Salad Ingredients - What Can I Use?

In order for you to make the perfect salad you need to know something about the kinds of ingredients that you can use. A large number of salads will be made using a combination of different ingredients that not only complement one and other but provide different tastes and textures as well. Below we take a look at the various different types of salad ingredients that are used the world over to make a very simple and basic but very nutritious salad.

1. Lettuce and Greens - Today you do not have to stick to the normal types of lettuce such as iceberg for producing the perfect salad instead why not try a few different alternatives. For example, you could use a butterhead lettuce, which comes with very tender leaves or a cos lettuce, which has a very coarse texture to it, but both will add a completely different texture dimension to the salad you are making. Although if you would like to try something completely different when it comes to making a salad then avoid using lettuce altogether. Instead why not try something like Augula which originally comes from Italy and comes with a very tangy but mildly peppery taste to it. Or if you want to produce something a little more exotic which has asian connotations to it try adding Bok Choy. Although slightly bitter in taste a squeeze of fresh lemon juice often helps to counteract this.
2. Fruit & Vegetables - Instead of sticking with the more traditional fruits and vegetables in your salads why not try to be a little more adventurous. Apples are certainly ideal and can easily combine with a number of different other salad ingredients also. If you are looking to make a more unusual salad which incorporates the Bok Choy we mentioned above previously why not mix this up with some bean sprouts, cucumber and spring onions and then drizzle with a light coating of sesame seed oil which you have mixed with some soy sauce.Other fruits and vegetables that you may want to include in your salad in place of tomatoes, cucumber and green onions are broccoli, beans (red, black, green or kidney ones) and carrots. Also, you can further add more flavor to your salads through the use of herbs and spices including not just garlic, but basil, rosemary and cilantro.
3. Meat and Fish - Although most people commonly think that a good salad should solely consist of just vegetables this is not the case. In fact, some of the world's best-known salads such as Caesar's have chicken, meat or fish in them. But it is best that you do not go over board on the amount of meat or fish you include.
   

If you are someone who does not like to use meat or fish in their salad recipes then why not replace these with cheese instead. But again it is essential that you do not use too much in it. Also to add texture to your salad if you are only using basic salad ingredients is through incorporating nuts or croutons into the recipe. The best types of nuts to use when preparing a salad are peanuts, walnuts or almonds. All give additional crunch and texture to what may otherwise be a very bland meal. But when it comes to you finding the right kinds of salad ingredients for your salad recipes it is important that you use the freshest ones possible. When shopping for your ingredients avoid those which are marked or bruised or those where the leaves have begun to wilt. Also before you begin preparing the salad make sure that each ingredient has been thoroughly washed to remove any unwanted toxins or chemicals from them. Even salad ingredients which have been packaged and are ready to use should be washed.

Tips On Organic Food

In order to avoid eating genetically modified food, the best option you have is starting to buy organic food. This type of food is the most healthy way of living one can possibly have nowadays. Should you be eating dairy or meat products, you must be aware of the fact that the dairy cows and farm animals are fed a dangerous cocktail of anti-biotic stuff, growth promoting drugs, anti-parasite drugs and many other medicines on a daily basis. This happens no matter if they are ill or not. The worse part of all this is the fact that these drugs are passed directly onto the consumers of their dairy produce or meat. This is the main reason why many meat-related diseases like coronaries and high blood pressure appear each and every single day.

On the other hand, the organic food does not contain all these poisonous chemicals. The fresh organic food contains on average 50% more vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other micro-nutrients than intensively farmed have. Are these enough reasons fro you to go organic? If not, here are some more facts and figures to help you decide faster!

First and foremost, the organic food simply tastes so much better. Fruit and vegetables full of juice and flavor and there are so many different varieties to try! There are about 100 different kinds of organic potatoes in production only in the United Kingdom!

The intensive farming can seriously damage the health of many farm workers. There are much higher occurrences of cancer, respiratory problems and other major diseases in farm workers from non-organic farms. So, choosing organic food can be a way of showing that you care about the health of other people!

Organic farms can also support wildlife. In the last few years, the practice of intensive farming in the United Kingdom has been the cause to the dramatic erosion of the soil, the destruction of ancient hedgerows, a fall of up to 70% of wild birds in some areas and the near extinction of some of the most beautiful species of wild mammals, grass-snakes and even butterflies.

Last but not least, let us speak about the extra costs of eating organic food. It is not more expensive than the intensively farmed foods, especially when thinking about the damages that agro-chemicals make to our natural water supply. Besides paying for these intensively farmed foods, we also have to pay for cleaning the mess they leave behind. So, what is the best option for us? Organic food, of course!

