Easy methods to Reduce Cold Sores Naturally.: februari 2011

maandag 28 februari 2011

Today's question comes from the heartland (Brooklyn):

Q: I just moved, and while I love the new place, there isn't enough room in my cabinets for the thousands of glass, plastic, and metal lids I've somehow amassed over the years. All of them belong to useful pans and casserole dishes, but I need help organizing them. We're not allowed to anchor shelves in the walls, but we do have plenty of floor space. Any ideas?

A: Readers, this one is all you. Help!

Want to ask the interweb a question? Post one in the comment section, or write to Cheaphealthygood@gmail.com. Then, tune in next Tuesday for an answer/several answers from the good people of the World Wide Net.

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Hemp-anola

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TACO BELL

I admit it, there are certain items that I really enjoy at Taco Bell. Yes, I know it's not authentic Mexican food, but when you like something, well, you overlook things like that. One thing I enjoy at TB is a warm condiment called red sauce. It is not the (cold) hot sauce that comes in a packet; it is the steaming hot red sauce that is served on their tostados and their Mexican pizza. This recipe is about as close to the original taste as you can get!!!

1 8 ounce can of tomato sauce
1/3 cup water
� teaspoon chili powder
1� teaspoon ground cumin
1� teaspoons dry onion flakes
1 tablespoon white vinegar
� teaspoon garlic powder
� teaspoon garlic salt
� teaspoon paprika
� teaspoon white sugar
� teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix everything and simmer (on very low) for 15-20 minutes. Serve hot. The "spice level" is very moderate if you use it right away. It is a little spicier if you let it sit in the fridge overnight.

Serve (as a hot condiment) with any Mexican food.

I like this as a dip for chips too.

NOTE: I was surprised to see that there is vinegar in this sauce (you can't taste it in the final product).

NOTE: I don't usually buy garlic salt. I just mix it up with 3 parts salt to 1 part garlic powder, stir well.

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Navigating the Reboot: Getting Back on Track After Falling Off of It. (The Track, I Mean.)

(Note to readers: This post is a tad self-indulgent. [On a blog! Go figure.] But hopefully, it'll help some folks who have been sidetracked on their financial and foodie journeys.)

Between September and early January, I was adopted by a cat, got married, went on my honeymoon, traveled to another wedding, got a new job, traveled for Thanksgiving, moved to a new apartment, blew through Christmas, traveled for New Year, broke my toe, and was buried in snow up to my cerebellum. Except for the prolonged limping, it was fantastic. I loved every minute with family, co-workers, and various strangers at the airport.

However.

You know all those good intentions you have stored in the back of your mind? And those behaviors you honed and practiced until they became habits? And those years and years of good financial, nutritional, and organizational practices, which you blog about almost every day, to the point where your husband asks with some regularity when you?re coming to bed?

Um.

Not to say I?ve spent the last few months buying Lexuses and cleaning out Chipotle. But I?m ludicrously out of shape, and my financial discipline has fallen way off. Part of this is (see above reasons). Another part is that I?m cooking for three different websites, all of which require an array of totally unrelated groceries. As far as the third part, I have no excuse. Spreadsheets made me sneezy? Yeah, that's the ticket.

Yet, my undies are not in bundles. It?s been a wonderful few months, which I wouldn?t trade for all 30 Rock reruns in the world. And, though it's not often mentioned in the frugality blogosphere, it's thoroughly possible to temporarily neglect budgeting and still feel okay about yourself.

But now, it's time to shape up, ship out (?), and get back on the horse. (You know the horse. It?s big and made out of money and noodles.) So here's my plan. Maybe it's applicable to your situation, too, and we can track our progress together. That would be neat.

1) Set some measureable goals, both long and short term. There's no better way to spark action and drive than having a quantifiable objective. For the short term, I'd like to get in shape, at least to the point where I'm not winded by subway stairs. For the long term, HOTUS and I would like to buy an abode before the apocalypse. So it's time to start saving.

