of chili powder)
Putting it together
- Scoop the avocado 'meat' into a bowl
- Add all other ingredients and mash with a fork until desired consistency is reached.
- EAT!
Later dudes.
Chances are, if you were born before 1985, you probably remember the advent of fajitas in the late 80s as THE COOLEST FOOD EVER! Who doesn't have a fond memory of going to one of many brand-new Tex-Mex joints in their neck of the woods (readers from south of the Mason-Dixon line, please ignore this) and being bombarded by the smell of meat sizzling on super-hot metal plates that they served in front of you with all the cool fixins on the side? And then you got eat that goodness with your hands! YEAH! 13-year old me is PLOTZING just thinking about it!
My mother would continue the tradition at home with nearly the same amount of spectacle. And a ton of clean-up for the kids aferwards (fajitas at home = mixed blessing!).
Now, as time has passed, I've found myself craving that awesomeness, but do I have the room or implements to make that kind of meal? HECK NO! But, as with any good cook who has limited space, time and resources, I tinker. So, after a few attempts, here's my take on fajitas.
Basically this recipe takes all those different ingredients that you put on a bunch of different plates and cook differently and puts them altogether. It also is a year-round recipe. No grilling involved.
Half-assed Fajitas for 2-4
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless steak or chicken or pork (cut into strips about 2 inches or 7-8 cm long, 1/2 inch or 1.5 cm thick) OR 1 lb. peeled shrimp (remove tails)
- 1 small red pepper, cut into strips
- 1 small red or sweet onion, chopped
- 1 ripe tomato, chopped
- Shredded lettuce (optional - I usually don't bother since lettuce is about as nutritious as paper)
- Chopped cilantro (optional)
- 10 small tortillas - flour or whole wheat
- Fajita sauce
Ingredients for Fajita sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce (whichever kind you prefer, I use President's Choice Smokin' Habanero Barbcue Sauce , which is really tasty, but also quite spicy)
- 2 tbsp hot sauce (whichever you prefer, I like either old school Frank's Red Hot style, or a smoky chipotle sauce)
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/4 cup beer
- Whisk all sauce ingredients together.
Putting it together
- In a large frying pan on medium-high heat, pour in Fajita sauce, meat, peppers and onion and sauté. You can add the tomato if you like it cooked (I do it this way) or keep it aside if you want to add it raw.
- Fry up mixture for about 15 mins until everything's cooked.
- As mixture is cooking, place as many tortillas as you're using on cookie sheet and preheat oven to 350 F.
- Spoon mixture onto tortillas and roll into cylinder.
- Cook in oven for about 5 mins, to heat and crisp tortillas
- Remove from oven, open fajitas and spoon sour cream, salsa, guacamole, chopped cilantro, etc. etc. - how ever you want it!
- Eat and get messy!
Psssssst... You want a recipe for guacamole? DEAD easy!
Ingredients
- 1 ripe avocado, cut in half, pit removed (this is a bit tricky. First of all, a ripe avocado is a deep greenish-black; totally black usually means overripe. Second, to split the avocado, just cut through the soft part until you hit the pit, DON'T try cutting that in half! Just work around until the soft part is cut in half, and gently pull one side away from the pit, then the other)
- 1 tsp chopped onion
- 1-2 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tomato chopped (optional)
- juice of half a lime
- salt and pepper (and, if you're feeling frisky, a pinch or two of chili powder)
Putting it together
- Scoop the avocado 'meat' into a bowl
- Add all other ingredients and mash with a fork until desired consistency is reached.
- EAT!
Later dudes.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Sugar shock wrongness to throw on top of ice cream
OK, I'm about to unleash an old sugar junkie's secret. It's an old school recipe for a topping for ice cream that just is pure awesomeness. Ever want to make your ice cream taste like a Snicker's bar? Do this:
- melt together 2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter and 3 tbsp corn syrup
- pour onto ice cream
- enjoy semi-melted ice cream goodness
That's it! Enjoy!
- melt together 2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter and 3 tbsp corn syrup
- pour onto ice cream
- enjoy semi-melted ice cream goodness
That's it! Enjoy!
Friday, April 30, 2010
It's BBQ SEASON!
That's right dudes and dudettes! It's Spring, the snow's gone, and it's time to get your BBQ on!
