Thursday 22 January 2009

Simple Recipes Your Family Will Love

By : Christine Steendahl
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Looking for simple and easy to prepare recipes that not only taste awesome but give the perception that you spent a lot of thought and effort creating the dish? Here are numouers dishes that are very easy, but extremely delicious.

Oriental Stir Fry
One of the simplest recipes that are incredibly satisfying is Oriental stir fry. You can make an Oriental stir fry with chicken, pork, beef or without any meat. Using one simple frying pan or wok, a variety of vegetables (fresh, canned or frozen), some stir fry sauces and a side of rice- you’ve got a great supper.

Oriental Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients:
1 pound of chicken breast (cut into cubes or strips)
2 cans of oriental style vegetables (usually includes water chestnuts, green beans, broccoli, baby corn, carrots, etc)
4 to 8 ounces of stir fry sauce (sweet or salty your choice)
4 servings of rice
Olive Oil

Directions:
Cook boil in bag rice on the side as directed. In an oiled frying pan or wok add cut chicken, cook moderately and then mix in vegetables. Stir frequently with a wooden spoon adding a few spoonfuls of sauce every few minutes. Stir fry for about 10 minutes or until cooked completely through. Serve on a bed of rice.


Maple Ham Steak
Ham steak is incredibly easy to make and for many families an awesome meal. You can buy individually cut ham steaks sold in many grocery stores. Or if you prefer, you can buy a big ham and slice it into ½ to ¾ inch thick steaks.

Ingredients:
4 Ham Steaks
4 ounces of brown sugar
8 ounces of maple syrup
4 Yams (sweet potatoes (fresh or canned)

Directions:
Rub 1 ounce of brown sugar into the ham and set it in an oven for about 25 to 30 minutes at 400 to 425 degrees F. (or as directed). A few minutes before the ham steak is complete, you can drizzle some maple syrup on top of the ham steak or cautiously warm the syrup in a microwave and serve as desired. Ham steaks go great with yams (sweet potatoes). You can cook them in an oven with your ham steak, starting them about 15 minutes before you begin cooking the ham.
BLT Sandwich
One of my family favorites is the BLT sandwich. While bacon is perhaps not the healthiest food available, you can choose to swap good old fashioned bacon with turkey bacon or even chicken bacon. These products aren’t as bad as they sound and actually quite flavorful.

Since the BLT sandwich is very easy and only includes bacon, lettuce, tomato, bread and mayo, make sure you buy only top quality ingredients including nice thick bread and fresh lettuce and tomatoes.

Ingredients:
1 Loaf of White or Rye Bread
1 head of lettuce
4 beefsteak tomatoes
1 pound of bacon

Directions:
On a griddle cook one pound of bacon. Pat dry removing any excess grease. Now add mayo to two pieces of bread and then top with a sliced tomato and some lettuce. Garnish with a pickle, some olives and some pretzels or chips.

Enjoy!
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Friday 1 August 2008

Cooking Recipe

Salmon Recipes: Valuable Source Of Omega-3 And The Ultimate Gastronomical Delight! by Betty Mouat


Salmon Recipes have emerged as a hot favorite among countless fish-food lovers across the globe. If you are looking to include some flavorsome dishes in your diet but dont want to gain weight, salmon recipes are definitely the best option!

Salmon recipes are amazingly tasty and high in nutritional levels. Salmon recipes are rich in protein and contain the essential fats, or rather, the good fats. Surprisingly, a certain amount of salmon can fulfill your entire days Vitamin D requirement. In fact, salmon is rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, which are the real players behind the high nutritional-value present in this delectable food-item.

Salmon can be cooked in a number of ways. A salmon recipe can be grilled or prepared in various methods. However, a salmon recipe tastes best if cooked with fresh salmon. Fresh salmon can be identified by their clear eyes and clean red or pink gills. Salmon recipes can be prepared with farmed salmon and canned salmon as well.

Salmon recipes offer the most striking variety when compared to other fish. Some of the most popular salmon recipes are discussed in this article. Sockeye Red Salmon is one of the most popular choices from the Salmon family when it comes to preparing delicious and healthy salmon recipes. The chief ingredients of one particular dish are sockeye salmon fillets; some special pre-made sauces such as Yoshidas Gourmet Sauce, a zip lock bag (large), aluminum foil and a small wire grill. Marinate the fish, cook on the grill and then wrap in the aluminum foil when you serve.

Salmon Dip is another popular salmon recipe. It is prepared with some sour cream, a little butter, 1 tablespoon parsley (chopped), 2 tablespoon pepper, 1 can salmon skinned and bones-removed, grated onions and some dried dill weed. Put all the ingredients together, leaving the fish, and mix with an electric mixer to make a smooth paste. Then, put in the salmon and dill. Next, cover up this salmon recipe and refrigerate until you serve.

