Adding Pizzazz by Stir Frying Veggies

Adding Pizzazz by Stir Frying Veggies by Christine Steendahl

One of the most interesting meals that you can prepare on a regular basis for your loved ones is stir fry veggies dishes. One of the reasons that stir fry veggie meals are interesting is that they are usually very colorful due to the variety of vegetables included. Stir fry veggie meals are an excellent way to add healthful veggies to any meal.



Stir fry veggie meals are usually cooked on either a large skillet, frying pan or wok. Oil is used for cooking and the best choice is either olive oil for a lighter taste or peanut oil for a fuller oriental style taste you might want to create. For those that are monitoring their caloric consumption and looking for a low calorie, but very delicious meal, use one of the spray oil products such as “PAM” and your stir fry vegetable dishes will not only cook well, but still be reduced in calories.



For those that would like to cook strictly stir fry veggie meals that are oriental in nature, purchase a wok. A wok is relatively inexpensive and is just right for stir fry meals due to the fact that the wok can get very hot, usually much hotter than even a pan.



Oriental Stir Fry

Oriental stir fry vegetable dishes are extremely easy to make and can be prepared and cooked in less than 20 minutes.

-1 onion

-1 red pepper

-1 large can of Chinese vegetables (usually includes water chestnuts, bamboo shoots and baby corn).

-Soy sauce to taste (try low sodium soy sauce for those trying to reduce their salt intake).

-Olive oil

Once you cut the vegetables up, heat up the wok and then add a little oil, now add your contents into the wok and stir them around. A wooden spoon or other utensil is helpful. It is important to keep the food moving around because the wok can be very hot and burn items that stay stationary for long periods of time. This recipe makes about 2 servings.



Super Easy Stir Fry (about 15 minutes to prepare and cook)

If you are in a rush and would like to make a meal for your family that not only tastes good, but is very delicious, you can buy pre packaged stir fry mixes.



-1 stir fry mix package. These mixes are complete with everything you need. Often times they include veggies such as green beans, water chestnuts, rice, baby corn, bamboo shoots, peppers, etc. Some might even include chicken, beef or pork.

-A few tablespoons of olive oil



Just lightly oil your wok or pan, heat on a medium temperature and stir away for 10 to 15 minutes. Follow the serving suggestions for your stir fry mix package.



Stir Fry Veggie Options

Besides the above stir fry recipes, you can easily add fish, shrimp or tofu to your stir fry. Another great idea is to add your stir fry to Thai style noodles which can include a spicy sauce.



For additional excellent recipes from Christine Steendahl, "The Menu Mom", visit www.themenumom.com and for another delicious stir-fry recipe go to http://www.dinewithoutwhine.com/stir-fry-vegetable-recipe.htm





Article Source: Sustainable Living Articles

Great Salad Recipes

Great Salad Recipes by Anand Dongre

Salads are nutritional and can be the great source of vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, minerals and lot more. They are considered as light meal and much more than an appetizer. Their preparation mostly involves vegetables (leafy vegetables) sometimes fruits. The dressing of the salads forms the crux of it, which differentiates the taste of different salads. Occasionally the salad is prepared with meat, fish cheese or nuts, which makes the salad of high calorie-content. Basically the salads are healthy with low calories most commonly found on every dining table in US



The most commonly consumed green salad consists of variety of vegetables like lettuce, spinach or arugula. This is not all green salads can be seen with tomato, cucumber, peppers, mushrooms, onions, spring onions, and red onions, carrot and reddish. We come across people who love to try different things in their daily diet they make different combinations in the same dish to give it different taste and flavor. For this reason we find green salads complimented with pasta, olives, cooked potatoes, croutons, beans, rice meat, cheese and fish. That is why salad is not just any mixture of leafy vegetables but needs proper garnishing and serving with of course the right mix of ingredients.



There are wide array of sumptuous chicken and summer salad recipes with tantalizing taste and mouth-watering aroma.

Lets look at one of the recipe called Chinese chicken salad recipe which easy to prepare and tasty to eat. The almonds and noodles in the salad adds a crunchy taste to it and the dressing makes it spicy and sweet. Take a quick look at the ingredients needed.





Chinese chicken salad

Ingredients:

Coleslaw

1 packet of chicken noodles

1/2-cup of chopped green onions

Few sliced almonds to add crunch

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Dressing essentials:

1/2 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of olive oil

Wine vinegar or same quantity of rice preferably 1/2 cup rice

2 tsp. of soy sauce

Seasoning from the ramen



Method

To start with the Chinese chicken salad, you need to bake/grill and cube the 4 chicken breasts properly. Once this is done you have to combine all ingredients together. When the ingredients are mixed properly put the dressing on salad immediately before serving.

During summer the intake of regular diet is less but the salads with nice dressings and variety of toppings can actually work a appetizers. The summer salad recipe give involves fresh vegetables. Just go through the recipe to more about it.



