The Lazy Cook's Guide to Eggplant Caviar. Tajiks like to use a lot of oil, and this dish is quite rich as a result. If this is a problem for you, you can replace some of the oil with water. I've also made it using canned diced tomatoes when I didn't have fresh tomatoes and that works fine too. Don't drain them first, the juice adds to the flavor just as juice from fresh tomatoes does. Eggplant Ikra 1 medium or large eggplantabout 1/4 cup olive oil1 medium onion, finely chopped1-2 medium tomatoes, chopped1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced (optional)2 cloves garlic, diced or crushedcrushed red pepper to tastesalt and freshly ground black pepper to tasteplain yogurt Peel the eggplant and dice into small cubes. Salt and let sit about 30 minutes while you go do something else. When the 30 minutes are up, prepare the other vegetables,except the tomatoes, which I like to cut up directly over the pan to save all the juices.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Enjoy! Tajik Mung Bean Soup. Tajik Mung Bean Soup is a hearty and nutritious traditional vegetarian recipe. Like many traditional recipes, Tajik cooks make it mostly by sight and taste, so all measurements are approximate, and you can feel free to modify quantities, add meat or stock, fiddle with spices, or make other modifications as you see fit. The Recipe 1 onion, choppedabout 6 medium carrots, slicedabout 4 medium potatoes, choppedabout 3 cloves of garlic, minced1/4 - 1/2 cup mung beans1/2 cup white ricegenerous dashes of basil, whole cumin seeds, black pepper, and salt In a large soup pot, saute the vegetables and spices over medium-high heat for about five minutes in a generous dollop of olive oil.
Add about six cups of water, or enough to cover thevegetables, plus a little extra, and the mung beans.Cover and bring to a boil, then lower the temperature and simmer for about 40 minutes. Check the soup to see if the beans have "popped" and are floating at the surface. Easy Cioppino Recipe. The Lazy Cook's Guide to Borscht. Borscht (borshch) is a healthy and delicious Eastern European soup made from beets and cabbage.
Although better known as a Russian dish, the Ukrainians are the real masters of borscht. My recipe does not match the wonderful flavor of my favorite Ukrainian borscht (a family recipe of the "if I tell you, I'll have to kill you" variety), but it is pretty darn good and relatively authentic. Before you start this recipe be warned that it takes a long time to cook, preferably three hours or more. But it's worth it. It also makes a heck of a lot of soup, but that's a plus, because borscht, like lasagna, is better the second day. Exact quantities depend on how hearty you want your borscht. Put the meat in a large soup pot and cover with about 3 inches of water. Add the rest of the carrots, beets, and potatoes, and simmer for another hour, then take the beets out and carefully chop them into small pieces before returning them to the soup.
Easy Baked Salmon That Melts in Your Mouth. Baked salmon is not only healthy and delicious, it is also one of the easiest and quickest ways to enjoy fresh seafood. Wild Caught or Farm Raised? As a general rule, wild-caught Pacific salmon is better for the environment, contains fewer pollutants like dioxin and PCBs, and has a better taste than Atlantic farm-raised salmon, especially if you are lucky enough to get your hands on a good piece of fresh Alaskan King salmon. However, if you live in the land-locked Midwest, as I do, wild salmon is often rare, and prohibitively expensive when it is available.
Not only that, but it is often stored in ways that reduce its tenderness. There are few things more disappointing than paying extra for a wild caught salmon to find its flesh dry and flavor ruined. Baked Salmon My family's recipe is as easy as can be and results in the tenderest, melt-in-your-mouth fish you'll ever eat. 1. For this recipe, I recommend a 1-2 pound salmon fillet with skin. 2. 3. 4. 5. Sign Up for HubPages. A Salad a Day Keeps the Doctor Away: The Health Benefits of Green Salads. As you've probably guessed, a wimpy little salad with iceberg lettuce and a single anemic tomato slice is not going to cut it. If iceberg lettuce is what you're used to, I'm not asking you to immediately start cracking out the arugula.
I'm not a big fan of arugula myself. But do start mixing basic iceberg lettuce with more nutritious leaf lettuces, especially Romaine. Even if you're an experienced salad eater, consider experimenting with alternative toppings. Carrots and tomatoes make a great start, but have you considered the following (not all in the same salad!) In addition to bacon bits (real bacon, not fake!) The healthiest salad dressings are the vinaigrettes, which are mixes of oil (preferably olive or canola oil), vinegar, and spices or other flavorings.
