Tag: Vegetables

How to Eat Italian Food in Italy

If you want to get to the heart of Italian food, it’s best to go the source. For an authentic experience you don’t just need to get into the country of Italy, you need to get into Italian homes where traditional Italian food was birthed. That’s right, if you want to get to the heart of the cuisine you need to go where it’s cooked and served from the heart, in an actual Italian home.

There are some differences to the layout of an Italian home cooked meal versus other cuisines that you’ll want to be aware of. First off, real Italian food is not meant just to bring sustenance; it exists to bring family and friends together. An Italian meal is at least three to four courses and is not something to be rushed through. Meals in general are longer in Italy because of the cultural view that meal times are not just about feeding the body, but about feeding the soul.

One of the most surprising things to foreigners about an Italian meal is the first course it typically the most filling. There is an antipasti or appetizer course, but there is no salad or soup to ease your way into the meal. Right from the antipasti diners delve into the primo or “first course”. This is the course that will look most familiar to foreigners because it is where that delicious pasta that Italian food is famous for is served. This primo course is where most people’s knowledge of Italian food ends. Few people realize that there is much more to Italian food than just this primo pasta.

The next part of the meal is the secondo or “second course”. Here is the main dish. Yes, that’s right, the pasta that was just served in the primo, while filling, is not the main dish. The second course is where you’ll find the meat of the meal. In the North there will most likely be veal, pork, or chicken. In the South and coastal regions you’re more likely to find freshly caught fish. With this course will come a contorno or “side dish”. This is where you’ll get a chance to get your daily vegetables in. Traditionally this will come in the form of a fresh salad.

To end the meal diners get not one, but two desserts. The first is a cheese and fruit course that will help prepare you for the dolce or main dessert. The dolce will be the rich dessert of the evening, such as cake. Of course, the meal will end with coffee or espresso, a classical capstone to the array of Italian food that has been served. However, there is one last course to come that foreigners may not be so familiar with. The last course is actually the digestive course and consists of liquors and is often referred to as the “coffee killer”.

After having an authentic dining experience as the one outlined above, foreigners will leave Italy with a much better grasp on what Italian food is. There is more to this fine cuisine than pasta and pizzas. In fact, by the time the “coffee killer” comes around the primo pasta course is starting to fade in memory, buried by the exciting meat dishes, fresh vegetables, fruits, cheeses, and coffees that have made Italian food one of the most sought after cuisines in Europe.

What’s Special about Rachel Ray Receipes

Rachel Ray receipes are special because they’re recipes that almost everyone can make. You don’t have to be an expert cook to make many of her 30 minute meals recipes. And even her more complicated recipes are much simpler than you’ll find with some other TV chefs.

With Rachel Ray’s meals, you get a very basic recipe at the core. While some recipes do have a few exotic ingredients that everyone won’t have in the pantry, most do not. This shows that Rachel understands what the average home cook is looking for.

How many times have you been watching a cooking show and been disappointed, This is a common problem with many recipes you’ll find on television. The finished product is beautiful and looks delicious, but only a chef can actually make it!

Often, the recipes are exotic things that few ordinary people would even try. When there are more than a couple of ingredients that you don’t already have, it’s easy to get discouraged. And when there are expensive ingredients that you would buy and never use except for that recipe, it’s unlikely you even want to try it.

Rachel Ray recipes, however, are full of ingredients that are common. Basic ingredients like pasta, vegetables, fruits, cheese, milk, extra virgin olive oil and things you probably have on hand are the staples in her meals.

This makes her recipes easy for almost anyone to try. And usually, when there is an ingredient that you might not have on hand, it’s one that you can use in many other things. Capers, for instance, aren’t something everyone buys. But if you buy them for one recipe, she’ll have several others that use them, too.

This gives even the most inexperienced cook a chance to try something new. Done this way, you won’t be stuck paying a lot of money for an ingredient with one use. This is all too often what happens when you follow other top chef’s recipes.

With Rachel Ray’s recipes, you also don’t have to buy any of her pre-packaged products. While she does have some food products available, like chicken and beef broth, her recipes don’t require that you use them. Rachel Ray’s meals are truly recipes that you can use without special knowledge or brand-name purchases.

It’s also fun to cook along with someone who’s really enthusiastic about the recipes. She actually makes the meals in 30 minutes on the television show. Unlike other cooking shows, nothing is pre-chopped or prepared in advance. So you could actually do the same thing she does and follow along.

If you’re looking for a simple and fast meal, Rachel Ray’s 30 Minute Meals can’t be beat. You can make a main dish, a side dish, and usually a salad and a dessert all in a half an hour. And since the ingredients are mostly common ones, you can find the exact things she uses.

With Rachel Ray receipes that are so simple and easy to follow, everyone should be able to enjoy her fun and healthy 30 minute meals.