2) Forecast necessities. First, the Commodore 64 from which I write this blog will soon be incompatible with ? anything remotely technological (though it will make an incredible paperweight). Second, I'm running out of contact lenses. Actually having none would not only impair my ability to see, but impair my ability to get fuzzies caught between my contact and my eye. And last, but not least, my iPod, which I love like a child, has a big ol' line running through the screen. Is this a necessity? That's like asking, "Can I live without daily infusions of Weezer's Pinkerton?" Which ? duh. No.

3) Create spreadsheets/tangible records. (*Sigh*) As it turns out, procuring a new job and a new husband kind of blows your former budgeting process to tiny pieces. Getting a handle on our spending, plus our combined financial powers, will go a long way towards accomplishing #1. Hello, Excel. Be nice to me.

4) Work out. For real, now. While dreams of being the first woman to play Major League Baseball have long been quashed by the sad acceptance of my A) total physical incompetence, and B) gender, it doesn't mean I should forgo exercise entirely. A 33-year-old shouldn't be stiff arising from bed in the morning. So, walking (and perhaps the dreaded jogging) will soon be in order.

And those are it for now. Readers, have you ever fallen off the horse? How did you get back on? Tips are sweet.

~~~

If this prolonged navel gazing appealed to you, you might also enjoy these:

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Pasta with Marinated Tempeh and Goat Cheese

My dear friend Susan recently sent me a copy of The Meat Lover's Meatless Cookbook by Kim O'Donnel. Carnivores won't be disappointed and vegetarians are sure to find lots of creative ideas to serve to their meat eating friends, along with their vegetarian diners. The book is divided into sections focusing on the four seasons, along with some Wild Card recipes, but any of the recipes in this book would suit the palate anytime of year.

52 menus are offered up to tempt the palate and nourish the soul. Ignoring the mention of climate change and obesity, this book offers plenty of ideas for grains, legumes, pasta, vegetables and salads, along with some solutions for cooks wanting one-pot meals, and those looking for slightly more complicated meals complete with side suggestions. There are not many pictures presented, but do not let that discourage you from obtaining a copy of this resourceful book.

This is my contribution to Presto Pasta Night, a popular event started by Ruth and hosted this week by Fuss Free Flavours. Congratulations to Ruth, as this week will be the 200th edition.

Pasta with Marinated Tempeh and Goat Cheese

Adapted from The Meat Lover's Meatless Cookbook

12 ounces of tempeh, cut into small cubes or strips
3 tablespoons of tamari
3 teaspoons of Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons of sesame oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
juice from 1 fresh lime
1 - 2 teaspoons of hot sauce
sesame oil for frying
3 shallots, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
1 cup of dried pasta (penne, rotini, shell pasta or whatever you have on hand)
3 - 4 ounces of goat cheese
4 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
a generous handful of Asiago cheese
small handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

In a small bowl, marinate the tempeh, tamari, mustard, sesame oil, garlic, lime juice and hot sauce for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to coat evenly.

Heat 1/4 cup of sesame oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium heat. When hot, add the shallots and stir and fry for about 10 minutes. Add the tempeh to the pan, along with the marinated mixture and thyme. Fry, stirring often, until the tempeh is browned evenly and the liquid is reduced.

While the tempeh is cooking, prepare the pasta. Drain well.

To serve, line a serving bowl with the goat cheese, cover with the hot pasta and toss. Add the tempeh along with the parsley and some salt and pepper and stir gently to combine. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and Asiago.

Serves 4 - 6

More tempeh recipes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Thai Tempeh Patties with a Red Chili Dipping Sauce
Oseng Oseng Tempe
Tempeh-miso Breakfast Patties

On the top of the reading stack: Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours

Audio Accompaniment: Markus Guentner

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Mango Orange Dressing on Prosciutto Apple Salad

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Peking Hot and Sour Soup Recipe

For many of us in northern climates, it's been a long, hard winter. Now we have welcomed Easter as a first sign of spring. My husband and I had a great time this weekend together with friends and family, eating traditional Easter foods, such as eggs, herring, candies, and chocolates, of course. But now my body wants to eat something that is quite different.

INGREDIENTS:

* 12 dl/5 cups water
* 3 chicken flavored bouillon cubes
* 1 chicken fillet, cut into small dices
* 125-200 grams fresh mushrooms, prepared & sliced
* � leek, finely shredded
* �-1 red bell pepper, cores and seeds removed, finely chopped
* 1 can water chestnuts, sliced (227-grams/1 cup/250 ml)
* 2 tablespoons tomato pure
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* �-1 teaspoon sambal oelek chili paste
* 2 teaspoons white distilled vinegar (12%)
* 1-1� msk potato starch

METHOD:
1. Bring water, chicken bouillon cubes and sambal oelek to boil.
2. Add chicken and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add mushroom, leek, bell pepper, water chestnuts, tomato pure and sugar.
4. Simmer about 10 minutes.
5. Season to taste with distilled white vinegar, sugar and sambal oelek.
