Missed MOMFest today? Sorry to hear that. Well I had a blast! And you will get a chance to experience it yourself next year.
In the meantime, I didn’t want you to miss Chef Marian’s recipes and talking points…. (the info I shared to help make this event successful).
I asked: “What kind of cook are you”? Someone who doesn’t cook? A beginner? Someone who does cook”?
I always ask, so that I know who I am talking to. If you’re a beginner I’m going to give you all kinds of detail like the tricks to dice an onion, or chop garlic. But if you know more? I will go into flavor combining, spice combining and give you a more advanced presentation. Well, we had a mix of at home cooks, so here’s what I gave them.
First the recipes:
Asian Brown Rice with Chicken Surprise!
1 cup of brown rice
2 cups broth
½ cup Pineapple Bits
3 stalks of green onion (scallions)
1/4 cup of cashews or toasted pine nuts
1 small head of broccoli
I tblspn Toasted Sesame Oil
1 piece of chicken (skin on/bone in) cut into small pieces
(stuffed with garlic marinated with hoisin & ginger)
1 clove of garlic
1 tblspn hoisin
1 small nub of Ginger finely grated
Salt
Pepper
You can figure out how cook the rice and combine everything, right?
RIGHT CHEF!
Yeah. It’s no big trick. I think the there a couple of points you need to know for this recipe, that I would rather use this space for. It’s more about ‘prep’ work than anything else:
- Don’t eat your calories in oil. (And with sesame oil? Less is more. It’s got a bang of flavor using very little oil).
- Use a small spray bottle, you can pick up at a beauty supply (in cool colors), or a spray of grapeseed oil for higher heats.
- When you peel ginger? Use the tip of a spoon to peel, not a knife, if you want to waste less. Plus someone in the group mentioned, I think it was Michelle from South Bay Bookkeeping Services that she grates it and freezes it. That was a great idea!
- Any time you want to cook chicken? Use legs with skin and bones (bones have flavor), sliver garlic and using your finger to separate the skin and meat, stuff the chicken piece with lots of garlic. Then smother the outside in hoisin sauce and grated ginger. Yum!
WHAT’S THE SECOND RECIPE CHEF?
Hang on. We’ll get there. First, let’s go over the value of the food we use in both recipes. Here’s my ‘talking’ points (my notes from my class):
- Cinnamon – comes from the Caribbean, South America, and Southeast Asia. Benefits? Lowers your negative response to high fat meals. Wait. Did you hear that? If you finish a high fat meal? Cut up some apples and add cinnamon. It does a body good! lol The US National Library of medicine also claims it helps with muscle spasms, diarrhea, vomiting and loss of appetite and guess what? It also has been known to help men get it up (“Bring in a truckload, one guest responded”)! lol I said, “How about a intravenous drip”? lol
- Nutmeg – has been used as a sedative, for muscle pain and you can create nutmeg oil for aching joints. Other uses? Indigestion, bad breath, as a liver and kidney detox, skin care, or as a sleep aid.
But I guess the one thing to consider is YOU. What spices and foods deliver their benefits to you? Because I’m sure that every ‘body’ is different, and every claim does not work for every ‘body’. So keep that in mind. If something appeals to you? Check with your doctor (disclaimer) then go for it as a natural way to heal yourself.
- Onions – make vitamin C work better, cures inflammation, heals infections, raw onions are heart healthy and how about that honey bee sting? Stick an onion on it!
- Mushrooms -Vitamin D, boosts immune system, good for asthma and recovering from a stroke.
- Sweet Potatoes – Called ‘the world’s healthiest food’ it contains beta carotene (see below this), antioxidants (lowers the risk of heart disease and cancer), is a great source of Vitamin A and also Vitamin C, has antioxidant nutrients, and processes slower to improve blood sugar.
- Beta Carotene – these antioxidants are found in apricots, asparagus, broccoli, dandelion leaves, kale, onions, spinach, squash and sweet potatoes.
At that point, I gave out Roasted Dandelion Tea (that I got from walking the Natural Food Show this past year), for everyone to take home and try. Don’t ask me why. I just like giving people new products to try! lol
Now someone asked (I think it was Sandy), the difference between Sweet Potatoes and Yams.
They’re both flowering root vegetables. But they’re from different families. Not even remote cousins! lol But yams have more natural sugars, and they’re good for your skin and hair. Now, a wild yam has natural estogen. So that’s going to help with hot flashes, pms and yes even diverticulosis (intestines inflamed).
THE SECOND RECIPE CHEF?
Alright. Alright. Here it is:
Quinoa Delight
1 cup of Quinoa
1-2 cups broth
1/2 cup of cashew pieces
3 mushrooms
1/2 potato or sweet potato
1 small onion
2-3 tblspn Olive Oil
1/2 tspn Cinnamon
1/4 tspn freshly grated nutmeg
1 cups of spinach, stems removed
2 pieces of crisp prosciutto
Salt
Pepper
Do you want my ‘talking’ points from the class?
YES CHEF!
Ok. Here are the ‘prep’ work ideas, in making this dish:
- Use broth instead of water when you make quinoa or rice for added flavor. Less liquid? It’s more of a pilaf. More? It’s stickier. Like sticky rice? There’s your answer!
- Best way to avoid crying when you peel onions? Stick it into the freezer for a bit before slicing or wear sunglasses.
- When you clean mushrooms? Remember: they soak up liquid (and flavor). So don’t be running them under a faucet. Wet your hand and go over the mushroom to remove bits of dirt.
Well, that about does it for me.
I enjoyed the event tremendously. The women I met there were incredible! And the experience was worth getting up early for.
I’m going to bed!
Happy Eating,
Chef Marian