Gotta Eat, Can't Cook

May 1st, 2017

Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Cooking Technique, Vegetables

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Picture Book Directions Show How to Microwave Cook Fresh Spinach

The most important tip regarding spinach is that the less you cook it, the more you retain its flavor, texture, and terrific nutritional value – high in the oil soluble vitamins A, E and K and water soluble vitamins B2, B6 and C as well as rich iron and magnesium content. There’s just no comparison between quickly cooked fresh spinach and spinach that’s been cooked to a very distasteful mushy mass. (My favorite source for spinach’s nutrition and health benefits is The World’s Healthiest Foods: http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=43)

The second most important tip: to avoid an unpleasant crunch on the sandy soil spinach grows in, always give fresh spinach a Read more »

March 22nd, 2017

Blog, How To & Tips

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Love Fresh Chop Garlic But Don’t Know How to Chop It? Check Out These Picture Book Directions

There’s nothing quite like the magnetic scent of freshly cut garlic to attract attention to action in the kitchen. And then, of course, there’s nothing like the fantastic punch of flavor freshly chopped garlic adds to any recipe you’re preparing.

First, here’s what to look for when you buy fresh garlic at the grocery store. For optimal flavor and ease of chopping, select fresh garlic bulbs that are firm to the touch and heavier in weight, not those that are dried out, spongy soft, and lighter in weight as shown in the comparison pictures below. Also, avoid garlic bulbs that have started to sprout green shoots or show signs of dark colored mold on or under the bulb’s papery white skin. Finally, select garlic bulbs with bigger garlic cloves as bigger cloves are a lot easier to peel and chop than smaller cloves. Read more »

February 2nd, 2017

Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Blog, Breakfast, Cycling Food, Fitness Food, Fruit, Special Recipes

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Warm Apple, Kiwi and Cranberry Fruit Topping Picture Book Recipe

Last post showed how to ripen and prepare fresh kiwifruits (kiwis). Here’s a fully flavorful way to have those kiwis warmed in a pan with fresh apples and cranberries either as is or over hot cereal, or any way you like.

January 24th, 2017

Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Blog, Breakfast, Fitness Food, Fruit

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How to Ripen and Prepare Fresh Kiwifruit (Kiwi) Picture Book Directions

Kiwifruits, also known as kiwis, are native to Southern China but are now grown around the world with a fresh fruity flavor that’s a cross between bananas, strawberries and pineapple. Kiwifruits are rich in vitamins A, C and E, and their black seeds, when crushed or chewed, are an excellent source of beneficial Omega-3 fatty acids.

January 9th, 2017

Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Anti-inflammatory Recipes, Fitness Food, Salads & Salad Dressings

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Fresh Banana Cilantro Dressing Picture Book Recipe

Yep, you bet! Bananas and cilantro together in a dressing – and it goes great on salads, over cooked vegetables – any way you’d use any other dressing.

The hardest part of making this dressing is peeling the skins off fresh garlic cloves – always a pain, though crushing the cloves first by pressing them under the side of a wide-bladed (chef’s) knife as shown here…

December 13th, 2016

Bar Drinks, Blog, Drinks

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Glow (Mulled) Wine Picture Book Recipe

Here’s an easy-to-make, fully flavorful hot wine drink to warm you down to your soul on a cold winter evening. The original term for this drink, “Gluehwein”, is pronounced “glue-vine” in German. We in America refer to it as mulled wine, but replacing the word “mulled” with “glow” makes this drink sound much more magically appealing.

December 6th, 2016

Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Anti-inflammatory Recipes, Cycling Food, Fitness Food, Nutrition, Vegetables

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Kale Teriyaki Picture Book Recipe

Dig kale? I didn’t until only a few years ago, but now I’m a big fan, especially when it’s made the way you see here!

Nutritionally, kale rates highest along with collard, turnip, and mustard greens, Swiss chard, and upland watercress with a score of 1000 on the Read more »

November 23rd, 2016

Blog, Chicken & Turkey, Cooking Technique, How To & Tips, Seasonal/Holiday Recipes, Thanksgiving Dinner

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Stress-Free Roast Turkey Picture Book Recipe

Years ago I put together what I thought was the most stress-free roast turkey picture book recipe available. That recipe produced terrifically tender results because it required roasting the turkey at consistently high heat (450℉/230℃) mostly with the bird in a breast-side down position. Leaving the the turkey breast-side down for most of the roasting time protects the more delicate breast meat from direct heat and also allows the fat in turkey’s legs and thighs to baste the rest of the bird naturally by gravity. That technique, though, has two significant drawbacks: high heat roasting works well only for turkeys weighing up to 15 pounds and consistent high heat roasting temperature creates a lot of smoke in the kitchen. Read more »

November 16th, 2016

Blog, Dessert, Seasonal/Holiday Recipes, Thanksgiving Dinner

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Fresh and Easy Apple Pie Picture Book Recipe

All right! My favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, is just around the corner. Friends, family, great flavors, terrific smells – and for some, a 4-day holiday!

The fresh and easy apple pie you see here goes great for dessert anytime, but particularly for Thanksgiving.

Here’s all you need to make this pie. I put the pie crust in a separate insert picture because the recipe itseslf doesn’t show how to make a pie crust, though there is a link to an easy recipe showing how to make the crust shown in that insert.