Know How To Cook Delicious Meals Using Wok

Cooking a stir-fried meal would never been easy if you know some basic skills in cooking with wok. This tool is commonly used by cooks to maintain the original crunch of the vegetable maintaining its bright colors and provide an appealing and tasty look.

Types of Woks

There are different kinds of wok according to your preference. You may find a good wok at $20 below and start cooking using it for your own version of your stir-fried meal. Imagine what you can possibly save instead of going out to the restaurant and order your favorite stir-fried dish.

• Electric wok- this is commonly used by most families and is quite pleasant for the results.
• Carbon steel wok- the cheapest among woks and a great choice for beginners
• Round bottomed wok- this is best used with gas stoves and for most households. You may want to buy a ring for steady support at the bottom to avoid accidents when cooking.

The Technique in Cooking With The Wok

Having a wok can help you create a delicious stir-fried meal. Of course you should be equipped with the technique on how to use the wok and how you will cook your meal in it.

The first thing that you have to do is to allow your wok to be in high heat. Cooking in a high heat makes your food cook fast and the protein you need in the meal will be intact. For vegetables, cooking them in a wok will maintain its bright color and the crisp that you are looking for in your stir-fried meal. How will you know if the wok is ready for cooking? Check the wok if it is smoking hot, that will be the time that it can be used for stir-frying. Expect a smoke in your kitchen and be safe but rest assured that this smoke will certainly be worth having when you tasted your delightful meal.

Prior to cooking, you would have to prepare all the ingredients at hand. Since the cooking will be very fast, it will be very effective if you have it all prepared and just constantly add the ingredients on it. You may use different kinds of vegetables, proteins, sauces, and aromatics. Peppers, onions, corn, squash, green beans and peas can add more flavor and color to your meal. Chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, crab and other small bits of protein cook quickly and thoroughly, so see to it that you will not overcook it to maintain the protein.

To start, put some sesame oil in your wok and wait for the high heat to smoke the oil. You may start with your meat and cook it until almost done. Set it aside and allow your wok to be in high heat again to cook your vegetables. Once cooked, you may put the meat again and in a couple of minutes you have your own version of your stir-fried meal with the bright colors of your vegetables and the crisp that you are looking for in a meal.

This is best served with rice. For those who want to add rice directly on the wok, make sure that you are using a day old rice to prevent mushy and sticky texture. You may use rice cooker or crock pot along with your wok. Crock pot can be used to cook dishes including stews. It also creates a perfect plate of rice. You may also find other beef stew crock pots recipes online for added menu according to your preference.

3 Healthy Recipes For You And Your Loved One

Tired of the usual flowers and chocolates to give your loved one? Why not try and cook something for him or her? Because this person is special, you would want the best meals for him or her, so why not try and prepare a healthy meal for both of you? Here are some recipes that will surely make your special someone smile.

Crockpot Fisherman’s Stew
One of the best slow cooker recipes is rich, healthy and easy. It only has 230 calories, 500 mg of sodium and 7 grams of fat. It also has Vitamins A and C.
You will need the following:
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 leek, rinsed and chopped
6 plum tomatoes, quartered
1 tsp. fennel seed
1 cup white wine or apple juice
3 cups clam juice or chicken broth
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. halibut steak
2 cups uncooked medium shrimp
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1 tsp. salt

Procedure:
Combine leeks, garlic, and carrots in a crock pot. Then add the tomatoes, bell pepper, fennel, wine, and clam juice. Cover crock pot and cook on low for about 8-9 hours. Remember that half an hour before you serve this dish, cut the halibut into 1" pieces and add it to the crock pot along with remaining ingredients. Cover your crock pot, increase heat to high, and cook 15-20 minutes longer until the meat of the fish can be flaked easily.

