Latest news with #homecooking
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Washington Post
Honeydew and goat cheese level-up these no-cook chicken wraps
Like many busy home cooks, I lean on the same core grocery list each week. With life's dizzying pace, it's unrealistic to constantly reinvent the home menu. But I manage to stay out of a rut by applying a simple principle to everyday meals and snacks: add one unexpected element. Often, that's all that it takes to keep things fresh and interesting. I'll add a few mint leaves to the usual lettuce and tomato on a sandwich, sprinkle toasted sunflower seeds on a spread of hummus, toss a handful of blueberries into a basic green salad — you get the idea. Get the recipe: Chicken Wraps With Honeydew and Goat Cheese This recipe started accordingly, as a basic wrap with chicken simply seasoned with salt, pepper and lemon juice and a handful of mixed greens. The unexpected element — juicy slices of honeydew melon. But the sandwich evolved from there to ultimately have multiple intriguing layers. (Sometimes I can't stop at just one.) The sweet melon begged for a creamy counterpoint, so I added a schmear of fresh goat cheese stirred with a touch of honey, some lemon zest and enough milk to render it smooth and spreadable. Then, I elevated the greens with a few basil leaves, adding a floral, summery essence. The resulting sandwich is not much more of a lift than a run-of-the-mill chicken wrap, but with layers of exciting flavors it's infinitely more crave-worthy. Get the recipe: Chicken Wraps With Honeydew and Goat Cheese
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
11 Simple Ways to Make Your Meals More Anti-Inflammatory
There's no denying that cooking at home is often the healthier choice when pit against dining out or ordering in. However, throughout the culinary process, there are plenty of moments where we might inadvertently contribute to bodily inflammation. From ingredients and equipment to techniques and timing, all of it can add to or detract from the anti-inflammatory potential of your recipes. Here are 11 anti-inflammatory cooking hacks that pull from each of these categories, helping you feel even better about your home-cooked meals. 11 Anti-Inflammatory Cooking Hacks 'There are a few easy tips and tricks to try while cooking to help reduce factors that contribute to inflammation through our food," explains community dietitian Julie Cobble, MS, RDN. "Small changes can make a big difference in health over time." Watch the Salt 'Salt contributes to inflammation for some individuals,' Cobble says. 'When cooking your favorite meals, flavor with spices and herbs first and taste test before adding salt. The dish may not even need it.' Aside from adding salt at the stove or table, processed and canned foods can also contribute hefty amounts of sodium to our meals. When shopping for packaged goods, look for reduced-sodium products or options with 250 milligrams (mg) of sodium (or less) per serving. If you already have a pantry full of sodium-rich canned goods, don't fret—just be sure to give any veggies or beans a good rinse prior to cooking. 'This can reduce excess sodium that is used in the canning process for preservation,' Cobble says. Go for a Little Less Char How we actually cook our food can make a huge difference in the inflammatory potential (or lack thereof) of our recipes. 'Certain cooking techniques can contribute to inflammation,' says registered dietitian Karen Hawkins MA, RDN. This can be especially true for high-heat cooking methods like grilling or frying. 'High heat cooking can contribute to the production of inflammatory compounds such as advanced glycation end products (AGEs) or heterocyclic amines (HAAs). These compounds contribute to inflammation in the body,' Hawkins says. While grilling and frying aren't completely off the table, it's smart to go easy on the amount of char you create with these methods when prioritizing anti-inflammatory cooking. Be Mindful of Added Sugars When it comes to pro-inflammatory ingredients, added sugars pretty much top the list. And while this popular ingredient easily sneaks its way into both sweet and savory recipes, there are plenty of ways to mitigate—or completely eliminate—how much added sugar goes into your dishes. 'Replace sugar and syrups in sauces with 100 percent fruit juice or whole fruit,' Cobble suggests. Additionally, swapping refined cane sugar for nutrient-added sweeteners like honey or maple syrup can also boost the overall nutrition—and decrease the inflammation—of your meal or dessert. Ditch the Non-Stick Cookware Cookware can be the hidden danger you didn't expect when it comes to inflammation. 'Throw out the old nonstick pans—they release toxic fumes and forever chemicals when scratched or overheated,' Hawkins explains. Forever chemicals, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are well-known to contribute to systemic inflammation. 