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hangryandlazy · 3 years ago

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africa jul 19

wow lol it’s taken me 2 years to actually put this post together. a LOT has changed since then and it makes me immensely happy to recognize how lucky we were that we’d had 2 insane years of travelling right before the pandemic hit. but this post is not to dwell on that, so let’s get on with it!!

this was our amazing 2019 africa trip~

jun 30, 19 ••• we make our way from hong kong to the netherlands on klm airlines. i distinctly remember how impressed i was with the quality of service and the comfort of the 12ish hour flight. after around 16 hours of commute, we just want to stay in and chill, so we order room service and call it a night early. i recall wearing a fun t-shirt that read, “not to be rude, but shut the fuck up” which i personally find hilarious and endearing, but which made the guy at the front desk quite uncomfortable. lollll oops!

vimeo

jul 1, 19 ••• yay! we had a full day alone in amsterdam. we (i) decided to walk from the hotel to the town center, because it’s fun experience new cities by exploring them on foot!! why not? you come across many things that you just couldn’t have planned to find.

look how beautiful the canals in amsterdam are! anywhere you turn, it’s picturesque.

we had lunch at wagamama because i saw that the avant garde vegan, gaz oakley, had done a collaboration with them at some point, so there are some guaranteed vegan options. we then walk around the bloemenmarkt and find our way to the cannabis college, which had 2 verdampers for rent! yesssss! i was so happy.

we explored and walked around more, then stopped by a coffee shop to smoke a bit more. there was a lovely vegan cafe right next door, which i’d been eyeing when we went in to smoke, so we had a top up on coffee and matcha there. we saw a cute frenchie across the road and missed the dogs so...

vimeo

we had dinner at this place called cafe frijdag (which means Friday!) which was delicious! so happy that amsterdam had vegan options for me

jul 2, 19 ••• we got up bright and early to meet my parents for breakfast and we go to the airport to catch our flight to kigali. about 10 hours later, we were buying sim cards at the kigali airport. we then checked in to the radisson for the night, and it was feeling very surreal to be in africa. i remember feeling anxious.

jul 3, 19 ••• today started on a somber note. we went to the kigali genocide memorial. i cried a lot, especially at the exhibit with the photographs of only a fraction of the victims during that time.

then we drove at turtle speed to our next hotel, which was a loooong long way away. we arrived at the lake kivu serena hotel in time for a very late lunch. the cuisine here consists of rice, tortilla-like wraps and papadum-esque crispy rolls.

this fruit tastes disgusting... it looks like a tomato but isn’t sweet at all. i only remember spitting it out, trying another piece from another plate, and still hating it.

vimeo

thankfully everyone wanted to relax and take it easy, so we ordered in for dinner and spent the rest of the night chilling.

jul 4, 19 ••• we drove out to see the border between rwanda and the democratic republic of congo. we were told to be very careful about taking photos of the police officers there, so we were. it felt strange to take photos of the border, i’m clearly very ignorant of the relations and history. it was a very busy juncture, with a sea of people crossing this way and that, lots of cars bumbling about and a lot of fruit, as i recall. hahah.

we then drove out to see a makeshift hot spring. we were asked if we wanted to take a dip, but none of us wanted to..... felt bad saying no, but really not worth it, sorry.

vimeo

https://vimeo.com/568059672 (okay, i’m unable to embed more videos so links will have to do until i figure out something better...)

we took a boat ride along the lake, but there wasn’t that much to see around there, it was pretty dirty and murky... reminded me of the hong kong harbor, with trash floating around. it was also freezing, so i wasn’t having any fun at all.

we went to the gym and worked out a little bit because there was a lot of time to kill in between returning to hotel and our private pre-planned bbq dinner on the beach. we were lucky enough to enjoy traditional rwandan dancing which was absolutely gorgeous.

jul 5, 19 ••• we spent most of our morning in the car, having crossed the border to the republic of uganda. we stopped by a cute cafe along the way for lunch, but it was a grueling 4-5 hour car ride to mahogany springs, which was our hotel for the gorilla trekking. we managed to arrive around 715pm, by which time it was pretty dark and scary outside. the other car had broken down twice, once in the dark as well, so spirits were low and there was a lot of muttering and grumbling done under people’s breath. everyone was ravenous by the time dinner was served, but despite how late it was, it was absolutely delicious and i was happy! (also grateful for our car not having broken down)

jul 6, 19 ••• we woke up VERY early in anticipation of gorilla trekking. we waited around the hotel lobby after some coffee and biscuits for breakfast. it was an awful lot of waiting, but i didn’t sense anything wrong until i saw how pissed off our tour guide looked. it turns out our permits had gotten stolen! probably bribes.

here we were mucking around, still anticipating gorilla trekking.

we didn’t let it slow us down though. i actually am grateful for how things turned out because we wouldn’t have gotten to experience uganda like that without this turn of events. we joined a community tour that showed us how tea is harvested, how coffee is grown, harvested and round, as well as how bananas may be used to make juice, beer and gin! very cool

african tea leaves

jackfruit??

these are flowers from the coffee tree

the different stages of the coffee plant

this is henry, he owns this coffee plantation. here, henry shows us how to the use this contraption, the purpose of which is to grind coffee beans into powder

here henry is, sifting the coffee powder

here are my parents, having the time of their life (lol at my dad)

fresh bananas

these are the different stages of a banana’s life: from raw to ripe to fermenting. it can be made into juice and liquor.

we then visited a local school, where we were entertained by kids from kindergarten to 6th grade. we learned about their mission and goals to educate the younger generations by providing classrooms and a dining hall and even dorms for boarding. the singing and dancing was BRILLIANT. loved every single second of it. wish i’d joined in and not cared about what anyone thought.

we stopped by a women’s community center and saw a lot of cool crafts and art. that was on the way to the batwa pgymy tribe. we learned how they integrated with the batwa community. they showed us some dances they have dedicated to the gorillas, for which they are very grateful because it brings tourists in and therefore gives them an income. they showed us how to use a bow and arrow to hunt, and how they weave baskets and make handicrafts.

alan with the leader of the pgymy tribe

one of our guides spotted 2 chameleons, which was super impressive. he even brought the chameleon down close to us so that we could see it. i won’t ever understand how he was able to spot it in the wild, and from so far away as well.

we returned to the lodge and had lunch. the veggie stir fry was pretty dang good. it was served with posho, which is a maize bread, beans, and also matate (???) which reminded me a lot of plantain. back at the hotel, we chilled (without tv or wifi) until dinner. alan fell asleep, and i kept myself busy sorting out photos. dinner was early, and our night was early because we were promised gorilla trekking in the morning!

delicious!

jul 7, 19 ••• we were up and ready to leave by 7am. we were in the clear! we drove a little bit to the bwindi impenetrable national park for some entertainment (dancing and singing) from local students and a hilarious briefing on what to expect and do’s and don’ts of the trek.

we then had separate meetings within our trekking groups. ours was quite big, with 10 tourists, because michael and our guides had spent HOURS the day before handling our stolen permits. an exception was made to accommodate us all, so our group consisted of the starke’s, alan, kerstin, a couple from oregon, and an english family. we had to get in another car and drive a bit to the mountain, where we met our porters and then began our trek!

the hike up was difficult, and at times i legit feared for my life because the mud/rocks were loose and one wrong step would have had us tumbling down the edge of the mountain... and that was me at age 28!! cannot imagine how my parents were feeling...

alan with meddie

as we made our way to the gorilla family, we encountered a solo young male who was soooo friendly, he cut across our group, like right down the middle, and he even reached out and touched my mom on her jacket! it was wild that a gorilla was that close to us, and then he left as quickly as he had joined.

this is the photo my mom managed to take when the young gorilla male was right next to her

we kept on hiking and found a large. our guide, meddie, told us that we were lucky to have found such a large family doing a whole bunch of different activities: we saw mothers nursing their babies, babies swinging from the trees and playing with one another, sub adult males beating their chests and other members of the family eating and feeding. we even got to watch as a silverback gorilla pulled a very healthy poop out of its butt, and we ran into him snacking again later on.

on the way down, it started raining a little bit. we all slipped at one point or another, but it was especially dangerous for my dad so we all had to slow down our pace a little bit to match his speed. thank god he had a porter there to help him out and save him.

we returned to the same place as where we had started our morning for a debriefing, and we each received a certificate to show that we had been on this trek. we waited around a little bit for the other group to arrive, and were once again very grateful that our experience was much more pleasant. one lady in the other group had to leave the trek on a stretcher, and the others were caught in the rain on their way to the gorillas, so it must have been a cold and awful experience on their end.

us after the successful completion of our gorilla trek!!

we headed to a local inn nearby where we had a late lunch and could change into dry clothes. we then drove a bumpy 4 hours to mweya safari lodge, located inside queen elizabeth national park. we made a couple of stops along the way (one of which was in the middle of nowhere so that people could go pee out in the open where animals are potentially roaming around?!?!?) and when we finally arrived, it was already 830/9ish pm.... we insisted to order room service because we were pooped, and we got showered and hit the hay.

this cute sign was outside the lodge!

this super old school cash register was at the lodge too

jul 8, 19 ••• today started off with a game drive, early in the morning!

we drove around the gorgeous park and saw elephants, warthogs, antelope, eagles, all sorts of bird and butterflies, buffalo and weird-looking lemur or ferret creatures. we thought it was great, but some other members of the group were underwhelmed.

this is the view from the car we sat in for the safari

this gorgeous tree houses sooo many bird’s nests! do you see them?

cute antelope we saw on the tour

after lunch at the hotel, we went on a boat tour around the kazinga channel. i think it was called lake edward? we saw many animals again, including crocodile, elephants, buffalo, all sorts of birds, and hippos.

favorite photo of my parents ¨̮

we followed a few elephant cuties along the bank. it drizzled for a little bit in between.

dinner was delicious. it was a great buffet, although i was severely grossed out by the ants that joined us on the dining table.

there were so many animals on the grounds of the lodge. don’t be fooled by how cute these guys look, we saw them fight over raw meat at some point! we also saw a warthog stroll around.

jul 9, 19 ••• we were up bright and early today for a quick breakfast before heading right on out. on the way to entebbe, we stopped by a local motel for lunch. the service was SUPER slow (maybe because we had such a huge group together!) but it was delicious and worth the wait! i ordered a coleslaw and avocado vinaigrette (this was THE HUGEST AVOCADO i’ve ever seen in my life?!?!?), a veggie biryani and some of paul’s aloo matar. we then filed back into our cars for several more hours of “african massage” to the next destination. had an early night, i think we ordered room service to the hotel room and tried to get our butts to bed as early as possible because it was another EARLY day the morning after.

we stopped at the equator in uganda to take some photos, of course!

i was sooo happy to be able to order room service! we felt like we were finally back to civilization... 🥺 we had wifi and tv and hot water... ugh it was amazing

jul 10, 19 ••• my alarm was set for 4am this morning.... 🥲😅 we left the hotel at 5am for the airport and obviously i was tired and grumpy and just in a crappy mood overall hahahah. our first flight was barely 45 minutes.... to mbarara i’m guessing?? i was assigned a middle seat on my own originally but no one was in the aisle seat so i moved over woohoo! our first layover was 2-3 hours, not too bad. we hung around at the lounge area.

our second flight was to harare. alan and i managed to snag 2 joined seats towards the back end of the plane so that we could watch conan’s traevel shows on his ipad. there was a pretty scary drop when we were descending imto harare. i think we just stayed on the plane for about half an hour so some people could get on the plane and join.

we flew about 3 hours more to cape town, and we were EXCITED to arrive. it was a hell of a time checking in, and it was a nicer hotel in a nice area so we decided to just stay in and order room service again. we had a slow night and it was SOOOO needed. cape town felt a lot closer to the first world and we were enjoying and appreciating it to the max. we even started playing pokemon go and its harry potter-themed equivalent (oops forgot the name), but to be fair, we didn’t get cell phone service everywhere we went, so it would cut on and off.

jul 11, 19 ••• eek, cape town was COOOOLD! luckily i brought a jacket along, we really really needed to cover up and stay warm! got to sleep in a bit, we left by 830am to drive to the pebble beach by the water to take some gorgeous photos. we stopped by chapman’s peak for another photo op, then drove to boulders beach in simon’s town to see the penguins!! it was such a dream, loved every second of it.

i believe this was chapman’s peak??

what a model

this was at the pebble beach at the cape of good hope.

saw a cute ostrich on the way somewhere

next we went to cape point. we took the funicular to the top, then hiked up to the lighthouse. we took pots of great pics but omg it was EVEN MORE freezing there. we had lunch at the two oceans restaurant. fancy and delicious! the calamari was bomb, the arancini was alright, but the main of chickpea and mushrooms was delish. after lunch we headed right on back to the hotel.

when i said it was cold, i wasn’t joking... it was FREEZING at the top. i had a horrible time because i don’t do that well in the cold

alan and i walked over to woolworths to get water and makeup remover and snacks. on the way back we stopped by PLANT for dinner. i was sooo excited to try out their vegan fast food, so i ordered a lot of the menu. we got the quinoa salad, mac and cheez, seitan lasagna, schawarma, pot stickers, siu mai, spag bolognese, tiramisu, milk tart and a bunch of other random vegan snacks. i was in HEAVEN. even though some of the stuff was cold by the time we got back to the hotel and ate, it still tasted DELICIOUS. i was soooo impressed.

this was the lasagna. omfg i need an encore of this restaurant one day!!! wish i knew how to cook like this

jul 12, 19 ••• today we went to a wine blending workshop at grande provence winery. the first step was to blend 3 different mixtures. after tasting them all, we decided the last blend was the winner, with 40% zinfandel, 10% shiraz and 50% cabernet. so then we blended up a big bottle of it, corked it, thew on a hand-signed label, and then walked around the beautiful indoor and outdoor art galleries.

this was our group!

wine blending is literally mixing different wines together in different proportions and figuring out which you like the taste of the best

there was a lot of cute art at the winery! i loved all the dogs and greyhounds around the property. these 3 dancing pigs came a close second

we drove a little way for lunch at another beautiful vineyard. i had a charcoal ciabatta, tomato quinoa salad, root veggie risotto and steamed veggies on the side. we skipped the wine tasting because our lunch overran a bit and our bus driver buford said that the traffic would be pretty heavy on a friday afternoon and it wouldn’t be worth it to be stuck on the bus. so we just walked around the cute little town we were at, franschhoek (??)

there was a lot of cute art and small local shops around this town! we strolled around and got some souvenirs ¨̮

love this

we had a dinner booked way ahead at fyn restaurant. it was stunningly delicious. i loved every single course and was thoroughly impressed.

