A Healthy Dose Of Bugs?!

We all know that protein is good for us.It's a vital part of our diets.We get most of it from the usual ,beef ,oultry and fish.Yet,there's another source - insects!Yup, those creepy crawlers are actually good for us and they 're showing up in a very common snack. Crickets are now appearing in energy bars.Really????Apparently so.A brand new energy bar has come out and Sophie Brickman wrote about them in an article in yesterday's New York Times Dining section. Two fresh out of college entrepreneurs ,Greg Sewitz and Gabi Lewis came up with this novel idea after Mr.Sewitz ,a cognitive neuroscience major attended a conference at MIT about sustainable foods.The subject of using insects as a food source came up and that's when a light went off in the young man's head.Both researched the idea,discovering that insects are actually sixty-nine per cent protein dry weight while chicken breast is only thirty one percent.Surprisingly sirloin steak is a measly twenty nine . Mr. Sewitz and Mr. Lewis ordered boxes of them and then started on their journey.It turned out they had a potential hit on their hands. fellow students fell in love with the mix of bug,almond and date along with honey and coca nibs.Although it started out as a hobby ,it soon turned into a business.They also had help from Kyle Connaughton ,research developer at England's famed Fat Duck along with the restaurant's innovative and edgy chef,Heston Blumenthal.Chef Blumenthal is no stranger to crickets as an ingredient.He is famously known for mixing them and meal worms with mayo and an onion gel.Will this get people buggy about their protein bars? probably.It's not the ingredients that people reallycare about but the taste.If it's delicious then it will sell.Kids will love it for the cricket factor.Young people will just like it because it tamps down hunger pangs and it's both healthy and nutritious. Will these bug bars catch on?Probably.As chefs and companies explore the benefits of eating insects more and more products will be made.It may be strange at first ,but crunching on crickets soon be popular.

Relearning Your Microwave

Everyone thinks that a microwave is just used for reheating  leftovers and popping popcorn every now and then. Surprisingly enough however it can be used to make first cooked quality meals. No matter what brand you have you can learn  to create high quality dinners and desserts that would make your oven envious,Another plus you can do it in half the time.

Relearning your microwave was the subject of an article in today's New York Times Dining section. The piece was written by Sophie Brickman and has some good advice as well as recipes. It is also  healthy with no fat and just a swipe of oil .A microwave can be used for a variety of different techniques.At its' lowest levels it can be used for a dehydrator.At the highest settings you can steam and fry. Clean up is also minimal at this level which makes microwave perfect if you're cooking for company.

Ms. Brickman decided to try both beef jerky and dried apples You usually have to use the lowest setting for this and a lot of patience, Most microwaves have the lowest setting of 700 watts however you;ll have to do some math  if you have a more powerful machine.(and you can also check the recipe book that comes with your microwave for conversions)Brickman
also tried a black cod with scallions and ginger, This was perfect with fully flavored fish and tender flesh. You can try it with salmon too and tuna,
Your microwave doesn't have to just reheat and pop popcorn. It can be used to make delicious gourmet restaurant type food. best of it , the food is fresh and tender, not day old and tough,