Sunday, August 17, 2014

How To Prepare Five Delicious And Healthy Low-Fat Salad Dressings

We can all agree that salads are one of the healthiest foods you can eat. With a variety of additions, you can make a meal out of a salad and get nutrition from just about all of the major food groups. But, that perfect meal can be destroyed if you choose the wrong salad dressing to go with it.

Many of us don't think about what we top our salad with. We are careful to use sprouts, shelled nuts, lettuce and spinach leaves but we then drown it all in our favorite salad dressing. That favorite dressing just added a whole heap of fat to your meal.

Read the labels. Most salad dressings are made with more than enough fat to go around. The average is about eleven grams per serving, but you can find some with more. Oh, and check your serving size. It is not one giant squeeze of the bottle, but more like a teaspoon of dressing. For thicker dressings this won't even cover one leaf of the lettuce.

You do have some choices when it comes to salad dressings. How about making one yourself? You will know what the ingredients are and can season it to taste without the added fat that comes in a bottle. Here are five examples.

#1 Home-made ranch salad dressing - Have you seen the Hidden Valley Ranch packets in your salad dressing aisles? Instead of grabbing the bottle, make some yourself. Instead of full-fat sour cream, go for the fat-free sour cream and add the seasoning mix. You can tweak the recipe to your tastes, adding more or less sour cream.

Friday, August 15, 2014

Travel to Asia by Learning to Cook Their Meals

Imagine if you could explore the tastes of Asia without going on a plane ride, wouldn't that be amazing? You know what's extra amazing? Knowing how to do it without booking a single reservation in a restaurant. That's the advantage of knowing how to cook Asian dishes, you get to experience the exotic flavors of these countries, and you're doing it in the convenience of your own home. Admittedly, learning to cook Asian meals can be quite intimidating. To begin with, you are not used to working with their usual ingredients and spices. The exotic flavors can be quite daunting for you, so it is truly important to enroll yourself in a cooking class that specializes in this.

Learn how to cook Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Chinese and Indian. Asia is a continent filled with rich cultures and a variety of cuisine, you will definitely enjoy learning about the different meals and exploring the flavors of all four countries offered in the course.

Take a trip to Japan and enjoy the delicious taste of their freshly-made dishes. If you are not convinced, keep in mind that Japan has more Michelin-starred restaurants as compared to other countries. That accounts for something, right? Since Japanese cuisine is quite diverse, you will learn about several dishes from this country.

Naturally, you will start with sushi, which is one of their more popular dishes. Learn how to make sushi with different ingredients. Next you will learn how to make a nice Japanese pancake. Do not be misled, this "pancake" is more than your typical pan-flipped, breakfast pancakes. You can also try your hand with cooking chicken, which are Japanese steamed dumplings.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Cooking Ways of Slow Smoky Pulled Pork BBQ

Barbecues are great for making non vegetarian recipes. The barbeque pork lovers are increasing day by day from every part of the globe as it adds a different smoky flavor to the pulled pork meat. The smoke infused inside the meat appeals every barbecue lover. With the advent of modern charcoal smokers, barbeque is still considered much better for cooking at home and in restaurants.

Slow cooked barbeque smoker cooking allows preparing pork at slow temperatures which makes it tender enough so that the meat falls right apart as you pick it up. The technique of barbecuing makes it much tastier and adds crispy texture to it.

The cut of meat for pulled pork is called pork shoulder or shredded pork as the cut of meat comes from the shoulder.

Many crowd pleaser recipes can be made with BBQ pulled pork. It can be easily served to the guests without taking much time. And, you will be amazed at how easy it is to cook and present to your guests.

Before using the barbecue it's recommended to remove dirt from it. Use soap and water to clean the grill and remove any leftovers as it might change the taste of your pork meat.

Take your pork meat from the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature prior cooking it. The reward for planning ahead will be a juicier piece of meat.

Always pick your pork meat properly. The pork butt is less skinny so it can be smoked very easily.