Crockpot Creamy Chicken and Veggies
The name itself is really mouthwatering but did you know that this recipe is really low in fat?
You will need the following:
4 pounds chicken, cut into serving pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds small red potatoes, halved
1 package baby carrots
1 onion, chopped2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons honey
14-ounce can low sodium chicken broth
1 cup light sour cream
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Procedure:
First, sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in large skillet and brown chicken, skin side down, until skin is brown. In a 4 quart crock pot, place potatoes, carrots and onion and then top with chicken. Pour chicken broth over all. Cover crock pot and cook on low for 8-9 hours until chicken is thoroughly cooked and vegetables are tender. You can then stir together light sour cream, honey, mustard, pepper, flour, and thyme until well blended. Add this and stir into mixture in crock pot and turn heat to high. Cook for about 15 to 25 minutes, stir occasionally until thickened.

Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Cream Sauce
Creamy, delicious and healthy, those 3 words would perfectly describe this dish.

You will need the following:
2 5-ounce boneless chicken breasts, trimmed and tenders removed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium shallot, minced
1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps
2 tablespoons dry vermouth, or dry white wine
1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives, or scallion greens

Procedure:
Season chicken breasts with pepper and salt on both sides. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium fire and add the chicken and cook, turning once or twice and adjusting the heat to prevent burning, until brown. Then transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm. Add shallot to the pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds and add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 minutes. Pour in vermouth or wine and then let it simmer until almost evaporated, scraping up any browned bits, about 1 minute. Pour in broth and cook until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cream and chives (or scallions); return to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan, turn to coat with sauce and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.

These recipes are easy and delicious and most of all healthy, it would be perfect with wine and music for your date.

Know the Different Ways to Cook your Fish

With our busy lives, once we go home, we just want to eat and sleep. Most of the time, when we do the grocery, we tend to buy those ready or pre-heated foods that we can just microwave for minutes. However, for some who still want the taste of home cooked meals and eating natural foods, fish is one of the easiest foods to cook. Actually there are different ways to cook fish and they are:

Fried
Who doesn’t know how to fry a fish? Just simply put it in a frying pan and it’s your choice if you want to marinate it first or dip it into breadcrumbs or batter.

Grilled
To do this, of course you’ll need a grill, either electric or charcoal. Make sure that the grill is clean too. Grease with olive oil or butter and then start grilling. If you’re using thin fillets of fish, you can use a thick foil to prevent it from sticking. Don’t over cook the fish.

Steamed
If you’re a fan of Asian recipes, you can buy those steamers made from bamboo and then some coconut leaves. Clean the fish and then add some tomatoes and onions inside the belly and wrap it with the leaf then steam. Place the steamer over simmering water and keep a close eye on it. It's done when it flakes easily. This is a great way to have a healthy dinner.

Broiling
serves as one of the most accepted ways to cook fish because it gives your fish it’s nice crust and seals in seasonings. To begin broiling, just lightly brush fish with olive oil, pepper and a bit of salt and then place it in single layer on a well greased broiler pan. Broil 7-10 cm (3-4 inches) from the preheated unit. Baste during cooking or squeeze lemon for flavor.

Crock-Pot
this method will surely save you time and you can experiment different slow cooker recipes using of course the crock-pot. These cookers often have high and low heat thermostat settings to choose from. With fish recipes, it is often advisable to add the fish toward the end of cooking time so not to over cook it. For a simple yet healthy recipe you can simply start off by greasing the crock-pot and then put salt and pepper on the fish to taste.

Micro waved
It may seem weird at first but there is nothing wrong with cooking fish with a microwave oven just as long as you know how to cook it properly. If the fish is already fillet with the same size, just set the timer depending on how done you want the fish to be. If it’s in a foil and is relatively large in size, you can cook the half part first and then turn it midway, this way both sides have been cooked the same way.

Baking
may be the easiest way to cook fish simply because all you need to do is season the fish to your taste and follow any recipe that you like.

Whatever way you want to cook your fish, it’s important to check your ingredients first. No matter how great a recipe is, nothing is compared to the taste of fresh ingredients.