UGHHHHH just soooo good.

jul 13, 19 ••• FINALLY we had a day to sleep in!!!! we let our group know the night before that we didn’t want to join the walking tour around the city. we woke up and made our way to the company’s garden, which was directly next to our hotel. we played harry potter wizards unite and ran into the tour group. my mom told me later on it was a good decision of ours not to join haha.

we walked to addis in cape for an authentic ethiopian meal experience. we washed our hands at the table, ate the whole meal with our hands, and finally i was able to taste injera. it was 100% teff injera and it did not disappoint. i ordered a vegan platter while alan got a combo. the amount of food was PERFECT for us, we finished every single thing.

we ordered dessert but the hot berries never showed up and the ice cream was interestingly very gummy and very very sweet. the coffee was strong and served with a beautiful platter.

after that, we needed to walk our full tummies off. we headed to the waterfront, where there were many shops and stalls in indoor and outdoor malls. it was just a really good time walking around there and we saw soooo many things. there was bubble tea in south africa, a yogurt bar that made me sooo happy, dogs were up for adoption, and a bootleg jabbawockeez performance at the city square. we walked back to the hotel after that and got ready for bed.

jul 14, 19 ••• we woke up at 430am to head to the airport by 530am. we caught our first flight from cape town to johannesburg, then transferred to a direct flight back to hong kong. it was a TIRING trip but wow, the memories!! really want to go to back soon

#tanjastravels #tansworld #travel #wanderlust #tanja travels #tanjalan #cape town #uganda #gorilla #gorilla trekking #africa #south africa #safari #memories #travel memories #do you even travel

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bengesko · 4 years ago

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So I kept meaning to post my recipe for chicken paprikash, but my short term memory is awful and my executive dysfunction is worse, but I am FINALLY posting it!

This is a tweaked version of my grandmother’s recipe- and bonus, it’s keto friendly, and works with almost every kind of meat (I have NOT tried it with seafood, so I can’t speak on how well that works.)

Anyway, my recipe for Paprikash!

Disclaimer:

I do not have scaling measurements for most of this because I usually make large batches for multiple people or for batch cooking for myself.

Ingredients:

5-6 lbs Meat of choice- I usually use chicken (I prefer breasts, but thighs work well, too!) Cut up into bite sized pieces.

2 Bell peppers*- Green, Red, Orange, Yellow, doesn’t really matter, but I like green and orange.

Tomato*- I prefer romas- about 2.

1 cup diced onion*- I prefer white or sweet yellow onions.

1/4 cup minced garlic- you can ALWAYS add more to your liking, I use a LOT.

4 tbsp butter (1/4 cup)

6 oz tomato paste

1 tsp boullion- usually to match the meat you’re cooking. (I use Better than Bouillon bc it’s a paste and dissolves quicker, and is richer, lasts a good long time and is great for a LOT of cooking)

This is most important- it must be sweet paprika. NOT American smoked, but SWEET. Usually a Hungarian brand like Szeged or PÁPA. And I am serious when I say you need nearly 1/2 a CUP of this. (I’d say it’s better to buy this in bulk, but if improperly stored, sweet paprika will get stale and taste like sawdust!)

1/4 tsp Ground Cumin

1/4 tsp Ground White Pepper

1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1/4 tbsp brown sugar

Dash of hot sauce, or more to your taste- I prefer Louisiana, Tabasco or Cholula

Salt and Pepper to taste

Sour Cream

Flour

*** If you are low on spoons, or don’t have access to fresh veggies, this recipe WILL work just as well with canned/frozen veggies- they have frozen mixes of onions and peppers, and I often use those when I don’t have the spoons to chop onions.

When using canned tomatoes- drain most of the the juice beforehand or the sauce will be thin.

In a large saucepan, toss in half of your butter, your minced garlic, bouillon, salt, pepper, and onions. On med heat, you’ll wanna brown them until they’re juuuust starting to go translucent (They’ll cook further with the meat).

Add your meat and your spices- save for the paprika. I like the spices to work into the meat beforehand, and it makes it easier to see when your meat is browned.

Once the meat starts to brown, add your peppers and tomatoes, continue with medium heat, turning the contents semi-frequently. Once the peppers are semi soft, add your tomato paste and mix well.

At this point- if your sauce is too thick, add water little by little until it’s easy to stir. Then, you add ALL of your paprika, the dashes of hot sauce, and your brown sugar. Mix well.

Once you have a nice thick sauce, and everything is mixed, lower your heat to simmer, cover your saucepan, and let it simmer for 10-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While that simmers, it’s time to make the sour cream gravy!

Take your sour cream (usually about 6 ounces) and add flour slowly and carefully, one teaspoon at a time, whisking it with a wire whisk as you go, until it’s nice and thick. This will help thicken the paprikash when added!

Once it’s to the consistency similar to custard, it’s good to go!

After 20 minutes of simmering, your paprikash is also ready to go!

Serve it with your carb/starch of choice- I love it with rice, couscous, or naan- and top it with a dollop of the sour cream gravy, and enjoy!

It freezes well, and can be warmed up in a slow cooker! I hope you enjoy it!

#Nikolai thinks he can cook #recipe #food cw

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thehealthandfitlifestyle · 4 years ago

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The Health and Fitness of a Nation

Do you ever wonder why a whole culture of people, and that would be we Americans, got so fat, so out of shape, so tired, and so plagued by pain, lack of mobility, and diseases?

Do you ever wonder why, in spite of the sad shape of our bodies, we are so unwilling to learn about and to adopt health principles and life-giving eating and lifestyle habits?

What has happened to us as a culture, and how did it happen?

Follow along, if you would, the chronology of the downward spiral of our eating and exercise habits.

It began hundreds of years ago, but let's start in 1956 with the birth of the "Four Food Groups."

We have been sold on the big mama myth of all--the "Four Food Groups." We were told, and we believed, that we must eat meat, dairy products, and refined breads, cereals, and grains to be healthy.

We were also told and believed other lies and misconceptions:

· We believed, and most of us still do, that we must eat meat to get enough protein.

· We believed, and most of us still do, that meat protein is superior to plant protein.

· We believed, and most of us still do, that we must eat protein for strength and energy.

· We believed, and most of us still do, that eating chicken and fish will lower cholesterol.

· We believed, and most of us still do, that milk "does a body good," and we must drink it for strong bones and teeth.

· We believed, and most of us still do, that osteoporosis is caused by not getting enough calcium.

We get all the essential nutrients--protein, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, calcium, vitamins, phytochemicals, fiber--that we need for health and life from plant foods without the extra fat, cholesterol, salt, toxins, animal protein, and calories found in animal sources of food.

However, our cultural habits and traditions of today were built upon the infamous "Four Food Groups" and the six myths stated above.

At the same time we bought--hook, line, and sinker--into the original "Four Food Groups," our culture was also lured into the convenience of convenience foods.

Convenience foods came in the form of canned foods--canned vegetables, fruits, soups, spaghetti sauces, condiments, and juices.

Convenience foods also came in the form of frozen foods, boxed breakfast cereals, instant oats, cream of wheat, and refined, white breads.

These convenience foods made our mothers' lives easier, and they fit into the model of the "Four Food Groups" so our moms gave us these foods without forethought or question.

But, although convenient, convenience foods were often loaded with salt, sugar, chemicals, and/or fat and lacked nutrients. And they were often high in calories.

How well I remember Campbell's tomato soup and toasted Velveeta cheese sandwiches and lemonade made from sugary, frozen concentrate. And what about those dried up cereals in the morning and frozen or canned peas, corn, or string beans at night?

I am sure you can remember what convenience foods your mom gave you.

Who even thought about the fact that when foods are altered through processing, canning, freezing, and/or packaging, they are stripped of many of their nutrients?

Who even thought about the fact that if we are filling up on these convenience foods, along with meat and dairy products, then we certainly aren't eating enough of the disease-preventing, health-promoting foods, namely fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, whole grains, and legumes?

In addition to the infamous "Four Food Groups" and convenience foods, fast foods exploded into our lives starting in the 1960s.

Fast foods were fast, easy, cheap, and tasted good; just the right combination for mothers in the 70s and 80s who were going through their own transformation of becoming liberated and joining the work force. Convenience foods and fast foods made their very busy lives easier.

And then the children of these working moms grew up with fast and convenient foods and got accustomed to the taste, the accessibility, and the acceptability of these foods.

Let's face it. If kids are given the choice between a meal consisting of a hamburger, French fries, and pop or a meal consisting of a salad, brown rice and steamed vegetables, which meal are they going to choose? In fact, which meal would you choose or, at least, want to choose?

Before the event of women working out of their homes, kids were not given a choice what to eat. Kids were told what they had to eat. But that parental consciousness shifted when women spent so much of their time out of the home.

Kids, hooked on fast foods, would whine to their moms about going out for quick hamburgers or pizza, and working moms, too tired or too distracted or too stressed, would often concede. It was just plain easier for busy moms to give in to their kids' wishes rather than to prepare nutritious meals and to say, "No."

Kids were taught that they could eat what they wanted in whatever quantities they wanted. And they were not taught the difference between good food choices and bad food choices.

The result: spoiled taste buds, a spoiled attitude of "I want what I want when I want it" that carried over into adulthood, and, ultimately, taste buds were not the only things spoiled; whole bodies were spoiled.

To make matters go from bad to worse, the phenomenon of television invaded our living rooms. Kids and adults alike became more sedentary. Unfortunately, the more TV we watched the fatter and the less fit we got.

Furthermore, the advertising on T.V. had a tremendous influence on our eating habits and on our attitude about foods. Of course, computers and game boys chain us to our chairs even longer than just TV's.

In addition, remember how physical education was stressed in the 1960s? Remember John F. Kennedy's president's award for physical fitness? Well, P.E. lost its favor with the baby boomers and became less and less emphasized in the schools. In fact, by 1988, Illinois was the only state left that required daily P.E.

The bottom line: as Americans ate worse and worse and moved their bodies less and less, we as a nation got fatter and fatter and sicker and sicker.

Then Americans became obsessed with losing all the excess weight they had gained through poor eating habits and the lack of activity and exercise.

However, we did not want to lose weight by eating correctly and exercising more--no, that took too much effort and too much time. We spoiled Americans wanted fast weight loss. So what did many of us latch onto? Any diet that came along that loudly touted quick fixes and easy solutions.

Did the diets work? Just look around and the truth will reveal itself.

How many millions of dollars are spent every year on the newest miracle diet, and how many of us continue to carry around way too much weight? It doesn't take a genius to see that those easy weight loss programs, called diets, simply don't work.

Just take a look at the popular, and one I completely shutter at, Atkins' diet. You know the one--the one that is overloaded with high fat, high cholesterol, and high animal protein. Dr. Atkins himself marketed and bragged about that diet for decades and made millions of dollars from millions of unsuspecting dieters.

Yet did you ever take a close look at Dr. Atkins before his premature death? He could not disguise the blatant fact that he always looked many pounds overweight. Even after decades of following his own advice, he still could not keep the pounds off. He is just one more bit of proof that fad, weight loss diets just don't work.

And look at the predicament that we, as a nation, are in now.

Americans are sicker, fatte, and more out of shape than ever. And it's getting worse, not better. If you don't believe it's getting worse, just take a walk into one of our high schools and look at our overweight, under-fit children.

We are birthed out of the loins of our culture. For fifty years and longer we have built food and exercise habits on the collectively accepted standard for our culture. And today we are products of that culture.

The standard for our culture was, and for the most part still is, filling our stomachs with meat, dairy products, boxed cereals, canned soups, canned fruits and vegetables, sugar products, Crisco, and Betty Crocker. With the addition of McDonald's and fast food across the land, our health slid from bad to worse. The lack of exercise only accelerated that downward spiral.

It is tough to break old conditioning and habits in order to turn your own body and your own life around. The choices that you must make now to be at your best level of comfort, energy, and activity are not the choices we were taught and conditioned to make as children.

It may be tough to consciously eat better, but it is much tougher to endure getting a breast cut off, the prostate cut out, or a leg cut off due to diabetes. It is much tougher to get your chest buzz-sawed open for heart surgery, to get burned by radiation, or to get sickened by chemotherapy than it is to fill your stomachs with fresh, whole fruits and vegetables.

Which will it be? Get stricken with a stroke that paralyzes you on one side of your body or eating fruits and vegetables and walking on your own for the rest of your life?

Seems like a simple, very clear choice to me. Doesn't it to you?

Just because the health of our nation is plummeting downward, doesn't mean that your health is doomed to take that same dreaded course.

Your health and fitness are your own responsibility, and it's time to take that first step on your own path to the best you.

