Etouffee

Etouffee (pronounced: [e.tu.fe] ay-too-fay) is a dish found in both Cajun and creole cuisine typically served with shellfish over rice.

It is most popular in New Orleans and in the bayou country of the southernmost half of Louisiana.

In French, the word “étouffee” (borrowed into English as “stuffed” or “stifled”) means, literally, “smothered” or “suffocated”, from the verb “étouffer”.

In Louisiana, to “smother” food means to simmer it in a small amount of liquid (usually with lots of seasonings and spices added) to create a gravy or sauce that is served over rice.

The usual staple of an etouffee is seafood such as crawfish, shrimp, or crabmeat. Other meats, such as chicken, or a combination of chicken and seafood, may also be used. Etouffee has a thicker consistency than gumbo.

The base of an etouffee is a dark roux which should be dark brown in color, but not burned; like liquid chocolate.

As in many Louisiana dishes, onions, green peppers and celery (a combination often referred to as the holy trinity) are added to the roux. The etouffee is usually seasoned with cayenne pepper, paprika, white pepper, fresh garlic, fresh parsley, salt, and perhaps even a host of other seasonings. The dish is usually mounted with butter for richness and then served with white rice cooked in seafood stock, or dirty rice–a Cajun favorite.

Crawfish etouffee(if made with a roux) usually has a dark brown color with a hint of red: this is sometimes mistakenly attributed to crawfish fat (an important ingredient).

However, crawfish fat is bright yellow, and will not color the dish red: the red color can come from the spices, or the tomatoes (if used). In some areas, it has become popular to add tomatoes and/or tomato paste to the dish. There is a significant difference between the étouffées of Lafayette (Acadiana Cajun Country), and those of New Orleans (Creole) and surrounding areas. Both are spicy, but Cajun etouffee is usually light brown in color and more rustic and rich. Creole-style is dark-brown, more balanced and prepared with a more Classical French approach.

In Cajun country, a roux takes approximately 30–45 minutes to make properly on a gas stove. Roux is typically made with equal portions of liquid lard, grease, or oil along with white flour (sometimes a 2 to 1 ratio oil to flour is used). Some Cajun cooks skip the flour and simply cook down onions in butter.

According to Paul Prudhomme, a roux used to make etouffee requires the use of vegetable oil rather than butter.

It is difficult to make such a dark roux without burning the butter, though it is possible with the use of clarified butter. Chef John Folse uses a blonde roux and notes that many people use only onions and butter as the base.

Such is the variety of all types of Cajun food, and people of south Louisiana (Cajun and non-Cajun alike) can get into spirited debates over the issue of whether to use a roux in etouffee.

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Dry Rub Cooking

You can follow our proven, simple dry rub recipes to ensure your barbecue fame, then you can call it your own!

The “Cookin’ Cousins” believe that a barbecue dry rub is one of the six secrets to a great barbecue!

A Dry rub are generally used when “barbecuing” vs. “grilling”.

Barbecuing is the traditional method of roasting meat over a low temperature heat source, with hardwood smoke. Grilling uses high, smokeless heat, and renders sugar-based dry rubs ineffective! It burns. Period.

We barbecue using the indirect cooking method to attain that incredible smoked, moist, cooked to perfection result that alludes so many! The heat is kept low and the meat is cooked slow. Patience pays big dividends!

Do you want a rub with nothing more than a couple of spices, or a grand mixture of complimentary flavors? We like to keep it simple, and share these proven dry rub recipes, to ensure your backyard barbecue notoriety!

Wet or dry rub? We prefer a dry rub, as there is less mess. If you want the rub to stick better to a dryer meat, just use any good ol’ inexpensive table mustard, slathered liberally on the meat, then sprinkle plenty of dry rub all over the meat. The mustard does not impart a flavor (as it cooks out) and leaves a nice, tasty coating.

Dry Rub Recipe Secrets

You want fresh spices and herbs. Buy the freshest, best quality spices you can find. There is a huge difference between the old, been-in-the-cupboard-way-to-long, “buck-a-bottle” spices, and the better, fresh stuff (one important difference between a “tenderfoot”, and top competitors).

For example, and for award winning results, we like to use fresh ground, dry chili pods vs. “chili powder” for many of our special recipes, however, fresh chili powder works very well.