Last Minute Meal Preparation: Tips For Busy Moms

It’s an all too familiar story that, unfortunately, happens all too often to most of us: We come home after a long day at work, drained out and exhausted, and the first thing we have to do is scramble up a meal for a hungry family. Ordering pizza or Chinese is not something we can afford to do on a regular basis, so we drag ourselves into the kitchen with no idea what to fix for dinner.

The first thing we do is look in the fridge and kitchen cabinets, hoping to find something, anything that we can prepare easily and serve up fast. At times like this, having any kind of meat, pasta and pasta sauce in the kitchen is very useful. If you also have some fresh fruit or salad veggies, then you’ve got it made! On your next trip to the supermarket, make sure you purchase a supply of simple items such as these for the next time you have to prepare a meal in a rush.

Other useful food items to keep in your kitchen are ready-to-serve pasta side dishes. Combine these with grilled chicken breasts or hamburger to make a fast meal in just a few minutes. Ground beef and beef-flavored pre-cooked rice is another combination that will work as a meal, or you could use a box of macaroni and cheese and a couple of cans of tuna fish to make a satisfying cheesy tuna casserole. Preparing a bowl of your family’s favorite pasta, topped with a jar of pasta sauce is another quick idea for last minute meal preparation.

While all of the above ideas will certainly work to feed a hungry spouse and kids occasionally, they are not the most nutritious meal options. To make your meals healthier, try to serve fresh fruit and vegetables whenever possible. Keep a supply of frozen or canned fruits and vegetables in your kitchen for days when you can’t get fresh ones.

Be sure to stock up on the food items listed above so that you will always have something available for the days when you need to make a last minute meal. Many of these items are simple enough for your teenaged son or daughter, or even your husband, to prepare.

To minimize the amount of time you spend in the kitchen when you are tired, try to clean as you cook. Set the table as you wait for the pasta cook and wash any dirty dishes, pots or pans in the time it takes for your tuna and macaroni salad to cook. Making crock pot casseroles is a great way to minimize the number of pots and pans you need to wash too. In fact, using a crock pot and slow cooker recipes is one of the best ways to save on time spent in the kitchen (both for cooking and for cleanup). Getting family members to help you clean up the kitchen after meals is another time-saving idea.

Last minute meal preparation will be much simpler if you are prepared for it; stock up on useful items that can be cooked or heated fast, encourage your family to lend a hand inasmuch as possible and use every minute spent in your kitchen productively so you can get out of there as soon as possible. By following these useful tips, you’ll be able to feed your family and clean up the kitchen in record time. You may even have time to watch movie or take a relaxing bath before you go to bed!

Introduction To Lebanese Cuisine

Located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, to the south of Israel, Lebanon is a small country positioned at the crossroads of the Mediterranean basin. The Lebanese have a rich history and culture, and their capital city, Beirut, is known as the ‘Paris of the Middle East’.

Lebanese cuisine is one of the most delicious Mediterranean cuisines as it blends elements of European cuisines and typically Middle Eastern ingredients. Lebanese fare is based on the extensive use of:

• Starches
• Vegetables
• Seafood
• Fruits

Authentic Lebanese cooking uses a variety of spices and herbs, particularly mint, oregano, garlic, parsley, nutmeg and cinnamon. Freshness is very important and ingredients and dishes depend on the crops available and the seasons of the year (the Lebanese rarely use leftovers to prepare a meal and almost never use frozen foods).

Lebanese cooks uses large amounts of garlic and olive oil; dishes are typically grilled, baked or sautéed in olive oil. Animal fats are rarely used and lamb is the most popular red meat consumed in Lebanon. Although Lebanese cooking has many health benefits, preparing most Lebanese dishes is a slow process. Meat dishes in particular may require hours of cooking. However, converting classical Lebanese recipes into slow cooker recipes that are appropriate for crock-pots is quite easy and saves a lot of time.

One the leading national dishes in Lebanon is kibbeh. This is a creamy paste made of ground lamb and Bulgur wheat. To make perfect kibbeh, tender morsels of lamb are finely ground (the meat is ground two or three times at least before the Bulgur wheat and seasonings are added to it). The result is a wonderful dish that is often called the ‘pâté of Lebanon’.