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bentonpena · 5 years ago

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Tofu Freaking Rules

Tofu Freaking Rules https://bit.ly/350TvUV

We need to talk about tofu. As Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger mania sweeps the globe, the OG vegan protein is getting left behind—and I, for one, hate to see it. If you’re serious about reducing your reliance on animal products, tofu has the potential to change your diet—and life—for the better.

To some extent, I get why so many people, particularly American meat-eaters, are resistant to the entire concept of tofu. Western culture has ruthlessly (and racist-ly) slandered the humble soy-based protein for as long as we’ve known about it, so a lot of us were basically programmed from birth to think it’s garbage.

I’m begging you to reconsider. When correctly prepared, tofu is a textural marvel, running the gamut from delicate and custardy to deep-fried and crunchy. Its unmatched flavor-absorbing powers make it a total chameleon; it truly can be anything you want it to be. I’ve loved tofu my whole meat-eating life, and I’m here to convert the naysayers. Welcome to my Tofu Manifesto.

You’re probably thinking about tofu all wrong

The biggest, wrongest tofu misconception is that it’s strictly a meat substitute. Sure, it can be that if it needs to—but tofu’s closest animal protein analog is actually the egg. On their own, eggs are bland; it’s their ability to morph into a staggering array of forms and textures that makes them so special. However you like your eggs—fried crisp with lacy edges, scrambled soft with lots of butter, or cooked into a puffy, tender frittata—I’m willing to bet your preferences come down to texture rather than flavor.

The same is true for tofu, which is why I’m skeptical when people insist they don’t like how it tastes. Soft and silken tofu has a more noticeable soy milk vibe than the firm stuff, but for the most part, it adds no flavor whatsoever to a dish. Tofu only tastes as good as the sauce it’s served in—texture is basically the whole point.

It’s embarrassingly easy to make tofu taste amazing

Contrary to popular assumption, delicious tofu takes barely any work at all. In fact, all the usual hacks try way too hard: Pressing takes forever (and freezing even longer); marinating often yields profoundly mediocre results; a cornstarch dredge too easily sogs out. None of these techniques work particularly well on medium-to-soft tofu, and with the exception of marinating, they also offer absolutely nothing in the way of seasoning.

For all of these reasons and more, the salt water trick is the only tofu hack worth knowing. Hot, salty water is a tofu prep triple threat: It dehydrates firm tofu so it crisps up quickly, sets super-fragile soft tofu so it doesn’t fall apart, and seasons everything through and through. It also adds as much work to your dinner prep as boiling pasta. I’ll get into the specific techniques in a bit; for now, just know that the salt water hack promoted tofu from something I’d buy occasionally to a legit, can’t-live-without-it staple.

If you remain unmoved, I’ve collected my favorite tofu products and preparations in one place, starting with the most hater-friendly ones. This isn’t a recipe post—it’s all about the technique. (Where applicable, I’ll link to specific recipes that I used and explain how I adjusted them to work with tofu, with the hope that you’ll soon be doing the same.)

Even hardline skeptics love fried tofu puffs

Tofu puffs are cheap, delicious, deep-fried flavor sponges that need zero prep; in other words, they’re easy to love. You can toss them whole into curries and stews for a fun textural element, but I strongly recommend taking 30 seconds to slice them in half. With their honeycomb-like interiors exposed, these puffy little nuggets soak up sauce like nobody’s business—without compromising their crispiness.

To show them off, I made my favorite Maangchi recipe—cheese buldak, or fire chicken with cheese—with halved tofu puffs instead of chicken breast.

Those two ingredients are obviously nothing alike, but the swap totally works thanks to the insanely powerful sauce. Red-hot both in color and spice level, surprisingly sweet, and with enough fresh ginger and garlic to put hair on your chest, it more than picks up the slack for something as bland as chicken breast or unseasoned tofu. Having made this dish with chicken dozens of times, I have to say—I prefer the puffs. Even when saturated with sauce, they stay light and puffy, which is the perfect contrast to the ultra-chewy texture of sliced rice cakes and melted mozzarella.

Pressed tofu does (most of) the prep work for you

As the name implies, pressed tofu has already been pressed to remove most of its moisture, resulting in a pleasantly toothsome texture. You can buy it pre-seasoned with soy sauce and five spice powder, but I like it plain so I can season it however I like.

Here, I whipped up a vaguely Spam-inspired mixture of roughly 2 tablespoons each of soy sauce and sugar, plus a teaspoon of garlic powder and a few shakes of smoky hot sauce (El Yucateco Black Label Reserve for life). I added some cubed pressed tofu and let everyone hang out about 20 minutes, flipping them around halfway through. You don’t need much marinade; a shallow layer is plenty.

I then used it to bulk up a super basic batch of fried rice with ginger, garlic, carrots, and frozen peas. The cubes got nicely crispy and charred on the edges, and were just what I needed to add some substance to a huge bowl of fried carbs.

Unseasoned pressed tofu also makes great vegan “paneer:” Cube it up and marinate in lemon juice with a few pinches of salt for 30 minutes, or longer if you have the time. As with regular paneer, you can pan-fry the tofu or leave it alone; either way, you’ll be surprised at how closely the marinated tofu mimics the texture and flavor of the real thing.

Medium-to-firm tofu needs a little TLC

This range of the tofu spectrum is the most recognizable and the least immediately appealing. I mean, just look at this:

In my experience, the variations between medium, firm, and extra-firm tofu are pretty meaningless, and I use them all interchangeably. Left uncooked, they all have a texture best described as “rubbery,” with no discernible flavor at all. Their highest calling is getting crispy in a hot skillet and doused in a flavorful sauce.

All you need to make crunchy pan-fried tofu is salt water, a good nonstick pan, and all of 20-30 minutes. That’s it. Here’s my usual procedure for a standard 1-pound block.

Before I do any other ingredient prep, I bring 2-3 cups of salted water and 2 teaspoons of table salt to a strong boil in a saucepan. Then I cut the heat, slide in my tofu, and let it sit while I prepare the rest of the recipe. After 15-20 minutes, I drain off the water and either pat the tofu dry on clean towels or leave it in the colander until I need it.

To get that crispy surface going, I coat my big cast-iron skillet with a thin layer of neutral oil and heat it over medium-high. I then add the tofu, spread it into an even layer, and leave it completely alone for at least 5 minutes.

Once the edges start to brown, I flip it over and do the same on the other side.

Boom. Done. Obviously, I used crumbled tofu here—it’s my favorite—but this works just as well with cubes, slabs, triangles, or any other shape you can dream up.

Don’t sleep on crumbled tofu

I know I said that tofu isn’t a meat substitute, but crispy tofu crumbles get really fucking close. In many cases, I prefer them to meat because they hold their shape—and a surprising amount of crunch—even when simmered for a long time. Sure, they don’t give you the specific richness you get with ground pork or beef, but with the right recipe you won’t miss it at all.

Speaking of the right recipe, Bon Appétit Test Kitchen director Chris Morocco’s spicy sweet sambal pork noodles are flawless—but, despite the name, I’ve actually never made them with meat. I only had tofu the first time I made them, and they turned out so well that I’m fine with never learning how they taste with pork.

I make the recipe exactly as written, except—obviously—I leave the pork out. Instead, I fry up soaked, crumbled firm tofu in a separate skillet while the sauce simmers, then dump ‘em in and toss everything together with cooked noodles. This cuts at least 30 minutes off the cook time without compromising on anything except porkiness, which I promise won’t even register.

You can also use tofu crumbles like ground beef. I usually throw in some minced onion and garlic in once the tofu is nice and crispy, then cook it down with a little tomato paste, taco seasoning, and cheap beer if I’ve got it.

It’s not beefy, exactly, but it tastes incredible in its own right—and makes a killer vegan-friendly crunchwrap filling.

You can roast tofu, too

Maybe you’d rather not spray your stovetop with oil in the name of crispy tofu. In that case, roasted tofu is for you. The results are directly comparable to pan-frying—they just take a little longer to get there.

Start with soaked, drained tofu, preferably cut into triangles or flat slabs so they’re easy to flip. Arrange on a clean towel and let them dry out while your oven preheats to 450ºF.

If you like, cut a vegetable of your choice into similarly-sized pieces and toss them with a tablespoon or two of neutral oil; I’m using kabocha squash here.

Place a sheet pan on the lowest oven rack. After about 3 minutes, add 2-3 tablespoons of neutral oil to the pan, put it back in the oven, and heat for another minute or two. Carefully transfer the tofu and vegetables to the hot oiled pan, return to the bottom rack, and roast for at least 20 minutes. Flip everything over and roast for another 15-20 minutes, until the tofu is super crispy on both sides and the vegetables are browned and soft.

You can eat the whole shebang straight off the pan—perhaps drizzled with spicy peanut sauce or chili oil—but I added mine to a quick curry made with Maesri panang curry paste, palm sugar, and coconut milk. (Maesri is the only brand I’ve found that doesn’t use shrimp paste or fish sauce; if you usually avoid prepared curry paste for allergy or vegan reasons, give it a try.)

To be completely honest, the kabocha was a miss—the flesh was too dry, and the skin was super tough. The crispy roasted tofu, however, slapped. They can’t all be bangers; such is the nature of experimentation.

When you feel ready, silken tofu is there for you

The next stop on our tour de tofu is the most controversial, misunderstood one yet: Soft or silken tofu. Yes, it’s bland. Unseasoned coagulated soy milk isn’t going to blow your mind with super-concentrated umami or whatever. But when prepared correctly, soft tofu is more than just delicious—it’s absolutely sublime. I will go to bat for it all day long, and I would love to tell you why.

The dish that changed my mind about silken tofu came from Biwa, a now-closed izakaya-style bar in Portland. It was deceptively simple: A whole block of chilled silken tofu drizzled with sweet soy sauce and topped with bias-cut scallions, fistfuls of toasted sesame seeds, and paper-thin bonito shavings. I ordered it every time, and my friends would always be like—“Cold tofu? Why?” But if I could convince them to take a bite, they’d understand. It was like eating a deeply savory panna cotta.

Unfortunately, my dearly departed Tofu Slab is no more—and my attempts to recreate it have been so unsuccessful that I’m forced to settle for the next best thing: Salt water-soaked silken tofu mounded on hot white rice and drowned in chili oil, soy sauce, and black vinegar.

I’m not complaining. The salt water, once again, is key: It turns a cold, slimy block of tofu into a piping-hot savory custard, which is the perfect canvas for condiments. Sure, there’s not much in the way of textural contrast, but the softness is so comforting and nice that I think a crunchy element would actually defeat the purpose. It’s a delicious, balanced, reasonably nutritious meal you can throw together in the time it takes to cook a pot of rice.

Putting it all together: All-tofu mapo tofu

Neglecting to mention mapo tofu in an article about tofu is basically journalistic malpractice. The iconic Sichuanese tofu dish is rich, meaty, spicy, funky, sour, and savory all at once—and slicked with lip-numbing Sichuan peppercorn oil for good measure. It’s a top 3 dish for me; I make it all the time, usually using Maggie Zhu’s recipe from the Omnivore’s Cookbook.

Being a big vegetable fan, I’ve experimented with using minced veg—eggplant, mushrooms, and even carrots—in place of the traditional ground meat. But this time, I decided to follow my vision and make a variant I’m calling “Oops! All Tofu.” I approached this recipe just like the sambal noodles, swapping crispy tofu crumbles in for the ground pork—but this time, I also soaked some cubed soft tofu in a fresh pot of salt water while the sauce simmered away.

This was one of the most delicious things I’ve ever made. The nubbins of soft tofu were literally melt-in-your-mouth tender, while the crispy crumbles turned downright meaty as they soaked up the spicy, salty, rich sauce. It made me even more certain of all of the (correct) tofu opinions I just laid out before you and, if you’ll let it, it has the power to convert you too.

Internet via Lifehacker https://bit.ly/2VwWgKq April 24, 2020 at 12:01PM

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this-is-not-a · 4 years ago

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We can do better

Being the primary meal preparer between myself and Michela during quarantine also means that I strongly influence what we pick up on our weekly grocery trips. It’s not that I’m an amazing cook, but thousands of hours of food media have definitely emboldened me: I may not be amazing, but I am fearless in the kitchen. Some of our quarantine staples have been: pan fried chicken thigh, roasted broccoli, Chinese string beans, chili-lime kale salad, french omelette with cheese, kimchi fried rice, tacos with fajita veggies, and Chinese egg and tomato. We also cook frozen food, ramen, pasta, rice and other grains, and we also order-in a few times a week. We get variety, but I also have a bias towards familiarity so I don’t go looking for new recipes the way I did with Mark when cooking was a weekend activity instead of something I do to have food.

Michela and I have been reading about police abolitionism, which it turns out actually isn’t very radical. The main idea is just that most cities in the US today task their police forces with a lot of stuff that might be better handled by other organizations: answering calls about people living on the street, mental illness calls, and small crimes. Abolitionism is a call to shift funding from the police to these other organizations and social programs which reduce crime.

A few weeks ago when we went grocery shopping, Michela picked up some fresh rosemary. I was skeptical about how we would use it. She didn’t have a plan, and we’ve let food go bad accidentally several times in the last few months, so I’ve been trying to take a conservative attitude on groceries, only buying things when I had a plan to use them. The rosemary ended up sitting in the bottom of our fridge for several weeks, despite near-daily reminders I would bother Michela with, that we still needed to use the rosemary.

