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- SALAD RECIPES
- SIDES & MAIN FARES
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- ONE-POT WONDER RECIPES
- STEWS, CASSEROLES, GOULASH, SOUPS, ETC.
- Soups
- Beef
- Chicken
- Pork
- Lamb
- Fish & Seafood
- Vegetarian Main Fares
- Deserts
- MARINADES & GRILLING SAUCES
- Beef
- Chicken
- Pork
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- Most meats may be seasoned before, during or after cooking. For roasted meat or poultry, rub their surface with seasoning before cooking. Poultry absorbs flavors better if the seasoning is rubbed directly into the flesh, rather than the skin.
- Season soups, stews and sauces during cooking, but wait until the last 20-30 minutes to add the seasonings (prolonged cooking in liquid can lessen the flavor).
- Briefly toast whole spices in a skillet to release more of their flavors. Don't have a mortar and pestle to grind your whole spices? I don't either, I use a wide pair of combination plyers.
- Depending on the intensity of the herb, use about four times more fresh herbs than a recipe's dried measure.
- WHITE SUGAR: with Agave Nectar (low GI - yet 75% sweter than sugar); Amasake (from rice); Barley Malt Powder (adds depth to baked goods); Brown Rice Syrup; date Sugar (brwon sugar substitute);Honey (1/2 cup honey to 1 cup sugar) or Concentrated Fruit Juices or Pectin or Grade B Maple Syrup (calcium, Potassium & enzymes); Molasses (calcium & iron); Xyltol (naturally produced sugar alcohol, 40% fewer calories than sugar). The herb, stevia (S. rebaudiana) is many times sweeter than sugar without adding calories, used for centuries in South America and now prominent in Japan.
- BUTTER & MARGARINE: with Non-Hydrogenated, Expeller-Pressed Oil sticks or Butter Buds or Canola Oil (one stick of butter, which is a half cup, use 1/3 cup of oil).
- CORNSTARCH-MODIFIED (for thickening): with Arrowroot (high in calcium and quite easy to digest) or Instant Tapioca or Agar-Agar. Chemically altered to be a cohesive glue-like agent, modified starch is hard to digest.
- WHITE FLOUR: with 100% Whole Grain Flour (use 20% more moisture/liquid and 10% less oil &/or butter due to bran content).
- GELATIN: Gelatin is made from animal bones (mostly from cows and pigs) - along with animal skin, hooves, tendons, ligaments, and cartilage - all boiled together resulting in a goo that's added to all kinds of candy and baked goods. Replace with Kosher (vegan) Gelatin or Agar-Agar or Carrageenan (both derived from red seaweed and alga) or Pectin (an undigestible carbohydrate (fiber) found in the cell walls of most fruit).
- Replace wheat pasta with, rice-pasta, quinoa/corn blend, mung noodles (aka cellophane noodles).
- Best Flour Mix: 2 PARTS white rice flour; 2/3 PART potato starch flour; 1/3 PART tapioca flour. Options: try white or brown rice flours.
*2 gal stock pot, *1 gal sauce pan, *1 large sautee pan, *8-inch non-stick fry pan (especially for egg dishes), *Dutch Oven or Crock Pot
cinnamon, chili powder, cumin, curry powder, ginger, oregano, paprka or cayenne pepper, rosemary, thyme, sea salt
Many of these are either acquired tastes, not used too often, or expensive: allspice, cilantro, cloves (acquired), corriander, dill, dry mustard (can use mustard in jars), nutmeg (mostly in baking), peppercorn, turmeric (very healthy & versatile), sesame seeds, star anise (licorice flavor)
green and/or red curry paste, bean paste, cardamom, coconut milk, dukkah.
Fish Sauce ~ 1 part soy sauce + garlic + ½ ts br sugar + 4 parts anchovies + 6 parts water.
Sweet & Sour Sauce ~ ¼ c white or rice vinegar, 4 tb br sugar or rice syrup, 1 tb ketchup, 2 ts soy sauce, 2 tb mustard, 1 tb pineapple or orange juice, 1 tb cornstarch or arrowroot.
Thai Peanut Sauce ~ 1 cup peanut butter, ½ c brewed black tea, 2 tb orange concentrate, 3 tb sesame oil, 3 tb honey or molasses, 2 tb soy sauce, 2 tb rice or white vinegar, 1 tb ginger, 1 tb garlic.
Most chefs don't use enough water when cooking pasta. For 1 lb pasta use 1 gallon of water. DON'T ADD OLIVE OIL to the WATER. Coating pasta with oil inhibits it from absorbing your sauce.
Leftover pasta should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge separately from the sauce. DON'T RECOOK the pasta - simply reheat under hot tap water and then add reheated sauce.
Zippered plastic bags are great for mess-free marinating.
Salt is usually omitted from a marinade because it tends to draw out the juices of uncooked meat and seafood. For best results, add salt after the food has been grilled.
Always marinate food in a nonmetal container. Acidic marinades can react with some metals, imparting an off-flavor taste to the food.
Content
OVERVIEW
Forget extravagant exotic recipes from tv or recipe books that you'll never prepare. Quick, nutritious, and delicious meals do not have to be intimidating and expensive endeavors. A little knowledge on preparing the main fare i.e., core food, mixed with a helping of improvisation using seasonings and complimentary side dishes, is worth more than a closet full of fancy cookbooks with hundreds of elaborate recipes you'll never try.