There are three Kibbeh varieties:
• Raw kibbeh is the most commonly eaten variety and is comparable to steak tartar.
• Kibbeh bil-saneeya (the kibbeh paste is combined with a tasty nut mixture and baked in a large dish)
• Kibbeh rass (deep fried kibbeh balls)

Bread is the most important staple food in Lebanese cuisine. In fact, the Arabic word for bread is “esh”, which is also the word for ‘life’ or ‘living’.

Since roughly half of the Lebanese population is Christian, both Christmas and Easter are important Lebanese holidays. The Lebanese decorate their homes for Christmas and they put up Christmas trees, decorated with the traditional tree ornament - orange peel. Christmas and Easter lunches in Lebanon often include a turkey or chicken dish served with sugarcoated almonds. A ‘bûche’ (a French Christmas cake shaped like a Yule log) is served for dessert.

Lebanese meals are best when accompanied with one of their excellent local wines such as Ksara, Chateau Kefraya, and Chateau Musar, the three most popular wines in Lebanon.

Lebanon’s national drink, however, is not wine but Arak. This clear, unsweetened beverage has an anise flavor and high alcohol content. Arak, known as the “milk of lions” in the Middle East, is essentially the same drink as the Greek ouzo, the Turkish raki or the Spanish anisado.

Arak is commonly enjoyed around a table heavily laden with Mezzes, or a variety of different appetizers (stuffed vine leaves, feta cheese, fried kibbeh, black olives etc), before the start of a meal.

One of the most popular desserts in Lebanon, and in many other eastern Mediterranean countries, is Baklava. This is a rich pastry made of baked layers of thin phyllo dough and chopped pistachio nuts and sweetened with heavy syrup made of honey and rose water. Lebanese coffee, very strong and thick, and sometimes flavored with cardamom, is traditionally served with dessert.

Healthy Snacks Your Children Will Love

All parents want their children to be both healthy and happy, but, when it comes to snacking, this sometimes this seems to be an uphill battle. Parents often complain that the only snacks their children enjoy are those that are harmful to their health. Telling your children they may not have their favorite snack often results in tears and tantrums; you may have made the right choice for your children’s health, but apparently not for their happiness! However, you should not take it for granted that your children will hate healthy snacks. Believe it or not, there are many nutritious snack choices that your children will love! The ideas presented in this article are just some of the many options you and your children can try.

The first thing to do is to get rid of all the unhealthy snack food in your home (or at least to store it in hard-to-reach places). Instead of candies and cakes, put bowls of fresh fruit in easily accessible places in your kitchen and living room. Stop buying sugar-filled cookies, greasy potato chips and ice cream and keep your fridge well supplied with healthier snack choices like fruit cups and frozen yogurt. Your children will have no choice but to try these new snacks, and they are sure to love some of them.

Another sure fire method to make certain your children will eat healthier snacks is to make snacks at home – and involve your children in the process. Children love to spend time making things with their moms or dads, and you could set aside just one day a week for this project. Many tasty nutritious snacks are easy to make. Sugar-free jellies (use a flavor your child likes and add pieces of fruit to the mix) and fruit salads are two examples. Give your children a choice of healthy snack ideas and ask them to decide which they would like to make; they are much more likely to like the taste of something they have chosen themselves.

Try sticking salt-free pretzels into cubes of low fat cheese to make a healthy snack children can munch on instead of potato chips as they do their homework or watch TV. Dried fruit, raisins and nuts are an excellent nibbling option as well. On warm days, freeze a can of natural fruit juice and slice the solid juice into a bowl then top with some fat free whipped cream, or put freshly washed grapes (in individual size bags) in the freezer.

On cooler days, prepare a snack of natural peanut butter spread on graham crackers, or warm up some applesauce flavored with cinnamon, raisins and nuts. If you are pressed for time, try using a crockpot to make delicious healthy snacks. Use a slow cooker recipe to make a snack mix out of a combination of healthy cereals, butter and nuts, for example. You can find hundreds of healthy, child-friendly snack recipes online as well.

