Foods Can Bring People Together

Have you ever noticed how food can bring people together?  It is amazing that even the grumpiest curmudgeon  or the shyest of introverts can be brought to animated and extensive conversation when it comes to the subject of food.

It doesn't matter who we are or where we come from, whether we are vegetarian, vegan or lovers of poultry, meat and seafood, the scent of food, the sight of certain dishes or even something outside of the realm of food itself, can evoke heartfelt sentiments that take us back to childhood and family or to pleasant memories of a special meal in a distant place far away from familiar surroundings.  Just ask ask  people about their favorite comfort food.  That's a two or three day conversation, because nobody has just one.

When it comes to food, every country on the planet can boast of a vibrant history and proud heritage of, at least, one dish that has become a classic.  Food does more than just sustain life; it is love, life and the heart of society. Food brings people together. It is the shared flavors of friendship and community. 

Wherever people congregate, a long wait in the grocery line, a business meeting, a neighborhood festival or a date with old friends, the subject of food invariably creeps into the conversation.  Food breaks down barriers. More than anything else in society, food binds people together.  And, now, with so many foods imported and exported from many different places, we are all interconnected.

Our attitudes and behaviors center around food.  We may have learned how to behave or not behave at the dinner table.  We may have learned how to curb our selfishness at meals when we were children.   Mom said, "share" or "save something for someone else," or even, "think about all those starving children in...."

Food can set off an emotional charge also.  What do we feel when we hear that many people starve in many countries for lack of food production, while in others, people get certain illnesses because of eating too much food?   Food is a common denominator.  We all need it.  We all have different relationships with food. We may either love or hate it.  Or, it may be that we can take it or leave it. 

In any case, there's much to be said about food.  And, we always find something to say about it.  Are you a meat lover?  A vegetarian?  Do you love fast food, healthy food, sweets, snacks, big meals?  All of the above?  Believe me, of all the subjects in the world, everyone can talk about food.  Foods bring people together more than sports, movies or entertainment.  Just sayin.'

Kale and Daikon

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Daikon and Kale Greens

If you love kale as I do, you will appreciate this simple and delightful side dish to accompany chicken, tofu or other vegetables.   It only takes a short time to make and the results are very tasty. Plus, for me, it's a new twist to add Daikon and fresh ginger to one of my favorite greens.

As I make my dishes, one of the hardest things for me to do is to write down exactly how much of anything I use.  I suppose that goes back to my mom's and my grandmother's way of cooking.  Unless it was a cake or cookies, something that needed precise measurements, they didn't measure everything exactly. 

I am likely to throw things into the pan and then add seasonings and ingredients that In most cases, I have to painfully try to remember and then record it.  That's why it takes me so long sometimes to put a recipe on my blog.

Anyway, here goes.

Ingredients

1-2 Tbs vegetable or canola oil

1 lb fresh kale

½ lb Daikon radish

1 Tbs minced garlic

½ medium onion, sliced thin

1 Tbs fresh minced ginger

1 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste

2 Tbs hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

Wash kale.  Tear the leaves from the stems.  Discard stems.  Cut or tear leaves into smaller pieces or strips.  Peel the Daikon radish, cut into ¼ inch thick slices and then into four small pieces.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add Daikon and cook for about minutes.  I actually cooked it until it got a little brown.  Add sliced onions, garlic and ginger and co2 ok until soft, another minute.  Add red pepper flakes and washed kale, being very careful because the water from the kale may splatter.  Cover with a tight fitting top and cook about 5 minutes, stirring, occasionally.   Raise heat to medium high and cook another 5 minutes allowing the liquid to evaporate.  Stir in hoisin sauce and vinegar.  Way yum!

Easy Ways to Reduce Blood Pressure

Easy Ways to Reduce Blood Pressure

I've been thinking recently that I have been spending too much money on blood pressure medicine and arthritis pain relief.  I have realized for some time that I know how to combat these symptoms by spending that money on adding more vegetables and fruits to my diet and dropping some weight, especially from my belly.  Now, mind you, I know how to do that and have done it before; it just takes my determination to make a change.