Pasta

When we hear the term Italian cuisine, the first name that comes in our mind is pasta. Though it was originated in Italy, it is famous worldwide. Pasta is like noodles, made from certain grain flours with water and/or eggs mixtures. Among the different shapes and forms of pasta there are string shaped pasta called spaghetti and vermicelli. There are also ribbon shaped fettuccine and linguine, short tube shaped elbow macaroni and penne, tiny shapes like couscous and orzo and large shapes like lasagna. There are hollow pastas also like ravioli, manicotti and tortellini. You can have them stuffed with fillings. The paste is kneaded to give different shapes and forms. Pasta can also be the dishes where pasta is an important ingredient and served with sauce or different seasonings. Gnocchi is one of these pasta dishes. But here different ingredients are used and cooking process is also different.

You can also find frozen pasta all over the world. More varieties of pastas are mainly found in the places where the Italians and their culture have deep impact. There are companies that produce packed pastas that can be fresh for 7 weeks. According to FDA (Food and Drug Administration) of US, half cup of cooked pasta per day helps a person to meet the necessary folate level per day with an extra amount of 220 micrograms or more folate. Boiling pasta is the basic of recipes of all the pasta dishes. The sauces and the other ingredients make all the differences. There are obviously some exceptions like soups, gnocchi, lasagna and manicotti. But, as you know, exceptions cannot be the examples. There are some secrets for cooking pasta like cooking in salted water, adding the paste after the water starts boiling, stirring occasionally and fast draining and serving. Pastas do not need undercooking or overcooking. If there is any assistance that you need, always remember our website is only a click away.

Working with Eggs

Bad eggs are rare but they do occur. Crack eggs into a separate bowl before mixing with other ingredients. If the egg shell from shattering when you crack the egg.

First, find a flat surface and not on the floor, pour salt on the floor, heavily. Wipe it up fifteen minutes later. Salt will set up the upper part of your palm, between your thumb and middle finger. The egg will gently fall into the bowl as the shell spreads apart.

If you drop an egg on a flat surface.

Once the egg on the floor, pour salt on the floor, heavily. Wipe it up fifteen minutes later. Salt will set up the egg's protein and make it harder to wipe off the bowl.

Bad eggs are rare but they do occur. Crack eggs into a separate bowl before mixing with other ingredients. If the egg shell from shattering when you crack the egg in the carton.

Many techniques are used for cracking open an egg. Their is an easy method you can use if you want t
o keep the egg is bad it will have an unmistakeable odor.

If you find an egg on a flat surface, you want to keep the egg in the carton.

Many techniques are used for cracking open an egg. Their is an easy method you can use if you want to keep the egg is bad it will have an unmistakeable odor.

If you find an egg stuck to the carton, fill the indentation with cool water and let sit for five minutes. The water will soften the dried egg white that is holding the egg is bad it will have an unmistakeable odor.

If you find an egg on a flat surface.
Once the egg in the upper half with your thumb and first three fingers.

How to Cook Lobster Tails and Tournados

How to Cook Lobster Tails

An extra special treat for any occasion - If you are using small sized lobster tails you probably want to add steak to your menu.

Ingredients:

Frozen uncooked lobster tails, thawed – 4oz to 5oz
Butter
Cayenne Pepper


Using kitchen shears, cut through the shell, down the center right to the end of the shell only. If not completely thawed, hold under room temperature tap water to speed the process up. Spread the shell apart slightly and cut meat down the center being careful not to cut all the way through. Insert a finger under the meat (between the cartilage) and gently bring meat to top of the shell. Push the shell together so meat stays on top of the lobster shell.

Spread the softened butter generously in a think layer over meat. Sprinkle lightly with the cayenne pepper and arrange on a shallow baking pan. If you’re not quite ready to serve you can refrigerate them until ready.

Bake in oven at 550 degrees Fahrenheit for about 7 minutes. Serve with melted butter in little bowls or dishes for dipping.

For poached lobster tails place the thawed lobster tails in boiling salted water, cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove cartilage and serve as is, or loosen and cut up meat and replace in shell before serving.

This meal goes lovely with baked potatoes
, carrots and a Cesar salad. If your guests are big eaters then adding steak to the dinner might be a good idea. If you feel like keeping the dinner fancy and extra special then Tournados might be a lovely addition.

Tournados

Fillet steaks, 1 ¼ - 1 ½ inches thick.
Bacon Slices
Margarine
Pepper
Mushroom Caps
Bread Slices

Around each steak circle a slice of bacon and secure with wooden toothpick. Fry in margarine, browning both sides for about 3 minutes for rare and about 5 minutes each side for medium. It is important to turn the steaks without piercing the meat. Sprinkle with pepper and remove and keep hot.

Sauté mushroom caps in frying pan. Cut bread in circles slightly larger than steaks and then fry to brown both sides. Place fillets on fried bread rounds and top each fillet with a mushroom cap.

Once again this recipe is a lovely addition to the lobster tails or by itself. Serve with potatoes, carrots, salad or any other special side dish you have cooked up!