As long as healthy snack choices are all your children can get at, they will have to make better choices. You and they both will soon know what their favorite nutritious snacks are, so you’ll be able to stock up on those. Obviously, if you are serious about your children’s health, you must not allow yourself to snack on junk food; setting a good example is essential if you are to succeed.

Creative Ideas When Packing Lunchboxes

It’s back! Lunchboxes that we have learned to love when we were children are making a huge comeback! So what do we do? Forget all those instant recipes and microwavable dishes that you buy on 7-11. Start finding creative ways to pack lunch with the new designs and ways you can use the lunchbox. If you are a natural born artist, here are some tips that you’ll surely love.

• Depending on your kid’s preference, buy a lunchbox that will suit their personality. It’s better if you let them choose it so they would be excited and proud of it. This goes for your husband too. You can try those lunchboxes that can be transformed into a mini table complete with 4 small containers, one large bowl, water container and of course a mini table.
• Prepare the food the night before (if you can), this is applicable for those slow cooker recipes that needs hours to prepare. Cook them the night before and then in the morning just heat them.
• Crock pot recipes are also great because tender sliced meat is better than fried ones. It will also give you the strength that you need.
• Mix and match. Try vegetable sticks with dips, or a small container with mixed vegetables such as cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, celery, corn, beetroot, sprouts, capsicum, snow peas or cucumbers. This can be added as a side dish on a club house.
• Don’t settle with those usual sandwiches. Experiment and keep them healthy. Try vegetable burger patties, ham and beef and tuna sandwiches. Top them up with crunchy lettuce and low fat cheese and as a side dish; why not add a small portion of mashed potato? Who wouldn’t want that for lunch?
• Have you heard of the Bento? It’s like a lunch box in Japan but this one is a complete meal. It’s a box, separated with small containers of different sizes where you can put different kinds of food like rice, tempura, beef slices, mashed potato, salad and even pieces of cut fruits.
• For your kids, you can have fun designing faces on your kid’s sandwiches, use slices of hard boiled eggs, carrots, green pepper and other vegetable to make funny faces, cats, rabbit and so on. I’m sure your kid will be excited to see what’s next.
• Think Bento, as stated earlier, a bento packs everything, from appetizers, the main dish which consists of meat, fish, vegetables and even desserts. Everything in one container that is properly arranged and separated. Now don’t try this if your container is just one big box. You’ll need separate divisions on that tray if you want to try a bento pack lunch.

Lunchbox ideas doesn’t end there, find new ways to excite your family by searching the web for healthy yet easy to make recipes. It’s really good to have these lunchboxes again, because with them we would be able to prepare lunch for our loved ones and it’s another steps closer to a healthier living.

Thanksgiving Turkey: Useful Information for Home Cooks

On the fourth Thursday of November, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving to commemorate a historical event that took place in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. In the fall of that year, English settlers in the New World (the Pilgrims) who had barely survived the harsh winter organized a three-day thanksgiving feast to celebrate their first bountiful harvest. Today, turkey is the main dish served at Thanksgiving in over 90% of American homes.

In the 17th century, eating turkey meant shooting the wild bird, plucking and cleaning it and roasting it over an open fire. Today’s cooks no longer need to hunt for wild turkey before Thanksgiving, but there are still some decisions they need to make to ensure their Thanksgiving turkey will be perfect.

Before you cook a turkey, you have to buy it. Your local supermarket will have many kinds of commercially bred turkey that you can choose from. You’ll need to decide whether to purchase a frozen bird or a fresh one, and you will also have the option to buy turkeys that are natural, free-range, kosher, self-basting – and even birds that are sold with a pop-up thermometer. Before deciding which bird to buy, you should have decided on a cooking method. Thanksgiving turkey may be roasted, grilled, fried or cooked in a crock pot. You can cook the bird covered or uncovered and you can either stuff it or not. There are also several different ways to season turkey (traditional seasoning, brining, spicy seasoning for fried turkey…).