So, the other night, I attended an event where my daughter was sworn in as member of the board of the county women business owners association and met a woman who was a vegetarian.  She and my daughter started talking about vegetarianism.  My daughter is a new vegetarian.  This woman mentioned that she freezes her tofu, which changes the texture and also makes it easier to cook, eat and marinate. 

I am not a vegetarian, however, my motto is, "pretty much if it's food, I like it."  I love all kinds of food, including, and not limited to, junk foods, healthy foods, international cuisine, soul food, ethnic foods, meats, poultry, vegetarian and vegan.  Other people joined the conversation and the vegetarian mentioned kale and collards and how difficult it can be to cook them with flavor without meat.  It got me to thinking about how I have cooked collards and kale and sauerkraut without the meat.

For some reason, after that conversation, I have been craving kale.  I've also been thinking about adding some vegetables that I have tried and either haven't cooked or haven't cooked for a long while. 

So my next recipe will be a kale and daikon mixture that hits the spot.  It was something new for me; because even though I feel I must eat healthy, it must taste good to me, otherwise, I can't encourage anyone else to eat it.

Copycat Panera Bread Broccoli Cheese Soup

This recipe comes from the Secret Recipes Blog. You can make recipes like this at home. Click here to find more recipes like this one.

Copycat Panera Bread Broccoli Cheese Soup
Posted by: ChefTom in Categories: Panera Bread, Recipes.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup melted butter
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 pound fresh broccoli
1 cup carrots, julienned
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
salt & pepper, to taste
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar

Directions:
Saute onion in butter. Set aside.
Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for about 4 minutes. Be sure to stir frequently.
Slowly add the half-and-half, continue stirring.
Add the chicken stock whisking all the time.
Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender, about 20 minutes.
Add salt and pepper.
 
By now the soup should be thickened. Pour in batches into blender and puree. Return the puree to the pot and place over low heat, add the grated cheese; stir until well blended. Stir in the nutmeg.

Serve.

Want to know how to make one of the most popular recipes from the America's Secret Recipes cookbook?  The secret recipe for Colonel Sander's Original Fried Chicken from KFC is here. Click the image to the left to get your copy.

Easy Super Bowl Pizza Day 7 Copycat

GET YOUR OWN COPYCAT RESTAURANT RECIPES

Copycat Panera Bread French Bread Margherita Pizza

- 1 Loaf of French Bread, cut in half lengthwise
- 1 1/2 cups canned tomato sauce (or 1/2 cup of your own favorite tomato sauce)
- 1/2 cup fresh basil chiffonade, lightly packed (chiffonade = cut into thin strips)
- 2 large roma tomatoes, sliced
- 16 oz. mozzarella cheese, sliced
- salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preheat, the oven to 475 degrees F.

Lightly toast the bread for about 5 minutes.  Spoon the tomato sauce over the bread.  Top with the basil, then tomato slices, then the cheese.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes to brown the tops.  I likw anchovies on mine.  hen it wouldn't be the Panera copycast..

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For Your Food Budget. 30 Recipes in 30 Days. Here's One from from Moosewood Restaurant

 Today I'm starting 30 recipes in 30 days.  Get America's best restaurant secret recipes here at a special rate and cook recipes like this one below from the famed Moosewood vegetarian restaurant.  Copycat recipes are going to be essential in 2010 for your food budget.

Moosewood Restaurant Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burrito

Vegetarian burritos are filled with a puree of sweet potatoes, black beans, onions, chiles, garlic, and cilantro. They are rolled up like enchiladas and baked. Serve topped with homemade salsa.  (These are great for your food budget.)
Ingredients:

    * 5 cups peeled cubed sweet potatoes
    * 1/2 teaspoon salt
    * 2 teaspoons canola or other vegetable oil
    * 3-1/2 cups diced onions
    * 4 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
    * 1 Tablespoon minced fresh green chile
    * 4 teaspoons ground cumin
    * 4 teaspoons ground coriander
    * 4-1/2 cups cooked black beans (three 15-ounce cans, drained)
    * 2/3 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves
    * 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
    * 1 teaspoon salt
    * 8 eight-inch flour tortillas
    * Fresh tomato salsa or jarred

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with the salt and water to cover. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

While the sweet potatoes are cooking, warm the oil in a medium skillet or saucepan and add the onions, garlic, and chiles. Cover and cook on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender, about 7 minutes. Add the cumin and coriander and cook for 2 to 3 minutes longer, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a food processor, combine the black beans, cilantro, lemon juice, salt, and cooked sweet potatoes and puree until smooth. (You can also mash the ingredients in a large bowl by hand using a potato masher. The result will be a less smooth but nicely textured
filling.) Transfer the sweet potato mixture to a large mixing bowl and mix in the cooked onions and spices.