Mid- summer Italian bread salad



Ingredients

1 clove of garlic

1 (1 pound) loaf or Italian bread preferably

1 cup of finely chopped tomatoes

1 cup of peeled, seeded and chopped cucumber

1 cup of chopped red onion

1 clove crushed garlic

2 cups of chopped fresh basil

1/8 cup of chopped fresh thyme

1/4 cup of olive oil

2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

If the bread is too fresh toast it till it becomes dry and crunchy.



Preparations

First of all rub the peeled clove of garlic from inside of wooden salad bowl. After that chop the bread into small size pieces. Mix bread, tomato, tomato, cucumber red onions, garlic, basil and thyme in the prepared salad bowl. Finally add oil and vinegar for lightly coating. Toss and serve the Mid- summer Italian bread salad.



Looking for more information on Great Salad Recipes check out www.salad-recipe.net your guide to Great Salad Recipes.





Article Source: Sustainable Living Articles

Some Ideas For Cooking With Garlic

Some Ideas For Cooking With Garlic by James Lanka

Garlic is a type of plant that people eat for food. Garlic is related to onions, shallots, and leeks. It has a very strong flavor and smell, so people don't use too much of it. Most of the time, people use it as a flavoring so that it helps make a food taste better. Superstitious people believe that it can be used to keep vampires away. It used as herbal medicine in the treatment of cold and flu, has a side effects of heart burn, flatulence and sweating.



Here are three delicious recipies which use garlic -



Mushroom Stuffed Chicken Breasts With Garlic Butter



4 packages skin on chicken breasts

125 g butter, softened (4oz)

1 g pac grey chanterelle mushrooms, brushed and sliced if large

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 Tbs fresh parsley, finely chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper



1. Take the chicken breasts and make an incision in the centre of each, cutting to a depth of 5mm ( 1/4 inch). Avoid cutting right through, you want to make a cavity for stuffing.



2. Melt 25g (1oz) of the butter in a frying pan and over a moderate heat saute the mushrooms for 1-2 minutes until just soft . Put to one side.



3. Combine the remaining butter with the finely chopped garlic and half the parsley. Place on a piece of greaseproof paper and roll up to form a cylinder shape. Place in the freezer for 5 minutes to go firm.



4. Preheat the oven to 200 C, 400 F, Gas Mark 6.



5. Take the chicken breast and stuff the cavity with some of the mushrooms and slices of butter. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley and season with salt and ground black pepper.



6. Wrap each chicken breast in a piece of foil to form a parcel. Place on a baking tray and cook for 25 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the grill to a moderate heat.



7. Remove chicken from the oven and unwrap each parcel to expose the chicken, place under the grill for 5 minutes to crisp up the skin. Serve immediately.



Author Note: A lovely balance of wild mushroom with chicken and herbs.This dish is ideal served with roasted sweet potatoes and wilted spinach.





Garlic & Thyme Grilled Trout



4 whole trout, gutted

4 cloves garlic, sliced

50 g butter

2 Tbs freshly chopped thyme

50 g flaked almonds

freshly ground black pepper



1. Make small slits in the trout, press in the sliced garlic & place on a grill pan.



2. Mix together the butter, thyme & seasoning. Dot half of this mixture over the trout, then place under a preheated moderate grill for 12-15 minutes, turning occasionally & dotting with the remaining butter mixture during cooking.



3. Sprinkle the almonds over the trout & return to the grill for 1-2 minutes, until browned.



4. Serve immediately with new potatoes, mange tout & baby corn.



Comments: Whole trout cooked with the flavours of garlic & thyme.





Tomatoes Stuffed With Olives, Garlic And Parsley



4 large ripe tomatoes

salt and pepper

2 slices wholemeal bread

1 clove garlic,halved, up to 2

olive oil

2 oz fresh parsley,chopped

8 black olives,pitted and finely chopped



1. Cut the tomatoes in half, score the cut surface with a sharp knife, press in some salt and when it has dissolved, turn the tomatoes upside down on a plate and leave them for 1-2 hours.



2. Cut the crusts off the bread and rub on both sides with the garlic. Sprinkle with olive oil and leave to soften. Mix the parsley with the olives and bread, season well.



3. Squeeze the juice and pulp from the tomatoes and press in the bread and parsley mixture.



4. Put the tomatoes into a gratin dish, sprinkle with more olive oil and cook under the grill, slowly at first then closer to the heat to brown the surface. Serve at once, with shavings of parmesan cheese on top if desired.



Bon Appetit!!



James Lanka is the website owner of The UK Recipe Archive, where you can download his growing collection of UK television recipes.