Cook With Essential Oils In The Kitchen

A lot of us can find an essential oil or two in the medicine cabinet that we use for health or beauty reasons. Others may have heard of the benefits of essential oils, but have yet to find the time needed to try them. Many books and articles that have been recently published focus on using essential oils in bath water, inhaling them or rubbing them on skin to better your health, and ingesting them for other illnesses. Essential oils and aromatic hydrosols smell and taste delicious, but also kill bacteria and preserve food to help with digestion. Many essential oils also have mental and physical health benefits that add to their benefits. When cooking with them, you don’t need much to do the trick. A drop or two will often be more than enough for a six person serving.

Essential oils can be found in most grocery or health foods stores, but be sure to ask a sales representative if the oils are artificial or absolute. Most essential oils last for approximately one year. Citrus oils sometimes last a little less, so they should be bought in small quantities.

When using essential oils in cooking, you will find that they have the most flavor in raw food dishes, especially blender items and uncooked deserts, because they evaporate when they are heated. If you would like to add oils to cooked dishes, add the oil before serving and store extra in glass containers, as they have a tendency to react with plastic or metal containers. Make sure to only use one drop to start with as the oils are very concentrated, until you know how the oil will interact with each food. One or two drops are usually plenty unless it is being used in a baked dish and you want to compensate for evaporation.

Carriers, which are used to make extracts when essential oils are too strong and need to be diluted, is what you buy peppermint of vanilla extract from the grocery store. When the oil is too strong or expensive, extracts are a lot more convenient. Good carriers include vegetable glycerin, oils, and alcohol. Carrier oils include sweet almond, avocado, canola, coconut, olive, peanut, safflower, sesame, sunflower, and wheat germ. Check with your local grocery or health store to see which carriers are best to be used in the kitchen.

The Perfect Omelet(te), How to Cook It

Omelet(te)s

They’re easy to cook, right?

We’ll see.

The first thing to remember is that you need the right size of frying pan. This is more important than you may think. Too large, and the omelet will dry out; too small, and it will not cook through.

As a basic guide, you need a 15 centimeter pan for a two-egg omelet and a 25 centimeter pan for a four to six egg omelet. That is, 6 in. and 10 in. respectively. Which, handily enough, is pretty much the size of pans you should have in your kitchen anyway.

The second most important thing is not to beat the eggs.

I’ll repeat that for all of those chefs out there who think they can cook omelets: do NOT beat the eggs.

Instead, abandon the habits of a lifetime and stir the yolks into the whites using a knife blade. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Warm your empty pan through on a moderate heat, add a good knob of butter, turn up the heat and swirl it round to coat the bottom and sides of the pan.

When the butter is foaming pour some into the egg mixture, stir it in and then immediately pour the eggs into the pan.

Shake the pan to spread the mixture evenly. Now, using a fork or thin spatula, draw the cooked egg away from the edge of the pan and let the uncooked liquid run into the space created.

When the omelet is almost cooked, but the surface is still soft and liquid, flip one edge of the omelet towards the center of the pan so that it folds over. Then slide the unfolded edge onto a warmed plate, rolling the folded edge over the top of it as you do so.

An omelet cooked in this way requires no filling, except perhaps some fresh, chopped, herbs added to the egg mixture about 15 minutes before cooking.

What’s that? Oh yes, all right; if you must you can use olive oil instead of butter.

Tips For Safely Storing Food

One of the greatest inventions for the food industry and consumers alike has been the refrigerator. What would we do without it? The modern refrigerator enables us to shop less frequently and keep larger quantities of food fresh. Foods are kept in the refrigerator to preserve freshness and keep it safe.

While colder temperatures do keep food fresh and inhibit bacterial growth microorganisms that cause food spoilage can still multiply and grow when food is left too long, so you cannot leave food in a refrigerator for an indefinite period of time. Some foods have a longer shelf life than others while some will need to be discarded more quickly. If you follow these guidelines it will help you a great deal with keeping your perishable foods safe and fresh.

First, you should strive to maintain a temperature of at least 40 degrees or less and keep a refrigerator thermometer in your refrigerator to be sure that the temperature remains at that level. You may also have to adjust the temperature on a seasonal basis dependent upon where you live. If you live in an area that gets very cold in the winter a 40 degree setting may prove to be too cold and result in freezing some foods such as milk and lettuce. Another tip is to be sure not to overload your refrigerator. It is crucial that air be able to circulate around the food to keep it fresh and cool.

Always leave any meat and poultry products in the store wrap they were in when you bought them until you use them. The reason for this is to reduce the chance for bacteria to form which can increase with repeated handling. It is suggested that you store food that has been opened in foil, leakproof plastic bags, or airtight containers that will protect food from drying out. You always want to keep meat, poultry, and fish in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Be sure to store your eggs in their original carton on a shelf and not in the door.

Never defrost or marinate meats on the kitchen counter, instead accomplish this by keeping the meats in the refrigerator where they will remain safe. Clean your refrigerator on a regular basis and remove spoiled foods immediately to avoid the possibility of passing the bacteria to other foods.

By following these simple guidelines you will lessen the likelihood for bacteria and spoilage.

Time Tested Dessert Tips That Work

Whether you are just taking up cooking or an old pro, you can always learn a few new tricks to improve your meals. In this article, let's take a look at some of the things you can do to improve your desserts.

