A Meatier Salad

 After a summer of not eating green, its time to embrace a earlier salad for those weather transition days. There's still the taste of summer yet it has the meatiness of a fall meal. There's all sorts of fun ingredients to add while boosting the flavor. 

New contributor and chef Ashley Lonsdale gave great suggestions and recipes in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday section. Salads can be boring It some kind of green, maybe tomatoes of any sort added in and dressing.Once in a while there broccoli or julienned ham. Dressings can be yawn inducing too - with most opting for a simple olive oil and red wine vinegar vinaigrette. Chef Lonsdale recommends tossing in beans or lentils.A half cup of these add five grams of protein For a tastier salad,. crisps the beans with a sprinkle of olive oil in the oven They can be simmer in  a pot of green or black Beluga lentilsEven yellow lentils are God and the best part are that beans can last in  a salad for several days in the fridge.Cheese is another great add in and a also a good source of protein Try a scoop of cottage cheese or shredded mozzarella Parmesan or fetaDo the unusual like pairing the mozzarella with plums and dressing with a citric based dressing.Nuts and seeds also make a salad meatier. If you have time roast  or.toast them for a better, richer flavor.Any nut butter can be added to basic dressings for a different flavor. Real meat can be added in the form of shredded rotisserie chicken canned or fresh fish along with fresh or frozen shrimp.

Chef Lonsdale also has some tasty recipes to try out,There is a tomato avocad salad with a creamy feta dressing/ This has a surprise of toasted walnuts mixed in with the tomatoes of any kind and avocados. The dressing is a smooth blend of feta, lemon  juice and olive oil. Avocados are used in another hearty salad [It's paired with shrimp and Gem lettuce. The dressing has  unsalted peanuts garlic and sesame seeds. Homey and fennel seeds are also added to this along with olive oil as the base.Another seafood bowl is roasted salmon mixed with broccoli florets and jasmine rice The dressing is a simple one. Dijon mustard is mixed with Dijon mustard ,anchovy fillets and lemon  juice. Red onions and either watercress or arugula is also added for color and crunch. Chicken is added to tomatoes along with couscous.It;s jazzed up with cumin and ginger for some bite along with fresh lemon juice. Tasty salad, reminiscent of summer nights is a mix of plum and mozzarella.The dressing is fresh  lime juice  red wine vinegar and honey serrano chule gves it bite .There is olive oil but it's only drizzled on top at the end.

Salads can be fun and hearty at the same time. Add some protein ,Jazz up the dressings .Enjoy a tasty meaty salad that's the perfect transition bowl.

Friday Sub Ins

 Lenten Fridays mean one thing - no meat of any kind. years ago this was a hard fix with families winding up with either pizza or a veggie and egg dish for their supper. Nowadays it's an entirely diffrent ball game. This is where plant based products easily can step in.

Of course Lenten dishes will always have some kind of fresh vegetable at their core. For any easy beginning of the weekend supper think ratatouille.  The good thing about this is that if you make enough it can well go into a Saturday lunch or dinner. It's a simple cook of tomatoes eggplants, red and yellow peppers and white onions sauteed or baked with oliv oil and a variety of spices and herbs. You could easily make in on the stove as you saute the veggies in a mix of olive oil and butter or plant butter. Serve with sliced baguette for a filling meal. Vega lasagna can also work here if you have the time. Buy the lasagna sheets already cooked to save more time on arranging and layering the veggies in them. Keep in mind that you can add in plant based beef crumbles or meatballs for more protein and substance. Any pasta dish is worth trying on a Friday  and again the leftovers make for a tasty weekend lunch. Make the kids a big bowl of spaghetti to celebrate the start of the weekned. Have a nice sald and a loaf of fresh, hot garlic bread to found it out.