I'm not going to throw down a dozen recipes and brag about how much of grill pimp I am (I am) because this is a blog for the rookies out there. The great thing about BBQ is that no matter how much of a kitchenphobe you might be, everyone feels awesome when they're over a grill.
OK, so what are some the things you want to do on the grill? Steaks are easy enough, anyone can throw a couple of hot dogs or frozen patties on heat and it's summery awesomeness. But, I think it would be fun to let you fledgling grillmeisters in on some of my favourite BBQ recipes and tricks.
But first things first. You need to actually BUY a BBQ if you don't have one! Now, what kind you should get is up to you. Propane is good for quick start and convenience. Problem is, if you live in an apartment, chances are it's actually ILLEGAL for you to have. My landlords mentioned that yo me when I moved in to my current place, stating that the propane tanks can't be inside or something to that effect. Which means you have to go with charcoal. And frankly, charcoal grilling tastes better and is more fun.
Also, charcoal BBQs are much cheaper. You can get a hibachi or round grill for about 50 bucks new.
There are a million different recommendations about BBQs. I'll simply tell you to type in "What is the best kind of barbecue" in Google and see what comes up.
I will say this: I bought this BBQ (well, the 2007 version of it) for about $150 Canadian at Canadian Tire and it has served my VERY well. Last summer I smoked ribs for the first time using it and... yeah... drooooooll.... So, take from that what you will.
Alright. Some other things you'll need: spatula, tongs, oven mitts (for those wimps amongst you), basting brush, skewers. Often, these sort of things come with a BBQ, or can be bought on the cheap. Again, I turn it over to Canadian Tire.
Something else I swear by is the portable grill basket. This allows you to grill up veggies with minimal annoyance. Basically take cut up tomato, zucchini, peppers, onion, etc., soak 'em in your favourite marinade and toss them in the basket over the heat. Here's my easy and delicious marinade for grilled veg (also good with shrimp): equal parts balsamic vinegar and olive oil, dash of salt, pepper, basil & oregano, a squeeze or two of lemon juice, whip together with a fork, toss over cut veg and seal in a freezer bag or container, let sit for a couple of hours, done! Do the same with shrimp, just DON'T peel the shrimp until after you cook it.
Now, something else to bless your meat is my whiskey marinade for steak. This allows you to take a fairly cheap cut, like a flank steak, and turn it into the gourmet sh**.
Here ya go:
Irish Whiskey Marinade
¼ cup Irish whiskey (Bushmill’s)
¼ cup BBQ sauce
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp minced garlic (fresh)
1 tsp minced ginger (fresh)
1 tsp Montreal steak spice
1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
5-6 drops hot sauce (optional)
- whisk ingredients together with fork
- pour into Ziploc-type bag with steak and shake well
- marinate for 24 hours
I'll be back in a bit with more BBQ goodness.
Enjoy!
I'm not going to throw down a dozen recipes and brag about how much of grill pimp I am (I am) because this is a blog for the rookies out there. The great thing about BBQ is that no matter how much of a kitchenphobe you might be, everyone feels awesome when they're over a grill.
OK, so what are some the things you want to do on the grill? Steaks are easy enough, anyone can throw a couple of hot dogs or frozen patties on heat and it's summery awesomeness. But, I think it would be fun to let you fledgling grillmeisters in on some of my favourite BBQ recipes and tricks.
But first things first. You need to actually BUY a BBQ if you don't have one! Now, what kind you should get is up to you. Propane is good for quick start and convenience. Problem is, if you live in an apartment, chances are it's actually ILLEGAL for you to have. My landlords mentioned that yo me when I moved in to my current place, stating that the propane tanks can't be inside or something to that effect. Which means you have to go with charcoal. And frankly, charcoal grilling tastes better and is more fun.
Also, charcoal BBQs are much cheaper. You can get a hibachi or round grill for about 50 bucks new.
There are a million different recommendations about BBQs. I'll simply tell you to type in "What is the best kind of barbecue" in Google and see what comes up.
I will say this: I bought this BBQ (well, the 2007 version of it) for about $150 Canadian at Canadian Tire and it has served my VERY well. Last summer I smoked ribs for the first time using it and... yeah... drooooooll.... So, take from that what you will.