You want to grind your own spices? Why not? You can’t get any fresher than that, and hey, it’s your reputation! Use a high quality electric spice grinder like the Kuhn Rikon model, or the Kyocera ceramic mill for faster preparation. Chefs often prefer a mortar and pestle like our favorite indestructible Stone (Granite) Mortar and Pestle, for superior grinding or crushing control. We prefer to “coarse” grind spices, as this imparts more flavor during cooking.

You can use a proven ratio of ingredients, at first anyway.

Dry rub recipes, used by top competitors, often start with two basic ingredients, sugar and salt.

You then add spices at a ratio known as the 8:3:1:1 rub. It works! Like this:
8 tablespoons light brown sugar tightly packed
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme (crushed)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
etc.

Regardless of the spices you choose to use, just maintain this ratio!

You should use darker sugars like turbinado (sugar-in-the-raw), light muscovado, dark muscovado, or high quality brown sugar. Kosher salt is much preferred for the best dry rub recipes. These are both chef’s secrets, and top BBQ competitor’s edge!

A dry rub should be absorbed for the best results, and this does not mean you need to be rub it into the meat.

Rubs are applied liberally to moist, thawed meat (preferably under the skin of fowl) for at least a couple of hours. You have maximum effect if you apply the rub 24 hours before hitting the fire. This allows the rub’s ingredients to mix with the meat’s natural juices, effectively marinading without the muss!

Wrap the meat in plastic wrap, or your favorite, non-reactive container, and put it back into the refrigerator; pull meat out about an hour prior to cooking (room temperature). No sense in wasting fuel!

You can add or subtract spices/herbs to your liking, and if you stay with just the “competitor’s ratio” for rubs, you’ll always have a winner! For more fun, experiment with adding one or more of the following:

Cumin
Oregano
Thyme
Coriander
Peppercorns (you’ll get superior results with Tellicherry Pepper, Muntok White, or a wonderful mix!)
Rosemary
Sage

And much, much more!

Sometimes when time is a factor, or we feel just a little lazy, we’ll use nothing more than lemon pepper as a rub for our birds. It’s great!

And please remember, for great dry rub recipes that will “knock their socks off”, use the highest quality, freshest ingredients!

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Cooking with Wine

It’s easy to find a good wine to drink while you cook; in fact, it’s often easier than knowing which wine to cook with.

That’s because when listed as an ingredient, wine is often suggested in the most generic terms. When a recipe says, “1 cup dry white wine,” you’re left to wonder: “Will anything from $5 to $25 do?” and “Can the recipe yield equally flavorful results with either a California Chardonnay or French Sancerre?”

Here are guidelines to help you make the best pick of wine to cook with.

If a recipe calls for dry white wine, the best all-around choice is a quality American Sauvignon Blanc.

This wine will be very dry and offer a fresh light herbal tilt that will enhance nearly any dish.

If the dish has bold or spicy flavors, go for a more aromatic white wine.

Gewurztraminer, Riesling, and Viognier all have dynamic fruity flavors and exotic floral aromas that counterbalance heavily spiced dishes.

If a recipe calls for dry red wine, consider the heartiness of the dish.

A long-simmered leg of lamb or beef roast calls for a correspondingly hearty wine, such as a Petite Syrah or a Zinfandel. A lighter dish might call for a less powerful red?think Pinot Noir or Chianti.

Get to know Port, Sherry, Madeira, and Marsala wine.

These are among the best wines good cooks can have on hand. They pack the most intense flavors and?because they’re fortified with a little more alcohol than table wine?have the longest life on the pantry shelf.

Port has a rich sweetness and depth that’s especially good in meat-based casseroles.
Sherry’s complex roasted nutty flavors can enhance just about any soup, stew, or sautéed dish. Two styles of Sherry that work best are Amontillado or Oloroso.
Madeira can be mesmerizingly lush with toffee-caramel notes. Use the medium-rich style known as Bual, a touch of which will transform ordinary sautèed mushrooms. And Marsala’s light caramel-like fruitiness is an integral part of Mediterranean sautès, many of which bear the wine’s name in their titles.

Avoid using a cooking wine.

Clearly there are far better choices than so-called “cooking Sherry” or other liquids commonly billed as “cooking wine.” These are made of a thin, cheap base wine to which salt and food coloring have been added.

Never cook with a wine you wouldn’t drink.