Plant based meats will definitely sub in for the real thing until Lent is over. Gardein  offers some excellent choices . Their chick'n nuuggets and tenders taste like the real thing. Serve them with dipping sauces and fries for a fun Friday  night meal. There's also chicken filets which like the other too can be easily air fried . Turn those into Popeye style sandwiches with a slice of tomato and lettuce on a bun. Gardein also has Mandarin style chicken with a tangy sweet and sour sace that can be made ina skillet. Serve with  homemade veggie fried rice. Their ultimate plant based burger is pretty tasty too and it's a easy fry up on a grill or in the air fryer. The company also has microwaveable meal bowls as well as soups and chili for a lighter fare.Morningstar Farms is another brand that offers a wide range of meat sub ins. They too have chicken tenders and nuggets as well as a variety of bean burgers. Their bacon and sausage patties are excellent , especially if you want to make breakfast for dinner.

You don;t have to resort to pizza and fish every Friday during this time. Try some other alternatives for a filling meal. You'll be amazed at the wide assortment out there.

Summer Stock Up

No one ever really thinks as the summer as a time to stock up. It's mostly the season for fresh fruit and vegetables it does pay to stock up now that  we're heading into hurricane season and tornadoes are making unlikely appearances on the East Coast. Every home should have some kind of kitchen  food emergency kit.

Usually during bad storms, areas are evacuated and families are relocated to school gyms and even hotels and motels unaffected by the weather. However there are a few hardy sorts that refuse to leave, heading to their basements. Either that or they return home a day or two after evacuations. Unfortunately there's usually no water, gas or electricity. One of the most important items to have is water - lots of it. Try to get two or three twenty-four or thirty-two packs of bottled water. (Just be careful. Some grocery stores do impose limits on how much you can buy).You can also purchase the gallon containers of water too.  Remember to also include a few bottles for pets too and for bathing if the situation is dire. Other liquids to have are baby formula and milk for the older kids. Buy juice boxes as well, for something to have with meals. What about coffee and tea? Could you use your grill to heat up water for them? If you have the gas and the charcoal, yes. They may be the fortification you'll need to deal with damage assessment and clean up.

As for other foods, think canned or dried. Canned beans can be eaten straight out of the can. Mix them together for the ultimate protein boost. You can also do the same for canned veggies too. Keep in mind that canned tomatoes are the most healthiest. Green beans and corn are also right up there. If you're still craving protein, then eat tinned  tuna and salmon along with mackerel. Tuna is versatile so it can be turned into a salad with tomatoes and green beans. You can also crumble crackers on it to make it more filling. Beef jerky is another recommended meat while you're waiting for power to come on again. One of the best is Krave because it's branched out into pork and turkey along with having such flavors as chili lime and cracked peppercorn. Peanut butter is another must have. Spread it on crackers if bread is heard to come by. Any baked goods may be hard to come by during this time. Stick with crackers such as Ritz or Saltines and use that instead of bread. As for breakfasts granola bars and trail mix can work until you're able to get milk for cereal (although you can just eat it dry, washed down  with water).

This is the time to stock up. Summer weather is just as unpredictable as the rest of the year. Be prepared and food ready when  hurricanes and tornadoes make a warm weather visit.

The Three Pronged Meal

It's always challenging to come up with a good dinner and/or supper seven days a week. What do you make as the main dish?What would make good sides?Will they go with whatever meat you cook? The best way to create a tasty balanced meal is to take the three pronged approach.This is a great way for novice home  chefs to learn about putting together a meal.

What is the three pronged approach? Pick out a main.It could be meat or tofu.Then choose  veggie and grain side dishes  to go with it.It's the classic dinner ,some kind of roast surrounded by sides.  The main dish .doesn't have to be a grand roast - chicken or turkey breasts will do just fine, especially after  a busy , tiring work day.Even hamburgers or  hot dogs work.For a fancier or special meal, think filet mignon or a juicy T-bone steak.Of course you could also pan fry skirt steaks, with some chimichurri or salsa verde  - green sauce .Fish and seafood are another choice. Both tilapia and shrimp are amenable to spices and herbs and you can create a filling yet low calorie meal with both. For a Sunday dinner at home, think a nice roasted chicken with rosemary and lemon or even Cornish game hens. The star of the dinner table doesn't have to be a roast It can also be a tangine -rich with lamb. What's good about it is that it includes the second and third prongs veggies and grains. This Moroccan and Algerian classic is rife with fruits, olives, carrots and rice.Another choice is good old fashioned stew, full of potatoes , carrots and onions. Vegans and vegetarians also have some good main dish choices.Morningstar Farms and Gardein have excellent meat substitutes. Try Gardein's beef tips in a stew or just with rice or veggies as a hearty supper.Morningstar Farms has chicken strips that are tasty in fajitas, and tacos.