An interesting aspect of salmon recipes is that since the preparation of the dish involves an oily fish, most recipes include a variety of sauces, rub and marinades. Moreover, at times salmon recipes are covered with pesto or are served with limejuice toppings as well. Dill is the most common herb consumed along with salmon, together with several vegetables and mushrooms.

One delicious salmon recipe with dill as the primary ingredient is the Grilled Dilled Salmon recipe. The ingredients of this recipe are Salmon fillets, sweetener or brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, a bunch of fresh dill, vegetable oil, pepper, olive oil and salt to taste. Put some sweetener on the salmon, followed by adequate amount of salt and vinegar. Then put enough olive oil on the chopped dill with some added salt and black pepper. Toss the entire preparation and wrap the fish with the dill, marinate it for at least half an hour; you can even keep it overnight. Heat the grill and oil it well. With the skin side down, put the salmon on the grill. Cook it till it turns opaque or obtains the shape you require. Make sure the fish is cooked properly. Interestingly, this particular salmon recipe contains about only 1-gram of carbohydrate, with essentials proteins, fiber, and calories in it.

Another special salmon recipe for all lovers of baked-food is Oven Baked Salmon with Herbs. In this dish, the chief ingredients are salmon filet, some fresh herbs, a bit of pepper, 1-tablespoon oil, and some salt. Remove all the bones from the fish and season it with some oil on both sides. Get the herb finely chopped and mix it with some salt and pepper. Heat the oven to 200 F and put the fish on it. Remember to smear some oil on the platter too. Bake it for almost 45 minutes and then serve with homemade sauces. This salmon recipe brings you the essential amount of protein and calories with practically no carbs.

Now, since salmon is rich in Omega-3 fats and is affirmed as a nutritious food, salmon recipes surely have great value! Salmon also contains B12, niacin, and selenium and is high on B6 and magnesium. On the other hand, calcium content is rich in canned salmon. Moreover, intake of salmon recipes helps to bring down inflammation, which again helps you to prevent certain serious diseases such as diabetes, heart-diseases, arthritis and many types of cancer. Additionally, the Omega-3 fats present in the fish assists in avoiding strokes, preventing blood-clots and bring down aggression and depression.

So, are you ready to feast on mouthwatering salmon recipes and lead a healthier life?

About the Author

SalmonRecipes.net is an online collection of over 700 delicious salmon recipes provided by some of the worlds top chefs.

Tuesday 3 June 2008

Cooking Recipe

Meal Planning Saves Time And Money by Toni Scott

What's for dinner? It's the first thing I hear when my kids get home from school. On a bad day, I don't have a clue. I've forgotten to take the meat out of the freezer to thaw or I didn't have anything particular in mind for weeknight dinners when I bought groceries that week.

Things are much easier when I take the time to make a plan. The best way I've found is to make a "menu calendar." I start by asking my family what they'd like to eat that week.

Inevitably the 9 year-old pipes up, "I want spaghetti!" The teenager always wants Fettuccini Alfredo, and my husband normally doesn't care (as long as there's meat involved!). Honestly, my kids would be thrilled if we had pasta every day, but personally, I'd like a little more variety.

I start with a list of my family's favorite meats, poultry and seafood (ground beef, chicken breasts, pork chops, and shrimp, for example). Then I match each to a favorite recipe, making sure the recipe isn't too time consuming (remember, these are mainly weeknight meals). A typical list may look like this:

Spaghetti and Meatballs Grilled Chicken Breasts Italian Meatloaf Pork Chops Veracruz Shrimp and Veggie Stirfry

Then, to round things out, I add in favorite side dishes and/or accompaniments that are easy, quick, and "mostly" healthy. Fresh veggies are great when they're in season, but good quality frozen veggies can taste just as good.

Spaghetti and Meatballs Garlic Bread Mixed Salad

Grilled Chicken Breasts Grilled Zucchini Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

Italian Meatloaf Mashed Potatoes Green Beans

Pork Chops Veracruz Brown Rice Glazed Carrots

Shrimp and Veggie Stirfry (It's all there--a one dish meal!)

I assign each meal to a day of the week. This can be handwritten or typewritten and attached to the fridge with magnets, or penciled in on a family calendar in the kitchen. Just make sure it's in a place where everyone in the family can see "What's for Dinner!"

Then I take a quick inventory of my fridge, pantry, and freezer, and add all of the ingredients that I don't have on hand to my grocery list.

Remember, you can adjust the meal calendar to the number of days you cook each week. Sometimes I only have time to cook three days a week, especially during the school year when the kids have lots of after-school activities. My kids love to see a "Take Out" or "Eat Out" day on the meal calendar.