Understanding Labels on Meat, Eggs, and Dairy Products. "Natural" Totally meaningless on animal products, this label only means that the product contains no artificial ingredients or coloring, and has been minimally processed. "Organic" "Organic" labels on meat and other animal products mean that the animals have been fed organically grown hay, grain, or other foods and that they have not been treated with hormones or antibiotics. An "organic" label does not guarantee humane treatment for the animals. "No Antibiotics" and "No Hormones" These labels apply only to beef and poultry or beef, respectively. "Animal Care Certified" and "United Egg Producers Certified" Eggs An industry-friendly label that allows many cruel and inhumane factory farming practices. "Swine Welfare Assurance Program" A meaningless attempt by the pork industry to repair its damaged image.
"Free-Range" Poultry Free-range labels on chicken, turkey, and other poultry products are often misleading. "Free-Range" and "Cage-Free" Eggs "100% Vegetarian Fed" Eggs "Free-range" meat. Keeping Antibiotics Safe From Agribusiness. Backyard Aquaponics Systems for Food and Profit. Farmscaping. "Farmscaping" is a holistic approach to pest control on farms that focuses on increasing biodiversity in order to maintain healthy populations of beneficial insects, birds, bats, and other wildlife as part of an ecological pest management program. Farmscaping often treats beneficial wildlife as a kind of "minature livestock" that must be managed and provided for for just like cows, sheep, chickens, and other farm animals.
Farmscapers use observation and science to plan hedgerows, flower beds, cover crops, and water reservoirs to favor beneficial wildlife over pests. Benefits of Farmscaping Farmscaping reduces the need for pesticides, lowering costs and reducing exposure to potentially harmful chemicals by farmworkers and consumers. Farmscaping is also simple and generally inexpensive to implement. In many areas, costs can be lowered even further by federal conservation incentives or cost-share programs such as the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program. Disadvantages of Farmscaping. Riparian Buffer Zones. The ideal width of a riparian zone depends on its function. The width of riparian zones is measure in one direction, starting from the edge of the water.
If you are interested primarily in preventing erosion, a 50 foot riparian zone is probably adequate. This is wide enough for most sediments to be trapped and absorbed. In order to remove pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemical pollutants, a minimim of 66 feet is required. Most experts put the ideal width of a riparian buffer zone for maximum stream health and water quality at 100-150 feet.
If you are interested in providing a corridor for wildlife habitat, a 300 foot buffer is recommended. Local conditions also affect the ideal width of riparian buffers. Within the total width of a riparian buffer zone are three distinct zones. The first zone is streamside. The second zone should consist of a much narrower (at least 12 feet) strip of shrubs and small trees.
Cash Crops for Small Farms: Rabbit Manure. Family farmers, homesteaders, and even suburbanites can earn extra money with packaged rabbit manure. Rabbit manure is considered to be one of the best manures for gardens. It has one of the highest levels of nitrogen of any animal manure (typical N-P-K ratio: 2.4 – 1.4 – .60), yet it can be applied directly to plants without the need for aging or composting to prevent it from burning the roots. Rabbit manure, like all animal manures, is also high in organic matter, which improves soil structure and drainage and provides food for earthworms and other beneficial animals. It is dry and almost odorless, so it is pleasant to store and handle, and it packages easily in plastic bags, or can be sold (less profitably) by the truckload. Buyers include gardeners, nurseries, earthworm farmers, and more. Cash Crops for Small Farms: Pastured Poultry. Sustainable agriculture guru Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms calls pastured broilers "probably the most golden agricultural opportunity of the foreseeable future," eggs from pastured layers #2, and pastured turkeys one of the best "complementary" opportunities.
It is easy and inexpensive to get started with pastured broilers. They have a quick return on cash spent - about 8 weeks - and in many parts of the country they can be treated as a seasonal commodity to keep costs low. One or more batches can be raised and processed in the summer in portable "chicken tractors" or range houses, erasing the need for the sturdier winter housing required by laying hens and breeding stock in most regions of the United States. Pastured broilers, layers, and turkeys can be run almost anywhere. Salatin sends his through the pastures after cattle to spread the manure and eat pests and parasites. Other pastured poultry farms keep their birds in orchards, fallow farm fields, and even in suburban backyards! Make Money With SPIN Farming. SPIN farming is a method of growing high yield, high profit crops in small places.