'Choose stainless steel or cast iron pans for cooking. They don't leach chemicals into food, especially when cooking at higher temperatures,' Hawkins suggests. Non-toxic ceramic cookware also gets the anti-inflammatory cookware stamp of approval. Opt for Healthy Fats Some research shows that saturated fat intake may also encourage inflammation in the body. To skirt this concern, Cobble suggests 'replace shortening, lard, butter, and margarine with healthy fats such as olive oil, avocados, and nut butters for spreads, dressings, and in cooking,' she says. 'This reduces saturated fat intake while increasing omega-3 fatty acid consumption—which has been shown to help reduce inflammation in the body.' While avocado oil is perfect for high-heat cooking, 'extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is great for low heat cooking or dressings,' Hawkins says. 'It reaches its smoke point above 350 degrees Fahrenheit, at which point it can release harmful (pro-inflammatory) compounds and lose flavor and nutrition value.' Bake, Airfry, or Slow Cook One meaningful way to keep AGEs and HAAs to a minimum in your recipes is to opt for gentle cooking methods—like baking, airfrying, or slow cooking. 'Slow cookers and Instant Pots are great time saving tools, too,' Hawkins says. Plus, they can help mitigate any inflammatory concerns surrounding saturated fat intake. 'Baking or air frying—instead of deep-frying foods—reduces the amount of excess fat in dishes,' Cobble adds. Add More Fruits and Veggies 'And, as always, get your fruits and veggies in, as they have anti-inflammatory properties,' Cobble says. Thankfully, there are countless delicious ways to add these to your recipes. 'Add a bag of frozen veggies to soups, scramble veggies into your eggs, or have cut veggies on hand for an easy snack,' Cobble suggests. Fruit and veggies can also be blended into sauces, added to baked goods, or stirred into pastas. For even greater nutrient density, Hawkins likes to add her veggies in at the very end of cooking. 'Try adding spinach and other vegetables at the end of a cooking process to help preserve nutrients and flavors. Less cooking time enhances taste and texture,' she says. Simmer, Poach, or Steam Air frying, baking, and slow cooking aren't the only delicate cooking techniques—simmering, poaching, and steaming are as gentle as it gets. 'Gentle cooking methods such as steaming, simmering, or poaching help preserve antioxidants and nutrients in vegetables and avoid browning or charring that triggers inflammation,' Hawkins says. While these low and slow methods are often overlooked by the everyday cook, they can elicit just as much flavor as popular high-heat methods—especially if your food is properly seasoned! Throw Out the Plastic Utensils There's no denying that there are tons of gorgeous-looking plastic cooking and serving utensils on the market. That said, these kitchen tools are a definite no-no for anti-inflammatory cooking as they can melt or otherwise leach microplastics and forever chemicals into your final dish. Plenty of research backs the notion that circulating microplastics in the body contribute to inflammation and can even turn that inflammation into chronic disease. Instead, look for stainless steel, responsibly sourced wood, silicone, or ceramic cooking utensils. Add Anti-Inflammatory Flavors Fruits and vegetables are excellent choices when focusing on inflammation reduction in your cooking, but they're far from the only anti-inflammatory ingredients available. 'Use garlic, onion, ginger, and turmeric to enhance flavor in food and reduce inflammation,' Hawkins suggests. 'Sautéing them in healthy fats activates their anti-inflammatory compounds, like allicin in garlic and onions and curcumin in turmeric; be sure to sauté on low heat to prevent burning and preserve the benefits.' Level Up Your Food Storage Beyond cookware and utensils, food storage containers can also be sneaky sources of plastic—and the unwanted chemicals that come with it. Upgrade your leftover game by choosing glass, stainless steel, or non-toxic ceramic alternatives. It's just an added bonus that they're often way more stylish than those old plastic tubs, too! Read the original article on Real Simple
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
The 1-Ingredient Upgrade for Fluffier Scrambled Eggs (It's Already In Your Pantry)