This may seem like a time-consuming process, but I promise, once you get the hang of it you'll be able to knock all of this out in about 15 minutes. And you won't believe the time and stress it will save you in the long-run.

No more last minute trips to the grocery store because you don't have the ingredients on hand for a meal.

Less wilted and ruined produce in the vegetable bin that you didn't get around to cooking. Besides, you only have to do this twice a month. Crank out two weekly menu calendars and alternate them within a month.

About the Author

Toni Tanner-Scott, Personal Chef and Cooking Coach. http://www.DinnerMadeSimple.com

Monday 28 April 2008

Cooking Recipe

Healthy Cooking Can Be Really Fun by ndesigns

Cooking is the act of making food for eating, and it consists of a wide range of techniques and methods; mish mashing of different ingredients which adds flavor or digestibility to the food and some other tools as well.

Or else it can be said that cooking is the process of blending of ingredients, measuring and selecting of ingredients in order to get the desired results. Cooking can add taste to any and almost every type of eatable food items.

There are some of the best ways that are mainly used to cook food which are roasting, frying, baking, boiling, steaming, micro waving and many more at the same time preserving all the nutrients of the food like proteins, fat, liquids, and carbohydrates.

However, healthy cooking can be really a fun filled activity but can be annoying too for the working people but there is nothing to panic about, as there are some easy, fast and simple ways to cook food while maintaining all the health benefits simultaneously.

In any case it should be kept in mind the type of food you are cooking and eating, as you can be surprised from the fact that eating more than a normal portion at meal intervals, could actually cause unwanted weight gain and other related health problems.

To divest this problem try to cut down the amount of food you eat, regardless of the type of food it is to minimize the intake of unwanted fats and calories. However, while cooking the food always remember the way you cook the food, whether you grill it or fry it make sure which kind of fats and oils you use to cook.

If possible always try to avoid use of oils and high calorie fats for cooking as these are certainly unhealthy ingredients and may give room to some unnecessary problems. Especially, if you are cooking meat, always try to roast or grill it rather than frying, and if you have to fry it, than cook it with a very small quantity of sunflower oil, or some other low calorie oils which are available in the market.

Alternatively, in place of oil a little bit of low fat margarine can be used which is a healthy option for cooking. Apart the types of oils you use to cook food, make sure the vegetables and the other ingredients should be fresh and are not preserved from long as it may spoil the taste and the freshness of the food plus can be sometimes really very harmful and difficult to digest.

In addition to the dos and don'ts of cooking, and if cooking alone bores you, other family members as well can partake in cooking. As cooking not always involve using stove or oven, preparing sauces, sandwiches, and salads are also a part of cooking and making simple healthy snacks are a great way to cook with kids.

And kids will really enjoy eating these items not just because of their taste because they too had a hand in cooking it. On the other hand cooking can teach all about the ingredients, the proper nutrition, and eating in moderate quantity.

About the Author

www.cookingonsite.org

Cooking tips and recipe from around the world As long as cooking and eating is very important to everyone. Let's visit our website to find variety of recipe from all around the world. Enjoy the taste of food as well as cooking tips which you can apply to your cooking.

Monday 10 March 2008

Cooking Recipe

Beef Five ways for Five Days by Pam Cole

To really simplify a week of cooking, I like to crock pot a large amount of meat and then prepare it five different ways throughout the week. For beef dishes, I like to use stew beef since it's already cut up. Even if it isn't the best cut of meat, it doesn't matter because it will be slow cooked to tender perfection.

For the crock pot beef, create as follows: 5 lbs. stew beef 4 (14 oz) cans beef broth 2 (4 oz) cans chopped green chilis Combine all ingredients in crock and stir.

Cook on high 6-8 hours. Crock pot tip: If you won't be looking at the crock for more than 8 hours, just add another can of water. Meat will be even better the longer you cook it - you just don't want the liquid to run down.

Monday's shredded beef over rice
Serves 4, Cook time: 3 minutes, Prep time: 2 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb. cooked beef mixture (approximately 1/5th of the meat mixture)
2 packages of uncle bens 90 second rice
Reheat beef mixture on the stove top while microwaving the rice for approximately 3 minutes. (90 seconds each rice and then some for the beef.

Tuesday's shredded beef chili
Serves 4, Cook time: 5 minutes, Prep time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb. cooked shredded beef mixture (1/4 of the remaining mixture from Monday)
1 can (16 oz) kidney beans
1 can (16 oz.) pinto beans
1 can (16 oz.) corn
1 can (24 oz.) crushed tomatoes
1 envelope ranch dressing mix
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
Rinse beans thoroughly. Drain beans and corn. Combine all ingredients and cook on the stovetop. Stir constantly and serve once heated through.

