Posted by best buy on April 30, 2010 under rice cooker recipes | 
Healthy cooking of meals and subsequently eating healthy are the main things which people can do to stay healthy. However, many people, owing to their fast paced life skip their very first meal – breakfast. Therefore, it is necessary for you to master the art of healthy cooking when preparing your family’s breakfast.
It is mandatory for you to start off with a healthy meal in order to add that extra vigor which can keep you energized throughout the day.
You must have heard that breakfast is one of the most vital meals of the day. Traditional breakfasts such as pancakes, breakfast bars, fried eggs, muffins, donuts and sausages are generally too sugary and fatty. The drawback of these foods is that they cause huge discrepancies in blood sugar levels and in turn also increase our cravings for carbohydrates.
Healthy breakfast foods are those which keep the level of sugar in our body at adequate levels. Including proteins in your breakfast can help you feel fuller for a longer time. Here is a list of healthy breakfast foods.
Eggs: Eat a poached, scrambled or boiled egg for breakfast. Eggs are rich in protein. If time permits, prepare an omelet, with fresh mushrooms, tomatoes or zucchini.
Oats: An excellent way to have a healthy breakfast is having an instant oat porridge. Instant oats are available in plenty of flavors and can be blended with nuts, berries, honey and can give you a more delicious breakfast in just few minutes.
Baked Beans: These are low in glycemic load, but are rich in protein. For a healthy and satiating breakfast, eat baked beans with your whole grain toast.
Yogurt: For an easy and healthy breakfast, you can eat yogurt. A huge range and variety of yogurts are available today. To make it more delicious you can add yogurt to your cereal or to your favorite fruits.
Cereals: Bran cereals are rich in fiber. This makes them a perfect breakfast material. They help you feel fuller for a long period of time. You can make cereals delicious by adding various fruits such as apple, berries and kiwis.
Whole Grain Toast: A simple way to begin the day is by having 2 slices of toasted bread with cottage cheese or low fat dairy products. If you enjoy eating sweet foods, you can add jam or honey to your toast.
Healthy cooking of breakfasts has its own benefits and if you follow the above mentioned list, you will never be subjected to weight gain or any kind of health problems.
Posted by best buy on April 29, 2010 under rice cooker recipes |
Autumn is the one time of year the weather is nice in most parts of the country at the same time. In the warm southern and southwest regions, people who have been kept inside by the blazing summer temperatures start to enjoy the outdoors more. In the northern regions, the nights start to get crisp but the daytime temperatures are very pleasant. And pleasant weather means an ideal time for grilling and barbecue.
1. We all tend to have a few recipes that are our favorites to prepare on the grill, the dishes we know are going to turn out nearly perfect every time. The old reliables. But part of the fun of grilling is experimenting, finding new dishes, flavors and cooking techniques to use with the grill or the smoker unit.
2. A new take on an old favorite. Is steak your favorite meat to grill? Well, steak is incredibly versatile. You could try making spicy southwest steak, by adding a chile powder such as chipotle to the normal salt, pepper, and garlic you put on the steak before grilling. Adding a few tablespoons of ground coffee beans gives you the classic “cowboy” steak. Have you ever added brown sugar to the spice mix you use? Try it. You’ll find it gives the steak a unique glaze, and it is one of the secrets expensive steakhouses employ.
3. And now for something completely different. Don’t limit yourself to the old standards: steaks, chops, burgers, ribs. Grilled fish is delicious, and is good for you as well. Buy whole fish like trout, insert thin lemon slices into the cavity, and cook them on a low, smoky heat. If you have a smoker unit, you’ll be surprised all the great food you can prepare-duck, goose, game birds, turkey, and chicken are all tasty candidates. You can even make your own smoked ham or smoked sausage.
4. Take a culinary vacation in the backyard. Maybe the cost and hassle of international travel these days has kept you from visiting those places you’ve always dreamed of. There’s no reason you can’t enjoy those countries’ cuisine. How about grilling some delicious, tender ribeye steaks and preparing several different dipping sauces for your guests to sample, maybe Asian teriyaki-style; a South American “Gaucho” sauce with lime juice, roasted peppers, red onions and cilantro; and a Caribbean “jerk”-style sauce. Sort of like one of those “five countries in one and a half days” tour packages you see advertised on TV.
Don’t be afraid to expand you grilling repertoire. And keep a record of your grilling experiments, the variations you tried on recipes you use. Write down what worked so well you would like to try it again. You may find out your family has a high tolerance for spicier foods, so you may want to enhance the recipes with additional chiles. You might find a grilled shrimp recipe that works equally well with scallops. Who knows, you might come up with a totally unique recipe that ends up in a cooking magazine.
Posted by best buy on April 28, 2010 under rice cooker recipes |
Your complete dinner in one pot! This meal has been a family favorite for years, it appeals to the meat and potato lovers and is also quite low fat. It is quick and easy to assemble in the morning and can be left to cook all day in your slow cooker. Add the dumpling batter to the pot ½ hour before dinner. Serves 6.
Stew:
3-4 medium potatoes, cut into small chunks
3-4 stalks of celery, sliced
2 cups of whole baby carrots
1 ½ cups frozen peas
1 ½ lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 can low fat cream of chicken soup
1 can low fat cream of celery soup
½ cup low fat milk
½ cup water
1-2 tsp poultry seasoning (according to taste)
½ tsp fresh ground pepper
Dumplings:
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3 ½ tsp baking powder
2 tsp parsley
1 egg, beaten
3 tbsp melted butter or margarine
2/3-1 cup milk
Directions:
1. Put potatoes, celery, carrots and chicken into the slow cooker.
2. Mix soups, seasonings, milk and water together and pour over vegetables and chicken.
3. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or until chicken is cooked and vegetables are tender. (You can cook on high for 4-5 hours but results are better on low).
4. Add peas during the last ½ hour of cooking.
5. To make the dumpling batter: mix flour, salt, baking powder & parsley together; add egg, melted butter and milk to dry ingredients. Use enough milk to make a soft dough.
6. Turn heat on slow cooker to high and drop 6 spoonfuls of the batter on top of stew.
7. Cover and cook for approx. 30 minutes or until dumplings are well done. (The dumplings will expand to touch each other during the cooking, so separate them with a knife about half way through to make sure the dough on the sides gets cooked as well).
Hint: Check the stew before you add the dumpling batter to make sure there is plenty of liquid. You can add a can of chicken broth or water if necessary to make sure you have lots of gravy once the dumplings are cooked.
Enjoy!