6. Mix the potato starch with the same amount of cold water.
7. Slowly pour the potato starch mixture into the soup, stirring.
8. Bring the soup just to the boil and remove immediately from heat.

Yield: 4 (if a main course)

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Homemade Creamed Corn

As a child, I always enjoyed corn, but not particularly creamed corn from a can. This recipe that I drafted changed my mind because it is homemade. A sprinkling of red pepper flakes, some fine freshly cracked black pepper, combined with corn kernels and fresh cream makes all the difference and you can control the salt content besides.

I made this in preparation for some Johnny cakes to go along with a baked Potato Puff. Certainly a warming winter meal. I do enjoy vegan dinners, but sometimes I just want something that is packed full of cheese and carbs. This really should become a staple on your menu.

Homemade Creamed Corn

5 cups of frozen corn, thawed
1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar
freshly cracked black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of butter or oil
2/3 cup of whole milk
2 heaping tablespoons of chickpea flour (besan)
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon of fresh chives, finely chopped
1/2 cup of fresh Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Heat the butter (or oil) in a large pot or wok over medium heat. When hot, add the corn, cream, salt, pepper and sugar. Bring to a boil.

Whisk together the milk and chickpea flour. Once the corn mixture is boiling, add to the pot, along with the red pepper flakes and chives. Reduce the heat to medium and stir and cook until the mixture is thickened - roughly 10 - 15 minutes. Add more cream if desired to reach your desired consistency. Stir in the cheese and serve warm.

Serves 6.

More corn recipes from Lisa's Kitchen:
Tomato Corn Chowder
Quinoa Soup with Corn
Corn and Pinto Bean Dip
Corn Pancakes with Fresh Chunky Salsa

On the top of the reading stack: The National Post

Audio Accompaniment: Dynamic Stillness by Steve Roach

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Save Money on Big-Ticket Holiday Gifts

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Cheap Healthy Good and the Triangle of Compromise

A few weeks ago, I was having dinner with a friend who works with computers. After our fries were finished, we started talking about his job. ?Here?s the thing,? he said, ?and I think it happens with a lot of different occupations. When you work with clients, they want your work to be quick, cheap, and thorough. And you kind of have to tell them to pick two.?

?Why can?t they expect all three?? I wondered.

He phrased his response carefully. ?Well, you have other clients who demand your time. And competition is always pretty fierce.? He sipped his Guinness. ?And it?s kind of the natural order of things, you know??

?Explain.?

?Um, well. Think of it like this: If they want it done fast and cheap, the standard of work isn?t going to be very high. If they want it done fast and right, they?re going to have to fork over money for the extra manpower. And if they want it done cheap and right, it?s gonna take awhile.?

"Like a triangle."

"Yep."

?So getting all three is impossible??

He shook his head. ?Nope. You can get a little of everything if you?re willing to compromise. It?s kind of that sweet spot in the middle.?

?But getting people to compromise is tough.?

?Always.?

I nodded. The triangle idea made sense in a work context. And, when I though about it, it started to make sense in other contexts, too. ?You know, it?s kind of like finding a New York apartment, except the parameters change a little.?

?Okay." More Guinness. "Go on."

?If you want a place that?s cheap and in a great neighborhood, it?s going to be a rat-infested hellhole.?

?Like your old place.?

?Right,? I continued. ?And let?s say you have kids, and you want a place that?s cheap and nice. It?s going to be a gabillion miles from any subway stop. That?s why all our friends end up in Jersey.?

He finished my thought: "And you have to be making Derek Jeter-caliber money to live in a nice place in a good neighborhood."

"Right. Jeez. That guy."

Later that night, I tried to apply the idea to Cheap Healthy Good. And it got harder. Because here's the thing:

People say you can buy cheap and healthy food, but it won't taste any good.
People say you can buy delicious, healthy food, but it will cost a bagillion dollars.
People say you can buy cheap, delicious food, but it will give you ten successive heart attacks.

I disagree with all of those conclusions. Like my friend, I believe that compromise is key to maintaining balance between the cheap, the healthy, and the good. I believe this is possible:

Paying a little more will get you healthier, scrumptious-ier food. Adding a little butter won't cost you much, and will keep food from tasting like lawn scraps. And actually preparing it yourself ? not a ten-course State dinner, but y'know, a casserole ? will cost less and give you a good chance of making it into your 80s.

(Of course, adding "time" or "effort" into the equation would be a logical extrapolation of this theory, but it turns the 2D drawing into a much-harder-to-understand 3D pyramid, which would simultaneously blow my mind and tax my pitifully scanty knowledge of graphic design to its breaking point, so we'll ignore it for now and get back to ruminating.)

So there you have it. The CHG Triangle of Compromise. It's exists to remind us of three things:

We need not engage in extreme, black-and-white thinking when it comes to eating inexpensively, healthfully, and well.
Compromise is the key to eating inexpensively, healthfully, and well.
I am bad at Photoshop.

Readers, what think you? If you have any geometrically-based theories, I'd love to hear 'em.