A poor quality wine with sour or bitter flavors will only contribute those flavors to the dish. Julia Child once said, “If you do not have a good wine to use, it is far better to omit it, for a poor one can spoil a simple dish and utterly debase a noble one.” It’s worth the investment to buy a quality wine. Just don’t forget to sip a little as you stir.

What Happens to the Alcohol?
Conventional wisdom holds that after a few minutes of cooking, the alcohol in wine evaporates. That’s not exactly the case. Research from the USDA shows that 85 percent of the alcohol remains after wine is added to a boiling liquid and then removed from the heat. The longer a dish is cooked, however, the less alcohol remains. If a food is baked or simmered 15 minutes, 40 percent of the alcohol will remain; after one hour, only 25 percent remains; after 2 1/2 hours, just 5 percent.

But since wine does not have a large amount of alcohol to begin with (generally 12 to 14 percent), the final amount of alcohol in a dish is not a problem for most people.

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Mashed Potatoes

The use of “floury” types of potato is usually recommended for mashed potatoes, although “waxy” potatoes are sometimes used for a different texture.

Butter, vegetable oil, milk or cream are usually added to improve flavor and texture, and the potatoes are seasoned with salt and pepper, and any other desired herbs and spices. Popular ingredients and seasonings include: garlic, cheese, bacon bits, sour cream, crisp onion or spring onion, mustard, spices such as nutmeg, chopped herbs such as parsley or rosemary, white turnip, and wasabi.

A French variation of mashed potatoes adds egg yolk for pommes duchesse; piped through a pastry tube into wavy ribbons and rosettes, brushed with butter and lightly browned.

In low-calorie or non-dairy variations, milk, cream, and butter may be replaced by soup stock or broth. Aloo Bharta, an Indian sub-continent variation, uses chopped onions, mustard (oil, paste or seeds), chili pepper, coriander leaves and other spices.

Mashed Potatoes Preparation

Potatoes are generally, though not always, completely peeled before cooking them in preparation for mashing. Both heat and kinetic energy can burst the walls of the starch grains in the potato, releasing amylose, which traps water, imparting an undesired “gluey” consistency in the same way that starch adds thickness to foods such as gravy and custard. To avoid this, potatoes must not be cooked at a high temperature for too long. Whole or chunked potatoes receive considerably more heat on the outside by the time enough heat penetrates to cook the center, overcooking the outside; thinly slicing the potatoes allows a consistent amount of heat throughout. Heston Blumenthal recommends cooking the sliced potatoes for 40 minutes at a controlled temperature of 70 °C.[2] To avoid the need for temperature control, the sliced potatoes can be boiled until just cooked (10 to 12 minutes), testing constantly.

If a food processor or similar is used for mashed potatoes, it will mechanically break the starch grains, releasing amylose and giving an unpleasant gluey consistency.

Potatoes are best mashed before adding butter, etc., as the butter or liquid lubricates the lumps of potato, making them more difficult to break up.

Culinary uses for mashed potatoes

Mashed potatoes can be served together with other dishes, or can be an ingredient of various other dishes, including shepherd’s and cottage pie, pierogi, colcannon, dumplings, potato croquettes, gnocchi, etc.

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Cooking Tilapia

It is given that baking is the most popular form of cooking tilapia; however, many people are not aware of the proper way of baking tilapia in order to get the most out of it.

In order to be well acquainted with the proper cooking of tilapia, it is good to start by introducing three types of methods to bake tilapia. The first is with the use of garlic and olive oil.

The ingredients are: four tilapia fillets, four cloves of crushed garlic, a chopped onion, three tablespoons of olive oil, and a quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

Before cooking the fillets, make sure to pat them dry first.

Afterwards, rub the fish with garlic and then organize them in a bowl. Add olive oil and top with onion. Then place the tilapia inside the refrigerator for six to eight hours.

Preheat the oven to 175° Celsius or 350° Fahrenheit.

While you are preheating the oven, remove the tilapia from the refrigerator and arrange onto a baking dish.

At this point, pour the remaining marinade onto the fish and season with a quarter teaspoon of white pepper and a quarter teaspoon of cayenne black pepper. Once done, place the baking dish with the tilapia inside the oven and cook it for 30 minutes. After cooking, serve immediately while it is still hot.

The second baking method for tilapia is the “easy baked” tilapia.

Preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit. Prepare four tilapia fillets, one and a half teaspoons of garlic powder, a pinch of salt, three tablespoons of melted butter, three tablespoons of lemon juice, half a teaspoon of dried oregano, a pinch of paprika and two tablespoons of drained capers. After preparing all your ingredients, place the fish onto a baking dish followed by mixing lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and butter into a container. This time, you can pour the added mixture of oregano, paprika and capers. Bake the fish for 20 to 30 minutes. You can serve the baked tilapia with rice or as is, especially if you are on a low-carb diet.

The third method of baking tilapia is the Hudson’s baked tilapia with dill sauce.

For this baking method, you need four ounces of tilapia fillets, pepper, salt, one tablespoon of any seasoning powder, a quarter cup of mayonnaise, half a cup of sour cream, one lemon sliced thinly, half a quarter teaspoon on garlic powder, two tablespoons of chopped fresh dill and one teaspoon of fresh lemon juice.

First, preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit or 175° Celsius. After that, grease the baking dish lightly. Follow by seasoning the fillets with salt, pepper, and seasoning powder according to taste. Once you are done, arrange the fillets into a single layer on the baking dish. Now, place the sliced lemons over the fillets. It is recommended that you use only two slices for every piece of fillet to make sure that it covers most of the surface. At this time, you can start baking the fillets for 15 to 20 minutes uncovered. If the fish can be easily flaked with a fork, remove it from the oven. While the fillets are still inside the oven, prepare a mixture of sour cream, lemon juice, mayonnaise, garlic powder and dill in a bowl.

When the tilapia is cooked, serve it together with the sauce.

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Indoor Grilling

With indoor grilling, you can whip up healthy grilled food no matter what the weather.

After a summer enjoying your favorite grilled foods, it’s hard to give them up, isn’t it? You can get a nice grilled flavor without the outdoors fuss with favorite the indoor grill.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve no doubt heard of at least one particular brand of indoor grill — the George Foreman grills. These two-sided electric grills have detachable, nonstick plates (top and bottom) with raised edges that make the traditional grill marks. This type of grill has been around for about 10 years, each year bringing new models and new improvements.

If you’re looking to do indoor grilling, there are basically two things you need to know: whether it makes a difference to you if the temperature is adjustable (some grills have only one heat setting), and how much grilling space you need.

Some grills have enough space to cook for four, others with enough to prepare just two servings.

There are two styles of electric grills to choose from: The open grill, on which the food is cooked from the bottom and needs to be flipped, and the contact grill, where the lid cooks the topside of the food. Here are some details about both:

1. Open Grill Style. If you get this type of indoor grill, make sure you choose one that comes with a lid (most of them do).

It gives you more indoor grilling options and keeps the smoke and steam contained.

Some examples of the open grill are the DeLonghi Alfredo Healthy Grill BG24 and the DeLonghi Perfecto Indoor Grill, the Sanyo Smokeless Indoor Grill, and the BonJour Power 1800 Reversible Grill and Griddle.

2. Contact Grill Style. Make sure the top and bottom grill pieces detach easily so you can easily wash them by hand or in the dishwasher. And here’s a bonus: a contact grill easily doubles as a panini sandwich maker. Some brands include Cuisinart Griddler GR-4, George Foreman, Hamilton Beach MealMaker Express Grill, and the Krups Universal Grill and Panini Maker.

The contact grill is particularly good at cooking:

fish fillets
steaks
pork chops
hamburgers
vegetables

Is Indoor Grilling Safer?

You may have read that outdoor grills can produce chemicals (heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) that increase your risk of certain cancers. And the smoke from burning coals and dripping fat just add to the danger.

Think about it — using an indoor electric grill eliminates the burning coals, the smoke, and the dripping fat that cause those nasty flare-ups.

Is Indoor Grilling Healthier?

Most contact grills are designed with a slant so liquids drip from the food, off the grill, and into a tray. But I’ve found that it’s mostly watery juices from the meat or vegetables I’m grilling that end up dripping off. If you start with lean meat, there will be precious little fat collecting in the tray.

And I’ve got to say if you’re grilling meat with some visible fat in an outdoor grill, the same amount of “fat” is probably going to drip off there, too. There just isn’t a tray to show you how much liquid melted off.