Now that the main prong has been chosen, it's onto the sides.Rice or noodles are always good and they're  popular with kids. Zatarain and Goya have delicious rice dishes that can be combined with any meat or seafood.Zatarian's red beans and rice are great with beef, the real deal or Gardein's beef tips.It's spicy and full, with an extra kick of protein thanks to the beans. They also have a Caribbean rice mix along with rice mixes that will go well with chicken and shrimp.Goya also has excellent sides such as yellow rice and rice primavera. Buy their paella Valenciana , add some shrimp and create a fun Saturday night or Sunday supper.Noodles are always a great foil to poultry and pork. Make them from scratch or buy a package of that kitchen classic - Mueller's. What about the third prong? The veggies. Sometimes just plain steamed ones are the best.. A fresh ,bright flavor is like a palate cleanser, especially if the main or grain is heavily spiced or sauced. Since the stove top or oven will be used  for the meat or seafood and rice or noodles., use the microwave for the veggies. Stop and Shop's in house steamers are great for this. Their peas are perfect with a just from the garden taste. The same goes for their green beans, and broccoli. In the summer replace these with fresh picked tomatoes and/or corn.

The three pronged meal is the best way to plan a satisfying and nutritious dinner. Use it for a week night. Try a fun one for the weekend. It will help tremendously in planning a week - a month - even a year of meals.

Just A Bowl Of

One of the easiest meals is one involving a bowl and a slew of good for you ingredients. It's not only an easy lunch or dinner to whip up but also a nutritious one.it can be made fresh or with ingredients. Another plus is that even novice chefs can create something delicious and complex.

Bowl meals are not new. Most of Asia have some form of this.One of the most famous and one that's gaining speed here in the States is bibimbap. It's a mix of fresh stir fried veggies and rice,topped with a fried egg. what is good with this is that it can be customized. Cabbage lovers can add both savoy and bok choy . Those who enjoy crunch can add some raw peppers and carrots. Meat lovers can tip it in their favor with extra chicken, beef, or pork, while veggie lovers can add extra greens such as kale and fiddlehead ferns,Bibimbop also gets some zing from Korean hot pepper paste or gochuchang. Rice is the base ,of this melding the flavors all together while being the grain requirement. For the dish, the veggies should be julienned however if you want to chop everything in bigger chunks you can. The same idea for the gochuchang. If it's too fiery then sub in soy sauce. It's still make the dish flavorful but won't have that mouth numbing bite. You can also get rid of the eggs as well and sub in rice noodles for the rice.

For a simpler bowl you can't get much simpler than polenta mixed with butter and Parmesan cheese. It's tasty, and filling, an easy hot meal for after a hard day's work. Again it can be varied. Sliced sausage can be added along with grape tomatoes and mushrooms.Shrimp goes surprisingly well with the grain and you can easily add it to cooked polenta. Chicken is another meat that can give the corn meal a boost.Even  left over polenta can be transformed into a tasty bowl , being reheated in the microwave with tomatoes, butter and/or cheese.An American spin on it is a grits bowl. This can even be made for breakfast with the addition of cheddar and butter. Like bibimbap, it can be topped with fried eggs for more protein.Breakfast sausage or bacon can also be tossed in. A grits bowl is also a good lunch or dinner bowl. Chicken and gravy could also work with it,. One of the simplest bowls to make is just taking plain white rice, topping it with beans and then build on it with meats, tofu and/or veggies. Black beans in sauce , topped with shredded cheese is  a tasty dinner. Stir fried steak and veggies , soaked in soy sauce would be a great topper for any wild rice variety.

A bowl meal is a filling one. It's also fun because favorite ingredients are added to create something unique. It's a chance to get creative with a simple container and just grains, proteins and veggies.