~~~

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zondag 27 februari 2011

Honey-Brined, Southern-Fried Chicken Breasts ? Boneless, Skinless, Low-Fat, and Delicious?

Is there anything less inspiring than a boneless-skinless chicken breast? There must be, but for the sake of this post, let's say there's not. So, how do we turn this culinary snoozer into something worthwhile? Fry it. Hey, that was easy.

Of course, the problem here is there's no flavorful skin on which to attach a crunchy coating. To add insult to injury, the fatty skin also protects the bland breast from drying out. Despite these obvious issues I decided to attempt Southern-fried boneless-skinless chicken breasts anyway.

As fate would have it, the same day I bought the chicken, Alton Brown was doing a honey-brined pork shoulder on Good Eats. To combat the dreaded dry chicken I decided to use a simplified variation to soak my breasts.

I won't bore you with all the scientific details, but through osmosis, brining raises the internal temperature at which the moisture is forced out of a protein. Even though I only brined my breasts for an hour, it worked like a charm. As you'll see in the recipe video, the meat was very juicy.

As far as the skinless-coating went, I was also pleasantly surprised. Even though it was incredibly thin, it stayed on the meat throughout the frying, and the final result was nothing short of quite good.

And yes, I am calling this low-fat (relative to regular Southern-fried chicken). When you eliminate the skin, you significantly reduce the calorie count, and even though we're cooking this is lots of oil, the coating is too thin to absorb very much of it.

If frying isn't your thing, still I encourage you to give this ultra-simple brine a try anyway. I think you will be impressed with its effect. I plan on using this on a regular basis this summer while rocking the grill. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 boneless-skinless chicken breasts
3 cups cold water
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
lots of cayenne
vegetable oil for frying