feasting at home: Lessons from an Artichoke What is so vulnerable, I wonder, that must need such safeguarding, such armor? When you hold the artichoke in your hand, the first thing you notice are the waxy prickly leaves, brilliantly designed to keep predators out. They can be sharp, injurious even, if not handled with care. Still, you can not help but see how beautiful they are, thorns and all, with their perfect symmetry and silvery hues of greens and purples. Are we not so different from the artichoke? As I try to describe the taste of fresh artichoke, truthfully, I find it difficult. Perhaps, a little token of appreciation. Artichokes are a perennial thistle, the bud from which the flower blossoms. A tip: when you boil or steam artichokes, leave the lid off, so the acids can boil out and evaporate. After the artichokes are tender, drop them in a cold water bath for a few minutes, for easier handling. Grill on a preheated grill set at Medium, placed with insides faced down, for 5 minutes with the lid on. In food processor add:
Make Your Own: Candy There’s a reason why they put all that deliciously sweet candy up by the cash registers in nearly every store: if you had to find it at the back of the place, you’d likely decide against it before you got up front to pay. But you’re an adult, and once a child sets their sights on a candy bar, there’s no turning back. Instead of worrying about all of the sketchy ingredients, extra calories, additives, and possible allergens in popular packaged sweets, here are a few recipes to Make Your Own Candy right at home. Homemade Twix Candy Bar Recipe Twix bars are the best because they come in a delightful little pair. Homemade Peanut Butter Cups Peanut butter allergies aside, it’s hard to believe anyone could deny anything that combines peanut butter and chocolate. Homemade Gummi Bears Okay, so they aren’t really bears, but gummy stars sound just as cool. DIY Lollipop There doesn’t seem to be much to making a basic lollipop, which leaves the options of using natural sweeteners and dyes.
Turkey Pesto Grilled Cheese This is not so much a recipe as it is just a concept, but it has become a staple in my life. My favorite is making this on a good Artisan seed bread (I am still looking for the perfect recipe) but my grocery store has a pretty good version. Turkey Pesto Grilled Cheese Artisan bread (seed, crusty, french, or whatever your thing is) pesto (store bought or homemade) provolone cheese herb roasted turkey (I LOVE the Castlewood brand from Sam's club) Fresh tomatoes Take two slices of GOOD bread, slather each side with pesto. Indian Finding substitutes for animal products is perhaps the trickiest part of vegan cooking, both for a new conscious eater, and for someone who’s been doing this a while. But it can also be a lot of fun to upend some long-held traditions on cooking and baking by using cruelty-free products and getting results that are just as good and usually healthier than their animal-infested versions.Here is a list of vegan substitutes that always work for me. I’ve tried to group them by the animal product they replace. 1 EGG(To replace more than one, just multiply) 1 tbsp of ground flax meal + 3 tbsp of waterI use this most often for baked bread-cakes, like my Banana Nut Bread and Zucchini Bread, and in cookies and muffins. 1/4 cup tofu(I usually blend my tofu so it is smooth before using it. 1/2 banana(I usually don’t use banana unless I want the recipe to be banana-flavored, as in my Banana Cake.) (With all the alternatives available, there is really no excuse to use dairy milk. 1 cup Soymilk
17 Power Snacks For Studying Soft, Sour Cream Sugar Cookies Let me just get this out there: This is the best sugar cookie recipe ever. In my humble opinion.Cut-out cookies are popular for every occasion. All you need is this recipe and a collection of cookie cutters. How can I be so confident? Below is a collection of some of my cookies through the years. Housewarming gift cookies. view cookie cutters on Amazon: house, key Baseball cookies. view cookie cutters on Amazon: baseball glove, baseball bat, cardinal Get creative with shapes. view these cookie cutters on Amazon: alphabet (for reversed L and U arch); squares (for base of logo) Cut-out cookies are festive and fun for every occasion. view cookie cutters on Amazon: metal holiday set, value-priced plastic set, alphabet, numbers, mitten (like the one pictured in the photos below) This is a soft sugar cookie. Nutritional information (per cookie): 125 calories, 4.5g fat, 70mg sodium, 19.6g carbs, 10.7g sugars, 1.5g protein, 0g fiber; Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 3 Step 1. Step 2. Step 3. Step 4.
Thattukada Vegetable Pulao or Pilaf is a rice dish mixed with vegetables and mildly flavored with the spices like Cardamom, Cloves and Cinnamon to give it an aromatic flavor. Here is a little bit on the history of Pulao/Pilaf (Source:Wikipedia): The English term pilaf is borrowed directly from Turkish, but all these terms ultimately derive from (Classical) Persian پلو , which is pronounced [paˈlau] in Persian (Dari), and in standard Iranian Persian, polów. In Urdu is pronounced pulāo پلاو. Depending on the local cuisine, it may also contain a variety of meat and vegetables. Pilaf and similar dishes are common to Middle Eastern, Central and South Asian, East African, Latin American, and Caribbean cuisines. The recipe I have here is the Indian version of the Pilaf. Basmati Rice - 2 cups Onion - 1 (medium sized) Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1 1/2 tbsp Tomato - 1 Green Chilly - 2 Cardamom - 5 Cloves - 5 Cinnamon - 1.5inch stick Oil - 5 tbsp Mixed Vegetables - 1 1/2 cup (Corn, Green Peas, Corn & Green Beans) 1.
Roasted Chickpeas done four ways 03 Aug Chickpeas are such a great way to sneak fiber into your diet (don’t miss our 10 easy lunch ideas using chickpeas too!)… When it comes to snacks are you a salty person or sweet? (I’m both – why choose, right?) Either way, Natalie’s got something for you today. In her continued quest to live sugar-light, she’s had to get creative with her snacks. If you’ve been following my move to a sugar-light lifestyle, (more on that here, here and here) you’ll understand why I’ve been looking for some healthy snack foods. In our house, we need snacks that are easy to prepare, easy to grab-and-go and appealing to the kids (a little protein doesn’t hurt either). I’ve provided you with a simple master recipe for roasting and four flavor ideas to get you started. Roasted Chickpeas (Master Recipe) Ingredients 2 cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or about 4 cups cooked chickpeas from dried beans2 tablespoons olive oilseasonings of your choice (see below for suggestions) Directions P.S.