Bruce Tretter | Gotta Eat, Can't Cook

Posts Tagged ‘Bruce Tretter’

January 24th, 2022

Blog, Fitness Food, Food & Health, Pasta, Side Dishes

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High Protein-High Fiber Pasta Picture Book Cooking Directions

High protein-high fiber pasta is an easy to make great addition to any meal routine

Last post showed how to cook great tasting, highly versatile wheat-based pasta to perfection. Future posts will show how to make fully flavorful easy pasta dishes, though you can certainly get a jump on that by clicking this pasta recipe page.

But, what if you’re wheat intolerant and can’t eat wheat-based pasta? Or, what if you want to add more fiber to your diet, which, as mentioned in another recent post, What is Fiber and Why Do We Need It in Our Diet?, is a great idea?

No problem.

There are now many wheat-based pasta alternatives in stores, and here are two that I use regularly, edamame (green soybean) and black soybean pasta.

Here’s how these pastas clearly separate themselves from each other regarding carbohydrate, fiber and protein content. Serving for serving, traditional wheat-based pasta has more than twice the carbohydrates, which is no problem if you live an active life, and…

…only a fraction of the fiber and protein content of high protein-high fiber pasta as shown in the nutrition label comparisons above and below.

Click this link or the picture below for easy to follow How to Cook High Protein-High Fiber Pasta picture book directions.

Next post will be a bit different: What is Mindfulness and What Can It Do For You? I’m a year into daily practice, and it has made a terrific difference. More soon!

January 20th, 2022

Blog, Cycling Food, Fitness Food, Pasta, Running Food, Side Dishes

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How to Cook Pasta to Perfection Picture Book Directions

Pasta: loved by most, goes with just about anything, and is incredibly easy to make.

First, what is “perfectly cooked” pasta? It’s pasta that’s cooked “al dente”, which is Italian for “to the teeth” and means that the pasta still has a little uncooked whiteness at the core of the cooked pasta piece, as (almost) shown below, which makes the pasta slightly firm, not mushy, to chew.

Here are the keys to cooking pasta to perfection:

Knowing how to measure pasta serving sizes
Heating water to a rapid boil before adding pasta
Using the correct amount of water and knowing how long to cook the pasta

Serving size: Plan to use 1 ounce of dry pasta per person as a side dish and 2 ounces of dry pasta per person as a main dish. To get a visual idea of what 1 or 2 ounces of dry pasta looks like in your hands as well as how much 1 ounce of dry pasta makes when cooked, see the photos directly below.

Here’s how rapidly boiling water should look before adding pasta: The photo on the left shows how real rapidly boiling water should look before putting pasta in the pot to ensure that the cooking time you use will give you the result you want. The photo on the right shows what I call a “soda fizz bubble” that is a clear sign the water is not yet hot enough to cook pasta.

Amount of water needed to cook pasta and pasta cooking time: I use about half the water recommended in the chart below – and have gotten the thumbs up for that from Italian cooks. I also subtract 1 minute from the pasta package recommended cooking time, even if the package cooking instructions, like the one below, specify an “al dente” cooking time, to ensure my pasta still has a “to the teeth” slightly chewy texture.

Click this link or any picture on this page for How to Cook Pasta to Perfection picture book directions.

January 17th, 2022

Bar Drinks, Blog

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Hickory Snow and Glühwein (Mulled Wine) Picture Book Directions

Hickory snow + Glühwein (mulled wine) = great combination

Here’s how it looked in Hickory, NC, yesterday and today.

My heart raced the whole day, especially when I was outside, just as it did in my younger childhood days decades ago. I then made this with dinner: Glühwein (pronounced “glue-vine”), which is German for mulled wine – and very easy to make.

All you need is a robustly flavored red wine, some sugar, lemon rind, cinnamon stick(s) and whole cloves, like what I used last night.

Click this link or any picture on this page for complete picture book directions.

January 14th, 2022

Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Blog, Breakfast, Food & Health, Nutrition

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High Fiber Flaxseed, Chia Seed & Nutritional Yeast Boost

This mix of flaxseeds,chia seeds and nutritional yeast is an excellent fiber and vitamin B boost to any meal

Last post talked about fiber and why we need it in our diet. This post shows how to make a practical mix of high fiber flaxseeds and chia seeds with the added optional benefit of nutritional yeast.

