#the prep goes from easy stuff like chopping and grilling | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

helgardin · 7 years ago

Text

BBQ Grill Recipie Reviews 2018

today we're filming barbecue veggies the

easy way and I can film out of my patio

but I think or you go to the roof what a

spot to film for guys today on bachelor

on a budget we are making barbecue

vegetables the easy way similar to our

oven roasted vegetables that you guys

love we're doing barbecue veggies up

here on my rooftop gorgeous view it's

gonna be super easy to make we're going

Traeger renegade elite grill

so we'll prep everything beforehand we

got some corn asparagus zucchini

tomatoes mushrooms eggplant garlic onion

the works so we're going to barbecue all

of that and it's gonna be super easy

okay I've already went ahead and started

got some corn just see shelled it cut

off the ends and soaked in water for

about ten minutes with some salt and

that will keep this from totally burning

so we need to set that aside next we'll

get the eggplant so we can pre salt

those cutting in about half inch strips

here that's all nice don't use a dull

knife

okay we'll start these sprinkling some

coarse salt over it

that'll draw some of the bitterness and

we'll set that aside

asparagus you just want to break off the

ends cut them off these ones are pretty

short I think they've been snapped off

in the grocery store you're just trying

to get rid of the woody bit and I'll

probably cook these in a foil wrap just

Traeger renegade elite grill

crevices of the barbecue garlic we're

just going to cut those in half okay

onion we're just going to quarter this

cut off the ends get on or skin off get

off check that in our back in our bowl

okay we got some zucchini zucchini only

buddy take about 15 minutes so we'll cut

them in about half inch strips as well

here we got a guest spot here on camera

say hi now hi YouTube

sharp knife is so much safer than adult

Tomatoes a lot of people don't barbecue

tomatoes but tomatoes are awesome on the

barbecue we're just going to cut in half

we don't want to get super soggy well if

you've got a lemon we're going to

barbecue this it'll release some of the

juices then we can squeeze those on

after garnish mushrooms let's cut off

the woody end and all of this stuff is

pretty washed now I can cut these in

half like a quarter them can grill them

in the aluminum foil I'm going to go

with the mudhole we're done with

chopping okay we'll just drizzle all

this with olive oil I got to put about

two to three tablespoons with all of

this and we'll get some salt salt bay a

couple tablespoons 3dep stop msg road

salt and a fine grain move that around

to lightly toss it

make sure everything's coated I don't to

get my hands too oily up here actually

there's a warm-up here

[Music]

boiling hands okay let's take this over

the barbecue okay time to get the most

dense ingredients on first we're going

to go with the corn hope that doesn't

line up fire eggplant zucchini on there

garlic

if yours fall apart cooking it at some

aluminum foil just gonna plop it down

and hopefully doesn't fall in any crap

I'm just going to fit everything on if

you have a smaller barbecue cook the

more dense one first and start off

cooking those or just cook them in

sequence but I'm going to try and fit

everything on here and then we'll just

take it off as it cooks

go screw the tin foil wrap we're going

to live dangerously we didn't soak these

long enough up goes whoo-ha

ignore what I said about cooking with

the core not gets stuck everywhere

unless you get cooking corn okay

everything's on well close that and

check on it in ten minutes maybe five

Traeger renegade elite grill reviews

that's just because it's open it'll

crank up so about 400 even 500 just want

to keep an eye on it and make sure it

doesn't go past 500

let's make sure nothing's burning and

corn is okay

we want those be a two-block so we might

take those off sparing it is looking

nice that's pretty much done with paint

colors don't overcook our experiments

onions those are far from done move

without around their Tomatoes

those are fine I'm tempted while

mushroom doesn't cook plenty more in

plants Dhawan's look come on over toast

[Music]

we also want to know your warm spots you

can see I got right here at the back

very warm super windy out and stuff in

the front that you cook as much garlic

it's still quite a ways but we'll give

that a flip we're going to drizzle a

little olive oil and anywhere that looks

a little dry

[Music]

okay we can flip some of this again

Tomatoes be careful they're going to be

soft OHS earlier tonight eggplant is

pretty much done so is the asparagus

probably more than done so we'll take

that awesome in the corn you do that to

keep that warm garlic just about done

we're looking for that to be nice and

saw very delicate okay we got another

couple more minutes on these guys okay

everything's done what's that look like

this and voila we are done we're going

to crack some fresh pepper over that we

need to do this before because we don't

want the pepper to burn and we can take

our nice soft lemon juice squeeze out a

bit over and the sugars in that lemon

have a nice caramelization on them let's

give these a taste so much flavor unreal

with all of it we're just trying to go

for a nice golden-brown and cold up here

super windy you can probably tell from

the audio ah I didn't bring any Forks up

here

I was ridiculously good that garlic try

that tomato so good

asparagus so I got a good crunch jump oh

well thank you for watching the first

#Traeger renegade elite grill

29 notes · View notes

zenlesszonezero · 11 days ago

Text

#Zenless Zone Zero #Miyabi #Harumasa #HoYoverse #zzzero #zenlesszonezero #Mobile Game #Anime Game #Gaming

832 notes · View notes

pisceslentil8-blog · 5 years ago

Text

Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Orzo Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

Bursting with flavor…and vegetables, this grilled chicken orzo salad with a quick homemade honey lime dressing is out of this world delicious (not to mention super pretty to look at!).

I have to apologize that my salad game has been kind of weak this summer.

I think the last really good salad recipe I shared was way back in May, which is kind of insane because I love salad passionately, and we eat it all the time through the summer.

And so while it’s already September, I’m going to hang on to summer salad season for a bit longer, and I plan to share a few more salad recipes with you before the internet moves on to all things pumpkin, hearty comfort foods, and soup for days.

Actually, this fall movement has already begun (Pinterest, I’m looking at you), but if you ask me, it’s a little bit like Hobby Lobby carrying Christmas decor in July. It’s just wrong.

Considering we are still very steadily hanging out in the 80 and 90 degree temps this week (and probably for several more weeks), I’m in no hurry to winterize the grill (which I actually never do, oops) or say goodbye to garden produce.

I’ve been canning salsa like a maniac trying to take advantage of my tomatoes, and this week I think I’m playing tough love and cutting water completely to the garden to get some of those green tomatoes to ripen up in a hurry.

Basically, the family is sick of my canning supplies taking over the kitchen and our lives. We haven’t eaten at the kitchen table in weeks; I’m ready to whip out a few more small batch canning recipes and call it good for the year.

P.S. Homemade marinara recipe coming Thursday! Many, many of you have asked and I finally have my go-to ready to post.

Anyway, onto the good stuff today! This salad!

It is amazing.

I happen to be a very devout fan of orzo salads, namely this one and this one. And this grilled chicken orzo salad loaded with veggies is a perfect addition to my list of favorites.

Bonus: it uses some of that garden zucchini that might be overtaking your life like it is overtaking mine (thanks for all of you who sent me zucchini recipes after my lament on last week’s post).

This busy, colorful salad might have a lot going on, but the flavor is incredible. It is light and fresh and 100X more delicious thanks to the easy and fast homemade honey lime dressing.

With the tumble of healthy ingredients, this grilled chicken orzo salad is a meal in and of itself. That’s your reward for all the chopping!

There’s no need to futz around with unnecessary side dishes, however, it is also insanely yummy served with this rustic crusty bread (pictured in the background of these photos).

Talk about one of the most perfect late summer meals ever. I’ve included lots of notes below the recipe for variations to make it easier and also a couple ideas to take things up a notch (think: marinading the chicken in this delectable lemon and garlic mixture before grilling).

If you’re wishing summer could last forever, this tasty little orzo salad is for you.

One Year Ago: Double Chocolate Zucchini Brownies Two Years Ago: Tri-Color Pasta Salad My Favorite Pasta Salad Three Years Ago: Amish-Style Apple and Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal Four Years Ago: Thai-Style Fish and Creamy Couscous Packets Make-Ahead Meal Five Years Ago: Big Fat Greek Tacos

Yield: 6 servings

Total Time: 50 mins

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups dried orzo pasta (about 8 ounces)

4 to 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 2 pounds (see note)

1 cup frozen corn, thawed

1 to 2 medium zucchini (about 12 ounces) cut into long sticks (about 4 pieces per zucchini)

1 to 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from about 3 large limes)

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or unseasoned rice vinegar

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press

1/4 teaspoon coarse, kosher salt

Pinch of black pepper (I use coarsely ground)

2 cups baby arugula (about 4 ounces)

1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (optional but delicious)

1/2 to 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

Cook orzo according to package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Preheat grill to medium- or medium-high heat. Season the chicken on both sides lightly with salt and pepper (see note below about marinading chicken). Grill the chicken until cooked through, 4-5 minutes per side until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F at the thickest part of the chicken. Let rest 4-5 minutes before cutting into bite-size pieces or thin slices.

If your grill is big enough, add the zucchini while the chicken is cooking. Grill the zucchini until crisp-tender about 8-10 minutes, turning once or twice. Coarsely chop the zucchini into bite-size pieces. (See note below about cooking the zucchini in a skillet)

For the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper.

In a large serving bowl, add the orzo, arugula, basil, corn, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes. Lightly toss. Add the grilled chicken on top and sprinkle the feta cheese over the salad.

Serve immediately with the dressing alongside OR drizzle the dressing over the top of the entire salad and toss.

Notes:

You could cook the zucchini in a skillet on the stovetop (similar to this recipe) rather than grilling. You could also broil the chicken in the oven or cook in a skillet if you don’t have a grill. Conversely, you could use fresh corn and grill the corn along with the zucchini and chicken, slicing off the kernels once cooked.

If using frozen corn that’s been thawed, you can take it up a notch by lightly toasting the thawed corn in a skillet that’s been preheated with a pat of butter and a drizzle of olive oil. Toss the corn in the hot skillet and cook until golden and sizzling.

You can take the flavor of this salad up a notch if you have time (or remember) to marinade the chicken before grilling/cooking. This easy lemon and garlic chicken marinade goes great with the flavor profile of this salad.

All images and text ©Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Follow @melskitchencafe on Instagram and show me the recipes you are making from my blog using the hashtag #melskitchencafe. I love seeing all the goodness you are whipping up in your kitchens!

Recipe Source: inspired by a recipe in Cooking Light August 2018

Posted on September 4, 2018 by Mel

Source: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/grilled-chicken-and-vegetable-orzo-salad-honey-lime-dressing/

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more

0 notes

hellyear86-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Orzo Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

Bursting with flavor…and vegetables, this grilled chicken orzo salad with a quick homemade honey lime dressing is out of this world delicious (not to mention super pretty to look at!).

I have to apologize that my salad game has been kind of weak this summer.

I think the last really good salad recipe I shared was way back in May, which is kind of insane because I love salad passionately, and we eat it all the time through the summer.

Actually, this fall movement has already begun (Pinterest, I’m looking at you), but if you ask me, it’s a little bit like Hobby Lobby carrying Christmas decor in July. It’s just wrong.

P.S. Homemade marinara recipe coming Thursday! Many, many of you have asked and I finally have my go-to ready to post.

Anyway, onto the good stuff today! This salad!

It is amazing.

I happen to be a very devout fan of orzo salads, namely this one and this one. And this grilled chicken orzo salad loaded with veggies is a perfect addition to my list of favorites.

Bonus: it uses some of that garden zucchini that might be overtaking your life like it is overtaking mine (thanks for all of you who sent me zucchini recipes after my lament on last week’s post).

This busy, colorful salad might have a lot going on, but the flavor is incredible. It is light and fresh and 100X more delicious thanks to the easy and fast homemade honey lime dressing.

With the tumble of healthy ingredients, this grilled chicken orzo salad is a meal in and of itself. That’s your reward for all the chopping!

There’s no need to futz around with unnecessary side dishes, however, it is also insanely yummy served with this rustic crusty bread (pictured in the background of these photos).

If you’re wishing summer could last forever, this tasty little orzo salad is for you.

Yield: 6 servings

Total Time: 50 mins

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups dried orzo pasta (about 8 ounces)

4 to 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 2 pounds (see note)

1 cup frozen corn, thawed

1 to 2 medium zucchini (about 12 ounces) cut into long sticks (about 4 pieces per zucchini)

1 to 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from about 3 large limes)

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or unseasoned rice vinegar

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press

1/4 teaspoon coarse, kosher salt

Pinch of black pepper (I use coarsely ground)

2 cups baby arugula (about 4 ounces)

1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (optional but delicious)

1/2 to 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

Cook orzo according to package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

For the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper.

In a large serving bowl, add the orzo, arugula, basil, corn, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes. Lightly toss. Add the grilled chicken on top and sprinkle the feta cheese over the salad.

Serve immediately with the dressing alongside OR drizzle the dressing over the top of the entire salad and toss.

Notes:

All images and text ©Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Follow @melskitchencafe on Instagram and show me the recipes you are making from my blog using the hashtag #melskitchencafe. I love seeing all the goodness you are whipping up in your kitchens!