When decorating a cake, should you try to keep the serving platter it is on clean? If you think so, there is a simple way to do this. Put down two sheets of wax paper before placing the cake
. When done, slide them out each side.

If your chocolate chips spread out into little lakes in cookies, you have a problem. One way to make chips remain chips when cooking is to use frozen ones. Add them to the batter just before cooking and you should have better results.

Separating egg yolks and whites should become second nature for you after a bit. If you find yourself having problems, cool the eggs down. The separation is easier when the sections are cooler for some reason.

I love chocolate. You love chocolate. Your dog loves chocolate. That being said, chocolate can kill your pup so be very careful when leaving it lying around when cooking desserts. Pups cannot process it fast enough so it poisons them.

Chocolate is a common ingredient in desserts. In breaking news, the ocean is also wet. Working with chocolate can a pain since it tends to be very pliable at room temperature. Throw the chocolate in the freezer for 15 minutes and it should be easier to work with.

Ever flipped a gelatin mold onto a plate, but get it off center. If so, you know moving it is a nightmare that rarely ends well. To avoid this problem, sprinkle water on the target plate before you flip. It makes correcting any errors a lot easier.

Is it possible to get hard desserts soft again? Sometimes. The key thing required? A piece of bread. If you have hard cookies or marshmallows, throw them in a ziplock with one piece. The bread will magically moisturize them.

Your dentist will probably faint if you tell him or her this, but dental floss is not just for teeth. It is a great tool for cutting cookie dough and cakes. Hold it in both hands and saw through your subject like a saw through wood.

Given the endless number of desserts that exist, it is obviously impossible to nail down every last bit of advice to make your cooking turn out as optimal as possible. Nonetheless, I like to think this is a good place to start.

Seafood Combo Meals - A Healthy Alternative

Seafood combo meals are delicious and very easy to prepare. Seafood is very healthy, and is available in such wide varieties that it's hard to go wrong! Everything you need to prepare delicious seafood combo meals can be found at your local grocery store.

One of the best things about a seafood combo meal is that you get more than one item or type of seafood in your meal. The only thing better than eating lobster tail for dinner is to eat both lobster tail and Alaskan King Crab. Having both items in the same meal just makes the experience that much more satisfying.

In case you are new to cooking it's best to start with simpler items, such as shrimp or fish fillets. It's easiest to prepare things you already like, as your cooking instincts will be more accurate. Of course, if you're not an experienced cook and your favorite combo is two pound lobster and scallops, it may be best to start with something easier and work your way up. If you're not sure what kind of food you'd like the most, go to your local grocery and try to find a fresh seafood sampler.

When preparing any seafood dish, the easiest cooking method is pan-fry. One very easy starter dish is shrimp pasta. Start with your favorite pasta and a bag of cocktail, or frozen shrimp. It's fairly easy to find these pre-cooked, so you won't risk under-cooking the meal.

First, keep all the required ingredients ready. Set out the pasta, a pot of water to boil it in, the shrimp, a frying pan and the favorite oils and spices. The last two can be olive oil, basil leaves and garlic powder. Start boiling the pasta and heat the frying pan. Pour a little oil in the pan and add the shrimp. After sprinkling basil leaves and garlic powder on top, stir the shrimp around the pan till oil and spices are mixed thoroughly with the shrimp.

You can turn down the heat slightly when the shrimp begin to sizzle, so that they simmer quietly in the pan. You could add some vegetables for added flavor. I prefer adding some tomatoes and chopped onions. Shrimp continues to simmer absorbing the flavor of the oil and spices while the pasta is getting cooked.

After the pasta reaches the desired softness, strain it and place it on a plate. Pour the contents of the frying pan over the pasta and mix together. Have a side dish of garlic bread or caesar salad and a healthy seafood combo meal is ready. You can prepare several different kinds of seafood combo meals. As in any activity, here too you learn by practice and so, keep cooking till you find your favorite.

From the ocean to your front door. This is what the online seafood vendor Quality Fresh Seafood abides by. With overnight delivery being such a common thing, just count on Fedex or UPS to bring a fresh and healthy seafood combo meal straight to your door.

The Best Way To Cook Your Freshly Caught Fish

A freshly caught fish can be cooked in a thousand and one ways. Any fisherman worth his salt has his own unique way of cooking a freshly caught trout, salmon or whatever fish he caught. So fisherman all across the country has been handed down methods of cooking fish. Here are some tips to get the best out of your fish.

1.Frying

Breading and frying a freshly caught fish is as good as it gets. The smell of butter emanating from the frying pan and the flair a fisherman puts in flipping his catch is worth its weight in gold, almost. For the novice fisherman, make sure that the butter is extra hot but not yet burning. Also, make sure that the fish is well coated in batter. Season your batter to your heart's content, salt and pepper never goes wrong. You may want to try other herbs and spices with the batter for a more delicious fish.