As I mention in the “Tips” section of the picture book directions you can get here, the mix of ground flax and chia seeds with nutritional yeast you see here is no “magic bullet”, but it sure helped improve both my gut health and vitamin B12 levels. My gut was in bad shape years ago due to poor stress management and a long history of prescribed antibiotic use, mostly for frequent middle ear infections. My vitamin B12 level was low due to not eating much animal protein.

I’ve since learned – and continue to learn – a lot about what goes on in our gut, how to manage stress much better and have changed my eating habits. More about both gut health and stress management soon. Regarding food, once I got “clued in” to the very new science of gut health 10-15 years ago, I’ve been eating a varied, well-balanced high-fiber whole food diet that is mostly plant based but is also strong in fish, poultry and meat. And I still use the mix of seeds and nutritional yeast you see here everyday as a fiber and vitamin B complex boost. Here’s how I had it this morning for breakfast with fresh fruit and yogurt.

Here’s how I’ve used it recently with both sweeter or more savory meals – all fully flavorful.

Sweet and savory meals topped with a mix of flaxseeds, chia seeds and nutritional yeast

Click this link or any picture on this page for picture book directions that show how to make this flaxseed, chia seed and nutritional yeast boost.

December 17th, 2021

Blog, Breakfast, Cycling Food, Fruit, Running Food

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Pineapple Coconut Topping on Pancake Picture Book Recipe

What you see here sure works great as is but is really intended to inspire your fully flavorful imagination.

When I put together the last few posts that showed how to make quickly cooked fresh fruit toppings, I’ve said that they go great on pancakes, waffles, French toast, over warm or cold cereal – and much more. This post is about providing a concrete example that works with warm pineapple coconut topping on a leftover pancake.

Now, though the recipe you can get here works great as is – I’m sure a big fan – the real purpose here is to inspire your imagination to use this or any fruit topping in a way that satisfies your own personal taste.

For more details, click this link or either picture on this page for a complete pineapple coconut topping on pancake picture book recipe. Then use what you see in that recipe to fire your imagination!

December 11th, 2021

Blog, Breakfast, Cycling Food, Fitness Food, Fruit, Pancakes, Running Food, Special Recipes

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Picture Book Warm Pineapple Coconut Topping Recipe

This warm pineapple coconut topping is just an example of how you can easily improvise on the warm fruit topping theme.

Last two posts showed how to make warm fruit toppings that go great over hot or cold cereal, with yogurt, on pancakes, waffles or French toast. Your imagination is your only limit.

This post is about a variation on the fruit topping theme I’d never tried before but put together on-the-fly for breakfast with my good Hickory, NC, buds a little before Thanksgiving. The key to this warm pineapple coconut topping recipe is using a fully ripened pineapple, and the picture book recipe you can get here shows exactly how to check a pineapple for ripeness and ripen a pineapple that will most likely be under-ripe when you buy it at the store.

Here’s what you need to to make a warm pineapple coconut topping.

Click this link or any picture on this page for this warm pineapple coconut topping picture book recipe.

Next post will show an example of how I use this topping and toppings like it to power me through a morning that almost always includes a good rip on the bike.

December 6th, 2021

Blog, Breakfast, Cycling Food, Fitness Food, Fruit, Running Food, Special Recipes

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3 Easy Picture Book Variations on Warm Apple Cranberry Fruit Topping

3 easy-to-make variations on the warm apple cranberry fruit topping recipe theme

Last post showed how to make a warm apple cranberry fruit topping that goes great on warm or cold cereal, pancakes, French toast, waffles and much more. I mentioned in that post that the recipe is a base or building block recipe that can be easily varied by using different ingredients to meet your personal taste. This post shows three specific examples that work great as is and can also be used to fire your imagination.

The first two recipes are direct riffs on warm apple cranberry fruit topping. The third is berry based.

Apple, Kiwi, Cranberry Topping: This recipe just adds kiwi to the topping, which you can substitute with any other fruit: pear, grapes, berries and more. Click this link or the picture to get the recipe.

Here are 3 easy-to-make variations on the warm apple cranberry fruit topping recipe theme

2. Apple and Papaya Topping: Quickly cooking papaya is my favorite, most flavorful way of eating this tropical fruit. The recipe for this topping that you can get by clicking this link again is just an example of exchanging one ingredient for another either for the fun of it (I mean that) or to suit your personal taste.