Recipe Source: inspired by a recipe in Cooking Light August 2018

Posted on September 4, 2018 by Mel

Source: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/grilled-chicken-and-vegetable-orzo-salad-honey-lime-dressing/

0 notes

bulbspoon9-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Orzo Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

Bursting with flavor…and vegetables, this grilled chicken orzo salad with a quick homemade honey lime dressing is out of this world delicious (not to mention super pretty to look at!).

I have to apologize that my salad game has been kind of weak this summer.

I think the last really good salad recipe I shared was way back in May, which is kind of insane because I love salad passionately, and we eat it all the time through the summer.

Actually, this fall movement has already begun (Pinterest, I’m looking at you), but if you ask me, it’s a little bit like Hobby Lobby carrying Christmas decor in July. It’s just wrong.

P.S. Homemade marinara recipe coming Thursday! Many, many of you have asked and I finally have my go-to ready to post.

Anyway, onto the good stuff today! This salad!

It is amazing.

I happen to be a very devout fan of orzo salads, namely this one and this one. And this grilled chicken orzo salad loaded with veggies is a perfect addition to my list of favorites.

Bonus: it uses some of that garden zucchini that might be overtaking your life like it is overtaking mine (thanks for all of you who sent me zucchini recipes after my lament on last week’s post).

This busy, colorful salad might have a lot going on, but the flavor is incredible. It is light and fresh and 100X more delicious thanks to the easy and fast homemade honey lime dressing.

With the tumble of healthy ingredients, this grilled chicken orzo salad is a meal in and of itself. That’s your reward for all the chopping!

There’s no need to futz around with unnecessary side dishes, however, it is also insanely yummy served with this rustic crusty bread (pictured in the background of these photos).

If you’re wishing summer could last forever, this tasty little orzo salad is for you.

Yield: 6 servings

Total Time: 50 mins

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups dried orzo pasta (about 8 ounces)

4 to 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 2 pounds (see note)

1 cup frozen corn, thawed

1 to 2 medium zucchini (about 12 ounces) cut into long sticks (about 4 pieces per zucchini)

1 to 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from about 3 large limes)

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or unseasoned rice vinegar

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press

1/4 teaspoon coarse, kosher salt

Pinch of black pepper (I use coarsely ground)

2 cups baby arugula (about 4 ounces)

1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (optional but delicious)

1/2 to 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

Cook orzo according to package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

For the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper.

In a large serving bowl, add the orzo, arugula, basil, corn, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes. Lightly toss. Add the grilled chicken on top and sprinkle the feta cheese over the salad.

Serve immediately with the dressing alongside OR drizzle the dressing over the top of the entire salad and toss.

Notes:

All images and text ©Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Follow @melskitchencafe on Instagram and show me the recipes you are making from my blog using the hashtag #melskitchencafe. I love seeing all the goodness you are whipping up in your kitchens!

Recipe Source: inspired by a recipe in Cooking Light August 2018

Posted on September 4, 2018 by Mel

Source: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/grilled-chicken-and-vegetable-orzo-salad-honey-lime-dressing/

0 notes

recipes-for-dinner-easy · 6 years ago

Text

Pineapple Mango Salsa ⋆ Real Housemoms

New Post has been published on https://recipesfordinnereasy.site/2019/05/03/pineapple-mango-salsa-%e2%8b%86-real-housemoms/

Pineapple Mango Salsa ⋆ Real Housemoms

Easy, fresh and flavorful Pineapple Mango Salsa! Serve with tortilla chips or with grilled chicken, fish, tacos, and more!With the perfect balance of savory, sweet and spicy, this Pineapple Mango Salsa is sure to be a hit! This salsa is already on regular rotation in our house. Between the color, flavor and the fact that it goes good with so many things, we just can’t stop with this stuff. This salsa can be an appetizer alongside a bowl of tortilla chips or it can be served with main dishes, too. I love spooning it over Grilled Pork Chops.PINEAPPLE MANGO SALSALike this recipe? Pin it to your APPETIZER pinboard!Follow Real Housemoms on PinterestHere’s your new summer staple: Pineapple Mango Salsa! With the weather warming up I am shifting my sights to everything fresh, fruity and summery. Although I’d like to live off of Strawberry Cake and Honey-Vanilla Fruit Dip, I’ve decided to find a savory way to get my fruit fix. Therefore, this refreshing and flavorful mango salsa has quickly become a go-to in our household.How to Make Pineapple Mango SalsaUse this recipe as a guide and adjust it to suit your taste. Here are the main components:Pineapple and Mango: These make up the bulk of this salsa. Be sure to use fresh pineapple and mango, as it is much firmer than frozen or canned. Tip: If you don’t feel like prepping a whole pineapple or mango, you can buy pre-chopped or cored pineapple and mango in the refrigerated produce section of most grocery stores.Red Bell Pepper: This adds a beautiful red color, a bit of crunch, and a slight sweetness. Feel free to swap the red bell pepper for chopped tomato, if you’d prefer.Lime Juice: This brightens the salsa, adds a bit of tang, and it pairs wonderfully with the sweet fruit.Jalapeno: I balance the sweet fruit with a little heat from a finely chopped fresh jalapeno. You can easily control the heat level by adjusting the quantity of jalapeno. Note: the heat lives in the ribs and seeds, so keep that in mind when preparing the jalapeno.Onion: A little finely chopped red onion disperses throughout the salsa, adding a slight bite and a pop of purple color. If you’d like a milder onion flavor, feel free to swap the red onion for shallot or green onion.Cilantro or Parsley: Cilantro is traditionally used in salsa. If you’re not a fan of its distinct flavor, swap it for parsley.What to serve with Mango SalsaOnce you have this salsa on hand, you will find so many uses for it. For instance, we’ve enjoyed it on tortilla chips, grilled chicken, fish tacos, burritos, and salad. It’s fantastic for special occasions like BBQs, picnics or pool parties, but it’s also a delicious way to brighten up any weeknight meal.Feel free to play around with this mango salsa recipe based on your flavor preferences. You can also add diced avocado, corn or black beans to this salsa. Make sure the black beans are rinsed and drained well, so they don’t add any color to the salsa. Also, avocado should be added right before serving so that it doesn’t turn brown.Tip: At the start of this recipe I allow the chopped onion and jalapeno to sit in the lime juice for about 10 minutes. The acid from the lime juice softens the bite from the onion and jalapeno, creating a smoother finished product. Feel free to skip this step if you’d prefer to toss everything in a bowl and be done.Try some of my other homemade salsa recipes!Tools used to make this Pineapple Mango Salsa recipeKnives: A good set of kitchen knives is essential for any cook. This set is the best one I’ve owned so far and it comes with a knife block, steak knives, and an array of larger knives perfect for all your slicing, chopping, and cutting needs.Cutting Board: A good-sized cutting board is a must for home cooks. This board is thick & sturdy and makes recipe prep a breeze.Mixing Bowl: These mixing bowls are perfect for mixing and serving. I love the varied sizes so I always have to right size bowl for all my mixing needs.Pineapple Mango SalsaEasy, fresh and flavorful Pineapple Mango Salsa. Serve with tortilla chips, grilled chicken, fish, tacos, and more. Prep Time: 15 minutesTotal Time: 15 minutesCourse: AppetizerCuisine: MexicanKeyword: salsaServings: 4 cupsCalories: 103kcalAuthor: Allison MattinaIngredients2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice from approximately 2 limes1 tablespoon minced fresh jalapeno3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion1 small garlic clove finely grated (I use a micro-plane grater)2 cups chopped fresh pineapple2 cups chopped fresh mango½ cup chopped red bell pepper1 tablespoon chopped parsley or cilantroSalt and pepper to tasteInstructionsIn the bottom of a large bowl, combine lime juice, jalapeno, onion, and garlic. Allow this mixture to sit for 10 minutes; this softens the bite of the jalapeno, onion, and garlic. Feel free to skip this step and proceed with the recipe.Add remaining ingredients and stir until well combined. Serve immediately or refrigerate.NutritionCalories: 103kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 1g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 288mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 31.3% | Vitamin C: 122.1% | Calcium: 2% | Iron: 2.5% Download Your Free Copy! Download your FREE copy of Dinner Made Easy!Sign up to receive our newsletter and download your copy of Dinner Made Easy FREE! You’ll get one email a week with our favorite recipes and tools to make life easy!Thank you so much for signing up to get our recipes delivered right to your inbox! Check your inbox to get our thank you present and to confirm you really want to sign up! You can unsubscribe at any time but I really hope you stick around!Other Recipes You May Like Source link

#best and easy veg recipes for dinner #chicken recipes for dinner easy and fast #easy aloo recipes for dinner #easy and tasty indian veg recipes for dinner #easy and tasty recipes for dinner #easy veg recipes for dinner at home #recipes #recipes for dinner easy and fast #recipes for dinner easy and healthy #recipes for dinner easy and quick

0 notes

zenlesszonezero · 11 days ago

Text

#Zenless Zone Zero #Miyabi #Harumasa #HoYoverse #zzzero #zenlesszonezero #Mobile Game #Anime Game #Gaming

832 notes · View notes

hermitlibrarian · 6 years ago

Text

Babe’s got a viable side business working out of Busy Bean’s, the coffee shop in her hometown of Oar’s Rest, creating all sorts of tasty treats from sandwiches to baked goods for the people in her small beach town. Can sweets and savories heal hurt hearts, though, in a summer full of turmoil and new love? It’s hard to say, but in Lillie Vale’s debut novel readers will be treated to not only delicious dishes, but to a deliciously intricate story of friends and emotions, of the summer before the rest of their lives start, and a town that feels like home.

I want to thank Vicky from Vicky Who Reads for facilitating this partnership & Lillie for her guest post today on the tummy rumbling food in Small Town Hearts and much more!

From Lillie Vale

Hi Harker! Thanks for hosting me on your blog today! So excited to chat about my YA debut, Small Town Hearts, all the yummy food Babe conjures up in her kitchen, and, of course, the foods that mean the most to us! Everybody else: Hi! I’m Lillie Vale, the author of upper YA contemporary Small Town Hearts. It’s a messy BFF breakup + found family novel taking place in the summer after high school, the last summer 19yo bi baking barista Babe thinks she’ll have before her friends Penny and Chad start college in the fall. She has a somewhat co-dependent relationship with the people she loves, and change has never been a good thing, in her experience, so she’s trying to hold on tight during a time when she has to learn how to let go. Matters are further complicated when her ex-girlfriend Elodie returns to their sleepy Maine village of Oar’s Rest at the same time as a mysterious summer boy shows up to rent Babe’s mom’s cottage on the beach.

“It’s hard to figure out if you want something to be a career. Like when people find out I’m not going to college, they get all awkward. They think staying at Busy’s and being a barista is . . . a stepping-stone job. And for most people, it is.” I shrugged. “But I’ve never wanted to do anything else in my entire life. Making people happy with food is something special.”

– Small Town Hearts (pg. 124)

Food plays a huge role in Small Town Hearts. Babe loves taking care of her found family with sweet treats, steaming chowders, fresh-baked bread, and experiments with flavors like goat cheese that her author is way too chicken to try! Nope, nuh uh, sorry, I have an adventurous palate but it does not extend to goat byproducts! 🙈

I joke all the time that Small Town Hearts should come with the disclaimer that it will make you really hungry, and I hear this A LOT from readers that they were craving snacks (or actually went out to get some!) while reading! Which, to my foodie heart, is top-shelf praise.

“The sweetness of a slice of cake has the ability to turn a bad day around. There’s a lot of memories in food, you know.”

– Small Town Hearts (pg. 225)

So I thought I’d chat with Harker about comfort food, and why it means so much to us!

I live on a steady diet of Asian food: khow suey, chicken biryani, shrimp/egg curry, vegetable korma, pad thai, thai basil chicken, and so many more. This stuff takes FOREVER to prepare if you are a turtle at chopping vegetables like me, and in general there’s a lot of prep involved with Asian dishes, and sometimes a very specific order in which to add ingredients, so all in all it can be time consuming.

My mom makes the best chicken gravies/curries. It reminds me of my childhood whenever I smell frying onion. Her butter chicken and chicken tikka masala is *chefs kiss*. Rich, smooth tomato gravy with lots of onion and garlic, oh my gawdddd. Paired with white rice or naan? THE BEST. Also, Indian recipes that require only one clove of garlic? DO NOT TRUST. Who doesn’t love garlic? It’s doing double duty! Not only is it making your food delicious, it serves a very medicinal purpose of keeping you safe from vampires (;

Crisp vegetables, tender meat (or your choice of protein! I often substitute tofu!), the bite of ginger and the sweetness of onions, crunchy bean sprouts and sugar snap peas, chewy re-hydrated mushrooms (my favorite!!!), flavorsome lemongrass and curry leaves, garlicky noodles and sauces, fragrant coconut milk mixed in a delicious, savory broth…I could wax poetic about this all day! Eating any of this is like being enveloped in a warm hug. I know how much time goes into meals, so I appreciate it even more when it’s made for me. It soothes me to a degree I sometimes didn’t know I needed. Sometimes, food can be love.

As a diaspora Indian-American, food is the best way I know how to connect to my heritage. I associate my favorite Indian dishes with stories my mom tells me of her childhood in India, of a world and a time and a place I have never known, yet still feel wistful for.