2.Grilling

At first glance, grilling would seem to be the easiest way to handle your fish. A newbie might assume that grilling fish is the same as grilling steaks or burgers. Unlike fowl or cattle, fish tends to secret most of its own juices when cooked. On a grill the delicious juice drips into the coals.

To prevent losing the moisture, first coat the fish with oil. The oil will seal a part of the moisture inside. Second, keep an eye on the fillets and turn them as soon as a cut would reveal that the fresh fish is cooked halfway through. After being flipped, watch the fish carefully. Remove the fish as soon as it is cooked through.

An option to basting the fish with oil is to wrap it in aluminum foil. The aluminum foil will keep the moisture and marinate the fish in its own moisture. Placing herbs and spices inside the foil with the fish enhances the grilling process and the fish itself.

3.Baking

Baking is the best option for the fisherman who does not want to watch over the fish during cooking. The fisherman can prepare the marinade and pre-heat the oven, then pop the fish into the oven for a predetermined amount of time. You may want to check on the fish from the time to time, ensuring that you don't overcook the fish.

Whatever fish you caught, a good recipe and proper cooking will for sure enhance the catch. Take time to prepare for cooking, a badly cooked fish will no doubt spoil your day. Remember the first rule of cooking, don't overcook your fish.

Some Good Holiday Cooking Ideas

The holidays are an extremely hectic and chaotic time for the vast majority of the population. We run from one place to another with more "to do" lists than we think we will ever manage to complete. One thing is certain and that is that throughout all the running around and festivities that are going on it is quite likely that you are going to either lose your mind because you are obsessively over organized or you are going to forget one dinner, event, or gift during the season that is going to prove to be important enough for a mad dash out into the cold, harsh, cruel world of reality. Depressing though the thought may be the following tips can help you avoid potential break down as a result of the constant insanity of the holidays.

Make sure you have enough room inside your fridge for the foods you need for preparation and storing the foods that need to be chilled once they've been prepared. Space is a must and if you do not have enough space in your refrigerator you need to be making other plans for food that needs to be kept cold in the interim.

Clean as you go. This little tip will save so much time, trouble, and pulled hair that you will never really know how wonderfully valuable this nugget of advice really is. Dishes are simpler to clean when still warm and before food has time to dry and set in.

The thanksgiving menu

Here are a few great menu ideas, tips, and tricks that should help make your Thanksgiving Dinner preparations go a little more smoothly.

Plan ahead and make sure you have all the ingredients you need and any special menu items that may be required well ahead of time but in a manner that allows for maximum freshness. If you must wait until the day before to get some of your shopping done, then do so as early in the day as possible. Otherwise make a point of getting all the non-perishable ingredients that are necessary a week or so ahead of time. Also if you are going to order a smoked turkey or something along those lines do so far enough in advance that you have no doubt at all that your order will be filled on time.

The most important thing about your Thanksgiving dinner is that you are not so stressed from the preparation that you do not have the time or peace of mind to enjoy it. The advice above should help with that.

A great fourth outdoors menu

This may somewhat limit your offerings but opens the door to other offerings. Rather than have chilled pies for dessert choose cake that can be stored at room temperature. There are sure to be a few chilled recipes
or dishes that are best served and/or stored chilled. Be sure to have plenty of cold gel packs or ice on hand and plenty of ice chests and other appropriate containers, especially if you are going to be camping or cooking out away from home, on hand to take care of at least the amount of food you are contributing that needs cold storage.

If you are going to be camping out or enjoying the great outdoors on the fourth consider foods that can be prepared with a Dutch oven. There are many great recipes and these foods can pretty well cook for the prescribed length of time and served immediately if you plan properly. These ovens are quite useful and can prepare everything from cakes and muffins to stews, chili, and roast beef with vegetables. In other words, a Dutch oven opens doors that may not be widely available to the average camper on a cookout.

Healthy Cooking and Baking

When you are trying to eat healthier, many clever tricks in the kitchen can help, and you can still enjoy your favorite dishes. With simple modifications, even cheesecake can be part of a healthy diet. These easy substitutions and techniques lower the fat and cholesterol in your recipes, without sacrificing great flavor. For easy reference in cooking healthy, print out the healthy equivalents chart and mount it to the inside of a cabinet door. Don’t forget to check out our Health Conscious recipe section for more healthy recipe ideas.

Meat- Eat more fish! Fish is loaded with protein, low in fats, and full of the beneficial omega 3 fatty acids. When choosing other meats, "loin" cuts are the usually the leanest (for example, pork tenderloin has approximately the same fat percentage as chicken). Replace bacon with turkey bacon, lean ham or Canadian bacon in breakfast dishes, salads, etc. Liquid smoke is also a good alternative to bacon in recipes. Use extra-lean ground beef or substitute ground turkey for ground beef in most recipes. When cooking meatloaf, keep the desired consistency with ground turkey by adding instant oatmeal, chicken stock, and marinara sauce. For low fat cooking, marinate meats in fruit or vegetable juices instead of oils. Removing the skin from poultry also helps to cut the fat, but do so after grilling to help seal in moisture. To brown meat without oil, cover the pot and cook over lower heat. The meat will “brown” in its own juices.

