The Joy Of Cooking Again

 Today was a big day >I got to cook again after a hiatus of three months.It felt good to prep and season. What was on the menu? Air fried  portabella mushrooms!!!!!

Granted these are easy to make. IT's just washing the mushrooms  brushing caps and gills with olive oil and seasoning the gill side. The seasoning is just a sprinkle of onion and garlic powders mixed with oregano , sea salt and freshly ground peppet.

The caps need to be cooked at 370 degrees for eight minutes on each side.

You could scoop out the gills and fill the caps with flavored bread crumbs but you'll miss the flavor of the portabellas. This is an easy cook with just flipping them over half way through,

They were served with a spinach salad( my brother's ) with tomato and vegan bacon bits

It was a great meal on so many levels. It signals that I'm back to cooking  and tasty air fryer meals. It's also the perfect Saturday dinner, filling but light, and full of flavor.

Yes, it's a return to the kitchen, I'm looking forward to not only air frying but grilling and roasting again. THere's a lot of lost cooking time to make up.

The Joy Of Portabella Mushrooms

There is a threat of meat shortages. May steak lovers are worried about that , afraid they may not get a juicy bite. However they can go the vegan steak route. Try portabella mushrooms. They're the perfect sub in and much more humane alternative to a T-bone.

I recently discovered how delicious air fried portabella mushrooms are. In fact, I'm now thoroughly addicted to them.I  don't know why it took me almost a year and a half to discover that they and my air fryer are a perfect match. Not only that , they're easy to prepare and cook up.I was kind of leery about washing them and the amount of dirt that would come out of them. That was wrongful thinking. Not much sand or grit comes out of them and washing them again is simple. It's taking a paper towel and wetting it.Wring it out thoroughly and then gently clean the mushroom top or cap. Some of the "skin" will rub off, Not to worry : this will happen. Then turn the mushroom over and clean the gills, those divisions under the cap. You can run warm water on them to get rid of anything between them. Again gently rub the gills clean. Use a fresh wet paper towel  for each one. You can then pat them dry again with a new paper towel. I usually leave mine  wet. The better to absorb the spices and oil.

You can leave the mushrooms plain however spicing and flavoring adds to them. I usually first brush both sides with olive oil.It's then a liberal sprinkle of both onion and garlic powder and a sprinkle of dried oregano. A light pinch of sea salt and freshly ground pepper can be added too. It's then air frying them on one side for eight minutes at 370 degrees F. After the first eight minutes, flip them over and air fry for another eight minutes at 370 degrees F. If you 're cooking a bigger portabella, then cook at 400 degrees F. Another idea is to stuff them with a variety of different ingredients. One recipe calls for cream cheese, frozen spinach and bacon along with Panko breadcrumbs and sliced cherry tomatoes. Keep in mind that these are baked and not air fried. They're  placed on a grease cookie sheet and put into a 400 degree F oven for ten minutes. A lusher version subs in crab meat for the bacon. You can also slice the mushrooms and put them in tacos and burritos for a fun bite.

Portabella mushrooms are the new steaks. They are delicious air fried  or stuffed, served with spices or crabmeat. Try them and be addicted to their delicious flavor and meatiness.

Dog Food For Thought

Our fur babies are sometimes the last we think about when it comes to nutrition. Yet, their health and diet is just as important or even more so than ours. Luckily there's a new cookbook - yes cookbook for dog parents that can guide them to feeding their pups better. Use it and there's a guaranteed difference.

Dr. Judy Morgan, a vet, and her husband, Hue Grant, wrote this informative and interesting book. Yin And Yang: Nutrition For Dogs, (36 Paws Press) It's based on the Chinese belief of yin and yang. There are diets for humans based on these principles, in which certain conditions such as diabetes and  arthritis are lessened  thanks to eating fresh foods and herbs. What is great about this book is that it's chock full of tables and guides. There is a page on how much to feed your dog based on his or her body weight. Another plus is the complete list of toxins . from chocolate to raw salmon and trout. This page should be Xeroxed and taped on every dog parent's fridge. Dr. Morgan and Mr. Grant also have a page debunking popular myths regarding certain meat and veggies. Parents will also be surprised that their pooch's coloring figures in greatly in what foods to give . The second surprise is that the dog's tongue also factors into what to cook for him or her.Also where the breeds originated are also part of the dietary factor.. For example, Huskies, , Malamutes and Samoyeds need what's known as cooling food. while Chihuahuas and Chinese Crested must be fed warm foods  such as goats and chicken as their ancestors were fed.

Do you need to be a good cook to use this book? No. You should be a conscientious one. Some of the ingredients you can find in your local grocery store. Some may take a trip to the butcher's.There are dishes that require rabbit or venison meat. (No worry, Google where to buy them in your area and pages will pop up).The instructions are super easy .It's just mixing such ingredients as butternut squash and turkey with salmon and parsley , and then cooking it all together in a loaf pan.. There are also fancy ingredients like portabella mushrooms and sardines along with everyday ones such as celery and chicken gizzards. Are there dog treats? Of course! Dr Morgan does recommend giving fresh fruit and veggies. Most fruit like melon and bananas are OK along with carrots and celery which can be cut into bite sized nibbles. There is a recipe for dehydrated treats along with ginger cookies spiked with cinnamon. Pup parents  can even make a fruit cake for their fur kids,It's loaded with antioxidant rich cranberries and blueberries. There's even a recipe for the trendy kale chips that owners can steal for themselves.

Yin And Yang ,Nutrition For Dogs is the must have cookbook for all dog parents. Using it will  make your pooch  happy and healthy, with a constantly wagging tail. That alone is the reason to buy this book.

The book can be found at Amazon.com.