And when I don’t have the time/energy to cook for myself or can’t beg/bribe my mom to make me something? Nothing beats packet ramen with a ton of veggies and a fried egg (gochujang and pickled radish and greens if you’re feeling fancy)! Wendy’s chicken nuggets, fries, and chili! You haven’t lived until you’ve dipped fries in their chili. So. Freaking. Good. And…corn flakes. I just really like corn flakes.

Harker, what are your favorite comfort foods, and why are they so evocative? Any special memories you associate with food? (Also, I am really hungry right now!!! Why did we think talking about food was a good idea!!! I have no idea what to make for lunch!!! I JUST WANT ALL THE THINGS!!!)

From Harker, the Hermit Librarian

Oh Lillie, I don’t know! Just reading your post made me hungry all over again. Each dish sounded better than the last. 😀

I feel very basic in saying that two of my comfort foods is mac n cheese or Chef Boyardee, both of which are super easy to make when I’m feeling low energy. However, I also enjoy Asian food quite a lot, especially from my local restaurants: brisket ramen, bool go gi, takoyaki, and butter chicken. I haven’t made many of these dishes myself at home because, as you mentioned, these and similar can take a long time to prepare and I often don’t have the energy or the strength (my hands cramp easily when chopping/mixing). I’ve tried some jarred butter chicken sauce which I know isn’t the same as homemade but it suffices and it still quite delicious.

Reading Small Town Hearts made me ache to try some of the dishes that Babe was making. Whether it was the sweets or one of the savory dishes, pretty much everything she made sounded delicious, even if it had an ingredient I’m not partial to (blue cheese is apparently to me what goat cheese is to you, Lillie! *lol*).

Babe’s fare was a bit easier to replicate at home.

(Left to Right – Babe’s “Grilled Cheese” Toastie, Ham & Cheese, Dark Chocolate Chip Pistachio Cookies)

There was one sandwich that jumped out first: a grilled cheese that Babe made with blue cheese, arugula, and apricot jam. I made my twist on this by switching out the blue cheese for gouda and using an arugula/spinach mix. Omg, this was SO good! I’d never thought of putting jam on sandwich before! What a joy! This was supposed to be a grilled cheese and I kind of failed on that in all the iterations I made, so it became more of a toastie, but even only semi-melted the smokiness of the gouda was a real nice counterpoint to the sweetness of the apricot jam.

Since I had the apricot jam and the arugula/spinach mix already and I wanted to make something that Babe would be proud of, I tried to think of a sandwich that would utilize many of the same ingredients. I paired the aforementioned items with some deli ham and sliced swiss cheese to make another sandwich. If you’ve got the energy you can toast it, but if you want something quick late at night, this Ham & Cheese can also be enjoyed cold.

And, of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t try and recreate Babe’s dark chocolate chip pistachio cookies. In Small Town Hearts, Babe includes sea salt in her recipe, which I nixed because I thought that the pistachios would be a bit too salty in the cookies. Next time, though, I would include it and also put more pistachios on top. All in all they were quite tasty! The recipe is the one on the back of the Nestle Tollhouse bag with the addition of the nuts if anyone would care to recreate them for yourself. 🙂

Food is only one part of Lillie’s book, of course. There’s so much more to it, from setting to the characters. Check out the synopsis, purchase links, and my review for more on this debut novel.

Once again, thank you, Lillie, for joining me for this wonderfully delicious guest post!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Goodreads | Indiebound

Published: 19 March 2019

Publisher: Swoon Reads

Category: Contemporary/Young Adult/Romance/LGBT+

Rule #1 – Never fall for a summer boy.

Fresh out of high school, Babe Vogel should be thrilled to have the whole summer at her fingertips. She loves living in her lighthouse home in the sleepy Maine beach town of Oar’s Rest and being a barista at the Busy Bean, but she’s totally freaking out about how her life will change when her two best friends go to college in the fall. And when a reckless kiss causes all three of them to break up, she may lose them a lot sooner. On top of that, her ex-girlfriend is back in town, bringing with her a slew of memories, both good and bad.

And then there’s Levi Keller, the cute artist who’s spending all his free time at the coffee shop where she works. Levi’s from out of town, and even though Babe knows better than to fall for a tourist who will leave when summer ends, she can’t stop herself from wanting to know him. Can Babe keep her distance, or will she break the one rule she’s always had – to never fall for a summer boy?

Rating: 3 Stars

Rep: Bisexual MC, Black SC, biracial ex-LI, Chinese American SC

CW: manipulative friendship, mention of casual drug usage (weed, not shown on the page), alcohol consumption (on page), alcohol abuse (a character drinks and parties to the point of dehydration and sleep-deprivation; two characters get wasted and are too drunk to fully consent to sex with each other); in this edition use of a racist term (tr*be – “It always felt like once people had their tribe, they didn’t have a lot of time for new friends.”) during the included quote. Note: having spoken to the author, she’s accepted this note and while it’s too late to change the current edition, she mentioned correcting it in further print runs.

From the get go, Small Town Hearts had a great knack for setting. At the heart of it was The Busy Bean, the coffee shop where Babe sells her baked good and works as a manager. It has a certain eclectic charm that is illustrated well in the furniture from various patio sets and alternating lettering styles displaying the daily specials on a board.

Vale constructs a comforting setting. Oar’s Rest comes to the reader’s mind not only through visuals that she sets out for them, but through scents that are described and used to round out the image of the town. It almost makes it a 3D image and puts the reader that much more in the story than any other.

There were some characterization choices that I thought were interesting, such as when Babe & Penny compare Penny & Chad’s relationship to Rory and Logan of Gilmore Girls. Penny/Rory, in their respective works (book/show) don’t tend to notice what they’re asking of others, the demands that their actions place on others, and I found this a super apt comparison.

Penny did not end up being my favorite person. There’s some growth on her part, but it was difficult to read her interactions with Babe. There’s language she uses that’s subtly manipulative of Babe & Babe’s feelings as well as judgment toward Levi when “first meeting” him at a houseboat party and offering him weed/alcohol but also ��water if you’re not into having fun”.

I wasn’t sure, at first, if the tension between Babe & Penny was casual friends depending upon one another or something else, but as one scene plays out (Penny asking Babe to, essentially, cement a breakup with Chad) it becomes clear that Penny knows what she’s doing. Events spiral from that one request, and from the past decisions that have happened between Babe, Penny, and even Chad, to create a whole mess that intertwines the entire narrative.

Babe & Levi had some sweet moments, despite the tension that was running between them for a variety of reasons. Their dates around town, their conversations, there were some truly lovely, intimate moments that bolstered the quickly formed relationship.

There is something I found slightly odd, maybe offputting, about the tone of the characters. Before their ages were explicitly stated, and perhaps even a bit after that, I would’ve said based on the way they acted, the situations they were in (living conditions, certain freedoms, etc.), that this was more a New Adult novel and that most of the main cast was in their early twenties rather than late teens. Like, there was a disproportionate amount of young people to older (late twenties and up) residents. These characters were all 17-19 and not quite acting like it. They had jobs, “houses”, and responsibilities that didn’t quite mesh with the personalities that had been presented on page.

There is a brief explanation given as to where Babe’s mother is (she works on a cruise ship most of the year) and why Babe is able to afford living in a lighthouse (given funds). It felt a rather convenient way, though, to avoid developing a familial relationship between Babe and her parents because both are essentially absentee what with her mother working on a cruise ship and her father being a relative unknown to the reader.

Overall, while the action seem choppy/repetitive at times, creating a sometimes rough reading experience, what was good was good and what wasn’t awful. I really could see Oar’s Rest in my head and sinking into a setting isn’t always easy. I wish that it was possible to visit such a place, get a picnic lunch at Lorcan’s seafood shack, and wander down to the beach. Small Town Hearts is a wonderfully atmospheric novel and getting to settle down with a snack and a good read is totally something to look forward to with this debut.

About the Author

Lillie Vale, upon discovering she could not be one of Santa’s elves or attend Hogwarts, decided to become a writer to create a little magic of her own. Enjoying the romantic and eerie in equal measure, she’s probably always writing a book where the main characters kiss or kill. Born in Mumbai, she has lived in many U.S. states, and now resides in an Indiana college town where the corn whispers and no one has a clue that she is actually the long-lost caps lock queen. She can be reached on Twitter @LillieLabyrinth and Instagram @labyrinthspine. Small Town Hearts is her debut novel.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Quotes included are from an advanced reader copy and may not reflect the finalized copy.

All media belongs to the respective owners and is used here solely for the purpose of review and commentary.

Yummy Read: A Guest Post with Lillie Vale, author of Small Town Hearts Babe's got a viable side business working out of Busy Bean's, the coffee shop in her hometown of Oar's Rest, creating all sorts of tasty treats from sandwiches to baked goods for the people in her small beach town. 2,668 more words

0 notes

weederfall18-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Orzo Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

Bursting with flavor…and vegetables, this grilled chicken orzo salad with a quick homemade honey lime dressing is out of this world delicious (not to mention super pretty to look at!).

I have to apologize that my salad game has been kind of weak this summer.

I think the last really good salad recipe I shared was way back in May, which is kind of insane because I love salad passionately, and we eat it all the time through the summer.

Actually, this fall movement has already begun (Pinterest, I’m looking at you), but if you ask me, it’s a little bit like Hobby Lobby carrying Christmas decor in July. It’s just wrong.

P.S. Homemade marinara recipe coming Thursday! Many, many of you have asked and I finally have my go-to ready to post.

Anyway, onto the good stuff today! This salad!

It is amazing.

I happen to be a very devout fan of orzo salads, namely this one and this one. And this grilled chicken orzo salad loaded with veggies is a perfect addition to my list of favorites.

Bonus: it uses some of that garden zucchini that might be overtaking your life like it is overtaking mine (thanks for all of you who sent me zucchini recipes after my lament on last week’s post).

This busy, colorful salad might have a lot going on, but the flavor is incredible. It is light and fresh and 100X more delicious thanks to the easy and fast homemade honey lime dressing.

With the tumble of healthy ingredients, this grilled chicken orzo salad is a meal in and of itself. That’s your reward for all the chopping!

There’s no need to futz around with unnecessary side dishes, however, it is also insanely yummy served with this rustic crusty bread (pictured in the background of these photos).

If you’re wishing summer could last forever, this tasty little orzo salad is for you.

Yield: 6 servings

Total Time: 50 mins

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups dried orzo pasta (about 8 ounces)

4 to 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 2 pounds (see note)

1 cup frozen corn, thawed

1 to 2 medium zucchini (about 12 ounces) cut into long sticks (about 4 pieces per zucchini)

1 to 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from about 3 large limes)

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or unseasoned rice vinegar

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press

1/4 teaspoon coarse, kosher salt

Pinch of black pepper (I use coarsely ground)

2 cups baby arugula (about 4 ounces)

1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (optional but delicious)

1/2 to 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

Cook orzo according to package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

For the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper.

In a large serving bowl, add the orzo, arugula, basil, corn, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes. Lightly toss. Add the grilled chicken on top and sprinkle the feta cheese over the salad.

Serve immediately with the dressing alongside OR drizzle the dressing over the top of the entire salad and toss.

Notes:

All images and text ©Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Follow @melskitchencafe on Instagram and show me the recipes you are making from my blog using the hashtag #melskitchencafe. I love seeing all the goodness you are whipping up in your kitchens!

Recipe Source: inspired by a recipe in Cooking Light August 2018

Posted on September 4, 2018 by Mel

Source: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/grilled-chicken-and-vegetable-orzo-salad-honey-lime-dressing/

0 notes

blackbat09-archived · 8 years ago

Link

3.0k words, SFW, Jeremicheoff-centric chapter

Even with Michael and Geoff fighting, Jeremy and Michael can still make the best of a weekend together. After all, they're mates. They love each other.

One night with Michael is nice.

Jeremy brought him home, his mate’s hand laced with his as he drove, gazing over at Michael whenever he stopped at a red light and finding him smiling back, amber eyes bright and adoring. It was nice to see Michael smile, despite how his strawberry scent was still a bit sour with the same unhappiness that Jeremy knew was dulling his own. They were both still worried about Geoff, he knew, about their distraught Alpha, whom Jack had kindly volunteered to drive home when Michael murmured that he was leaving with Jeremy, barely brushing his lips over Geoff’s cheek before leaving him there to stew in misery and whiskey. Jeremy had tried to be more sympathetic, cupping Geoff’s cheek until he looked up, eyes watery but warm as Jeremy smiled at him, ignoring the stink of stagnant water and alcohol to press a kiss to his lips. He murmured that he loved Geoff before leaving, letting Michael catch his hand once he was out of the office and link their fingers as they walked out to Jeremy’s car.

Michael barely let go of Jeremy’s hand for a second as they got up to his apartment, letting him fumble for his keys one-handed without concern, opening the door and leading Michael into his personal space.