My first response to the idea of abolition was that it made sense but I wasn’t sure why it was preferred over reform. Reform has been “tried�� but to the extent that it hasn’t worked I also feel like it hasn’t been wholeheartedly implemented. Part of the problem is that attempts to reform the police from the outside tend to be met with extreme skepticism and patronization from the officers, according to Vitale in “The End of Policing.” Vitale also calls out reformist policies like community policing -- the idea of some prototype of policing where neighborhood police are known and respected in the community -- which call for things like increasing reliance on Police Athletic Leagues, positive non-enforcement activities with youth, and more focus on getting to know community members, things that Vitale says do not reduce crime. It’s worth noting that community policing has been shown to increase trust in the police and decrease perceptions of biased treatment, even among residents in high crime and high poverty neighborhoods.

Yesterday we made rosemary pesto off of a recipe from the internet. It asked us to make the pesto in a food processor, which didn’t work for us because the rosemary needles just got mucky and wouldn’t pulse, so we scraped it out and chopped it up on a cutting board. The pesto was delicious after we added some lemon juice and pasta water. I’ve never cooked with rosemary before, and I probably wouldn’t have if Michela hadn’t pushed it on me, so maybe I should be less resistant to buying things I don’t yet know how to cook. Being forced to use rosemary taught me about it as an ingredient. It’s intensely herby and a little throaty. Fresh rosemary has a sort of bitterness to its aftertaste, but by adding more acidity and salt we were able to balance it out.

While there is room for investigation when looking at reform and abolition, I do think that from the current state of things, both kinds of policies move us in the correct direction. The rerouting of funding is overdue. As Dallas police chief David Brown said,

“We’re asking cops to do too much in this country. We are. Every societal failure, we put it off on the cops to solve. Not enough mental health funding, let the cops handle it ... Here in Dallas we got a loose dog problem; let’s have the cops chase loose dogs. Schools fail, let’s give it to the cops ... that’s too much to ask. Policing was never meant to solve all those problems.”

This blog officially endorses police abolitionism and rosemary.

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consulting-celiac-in-the-tardis · 6 years ago

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57 Easy Gluten Free Recipes for Summer Picnics and Potlucks

New blog post! Now that the weather is finally (sloooowly) warming up and holidays like Memorial Day and Fourth of July are right around the corner, I know that summer picnics and potlucks are just as close. But when you have celiac disease or dietary restrictions, summer entertaining can feel a little more complicated.

That's why this year, I thought I'd scope out some of the best gluten free recipes for summer picnics and potlucks. Whether you're looking for healthy appetizers, gluten free lunches fit for a picnic or easy paleo desserts, this round up should give you some delicious ideas. Not to mention, it should make bringing a yummy and gluten free dish to every summer get-together a whole lot easier!

Gluten Free Sides

1. Bacon Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread (Nut Free, Refined Sugar Free) - Raia's Recipes

Trust me. If you show up with gluten free bread at a summer potluck, you're gonna be the life (or at least the taste buds) of the party.

2. Easy Potato Salad with Egg - Bubba Pie

Give your potato salad an extra boost of protein with hardboiled eggs.

3. Hawaiian Macaroni Salad (Vegan, Soy Free) - Spabettie

Pineapple, vegan mayo, sweet pickles and pickled carrots give this macaroni salad a unique, Hawaiian twist.

4. Broccoli Apple Slaw - Noshtastic

Change up the traditional cabbage slaw recipe by using broccoli and apple instead!

5. Creamy Pea Salad - Recipes From a Pantry

If you're looking for a seriously easy low carb side dish that is still sure to peas (ahem...please) a crowd...this is it! All you need to make it are fresh (or frozen!) peas, bacon, cheese and a few other ingredients for the sour cream dressing.

6. Black Bean and Corn Salad with Balsamic Vinegar (Dairy Free) - The Welcoming Table

Add grilled chicken or pork to make this gluten free salad a meal, or serve it as a side dish or dip!

7. German Cucumber Salad - Casserole Crissy

For any gardeners out there, this is the perfect recipe to use up any leftover cucumbers.

8. Asian-Inspired Sesame Cilantro Carrot Salad (Paleo and Vegetarian) - Natasha, The Artisan Life

Even carrot haters will be won over by the Asian flavors in this gluten free salad dressing.

9. Bone Broth Pesto (Nut Free) - Casey the College Celiac

Enjoy the creamy, tanginess of pesto with the added protein and nutritional benefits of bone broth. Serve with veggies, gluten free crackers or roasted sweet potato rounds (which are also included in the linked recipe above)!

10. Watermelon Mint Salad with/out Feta (Dairy Free Option) - Finding Zest

Who knew that watermelon and balsamic vinegar made such a tasty pair?

11. White Bean Salad (Vegan, Soy-Free, Nut-Free) - Happy Healthy Mama

Fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, avocado and lemon juice turn plain white beans into a side salad everyone will be digging into.

12. Zucchini Roll-Ups (Vegan, Paleo) - Claudia Canu

These roll-ups are super simple to make but that doesn't make this combo of veggies and gluten free hummus any less delicious!

13. Goat Cheese Cucumber Bites (Keto, Low Carb) - The Keto Option

Gluten free Everything But the Bagel Seasoning dresses up these mini goat cheese and cucumber sandwiches.

14. Creamy Sweet Potato Salad (Paleo) - Cathy's Gluten Free

Is there any occasions sweet potatoes aren't perfect for?!? I don't think so...

15. Focaccia with Olives, Sundried Tomato & Rosemary (Grain Free, Paleo, Refined Sugar Free) - Emma Eats and Explores

Like I said before...you seriously can't go wrong with bringing homemade gluten free bread.

16. 5-Minute Guacamole (Vegan, Keto, Paleo, Oil-free, Whole 30) - Veg Annie

Homemade salsa gives this homemade guac an extra kick of freshness and flavor.

17. Mexican Street Corn - Confessions of a Fit Foodie

Like corn on the cob, only a lot tastier and less messy to eat!

18. Spicy Mango Dip (Vegan) - Fun Food Frolic

Serve this gluten free and vegan dip with some gf bread or pita, and it'll disappear in no time. You can whip it up in 15, minutes, too!

19. Easy Tuna Spread - Goodnesst

This gluten free spread only requires three ingredients, five minutes to make and is delicious when served with crackers, veggies or tossed in a salad.

20. Red Potato Salad with Avocado and Egg - Attainable Sustainable

Typical potato salad gets an upgrade with some healthy fats from avocado in this gluten free side dish.

21. Curried Cauliflower Mac and Cheese (Vegan) - Casey the College Celiac

If you want to add some hidden veggies to a family classic, you'll love my curried cauliflower mac and cheese, which only takes five ingredients to make.

Gluten Free Mains

22. Avocado, Asparagus and Chicken Salad (Paleo, Mayo Free) - Tasting Page

If mayo ain't your thang, you'll love this paleo chicken salad, which gets its creaminess from avocado and a homemade dressing.

23. Corn and Zucchini Pie - A Simple Pantry

If a quiche and a frittata had a baby, this would be it. Plus, this cheesy pie only takes an hour - including 45 minutes of it doing its thang in the oven - to make.

24. Melon Mozzarella Prosciutto Salad with Arugula - Taste and See

Combine classic Italian ingredients with a traditional Caprese salad, and you end up with an ideal summer entertaining dish.

25. Grilled Balsamic Lamb Kabobs - Foodal

I'll admit, I've never tried lamb before, but these kabobs would definitely have me digging in.

26. Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad - Spice Cravings

Traditionally, tabbouleh salad is a Middle Eastern vegetarian salad featuring ingredients like parsley, mint, Bulgar wheat, tomatoes, onion, cucumber and a lemon dressing. This gluten free version replaces the bulgar wheat with quinoa, which not only makes it allergy friendly but also packed with extra protein!

27. Zesty Smashed Chickpea Salad Sandwich (Vegan) - Moon and Spoon and Yum

The best kind of sandwiches have a mix of different textures and flavors...and this smashed chickpea salad has ALL the flavor punches you're looking for.

28. Southwest Quinoa Salad (Dairy-Free Option) - Mama Knows Gluten Free

You can't go wrong with a bowl of quinoa dressed up with avocados, black bean, corn, grape tomatoes, mozzarella and a cilantro honey lime dressing.

29. Shrimp Pasta Salad - Hot Pan Kitchen

Olives and sun-dried tomatoes give this cold gluten free salad an extra boost of flavor.

30. Spanish Waldorf Salad - Zestful Kitchen

This Spanish twist on a classic Waldorf salad complements a variety of different meals, and you can prepare all of the different ingredients ahead of the time.

31. Easy Cheesy Loaded Cauliflower Casserole (Low Carb) - Wholesome Yum

This gluten free casserole has all the flavors of a baked potato, minus the carbs. And you can't go wrong with bacon!

32. Tuscan Pasta Salad (Nut Free, Egg Free) - Meaningful Eats

Just 'cause you're gluten free doesn't mean you can't enjoy a very delicious pasta salad on a pretty summer day.

33. Cauliflower Salad (Vegan, Low Carb, Keto) - Cooking Journey

Cauliflower just got a very tasty upgrade with this easy, raw salad recipe.

34. Easy Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad (Vegetarian) - Mom Foodie

You can't go wrong with a classic...

35. Kale Quinoa Salad + Cider Vinegarette - Pass Me Some Tasty

Make sure you use gluten free cranberries and walnuts, and the sweet and savory mix of flavors will be a major winner in this salad.

36. Chickpea Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Dressing - V Nutrition and Wellness

Add a creamy peanut sauce to a salad with quinoa, chickpeas, carrots, cabbage and cilantro and you have a Thai feast tastier than any take-out.

37. Prawn & Avocado Salad (Whole 30, Paleo) - Recipe This

If you know Whole 30 or paleo diners will be at your summer picnic, this salad is sure to be a hit.

38. Broccoli Salad with Bacon (Keto, Low Carb) - Whole Lotta Yum

Broccoli has never looked so good...

39. Sweet Potato Black Bean Burger (Vegan) - Evolving Table

This black bean quinoa burger only takes an hour to make and is easy to personalize for whatever beans, sweet potatoes or spices you have on hand.

40. The Best Homemade Chicken Salad (Paleo, Keto, Whole 30) - The Organic Chicken

Serve this salad on greens, gluten free bread or even half an avocado.

41. Loaded Potato Wedge Nachos (Paleo, Vegan Options) - Casey the College Celiac

'Cause who wouldn't want to dive into a plate of nachos on a beautiful summer day...especially when the base is fluffy roasted potato wedges?!?

Gluten Free Desserts

42. Paleo Strawberry Rhubarb Pie (Low Carb) - The Banana Diaries

I don't know about you, but I will always say yes to a slice of gluten free pie!

43. No Bake Peach Cheesecake Bites (Vegan) - Delightful Adventures

Make sure you use gluten free oats and almonds, and you'll have one heck of a tasty gluten free dessert.

44. Chewy Pumpkin Popcorn Balls (Vegan) - Casey the College Celiac

There's something crazy addictive about that sweet and salty combo.

45. Pink Lemonade Cupcakes - Fearless Dining

Because is there anything more summer-y than pink lemonade anything?!?

46. Red, White & Blueberry Shortcake Parfaits (Paleo) - Living Loving Paleo

No one will believe that you whipped up these paleo shortcakes from almond flour and a handful of other ingredients you threw in your food processor!

47. Avocado Brownies (Vegan) - Vibrant Guide

Even avocado haters won't be able to get over how thick and fudgy these brownies are...

48. Cream Cheese Pound Cake (Low Carb, Keto) - Fit to Serve Group

Who says you can't eat a keto or low carb diet and eat cake too?!?

49. Scotcharoos - My Gluten-Free Kitchen

Gluten free puffed rice cereal, peanut butter, chocolate and butterscotch combine into one heck of a tasty no-bake bar.

50. Oatmeal Creme Pies - Hunny I'm Home

Chewy gluten free oatmeal cookies + delicious buttercream icing = dessert heaven.

51. Orange Cake with Almond Meal (Dairy Free) - The Foodie Journey

This cake is only made with a few ingredients and can be prepped to bake in just 10 minutes!

52. Blueberry Muffins (Vegan) - Rhian's Recipes

You can't go wrong with a fluffy blueberry muffin, especially when it's gluten free, vegan and only takes 35 minutes to bake! Plus, there are tons of ingredient options and swaps, so you can probably whip up these muffins with whatever is already in your pantry.

53. S'mores Ice Cream Cake (Vegan) - Pink Fortitude

Ummm...a gluten free and vegan ice cream cake?!? I don't think I need to say anymore...

54. Chocolate, Beetroot & Raspberry Cupcakes - Attachment Mummy

In case you want to sneak a few veggies into your gluten free dessert.

55. No Bake Cheesecake (Keto, Low Carb) - Low Carb Yum

You can't beat a no-bake cheesecake base topped with fresh summer berries.

56. Chocolate Chip Coffee Cookies - Think About Such Things

Chocolate chip cookies just got a caffeinated twist!

57. Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake (Dairy Free) - Allergy Free Alaska

I was sold at blueberries...

What I Hope You Remember During This Summer's Potlucks, Picnics and Parties

I know that when you have celiac disease or food allergies, the words "picnic" or "potluck" can cause more fear than excitement. But rest assured - as long as you use one of these gluten free recipes for guidance, you know you'll have at least one delicious meal you can happily enjoy. What are your favorite summer meals or recipes? Tell me in the comments! via Blogger http://bit.ly/2E6xmYR

#Blogger #college #celiac #gluten free #coeliac #celiacs #paleo #primal #foodporn #foodart

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cook-the-beans · 5 years ago

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Vegan Morocco Travel

To start with is better to keep in mind that not everybody understands what vegan means so make sure they get it. I did struggle a bit when I was there in the beginning, mostly because my French is very poor and let’s not talk about my Arabic that is non-existent 🙂

Keep in mind that sometimes for some strange reason hummus can have milk, they sometimes add chicken stock to veggie tagine, and beef broth will be used to flavour the couscous. Well, it can be hard and unfortunately, sometimes we can’t really be sure if what you are eating is 100% vegan.

