Deviled Eggs Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 dozen eggs

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 Tbsp minced onion or shallot

1/4 teaspoon tabasco

Salt and pepper

Paprika

METHOD

1 First hard boil the eggs.  Fill up a large saucepan half-way with water and gently add the eggs. Cover the eggs with at least an inch of water. Add a teaspoon of vinegar to the water (this will help contain egg whites from leaking out if any of the shells crack while cooking). Add a pinch of salt to the water. Bring the water to a boil. Cover, and remove from heat. Let sit covered for 12-15 minutes. Drain hot water from pan and run cold water over the eggs. (At this point if you crack the egg shells while the eggs are cooling, it will make it easier to peel the shells.) Let sit in the cool water a few minutes, changing the water if necessary to keep it cool.

2 Peel the eggs. Using a sharp knife, slice each egg in half, lengthwise. Gently remove the yolk halves and place in a small mixing bowl. Arrange the egg white halves on a serving platter.

3 Using a fork, mash up the yolks and add mustard, mayonnaise, onion, tabasco, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Spoon egg yolk mixture into the egg white halves. Sprinkle with paprika

Grilled Halibut Salad Niçoise

INGREDIENTS

VINAIGRETTE

1 medium clove garlic

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 tablespoons fresh orange juice, plus more to taste

1/4 cup white-wine vinegar or red-wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

SALAD

1 1/2 pounds red potatoes (5-6 medium), scrubbed and halved

1 1/4 pounds green beans, trimmed

Juice of 1 large lemon

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1 pound Pacific halibut or striped bass (see Note)

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper, plus more to taste

1 large head Boston lettuce

1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes

3 hard-boiled eggs (see Tip), peeled and cut into wedges

1/4 cup sliced pitted black Niçoise or Kalamata olives

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

PREPARATION

To prepare vinaigrette: Peel the garlic and smash with the side of a chef’s knife. Using a fork, mash the garlic with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl to form a coarse paste. Whisk in 5 tablespoons oil. Add 6 tablespoons orange juice, vinegar and mustard; whisk until well blended. Taste and whisk in up to 4 tablespoons more juice to mellow the flavor; season with more salt, if desired. Set aside at room temperature.

To prepare salad: Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan fitted with a steamer basket. Add potatoes; cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, slice and place in a shallow bowl. Drizzle with 1/3 cup vinaigrette; set aside.

Add beans to the steamer basket; cook until bright green and just tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Rinse in a colander with cold water until cool. Drain well. Place in a medium bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons vinaigrette.

Combine lemon juice, 2 tablespoons oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a sturdy sealable plastic bag; shake until the salt dissolves. Add fish and marinate for up to 20 minutes while you ready the grill.

Preheat grill to medium-high for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to medium. (For a charcoal grill, wait until the flames subside and only coals and some ash remain—flames will cause the oil on the fish to burn.)

Drain the fish and pat dry with paper towels. Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill the fish, turning once, until browned and just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side for halibut; 3 to 4 minutes per side for bass.

Arrange lettuce leaves on a large serving platter. Arrange the fish (whole or flaked into large chunks), potatoes, green beans and tomatoes on top. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette. Garnish with eggs, olives, parsley and pepper to taste.

Cooking Tips...

10 Bad Cooking Habits You Should Break

Learn more about 10 cooking habits you should break.

Some habits can be tough to break. When it comes to cooking, you may have some bad habits that you’re not even aware of. Some may be keeping your meal just short of reaching perfection while others may actually be hazardous to your health. Below are 10 common bad cooking habits that you should break:

1. Heating Oil Until It Smokes

1. Heating Oil Until It Smokes

3. Overfilling Your Pan

4. You Don’t Let Your Meat Rest

5. You Rinse Meat Before Cooking

6. Using Nonstick Pans on High Heat

7. Using Metal Utensils on Nonstick Pans

8. Blending Hot Liquids (Without Removing the Stopper

9. Put Pyrex Dishes Under the Broiler

10. Overmixing Batter

5 Foods You Shouldn't Keep in Your Fridge

1. Tomatoes

OK, a tomato is technically a fruit, but taste-wise, it’s closer to a vegetable. If you’ve ever grown tomatoes, then you know that they love the heat and hate the cold. Turns out even after they’re plucked from the vine, they still hold their aversion to cold. The fridge is not the ideal place to store tomatoes. Store them there and your perfect tomatoes turn into a mealy disappointment. They’ll still be good for cooking, but not the best for eating fresh. Instead store them on your counter (not in direct sunlight) and enjoy them when they’re ripe.