Geoff had let him keep his little one-bedroom apartment, citing when they’d first mated that Alphas needed their space; their own kingdom, as his boss had put it; and Jeremy had to admit he appreciated the consideration. He really did want his own space, as much as he loved Geoff and Michael; a place to go and relax when his mates got overwhelming. It tended to be a frequent event, being exhausted by his handsy Alpha and their attention-seeking Omega; Michael would wander over to Joel and Adam’s office during breaks to drape himself over Jeremy’s back and shoulders, pressing soft kisses over Jeremy’s neck until he couldn’t ignore him anymore, while Geoff preferred to wait for Jeremy to come to him, ambushing him in the Achievement Hunter offices with hungry lips and greedy hands until Jack stepped in and told them to cool it so that work could be done.

Having Michael at home with him was nice, though, chest warm with the unmistakable pride that came with taking care of his mate, of providing for Michael when the lad was upset. They spent a good chunk of time curled together on the couch, Michael’s head on his chest and long legs draped over his lap, Jeremy idly petting through Michael’s curls and ignoring whatever was on TV in favor of smiling down at the lad until his stomach rumbled.

“Mikey, I need you to get up. I’m gonna make dinner,” he murmured, getting only a petulant huff and a tight squeeze around his torso as Michael latched onto him.

“But Jer, ” he complained, the high noise making Jeremy scoff a little as he tried to ignore how Michael was purposefully whimpering like they were in the midst of screwing just to keep him in place. Soft curls brushed his chin as Michael tilted his head up to press kisses against Jeremy’s throat, creeping up to his jaw and over to his ear, a soft nip of his lobe making Jeremy shut his eyes as he tried to inhale steadily.

“Michael, we need to eat, babe. I like cuddles as much as the next guy, but I also like not starving.” He felt Michael’s pout against his skin before the lad pulled back, swinging his legs off Jeremy’s lap and crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at the TV and sulked. There was no resisting the call to comfort the pouting Omega at least a little bit, and Jeremy found himself kissing Michael gently until the lad was smiling against his mouth before breaking away to go get dinner ready. “Love you, Michael.”

“Love you, too, Jer.” The purr in Michael’s voice made Jeremy smile as he headed into the kitchen, pulling the chicken from the fridge that’d been marinating since breakfast that morning.

He turned on his grill to heat up and set the dish of chicken on the countertop before pulling out a bag of carrots and a saucepan, filling the pan with about an inch of water before grabbing a vegetable peeler and a knife and getting to work on washing and peeling the roots. He chopped them into even discs, the motions soothing as he fell into the easy lull of preparing dinner for himself and his mate. The carrots were dropped into the saucepan of water, set on the oven to boil as Jeremy glanced over to the grill, seeing it was heated and gently laying the chicken breasts over it before shutting the top.

He tapped his fingers against the counter, considering what else he could make for himself and Michael, knowing the lad was more used to Geoff’s cooking; an overwhelming feeling of inadequacy suddenly constricted his lungs and made it hard to breathe until he shook his head to clear it from his mind. Jeremy wasn’t inadequate. He was just as good a provider as Geoff, just as good an Alpha for Michael. He was fine.

He opened up his fridge, ignoring the way his stomach dropped at the sight of takeout and leftovers that mostly crowded his shelves, collecting more vegetables for a side salad before shutting the door. More dinner prep lulled him back into comfortable monotony, mind clear as he moved from dish to dish, petting Scooter when the cat wandered through before rinsing his hands and returning his focus to the food. A simple salad, leafy green lettuce tossed with tomatoes, cucumber, and dried cranberries, accompanied honey-glazed carrots and grilled chicken on the plates he set out for himself and Michael, utensils tucked under his thumbs as Jeremy brought them out to the living room, a blush heating his cheeks when Michael looked up from the television and smiled brightly at him.

“Dude, what’s all this? You coulda just made sandwiches, I would’ve been fine!” the Omega protested with laughter in his voice, Jeremy shrugging as he laid the plates on the low coffee table.

“I had the chicken marinating all day, I wasn’t about to waste it,” he murmured, leaning over to press a kiss to Michael’s forehead, taking in the clean sweetness of his strawberry scent before pulling away. “Besides, you’re my mate. You’re worth it.” The pink that tinged Michael’s cheeks was absolutely endearing, the kind of thing that made Jeremy lose track of himself for a moment before wresting back control, fumbling for words in a magnitude only Ryan usually managed and causing Michael to giggle.

“You alright there, Jer?”

“Oh, shuddup,” he grumbled, rubbing at his beard to cover the sheepish grin that had split across his face at Michael’s teasing. “You want somethin’ to drink or what?”

They eat and watch TV and drink before curling up in Jeremy’s bed for the night, trading lazy kisses when they wake up before showing, eating breakfast, and heading to work.

Jeremy’s disappointed when Michael still won’t talk to Geoff, the older Alpha looking dejectedly at their Omega when Michael goes straight to his desk without so much as a glance. Holding back a sigh, Jeremy kisses Geoff and murmurs that he loves him before leaving for Adam and Joel’s office, the room eerily quietly without the oldest Alpha there, Adam looking stressed when he finally gets in. The young Alpha cares a lot about Joel; it’s obvious to almost everyone but Joel that Adam has feelings for him; but Jeremy doesn’t comment on it beyond greeting Adam and murmuring that he hopes he’s alright.

Jeremy honestly doesn’t expect to bring Michael home again; he’d hoped that Michael and Geoff would make up during the day; but Geoff is angrily packing his things when Jeremy gets to the main office, and Michael is already packed and waiting for Jeremy. “Let’s go, J,” the Omega chirps, trying to be cheerful, but Jeremy can smell the sour stench of unripe strawberries rolling off Michael’s skin, and the smell of ozone from Geoff that makes the hairs on Jeremy’s neck stand up straight.

“I-” Jeremy pauses, brows knitting as he tries to come up with a reason to convince Michael to go home to Geoff. Not that he doesn’t love being around Michael, he just- he doesn’t like coming between his mates. They were mates first, they love each other. “It’s Friday, are you sure you don’t need to go home to get, like, clothes or something?”

It’s a weak excuse and both young men know it, Michael’s lips pursing as he regards Jeremy. “I’ve got some stuff left at your place still, and if I really need shit, I’ll pay for laundry. C’mon.” He takes Jeremy’s hand and tugs him out of the room before Jeremy can even give Geoff a proper goodbye, his heart aching as he watches Geoff’s shoulders slump before the door falls shut, cutting off his view.

The weekend isn’t going to be good. Jeremy can feel it already.

Things really go bad sometime after dinner, though dinner is what initially stresses Jeremy out. Michael insists he’s fine with leftovers, even though Jeremy really wants to make something new or even order out, something, so he’s not just feeding Michael old food like an irresponsible jackass. He wants to provide, dammit, and, despite Michael saying he’s okay, Jeremy kind of feels like a failure. Just a little bit.

But after dinner, when Jeremy’s cleaned away their plates and started the dishwasher and starts feeling a little better, when he sits down with Michael on the couch and cuddles the Omega close, that’s when things go bad.

Michael’s heady strawberry wine scent reaches Jeremy’s nose only seconds before the lad climbs into Jeremy’s lap, straddling him and leaning down to capture Jeremy’s lips in a deep kiss that the young Alpha is happy to return. He rests one hand at Michael’s hip and the other at the small of his back, fangs gently nipping at Michael’s lower lip and making the redhead squirm in Jeremy’s lap, laughing breathlessly against his lips, “What is with you and those teeth, J?”

Jeremy chuckles right back, shaking his head a little. “Like you aren’t the same. It’s gotta be a New England thing.” They both laugh, foreheads pressed together sweetly, until they’re breathless; Michael looks down at Jeremy fondly, his pupils still wide as he licks his lips.

“My buff Boston boy,” Michael teases, voice low as he cups Jeremy’s face with one hand, the other gripping his shoulder, his fingertips rubbing circles against one of Jeremy’s traps. It eases some of Jeremy’s tension, helps him relax after the stress of the day and the self-inflicted stress of dinner.

“I didn’t have time to come up with a good nickname. Sorry, babe.” Jeremy finds himself smiling as Michael laughs, dropping another kiss on Jeremy’s lips.

“All you gotta call me is Omega.”

That…

That makes Jeremy nervous.

He doesn’t know why, but something about the phrase just unsettles Jeremy, makes his skin crawl a little and dampens the fire that Michael sitting in his lap had stoked. The feeling nags at the back of Jeremy’s mind, though Michael’s continued kisses help to quiet it, and the way Michael’s hips move, and the way Michael moans against Jeremy’s mouth, and the way the smell of his strawberry wine arousal surrounds Jeremy, and just-

Just Michael, all of him, makes Jeremy’s worry less, makes Jeremy more comfortable as the space between them grows hotter, all slick kisses and grasping hands, Jeremy tugging Michael’s hips down as the Omega rocks against him, making the friction that much sweeter. Michael whines, breaking their kiss to tug his shirt off, giving Jeremy access to more of the freckle-spattered skin that he so loves to kiss and nip at, drawing more noises from the older lad.

Jeremy’s almost forgotten his worry, but then he squeezes Michael’s hips and sucks a dark mark over Michael’s collarbone and the man moans for him.

“Alpha.”

Something locks up inside Jeremy; he stops pulling Michael down, stops rolling his hips up to meet his mate’s, stops breathing- one simple word wraps around Jeremy’s chest and squeezes like a vise, leaves him choking out a whimper that Michael chuckles at before he realizes it’s distressed and not needy. The Omega pulls back slowly, brows knit as he looks down at his mate, sees how white his face has gone, how his broad shoulders are starting to shake.

“Alpha?” Michael repeats, questioning, concerned, and Jeremy shuts his eyes and shudders.

“Michael, I- I’m not feeling it tonight,” the younger man mutters, pulling his hands off of Michael’s hips and curling them into fists to try and hide their trembling. The abrupt change is- concerning, to say the least, but Michael nods and leans in to kiss Jeremy’s forehead before slipping off his lap, retrieving his shirt off the living room floor to tug back on. He sits on the couch again, next to Jeremy, and takes his hand, rubbing his thumb across the younger man’s knuckles, hoping to soothe his shaking, get his rotted wood scent back to the clean smell of fresh-cut lumber.

They sit in silence for a long moment before Michael asks, “Do you wanna talk about it, Jer?” But Jeremy just shakes his head, lips pressed together, shoulders still tight.

“I’m alright. Just not feelin’ it.” They both know it’s a lie, with the monotone way Jeremy repeats himself, but Michael doesn’t push. “Thanks for understanding.”

“Jeremy,” Michael starts, looking pained, his scent rotting to match his mate’s, worried about the upset Alpha, “babe, I wouldn’t push you like that. Just like I know you wouldn’t try to do that shit to me.” The younger lad nods, squeezing Michael’s hand softly.

“Still. Thanks.”

They sit like that a while longer, Jeremy leaning his head on Michael’s shoulder, Michael stroking his mate’s knuckles, until one of them yawns, and then the other, and then they’re both yawning and laughing and trading chaste kisses as they trail into Jeremy’s bedroom and curl up together for the night.

When Michael wakes up Saturday morning, the bed is cold beside him, which is surprising; usually he’s up before anyone else; but he wouldn’t put it past Jeremy to have gotten up to make pancakes or something else cute like that. He lays there a while longer, scratching at his belly and ruffling his hand through his curls, before he realizes that the apartment is silent. The Omega freezes, skin prickling and a quiet dread sitting like a stone in his gut, before he gets out of bed, padding out of Jeremy’s bedroom and down the hall.

The Alpha is curled up on his couch under a spare blanket, one arm pillowed under his head and the other covering his face, and Michael’s heart aches at the sight. He doesn’t know when Jeremy left the bed, doesn’t know why Jeremy felt like he had to sleep on the couch, but it hurts.

But Michael doesn’t wake him. Michael moves to the kitchen, pulls eggs and and bread and bacon from Jeremy’s fridge, starts cooking them breakfast. He scrambles himself eggs, cooks in some cheese, and then makes a few over-easy for Jeremy, sliding them onto a plate and covering them with the lid of a pan to keep in the warmth while he slaps bacon into the pan. Content with how it’s sizzling, Michael snags a bite of his own eggs before moving to put bread in the toaster, humming as he does.

His smile drops when he realizes it’s the same tune Geoff usually hums when they cook together, shaking his head a little before choosing some annoying poppy song to hum, rocking his body a little in an early morning approximation of dance. Michael flips the bacon and butters the toast when it pops, sliding two slices on each plate, taking a bite of his own and singing the chorus of his chosen replacement song through a mouthful, a smile finally crossing his face as he plates the cooked bacon. A shuffling noise catches his attention as he rummages through the fridge for orange juice, and when he straightens up, Jeremy is standing in the kitchen, rubbing his eyes a little.

“Morning, babe,” Michael hums, grabbing glasses from the cabinet and pouring juice for the both of them, offering Jeremy one that his boyfriend takes with a sleepy little smile.

“Hey, Michael,” he mumbles, sipping his juice before setting it down and leaning up to kiss Michael gently. When they break, they look at each other for a long moment, both struggling for words that neither of them end up saying. Michael kisses Jeremy again before turning back to the food he made, presenting the young Alpha with his plate with a bright smile.

