Green Bean Casserole

Image by kevindooley via Flickr

Ingredients:

1-1/2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup diced onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1-1/2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup vegetable broth
3/4 cup sour cream (low-fat or non-fat is okay)
3 14 oz. cans green beans
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 6 oz. can French fried onions

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
3. Heat butter in a medium pan over medium heat.
4. Add onions.
5. Cook 2-3 minutes.
6. Add mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until browned.
7. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and cook a minute or two to allow the raw flour taste to cook off.
8. Season with garlic powder and pepper.
9. Stir in vegetable broth and sour cream.
10.Cook until thickened.
11. Remove from heat.
12. Place green beans in a large mixing bowl.
13.Pour mushroom sauce over green beans.
14. Toss to coat well.
15. Stir in the cheese and half of the french fried onions.
16. Pour into prepared casserole. Bake 20 minutes.
17. Sprinkle remaining fried onions over top.
18. Bake another 5-10 minutes until bubbly.

Baked rasberry cheesecake

Ingredients:

8 digestive biscuits
50g butter , melted
600g cream cheese
2 tbsp plain flour
175g caster sugar
vanilla extract
2 eggs , plus 1 yolk
142ml pot soured cream
300g raspberries
icing sugar

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
2. Crush the biscuits in a food processor.
3. Mix with the butter to form a crust and press into a 20cm springform tin and bake for 5 minutes, then cool.
4. Beat the cream cheese with the flour, sugar, a few drops of vanilla, eggs, the yolk and soured cream until light and fluffy.
5. Stir in half the raspberries and pour into the tin.
6. Bake for 40 minutes and then check, it should be set but slightly wobbly in the centre.
7. Leave in the tin to cool.
8. Keep a few raspberries for the top and put the rest in a pan with 1 tbsp icing sugar.
9. Heat until juicy and then squash with a fork.
10.Push through a sieve.
11. Serve the cheescake with the raspberry sauce and raspberries.

Recipe from olive magazine, March 2007.

Cooking Tips : How to Make Tortilla Chips From Scratch

Just watch this video and see all the tips and recipe you get for making your own torrilla chips from scrap. Its easy and fun.

Cooking Tips : How to Make an Icing Bag

This is a very interesting way of making your own bag. Just watch and see how quick it is done.

Crunchy Vegetable Salad

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh broccoli
1 small head cauliflower
3 carrots
1 medium green pepper
3 stalks celery

Method:

1. Wash all vegetables thoroughly.
2. Remove all florets from broccolli and cauliflower and cut into bite-size pieces.
3. Peel and then slice carrots diagonally.
4. Chop pepper and celery.
5. Place all vegetables in a lorge bowl.
6. In a separate bowl, mix ingredients for marinade:
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 small onion, grated
1 teaspoon poppy seed
7. Mix ingredients together and pour over vegetables, cover, and marinate for about 3 hours of overnight in the refridgerator.
8. Serve and enjoy.

Baked pears with yoghurt

Image by xtrarant via Flickr

Ingredients:

4 ripe pears
200 g Greek-style yoghurt
1 dessert spoon sugar
50 g butter or margarine

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4
2. Peel pears, cut in half, and remove cores
3. Put pears hollow side up in a baking dish.
4. Sprinkle over sugar and dot with butter or margarine.
5. Do not add more sugat - the pears are sweet enough.
6. Put a spoonful of yoghurt on top of each pear half
7. Bake for about 10 minutes
8. Serve its delicious

How to store bananas

Image via Wikipedia

Never store bananas in the fridge. The skin will go black, but the flesh will still be edible. So keep bananas stored at a cool room temperature.

Banana Bread - The Joy of Cooking cookbook.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups sifted flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup crushed walnuts
1/3 cup shortening
1 - 1 1/4 cups ripe banana (mashed)
1/4 cup finely chopped dried apricots (optional)
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp lemon rind (grated)
1/2 tsp salt
1 - 2 beaten eggs

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, blend until creamy the shortening, sugar and lemon.
4. Beat in the eggs and mashed banana until well mixed.
5. Add the sifted dry ingredients one-third at a time, beating the batter smooth each time.
6. Fold in the nuts and apricots (if used).
7. Pour the batter into a well greased loaf pan.
8. Bake one hour or until tooth pick comes out clean.
9. Cool completely before slicing.