Detox Diet: Juice Fasting Recipes

Juice fasting is gaining popularity as a great way to detoxify. Many people are interested in getting toxins out of their system so they can live a healthier life. When toxins accumulate in the body, they feel sluggish and also have a poor immune system. Juice fasting, as a cleansing method, can help to people to achieve better health and more energy. It is quite easy to do as fruits are readily obtainable and all that is required additionally is a juicer.

For a beginner to juice fasting, it is important to start out slow and to try it out for one day. By juice fasting, you are limiting your intake to juices only. Fruit juice is high in sugar, so if you are a diabetic or otherwise in need of monitoring your sugar intake you should be cautious of trying a juice fast with fruit juices. Anyone just starting out with fasting should always speak with their doctor first. Also, do not juice fast for prolonged periods like more than 3 days, not unless your doctor agrees that it is safe for you to do so.

The following are sample recipes that can help give you an idea of combinations of fruits and vegetables to use together:

Recipe 1: Vegetable Juice Combo

2 Swiss chard leaves

1/2 beetroot

2 or 3 sprigs of watercress

3 carrots

1 celery stalk

Wash with filtered or distilled water, cut and put in juicer.

Recipe 2: Carrot-Apple Juice

2-3 Green Apples

1 carrot

Fresh basil leaves

Wash with filtered or distilled water, cut and put in juicer.

Recipe 3: Carrot-Vegetable Juice

A handful of dandelion leaves

1 kale leaf

4 carrots

Fresh mint, basil or coriander leaves

Wash with filtered or distilled water, cut and put in juicer.

Recipe 4: Peach Juice

2 or 3 peaches

Wash with filtered or distilled water, cut and put in juicer.

There are many different types of juice fasts. Some diets call for fruit juices while others used less sugary vegetable juices. You can always come up with your own unique combination of fruit and vegetable juice diet recipes.

What You Need to Know about Calcium Citrate

We eat everyday.

Others may prepare your food or you do it yourself. You use fresh foods to prepare your meal such as newly picked vegetables or unsullied meat products. There are times that you do not have the luxury of time to buy and carefully choose what is fresh and blemished. Henceforth, you run to the nearest shopping center and buy some canned goods.

Whenever you buy canned goods, seldom it is that you read the small labels written on the package. You barely read what the ingredients are. Did you know that there are some canned goods that contain calcium citrate? If you only read labels then you would know.

If our body needs salt, then citric acids also need salt. The salt of citric acids is termed as calcium citrate. Usually it is utilized as a food preservative or as food flavoring. However if you are to carefully discover the value of calcium citrate, you will know the following aspects.

These days many people are consulting their physicians due to calcium deficiency. Calcium citrate can help avert and to some extent, cure calcium deficiencies and other related conditions.

Potential Calcium Citrate Users
You can take calcium citrate to fill the gap of any calcium deficit. Make sure though that you have verified with your physician the following conditions before taking calcium citrate:

1. If you are pregnant and plans to breastfeed.

2. If you have kidney illness and related health problems.

3. If you are taking other calcium-related vitamins. Additionally, convey to your physician if you have been taking antacids.

Proper Intake of Calcium Citrate
Ensure that you have your physician s prescription and advise to take calcium citrate. By doing this you will avoid further health damage to yourself. Furthermore, it is also important for you to know proper intake of calcium citrate.

” Your physician will give you instructions on how to take calcium citrate. Make sure to follow them.

” Do not try to ingest calcium citrate directly without the help of water. It is recommended that you consume calcium citrate with a glassful of water.

” Unless directed by your physician, it is best to take calcium citrate after taking your meals.

Calcium citrate is not just an ordinary food preservative or flavoring, it is more to that. It helps you achieve the calcium that is needed by your body so you will have strong bones and a healthy well being.

Good Chinese Recipes for Beginners

Choosing a good Chinese recipe can be hard if you have never prepared much Chinese food in the past. With ingredients you may not be used to and cooking styles you are unfamiliar with, it might seem a little scary when looking through recipes.

Its best to start with something easy and fun unless you are an experienced cook or you know exactly what you want. If you absolutely love pot stickers, you might try making those.

For most people, the best Chinese recipes to start with are single course dishes. The easiest are usually rice, a few vegetables and one kind of meat.

If you get more complex than that, you might have too much going on at once and it can feel overwhelming. Its very easy to start some rice and cook your meal while the rice is cooking.

Rice usually takes about 20 minutes and it should take about that long to cut some meat and vegetables and get them cooking. Stir fry is the easiest thing to cook. Its basically meat and vegetables seared over high heat while stirring constantly.

When choosing a Chinese recipe, you should keep in mind how many people you are going to feed. If its just a meal for one or two, you can get a little fancier and try a couple different types of sauce.

If you are feeding kids, you cant go wrong with something familiar like sweet and sour chicken. If you try to serve up a bunch of Chinese bean pancakes, the kids might protest.

Its always best to start small and try something familiar.