“I made breakfast!” Jeremy’s brows knit a little, Michael notes, but the younger lad still smiles up at him, grabbing a fork for himself before sitting at his small kitchen table.

“Thanks, Mikey. It’s awesome,” he mumbles around a forkful of egg he’s somehow already shoved in his face, getting a bright laugh from his mate as Jeremy’s enthusiasm washes away some of Michael’s worry. He grabs his own plate and sits across from Jeremy, poking the Alpha’s shin with his toes and drawing a huge grin from the younger lad, his cheeks bulging with food.

Despite how well breakfast goes, the tone of the weekend is still off.

Jeremy makes lunch and then pays for the takeout they get for dinner, waving off Michael’s offer to split the bill with a warm smile but a panicked look in his eyes.

Michael feels Jeremy tense when, half-asleep, he calls the younger man “Alpha.”

Jeremy is up before Michael on Sunday, so it’s not a sure thing, but he’s fairly certain that the Alpha slept in the living room again, judging by the lack of an indent in Jeremy’s pillow and the too-neat look of the couch, pillows orderly and throw blanket folded nicely.

Neither of them say a word about it to each other, but Michael is still heartsick and worried when Jeremy drops him in the office Monday, lightly kissing the Omega’s cheek and then Geoff’s before Jeremy leaves for Joel and Adam’s office. The two older men give each other the barest glances, worry mirrored on each other’s faces, before looking away.

He’s already fighting with Geoff; Michael doesn’t know if he can handle losing another mate.

#writing #sfw #ragehappy #jeremichael #ball and chain verse #a/b/o dynamics #jeremicheoff #micheoff

3 notes · View notes

jupitermelichios · 8 years ago

Text

My super nutritious bad mental health lasagna recipe

I’ve seen a lot of really weird recipes, and bad food and eating advice on this site, and I know a lot of you guys are at University and maybe cooking for yourselves for the first time, and in some cases dealing with shitty mental healthy stuff at the same time, and it’s really easy to just live on junk food (I know, I’ve done it, and it’s definitely better than not eating). But cooking is great, and eating real food is great, so here’s your big sib Sapphy with one of my favourite easy (really easy, not TV cooking show easy) healthy recipes.

Today’s offering is my courgette & lentil lasagna recipe, which I promise is a lot yummier and a lot less health-food tasting than that sounds. It’s very easy to make, but does take some time. On the plus side, it contains 95% of your 5 a day in each serving, so it tends to be something I make when I have one good mental health day in a run of shitty ones, or after a period of eating really badly (like, say, after Christmas). It can be done in stages, if you can only muster a bit of energy at a time, it’ll keep well in the fridge or freeze fine, and most importantly, it makes a bucket-load so once you’ve done this, you’ve got something healthy and tasty that only needs microwaving. It also feels like a real achievement to make, even though it’s very simple, which can be a big mental health boost for me in the bad times. Plus, one helping of this is most of your veg for a day, so you don’t need to feel bad if everything else you eat is toast and cup ramen.

It makes 10 portions, which is what I’ve used for working out the calories etc (which I’ll list at the bottom), and costs between £1.15 and £2.10 per portion, depending on what goes in it and where you shop.

If you want less, just half the amounts, or double them if for some reason you need 20 portions of lasagna (I’m not going to judge).

Recipe below the cut. Give it a try!

Equipment

A large saucepan

A sharp knife and chopping board (if you have issues using knives for motor or mental health reasons, you can use frozen ready chopped veg)

A large deep baking dish or roasting tin

A wooden spoon or spatula

A vegetable peeler (you are going to need this, unless your knife skills are amazing and you have hours of free time)

A hob and oven (or you could probably put it under the grill if you have one but no oven)

A medium sized mixing bowl or anything else of a similar size (small oven dish, saucepan, big plastic lunchbox, whatever)

A cup (the drinking kind, not the measuring kind)

Ingredients

I know this looks like a terrifyingly long list, but there’s nothing weird or hard to find, and the only prep any of it needs is chopping, so don’t be scared

Oil or butter (about 2tbsp of oil or 1 slice from a standard pat of butter)

2 onions (red for preference)

2 small / 1 large head of garlic (if you can hold it in your clenched fist it’s small, unless you have very big hands)

4 (bell) peppers (red, orange or yellow for preference, as they’re sweeter than green)

1 aubergine / eggplant

2 medium sized carrots (travel size hairspray it’s too small, size-queen bottom drawer it’s too big)

2 or 3 sticks of celery (if you’re not likely to cook again in the next week, or if money is tight, leave this out as it doesn’t keep and you can’t buy it by the stick)

400g - 500g mushrooms (chestnut are the tastiest, but normal white ones will be fine

3 medium courgettes / zucchinis (bigger than the carrots, but if it’s getting into scary sex toy size, it’s too big. Big ones aren’t as dense textured, so they won’t work as well for this)

250 - 300g dried lentils (puy are the tastiest, but they’re expensive and hard to find, so I usually use the little red ones which are very cheap and perfectly good)

2 tins chopped tomatoes

187ml red wine (optional - this is the size of those little individual size bottles you get in the supermarket. Alternatively half a normal bottle. Don’t worry about getting the good stuff, you really won’t know the difference so get something cheap and/or alcohol free)

Tomato puree (optional)

Dried mixed herbs

2 vegetable stock cubes (or those little knorr jelly pots if you prefer, which I do. If you haven’t got vegetable, chicken or beef will be just as good - any flavour except fish, basically)

100g - 150g fresh spinach (you can’t use frozen for this, so if you can’t get fresh, just leave it out)

2 x 170g tubs of reduced fat soft cheese (I use a mix of philly light garlic & herb and philly lightest, but one 300g tub of tesco basics soft cheese will do. You can’t use cottage cheese for this though, it will split)

2 eggs (it doesn’t matter what size, but if they’re huge ones, use just one)

Grated parmesan (or cheddar if you’re on a budget)

150ml single cream (or double, or whipping, or just a few splashes of milk if you’re on a budget)

Method

A quick note before we start: I’ve broken this down into small steps, and assume that you’ll want to chop everything in one go before you start. If you’re happy to be standing in the kitchen chopping and stirring at the same time, they by all means chop things as you go - in that case your order should be onions, celery, carrots, garlic, mushrooms, aubergine, peppers, (based on how much frying they need). You can stop and leave this at the end of any step if you’re getting tired or overwhelmed, just remember to turn off the stove.

Peel or wash your mushrooms and carrots. Remove the skin from your onions, then dice the onion, celery & carrot as small as you like. Remove the skin from your garlic, and slice all but three or four of the cloves. Set the whole ones to one side. Now dice your aubergine, mushrooms & peppers, and set them to a different side.

Put your pan on a high heat, and add your oil or butter. Add the onion, celery, carrot and chopped garlic, and fry until the onion starts to go clear, 5 to 10 minutes. Don’t worry if your onion crisps up a little, but keep stirring to stop the garlic burning. (If you can’t stand for long periods, use a low heat, cover with a tight lid and allow the onions to steam cook in the oil until clear, around 15 minutes).

Stir in a good squeeze of tomato puree and a couple of generous pinches of the dried herbs. Now add your other veg, stir it through well, turn the heat down to medium-low, and allow to fry for ten to fifteen minutes, stirring once to stop it sticking.

Add all the chopped tomatoes, your stock pots or crumbled stock cubes and wine. Fill your empty tomato tins with water and add that (i.e. 800ml water). Now they’re nice and clean and ready to be recycled. Put the lid on and allow to stew for half an hour, but check on it every ten minutes if you can. You want a fairly dry mixture as the spinach & courgette will release liquid, but it burns easily, so if you need to take half an hour to just sit, add another tin of water. Keep the kitchen door open so you’ll smell if it burns. (If it does catch, be careful not to stir the burnt bits into the mix. As long as they’re stuck to the pan, the food won’t taste burnt and you can scoop out the good bits). The lentil mix will keep for 3 or 4 days in the fridge.

While that’s stewing (or at another convenient time) prepare your ‘lasagna’ and topping. Cut the woody bits of the top and bottom of your courgettes, then using a vegetable peeler, peel the courgettes into strips lengthways. You’ll be left with a thicker strip eventually. Depending on your peeler this might be thin enough that it doesn’t matter, but if it’s a lot thicker than the others, just dice it and add it to the lentil mix.

Roughly chop your spinach (it’s easiest to do this a handful at a time), or if you’re not using knifes, just tear it up. Put it in your bowl, and add the soft cheese and cream. Finely chop the cloves of garlic you set aside earlier, and add those. Crack one of your eggs into the cup (tap it firmly on the side of the cup to make a decent size crack in the shell then use your fingers to carefully prize the shell open over the cup. If you get shell in it, just pick it out with your fingers or a spoon) and add it, then do the other. (We do them one at a time into a cup to make sure none of them are bad. It’s much cheaper to throw out a bag egg than it is all your spinach and cheese. You can tell an egg is bad from the smell - if it smells rotten, it’s rotten, simple). Remember to wash your hands at this point if you’ve touched the raw egg, and wipe up any spills with disinfectant. Stir your cheesy, eggy spinachy mix, and add a pinch of mixed herbs and a little salt and pepper (if you’re using parmesan, you only want a tiny bit of salt, because the cheese is salty). If you’re stopping at this point, remember to cover the bowl with cling film and put it in the fridge. It’ll keep happily for a day as long as you keep it chilled.

When you’re ready, you can begin assembling. Lightly grease the bottom of your baking dish or tin. (You can use an oil spray if you’ve got one, you can rub kitchen paper or grease proof paper on butter, or you can hold a folded up piece of paper over the opening of a bottle of oil and turn it upside down for a second, like you would with nail varnish remover. Then rub your oil or butter over the bottom of the pan. You only need a tiny bit, just to stop it sticking.) Arrange a single layer of courgette slices in the bottom of the pan. Spoon over half your lentil mix (or as much as half fills the pan if you’ve got too much). Top that with half your remaining courgette slices, arranged to create an even covering, then spoon over half your eggy cheesy spinach mix. Add the remaining lentil mix (or fill your pan to about a centimeter from the top). Top with the remaining courgette slices, and cover with the spinach mix. Sprinkle over grated parmesan or cheddar. If you need to, you can now cover this and put it in the fridge for a day, but all that’s left is to bake it.

Turn your oven to a medium heat (about half way round the dial is how I do it). Don’t worry about preheating it. Put your lasange on a sturdy shelf, or on the bottom of the oven. If your dish is very full, put some oven-safe foil underneath it to catch any liquid that boils over. Leave to bake for 40 minutes. It’s done when the topping is starting to brown and you can easily stick a knife through the layers of courgette.

Nutrition per serving: 262 cal, 7.9g fat, 32g carbs, 14.2g naturally occurring sugar, 17.5g protein, 0.66g salt

Let me know if you like this, and if you’d like more of these. Feel free to ask about adapting this to any particular diet & I’ll do my best to help!

#recipe #lasagna recipe #depression #self care #vegetarian

13 notes · View notes

zenlesszonezero · 11 days ago

Text

#Zenless Zone Zero #Miyabi #Harumasa #HoYoverse #zzzero #zenlesszonezero #Mobile Game #Anime Game #Gaming

832 notes · View notes

howellrichard · 6 years ago

Text

Mini Vegan Caprese Sliders with Melty Mozz Sauce

Hiya Gorgeous!

Summer is right around the corner, I swear! It’s still chilly and kinda gloomy in my neck of the woods, but I can feel the sunshiny days and warmer temps headed our way.

Before we drool over this brand new Caprese Sliders recipe (which I’m gaga for, by the way!), I want to give you a gentle reminder about presence.

After I wrote the first line of this post about summer coming, a lightbulb went off. There I was wishing for the future rather than enjoying what’s right here, right now. Don’t get me wrong—I’m an advocate of daydreaming, wishing, hoping, praying and goal-setting of all kinds. That kind of thinking can be exciting and uplifting in so many ways. But when it takes us out of the present moment too often, we can miss some pretty amazing stuff…

Like how pretty our precious planet is, no matter the weather. And how lucky we are to have the people and fur friends who adore us. And don’t forget about our incredible bodies and what they do every single day to allow our souls to experience this life. It’s the little things, too—the first sip of our morning tea, the way our favorite socks feel on our feet and our capacity to make someone else feel better with just a few kind words.

So why did I keep that first line if it goes against the point I’m trying to make here? Well, I’m a gal full of contradictions, what can I say? Just kidding! In truth, I kept it because I think it’s an important reminder that when it comes to mindfulness and presence, no one is perfect. The best thing we can do is to simply notice when we’re future-tripping or hanging out in the past. Judging ourselves for getting out of alignment is counter-productive, so please don’t do it to your sweet self! Just notice.

Wherever you are in the world (shout out to all of our wonderful friends in the southern hemisphere!), I hope you’ll remember that summer is a state of mind. Notice your thoughts. Choose them wisely. Honor today. And remember that you’re enough now—not tomorrow, not “when”—now.

Speaking of enjoying what’s right here in front of us, let’s talk about this juicy, fresh, flavorful, FUN sliders recipe. When the Test Kitchen Tuesday crew told me what they were cooking up, I couldn’t wait to try it. And of course, the end result totally blew me away!