Healthy Breakfast Food Recipes - Nutrition by Natalie

This is the best healthy breakfast foods I have come across. It not just easy and quick to make, its healthy and also helps as a diet to loose weight.

Chicken stir fry - good food magazine

Ingredients:

4 skinless boneless chicken breast fillets
1 egg white
1 tbsp cornflour , plus 1 tsp extra
350g fragrant Thai rice
thumb sized knob of root ginger
1 red pepper
1 shallot
1 garlic clove
1 red chilli (optional)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp fish sauce
juice 1 lime
handful basil leaves

Method:

1. Slice the chicken into bite-size pieces.
2. Beat together the egg white and 1 tbsp cornflour in a bowl.
3. Place the chicken in egg and cornflour mix, and Marinate for 15-30 mins (don't place in the fridge or the mix will harden).
4. Now rinse the rice in a sieve under the cold tap until the water runs clear.
5. Making perfect rice: Drain the rice, tip into a pan with a lid and pour over 600ml water and a pinch of salt.
6. Bring the water to the boil, then cook the rice uncovered for 10 mins or so until the water has almost boiled away and small craters appear.
7. Cover with a lid, turn the heat down as low as it will go and cook for 10 mins more.
8. Getting the ingredients ready: Strip the ginger skin with a teaspoon and finely chop until you have 1 tbsp.
9. Halve the pepper and trim off the stalk, inner pith and seeds.
10. Cut into bite-size pieces.
11. Peel the shallot and garlic clove, then thinly slice.
12. Trim the ends off the chilli, if using, removing the seeds if you like it milder, and cut into thin slices.
13. Remove the chicken from the egg marinade and pat dry with kitchen paper.
14. Heat a wok and pour in 1 tbsp oil.
15. Cook the chicken for 7-10 mins, tossing until just cooked. Set aside. Pour in some more oil if you need to.
16. Add the pepper and cook for 1 min, then cook the ginger, shallot and garlic for 1-2 mins more. 17. Combine the fish sauce, lime juice, 50ml water and 1 tsp cornflour.
18. Tip into the wok, then add the chicken. Cook for 1 min, stir through the basil, then serve with the rice.

How to store mushrooms.

Image via Wikipedia

To store mushrooms you place them in a paper bag and not in a plastc bag before you place them in the refridgerator crisper.

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Carrot salad

Ingredients:

1 lb. carrots
2 sweet apples
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup plain non-fat yogurt
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Method:

1. Grate carrots and apples in a food processor fitted with the grating blades.
2. Transfer to a bowl. Squirt lemon juice over carrots and apples.
3. Add remaining ingredients.
4. Mix well.
5. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

How to store vegetables.

When you store your vegetables in the refridgerator, firtst put it in a plastic bag and then in the refridgerator crisper. The plastic bag prevents the loss of moisture and nutritional values of the veggies.

Mexican Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup converted rice
1-1/4 cups water
1 14 oz. can diced tomates and green chilies (with the juice)
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup corn
1 tsp. chili powder
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Spray a 5lt oven pan with cooking spray.
3. Put all of the ingredients except the cheese in the oven pan.
4. Stir, and cover.
5. Bake 25 minutes.
6. Remove cover and stir.
7. Top with cheese and bake an additional 5-10 minutes until the cheese is browned and all the liquid is absorbed.

How to stop a hamburger from shrinking

Image via Wikipedia

To stop a hamburger from shrinking you poke a hole in the center before you place it into the pan.
It's as easy as that.

Carrot Soup

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 lb. carrots, peeled and diced
2 apples, peeled and sliced
kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
4 pints vegetable broth
2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 Tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Method:

1. Heat olive oil and butter in a heavy saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat.
2. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions soften and start to turn golden about 15 minutes.
3. Reduce heat if onions start to brown.
4. Add celery, carrots and apples.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Cook, stirring, 3-4 minutes.
7. Add potatoes and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil for 10-15 minutes.
8. Puree soup in a blender.
9. Add honey and 1/4 tsp. of the crushed red pepper flakes.
10. Stir well. Taste and add the remaining red pepper flakes, if desired.