When ordering you need to be clear that it is a vegetarian dish you are ordering, because from my experience no one was really familiarized with the word vegan.

I had some screenshots from google translate in Arabic and French of what I wanted to say and ask. I also used my vegan passport.

Vegan Moroccan Food – Some options for vegan meals

How to eat Vegan in Morocco

The vegetarian tagine is probably the easiest and safest choice while in Marroco.

Tagine is a traditional Moroccan meal cooked inside a clay pot, with potatoes, carrots, turnips and zucchini topped tomato, preserved lemon and olives.

Couscous with veggies is also quite common and easy to find. If you want a break from couscous you can ask for vegetables and rice, that is literally the same dish but with rice instead of couscous.

For breakfast is common to have bread with jam or “msemmen” that is a thin, fried bread. These crepes ingredients are all vegan (sugar, salt, yeast oil, flour), but occasionally is cooked with butter. So just check how they are cooked.

The bread is known as “khobz” is served at every meal, and is absolutely divine with olive oil and olives.

It’s easy to find “Zalook” a dish made of roasted mashed eggplant with spices, or even dishes made of lentils (3eids) and beans (loubia).

Dishes with lentils and beans are easy to find in the majority of Moroccan restaurants all over the country.

You can also ask restaurants to grill some vegetables for you and have it with rice or potatoes.

The harira soup is also delicious, but some people add meat or cook harira in the broth. You should ask prior to ordering how it was prepared.

Salads are delicious in Morocco, they have a great variety of them. They make the salads mostly with zucchini, eggplant, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, peppers and beans.

Are you a fruit lover?

Morocco’s fruit markets are unbeatable for both price and quality. You have a massive range of fresh fruit to chose from but also wonderful dried fruit options, from dates to figs, and apricots.

Olives are another highlight of travelling to Morocco. I LOVE olives so I couldn’t be in a better place. They have a great variety of olives with different seasoning, they are just delicious and high quality. Just be careful they are addictive 🙂

If you want something on the go

It’s easy to find small stalls selling food on the street, and many of the food that is served is vegan.

You can buy things like corn, roasted chickpeas, bread with chickpeas, fried potato cakes on bread and also dried and fresh fruit and nuts.

Vegan Desserts

If you are on a diet just stay home, because you will love all the cookies they have.

Mostly made from nuts, seeds and of course sugar… they are really tasty and also quite beautifully designed. (just double check if they have used honey if you don’t eat it).

Other kinds of desserts are unfortunately not vegan (they add butter and dairy). But you always have fresh fruit as a safe dessert option.

Moroccan doughnuts are called Sfenjs and are basically fried dough rolled in sugar.

Drinks: mint tea, fresh squeezed juices and coffee

I highly recommend trying the Moroccan mint tea or like the locals like to call it “Moroccan whisky”. However, sometimes it will be extremely sweet. Order it sugar-free to be safe and add your own sugar if you want it!

If tea is not your thing the coffee is also delicious.

You can also get freshly squeezed juices – I would recommend taking your own cup to avoid disposable plastic. Freshly squeezed fruit juices are common and are not to be missed. The orange juice and pomegranate are my favourites.

You can’t miss

You can’t miss wandering around the markets where they sell fresh produce and spices.

I recommend using the app HappyCow and make some research about vegan/vegetarian-friendly restaurants that are on the rise now in Morocco.

As you can see there are options and they are easy to find, but if you are spending a long time travelling through the country it can get repetitive.

Animal welfare

So foodwise you will be fine but get ready to have your heart broken because there is a lot of animal exploitation, and can get quite hard to see some things.

Moroccans treat animals differently for western standards. Snake charmers and monkeys on leads are common in touristic areas.

While there isn’t a large variety of local Moroccan foods that are vegan, it is definitely possible to travel in Morocco as a vegan. You might find it more difficult in rural areas compared to the larger Moroccan cities.

I hope this is helpful if you’re planning to travel to Morocco💚

Travel Vegan in Morocco Vegan Morocco Travel To start with is better to keep in mind that not everybody understands…

#Morocco #vegan #vegan food #Vegan Morocco #vegan travel

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healthycookingnfitness · 3 years ago

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How To Make Best Meat Stew Sauce With Gravy And Syrup

Introduction

The meat stew is the most loved food for many people because it tastes delicious and has thick gravy which is best matched with rice. This meat stew sauce with gravy and syrup can be prepared using beef or chicken meat.

It will certainly make your mouth water when you eat it. The cooking time is about an hour to two hours depending on how much meat that you are going to use.

Ingredients:

2 kilos of meat soup (beef or chicken)

3 tablespoon cooking oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup of tomato paste

2 tablespoons of butter. Potato starch to thicken the sauce.

All other ingredients are optional like carrot, cabbage, sour fruit, or any vegetable you like in making stew.

Now Prepare the Meat Stew Sauce with Gravy and Syrup

1. Put a pot on the stove and add water. You can add some salt to it.

2. When the water is boiling, put in the meat and let it boil for about 10-15 minutes.

3. After that you have to remove the remaining scum by using a skimmer or strainer spoon so that it will prevent your gravy from becoming bitter taste.

4. Cover with lid and set aside for further use to let the meat cool down completely before cutting into small pieces (about 2 inches). The more time you give it, the easier it will be for you to separate the meat from the bone easily.

5. Heat up another pot on the stove and place sliced onion in there then stir until they are soft enough. Stirring continuously will make sure that your sauce does not burn and stick to the bottom of the pot.

6. Put in salt, ground black pepper and tomato paste then mix well until everything is melted together

7. Stir continuously to make sure that your gravy does not stick on the bottom of the pot when cooking it.

8. Add beef stock cubes (or chicken cubes), water, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, Maggi Sauce, or soup seasoning with starch powder and stir gently. Make sure that you do not add too much water because excess water will thicken your gravy making it grainy and thick which in turn will spoil its taste

9. Stir for about half an hour so that each ingredient melts completely into one mixture without forming lumps or grains after that you can turn off the heat.

10. Heat up another pot then pour in some vegetable oil and stir until it is hot enough then add chopped onions, leeks, garlic, and chili pepper to cook for about 5-8 minutes or until soft.

Place this mixture into a food processor or blender so that you can get a smoother texture for the sauce. Make sure that you do not put any water when blending it otherwise your meat stew will become oily instead of having gravy.

11 . After grinding all these ingredients together, mix them back with the remaining stock mixture in the pot and let it boil again for just about 5 minutes without covering the lid almost 3/4 time during the cooking process is usually good enough to evaporate excess moisture from vegetables.

12. Boil again for about 10 minutes and turn off the heat then set aside to allow it to cool down or store in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it.

13. Just before you are going to eat meat stew, bring another pot of water (enough to cover the entire amount) to the stove and cook the rice separately, adding some salt in it, and let it boil until done.

When your rice is almost cooked drain away any excess water from it so that it will not be mushy when served with gravy.

14. Place small portions of rice onto individual plates on top put some meat stew sauce with gravy over the rice and drizzle some syrup over the meat stew over this (optional). Serve immediately after this.

15. Enjoy with chips or some vegetables for a healthy meal!

16. Refrigerate any leftover meat stew after cooling it down then store in freezer up to two weeks.

Some Tips When You Are Cooking Meat Stew With Gravy and Syrup

Keep stirring while cooking so that your gravy does not stick to the bottom of the pot. The more you stir, the better it will turn out.

Faqs

1-How do you make stew meat taste better?

You can add some beef stock or bouillon to it.

2-I did not have time to separate the meat from the bone of cuts so I just put all of them into one pot, will this affect my recipe?

Yes! you may need to cook less if your cuts are still attached together with their bones whereas if they are already separated then you can cook it longer for 10-15 minutes.

3 -What is the difference between marinating and soaking meat prior to cooking it?

Marinating meat refers to a process in which a piece of meat is mixed with ingredients like soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, peri sauce, wine, or vinegar before cooking it while soaking means letting the meat rest in juice or water for an hour or even longer (overnight) in the fridge so that it will tenderize easier when cooking without drying up the meat.

4-How do I know if my gravy is thick enough?

Gravy should be thick like syrup and not runny. If you can easily make a line with your spoon down to the bottom of it, then it is surely lumps-free and ready to serve.

5-I cooked some stew without separating the meat from bones but I did cook them separately before putting them together all this while also stirring them frequently then after adding tomatoes, stock cubes, water, and seasoning powders I left everything to boil for about half an hour before turning off the heat now; even thou I tried serving it in a bowl, the meat is still all clumped up together with bones pls help!

It happens because you did not cook meat or bones separately before adding them into stock but if you do this then later separate them as much as possible before serving. (you can see Answer no 1 )

6 -What Is The Difference In Marinating And Soaking Meat Before Cooking It?

Marinating and soaking differ in the amount of time that the meat will be kept in water or marinade sauce. Preservatives are mostly used to marinate while soaking requires additional ingredients like salt to tenderize it.

7-How Can I Make Gravy Without Adding Any Stock Cubes Or Tablets To It?

Clarify butter first in a pot by pouring it in while heating, stirring continuously until its color turns into light brown then set aside.

To cook meat stew with gravy and syrup, you will need to add about half of the clarified butter to your pot and let it heat up on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes or until the grease comes out at the bottom (you can use oil instead if you are not comfortable using butter).

8-How Can I Prepare Meat When Cooking So That It Will Not Stick On The Bottom Of The Pot?

You can marinate them overnight in some red wine before cooking. Rub salt on them after marinating then put them on a high flame for few seconds on each side so that excess water gets evaporated.

Add butter and oil to the bottom of a pot and cook them on medium heat until they get browned then add chopped onions, garlic, peppers, and other seasonings.

9-What Can I Do If My Gravy Does Not Turn Out Right Or Is Sticky?

If your gravy looks sticky, take it off the heat immediately and pour about 1 cup of cold water into it; stir continuously until unclamp (if you do not want to use water then use some butter, half diluted).

Cook some meat separately without adding any water in a separate pot for 10 minutes on each side using a high flame. Add this cooked meat into your gravy after separating it as much as possible from bones.

Keep stirring while cooking so that nothing sticks on the bottom of your pot. If you need your gravy to be thicker, leave it on the heat with medium fire for more time.

10-Why Is It Hard To Cook Gravy Without Any Lumps?

If you add ingredients like a stock cube, bouillon powder, or even if you used flour for thickening into a hot liquid while stir-frying it then lumps will occur in the end so better not to do that.

You can dissolve your meat and other ingredients in cold water before adding them into the hot liquid while stirring continuously or simply use a blender to mix everything together especially if your dish is already cooked (simmering stage)

Because adding cold water would only make things worse by creating some unwanted lumps in gravy but if you add cold water to a warm gravy, then it would only speed up the process of coagulation.

11-How Can I Make It Nice And Thick Without Using Flour Or Store-Bought Gravy Cubes?

Cook meat and bones in boiling water for 10 minutes on each side using a high flame. Remove all excess fat from cooked meat or bones with kitchen towels.

Use the same broth to cook carrots, potatoes (cut small ), onions, and seasoning spices. Add flour dissolved in a cold liquid (water, milk) while stirring on low heat and boil for 5-10 minutes or until it thickens.

You can thicken your gravy even more by adding corn starch dissolved in water but be careful not to overdo this as it will make your sauce too thick, resembling glue.

Read More About How to Cook Hot Dogs Complete Guide

Conclusion

I can say that the steps are easy to follow and it does not take too long time to prepare. Cooking is a passion for me and I always smile at the sight of a boiling pot or stove whether in my house up-close or from afar.

I have heard from some friends that preparing food tends to be hard especially when it comes to cooking ingredients like meat, chicken, lamb, etc. One thing that they are able to do is placing everything inside the freezer so that it will be easier since their focus is mainly on the preparation of other dishes and being able to cook them all at once would really save time.

Although there are several ways how you can make your meat tender including marinating and soaking, you still need to keep in mind that your meat has to be fresh (there are always those days when my mom would go to the market and she comes home empty-handed because a vendor was selling old meat ).

So these are just some recipes I came up with after reading different articles on the Internet but if you have any questions or need further clarification, feel free to ask me then I will try to help you out.

Please make sure your comments are only related to the article topic so that we can avoid useless "arguments" here.

Thank You !: Thank you for taking time for reading this article (or at least scrolling down till here ) and I hope it helps you gain some knowledge about cooking which is also fun making it less burdensome.

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primortravel · 3 years ago

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New Post has been published on https://primortravel.com/20-traditional-polish-foods-to-try-in-poland-or-at-home/

20 Traditional Polish Foods to Try in Poland or At Home

Ready to take a tour of traditional food in Poland? You’ve got everything from your standard fare that’s been eaten in Poland for generations to dishes that even molecular gastronomist Ferran Adrià would applaud. On your next trip there, make sure you try some of the following food in Poland.

I have to say: before I left for my trip to Poland, my idea of Polish cuisine was pierogi and kielbasa. While I did find those traditional Polish foods aplenty, I also was surprised by the diversity of other foods in Poland, including some pretty amazing contemporary cuisine at cutting-edge restaurants.

Must-Try Traditional Polish Foods

This post was originally written by Susan Guillory and has been updated by The Planet D with even more delicious Polish dishes.