These Caprese Sliders with Melty Mozz Sauce are so creative and full of flavor. They also feature some of my favorite plant-based ingredients, such as lentils, cashews, miso and tomatoes (no worries if you’re soy, nightshade or nut-free—we’ve got subs for you in the notes!). You can serve them as a snack or with a side to make it a full meal. I think some grilled asparagus or corn on the cob would be the perfect compliment!

Have a gathering coming up? Double (or triple!) this sliders recipe and share with your favorite peeps. They’re pretty quick and simple to put together, so you can impress your friends without tons of prep work or hours spent in the kitchen. Easy and out-of-this-world delish… sounds like a good deal to me!

Alright, ready to cook up this amazing sliders recipe? Bon appetit!

Mini Vegan Caprese Sliders with Melty Mozz Sauce

Serves 4 (4 sliders per serving) | Prep time: 30 min | Cook time: 35 min

Red Lentil Patty Ingredients: 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided ½ red onion, chopped 2 carrots, peeled and chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced ¼ cup (14 g) julienned sun-dried tomatoes ½ cup (96 g) red lentils, thoroughly rinsed 1 cup (240 ml) low-sodium vegetable stock 1 ½ tsp balsamic vinegar ½ cup (40 g) rolled oats ¼ tsp smoked paprika (optional) ½ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp salt, or to taste ¼ cup (6 g) fresh basil, chopped

Melty Mozz Sauce Ingredients: ½ cup (60 g) raw cashews ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp (90 ml) water 1 ½ tsp lemon juice 1 ½ tsp white miso paste 1 ½ tsp nutritional yeast

For Assembly: 12-16 Campari tomatoes, halved and seeded Fresh basil leaves (optional)

Instructions: 1. In a medium saucepan, add 1 Tbsp olive oil and sauté the onion, carrot and garlic over medium heat. Cook for 8-10 min, until the vegetables are aromatic, softened and golden all over.

2. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, lentils, broth and vinegar. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Gently simmer until the lentils are fully cooked and all the liquid has been absorbed (12-18 min). Let cool for at least 15 min.

3. Meanwhile, place the oats in a food processor or high-speed blender and pulse until finely ground. Add paprika, cumin, ½ tsp salt and fresh basil. Pulse to incorporate. Adjust seasoning to taste with more salt if desired.

4. Combine the oat and spice mixture with the lentil and sun-dried tomato mixture from step 2. If desired, use a food processor or high-speed blender to combine, but the mixture should be fairly coarse, not a smooth purée. Transfer to an airtight container and let sit in the refrigerator for an hour (or 20 min in the freezer) before proceeding.

5. Prepare the melty mozz sauce in the meantime. Place all of the ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor, and thoroughly purée for 4-5 min, until completely smooth.

6. When ready to cook, heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat with the remaining tablespoon of oil. With damp hands, shape heaping tablespoons of the patty mixture into balls about the width of your Campari tomatoes, and flatten slightly. Cook for 1-2 min on each side, until browned.

7. To assemble, place one patty on the cut side of one Campari tomato, stem end-down so they don’t roll away. Top with a heaping teaspoon or so of the melty mozz sauce, and finish with other half of the tomato and a leaf of fresh basil. Use toothpicks to secure if needed. Serve immediately.

Notes: Storage tip: Finished patties can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Melty mozz sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Simplify this recipe: Use small squares of prepared plant-based cheese (such as Field Roast Chao or Follow Your Heart) instead of the melty mozz sauce.

Reheating tip: Reheat patties in a nonstick skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes on each side, until re-crisped and warm all the way through.

Make it soy-free: Use chickpea miso paste instead of white miso paste.

Make it nut-free: Replace cashews with raw sunflower seeds.

Nightshade-free: Omit sun-dried tomatoes and serve patties on ¼-in rounds of seedless cucumbers instead of tomatoes.

Nut soak note: If you have a high-speed blender, you can skip soaking your nuts or seeds. If you don’t have a high-speed blender, you can either soak your nuts or seeds in water for 4 hours, or you can do a “quick soak” by covering them with water in a pot and bringing it to a boil. Once the water boils, remove them from the heat and let them sit for an hour.

These Caprese Sliders with Melty Mozz Sauce from @kris_carr’s #TestKitchenTuesday make the perfect summertime meal!

Are you in the club?

What club, you ask?! The Crazy Sexy Recipe Club, of course! I’ve gotta be honest—if you haven’t joined this awesome group yet, you’re missing out. This week, club members got a gorgeous new Caprese Sliders recipe card, plus a bunch of insider tips and info. If you love cookbooks and playing in the kitchen, you’ve gotta get in on this!

Join the Crazy Sexy Recipe Club to get your free Recipe Club Starter Pack (includes 9 gorgeous recipes cards!) today:

Your turn: Share your yummy Caprese Sliders with me!

Whether you’re cookin’ up a storm or sitting down for a cozy meal with your crew, I wanna see! Snap a pic of your sliders and share it on Instagram or Facebook with #TestKitchenTuesday. Don’t forget to tag me at @crazysexykris—I’ll share my faves with our spectacular community!

And finally, a very special thanks to the incredible Hannah Kaminsky of Bittersweet Blog and the rest of the Test Kitchen Tuesday crew for helping to create this spectacular dish!

Peace & succulent sliders,

The post Mini Vegan Caprese Sliders with Melty Mozz Sauce appeared first on KrisCarr.com.

0 notes

florahecate · 6 years ago

Text

Read More 8 Common Mistakes You’re Making When Cooking Veggies

The following post 8 Common Mistakes You’re Making When Cooking Veggies is republished from Eat This Not That by Dana Leigh Smith

Carrots? Check! Broccoli? Got it. Kale? No brainer! If the drawers in your fridge are filled with vegetables that actually find their way to your dinner plate, give yourself a pat on the back. All those years of mom telling you to “eat your vegetables” are finally paying off—and she’s probably so proud! But boosting your health and the quality of your diet isn’t as simple as putting salad fork to mouth. If you want to get the most nutritional bang for your calorie buck (which you should), how you prep and cook your vegetables makes a big difference. Here, we reveal ways you may be taking vital nutrients right out of veggies without realizing it. Plus, get the easy ways to remedy each mistake so you can stay on track to better health and know how to cook vegetables, the right way.

Mistake: You don’t stray from the recipe.

You may have followed the recipe step-by-step, but that doesn’t mean you cooked your vegetables the right way. One of the most common culinary errors? Exposing vegetables to heat for too long. Doing so destroys the majority of vegetables’ nutrients. Boiling them is also a no-go. This method causes water-soluble micronutrients like riboflavin, folate, and B and C vitamins to leach out into the water—which most people then pour straight down the drain. Another surefire way to nix all the nutrients in your veggies? Throwing them into a deep fryer. No matter how healthy your veggies are, they can’t undo the damage that comes along with all the excess fat. So forget the deep fryer—and focus on these 40 Things Healthy Cooks Always Have in Their Kitchen instead!

The solution: Skip the boiling and long cooking times. Instead, steam your veggies for five minutes and then finish them in a saucepan over medium heat. If you want to make homemade “fries,” stay far away from the deep frier and bake your crunchy sticks on a metal tray instead.

Mistake: You’re smoking them out.

While you may love the slightly-burnt flavor that your grill lends to veggie kabobs, the hot and dry environment can deplete your produce’s nutrients. What’s worse, if you leave them on the grill long enough that they develop a blackened, charred appearance, that’s a sign the veggies could have been exposed to benzopyrene, a carcinogenic chemical found in cigarette smoke. Another recipe for nutritional disaster? Slathering veggies in oil rather than cooking them over extra-high heat in an attempt to sit down to the dinner table sooner. When oil is exposed to extreme heat, it creates smoke that can break down the antioxidants in vegetables.

The solution: Next time you’re BBQing outside, ditch the kabobs and cook your vegetables in a grill basket instead. This tactic eliminates the risk of consuming dangerous char, while helping the veggies retain their moisture, vitamins, and minerals. Whipping up dinner indoors? Stick to medium-high cooking heat and skip the olive oil drizzle before heating your veggies. Cooking them dry and adding the fat after will help cut back on antioxidant-depleting smoke.

Mistake: You toss out the good parts.

How many times have you chopped the stalk and leaves off your broccoli and tossed them into the trash? Or peeled off cucumber and potato skins? Don’t be embarrassed if you do it quite often—it’s a common error. But now’s the time to change your ways and stop throwing out the healthiest parts of the veggies. Skins, leaves, and stalks have unique nutrients not found in other parts of the vegetables. They also have higher concentrations of vitamins than parts more commonly consumed.

The solution: Step away from the peeler and chill with the chop-n-toss. Use broccoli stalks and leaves in stir-fries, soups, and salads to get a hefty dose of health-boosting nutrients.

Mistake: You use and abuse them.

Vegetables should be the star of your meal, not a vehicle for calorie- and fat-laden sauces. There are some people who think something is healthy just because it incorporates veggies, when it winds up being one of the worst “healthy” snacks out there! All of you cheese sauce and onion dip lovers out there know exactly what we’re talking about! You may have convinced yourself that your condiment choices are irrelevant when paired with something as low-cal and healthy as vegetables, but that simply isn’t true. Not convinced? Consider this: Marzetti Dill Veggie Dip manages to pack a whopping 110 calories into a teeny-tiny two-tablespoon serving. You’re likely loading up on three or four times that, which turns your 20-calorie serving of bell pepper slices into a 470-calorie disaster loaded with 48 grams of fat!

The solution: When you’re snacking on raw veggies, opt for hummus over dips. Opting for the Greek-inspired spread will save you 60 calories per serving—which really adds up when you’re downing a lot of the stuff. As for you cheese sauce lovers, look for sauce recipes that incorporate cheese—just not as the primary ingredient. We like versions that pair Parmesan with balsamic, garlic, and lemon juice.

Mistake: You skip the sink.

Conventionally-grown, pesticide-laden vegetables like celery, spinach, sweet bell peppers, and tomatoes all made appearances on the 2018 Environmental Working Group’s annual Dirty Dozen List. If you tend to quickly rinse these veggies—or not wash them at all—you’re likely ingesting chemical residues that can cause stomach pain, nausea, and diarrhea. The worst part is, these chemicals don’t just come and go. They hide out in our fat cells until we go on a diet and start losing weight. According to researchers, when the pounds start to come off, the chemicals come out of hibernation and shoot into the bloodstream, slowing energy expenditure and metabolism.

The solution: Even if you always buy organic, soak your veggies in a pot of water for 10-15 minutes before eating them. Then give them another quick rinse under some running water to make sure they’re clean.

RELATED: Easy, healthy, 350-calorie recipe ideas you can make at home.

Mistake: You’re not pairing them with fat.

If you stick with low-fat veggie dip to stay trim, you may be doing your health a disservice. According to Iowa and Ohio State University researchers, pairing a little bit of fat with red, yellow, orange, and dark-green vegetables helps the body absorb cancer-fighting and heart-healthy nutrients like lycopene and beta-carotene. Study findings show that you’ll need to consume six grams of added fat with your veggies to reap the maximum nutritional benefits. While that may seem like a lot, dietary guidelines actually suggest that healthy adults consume no more than 35 percent of total daily calories from fat—which is up to 70 grams a day if you’re consuming a 1,800-calorie diet.

The solution: Pair your veggies with healthy sources of fat. Typically eat a salad for lunch? Add a half cup of avocado (11 g fat) or two tablespoons of Cucina Antica Organic Caesar dressing (8 g fat) to your plate to hit the nutritional mark.

Mistake: You only eat them raw.

There’s nothing better than the sweet, crispy crunch of a fresh carrot, but munching on this orange vegetable raw isn’t the best way to get your daily dose of vitamins. According to an International Food Research Journal report, boiling the orange vegetable best preserves its nutrients. If learning this was a bit of a shocker for you, it’s understandable; many other veggies lose their water-soluble vitamins once they’re boiled. Tomatoes also get healthier under the heat. A Cornell University study found that cooking them boosts the amount of lycopene, a disease-fighting antioxidant in tomatoes. Researchers believe that heat softens the plant’s cell walls, allowing more nutrients to be released and then absorbed by our bodies.

The solution: In the Cornell University study, lycopene absorption rose 35 percent after tomatoes were cooked for 30 minutes at 190.4 degrees F. Follow suit if you want to reap the benefits at home. If you prefer to add carrots to your plate, boil, drain, and transfer them to a bowl and toss with a drizzle of olive oil, a bit of pepper, and dried rosemary to pump up the flavor. BONUS: 20 Awesome Recipes for Mason Jar Salads

Mistake: You’re juicing away their fiber.

Yes, juicing is better than eating no veggies at all, but when produce goes through the juicing machine, its fiber-rich skins and pulp that help boost satiety get left behind. The good news is, veggies’ vitamins, phytonutrients, and minerals still find their way to your cup. There are actually at least 27 Things That Happen to Your Body on a Juice Cleanse!