Self-basting turkeys are injected with a solution of water (or broth) and shortening to ensure that the bird will retain its tenderness as it cooks, but many home cooks continue to prefer basting their turkey themselves. The pop-up thermometers that measure the temperature of the meat in a cooking turkey and ‘pops up’ once it reaches 185 degrees F is considered useful by some home cooks, but many won’t rely entirely on this gadget to test that the bird is done.

Although some believe that frozen turkey is less moist than fresh, modern freezing technology means that there really is no difference in flavor between the two.

When deciding between purchasing a frozen turkey or a fresh one, you should consider how much preparation time is available to you. Frozen turkey needs several days to thaw inside a refrigerator (de-freezing poultry at room temperature is hazardous to your health). If you are buying your turkey a week or more before Thanksgiving, you could opt for a frozen bird. On the other hand, if you need to start cooking the turkey on the day after you buy it, frozen is out of the question. Remember too that cooking a turkey requires several hours, depending on the size of the bird. Consider using one of the many slow cooker recipes for Thanksgiving turkey if you don’t have the time to stay in, or around, your kitchen as it cooks.

To make sure that the turkey you buy will be tasty, always check the age of the bird. Younger birds will have the tender’s meat, but you must also buy the turkey according to the cooking method you will be using. For frying, buy Thanksgiving turkeys that are, at most, four months old. If the turkey will be roasted, it can be anywhere between 5 months and one year old. Some home cooks mistakenly believe that the meat of male turkeys (toms) is tougher than that of female turkeys (hens). The only difference between the two, however, is that toms are larger than hens of the same age. Both will be equally delicious if you cook them correctly and serve them with the right condiments and side dishes.

Why You Should Make Your Own Dog Treats

Raising a dog is both expensive and fulfilling, as others would say it; it’s like having your own kid. Once you get a dog, you can’t just throw him away if you can’t keep up with the mess and the cost. Dog treats were made for dogs so we have a way of pampering and giving them awards if they have done something right. It’s like giving your kid a toy and ice cream. However their costs are really high and as much as we want to give our dogs everyday treats, we just can’t afford it. There is a way to overcome that, why not make your own dog food and treats? It will be easy and fun!

High prices
Commercial dog treats can range from $4 to $20 and dogs love their treats so they’ll be asking for more. With our economy being challenged, wouldn’t it be nice if we can just make everything by our selves to save money? Unfortunately we can’t but the good thing is that we can make our own dog treats at home.

Nutritional Value
Of course you want best for your four-legged best friend but are you sure that those expensive treats are the best? Furthermore, some of them are simply unhealthy for your dog, you can never be sure. Now if you make your own dog treats, you’ll know exactly what’s in them. You can customize and you will be sure that your treats are the best.

Recipes are everywhere; you don’t even need to look for a cook book. Search the Internet and you will be excited with all the available recipes. Bet you’ll want to try them all. The ingredients are not at all expensive and you will really be surprised at how simple they are to make. Nothing is more nutritious than meat; do you have some left over crock pot dish from your slow cooker recipes? You can use them as the main ingredient for cookies or breads. Slow cooker recipes aren’t just for us; there are actually recipes in the Internet for dog treats that can be cooked over the crock pot.

Fun
making dog treats is really fun, most of the time, it’s just like you’re playing. The ingredients aren’t hard to find and can actually be found on your kitchen cabinet. Baking cookies can also be a way for you and your kids to bond, making treats for your family pet together is another way of strengthening the family ties. Making biscuits, breads and popsicles can be fun and can actually relieve you from stress. What would be more rewarding than giving the treat to your pet and once you see how happy he is begging for more, surely you’ll get a hobby of making dog treats.

Who says saving money can be a hard task? Sometimes, it’s another way to have fun and to even bond with your kids and pet. Who knows, you can start your own home-made dog treat business sometime.