1. Pierogi

Pierogi is a must-try food in Poland

You won’t get far in Poland without running into a pierogi, and believe me, you won’t mind. Eating Pierogi’s in Poland is like eating dumplings are in Asia, or empanadas in South or Central America: flat dough discs stuffed with delightful fillings and then boiled. At the restaurant Zapiecek, which seems to be as ubiquitous as TGIFriday’s in the US (though much tastier in my humble opinion), we also sampled fried pierogi, which, frankly, I preferred.

The most common pierogi are filled with beef, though you’ll find both sweet and savory fillings like twaróg cheese, (a type of cottage cheese) lentils, turkey and carrots, mushrooms, and even fruit or jams. Served with a side of sour cream for savory pierogies or powdered sugar, butter, or even whipped cream for sweet pierogies.

Red Barszcz (Borscht)

Red Barszcs with noodles

Red Barszcz is a Polish beet soup that is similar to borscht of eastern European countries like Russia and Ukraine. (We at a lot of Goulash on the Mongol Rally). Traditional borscht is usually made from cabbage and contains meat and tomatoes while the Polish version of barszcz is meatless and is a basic beet broth soup that is red in color. You can really put anything in you like and it is often served with potatoes and vegetables. Note: White Barszcz is similar but uses fermented rye flour or sour rye bread base. Make your own Barszcz with this authentic European recipe.

Zurek

One soup we had over and over again in Poland (not that I minded) was Zurek, or sour bread soup. It was tangy and creamy, and at Hotel Bristol’s Marconi Restaurant — which got my vote for the best zurek — it also had a quail’s egg and bits of ham.

Nalesniki

Nalesniki is a Polish crepe similar to French crepes. They can be filled with whatever you like and are often eaten as breakfast food. But they can be filled with other ingredients like sauerkraut, cheese, meats, and mushrooms. Popular sweet fillings are jams, fruit, and cottage cheese can also be used. See how to make Nalesniki at home with this recipe.

Krokiety

Krokiety is stuffed Nalesniki (crepes) that are battered with breadcrumbs and fried to perfection. These Polish Croquettes are stuffed with mushrooms and fried onions and are usually served with Barszcz. A traditional Christmas Eve dish, they can also be stuffed with any meat or cabbage. But they aren’t only eaten at Christmas, Korkiety can be found in most Polish food restaurants and food stands. Polish foodies blog has a good recipe to follow.

Mizeria

Mizeria is a refreshing Polish cucumber salad. The term Mizeria means misery in Polish but this salad is anything but miserable. This creamy cucumber salad is made with sour cream, vinegar, fresh dill and salt and sugar.

Salatka Jarzynowa

Another type of Polish salad is Salatka Jarzynowa made of boiled carrots and potatoes. Mix these main ingredients with mayonnaise, pickled cucumbers and peas, and onions. You can also add boiled eggs for some protein.

Rosol

Rosol is a Polish chicken soup that is served on special occasions. Like your grandma’s chicken soup, Rosol is also eaten when feeling under the weather for the ultimate comfort food. The chicken broth is served with noodles, carrots, parsley, and other herbs and spices.

Placki Ziemniaczane (Potato Pancakes)

Mmm mmm good. These Polish potato pancakes are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. The easy to prepare recipe makes it a staple in Polish cuisine. Grate potatoes and add eggs and onions and then fry them up in oil for a quick and easy meal. Serve with a side of sour cream and you have a delicious snack. The Polish Housewife shares a couple of recipes here.

Makowiec (Polish Poppy Seed Roll)

Makowiec (strucla makowa) is rolled dough filled with your choice of filling with the main filling being poppyseed. Add butter, sugar, walnuts and raisins and you have a sweet and delicious treat. You can find these poppy seed rolls at any bakery in Poland. And it is often served on holidays like Christmas and Easter. Learn how to make this yummy treat at the Spruce Eats.

Paczki

Another sweet treat to add to your Polish dinner party is Paczki. Paczki are the Polish version of doughnuts. Deep-fried dough is usually filled with jams, fruit, or custards and sprinkled with powdered sugar. People started baking Paczki on Fat Thursday to use up the lard, eggs, and fruit to prepare for the fasting of Lent.

Bison Grass Vodka

At home, I could take or leave vodka, but once I had my first szarlotka (also known as tatanka) beverage upon arrival, there was no going back. Poland is proud of its vodka and will argue to the grave that they — not Russia — invented it and then perfected it. Zubrowka is the brand of choice because of one unique flavor: bison grass. The grass gives the vodka its distinct mellow vanilla flavor, and even decorates the inside of the bottle.

Mix Zubrowka with apple juice, and you have the szarlotka. It helps if you have the amazing light apple juice you can find in Poland rather than the artificial stuff in the US.

Burning Rose Dessert

If you’re like me, you skip dessert at the end of the meal simply because there’s no room in your tummy. But after my fellow travel writers and I saw the cloud-like Burning Rose being delivered to a nearby table at Krakow’s Szaragez, we changed our tune. The clouds turned out to be cotton candy, which was lit on fire to melt to a dish of raspberry parfait. The actual dessert was as good as the performance!

Kabanosy

Kabanosy (kabanos) is a Polish sausage. This long thin strip of sausage is often touted as the finest meat stick in the world. The process of salting and curing this sausage can take from 3 months to one year. It got its name from the nickname given to the young fat pigs (kabanek) that are raised in Eastern Poland with a diet of mostly potatoes.

Golabki – Polish Cabbage Rolls

You can’t visit Eastern Europe without tasting traditional cabbage rolls. Golabki consists of boiled cabbage stuffed with minced meat, rice, and chopped onions. Smother them with a tomato sauce for savory goodness. Check out the Polonist for the ingredients and how to make it.

Bigos – Hunter’s Stew

Bigos is a Polish meat stew and shredded cabbage and sauerkraut. You can really put anything you like in it from different meats to sausages or no meat at all. Slow cook it with mushrooms, onions, and tomatoes and let the aromas seep into your house. Check it out here.

Kopytka

Kopytka is potato dumplings that are popular in southern Poland. They can be eaten as a side dish or as a main meal. Their diamond shape is said to resemble little hooves. Similar to Italian Gnocci, Kopytka can be served any way you like. Top them with tomato sauce, saute them with garlic, mushrooms and onions, top them with buttered breadcrumbs, or even make them a sweet treat with powdered sugar. Get this mashed potato dumpling recipe to make at home.

Kotlet Schabowy (Breaded Pork Cutlets)

kotlet schabowy is similar to Schnitzel

Kotlet Schabowy is a breaded pork chop that reminded me of Schnitzel in Germany or Austria. This main course dish is made of pork that is pounded to a thin piece of meat, breaded with bread crumbs and flour and an egg and then cooked in oil over high heat. Serve with Sauerkraut and mashed potatoes and you have the perfect Sunday afternoon meal.

Gulasz (Goulash)

This comfort food is a Polish stew similar to Goulash you’ll find in Hungary. Gulasz is a meat stew usually made with beef, onions, and tomatoes with a dash of paprika. It can be served over boiled potatoes or noodles and with a side of fresh baked bread. Polish Meals has a good easy to follow recipe here.

Steak Tartare

On our last night in Warsaw, I swore I wouldn’t eat meat again. As amazing as the food had been, I was meated out. But then I saw steak tartare being prepared tableside at Stary Dom, and I knew I was a goner. The chef, in his 60s, I’d guess, prepares between 150 and 200 steak tartare servings each day! First, he deftly chops the steak, then mixes in mushrooms, fried onions, seasonings, and other goodies. The portion was way more than we could eat! I hated leaving it, but what can you do in a country that is so generous with its portions?

Poland surprised me in many ways, not the least of which was its memorable cuisine. Do you like Polish food? What is your favorite dish?

Photos by Susan Guillory and the following:

Silar, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons – krokiety

Steven Depolo from Grand Rapids, MI, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons – cabbage rolls

Kuruni, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons – Golabki

Silar, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Mariuszjbie, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons -Mizeria

JanKokular, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons – crepes

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#Travel #TravelBlogs #TravelGuides #Traveling #TravelTips

#Travel #TravelBlogs #TravelGuides #Traveling #TravelTips #Social Travels

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easyfoodnetwork · 4 years ago

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Fruit Salad Is the Low-Energy Meal of 2020

Ale02/Shutterstock

We’re all tired of cooking. Just cut up some fruit and call it a day.

It feels like the 4,000th day of March, and it’s 95 degrees out. I’m standing in line at my local grocery store, six feet away from the next person, slowly melting. Why even bother with my carefully plotted list? I’m done with sourdough starter, done with experimenting with bagels and baked goods, done with meals that take hours “because now I finally have time!”

Instead, I lug home a gigantic $10 watermelon I can barely lift, listening to it roll around my trunk with every turn and stop sign. I buy a crate of peaches shipped from Georgia, a bag of cherries, and a pint of blueberries. I buy more tomatoes than one person really needs.

I’m eating fruit salad for dinner, just because I feel like it.

Humans have been making fruit salad — mixing more than one fruit together in one dish — for millennia. “Julius Caesar certainly ate fruit salad,” says University of North Texas history professor Mike Wise. “Every generation has their fruit salad.”

Traditional American cookbooks included fruit salads for decades, but early versions leaned savory as appetizers or to pair with larger roasted meats. “It’s presentable, it’s fancy,” says Smithsonian curator Paula Johnson, who found references to fruit salad as we know it today — a mix of bananas, grapes, berries, and whatever fruit is on hand — in cookbooks as early as 1901. The 1927 Pillsbury Cookbook’s version calls for “2 oranges, 3 bananas, ½ pound white grapes, 12 English walnut meats, 1 head lettuce.” Cooks tossed these early fruit salads with a vinaigrette.

By the 1950s and 1960s fruit salad went from appetizer to dessert, ensconced in gelatin or covered in newly available aerosol whipped cream. “A lot of these kinds of fruit salads were marketing initiatives,” says Wise. “It’s an inventive tradition.” Fruit salad became even more popular with the availability of frozen and canned fruit, from strawberries to kiwis. “When you look at any of these women’s magazines or community cookbooks, [they had] Jell-O salads with different kinds of fruits, and those were so easy to just pull out and try,” says Johnson.

“There’s this paradox where it’s historically been [viewed as] a processed food, when fruit is viewed as healthy and fresh,” says Wise. Ambrosia, a popular mid-century take on fruit salad that was loose on the fruit and heavy on the whipped cream and marshmallows, represented the peak of what dessert fruit salad could be. Alton Brown’s recipe for the dish calls for heavy cream and sour cream. My grandmother — who I loved dearly but made most of her food from a can — would bring one every Thanksgiving.

But by the 1960s and ’70s, consumers “began to reject the manufacturer,” adds Johnson. “The ethos shifts from less fussy, whipped-cream laden fruit salads to something that’s cut up and fresh.” Wise notes that ditching the gelatin allowed people to consider the fruit salad as a “low-calorie option, with less types of fruit in it.” My Mom’s 1975 edition of The Doubleday Cookbook instructed housewives to choose fruits based on contrasting size and texture, and to add a little crystalized ginger, mint, or liqueur for flavor.

Growing up in the ’90s, most fruit salads I encountered strictly followed The Wiggles’ 1994 instructions: peel the bananas, toss in the grapes, chop up some apples and melon. (Do you have “Fruit salad, yummy yummy,” stuck in your head yet?) If we were lucky, a few mini-marshmallows got thrown in.

It would sit, unloved and untouched, at every summer picnic, an unappetizing side dish stewing in its own juices, with little regard to the quality or seasonality of the fruit. McDonald’s, under pressure to offer low-calorie and low-fat choices to consumers, added a fruit and walnut salad in 2005 that might as well have been a yogurt parfait. (They’ve since replaced it with plain apple slices.)

That’s not my fruit salad. Fruit salad, in today’s Instagrammable-everything world, is just as much about presentation as it is about taste. Contemporary fruit salad means leaning in to the joy of summer, even if that joy is contained in a few juicy bites of blueberries, tomatoes, and watermelon tossed in a lime vinaigrette. It’s experimenting with ways to mix fruit with herbs, spices, cheeses, or grains that my parents or grandparents never would have — like mixing watermelon, cucumber, and feta or wrapping melon with sage and prosciutto.

I add fruit for a surprise sweetness and lightness, like pasta with smashed peaches and smoked mozzarella, or use fruit as a counterpoint to heat in a papaya and peanut fruit salad with mint like Boston favorite Myers + Chang does. “It’s a really popular salad in Vietnamese cuisine. We’ve had it on the menu since we opened,” says Joanne Chang, the owner and head chef. “It’s so refreshing, and it’s a great salad to eat between bites of anything.”

Fruit salad shouldn’t be stuck as an unappetizing side dish or dessert. “I think fruit salads nowadays run the gamut between offering lots of different fruits,” says Chang. “It’s not just melon and grapes, but mango, papaya, dragonfruit, pomegranate seeds… it can be savory, salty, or sweet. You can really create a dish that goes way above and beyond [the ’90s fruit salads] I grew up with.”

The fruit salad of today is the meal. I’ll try nectarines and corn tossed with pesto and wild rice, or arugula and watermelon with figs and goat cheese. I’ll mash avocados with bits of grapefruit, balsamic, and flaky salt. Or I’ll grab a handful of radishes with cultured butter and a slice of plum. But it doesn’t need to be fancy. And sometimes, when it’s been a very long day after a very long week after a very long month still stuck at home, it’s just three peaches, juice dripping into the sink.

Kayla Voigt hails from Hopkinton, Massachusetts, the start of the Boston Marathon. You can usually find her at the summit of a mountain or digging into a big bowl of pasta.

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/3iOYPkd https://ift.tt/3iYP42Y

Ale02/Shutterstock

We’re all tired of cooking. Just cut up some fruit and call it a day.