The solution: Toss out your juicer! After removing the seeds and rinds, throw your veggies into a blender instead. This method retains vegetables’ healthy fiber. There are plenty of juicing companies that bottle blended versions, so you can grab a juice on the go without missing out on crucial fiber. If your drink comes out too thick when blending at home, add some water to thin it out a bit.

The post 8 Common Mistakes You’re Making When Cooking Veggies appeared first on Eat This Not That.

#Eat This Not That

0 notes

foodtrails25-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Chana Dal Kebabs made from Chana Dal or Split Chickpea Lentil (Chana Dal) are are easy, super yummy and healthy. If you are looking for an easy and healthy snack recipe for your parties and special occasions these Chana Dal Kebabs are must add on in your list. Boiled yam in the recipe keeps the kebabs moist and soft. Minimum oil is used to prepare these melt in mouth kebabs can be grilled in oven or stove-top or can also be deep fried.

I say these are healthy as these are made with Chana Dal and Yam and both have their own share of health benefits. Both have low glycemic index ideal for consumption by diabetic people. Both are gluten-free and can be consumed by those having gluten-allergies. High and fiber help to lower the cholesterol and source of zinc, folate, calcium and potassium. These are vegan as no dairy or animal product is used in ingredients. If you are a fan of Wraps and Rolls, stuff these into tortilla or any flatbread of your choice, along with some yummy yogurt-mint dip, onions and lettuce, you have the roll that tastes as good as any of your favorite tikka rolls. Pair up with burger buns with some mayo and ketchup and indulge in some healthy burger eating. Use gluten-free flatbread and buns for having gluten-free wraps, rolls or burgers.

To make these we have to soak Chana Dal for 4-5 hrs. Grind with onion, ginger, garlic, green chilies and dry spices,mix in the boiled and mashed yam, without using any water, add some chickpea flour to bind the mixture, make the patties/kebabs and cook the way you want. You can grill in oven or on stove-top in minimum oil or can fry.

Chaat Masala is optional, you can find it in Indian Grocery stores if you are not in India.

Chana Dal/ Split Bengal Gram

Dal soaked before cooking

Ingredients for Kebabs

Boiled Yam(Suran)

Mash yam

In a food processor take all the ingredients

and grind coarsely

Add dry spice powders

Add mashed yam and mix

Grinded mixture

Add Salt and chickpea flour(Besan)

Add oil and mix well

Let’s see how I make these healthy kebabs..

Chana Dal Kebabs

Time: Prep-time-10 mins Cook-time-30 mins

Difficulty: easy

Soft melt in mouth Chana Dal kebabs made with split chickpea lentils and yam, gluten-free, vegan,perfect for your parties and special occasions. Learn how to make Chana Dal Kebabs

Ingredients

Split Chickpea Lentil(Chana Dal)-1 Cup

Yam(Suran/Jimikand)- 1/2 cup

Fresh Coriander Leaves-1/2 cup

Onion- 1/2 Cup

Ginger- 1″ Pieces

Garlic-4-5 Cloves

Green Chilies-2-3 as per taste

Cumin Seeds- 1 Tsp

Coriander Powder- 1 Tbsp

Chaat Masala- 1 Tsp(optional)

Red Chilli Powder

Chickpea Flour(Besan)- 1-2 Tbsp

Salt- as per taste

Oil- 1-2 Tbsp + grilling

Directions

Wash nicely and soak Chana Dal for 4-5 hrs.

Take roughly chopped onion, ginger, garlic and green chilies. Take thoroughly washed coriander leaves.

Add all the ingredients in a food processor except chickpea flour, salt and oil and grind coarsely. Don’t add water to it. If the mixture is too tight, add 1-2 Tbsp of water not more than that.

Add chickpea flour, oil and mix well. You can make the mixture 1-2 hrs before making the patties/kebabs. Refrigerate the mixture covered with a cling film if you want to make it later and don’t add salt if you are not making it immediately, as the mixture can leave water.

When ready to make, mix in salt and heat a non-stick pan or a grilling pan on the stove-top, add 1-2 Tsp of oil, divide the mixture into equal portions, shape in kebabs and grill on medium heat from both sides. It takes around 5- 10 minutes for kebabs to completely cook. you can also shape these like seekh kebabs on skewers.

Once cooked from both side, serve hot with the dip of your choice. Goes best with mint yogurt dip.

To make vegan rolls take any flatbread or tortilla, add some lettuce or salad leaves, place kebabs on the leaves, add lots of mint-yogurt dip and onions with lemon juice, sprinkle chaat masala and enjoy the vegan wrap. Take any gluten-free flatbread to make it gluten-free wrap/roll.

If you have cut on meat/non-vegetarian and miss on the all the non-vegetarian kebabs then these soft, melt-in-mouth kebabs are the Shaami Kebabs of vegetarians. Do make these, take to potlucks or make any time whenever you need some change form the routine food. Perfect appetizer for parties and movie-night or game-night and those who have any kind of dietary restrictions can fully enjoy these!!

Do give feedback in the comments section and whenever you make these do post a pic of these on my FB page, tag me on Instagram or Pin the recipe to save it.

If you like my work, follow the blog to get updates on the latest posts and do share it your loved ones too.

Thanks for stopping by and keep coming back for more such healthy and yummy recipes.

Chana Dal Kebabs Chana Dal Kebabs made from Chana Dal or Split Chickpea Lentil (Chana Dal) are are easy, super yummy and healthy.

#chana dal #diabetic friendly recipe #featured #Gluten Free #Indian cusine #less oil or fat recipe #vegan #vegetarian food #vegetarian kebab recipe #vegetarian recipe #yam recipe

0 notes

unwritrecipes · 6 years ago

Text

Half Baked Harvest’s Al Pastor-Style Beef Enchiladas-Famous Fridays

A few months ago, I proudly proclaimed us an “enchilada house”. After years of believing that they were restaurant-only food, we all decided that my homemade ones were actually better than the ones at our favorite Mexican spot (read: we can now stuff our faces silly with enchiladas at home whenever I’m not too lazy to make them!!) That’s why I’m so excited today to add another enchilada recipe to the repertoire: these incredibly tasty and unique Al Pastor-Style Beef Enchiladas, courtesy of The Half-Baked Harvest Cookbook by Tieghan Gerard. TGIFF!! (Thank God It’s Famous Fridays)

If you’re looking for a cookbook filled with comfort recipes that will make you want to get into the kitchen and turn out home-cooked meals that are anything but ordinary, Half Baked Harvest has got you covered. The author Tieghan, who also writes a really popular blog, loves to put creative spins on ordinary dishes and manages to take gorgeous, mouth-watering photos of all those creative spins, which means that you’ll be drooling as you leaf through this very fun and accessible book! There are so many recipes I’ve been itching to try, like Fajita Steak Salad topped with spicy, crispy sweet potato fries, Salted Brioche Cinnamon Rolls, Wild Rice and Havarti-Stuffed Acorn Squash and PB & J Grilled Cheese to name a few. And I know they’re all going to be great because this off-the-beaten path Al Pastor-Style Enchiladas was virtually inhaled by my home judges!!

Let me gush about them a little bit—the enchiladas, not the judges (though I’m perfectly capable of gushing over them now and then too!) First off, do you know what Al Pastor-Style means? Generally, it involves pork that is marinated and cooked with onions, chiles and pineapple so that there’s that sweet/spicy thing going on. Here, we’re using ground beef which is a little bit unusual but makes the cooking of the filling, so easy and so, so delicious!!

Also, you generally see Al Pastor associated with tacos and burritos—here it finds new heights mixed together with a quick-to-whip -up, homemade red enchilada sauce—yeah, you could use a ready made jar of it, but you really shouldn’t—I think it’s what helps to make these so special. One bite and you’ll be left wondering why Al Pastor enchiladas haven’t been a major part of your life!!

These are spicy but not in a steam-out-of-your-ears way and the generous amount of melted cheese and pineapple chunks in the filling, as well as in the sauce you cook the meat in, goes a long way to achieving a blissful balance. Even a spice scaredy-cat like me can handle them and keep going back for more!!

So... pick up a copy of Half Baked Harvest and have a great and delicious summer weekend—think we’re going to keep it fairly low key and maybe cook up a few goodies if we get the chance. I’ve yet to make anything with peaches this summer and it’s almost the middle of August! Yikes! Got to get going on that front. Laters, alligators!!

Half Baked Harvest’s Al Pastor-Style Beef Enchiladas-Famous Fridays

Makes 6 generous servings (you could definitely stretch this to 8 if you’re not feeding a bunch of teenagers)

Prep Time for Enchilada Sauce: 10 minutes, plus another 20 minutes of hands-free cooking; Prep Time for Enchiladas: 30 minutes; Bake Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the Enchilada Red Sauce

2 tablespoons canola or olive oil

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 ½ tablespoons chili powder

1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo, finely chopped (use 2 if you want a lot of heat)

½ teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

For the Enchiladas

2 garlic cloves, peeled

2 tablespoons chili powder

½ teaspoon paprika

1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo (use 2 if you like things very hot)

1 cup pineapple juice

1/4 cup distilled white vinegar

2 generous cups fresh pineapple chunks

1 pound ground beef

1 sweet onion, cut in half and into thin half-moon slices

1 jalapeño, seeded and minced

1 large handful fresh parsley, chopped and divided (you could sub in an equal amount of fresh cilantro here too)

1 ½ cups freshly shredded cheddar cheese

1 ½ cups freshly shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup homemade red enchilada sauce (see above) or an equal amount of store bought

18 corn tortillas

The Recipe

1. For the Enchilada sauce: Place the oil and flour in a medium saucepan and whisk together over medium heat for a couple of minutes, until the mixture looks lightly golden. Add in the tomato paste, chili powder, chipotle pepper, garlic powder and salt and cook for 1 minute, stirring until the mixture is thick. Slowly whisk in the broth until the mixture is smooth.

2. Lower the heat and let simmer for 15 minutes, until the mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from the heat. If not using right away, let cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one month. This recipe makes more than you will likely need for the enchiladas unless you like a lot of sauce.

3. For the enchiladas: Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray a lasagne-sized baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

4. Place the garlic cloves, chili powder, paprika, chipotle, pineapple juice, vinegar and 1 cup of the pineapple chunks into a blender or food processor and blend together until smooth. Set aside.

5. In a large skillet, brown the beef and onions over medium-high heat, cooking for about 10 minutes and using a wooden spoon to break up any clumps. Lower the heat and add half the the pineapple sauce mixture, the rest of the pineapple and the jalapeño. Let simmer for another 10 minutes or so, until the sauce has reduced and coats the beef. Stir in ¾ of the parsley or cilantro and half the shredded cheeses and remove from the heat.

6. Pour a generous amount of the red enchilada sauce into the bottom of the prepared pan, spreading it out evenly. One at a time, place a generous dollop of the beef mixture onto a tortilla and roll it up, placing it seam-side down in the pan. Wedge the tortillas close to each and don’t worry if a little of the filling escapes. Pour the remaining pineapple sauce mixture over the top and more enchilada sauce too if you like. Sprinkle the remaining cheese across the top.

7. Bake for 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and everything is hot. Sprinkle the remaining parsley or cilantro across the top and serve.

8. If you like, you can make and assemble the entire dish up to Step 7 early in the day, cover and chill it and then pop it in the oven before dinner. You may just need to tack on a few extra minutes if the casserole is cold.

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from the Half Baked Harvest Cookbook by Tieghan Gerard. I tinkered a lot with the spices and proportions.

0 notes

zenlesszonezero · 11 days ago

Text

#Zenless Zone Zero #Miyabi #Harumasa #HoYoverse #zzzero #zenlesszonezero #Mobile Game #Anime Game #Gaming

832 notes · View notes

keijay-blog · 7 years ago

Photo

New Post has been published on http://cookingtipsandreviews.com/how-to-set-up-a-prep-station-like-a-pro-cook/

How to Set Up a Prep Station Like a Pro Cook

amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "makemoneyq-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products"; amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "cooking"; amzn_assoc_default_category = "Kitchen"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "51fe4d035c7af8dc5928e6f5e5b79c4e"; amzn_assoc_default_browse_node = "284507"; amzn_assoc_rows = "4"; amzn_assoc_design = "text_links";

[Photographs: Vicky Wasik, Video: Serious Eats Team]

When I’m just throwing together a quick breakfast or dinner for myself, all my training goes right out the window. I’ll break down a chicken with a utility knife just because it’s the first thing I pick up, or peel carrots directly on the cutting board instead of into a trash receptacle. My current weird off-hours habit: Stirring big pots of stew and mixing bowls full of thick chocolate pudding with the world’s smallest spatula. Why? I don’t know, I just really love my tiny spatula.

Most days, when I’m simply scrambling eggs or preparing a salad at home, I don’t give a ton of thought to my workspace. But that doesn’t mean there’s never a reason to be better organized. In a restaurant, you always need an organized and efficient prep space, even if you’re just scrambling eggs, because you’re likely doing it at a much faster pace and higher volume—while also poaching, frying, and over-easy-ing. In a tiny space. With someone yelling at you. Also, you’re probably hungover.

In a professional setting, a good line cook always sets up “stations” specific to the task at hand, regardless of what’s on the menu.