2. Basil

Tomatoes and basil go well together on your plate and it turns out they have similar needs in the storage department too. Like tomatoes, basil loves the heat, so extended periods of time in a cold environment like a refrigerator causes it to wilt prematurely. Basil will do best if it’s stored on your counter and treated as you would fresh cut-flowers. A fresh bunch of basil can be stored for in a cup of water (change it every day or two) away from direct sunlight. Covering it loosely with a plastic bag will help keep it moist (but make sure the bag has an opening to allow for some fresh air to seep in).

3. Potatoes

Potatoes like cool, not cold temperatures. They do best at around 45 degrees F, which is about 10 degrees warmer than the average refrigerator. Most of us don’t have a root cellar (a cool, dark place to store root vegetables like potatoes), so keeping them in a paper bag in a coolish spot (like a pantry) is best. Why paper? It’s more breathable then plastic so potatoes won’t succumb to rot as easily. And why not the fridge? Storing potatoes at cold temperatures converts their starch to sugar more quickly, which can affect the flavor, texture and the way they cook.

4. Potatoes

Potatoes like cool, not cold temperatures. They do best at around 45 degrees F, which is about 10 degrees warmer than the average refrigerator. Most of us don’t have a root cellar (a cool, dark place to store root vegetables like potatoes), so keeping them in a paper bag in a coolish spot (like a pantry) is best. Why paper? It’s more breathable then plastic so potatoes won’t succumb to rot as easily. And why not the fridge? Storing potatoes at cold temperatures converts their starch to sugar more quickly, which can affect the flavor, texture and the way they cook.

5. Avocados

Avocados don’t start to ripen until after they’re picked from the tree. If you’re buying a rock-hard avocado, don’t store it in your refrigerator, as it slows the ripening process. On the other hand, if you have a perfectly ripe avocado that you’re not ready to use, storing it in the refrigerator may work to your advantage by prolonging your window of opportunity to use it before it becomes overripe. So the bottom line on storing avocados is store hard, unripe avocados on your counter and store ripe avocados in your refrigerator if you’re not going to eat them right away.

Top 10 Cooking Tips

1. Preserve the nutrients and colors in veggies. Cook them quickly by steaming or stir-frying.
2. Use herbs, vinegar, tomatoes, onions and/or fat-free or low-fat sauces or salad dressings for better health, especially if you have high blood pressureor high cholesterol.
3. Use your time and your freezer wisely. When you cook once, make it last longer by preparing enough for several other meals. Freeze it and have a ready-made healthy treat for the next time you are simply too tired to bother.
4. A smoothie can cover a multitude of needs. Throw a banana (you can keep them in the freezer for weeks) into your blender along with frozen berries, kiwi or whatever fruit is around, some orange or other 100% juice, some fat-free or low-fat yogurt. You can get 4–5 servings of fruit in one glass of yummy shake. Try getting your loved one to sip on a smoothie. It’s easy, cool, refreshing and healthy.
5. Prepared seasonings can have high salt content and increase your risk for high blood pressure. Replace salt with herbs and spices or some of the salt-free seasoning mixes. Use lemon juice, citrus zest or hot chilies to add flavor.
6. Canned, processed and preserved vegetables often have very high sodium content. Look for “low-sodium” veggies or try the frozen varieties. Compare the sodium content on the Nutrition Facts label of similar products (for example, different brands of tomato sauce) and choose the products with less sodium. If you buy canned, rinse veggies under cold water to reduce the level of sodium.
7. Prepare muffins and quick breads with less saturated fat and fewer calories. Use three ripe, very well-mashed bananas, instead of 1/2 cup butter, lard, shortening or oil or substitute one cup of applesauce per one cup of these fats.
8. Choose whole grain for part of your ingredients instead of highly refined products. Use whole-wheat flour, oatmeal and whole cornmeal. Whole-wheat flour can be substituted for up to half of all-purpose flour. For example, if a recipe calls for 2 cups of flour, try 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour.
9. In baking, use plain fat-free or low-fat yogurt or fat-free or low-fat sour cream.
10. Another way to decrease the amount of fat and calories in your recipes is to use fat-free milk or 1% milk instead of whole or reduced-fat (2%) milk. For extra richness, try fat-free half-and-half or evaporated skim milk.