It is a great choice for urban and suburban gardeners hoping to make extra money (or even earn a living) doing something they love. SPIN stands for Small Plot INtensive farming. It focuses on farming using plots of one acre or less, using a combination of low value crops such as potatoes and onions, and high value crops such as heirloom tomatoes and fresh salad greens. SPIN farming techniques are not revolutionary by themselves. Cash Crops for Small Farms: Heritage Turkeys. Heritage turkeys are most commonly defined as naturally-mating, long-lived, slow-growing breeds of turkey. The following are a few of the best-known heritage turkey breeds: Bourbon Red - A handsome bird that cleans well due to white pinfeathers, and is well known for its delicious flavor and excellent foraging abilities.
Beltsville Small White - A relatively small breed that dresses to about 8-15 pounds, perfect for home refrigerators and ovens. Narragansett - A handsome medium-sized bird noted for its excellent flavor, exceptional foraging ability, and good mothering skills. Royal Palm - Though this small, striking black and white bird is most commonly used as an exhibition breed, its excellent foraging skills can make it valuable for home meat production as well. Standard Bronze - The most popular turkey breed for much of American history, the Standard Bronze is a large, handsome, and hardy bird. Raising Lamb for the Muslim Market. There is a growing ethnic meat market in the United States, including Jewish, Muslim, Mexican, and Eastern Orthodox/Middle Eastern Christian communities.
The ethnic market has very different requirements from the conventional American market, including a marked preference for lamb over beef. Different ethnic markets have slightly different requirements for raising and processing lamb. The Muslim market is one of the most prominent lamb markets, as lamb is an important part of several Muslim holidays and other celebrations. There are between 5 and 8 million Muslims in the United States, most concentrated in urban areas, and the population is growing fast, both from immigration and through conversions, particularly in the African-American community. Muslim Preferences Muslims have different taste in lambsize and handling than many American markets.
For this reason, much of the lamb raised for Muslim markets is fed exclusively on grass and mother's milk, not fattened on grain. Bison Ranching for Beginners. For health and natural foods enthusiasts, the appeal of bison is primarily in its health benefits. Bison meat is low in fat and cholesterol, but extremely nutrient-dense, with high levels of iron, protein, healthy Omega-3 fatty acids, and various vitamins and minerals. Because it is often naturally raised, organic, and primarily or exclusively grass-fed, natural foods enthusiasts and "compassionate carnivores" have also embraced bison as a healthy, humane, sustainable alternative to conventionally raised beef and other meats, with their high levels of antibiotics, hormones, and chemical pesticides, and inhumane animal handling practices.
If you produce exclusively grassfed bison meat, consider giving your marketing a boost with sustainable and ethical foodies by becoming an American Grassfed Association Certified Producer. Western enthusiasts are often interested in the experience of the West more than the bison themselves, and may appreciate a more "hands-on" approach to marketing. Boycott Feedlot "Organics" The carton shows a smiling cow and talks about "clean water, fresh air, organic pasture and exercise. " But is that the reality? The organic dairy industry has been invaded by impostors. Organic foods are now a $14 billion industry in the United States, and still growing. You can hardly blame corporations for wanting to get a slice of that. Horizon Organics, owned by Dean Foods, now controls 70% of the $ 1 billion organic dairy industry, but its farms are hardly full of happy, smiling cows. In addition to keeping their cows under feedlot-like conditions, these large organic dairies often purchase replacement animals from conventionally raised heifers who have spent the first part of their lives consuming feed that may have been genetically modified or treated with chemical pesticides or herbicides, and in many cases may have contained large doses of antibiotics, growth hormones, and animal byproducts.
Mexican Swine Flu: The Agribusiness Connection. Why Grassfed is Best. Seven Ways to Change the World by Eating. The Benefits of Grass Fed Beef. The Benefits of Pastured Pork. The Benefits of Aronia Juice. The Benefits of Green Smoothies for Women. Getting Started With Green Smoothies.