When cooking at home, you don’t need to set yourself up as rigorously as someone might in a restaurant kitchen, but there are still plenty of helpful tips to take from professional chefs. Stations make the most sense when preparing large quantities; if you’re just chopping one onion, it’ll take you longer to find and wash the multiple receptacles than to tackle the job. In those cases, don’t overthink it. But if I find myself making French onion soup for the neighborhood, then a pro setup is worth it. These tricks are especially useful if you’re planning a dinner party for friends or spending the weekend pretending to be on Chopped (everyone does that, right?). If you understand the main goals for any station, then you can create one that works best for you in your kitchen.

The details of every restaurant station are different depending on the job and the cook. If I’m working the grill station, I always keep a brush and oiled rag close by to clean and grease the grates between orders; while I’m on garde manger (cold dishes), I hoard all the mixing bowls for tossing salads. I’m short, so I rarely make much use of shelves and instead try to position myself next to tall people for strategic assistance. (Yes, people can be part of your station too.)

These are the three main points to consider for any efficient workspace:

Keep it tight: The less you move, the faster you move, so keep all necessary tools close at hand.

Have a landing zone: Keep your cutting board clutter-free by moving prepped stuff out of the way and onto a tray or into bowl.

Clean as you go: Working over a trash bowl and frequently wiping down with a wet towel makes it easy to move between different tasks and keeps cleanup quick.

Here are some examples of different prep stations, each designed to speed up workflow and cleanup. In each case, they’re set up the way I would in a restaurant. You don’t have to do it exactly the same way at home (in some cases, setting up one of these stations would take longer than just completing a very basic task), so use this less as a you-must-do-it-this-way rule and more as a starting point for thinking about how to work as efficiently as possible.

General Prep Station for Vegetables

With any general prep, it’s important to always start by securing the cutting board with a wet side towel. I like to also keep a folded wet towel nearby for wiping the board and knife down in between each task. It helps to keep your knives on a dry towel so they don’t slide around while working and the blade doesn’t rest directly against a hard surface.

A scrap container is always handy to peel directly over and keep the board clean without having to make frequent trips to the garbage. You could also work with a trash can nearby, but I’ve too often dropped a carrot mid-peel, and prefer to avoid casualties. Keeping your food scraps separate from the general trash also makes it easier to save for compost or stock.

I also like to have everything I’m about to prep nearby, so I can stay by my cutting board the entire time, instead of popping in and out of the fridge. For a landing zone, I like to have an empty sheet tray close by, but if you’re not prepping a ton of stuff, you can just put your prepped mise en place back onto their original trays.

Pro Tip! A bench scraper or rubber bowl scraper is great for moving stuff off the cutting board.

Chicken Prep Station

Breaking down chickens can be a messy job, especially if you’re doing a few at a time, so I like to set a plastic cutting board in a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips before they run all over my countertop.

Here I stick with paper towels instead of cloth for everything from anchoring the boards to setting down the knife, so I can toss them when I’m all done. I always wear gloves when handling raw meat—not to avoid washing my hands, but instead for the better grip it allows me. With raw chicken, it’s especially important to have a landing zone and scrap container ready before you touch the raw meat. The last thing you want is to reach for anything while handling raw chicken and risk cross contamination.

Pro Tip! Kitchen shears or poultry shears are always useful to have nearby when prepping chicken, not only to remove the backbone for spatchcocking, but also to clip off wing tips or trim any extra fat around the cavity.

Fish Prep Station

Unlike chicken, preparing fish is not as messy of a task, so I skip the protection of a sheet tray and instead simply secure a plastic cutting board with a wet cloth towel. Depending on how you are preparing your fish you’ll need different tools, but it’s useful to have a fillet knife or deba, utility or paring knife, as well as a set of fish tweezers.

A small container with water is great for dipping tweezers into to quickly rinse pin bones off the tip. It’s also good to keep a scrap container nearby to collect the heads and bones for fish stock or fumet. Gloves again help me get a secure grip on the fish, while a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet for the prepped fish keeps the board clean.

Pro Tip! It’s helpful to remove fins and tails with kitchen shears or poultry shears before breaking down fish for easier access to the flesh and to avoid accidentally piercing yourself on the fin bones.

Breading Station

If you’re anything like me, then you know what it feels like to start a recipe with a simple three-step breading procedure only to lose focus and devolve into a primitive dough-fisted monster. Good breading technique tells you to always keep one hand dry—for flour-ing and crumb-ing—and another wet—for picking up the unbreaded items and dipping into egg wash. This divide and conquer approach allows you to bread all day without fish-fingering yourself.

You can avoid, or at least minimize, burying your fingers in breading by starting with an organized setup. I line up bowls of flour, egg wash, and breadcrumb in one row so I can cleanly move from left to right. I keep the stuff I’m about to bread close by, along with a sheet tray with a wire cooling rack or parchment paper for the finished breaded items.

Pro Tip! I find it helps me keep my wet hand and dry hand in their respective ingredients if I chant to myself…but I’ve also been known to drink while cooking.

Frying Station

Frying at home always has the potential to become very messy, so it’s especially important to keep everything you need close by, with your workflow moving in one direction. I like to set myself up to work from the left to the right, with the stuff to be fried hugging the burner on the left and my landing zone directly to the right of the pot of oil, minimizing oil drips, spills, and burns. If you’re working on a stovetop, this might mean setting up your landing zone on top of the neighboring burner.

A digital clip-on thermometer takes the guesswork out of frying, while a kitchen spider is the best tool for fishing foods out of the pot, allowing them to drain oil back into the pot before you set them over paper towels. Fried foods are best seasoned right out of the oil, so I keep the salt close by to sprinkle on immediately.

Pro Tip! Make sure to always have extra kosher salt on hand to sop up any potential oil spills.

amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_search_bar_position = "bottom"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "makemoneyq-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products"; amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "cookware"; amzn_assoc_default_category = "All"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "b45319dac495d29e17b5eff312392025"; Source link

0 notes

markibhejo · 7 years ago

Text

Essential Kitchen Tools

Long gone are the days where sharpened rocks, sticks, and fire were the only tools we needed to prepare a meal. Though that set of equipment might be an easier list to make, I’d much rather be living in today’s world of sharpened knives and heat-resistant spatulas. Life as a modern day cook is pretty good.

If you’re new to life in the kitchen, or you’ve just ventured out on your own, making a variety of dishes — especially healthy ones — can be frustrating if you don’t have the right tools. Today we’re going to learn about the 11 tools we feel are most essential to get you from 0 to 1 in the kitchen so that you are ready to go on the quest of making your first home-cooked meal.

Now my dear friend, don’t read this list and panic. You don’t have to buy all of these things at once. You can totally accumulate kitchen equipment over time, slowly switching out crappy equipment for new stuff. Building up a set of tools that feels comfortable for you can take time and depends on your preferences and budget. Choose wisely.

To give you a little head start, we’ve provided you with Amazon links where you can pick up some of this equipment. We’ve tried to find you some inexpensive tools with the best reviews. These are affiliate links, so feel free to search for these items yourself on Amazon. We just want your kitchen to be equipped for success!

Let’s get to the good stuff!

Chef’s Knife

The biggest game-changer for me when I started cooking was a nice, sharp knife. Have you ever tried to cut a sweet potato — or god forbid a spaghetti squash — in half with a dull, flimsy knife? I have, and it’s terrible. Not impossible, but using a crappy, dull knife makes preparing your meals tedious, time-consuming, and downright dangerous.

It may be tempting to buy an entire block of knives or several different shapes, sizes, and edges… and if that floats your boat, feel free. But if you’re looking for the most bang for your buck, I’d go with the simple chef’s knife. It’s great for cutting just about anything you might need to as a beginner. Plus, it keeps your kitchen simple and minimalist until you truly need the variety.

Cutting Board

If you want to take care of your knives (and your countertops), you’ll need a cutting board. This makes transferring food from where you cut it to your pan and pot super easy (just pick up the board with your meat/veggies on it and walk over to your stove). And it keeps your knife sharper for a longer period of time.

Go with a plastic, bamboo, or wood cutting board. Not glass or stone! Glass and stone boards will dull your knives much more quickly than the soft surface of a plastic or wood cutting board. Also, the sound of a metal knife rapping against a glass cutting board is just plain awful. We selected a very simple white cutting board.

Non-stick pan OR Cast Iron Skillet for a level up

Some people prefer stainless steel. Others like non-stick. I prefer cast iron. Though they take a while to heat up and they need to be seasoned first, cast iron skillets can be used for a variety of different things: cooking bacon, scrambling or frying eggs, pan-seared pork chops, stir-fries, sauteed veggies… the list goes on. This skillet is sort of your “do it all.”

Next, to your knife, your skillet is likely going to be your most used item in the kitchen. The reason I prefer cast iron is that they are tough, they last forever, and because they’re made entirely of metal. You can use them in the oven, on the stove top, or even on a grill. And because it’s so heavy duty, you can even use it to add weight to your goblet squats or to defend your home from intruders (please don’t do this).

The size of the skillet depends on how much food you’ll be cooking, but a 10-inch skillet should work great for most people.

If you have no idea what seasoning means, but a cast iron skillet has piqued your interest, check out Nom Nom Paleo’s article on how to season and care for a cast iron skillet.

However, for some kitchen newbies, the thought of caring for and seasoning a new cast iron skillet is a little too much work. For you folks, I’d suggest a good quality non-stick pan. Preferably one without Teflon. (Teflon is bad for the environment and it releases fumes that aren’t great to breathe if you heat them up past a certain temperature. Plus you have to replace them often because the Teflon comes off — more than likely in your food.)

If you’re making stir fries, eggs, sautéed veggies, etc., a non-stick pan is great because it’ll do all that with minimal cleaning. The only caveat is that you can’t put these suckers in the oven (especially not Teflon) because most of these types of pans have plastic or rubber parts (Some have silicone that you can put in the oven up to a certain temperature. Know what type of pan you have before you do this!). So if you opt for a non-stick pan, you’ll need a baking sheet to cook your steak or chops in the oven as illustrated in this recipe.

Sauce Pot

A small sauce pot is essential for making things like soups and sauces and boiling or steaming vegetables. Something small will do. If you’re cooking for a large family or doing a lot of meal prep, you could probably choose a larger soup pot, but if neither of these applies to you, a smaller 1.5-quart pot will be fine.

Meat Thermometer

This might seem like a somewhat excessive tool, but it could be one of the best investments you make.

When I was growing up and learning how to cook, no one ever cooked with a meat thermometer. But when I moved out on my own and started cooking for myself, I was afraid of giving myself food poisoning by undercooking my food. When you’re starting to learn, how can you be sure you won’t undercook your meats and make yourself sick? Especially if you don’t know what meat *should* look like when it’s done?

The simplest and “stress-free” way of doing this is to know the meat’s temperature. If this is an aspect that you don’t want to worry about, do yourself a favor and get one of these.

Measuring Spoons and Cups

If you’re following recipes and you don’t have measuring equipment, how on earth are you going to make sure you’re putting the right amount of Chemical X in your recipe for perfect little girls?

Norpro provides a wide variety of kitchenware that you can buy which are now available in India.

Professor Utonium didn’t use measuring cups and he ended up with super-powered, crime-fighting children. Okay, maybe on second thought, that isn’t the best story to warn you against not using measuring utensils, but really — especially when you’re first starting out — if you want food to taste good, use those measuring spoons and cups. I know your grandma never uses them, but that’s because she’s been cooking for the last 60 years. When you’ve got that much experience under your belt, I give you permission to stop using them.

Tongs

For the longest time when I first moved out on my own, I didn’t have a pair of tongs. I’d try to use two forks, chopsticks, or a spatula to flip my food. And though it worked, it made these tasks so much more difficult. I dropped things, I splashed my clothes with grease and sauce… basically, it made an even bigger mess than I was already making. If you’re ever going to grill anything, turn baked chicken, or cook bacon, you’re going to need a decent set of tongs. You’ll thank me later.

Heat Resistant Rubber Spatula

The rubber spatula is the ultimate mixing tool in my humble opinion. Great for mixing just about anything, and if you leave it in your pot/pan by accident, it won’t melt into your food and ruin it. (To be honest, it’s probably best to get into the habit of not leaving spatulas in hot, cooking food though.)

Oven Mitt, Hot Pad, or Kitchen Towels

Protecting your hands is a must in the kitchen. I’d venture to guess that two of the most common kitchen injuries are burns and cuts. Having a sharp knife will help prevent you from cutting yourself, and having proper protection for your hands when pulling food out of the oven or touching the handle of a metal skillet is going to be essential. Please make sure to never use a wet towel or oven mitt to touch a hot surface. The liquid inside the fabric will boil and evaporate, and you’ll steam-burn your hand.

Now, which of these you decide to buy depends entirely on your preference. For the lazy cooks out there or you minimalists, I’d suggest the simple kitchen towel. It’s multi-purpose and perfectly functional. Just make sure it’s not wet, and you fold it enough times to protect your hand from the hot pan!

USA online shopping has become easier with a lot of varieties which you can discover and have them shipped to you.

0 notes