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Nectarines A Nice Summer Treat

Ask people what are the fruis of summer and they'll probably mention strawberries, and blueberries, definitely peaches. Yet another summer harvest is coming in right now Nectarines are also ripening. These wonderful fruits are a nice change from the usual fare and work well in many recipes.

What is a nectarine? A peach without the fuzz.The Chinese first planted them over 2,000 years ago and then the seeds were cultivated in ancient Persia, Greece and Rome, They were popular during the medieval era , growing in England and Spain. The Spanish brought them over to the Americas in the late 16th and early 17th Centuries. Nowadays California is their chief grower, with 95 percent of all nectarine harvests coming from there. Some peach seeds may turn out to be nectarine trees and vice versa.Many growers graft nectarine branches onto peach trees to guarantee a crop of then. The fruit's name means full of nectar.It's the perfect dessert or snack for dieters. Each piece of fruit only has sixty two calories. Surprisingly it's one of the few fruits that has protein in it as well.. Nectarines are also high in Vitamin A and beta carotene (hence the bright yellow flesh).It also has Vitamin,C, potassium and most importantly fiber.The fruit can be kept out for two to three days before they develop brown spots. As with other fruits, nectarines are better stored in the fridge Besides nothing beats the taste of a chilled one on a sweltering day.

Since they're basically peaches, nectarines can be made into the same dishes as peaches. Try them in a cobbler laced with brown sugar.They'd also be tasty in a crisp, either made with oatmeal or Bisquick. A more elegant dessert is a nectarine tart with a hazelnut crust.The fruit works well in cakes too. Try a buttery scratch one laden with slices and a hint of nutmeg.Fruit can be roasted over the grill so why not roasted some nectarines along with plums and peaches. Top the hot fruit with vanilla ice cream for a truly decadent summertime dessert.Another fun dessert idea is trifle with the fruit layered with store bought yellow cake or pound cake and whipped cream. You could even douse it with peach schnapps for a boozy, fun way to end an evening. You could also turn the fruit into a homemade nectarine liqueur. This last is just taking a pound of the nectarines and letting that ferment with three cups of vodka and a cup of sugar. The process takes about three months then before the drink is ready so it will make a nice addition to fall drinking and dining.Nectarines can also be cubed and used in salads for color and sweetness. Add them to a grilled chicken salad along with almonds.  It can also be pulverized and added to apple cider vinegar for a sweet dressing or even marinade.

Make nectarines part of your summer diet. They are a sweet, healthy treat on their own along with being wonderful in a variety of sweet and savory dishes. Get a basket of them at your local market or farm stand.

Bowls Of Fun

A bowl of anything has the promise fun and deliciousness.Now imagine that bowl with a variety of flavors and textures.The assortments of everything from crunchy to silky and sweet to salty isva guaranteed ride for the palate.The best part? You can whip it up in your kitchen to suitevyour tastes. This treat, also known as a grain bowl was the subject of Melissa Clark's A Good Appetite column in today's New York Times Dining section.Grain bowls were usually found in some Chinese ,Japanese and vegan restaurants.They are one of the easiest dishes to prepare,so much so that a novice home chef can create masterpieces.The base is any kind of grain followed by a protein of some kinda layer of veggies is then added on, topped by any kind of condiment and a crunchy finish(imagine a savory ice cream sundae and you have this principle) .What you put into it depends on you.If you are big on beans then try two or three kinds as the protein layer.Veggie lovers can have a field day layering on sauteed peppers and onions while rice lovers can experiment with the different grains.The initial layer doesn't have to be just rice ,Ms Clark, advises, it can also be quinoa, grits or barley.However if you're using a strong flavored protein or vegetable, stick with the milder grains such as white rice, grits or barley.The topping should have a nice texture and snappy crunch although you could go with cracking an egg over the bowl and letting the ingredients' heat cook it up. This easy meal can unleash the creative side in any home chef.Ms .Clark suggests a green bowl of chard, collards, mustard and kale against nubby grains like barley .The hipster hangout in Bedford Stuyvesant Scratchbread serves a paper cup bowl blending bacon and kale over grits with a soft boiled egg acting like the sauce?Sauces should match the mood of the ingredients.Asian inspired ones should have a sauce made from soy, Ginger sesame oil and rice vinegar.with a squeeze of lime.Anything Mediterranean would be highlighted with a pesto sauce you want fire then toss in some Tabasco.For something a bit calmer, then just add a simple vinaigrette.Once the bowl is assembled top it off with a colorful and crunchy layer.This could be something as complex as kimchi or as simple as sliced raw carrots.You can also put seeds, nuts or toasted seaweed on top as well. Another great aspect of the grain bowl Is that you can use leftovers .There's really no set pattern? If you want to finish off last night"s steak bits or green beans , then you can.Leftover rice from your takeout dinner can serve as the base.Grain bowls allow you to have fun as you tailor it to your tastes. If you want fun and quick, then a grain bowl is for you. you can experiment all you want with creating a tasty .one.The result is always good eating