Eggs- Eggs are a prime source of fat and cholesterol in recipes, but also easily adjusted. Substitute two egg whites or 1/4 C. cholesterol-free liquid egg product for one whole egg in recipes. You can even make your own egg substitute by beating together 6 egg whites, ¼ C. nonfat powdered milk, 1 tsp. oil, and 6 drops yellow food coloring. This homemade egg substitute will keep in the refrigerator for a week.

Cheese- Although cheese is a definite fat culprit, you don’t have to cut it out of your diet completely! Instead, use low-fat, skim milk cheese whenever possible. Use fat-free cream cheese, or replace cream cheese in recipes with low-fat ricotta and plain yogurt. In casserole dishes, use 1/2 C. cottage cheese mixed with 1/2 C. reduced fat cheese for every C. of regular cheese.

Creams- Substitute evaporated skim milk for heavy cream in recipes. To remove the fat from cream soups, put the can or container in the freezer for 10 minutes and then scoop off the fat from the top. When preparing creamy soup, use pureed, cooked potato instead of cream. As a substitute for cream sauce in many recipes, mix together 1 C. low fat butter milk, 1 Tbs. cornstarch, and tomato sauce. In place of sour cream, blend 1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice into 1/2 C. cottage cheese as a substitute, or use drained non-fat yogurt mixed with a little sour cream. On baked potatoes, try salsa or low-fat yogurt instead of the traditional sour cream. Replace whipped cream in a recipe with vanilla non-fat yogurt, or three stiffly beaten egg whites. You can also make your own healthy whipped cream by beating together 1/4 C. fat-free milk powder and 1/4 C. water until thick, and then adding 1/2 tsp. lemon juice, 1/4 tsp. vanilla, and 1/4 C. sugar.

Oil and Butter- Soybean, sesame, and sunflower oils are better for you than saturated fats like palm oil. In baking, you can substitute an equal amount of unsweetened applesauce for oil, or use prunes instead of oil in chocolate products. Prunes keep chocolate baked goods moist and also maintain the color. Use the pureed or baby-food varieties in a 1 to 1 ratio with replaced oil. In using applesauce, also try using an equal volume mixture of 1/2 buttermilk and 1/2 applesauce in place of fat for a moister product. Instead of cooking with butter, olive oil can usually be substituted, or you can use 1/2 to 1 C. of margarine for every C. of butter called for in a recipe. Dipping bread in olive oil is a healthier and delicious alternative to butter with dinner. The fats in olive oil are better for you than in saturated fats like butter. Mix freshly ground peppercorns or herbs like oregano into the olive oil for an extra touch.

Fruits and Vegetables- The peels of fruits are a great source of nutrients, so leave them on! To cut down on salt intake, choose fresh or frozen vegetables over canned, since canned vegetables tend to be packaged with salt. Instead of sautéing onions and other vegetables in oil, steam them in water with a pinch of rosemary to add flavor without the fat. Also try cooking vegetables in non-fat broth, stock, or even wine. Tomatoes are a wonderfully flavorful and healthy addition to many different recipes. Even canned tomatoes and tomato paste offer the powerful antioxidant lycopene, which may help prevent heart disease and certain kinds of cancer.

Alternative Desserts and Chocolate- Baked fruits, fig bars, ginger snaps, and graham crackers all make healthy alternative desserts. Instead of ice cream, indulge in the super-healthy; frozen low-fat, flavored soy milk. Instead of frosting cakes, try dusting them with confectioners' sugar or cinnamon and cocoa. To cut the fat in chocolate desserts, substitute 3 Tbs. cocoa powder, plus a little oil or applesauce if desired, for every oz. of chocolate. Carob powder is also a healthy alternative, with the added benefit of having no caffeine (especially good for those with heart conditions). When baking cookies, use half the amount of chocolate chips, and chop them smaller so they evenly disperse through the cookie.

Fresh Shellfish, What Will You Have For Dinner?

Fresh shellfish is a wonderful thing to eat all year round. It includes clams, scallops, mussels and more. Farm-raised cultured mussels are fresh and readily available. Wild varieties are equally delicious. Clams are a very popular addition to pasta dishes. Hard clams, also called quahogs, live in sandy coves and can be caught when the tide is low. A great dish to enjoy with butter and garlic is stuffed quahogs. And, of course, there is always clam chowder!

In the summer, fresh shellfish will take your mind off the hot weather. For a light yet delicious meal, consider an appetizer of raw or barbequed oysters. These tasty treats can be bought in most markets as well as chosen farms that specially breed them to sell. If you are lucky enough to live by a port or in a town near the ocean, you will probably find oysters easily and for an affordable cost.

Sea scallops are delightfully large, though must be shucked (removed from their shells) almost immediately after capture to ensure they don't lose moisture and die.It is important not to overcook scallops, or you will end up with a chewy, inedible morsel.Scallops are meatier than clams and require very little preparation.