Alright. Some other things you'll need: spatula, tongs, oven mitts (for those wimps amongst you), basting brush, skewers. Often, these sort of things come with a BBQ, or can be bought on the cheap. Again, I turn it over to Canadian Tire.
Something else I swear by is the portable grill basket. This allows you to grill up veggies with minimal annoyance. Basically take cut up tomato, zucchini, peppers, onion, etc., soak 'em in your favourite marinade and toss them in the basket over the heat. Here's my easy and delicious marinade for grilled veg (also good with shrimp): equal parts balsamic vinegar and olive oil, dash of salt, pepper, basil & oregano, a squeeze or two of lemon juice, whip together with a fork, toss over cut veg and seal in a freezer bag or container, let sit for a couple of hours, done! Do the same with shrimp, just DON'T peel the shrimp until after you cook it.
Now, something else to bless your meat is my whiskey marinade for steak. This allows you to take a fairly cheap cut, like a flank steak, and turn it into the gourmet sh**.
Here ya go:
Irish Whiskey Marinade
¼ cup Irish whiskey (Bushmill’s)
¼ cup BBQ sauce
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp minced garlic (fresh)
1 tsp minced ginger (fresh)
1 tsp Montreal steak spice
1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
5-6 drops hot sauce (optional)
- whisk ingredients together with fork
- pour into Ziploc-type bag with steak and shake well
- marinate for 24 hours
I'll be back in a bit with more BBQ goodness.
Enjoy!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
A dinner to impress
Good day fledgling cooks!
Today, I'm going to throw you in the deep end. It's time to get gourmet on this mofo! You've been seeing boy/girl x for a few weeks (months?) now, you've made the pasta, the stir-fry, and maybe even gotten brave enough to try out something out of a cookbook. Well done! I betcha it served you well (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, saynomore). But now it's time for the big leagues, Slick! On the plus side, you pull this off, you're golden FOREVER!
Dudes and dudettes, I give you Maple-Cognac Glazed Pork Tenderloin.
I invented this one a few years ago in a fit of recent singledom, and while I've had mixed success with the consistency, the flavour is un-flipping-believable! It's also really easy to make.
To make life easier, I'll also say that you're serving this deliciousness with a side of green beans.
So, I'll give you the step-by-step.
Spice Rub
- coat meat (best to use pork tenderloin) lightly in olive oil and mixture of crushed black pepper, garlic powder, salt & crushed rosemary - I usually coat the meat with my hands, sprinkle the spices with a spoon and then massage them lightly into the meat with my figners. If reading any of this is making you tingly, get help.
Today, I'm going to throw you in the deep end. It's time to get gourmet on this mofo! You've been seeing boy/girl x for a few weeks (months?) now, you've made the pasta, the stir-fry, and maybe even gotten brave enough to try out something out of a cookbook. Well done! I betcha it served you well (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, saynomore). But now it's time for the big leagues, Slick! On the plus side, you pull this off, you're golden FOREVER!
Dudes and dudettes, I give you Maple-Cognac Glazed Pork Tenderloin.
I invented this one a few years ago in a fit of recent singledom, and while I've had mixed success with the consistency, the flavour is un-flipping-believable! It's also really easy to make.
To make life easier, I'll also say that you're serving this deliciousness with a side of green beans.
So, I'll give you the step-by-step.
Spice Rub
- coat meat (best to use pork tenderloin) lightly in olive oil and mixture of crushed black pepper, garlic powder, salt & crushed rosemary - I usually coat the meat with my hands, sprinkle the spices with a spoon and then massage them lightly into the meat with my figners. If reading any of this is making you tingly, get help.
Meat
Essentially, grill or bake the tenderloin until it's a uniformly cooked consistency in the middle. Tenderloin always stays a bit pink in the middle, so don't worry about that. In other cuts of pork, ensure it's white in the middle. Once cooked, slice into medallions about 3/4 inch thick.
Glaze/Sauce
In saucepan, sauté/fry/caramelize 1 tbsp very finely minced garlic and 1 tbsp very finely minced onion in butter. Basically, you want it to turn golden, but not burn.
Reduce heat to medium-low (about 4)
Add 1 oz. Maple syrup & reduce (cook until it starts to thicken)
Add ½ oz. Cognac & reduce
Add extra rosemary if desired
Allow mixture to simmer until reduced to glaze consistency (this is always the part I find hard, sometimes it just takes to long to thicken).