A Quest For Healthy Snacking

Snacking is never easy.If we indulge in some sinful or tasty, then there's the guilt of eating mixed with the extra calories and fat.If we eat healthy, we have to give up flavor for something that tastes like cardboard.Luckily there's a new chip that's not only good for you but really flavorful as well. The munchie that promises everything from taste to benefits is Quest Protein Chips.This is a brand new snack.The company is known for their,good for you candies and even pasta.Each bag has twenty one grams of protein.It is low in carbs making it an excellent snack for both mid afternoon and late night. Another plus is that they are low calories too with each 32 gram bag being 120 calories.A huge benefit is that they are gluten free so anyone with gluten allergies can use these instead of crackers.Protein blend and protein isolate are also included in the recipe as well making them a tad more nutritious than the average potato chip or Pringles chip.There are three flavors, sea salt, barbecue and cheddar and sour cream. The big question is are they tasty? Most good for you snacks aren't however Quest chips is just the opposite.The sea salt flavor is pleasantly salty, has a nice cracker like texture and would work well with hummus or a veggie dip.The cheddar and sour cream is cheesy more than sour cream.I can see this crushed as a coating for fried chicken (which kind of defeats it's purpose)"The barbecue flavor has a nice ,sweet and smoky tang in the taste.Again use this too as a coating for fried or even barbecued chicken..The chips come in smaller packs ,ideal for lunch boxes and brown bags?Hopefully, there will be more flavors in the future along with Quest coming out with a line of protein enhanced pretzels, popcorn and popcorn chips. Quest Protein Chips are the ideal snack for those who want both taste and quality.Have them as a mid afternoon pick me up or a late night snack.They are the best treat for you .

Using Your Beans

One of nature's best foods is the bean.It's tasty , nutritious and versatile.You can have it in soups or salads,hot or cold .It can be made into a main dish or a side.Best of all there are so many varieties.You could make a different bean dish every day and each one would be unique. Beans are one of the greatest sources of fiber and soluble fiber.They're also high in protein,which also makes them a good sub for meat.They're also high in iron and floats as well as complex carbs.They may give you gas and if that's the case, you could take Bean-o or Gas-X or a more natural solution would be to soak them overnight in vinegar or baking soda to neutralize them.Most beans do require an overnight soak or even a precook rinse.Beans can either come in cans or in packages.It pays to have a big variety of both around. What are some bean recipes that are both tasty and good for you.A meatless chili is always a good bet.You can use a few different types in it such as kidney ,garbanzo and black beans. of course kidney beans are good on their own, usually cooled off in a salad. Serve them in a tasty three bean with the bright yellow wax beans and green beans for color and nutrition.Some three bean salads do have a dose of sugar. Sub it with a bit of honey or a tiny bit of stevia. Add iodine rich sliced red onions cut thin and herbs too.Lentils are another great and versatile bean.Try in in a veggie laden with soup or on it's own with antioxidant rich turmeric .This is not only a delicious meal but also a great dip for whole wheat tortilla chips. Any kind of bean is good in any kind of dish.Try them hot or cold for a tasty treat. They are a worthy addition to any diet.