Indoor Grilling Recipes

Here are a handful of recipes to help you think outside the indoor grilling box. There’s a rub for pork chops, an easy rendition of an old favorite (chicken Parmesan), and a new way to cook up portabella mushrooms.

Sweet & Spicy Pork Chops

You’ll have about 5 teaspoons of the rub left over for another time. If you don’t want to use Splenda Brown Sugar Blend, use 2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar instead.

So, what do you think; can indoor grilling be for you? YES!

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About Kale

Kale freezes well and actually tastes sweeter and more flavourful after being exposed to a frost.

Tender kale greens can provide an intense addition to salads, particularly when combined with other such strongly flavoured ingredients as dry-roasted peanuts, tamari-roasted almonds, red pepper flakes, or an Asian-style dressing.

In the Netherlands it is very frequently used in a winter dish (a stamppot), as a traditional Dutch dish called boerenkool.

In Ireland kale is mixed with mashed potatoes to make the traditional dish colcannon.

It is popular on Halloween when it is sometimes served with sausages. Small coins are sometimes hidden inside as prizes.

Kale is a very popular vegetable in China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, where it is commonly stir-fried with beef.[citation needed]

A traditional Portuguese soup, caldo verde, combines pureed potatoes, diced kale, olive oil, broth, and, generally, sliced cooked spicy sausage.

Under the name of couve, kale is also popular in Brazil, in caldo verde, or as a vegetable dish, often cooked with carne seca (shredded dried beef). When chopped and stir-fried, couve accompanies Brazil’s national dish, feijoada.

In East Africa, it is an essential ingredient in making a stew for ugali, which is almost always eaten with kale. Kale is also eaten throughout southeastern Africa, where it is typically boiled with coconut milk and ground peanuts and is served with rice or boiled cornmeal.
A bundle of organic kale

A whole culture around kale has developed in north-western Germany around the towns of Bremen, Oldenburg and Hannover.

There, most social clubs of any kind will have a Grünkohlfahrt (“kale tour”) sometime between October and February, visiting a country inn to consume large quantities of boiled kale, Kassler, Mettwurst and schnapps. These tours are often combined with a game of Boßeln. Most communities in the area have a yearly kale festival which includes naming a “kale king” (or queen).

Curly kale is used in Denmark and Holland, Sweden, to make (grøn-)langkål, an obligatory dish on the julbord in the region, and is commonly served together with the Christmas ham (Sweden, Holland).

The kale is used to make a stew of minced boiled kale, stock, cream, pepper and salt that is simmered together slowly for a few hours. In Scotland, kale provided such a base for a traditional diet that the word in dialect Scots is synonymous with food. To be “off one’s kail” is to feel too ill to eat.

In Montenegro collards, locally known as rashtan is a favorite vegetable. It is particularly popular in winter, cooked with smoked mutton (kastradina) and potatoes.

In the Southern United States, Kale is often served braised, either alone or mixed with other greens, such as Collard, Mustard, or Turnip.

Kale is a very good source of iron, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin K and Carotenoids (which provide vitamin A). In Japan, kale juice (known as aojiru) is a popular dietary supplement.

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Easy Tofu

Basil Tofu

- 5 green onions, minced
- 6 or 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 package firm low-fat tofu, well-drained, sliced and marinated in soy sauce
- 1 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1 teaspoon crushed chili pepper sauce (sambal oelek)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
cooked brown rice

Cook onions and garlic in water or stock or vinegar until tender. Add marinated tofu and cook another 5-10 minutes. Stir in basil, chili pepper sauce and soy sauce and heat through. Serve over brown rice.

Braised Tofu

- 1 pound tofu, firm, cubed
- assorted veggies, broccoli, carrot, mushroom…
- flowerets, zucchini

Tofu Sauce Mixture

- Tamari
- Rice Vinegar
- ginger
- garlic powder 3/4 teas.
- garlic salt 1 teas.
- Marinate tofu in sauce mixture for one hour or more (preferably longer).
Braise tofu by adding some sauce mixture in frying pan and lay pieces flat in pan and then cook.
turn over half way through.
Cook tofu until liquid is pretty much gone.
Put it all together and eat.
Yummy!

Ginger Tofu

- 1 lb of firm tofu
- 1 1/2 ts of fresh, grated ginger
- 1 t of roasted sesame oil
- 1 minced garlic clove
- 2 tb of tamari
- 1 1/4 c of water
- 1 1/2 tb of arrowroot

Slice the tofu into small rectangles of 1/4–1/2-inch thickness and place them in a shallow dish or baking pan.