I’m eating fruit salad for dinner, just because I feel like it.

Kayla Voigt hails from Hopkinton, Massachusetts, the start of the Boston Marathon. You can usually find her at the summit of a mountain or digging into a big bowl of pasta.

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/3iOYPkd via Blogger https://ift.tt/3mIyVRn

#Blogger #cooking #Eater #food #recipes

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ketoeasyrecipes · 4 years ago

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simple meal plan to lose weight

Looking for Simple Meal Plan to Lose Weight?

Alright, well it’s safe to say that you won’t find any of these recipes on any diet or weight loss program you’ve ever tried before. Life is short! and I believe that just because you’re trying to lose weight, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able have a little fun. But what if I told you that you can “have your cake and eat it too”? What if there was a little secret that actually allows you to eat naughty-food and not gain a single ounce of fat, or undo all of the hard work that you have put in along the way.... Well there is, BUT you have to make me (and yourself) a little promise, OK? I’ll give you these undercover “cheat-secrets” but you have to promise that you don’t take advantage of it. This little trick that I use with my in-studio clients only works if you use it sparingly and with precision. Use it too much and your body will get “wise” to what you’re doing and it will lose its magic.

Deal?

Alright let’ s get into it!

How to“Use”the Simple Meal Plan to Lose Weight?

STEP 1

PLAN THECHEAT DAY

Before using any of these recipes I want you to wait at least 10 days. This way you will have about a week and a half of resetting your hormones and upping your ability to manage carbs and sugars more efficiently. Also, your 4th weight management hormone “leptin” will be asking for a high-caloric dose to speed up your metabolism and fat burning capabilities. This is key in plateau prevention and energy balance.

STEP 2

PREP YOURMETABOLISM

On the day that you plan to indulge in any of these recipes or have any sort of cheat, you must create an environment that is ready for the extra calories plus the potential excess carbs and sugar. There’s no specific rule here for exactly what to do with this step, but the bottom line is: Just keep it light leading up to the cheat. Maybe opt for one of the smoothies for breakfast and have a salad-based meal for lunch and then “go nuts” for dinner (vice versa if you’re having a breakfast cheat). Depending on what Phase you are in (Launch or Ignite), you have either one or two meals with “power-carbs” in them; a good idea here would be to sub in some extra veggies (angel carbs) for the starchier, Power Carbs. This will help with “making room” for the extra cheat meal carbs plus the extra fiber will prime an insulinsensitive environment. If the cheat meal pops up unexpectedly or you fall-off-track one day, just use this idea on the day that follows the cheat. This will help your body counteract all of the sugars and extra calories ingested on the previous day.

STEP 3

THE PRE(OR POST)CHEAT DRINK

This is a little drink that I use sparingly when I know I’m going out for a big meal or a couple drinks. It works unbelievably well and actually programs your metabolism to use any of the “less than healthy” calories for good instead of evil. I’ll warn you, I do get some complaints that this little concoction doesn’t taste too great, but the meal that follows tastes even better knowing that all those calories are going to work for you, instead of landing on your tummy.

Here are the ingredients and of course, the corresponding reasons as to why they’re in there.

¼ TSP Cinnamon Create an insulin sensitive environment.

¼ TSP Ginger Aids in digestion and help “eliminate” any of the leftover nasties the next day.

2 TSP Lemon Juice Provides an anti-inflammatory response and prevents a slowdown in your fat loss hormones

2 TSP Apple Cider Vinegar Triggers immediate use of stored fat for energy

1 OR MORE cups of water I personally use even less than this just to get it over and done with in a gulp or two :)

STEP 4

EXERCISE

Although this step is optional, I always recommend burning off a couple extra calories on the day of, or day after the cheat. This is kind of a no-brainer but trust me, every bite of that cheat meal will taste better knowing that you “made-room” for the extra calories. Either perform one of the “Movement-Sequencing” workouts from Accelerator, go for a brisk walk, bum around in the garden for an hour – Whatever, just do whatever you need to do to burn a couple extra cals before you dig in. Finally, the closer you get this activity in prior to the meal, the more likely the cheat meal calories will be soaked up by your muscles to use as energy the next day. It may seem like a lot, but as I’ve mentioned a few times throughout, that meal is so much more satisfying and guilt-free knowing that every calorie of that cheat is being put to good use. And to be honest, using each and every one of these steps each time you cheat is going beyond the call of duty, but I like to make sure you’re always covered and have each and every tool you need at all times.

And that’s it. Alright, eat up!

simple meal plan to lose weight

1. Barbacoa Burritos

simple meal plan to lose weight

INGREDIENTS

1 dried guajillo pepper

½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds

¼ teaspoon whole cloves

1 pinch “allspice”

1½ tablespoons dried Mexican oregano

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 clove garlic,

¼ cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

6 to 8 ounces beef (sirloin or roast cuts are best)

Salt and pepper

1 flour tortilla (gluten free if you want to keep it classy)

Beans, rice, or vegetables of your choice

Salsa, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

Put the guajillo pepper in a bowl and pour hot water over it to cover. Set aside for 20 minutes.

Grind the cumin seeds, cloves, and allspice in a spice grinder. Drain the guajillo pepper, remove the stem and any seeds, and transfer to a blender along with the ground spices. Add the oregano, thyme, garlic, onion, and vinegar with a little water and puree to a paste.

Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer.

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Rub all over with the spice paste and marinate for 4 hours, covered, in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

In a small roasting pan add the meat. Cover the pan tightly with foil and roast until the meat is fork tender, at least 1 hour, depending on the thickness. Shred the meat with a fork or pull apart with your hands.

Heat the flour tortilla and layer with the shredded meat and beans, rice, or vegetables of your choice. Roll up into a burrito and serve with salsa on the side.

NOTES

Also try this 18 Quick and Easy Dinner Recipes

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simple meal plan to lose weight

2. KFC™ Coleslaw

simple meal plan to lose weight

INGREDIENTS

8 cups finely chopped cabbage (about 1 head)

¼ cup shredded carrot (1 medium carrot)

2 tablespoons minced onion

1/3 cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon pepper

¼ cup milk

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup buttermilk

1½ tablespoons white vinegar

2 ½ tablespoons lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

Be sure cabbage and carrots are chopped up into very fine pieces (about the size of rice).

Combine the sugar, salt, pepper, milk, mayonnaise, buttermilk, vinegar, and lemon juice in a large bowl and beat until smooth. 3. Add the cabbage, carrots, and onion, and mix well.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Serves 10-12.

NOTES

Also try this 16 Delicious Fat-Burning Healthy Desserts Recipes

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simple meal plan to lose weight

3. Caesar Salad Dressing

simple meal plan to lose weight

INGREDIENTS

1 cup mayonnaise

¼ cup egg substitute

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon anchovy paste

2 cloves garlic, pressed

2 teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon coarse ground pepper

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon dried parsley flakes, crushed fine

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.

Use an electric mixer to beat ingredients for about 1 minute. Alternatively, you may use a blender too.

Cover bowl and chill for several hours so that flavors can develop.

NOTES

Also try this 16 Quick and Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes

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simple meal plan to lose weight

4. Blackened Chicken Pasta

simple meal plan to lose weight

INGREDIENTS

Cajun Blackening Spice

¼ cup paprika

3 tablespoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons celery salt

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon chili powder

Chicken and Pasta Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces

1 cup sliced mushrooms

2 teaspoons Paul Prudhomme’s Poultry Magic

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/3 cup diced Roma tomatoes, plus extra for garnish

¼ cup Alfredo sauce, homemade or store-bought

1 ½ cups heavy cream

1 ½ tablespoons grated Asiago cheese

For Serving

8 ounces linguine, cooked according to the package directions

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

Do ahead: Make the Cajun blackening spice by combining all the ingredients; store in a tightly covered container until ready to use. (This mix makes more than necessary for this recipe, so feel free to add some Louisiana heat to other dishes.)

Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the chicken and mushrooms. Sprinkle with the Poultry Magic and cook the chicken all the way through. Add the garlic and diced tomatoes and sauté for another minute.

Lower the heat and add 2 teaspoons of the Cajun blackening spice, the Alfredo sauce, and the heavy cream. Stir well to combine the ingredients, then take the pan off the heat and add the Asiago cheese.

Portion the cooked linguine onto 2 warmed serving plates by using tongs and swirling and mounding the pasta onto each plate. Top with the chicken and sauce. Garnish with diced tomato and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

NOTES

Also try this 19 Quick an Easy Dinner Recipes for Every Day of the Year

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simple meal plan to lose weight

5. Spicy Chicken Fillet Sandwich

simple meal plan to lose weight

INGREDIENTS

6-8 cups vegetable oil

1/3 cup Frank's Original Red-Hot Pepper Sauce

⅔ cup water

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 ½ teaspoons salt

4 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon paprika

⅛ teaspoon garlic powder

4 chicken breast fillets

4 plain hamburger buns

8 teaspoons mayonnaise

4 lettuce leaves

4 tomato slices

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat 6-8 cups of oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees.

Combine the pepper sauce and water in a small bowl.

Combine the flour, salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, onion powder, paprika and garlic powder in another shallow bowl.

Pound each of the chicken pieces with a mallet until about 3/8-inch thick. Trim each breast fillet if necessary, to help it fit on the bun.

Working with one fillet at a time, coat each piece with the flour, then dredge it in the diluted pepper sauce.

Coat the chicken once again in the flour mixture and set it aside until the rest of the chicken is breaded.

Fry the chicken fillets for 8-12 minutes or until they are light brown and crispy. Remove the chicken to a rack or to paper towels to drain.

As chicken is frying, prepare each sandwich by grilling the face of the hamburger buns on a hot skillet over medium heat. Spread about 2 teaspoons of mayonnaise on the face of each of the inverted top

buns.

Place a tomato slice onto the mayonnaise, then stack a leaf of lettuce on top of the tomato.

On each of the bottom buns, stack one piece of chicken.

Flip the top half of each sandwich onto the bottom half and serve hot.

NOTES

Also try this 18 Easy Keto Dinner Recipes You'll Want to Make ASAP

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simple meal plan to lose weight

6. Oreo Cookie Shake

simple meal plan to lose weight

INGREDIENTS

3 cups vanilla ice cream

1 ½ cups milk

8 Oreo cookies

Whipped cream, for topping

2 maraschino cherries, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix the ice cream and milk in a blender and process until smooth.

Break up the cookies and add to the ice cream while the blender is running on low. Blend until the cookies are pureed—a few chunks are okay.

Pour the mixture into 2 chilled glasses and garnish with whipped cream and a cherry on top.

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simple meal plan to lose weight

7. Buffalo Blasts

simple meal plan to lose weight

INGREDIENTS

1 Cup Pulled Chicken Breast

12 Wonton Wrappers

¼ Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese (Optional)

¼ Cup Crumbly Bleu Cheese (Optional)

1 Egg Beaten

½ Cup Flour

1 Tsp Garlic Powder

1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 Tsp Black Pepper

1 Tsp Salt

Oil for frying

Buffalo Wing Sauce

⅔ Cup Franks Red Hot

1 Stick Unsalted Butter

1 Tbsp Worcestershire

¼ Tsp Garlic Powder

¼ Tsp Cayenne Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Make Buffalo Wing Sauce:

In a small pot, combine ingredients listed above and heat until butter is melted and ingredients are mixed thoroughly.

Make Pulled Chicken:

This method can be achieved by slow cooking (best method), pressure cooking, stove top simmer or microwave.

Stove top simmer involves a pan with some water on low heat for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

The microwave method involves a microwave save dish (glass dish) and submerged chicken in water. Cook on High for 10-12 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken.

Once your chicken has been cooked thoroughly, I actually just use my hands to pull the chicken apart, very similar to how you pull string cheese.

Toss the chicken into a bowl and pour approximately ½ Cup of your buffalo wing sauce and mix the chicken into the sauce Season the chicken with salt & pepper.

Bread & Fry:

Fill each wonton with approximately 1 Tbsp of Pulled Chicken or whatever appears to fit nicely Add just a sprinkle of Shredded Cheddar Cheese or Crumbly Bleu... or both! Whatever you prefer. Wet your finger with water and seal up the wonton much like you would an envelope how you have to wet that sticky thing in order for it to seal... Same thing here.

Get a shallow pan with a ½ Cup of Flour, 1 Tsp Garlic

Powder, 1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper, 1 Tsp Black Pepper & 1

Tsp Salt and mix it all up

Beat an egg in a small bowl or shallow pan

Dip the sealed wonton into the egg mixture and then into the flour mixture. Repeat these 12 times

Get a frying pan or deep fryer with oil and set it to 365°F or medium heat. Fry each wonton until golden brown on both sides. This will take approximately 1-2 minutes.

Plate with garnish, celery stalks and a ramequin of bleu cheese dressing and the remaining buffalo wing sauce.

Eat it and take a nap.

NOTES

Also try this 14 Easy Dinner Recipes for a Family

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simple meal plan to lose weight

8. Canadian Cheese Soup

simple meal plan to lose weight

INGREDIENTS

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter or margarine

1 cup finely diced carrots

½ cup finely diced onion

½ cup finely diced celery

2 to 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups half-and-half

3 cups chicken broth

2 pounds Velveeta cheese, cut into cubes

Garnish

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Diced tomatoes

Diced jalapeño pepper (Optional) Bacon Bits

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large saucepan, heat the butter and sauté the carrots, onion, and celery. Do not brown the vegetables; they should just be soft. Whisk in the flour and stir for a minute or two, then add the half-and-half and simmer over low heat. Don’t let the mixture boil, just let it simmer until it is thickened.