Lightly oil a large baking dish. Spoon about 2/3 to 3/4 cup of the filling in the center of each tortilla, roll it up, and place it, seam side down, in the baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake for about 30 minutes, until piping hot. Serve topped with salsa.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Recipe Source: Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites (Clarkson Potter Publishers)
Get more fabulous famous recipes from America's favorite restaurants.  Get rave reviews from your own kitchen.  Keep your 2010 food budget in tact with these mouth-watering recipes.

Frozen Vegetables and Rice Recipe with an Indian Spice Kick

This summer, a young intern from Korea stayed with me.  I had no idea she was a vegetarian and didn't have much in the refrigerator on that first evening that would fill the bill, except some frozen vegetables and jasmine rice.  So, I made a medley with an Indian spice that I think turned out well.  She said it was very good.


I chopped an onion and cooked it in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick saucepan over medium heat.   I put in a couple of cups of frozen peas and carrots, a cup of cauliflower and a couple of handfuls of French-style green beans; stirring gently to coat the veggies with the olive oil.  Then I may have put in a couple of tablespoons of water.


Next, I added a half a teaspoon of *garam masala, a teaspoon of curry powder, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon ginger, sprinkle of and salt and pepper to taste.  I covered the mixture with a lid and let it cook on low heat for about five minutes or so.  I made some microwave rice according to my daughter, Wendy's, recipe, and placed the vegetable mixture over the rice. 


Way yum.

*Garam masala is a fragrant and warm dry spice mix. I love the taste.  According to an Indian friend, Indian cooks add the garam masala about 5 minutes before finishing the dish.

I have recently started trying recipes from America's Secret Recipes.  They are copycat recipes from some of the most popular restaurants in America.  I can't say I've been to all the restaurants or even tried all the dishes on the menus of the restaurants I have visited.  However, many of these are easy to do and have a great taste.  Go here to check them out.

Warning Tips for Cooking Vegetable Meals for Non-Vegetarians

Just the word, vegetables, causes some people to have the same reaction as if they were eating a lemon. Especially when you first learn to cook, you may shrink in horror at the thought of having to a meal of just vegetables. There was a time when the thought of serving a dish with no meat was unappealing. Meatless meals were for those "weird" friends who all of a sudden became vegetarian..

Vegetables were a mostly lowly unnoticed addition to a meal. There was no variety.  They were there so you would have three things on your plate and, you could say you ate something nutritional. Primarily the green stuff was ignored and not just by children. Fortunately, times have changed!

Nowadays, meatless meals are exciting, filling and downright delicious. A warning, though: because vegetables are so perishable, they change when they are cooked and there are some tips to be aware of that will determine whether your finished dish looks and tastes good.

• Do not overcook. Doneness varies from vegetable to vegetable; however, most vegetables should be cooked briefly

• Vegetables that have tender parts and tough parts, like broccoli and asparagus, require special preparation so all parts get done at the same time

• For example, broccoli stems should be removed from the florets and trimmed. Asparagus stalks should be peeled. The base of Brussels sprouts should be pierced with a sharp knife

• Add vegetables to boiling salted water to cut down on cooking time and help minimize loss of flavor

• Mushrooms easily absorb water so rinse or wipe mushrooms with a damp paper towel

• Perk up steamed vegetables by adding a little lemon juice or olive oil. Toss them in a vinaigrette or add a little grated cheese

Home-cooked vegetable meals sometimes get a bad rap. Cooking one doesn't mean having unexciting or bland fare. Treat your vegetables well and you can have a tasty and satisfying meal.

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