Baste or spoon onto cooked meat
As for the beans, boil them in a very shallow pool of boiling water, drain once tender, coat with butter and serve.
And there you go! Send me comments if you need more detail!
I'm not entirely sure what to put in my next post. I might go off on another diatribe...
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Back from obscurity with a little diatribe on salt and processed food
Happy New Year!
Alright, it's been 4 months since I've posted and I feel bad (that's if anyone actually reads this).
I just wanted to talk about an issue that I've been taking to heart lately. What motivates me to write this blog is the fact that most single folks rely way too much on "convenience" food; take-out, microwaveable, prepackaged, tinned, etc... And hey, most of it tastes good! The craving for a McChicken comes up far more often than I care to admit.
The problem with most pre-made food is that it is full of two nasty elements: fat and salt. Easy way to get rid of the first is to eat the low-cal diet food. Fine, sure, it's not going to pack on the pounds. But it's by no means healthy. Think about a real simple example: pasta sauce in a jar.
Prego's "Chunky Garden Combo" sauce sounds kindy healthy to me - it's got chunks of garden in it! And at only 140 calories per cup, pretty diet-friendly too. Yeah, and then check the sodium content: 940 mg per cup. The daily recommended intake for adults is 1500 mg of sodium per day, so the sauce itself covers nearly a third of that. Add to that the salt you may have used to cook the pasta with, the numbers add up pretty fast. And that's in ONE MEAL! (Well, if you eat a cup's worth of sauce per meal...)
So, what does this have to do with making awesome meals that gets the ladies' knees a-quivering? Well, next time you're fixing up a bowl of pasta or a stir-fry or whatever I figure to show how to make next time (stew and/or soup, methinks), keep in mind to leave the salt shaker out of reach. A pinch to a teaspoon of salt is usually enough for any recipe, or even less, depending on ingredients and amounts.
Let's say you're cooking something and are adding olives. Each olive has somewhere between 30-60 mg of sodium (depends on size, preparation, etc.). The salt will permeate whatever dish you're making and flavour it just fine without adding any more.
Most meat and seafood is salted before it ever gets to your table, so you really don't need extra. And don't get me started about all that ketchup you're eating with your fries...
So, from now on, less salt. You want flavour? Raid that spice rack dude!
Bon appetit!
Alright, it's been 4 months since I've posted and I feel bad (that's if anyone actually reads this).
I just wanted to talk about an issue that I've been taking to heart lately. What motivates me to write this blog is the fact that most single folks rely way too much on "convenience" food; take-out, microwaveable, prepackaged, tinned, etc... And hey, most of it tastes good! The craving for a McChicken comes up far more often than I care to admit.
The problem with most pre-made food is that it is full of two nasty elements: fat and salt. Easy way to get rid of the first is to eat the low-cal diet food. Fine, sure, it's not going to pack on the pounds. But it's by no means healthy. Think about a real simple example: pasta sauce in a jar.
Prego's "Chunky Garden Combo" sauce sounds kindy healthy to me - it's got chunks of garden in it! And at only 140 calories per cup, pretty diet-friendly too. Yeah, and then check the sodium content: 940 mg per cup. The daily recommended intake for adults is 1500 mg of sodium per day, so the sauce itself covers nearly a third of that. Add to that the salt you may have used to cook the pasta with, the numbers add up pretty fast. And that's in ONE MEAL! (Well, if you eat a cup's worth of sauce per meal...)
So, what does this have to do with making awesome meals that gets the ladies' knees a-quivering? Well, next time you're fixing up a bowl of pasta or a stir-fry or whatever I figure to show how to make next time (stew and/or soup, methinks), keep in mind to leave the salt shaker out of reach. A pinch to a teaspoon of salt is usually enough for any recipe, or even less, depending on ingredients and amounts.
Let's say you're cooking something and are adding olives. Each olive has somewhere between 30-60 mg of sodium (depends on size, preparation, etc.). The salt will permeate whatever dish you're making and flavour it just fine without adding any more.
Most meat and seafood is salted before it ever gets to your table, so you really don't need extra. And don't get me started about all that ketchup you're eating with your fries...
So, from now on, less salt. You want flavour? Raid that spice rack dude!
Bon appetit!
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