Mix together the ginger, sesame oil, garlic, tamari and water.
Pour this mixture over the tofu and let it marinate for at least 30 minutes.
(If desired, the tofu may be placed in the refrigerator to marinate for several hours or overnight).

Remove the marinated tofu from the liquid, reserving the liquid to make the sauce.
Place the tofu on a well-oiled cookie sheet and bake at 375 deg for 35-40 minutes, or until the desired crispness is reached (the longer the tofu bakes the firmer and crisper it becomes).

To make the sauce, mix the arrowroot with the marinade.
Place the mixture in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.

Ginger Tofu may be served with or without the sauce.

With the sauce, serve it over a bed of rice, millet, buckwheat, or pasta.
Add your favorite stir-fried veggies and you have a colorful or nutritious meal.
Ginger Tofu may also be added to a vegetable stew.

Grilled Tofu

Serving Size : 8

- 1 lb of firm tofu
- 1/4 c of orange juice
- 2 ts of low-sodium soy sauce
- Cold and Spicy Noodles, see recipe

Tofu, once pressed, grills beautifully.

Slice the block of tofu in half, then slice each half into four thick slabs. Place a double layer of paper towels on a cutting board set over the sink. Arrange tofu in one layer on the cutting board, then top with a clean dishtowel. Place a second board on top, then a 4 to 5 pound weight, such as a thick phone book or heavy pot. Let press 20 minutes.

Uncover tofu and place in one layer in a shallow baking dish. Drizzle with orange juice and soy sauce. Marinate at room temperature 20 minutes.

Broil or grill over hot coals until lightly browned, turning once. Serve with Cold and Spicy Noodles.

Herbed Tofu In White Wine Sauce / Pasta Recipe

Serving Size: 1

- 2 T of soy margarine
- 1/2 T of flour
- 1/2 c of soy milk
- 1/2 c of white wine
- 1 Wedge of onion left in one Piece (I can’t tolerate much Onion, so I Used about a 4cm x 2cm Wedge)
- 1 d of ground cloves
- 1 d of salt
- Some water
- 1/2 lb Or so herbed tofu, cubed (about 1.5 cm cubes)
- Your favorite pasta, enough

For two servings

Melt margarine in pan and wisk in flour. Cool a bit and then wisk in wine and (soy)milk. Add onion, cloves, and salt to sauce and stir over low heat until sauce is slightly thickened. If it gets too thick, add some water. Add tofu and simmer while you cook the pasta. Serve tofu and sauce over pasta, giving the onion to the person who likes them more.

Sauteed Firm Tofu

Serving Size : 4

- 24 oz Firm tofu
- 2 tb Oil
- 1/2 ts Salt
- 1 sm Onions — sliced thin
- 6 md Mushrooms — sliced
- 1 sm Carrot — cut into matchsticks
- 2 md Peppers, bell, green -sliced thin
- 1 tb Sake
- 1 1/2 tb Soy sauce
- 1 t Ginger — grated
- 1 tb Sugar, granulated
- 1 tb water
- 1 t Cornstarch — dissolved in 3 T water

Cut tofu crosswise into pieces the shape of French-fried potatoes. Heat a wok, coat with oil & sprinkle on the salt. Add onion, then the mushrooms, stir frying each over high heat for about 30 seconds. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add carrot, green pepper & tofu in that order, sauteeing each for about 1 minute. Reduce heat to low & add sake, soy sauce, ginger, sugar & water. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in dissolved cornstarch & simmer 30 seconds for another 30 seconds. Shurtleff & Aoyagi, “The Book of Tofu”

Stir-Fried Asian Tofu

Serving Size : 4

- 8 oz firm tofu, — drained and weighted for 30 minutes
- 1/2 ts grated tangerine or lemon zest
- 2 TB orange juice
- Salt and pepper
- 2 TB hoisin sauce
- 1 TB rice wine vinegar
- 1 TB low sodium soy sauce 1/2 ts sugar
- 1 ts cornstarch
- 1 TB each vegetable and sesame oil
- 1 lg clove garlic, — minced Quarter-size piece fresh ginger, — minced
- 4 oz mushrooms, — stemmed and thinly sliced mushrooms
- 3 c 3/4-inch broccoli florets
- Salt and crushed red pepper