Article Source: Sustainable Living Articles

Italian food recipes

Italian food recipes by Wright John

Italian food is world famous, and perhaps one of Italy’s greatest contributions to the world today is Pizza. Made quite by chance, Pizzas are now synonymous with take away food. However there is a lot more to Italian cooking than Pizzas and a true Italian connoisseur will tell you that a Pizza is perhaps the most basic of Italian cuisine. If you are looking for a truly authentic Italian experience, then a few authentic Italian dishes like Bruschetta Al Pomodoro are far more exquisite and enjoyable.



In fact after Pizza the most popular Italian dish is pasta, with so many types of pasta available today every single type has its own distinctive flavour and method of preparation. If you love Italian food then the best way to savour it is to cook it yourself, the reason is that so called ‘authentic’ Italian restaurants are simply offering fast food in plusher surroundings, only a handful of Italian restaurants offer authentic Italian cuisine.



To begin with the first thing you need to get a hold of is a good recipe book or a website that offers Italian recipes, a good place to start is www.italianfoodrecipes.eu, the site has some rare recipes, and the cooking techniques are all authentic Italian. In addition to finding the right site you also need to understand which recipes to begin with and which one’s to try later. Not all Italian recipes are designed for beginners and you should read through the recipe, and only when you are comfortable with the recipe should you start working on it.



Another thing, that is as important as the recipe is the ingredients you use, the best place to start buying ingredients is from a store that stocks Italian ingredients, using olive oil and virgin olive oil can make all the difference in Italian cooking. In fact a common mistake most novices make is assuming that substituting ingredients in Italian cooking is okay, this is not true, even in Pizza the kind of cheese you use makes a lot of difference. If you are looking for a really authentic Italian experience, you should make sure all the ingredients you use are exactly as they are mentioned in the recipe.



Italian cooking is nothing short of an art form, and some of the most delicious and exotic dishes are from the homeland of Italy, in fact the most impressive part about Italy is that every region in Italy has its own distinctive dish, even if a dish is common the style of making the dish varies from region to region. If you are looking to make the most of your Italian cooking experience make sure you understand the recipe, feel comfortable making it and always use the recommended ingredients.



If you are still not sure which Italian dish to start your Italian cooking with, you can always start with the tried and trusted Pizza, in this case also make sure you try to make the Pizza as Italian as it can be by using the right ingredients and the perfect recipe.

John is the author of this article on italian food.
Find more information about free recipes here.

Article Source: Sustainable Living Articles

Italian food recipes

Italian food recipes by Wright John

Italian food is world famous, and perhaps one of Italy’s greatest contributions to the world today is Pizza. Made quite by chance, Pizzas are now synonymous with take away food. However there is a lot more to Italian cooking than Pizzas and a true Italian connoisseur will tell you that a Pizza is perhaps the most basic of Italian cuisine. If you are looking for a truly authentic Italian experience, then a few authentic Italian dishes like Bruschetta Al Pomodoro are far more exquisite and enjoyable.



In fact after Pizza the most popular Italian dish is pasta, with so many types of pasta available today every single type has its own distinctive flavour and method of preparation. If you love Italian food then the best way to savour it is to cook it yourself, the reason is that so called ‘authentic’ Italian restaurants are simply offering fast food in plusher surroundings, only a handful of Italian restaurants offer authentic Italian cuisine.



To begin with the first thing you need to get a hold of is a good recipe book or a website that offers Italian recipes, a good place to start is www.italianfoodrecipes.eu, the site has some rare recipes, and the cooking techniques are all authentic Italian. In addition to finding the right site you also need to understand which recipes to begin with and which one’s to try later. Not all Italian recipes are designed for beginners and you should read through the recipe, and only when you are comfortable with the recipe should you start working on it.



Another thing, that is as important as the recipe is the ingredients you use, the best place to start buying ingredients is from a store that stocks Italian ingredients, using olive oil and virgin olive oil can make all the difference in Italian cooking. In fact a common mistake most novices make is assuming that substituting ingredients in Italian cooking is okay, this is not true, even in Pizza the kind of cheese you use makes a lot of difference. If you are looking for a really authentic Italian experience, you should make sure all the ingredients you use are exactly as they are mentioned in the recipe.



Italian cooking is nothing short of an art form, and some of the most delicious and exotic dishes are from the homeland of Italy, in fact the most impressive part about Italy is that every region in Italy has its own distinctive dish, even if a dish is common the style of making the dish varies from region to region. If you are looking to make the most of your Italian cooking experience make sure you understand the recipe, feel comfortable making it and always use the recommended ingredients.



If you are still not sure which Italian dish to start your Italian cooking with, you can always start with the tried and trusted Pizza, in this case also make sure you try to make the Pizza as Italian as it can be by using the right ingredients and the perfect recipe.

John is the author of this article on italian food.
Find more information about free recipes here.

Article Source: Sustainable Living Articles

Food Recipes

Food Soups