Helping Home Cooks Save Time and Money
Red Lentil Puree
Makes 4 servings
You can serve this attractive, vegetarian and gluten-free puree on the side, as an appetizer, or with salad and a sandwich for a light summer meal. It takes 10 to 15 minutes to prepare and about 40 minutes to cook.
From Mediterranean Light, by Martha Rose Shulman
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Cooking at home is the best way to make sure that your food is high in quality and nutrition. Just by cutting out extra salt, fat and sugar and preservatives in processed foods, you’re ahead of the game. But all home cooking isn’t equal. Some techniques preserve the vitamins and minerals in your food, while others destroy them.
It’s not always practical to follow every technique each time. But the tips below can help you make better decisions.
1. Wash vegetables shortly before cooking or eating, and avoid soaking.
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The short answer is no. But here are two main reason for soaking dried beans and legumes before cooking. Flatulence. Some types of beans, especially lima, navy, and soy, contain complex sugars that are difficult to digest. To remove these, cover with water plus another inch or two. Heat to boiling, boil for one minutes, […]
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Egyptian Rice and Lentils
From Mediterranean Light by Martha Rose Shulman
Serves 4
Ingredients:
* 6 ounces (1 cup) brown lentils, washed and picked over
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoons plus 1-1/2 teaspoon olive oil
* 1 large onion, 1/2 chopped and 1/2 thinly sliced
* 1 tablespoon crushed cumin seed
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 cup long-grain (or brown ) rice
* 2 cups water
* freshly ground pepper
* 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt for topping
In the comments section of the Vegetarian Potato Stew, commenter Mrs Belogski asks: “Aren’t you supposed to boil kidney beans rapidly for a few minutes to destroy a particular toxin which they contain?”
Mrs Belogski then found this explanation of toxins in kidney beans:
From http://www.vegsoc.org/info/pulses.html
Red kidney beans: Incidents of food poisoning have been reported associated with the consumption of raw or undercooked red kidney beans
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Wednesday is recipe day at Cooking Manager. My sister enjoys this recipe, that includes no garlic or onions. It’s from the New York Times Jewish Cookbook. Bulgur Wheat Pilaf Serves 4 Ingredients: 2 tablespoons melted clarified butter or olive oil 1/2 cup broken-up uncooked noodles (preferably fine) 1 cup bulgur wheat 2 cups water 1/2 […]
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In a recent visit to the Smithsonian Museum of American History, I saw a small exhibit about the first cake mix in America. Charlotte Cramer Sachs developed boxed mixed for cakes, puddings, frostings, breads, muffins and popovers starting in 1948. You only needed to add water.
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Wednesday is Recipe Day at Cooking Manager. I just saw this recipe in my brother’s copy of Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything. It needs occasional attention so use a timer to remind you to stir. Makes 4 servings. Ingredients: 2 cups sliced onions 3 tablespoons butter or olive oil 3 tablespoons tomato paste 1/4 […]
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In which we learn a recipe from my father (!) and why you can’t use spoiled milk in recipes calling for soured milk.
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In the comments on my guest post on hosting a crowd at Habitza, I recalled a party I hosted for a newly married couple I hardly knew. Afterward, one of the single men who had been invited complained that guys get hungry, and we should have served more than a quarter of a chicken per person. He would have liked a second piece.
I still remember that exchange because it put me on the defensive. Hosts are sensitive. Here I helped plan and pay for this huge party, and that guy (who also didn’t know the young couple in question) should have been grateful to be invited.
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