"When baking, follow directions. When cooking, go by your own taste." ~ Laiko Bahrs
Matching the right combination of seasonings with food, in the right proportions, makes meals realy enjoyable. Sauces and spices should compliment the main fare - not overwhelm it.
Most cultures' recipes share many of the same core ingredients. It's the spices and herbs, for the most part, that sets various cuisines apart. They can always be altered to suit an individual's particular taste. We provide some time-tested seasoning combinations from from all over the world. Have fun - experiment - innovate!
Food has been boiled since prehistoric times. It has always been a means for nutritious food from whatever the hunt brought back. It was a convenient way of cooking for the rural poor with limited resources. Then it became a culinary art form. Every geographic region has distinct one-pot meals, such as jambalaya (Lousiana Creole), goulash (Hungarian), bouillabaise (Marseille), Brunswick stew, burgoo (Kentucky), nikujaga (Japanese), and ratatouille (French).
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Cuts of Beef and Cooking Methods
Meat is basically muscle, and depending on what part of the animal it comes from, it will cook and taste differently. A chef's first decision in preparing a menu is to either match the cooking method with the cut of meat or vice versa. Certain cuts of meat lend themsleves to certain cooking methods such as slow, wet cooking like stewing, braising or pot-roasting; or dry-heat methods like grilling, broiling, and pan-frying.
A basic rule of thumb for choosing lean cuts are the lables 'round' and 'loin.' USDA 'select' the least amount of marbling; with 'choice' being the next leanest grade. For more Information on Beef Cuts
Basic Beef Stew, Beef & Aple Cider, Beef & Raisins, Irish & German Beer Stew, French Daube de Beef, Hungarian Goulash, Cheesy Mac Chili, Beef Stroganoff
Best Marinades & Grilling Sauces
Red Wine Marinade, Mushroom sauce, Kansas City BBQ Sauce, Smokey BBQ Sauce, Southwest BBQ Sauce, Teriyaki BBQ Sauce, Hawaiian BBQ Sauce, Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce, Spicy-Sweet Thai Peanut Sauce, Italian Meatball or Meatloaf.
Chicken w/ Walnuts, Chicken w/ Wine & Mushroms.
Best Marinades & Grilling Sauces
Apple & Thyme Chicken, Chicken Breasts w/ Goat Cheese, Chicken a la Orange, Curried Chicken, Indian Chicken, Indian Chicken Tandori, Lemon Chicken, Mexico City Chicken, Thai Lime & Coconut, Whiskey Chicken, Apricot-Glaze BBQ, Asian BBQ, Kansas City BBQ, Smokey BBQ, Southwest BBQ.
Basque Pork & Beans, Hotchpotch, Pork & Sausage Bake, Mediterranean Country Pork & Onions, Spanish Cocido
Best Marinades & Grilling Sauces
Apple & Plum Glaze, Apricot-Glaze BBQ, Asian BBQ, Basil Lemon Marinade, Sweet & Sour Pork w/ Cherries or Raspberries, Pork Medallions with Spicy Peanut Sauce, Kansas City BBQ, Smokey BBQ, Southwest BBQ, Teryaki Pork.
Five-Spice Lamb, Hotchpotch, Indian Lamb Biryani, Moroccan Lamb Stew, Thai Lamb w/ Coconut, Turkish Lamb Stew
Best BBQ
It's all in the spices and marinades!
Fish in Your Diet
Fish and seafood have documented health benefits. However, despite growing popularity and positive health claims, most fish is still eaten out. Many cooks are reluctant to try cooking fish at home. They are unsure about how to buy the right kind and cook it properly.
Like beef, certain types of fish lend themselves to certain cooking methods and seasoning combinations. Because fish cuts tend to be more delicate in texture and sizes, they do require a bit more attention in the kitchen. Over-cooking is more of a concern with fish than with other meats. We'll ameliorate your anxiety about cooking fish.
Asian Ginger Salmon, Baked Pecan-Crusted Salmon with Sorrel Sauce, Grilled Salmon w/ Tarragon & Lemon, Pineapple & Hawaiian Salmon, Red Wine Sauce, Sweet & Spicy Salmon, Salmon with Dill Sauce.
"In Mexico we have a word for sushi: bait." ~ José Simons
There's nothing like a good grilled cheese sandwich, either by itself or complimenting a soup. The same is true for the more sophisti- cated open-face bruschetta! The key for both sandwiches is to choose good quality bread. And for the grilled cheese, for GOODNESS' SAKE, choose quality, hand-crafted cheeses. Forgo the bland junk you find in plastic pouches hung up in the deli section.
Another important cooking consideration is to know some ingredients to restrict or avoid all together. Some common recipe ingredients either do not contribute quality vitamins or minerals, or worse, are detrimental to your health. Consider replacing:
Full Coverage of potentially harmful Ingredients to Avoid
Gluten is a protein complex created when water is kneaded with wheat flour, forming the elastic framework of dough. Gluten is found in small quantities in rye, barley, and spelt. Oats do not contain gluten, but cross-contamination can occur in processing. Rice and maize do not contain gluten. Gluten and wheat-products are common ingredients in many prepared foods such as processed cheeses, lunch meats, salad dressings, soy sauces, canned soups, candies, and beer; and anything with L-glutamic acid (a synthetic product identical to the processed free glutamic acid (MSG) found in the food additive called MSG); hydrolyzed vegetable protein; gelatinized and modified food starch; vegetable gum; and natural flavoring.
Wheat allergy refers specifically to adverse reactions involving immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies to one or more protein fractions of wheat, including albumin, globulin, gliadin and glutenin (gluten).
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