मूंग पोहा...

क्या चाहिए :

१ कटोरी भीगा पोहा और उबले मूंग,१/२ कटोरी बारिक कता टमाटर,प्याज,ओबले आलू और तेल,१ चमच राय,जीरा,बारिक कटी हरी मिर्च,१/२ चम्मच हल्दी पाउडर ,२ चमम्च निम्बू का रस और स्वादानुसार नमक|

ऐसे बनाएँ :

कढाही में तेल डालकर गर्म करें |इसमें जीरा व राई तद्कायें और प्याज डालकर भून लें |टमाटर व हल्दी डालकर पकाएं |फिर एक एक कर शेष सामग्री डालते जाएँ और अच्छी तरह मिला लें |मूंग पोहा तैयार है |

इन्हें भी आजमाइए...

• दहीं बड़े तलने के मिश्रण में थोडा दूध डालकर फेंट लें |इससे बड़े ज्यादा स्पंजी बनेगे |
• सुखी हरी मिर्च को फेंके नहीं,बल्कि उसमे नमक,जीरा,लहसुन,अम्चुर डालकर कूट लें |स्वादिष्ट चटनी बनेगी |
• मठरी,पापरी तलने से पहले आधा घंटा पहले बेलकर रख लें |इससे तलने में समय कम लगेगा और ये ज्यादा कुरकुरी भी बनेगी |
• खड़ी डालें बनाते समय कम से कम दो घंटे पहले धोकर भिगो दें |पकाने में समय और गैस दोनों कि बचत होगी |
• सब्जी कि ग्रेवी बनाते समय उसमे जरा सा गर्म पानी डालें |इससे स्वाद में इजाफा होगा|
• दूध का पनीर बनाने के बाद पनीर के बचे पानी से आटा गूंध लें |इससे मुलायम और स्वादिष्ट रोटी.पूरी या परांठा बना सकते हैं |इसके इलावा सब्जी बनाते समय भी पनीर का बच हुआ पानी सब्जी में डाला जा सकता है |

Boeuf Bourguignon

Americans have come to love this French classic. It originated in the Burgundy region, which is renowned for the wonderful wine that is the basis for this robust stew. Serve with boiled potatoes or chunks of crusty French bread

Ingredients:

2 slices bacon, chopped

2 pounds lean boneless beef chuck,trimmed and cut into 11⁄2-inch pieces

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 large onion (12 ounces), chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons tomato paste

2 cups dry red wine

1⁄2 bay leaf

1 teaspoon plus pinch salt

1⁄4 teaspoon plus pinch ground black pepper

1 pound small white onions, peeled

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup water

1 pound mushrooms, trimmed and cut into quarters if large

Method:

1. In nonreactive 5-quart Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until just beginning to brown.With slotted spoon, transfer bacon to medium bowl.

2. Pat beef dry with paper towels. Add 1 teaspoon oil to Dutch oven and increase heat to medium-high. Add beef, in batches, to bacon drippings and cook until well browned, using slotted spoon to transfer beef as it is browned to bowl with bacon. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil if necessary.

3. Reduce heat to medium. Add chopped onion, carrots, and garlic to Dutch oven; cook until onion and carrots are tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in flour; cook 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste; cook 1 minute. Add wine,bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper, stirring until browned bits are loosened. Return beef and bacon to Dutch oven; heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until beef is very tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Skim and discard fat

4. Meanwhile, in 10-inch skillet, combine small white onions, 1 tablespoon butter, sugar, and water. Heat to boiling; cover and simmer until onions are just tender, about 10 minutes. Remove cover and cook over medium-high heat, swirling pan occasionally, until water has evaporated and onions are golden. Transfer to bowl; keep warm.

5. In same skillet,melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and remaining pinch each salt and pepper; cook, stirring, until mushrooms are tender and liquid has evaporated. Stir onions and mushrooms into stew.