Cut the tofu into 3/4-inch squares and marinate in citrus zest and juice; season with salt and pepper. Combine hoisin, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and cornstarch; reserve for later. In a 12-inch skillet heat vegetable and sesame oils until very hot. Add garlic and ginger and stir fry for 10 seconds. Add mushrooms and broccoli, some water, cover and steam for 2 minutes or until mushrooms and broccoli begin to get tender. Add tofu. Stir hoisin sauce to recombine cornstarch and add to skillet. Cover and simmer 30 seconds to a minute to thicken. Season with salt and crushed red pepper.

So many easy ways to fix tofu, so little time!

Yield: 2 servings

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Homebrewed Beer

The normal batch of homebrewed beer is five gallons
in volume, which is enough for 2 cases, or 48 12
ounce bottle of beer.

The typical homebrewed beer is produced by boiling
water, malt extract and hops together in a large
kettle and then cooling the resulting wort and adding
yeast for fermenting. Experienced homebrewers will
make their own extract from crushed malt barley by
a more complicated process of mashing the grain in
boiling hot water.

With both cases of homebrewed beer, the wort is boiled for 15 min to
an hour, to help remove some impurities, dissolve
the character of the hops, then break down some of
the sugar.

The wort is then cooled down to a
pitching temperature.

The cooled wort is then poured into the primary
fermenter in a manner of aggression, as to aerate
the wort. Sufficient oxygen is also necessary for
the yeast’s growth stage. The yeast is then put
into the wort.

The primary fermentation will take place in a large
food bucket or carboy. Sometimes it is left open
but often stoppered with the carbon dioxide gas
that’s produced by venting through a fermentation
lock.

The process of making homebrewed microbrews takes a lot of
time indeed, although you can take the necessary
short cuts once you learn more about how the
process works.

If this is your first time brewing,
you should always use common sense and know what
you are doing.

One of the best things about making your own
homebrewed is the fact that you can experiment with
ingredients and brew your own creations.

You can
brew almost anything, providing you have the right
type of equipment – which can easily be found.

Don’t be afraid to step out and make some homebrewed beer!

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Nine Facts About Fiber

If you’ve been looking for a way towards a high
octane diet, you’ll find fiber to be exactly what
you need.

Even though research has shown fiber to
be powerful, many people aren’t taking this nutrient
seriously.

To help you fuel your health with fiber, here are
10 facts to help.

1. Fiber fights diseases.

A diet high in fiber can
help to prevent colon cancer and heart disease. High
fiber helps the body to eliminate cholesterol by
binding it in the digestive tract. For thousands of
years, fiber has been used to stop constipation.

2. Fiber can actually help with overeating.

All high
fiber foods will take longer to chew and digest,
making you feel satisfied longer

3. Most popular foods don’t have enough fiber.

If
you like the more popular foods, you probably need
to increase your intake of fiber.

4. Grains offer the most fiber.

Dietary fiber is
actually plant matter that we cannot digest. The best
sources are whole grains and concentrated grain
products.

5. Kids need fiber as well.

Children that are older
than 2 years of age should consume a daily intake of
fiber. Kids are most receptive to fiber found in
fruits, vegetables, and even fortified breakfast
cereals.

6. More fiber needs more water.

In order to keep
fiber moving through your digestive tract, you’ll
need to consume a lot of water. With your diet of
fiber, you’ll need eight or more glasses of water
every day.

7. Fiber cannot be cooked out.

When you cook
your fruits and vegetables, don’t worry about cooking
the fiber out, as it stays. The fiber found in
fruits and vegetables aren’t just in the skin or
in the peel.

8. You can get enough fiber.

If you eat more than
50 grams of fiber in a day, you can get diarrhea
and bloating, which can interfere with your body’s
absorption of other key minerals.

9. Getting the right amount of fiber in your diet
doesn’t have to be hard.

Even though you may think
so, getting the amount of fiber you need isn’t very
hard to do. All you have to do is eat the right
foods and you’ll be well on your way to a fiber
rich lifestyle.

As one of the key ingredients to healthy eating,
fiber is something you don’t want to skip. Fiber can
serve many different purposes, which were covered
above. If you aren’t getting enough fiber in your
diet – you should do something about now instead
of waiting until it is too late.

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