Mussels have blue-black shells and brown hairs called byssal threads attached to their shell. Their meat is usually an orange color and they are full of protein. As with clams, mussels taste best steamed and should remain encased in their shell until cooked.

They are truly tasty and are a symbol of excellence in every type of cuisine. Lobster is a cuisine favorite in fancy, high-end restaurants and is the most expensive of all fresh shellfish. Other fresh shellfish includes lobster and crab. Both are bigger and more substantial than their other, small shelled relatives.

Crab is maybe the most popular shellfish and is widely bought and eaten. The crabbing industry is a multi-million dollar one. While eating crab can be messy and often difficult, special tools have been created to make cracking crab easier. Once you get down to the meaty goodness of crab legs, you will want to make this fresh shellfish part of your everyday meal planning.

People are so busy and life is so fast paced it is often difficult to slow down enough to eat healthy. With processed foods all around us it is refreshing to enjoy a tasty and healthy seafood dinner on occasion. The ocean does not add harmful ingredients to its bounty. It simply nurtures its inhabitants until they are delivered straight to your door. Stay healthy by including tasty shellfish items into your busy lifestyle.

A good thing to remember is that you can always get fresh shellfish, regardless of where you live. It is no longer necessary to live on the coast or near the ocean. You can always visit any one of the ever increasing amount of online seafood vendors. Quality Fresh Seafood is just one of the obvious choices. You can always have your shellfish order delivered to you overnight.

Delicious Dining Has Never Been So Easy

There is a special je ne sais quoi feeling when one sees gourmet food presented with visual appeal and attention to all details. The memories of the taste and the presentation linger long after the actual event. It is this x factor that raises the bar and makes good food get elevated to the great category. Chef directs northeast is a sterling example of superb food of your personal choice served in an atmosphere of top class professionalism.

A classic situation that most of us have encountered in our lives is when we enthusiastically invite people over for a party and then realize belatedly that the huge amount of cooking has to be done either personally or to be ordered in. The cooking plans will be enough to guarantee you bed rest for a week after the event and food sourced randomly from outside is usually bland and tasteless. It makes perfect sense to opt for a catering service with established credentials like Chef direct northeast to step in at this juncture. Whether it is a barbeque, a formal get together, an office party, or even just a romantic tryst for two, the food is the piece de resistance and what makes the event memorable.

Most of the times, you approach an outside caterer is for weddings and other such engagements. Chef direct northeast makes wedding days memorable with their magnificent wedding catering and wedding reception buffets. The ala carte cuisine is mouthwatering and served in a manner befitting a top class restaurant. One can opt for a personal chef creating masterpieces for him at home or at an outside venue and the food is balanced with carefully chosen fine wines and desserts that round off a meal beautifully. Every detail is taken care of and the planning begins at the initial discussion stage where your tastes and preferences are taken into consideration and the menu is built on that. The superb cuisine masterpieces of chef northeast are guaranteed to make a wedding day perfect with no worries from your side. So whether one opts for a sit down meal or a wedding reception buffet, everything is beautifully coordinated and professionally rendered.

Corporate catering and buffets are expertly put together by chef direct north east. Finger foods are popular and are tastefully assembled in tasty and unusual combinations. These are presented on fine crockery for a classy effect. These finger foods can be delivered without any fuss in an insulated box with a chafing dish from which the food can be consumed hot and fresh.

Corporate catering and corporate buffets by chef direct northeast gives exquisite cuisine served onsite or offsite with a choice of set menus that include hot or cold as per personal preference. These can even be delivered to your office and served by trained personnel. Staff costs and traveling costs will be billed as extras as also any equipment hired onsite which is necessary. Marquee and garden events are also catered for and the carved buffet is a must-have

One can make anniversary and engagement parties memorable with catering from Chef direct northeast. Romantic evenings, Mother’s day celebrations, birthdays, Christmas parties can all be made extra special with the splendid food, catering services and ambience created by the trained staff. When you decide to have outside catering done for your party, you are minimizing the time consuming labor, not to mention all the running around and hard work you will have to put in yourself, if you choose to do it yourself.

The specialty of the chef is his genuine passion for his craft that shines through in all his cooking. He has perfected and honed his skills with years of experience and he serves up a wide range of cuisines which encompass classic party food, finger food, Asian blends, special dietary needs meals and pub food. Low calorie, vegetarian, vegan and other healthy food are also offered as options. The chef also offers teaching classes to those who are interested.

Chef direct northeast covers the spectrum of social dining in their services and even caters for a minimum of two according to requirement. The best part about their services as vouched for by ecstatic clients is that they do not leave you with a mound of dirty dishes after a frenetically paced party. They actually wash and clean up leaving you to savor the lingering after effects of a superbly cooked meal without the heartburn of clearing up afterwards. The services also include pleasant and helpful staff, waiters and waitresses and even chairs, tables and flowers if you need them. You will have only pleasant memories of a wonderful occasion and heavenly food when you opt for Chef direct northeast.