Homemade Chicken Broth

Rich in chicken flavor, this traditional broth is lightly seasoned with herbs. Besides making wonderful chicken soups, it can be used in casseroles, rice dishes and other recipes that call for chicken broth

ingredients:

In 6-quart saucepot, combine 1 chicken (3 to 31⁄2 pounds), including neck (giblets reserved for another use), 2 carrots, peeled and cut into

2-inch pieces, 1 stalk celery, cut into 2-inch pieces, 1 medium onion, cut into quarters, 5 parsley sprigs, 

1 garlic clove, 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme,

1⁄2 bay leaf, and enough water to cover (about 3 quarts); 

method

heat to boiling over high heat. Skim foam from surface. Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, turning chicken once and skimming. Remove from heat; transfer chicken to large bowl. When cool enough to handle, remove skin and bones from chicken. (Reserve chicken for another use.) Return skin and bones to sauce pot and heat to boiling. Skim foam; reduce heat and simmer 3 hours. Strain broth through colander into large bowl; discard solids. Strain again through sieve into containers; cool. Cover and refrigerate to use within 3 days, or freeze up to 4 months.To use, skim and discard fat from surface of broth

Beef and Barley Soup

Prep:45 minutes C O O K 2 hours 30 minutes ,Makes about 16 cups or 8 main-dish servings

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon plus 4 teaspoons vegetable oil

3 medium stalks celery, diced

1 large onion, diced

11⁄2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

2 cans (133⁄4 to 141⁄2 ounces each) beef broth

1 can (141⁄2 ounces) diced tomatoes

6 cups water

1 cup pearl barley

5 medium carrots (12 ounces),

peeled and cut crosswise into

1⁄4-inch-thick slices

5 medium parsnips (12 ounces),

peeled and cut crosswise into

1⁄4-inch-thick slices

2 medium turnips (8 ounces), peeled and diced

3 strips (3" by 1" each) orange peel pinch ground cloves

Method:

1. In 8-quart Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over mediumhigh heat until hot. Add celery and onion and cook until tender and golden, about 10minutes, stirring occasionally; transfer vegetables to bowl.

2. Pat beef dry with paper towels. In same Dutch oven, heat 2 teaspoons oil over high heat until hot. Add half of beef and cook until browned on all sides. Remove to plate. Repeat with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and the beef.

3. Return beef to Dutch oven. Stir in salt, celery mixture, beef broth, tomatoes with their juice, and water; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 1 hour.

4. Add barley, carrots, parsnips, turnips, orange peel, and cloves; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 50 to 60 minutes, until beef, barley, and vegetables are tender

Green Soup

Makes 8 servings, about 17.; cups each

Total Time: about 1 hour

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish

2 yellow onions, chopped

1 tsp. salt, divided

1/4 cup arborio rice

1 lb. greens: green chard, kale,mustard greens, or beet greens

14 cups gently packed spinach (about 12 oz.)

4 cups vegetable broth

Big pinch cayenne pepper

1 tbs.lemon juice, or more to taste

METHOD:

1. Heat oil in large skillet over high heat. Add onions and Y. tsp. salt; cook, stirring, until onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add 2 tbs.water, and cover. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are greatly reduced and have a caramel color, 25 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine 3 cups water, remaining 3/4tsp. salt, and rice in soup pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook 15 minutes. Trim ribs and tough stems from the greens and spinach; discard. Coarsely chop greens and spinach.

3. When rice has cooked 15 minutes, stir in greens. Return to a simmer; cover and cook 10 minutes. When onions are caramelized, stir a little greens' simmering liquid into them; immediately add them to rice along with spinach, broth, and cayenne. Return to a simmer, cover, and cook until spinach is tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes more.

4. Puree soup in pot with immersion blender until perfectly smooth, or in regular blender in batches. Stir in lemon juice and garnish with olive oil.

Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts (boneless)

1/2 lb. rotini

2 lg. carrots, diced

diced celery

1 lg. red pepper

1 med. sliced white onion

20 sliced black olives

1 lg. cucumber,

1 lg. tomato

black pepper, dill

basil

1/2 bottle low fat Italian dressing

Directions:

Season the chicken breasts; bake at 350 degrees until slightly brown and put on the side. Cook pasta and keep on the side to cool. Dice all the vegetables and mix together.

Add dill, black pepper, and basil to taste. Add cooled chicken and pasta; add Italian dressing and toss together. Serve cold as a main dish.