3. Warm Berry and Kiwi Fruit Topping: This is an example of a more dramatic variation on the apple, cranberry topping theme. Again, you can substitute the berries or any fruit in this recipe to suit your specific taste. Click this link or the picture below for a picture book recipe.

Next post: Pineapple Coconut Topping. Made it recently. Friends asked for the recipe. I’ll get that out later this week.

November 25th, 2021

Blog, Chicken & Turkey, Cooking Technique, Special Recipes, Thanksgiving Dinner

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How to Roast a Thanksgiving Turkey: Picture Book Directions

First, I wish you, your family and your friends a fun, relaxing (ha!) and fully flavorful Thanksgiving!

A very close second: there’s not a lot that feels and smells better than being in a kitchen while a turkey roasts in the over and all the side dishes cook on the stove. Terrific stuff!

The last few posts showed how to prepare Thanksgiving side dishes and desserts. This post shows how to make the traditional Thanksgiving centerpiece, roast turkey, which I found best to roast at high heat – and upside down – to start and then finish off a more moderate heat, as shown below.

I also strongly suggest not cooking the turkey stuffed but instead cooking the turkey and stuffing separately. The reason: roasting a stuffed turkey only adds mores cooking time and causes the meat to dry out.

Click this link or the picture below for step-by-step picture book directions that show both how to roast a turkey and remove the meat from the bird.

You can also click this link or picture below for complete Gotta’ Eat, Can’t Cook Thanksgiving help.

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 24th, 2021

Blog, Chicken & Turkey, Seasonal/Holiday Recipes, Side Dishes, Special Recipes, Thanksgiving Dinner, Video & Picture Ebooks, Videos

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Two Traditional Thanksgiving Sides: Bread Stuffing and Fresh Mashed Potatoes – Made Easy with Picture Book and Video Directions

Fresh mashed potatoes and bread stuffing are most flavorfully enjoyed when made just before serving dinner.

Last post showed how to make fresh cranberry sauce: killer flavor and as easy to make as boiled water.

This post shows how to make 2 traditional Thanksgiving side dishes: fresh mashed potatoes and bread stuffing, which you can learn how to make on the fly with the picture book and or video directions shown below.

First, here’s what you need to make fresh mashed potatoes, which are best made just before you serve dinner.

Click this link or the picture above or below for picture book directions or…

…this link/picture below for quick video directions.

Here’s what you need to make quick & easy bread stuffing, which is also most fully flavorful and best made just before serving dinner.

Click this link or the picture above or below for picture book directions or…

…this link/picture below for quick video directions.

Of course, please click this link for complete Gotta’ Eat, Can’t Cook picture book Thanksgiving help.

November 21st, 2021

Blog, Dessert, Special Recipes, Thanksgiving Dinner

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Thanksgiving Apple, Pumpkin and Apple-Pumpkin Pie Picture Book Recipes

The best of Thanksgiving pie flavors – and freedom of choice

As I’ve mentioned here before – and you probably know yourself – pie is the most popular Thanksgiving dessert. But, you might ask, what kind of pie should I make for my Thanksgiving dinner?

Freedom of choice is key. Here are 3 fully flavorful pies that work great as traditional Thanksgiving desserts: Quick & Easy Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pie Made with Fresh Pumpkin and Apple-Pumpkin Pie.

Fresh & Easy Apple Pie: Fresh, crisp apples, the fruit flavor of fall, are the key to this recipe that’s fully flavorful and easy to make. Just click this link or the picture below for a complete picture book recipe.

Pumpkin Pie Made with Fresh Pumpkin: Yes, the fresh pumpkin adds flavor and texture to the finished pie, but you can always substitute canned pumpkin for fresh pumpkin if you’re short on time or for “please get me out of the kitchen NOW!” convenience sake. Click this link or the picture below for a complete picture book recipe.

Pumpkin Pie Made with Fresh Pumpkin (that can be substituted with canned pumpkin)

Apple-Pumpkin Pie: This recipe, which you can get by clicking this link or the picture below, makes for a full-on fall flavor powerhouse that combines the rich flavors of apple and pumpkin pie and is just as easy to make as either of those pies on their own.