Wednesday's beef and cheese casserole
Serves 4 Cook time: 15 minutes, Prep time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb. cooked shredded beef mixture (1/3 of the remaining mixture from Monday)
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1/2 small onion chopped and browned
1 small can black olives
1 cup sour cream
1 cup cottage cheese
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 (8 oz.) package Doritos or other taco flavored chips
Combine beef, cooked onion, black olives and tomato sauce (A). Combine sour cream and cottage cheese(B). Layer A then B, then cheddar cheese and chips two times. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes.

Thursday's faux shepherd's pie
Serves 4 Cook time: 30 minutes, Prep time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb. cooked shredded beef mixture (1/2 of the remaining mixture from Monday)
1 package refrigerated mashed potatoes (I use Bob Evans)
2 jars beef gravy (I like Boston Market)
1 envelope onion soup mix
Combine beef, gravy and onion soup mix. Spread into a baking pan. Cover with the potatoes. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Optional alternative: only 1 jar of gravy

Friday's beef barley soup
Serves 4 Cook time: 15 minutes Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb. cooked shredded beef mixture (the remainder from Monday!)
1 (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes with basil (if possible)
10 cups water
2 cups of chopped cooked celery, onions and/or shredded carrots
6 beef bouillon cubes
½ cup quick-cooking barley
2 T. dry mustard
2T. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. dried basil

Combine all ingredients except barley in large pot on stove top. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add barley. Reduce heat to medium low and cook until barley is cooked through (about 10 minutes).

As with all soups, keeping it on low and cooking longer improves the flavor so do that if you have the time. Time saving tip: Buy the shredded carrots. They are much easier to add to soups and look great on salads.

Even the leftover hater in the family will be delighted with this assortment of meals that seem like you cooked for hours. Ciao and enjoy!

About the Author

Pam is the owner of www.pams-hams.com and mother of two kids, two cats, and a Samoyed. She is recently retired from a specialty meat company to spend more time with those listed above. She likes entertaining and cooking but really enjoys finding clever new ways to make a recipe easier or better. Call it a creative outlet!

Tuesday 19 February 2008

Healthy Chicken Recipes

Healthy Chicken Recipes by A.Roddy


Losing weight doesn't have to mean eating tasteless foods. It is a matter of choosing the right recipes. Chicken recipes make excellent choices because they are lower in fat. You also get the benefit of protein. Here are a few delicious, healthy chicken recipes to try.

Chicken Enchiladas

1 lb. cooked and shredded chicken breast 4 sliced green onions 2 tbsp chopped cilantro 1 minced jalapeno 3 cans green enchilada sauce 8 corn tortillas 1 c reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese ½ c salsa ½ c light sour cream 1 diced tomato ¼ c sliced black olives

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9" x 13" baking dish with cooking spray. Lightly coat a large skillet with cooking spray and place over a medium-high heat. Add green onion, cilantro, and jalapeno. Sauté for 2 min.

Add chicken and 1 can of enchilada sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally until heated through - about 5 minutes. Pour the other 2 cans of enchilada sauce in a medium bowl and microwave until warm - about 2 minutes. Dip each tortilla in the heated sauce and fill with 1/8 of the chicken mixture. Roll up and place seam-side down in the baking dish Pour remaining heated sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake until heated through and cheese is melted - about 15 minutes. Divide lettuce onto four plates and place a portion of enchiladas on top. Top with a spoonful of salsa and a dollop of sour cream, tomatoes, and olives.


Chicken Noodle Soup

2 tbsp. olive oil 1 chopped onion 4 carrots peeled and chopped 4 chopped celery stalks 4 bay leaves ½ tsp ground black pepper 12 c fat-free chicken broth 2 c water 2 lb. chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces 1 lb. whole wheat or no yolk noodles 2 tbsp chopped dill

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté for about 4 min.Add carrots, celery, bay leaves, black pepper, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil over high heat Add chicken and bring back to coil Add noodles and simmer until tender - about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low.Remove bay leaves and stir in parsley and dill Chicken Fried Rice With Veggies

2 cups of cooked brown rice 1 16oz bag of mixed veggies (any kind) 1 pack of chicken breast cut up 3 table spoons soy sauce 2 eggs (1 whole, 1 egg white beaten) Cooking spray

Cook brown rice according to package and set aside. Cook cut up chicken breast until done and set aside. Cook beaten eggs (scrambled style) and set aside. Cook mixed veggies according to package. Spray large skillet with cooking spray, add chicken, eggs, and veggies. Stir and cook until heated through well. Add the 3 tablespoons of soy sauce (or according to taste to mixture in skillet. Cook for about 10 minutes to make sure it is heated through.


About the Author

For information on healthy living, recipes, and more visit http://live-healthy-lifestyle.com