Gradually add the chicken broth, whisking the mixture to combine all the ingredients. The broth should be slightly thickened, like a cream soup. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes so the flour has a chance to cook.

Stir in the cheese, whisking constantly, until it is completely melted. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls, garnish with the parsley and, if you like, tomatoes, bacon bits and/or jalapeño.

NOTES

Also try this 19 Delicious Vegan Dinner Recipes

Don’t forget to pin and save for later! 🙂

simple meal plan to lose weight

9. Bonzai Burger

simple meal plan to lose weight

INGREDIENTS

1 pound lean ground beef

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup teriyaki sauce, divided

4 slices sharp cheddar cheese

8 pineapple rings

8 tomato slices

1 cup shredded lettuce mayo

4 burger buns with sesame seeds

Teriyaki Sauce

½ cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

¼ cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon honey

¾ teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon minced garlic

INSTRUCTIONS

For the homemade teriyaki sauce (use store bought if you like instead and skip a step) whisk all ingredients together in a small sauce pan. Stir constantly while bringing to a boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes. Reduce heat and transfer to a heat-safe bowl to rest until ready to use. on the grill). Cover the grill until cheese is melty (about 1-2 minutes).

In a medium bowl combine ground beef, salt and pepper to taste, and 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce. Mix well, then form into 4 equal sized patties.

Place pineapple slices and patties on a preheated grill rack. Grill patties over medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side until cooked through to desired doneness.

When fully cooked, turn off the grill, transfer pineapples to a platter or serving tray, and place a slice of cheddar cheese on top of each burger patty (still on the grill). Cover the grill until cheese is melty (about 1-2 minutes).

Assemble burgers by spreading mayo on the insides of the burger burns. Top bottom half of bun with burger patty, teriyaki sauce, pineapple slices, tomatoes, and shredded lettuce. Serve warm.

NOTES

Also try this 19 Healthy Dinner Recipes Under 10 Minutes

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simple meal plan to lose weight

10. Georgia Chopped Pork

simple meal plan to lose weight

INGREDIENTS

4 large lean Pork Chops

¼ cup Peanut Butter

½ can Mushroom Soup

¼ cup Milk

1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

1 teaspoon Salt

⅛ teaspoon Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Brown pork chops.

Pour off fat.

Top each chop with a thick slice of onion.

Mix peanut butter, mushroom soup, milk and seasonings.

Pour mixture over chops.

Cover and cook over low heat for 45 minutes.

Chop the pork chops and serve on buns with Famous Dave’s BBQ Sauce.

NOTES

Also try this 14 Delicious Healthy Recipes to Lose Weight

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simple meal plan to lose weight

11. Pad Thai

simple meal plan to lose weight

INGREDIENTS

Sauce:

½ cup low-fat coconut milk

6 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

4 tablespoons light soy sauce

4 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice

½ tablespoon rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons grated gingerroot

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Chicken Stir Fry:

½ tablespoon canola oil

½ tablespoon dark sesame oil

1-2 teaspoon curry powder (optional)

1 lb. chicken breast or (shrimp), cut up into bite size pieces

6-8 ounces frozen sugar snap peas

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped (lightly salted) cilantro

½ lb. cooked noodles or ½ lb. cooked pasta

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl; set aside.

Cook noodles or pasta; drain and set aside.

In a skillet over medium heat, cook chicken (or shrimp) and onions in canola and sesame oil. Halfway through cooking, add garlic to pan. When chicken is done, add sugar peas; stir to heat for 1-2 minutes.

Add sauce mixture and stir to coat chicken.

Little by little add cooked noodles or pasta; stir to coat.

Serve garnished with chopped peanuts and cilantro.

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simple meal plan to lose weight

12. Mama’s Meatloaf

simple meal plan to lose weight

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds ground beef

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon thyme

½ teaspoon basil

¼ teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/3 cup parmesan

½ cup bread crumbs

½ cup tomato juice

2 eggs

⅔ cup milk

1 medium onion

½ cup of ketchup

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mince the medium onion very finely. In a large bowl, knead the onion and dry ingredients into the beef. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and tomato juice. Add in the liquid a little bit at a time, mixing the meat with every addition of liquid. If your meat loaf feels too soft, you can always add in more bread crumbs.

Place a sheet of parchment paper on a 9 x 5 pan. Form the meat into a loaf shape on the top of the parchment paper. Spread a layer of ketchup on top of the meatloaf. Bake for 1 hour.

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simple meal plan to lose weight

13. Loaded Potato Skins

simple meal plan to lose weight

INGREDIENTS

4 Russet Potatoes

1 tbsp Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tbsp melted Butter

¾ cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

½ cup Chopped Crispy Fried Bacon

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 425.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Wash, scrub and dry potatoes.

Pierce each multiple time with a fork.

Rub with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Bake for 1 hour.

Allow to cool.

Preheat oven to 375.

Cut each potato lengthwise into thirds.

Reserve middle slice of each for something else.

Use a spoon to scoop out white middles of each remaining slice, leaving about ¼ thickness in each.

Brush potato skins with melted butter and bake for 25 minutes until crisp.

Sprinkle with cheese and bacon and return to oven until cheese is melted.

Serve with sour cream and sliced green onions.

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simple meal plan to lose weight

14. Signature Cheesecake

simple meal plan to lose weight

INGREDIENTS

Crust:

¼ cup finely chopped pecans

¼ cup finely chopped walnuts

¼ cup finely chopped almonds

¾ cup finely chopped vanilla wafers

2 tablespoons melted butter

Filling:

1 ½ lbs. cream cheese

1 1/3 cups sugar

5 large eggs

16 ounces sour cream

¼ cup flour

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

Crust Directions:

Mix all nuts and vanilla wafer crumbs with melted butter and press into a 9-inch buttered springform pan, trying to line the sides as much as possible about 1 ½ up the sides of the pan, set aside.

Cheesecake Directions:

All the filling ingredients should be at room temperature.

Beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy with an electric mixer set on low (keep the setting at low during the entire mixing process).

Add the sugar a little at a time and continue beating until creamy.

Add one egg at a time and beat after each egg.

Add flour, vanilla and lemon juice, mix well.

Add the sour cream and beat well.

Pour cream cheese mixture into the springform pan.

Place on the top rack in the middle of a 325-degree F preheated oven for one hour and 15 minutes.

When time is up turn oven off, prop open oven door and leave in oven for one hour.

Remove from oven and let cool then refrigerate for 24 hours.

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simple meal plan to lose weight

#vegan #keto #milton #family #dinner #mouse #animals #imgur #video #frog #hungry #bug #eat #snack #up

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twistednuns · 4 years ago

Text

August 2020

My students all told me that they'd be watching Outer Banks over the holidays, a US teen drama. I got curious and now I'm hooked. Another excellent series I binge-watched is The Umbrella Academy. For me it was one of the greatest moments in TV history when Klaus shared a piece of wisdom as a guru and told his devotee: Don't go chasing waterfalls. Stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to. (the divine TLC lyrics)

Finally finishing my macrame hanging planter. Cleaning up the balcony and my apartment. Listening to the rain from bed.

The Happy Medium winery has amazing branding. Two eyes to look - one eye to see.

A really nice, solitary summer evening after a very frustrating, infuriating afternoon (nobody wanted to go swimming with me and I felt all the feelings and was too stubborn and lazy to go alone - very mature). After a 4-hour-nap I made some roasted veggies with tsatsiki, lit some candles outside and enjoyed my meal in the dark.

Learning about malaphors.

I just found out that my favourite French summer comedy of all times, Les Petits Mouchoirs, has a sequel!!! I'm so excited. Need to organise a movie night asap. [edit: We watched it in Ibiza and it was perfect! Need to see it again asap.]

I made a crazy delicious pot of rice the other night. It was more like a risotto with lemon and white wine. Roasted vegetables with lemon oil. I wanted to add parmesan but frankly, that would have ruined it. And that says a lot about the quality of a dish in my opinion!

Getting out of bed in the morning. Starting to organise, declutter, throw stuff out. Very grateful for past me. I love it when I'm in the mood for tasks I usually put off.

My very own custom-made bottle rack. I couldn't find anything fitting so I just made one myself and it's perfect.

Finding out what okra plants actually look like. I'd always assumed they grow like green beans.

Drinking Aperol Spritz on Becky's balcony. Talking about boobs, embarrassing her kids, looking at a friendship book her colleagues had given her as a parting gift. Cake, a tour of Rosi's Playmobil empire, talking about the expression of psychological issues through art. Talking non-stop, in fact. We often don't even manage to finish a topic and jump from thought to thought.

A hardware store date with Manu on a Friday evening. At sunset. Flowers, soft hugs. Trying on hats, finding the right things. Him walking home, me on a bike, jousting with the wooden stick I had just bought, singing. Ending up outside an Italian restaurant, ordering truffle oil pizza. And the gorgonzola. Oh my.

A fantastic bi-anthem from the TV show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

An afternoon at Maria Einsiedel. With Diego, Lorena and Daniela. But I met Claudia on the subway and she also wanted to go swimming so we just went together. So we kinda reconnected? We all sat in one place, Manu L. and Frank as well. Floating down the Eiskanal was perfect. And in the end I spent the whole evening with Frank and Claudia. Interesting development. Somehow people keep coming back into my life this month.

Harvesting my very own sun-ripened tomatoes.

An afternoon at the lake in Feldmoching with Sash and Lena. Naked dancers, serious volleyball seniors, jelly shoes. The story about flesh-eating pineapple. Chocolate-orange muffins and leftover salad. An accidental wasp-murder (it was drenched in oil so I had to put it out of its misery). Talking about moaners (or: when men are really loud during sex). And about getting old and lazy. I really want a beach chair now. Posture, eh? And comfort. Yeah, comfort.

"We gain sustenance from nature’s regeneration." An article about the therapeutic power of gardening. I absolutely have to read Sue Stuart-Smith's book which they're discussing. Warm-colored kilims hung from ancient rafters above a seating area furnished with tapestry-upholstered couches, sculptures perched on tables, and tall bookcases. The space had the atmosphere of Freud’s famous analytic study, but on a giant scale. A huge picture window framed the countryside beyond. An enormous honeysuckle, which looked as if it had flourished as long as the Stuart-Smiths’ marriage, climbed a dark, shingled wall and crept over the roof.

Dreaming about being held tightly. A warm embrace. The perfect energy exchange. Feeling protected and loved.

An evening at the outdoor cinema in Munich's Westpark with my boys Frank and Manu. We watched a rather forgettable French comedy but I loved spending time with those two. I felt at ease, protected, special. Always a plus: Krupuk ASMR!

Spending time with my mum. Harvesting blackberries for breakfast. Going to the healthfood store together. Looking for an e-bike and swimming goggles for me. Talking about my brother, my dad. Issues. Dinner on the veranda. Picking some of her crystals to take home with me. Very lovely and peaceful.

An extremely lazy week in Ibiza. Getting up early (German programming, we can't help it), far too much breakfast food (fresh juice, fruit, lovely Spanish hazelnuts and my own personal chef to make me pancakes and omelettes). Snorkelling - playing with an octopus and hermit crabs, finding little treasures like a dead sea urchin and shiny sea shells. Diving through caverns. Nursing a bad sunburn. Reading the new Hank Green novel on the hotel veranda (it's such a good book again). A dip in the luke-warm pool once in a while. Cooling down in our room. Heading out for dinner. Drinking red wine. Falling asleep early.

Climbing up a hill. Watching the sunset on the cliffs with a bottle of rosé. Gorgeous.

Nightswimming (deserves a quiet night). Jumping into the pitch-black Mediterranean in our underwear after eating black paella (with squid ink). Humming the R.E.M. song accordingly.

Suddenly speaking Spanish. Well, broken Spanish, but they mostly get what I mean.

A huge glass of iced coffee after a long cycling tour. Lots of ice cubes and vanilla ice-cream. Lounging on the outside sofa. After having an outside shower. Nice.

Drinking red wine on a candlelit veranda. Playing my summer jam playlist.

Lots of animals. Watching the lizards fight each other. And the goats across the road. Cuddling with a needy cat in San Ferran. And Jaco the dog who belongs to the guitar workshop's owner.

Pizza night at the workshop. a) I love places that smell like wood and oil, places that are really lived in and you can see that people actually spend time and work there. Creative chaos. b) Damian, one of the teachers there, is man candy. Long, black hair and icy blue eyes.

The night sky over Formentera. You can actually see the Milky Way and shooting stars here.

Empty beaches. The dunes. Snorkelling. Spending time underwater has a very calming effect on me. It's like entering a different universe.

Creative projects. Flow. I was completely in my zone when I was building an octopus out of sand on the beach. Forgetting about time. Discomforts. The sun. Just digging in the sand with my bare hands. But I also played around with watercolour and chalk, made some pencil drawings, for example a still life with grapes and twigs from the garden. I developed some solar photographs, too. Experimenting is fun!

Alone time. I've been craving it so much lately. Being around 4 people all the time is incredibly exhausting for me. I'm not used to it at all.

Solving the New Yorker crossword puzzle one Friday morning.

Having Pomadas at Kiosko 62 during sunset. Really chill vibes. Getting drunk quickly. Taking selfies. The sea, the sun, some hippies. Nice.

Preparing dinner together. Singing along to the music. Feeling the effect of the sunset cocktails. It's interesting to see how much my usually so restrained friends change with a few sips of gin.

The availability of truffle products in Spain. Cheese, crisps, oil... I love it.

Talking about artists' muses with Flo - mostly Gala Dalí and Françoise Gilot.

#things i love #personal #present perfect #august #2020 #august 2020

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