10 Great Tips On Cooking Meals

If you are as busy as most people you are always looking for ways to feed your family in convenient, fast, yet not-too-expensive ways. Try the following suggestions:

1. Cooking several meals for the week at one time. It may take a few hours of your time up front but will pay off in the long run when you come home each evening and have a meal ready to eat in a short amount of time. Try cooking a roast and using part of it as a main meal and then using some for sandwiches, beef stroganoff or as part of a stir-fry. Fry several pounds of hamburger and make a casserole, taco meat and chili to freeze for use later in the week.

2. After you return home from the grocery store clean all the fruits and vegetables you can. When it’s time for a meal all you will have to do is cook them or add them to a salad or soup.

3. Get ideas from the cooking shows on T.V. There are great shows that show you how to make a healthy meal in a short time.

4. Develop a revolving recipe file. If you get bogged down by the idea of having to plan 30 meals a month the recipe file is for you. Let family members choose some of their favorites and put the recipes in a monthly file. Flip to day five or fifteen and there is the meal just waiting to be cooked.

5. Enlist the help of the members of your family. As soon as the kids are old enough divide up the cooking responsibilities. Let everyone take turns with specific tasks or the whole meal. Pair these meals with fruit and veggies that have already been washed and cut-up and you are ready for dinner.

6. Share the cooking with friends or neighbors. I’ve known people who cook four or five of the same meal and then trade with four or five other people. This works best when people share the same basic ideas on what they like and don’t like. It’s a great idea though for a very easy week of evening meals.

7. Save coupons for those convenience things at the grocery store. They have entire entrees and dinners either fresh or frozen. Sometimes they are rather pricy but with the coupons they are good to have on hand for an evening when everyone is running in different directions and time is of the essence.

8. It’s O.K. to eat out from time to time. Clip coupons for these occasions and if you have kids keep a look-out for the places that have special prices for children. Some of the fast-food restaurants are trying to offer item choices that are a little more healthy.

9. Many larger cities have businesses that prepare food for the evening meal. They seem expensive at first but are so convenient and available for one person or entire families. There are many menu choices and meals cooked for special diets. When you calculate the groceries you buy and the times you eat out each week, this may work for you.

10. Combine several of the above ideas into a plan that is best for you.

It is possible with a little planning to cook meals that are quick and easy without spending hours in the kitchen every day.

Quick Meal Planning

As every mom no doubt knows, life is hectic! Whether you work out of the home, in the home, or look after your children full-time, a mother's job is definitely straining and stressful. Mothers have to keep their home clean, do laundry, mend scraped knees, chauffer the kids to school and activities, help with homework, and on top of all that, they still have to figure out the answer to that eternal question - what's for dinner?

For all the moms out there, looking for a way to take some of the hassle out of family meals, there are a few tips that you have to know.First of all, choose a quiet time once a week when you have enough time to sit down and prepare your menu for the week ahead. If possible, schedule this time on your calendar for every week at the same time. Planning ahead takes a lot of hassle out of trying to decide what's for dinner each night.

Look through your cupboards, fridge, and freezer. Make a mental note of all of the food you already have in there. If you're not one that can remember such things, think about taking a written (or printed) inventory. Then, as you use things, you can add them to your next grocery list!

As you think of menu ideas and plan your grocery list, you should start with the food you'll need for dinner. You should plan your next week's dinner around the food that you already have. For example, if you have pasta, all you have to do is add a pasta sauce and ground beef to your list and there you go - spaghetti with meatballs.

Plan as many dinner ideas as you possibly can around what's already available in your kitchen. Once you've run out of meal plans, then you can start planning new meals from scratch.
Got dinner taken care of? Good. Now move on to breakfast. In many houses, this is fairly easy. Children like to eat things like toast and peanut butter, hot or cold cereal and fruit in the morning.

With breakfast sorted, move on to planning lunch. If you have older kids who prefer to eat the school lunch, you don't really have much that you have to worry about. If you have small children who are still at home, many times, they can actually be satisfied with leftovers from the night before!

To top off your grocery list, add all of the snacks, fruit, milk, juice, and various other little extra items that always seem to be in need.
Keep your weekly food shopping at exactly that - just once a week! Plan your weekly meals - all of them - and do just one shopping trip. It saves you a lot of time and money as you don't have to keep going back and forth to the grocery store, and you're less likely to buy impulse items.

Save yourself some time on food preparation too! Stick your weekly menu on your refrigerator so that all you have to do is glance at it to know what meat needs to be set out to thaw, or what ingredients need to be put in the slow cooker. This helps a lot as you can make a mental note of how much time you'll need to prepare dinner.

If you take the time to plan things out, you'll actually save more time than you lose in the planning and you'll definitely save money. It really does pay to plan ahead and be prepared!

With little thought and a bit of planning, you're well on your way to almost completely hassle-free meals. If only you could get your children to eat their vegetables!