The chefs on television make it look simple yet when we stare at the recipe we get lost in the myriad of ingredients and the techniques needed to bring the dish to life. The reality is that anyone can cook a great meal if they know some simple shortcuts and tips.
Healthy cooking has become the mantra of today's health conscious society. Everywhere we turn there are ads telling us "No trans fats" or "zero calories" not to mention the hype surrounding carbohydrate-free meals.
The secret to cooking recipes low in fat and healthy for us is to use the outer aisle. No, the outer aisle is not some weird third dimension. In a grocery store the outer aisles are where you can find vegetables, meats, dairy, eggs and breads. Most layouts follow this floor plan.
Low carb recipes are very simple to prepare once you have the necessary ingredients. Avoid carbohydrates that are not filling. When making a choice between white flour and whole wheat, choose the whole wheat.
It is more filling and has the essential nutrients you need without the abundance of carbohydrates. Cooking recipes that utilize fresh vegetables and lean meats are a great way to avoid too many carbohydrates.
If you are a vegetarian, look to the salad bar at your local grocery store. Many people find themselves lacking the time to cut and chop vegetables. The salad bar takes the work out of whipping up a quick stir-fry dish.
The vegetables are already cut, washed and ready to eat. For protein consider adding tofu or chickpeas. A vegetarian meal does not have to be bland. There are many free recipes on the internet for vegetarian meals.
Cooking recipes that are fast and simple seem to be very popular thanks to Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals. The premise is great food prepared and cooked in less than thirty minutes.
These appeals to those that find themselves pressed for time after work. The meals are nutritious, appealing and simple for anyone to prepare. The key is having ingredients that do not require an excessive amount of time to cook.
We have all had recipes that turned out to be fitting only for the garbage disposal. Take heart from the mistakes and know that every cook has made them. Find the recipes that appeal to you and experiment them.
Fit them to your taste and lifestyle and you will meet with success. It is important to have a good time in the kitchen. Invite a few friends over and have a dinner party. Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we start all over again.
Want to find new ways of pleasing the paletes of the discerning diners in your home? Try these receipes for courgettes culled from all countries of the world. This series of articles deals with every fruit and vegetable imaginable in isolation - so you get several receipes for the same product in one concise place.
COURGETTES WITH DILL SAUCE (ZUCCHINI MIT DILL ? Austrian)
Serves 4 to 6
2 lbs (1 kg) courgettes, peeled, seeded if necessary, cut into julienne strips. ? inch (1 cm) x 3 inches (6 cm) long ? teaspoon salt 1oz (25g) butter 2 tablespoons flour 5 fl ozs(150ml) live yoghurt 1 teaspoon sugar 2 teaspoons white vinegar 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh dill or ? teaspoon dried dill seeds
Place the courgettes in a bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Leave for approximately an hour then pat dry with paper towelling. Melt the butter in a deep frying pan, when the foaming subsides add the courgettes. Toss them until well coated with the butter then cover the pan and simmer on a low heat for about 10 minutes or until barely tender. Ensure yu do not overcook the vegetables. Beat the flour into a little of the yoghurt and then mix into the rest. If using dill seeds add at this stage. Pour the mixture over the courgettes stirring carefully, simmer for 2 or 3 minutes until the sauce thickens. Stir in the sugar, vinegar and dill if using the fresh Taste for seasoning before serving.
Note: The dish is equally nice using either fennel or dill in tis recipe.
COURGETTE FRITTERS ( BEIGNETE- French with a Japanese Type Batter)
I like to make these without peeling the courgettes. Wash and dry them and set aside.
First make the batter. I use a Japanese style light batter. It may be that you have made these firtters before, try them with this new batter and notice the improvement. They are deliciously light and not in the least greasy. I make the batter in the following quantity and if there is some left over I put it in the freezer. This dish keeps well for a week or two.
The Batter
225 g ( 8oz) Plain Flour ? teaspoon salt 1 egg separated 1 tablespoon Olive Oil 300ml (10 fl oz) Lager 125ml (4.5 fl oz) Cold Water
In a large bowl beat all ingredients except the EGG WHITES and frying oil into a smooth fairly thin batter. Leave aside for approximately 30 minutes. Beat the egg whites until they reach a soft peak consistency. After the required amount of time carefully fold in the egg whites to the batter. Do not worry if there are a few small ?lumps' of egg white remaining. These create a delicious crispy texture to the fritters.
The Courgettes
Cut off the top and bottom then slice lengthwise from top to bottom into julienne strips ? ? inch (1 cm) x 3 inches (6 cm) long - about the thickness and length of a thin chip. Salt lightly and leave for quarter of an hour. Drain and dry carefully before cooking.
Finally heat a deep pan of vegetable oil until it is fairly hot. Fry the fritters a few at a time until the batter is medium brown. Drain the fitters well after removing the fritters from the oi and drain again on crumpled kitchen paper before serving.l.
Serve this as an accompaniment to the main course or I like it with mayonnaise or a sweet sauce as a starter.
STUFFED COURGETTES (ZUCCHINI RIPIENI ? Italian)
Serves between 4 and 6 people as a main course.
INGREDIENTS
A little over ? pint of good tomato sauce, home made or from a carton. 4 medium sized courgettes scrubbed but not peeled 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 oz (50g) finely chopped onions ? teaspoon of finely chopped garlic ? lb (225g) lean minced beef (chuck) 1 egg lightly beaten 2 oz (50g) finely chopped prosciutto (or lean bacon chopped) 1 oz (25g) fresh white breadcrumbs 2 oz (50g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese ? teaspoon dried oregano 1 small teaspoon salt ? teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat Oven to Gas Mark 5/ Fan 170'C /Electric 190'C/ 375'F Cut the courgettes lengthwise and with a small spoon scoop out most of the pulp leaving hollow boat shaped shells. Set these aside and chop the pulp coarsely. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a heavy frying pan, non-stick preferably, add the onions and cook over a moderate heat for about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the courgette pulp and the garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes stirring frequently. Drain the contents of the frying pan through a sieve set over a mixing bowl to drain. Meanwhile add the minced beef to the pan and brown it over a moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden fork to break up the lumps. These shoudl be drained in the same manner as the vegetables. In a large bowl mix the beef and the vegetables together adding the egg; proscuitto; breadcrumbs, 2 small teaspoons of the parmesan, oregano and salt. Spoon into the courgette shells mounding to use all the mixture. Bake in a suitably sized shallow dish to take the stuffed shells placed on top of the ALREADY BOILING tomato sauce . Drizzle with a little olive oil and cover with foil. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, removing the foil after 20 minutes so that the tops of the courgettes are browned. Serve from the dish.
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Mollie Kay Smith has sinced written about articles on various topics from Stress Management, Food And Drink and Education. These recipes are taken from '?Recipes of a World United' which will be ready for publication early next year. For further information visit: . Mollie Kay Smith's top article generates over 60500 views. Bookmark Mollie Kay Smith to your Favourites.