Key Takeaways • Adding salt to whisked eggs about 15 minutes before cooking results in a softer, fluffier scramble.• The salt breaks up the proteins and keeps the eggs from getting too firm or getting weepy. My go-to method for making scrambled eggs is to add ricotta and cook them low and slow in a little butter until perfectly creamy. Sounds pretty foolproof, right? It is, but sadly, as a mom of a new baby with a very sensitive tummy, I've recently had to cut back on dairy. My days of using butter and cheese to avoid rubbery eggs are on hold for now. That said, my need for protein has never been greater. I am still craving fluffy scrambled eggs! What's a hungry mother to do? It turns out the answer is already sitting right on my kitchen counter: salt. To be fair, the secret ingredient is sitting on my counter in a salt well, but the idea comes from a cookbook sitting on my bookshelf, The Food Lab by J. Kenji López-Alt. In an extensive chapter called "Eggs, Dairy, and the Science of Breakfast,' Kenji goes into great detail on how to get tender scrambled eggs without adding dairy. It turns out that much like many wonders of the food world (Prosciutto, I'm looking at you!), all you need for superior fluffy scrambled eggs is salt and a little patience. Of course, I have always salted my eggs right before adding them to the pan, or while they cooked, but I'd never salted them in advance. And that's where the trick lies. How I Make Better Scrambled Eggs (No Dairy Required) Kenji's trick for better scrambled eggs goes something like this: Crack your eggs into a bowl, add however much salt you normally do to your eggs, whisk the eggs, and let them sit out on the counter for 15 minutes. After that, cook them how you normally do. Easy! The Science of Salting Your Eggs Salting and whisking the eggs 15 minutes in advance of cooking them changes the texture of the eggs. Kenji explains the scientific reasoning behind this comprehensively in the cookbook, and what I quickly gathered is that the salt breaks up the proteins in the yolk as it sits, which prevents them from clumping together too tightly as they cook. This also helps avoid getting "weepy" scrambled eggs that release water. What I love most about this tip is that my kids and I saw the science at work. As my salted scrambled eggs sat, we could see them go from a buttery opaque yellow to a translucent orange. Kenji explains that this color shift is the salt at work. When cooked, the scrambled eggs should have soft, fluffy curds that aren't rubbery or watery. While my kids are still not the biggest fans of scrambled eggs, they loved seeing this real-life science experiment. My eggs were so light and fluffy that I almost (almost!) didn't even miss the cheese. Enjoy Some Bacon With Your Eggs How To Make Bacon in the Oven Microwave Bacon Air Fryer Bacon Candied Bacon Read the original article on SIMPLYRECIPES
The Guardian
4 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Semifreddo and granita: Jacob Kenedy's recipes for Italian summer desserts
Here are two recipes that I've been eating at home with my family since even before the warmer weather started to make me smile: a tiramisu semifreddo and a granita, the Sicilian iced slush (made from fresh fruit juice, nut milks or coffee) that is is the Slush Puppie's distinguished aunt. The ultimate refreshers on a sunny day at any time of the year. Prep 5 min Cook 45 min Freeze 6 hr+ Serves 10 6 eggs, separated350g caster sugar250g mascarpone200ml whipping or double cream200ml espresso90ml rum, or brandy or marsala 60g cocoa powder, plus 1 tsp extra for dusting16-20 savoiardi biscuits First, mix the egg whites with 150g of the caster sugar in a small saucepan and stir over a low heat until steaming hot (70C). Transfer to a stand mixer, whip on high speed until completely cool with stiff peaks, then transfer to a clean bowl. Whisk the egg yolks and 100g sugar in a large bowl set over a pan of simmering water, beating constantly, until voluminous and hot. Move the bowl on to a bowl of iced water and whisk again until cool. Add the mascarpone and whisk again until completely incorporated. Whip the cream on medium-low to soft peaks, then fold it into the mascarpone mix. Gently fold in the whipped egg whites. In a separate bowl, stir the espresso with the remaining 100g sugar and your chosen booze. Line a two-litre container with clingfilm and, using a tea strainer, sift a quarter of the cocoa powder over the base. Gently spread about a third of the mascarpone cream on top of the cocoa. One by one, dip half the sponge fingers in the boozy espresso syrup, soaking them thoroughly, then arrange in a neat layer on top of the mascarpone cream. Dust with another quarter of the cocoa powder, then top with another third of the mascarpone cream. Repeat with a second layer of soaked biscuits and another quarter of the cocoa powder. Top with the remaining third of the mascarpone cream and dust the top with the remaining cocoa powder. Freeze for about six hours or more, until completely set. Just before serving, turn out the semifreddo on to a cool platter, dust with the remaining teaspoon of cocoa powder, then slice and serve. Here, I use pomegranate – a favourite fruit and emblem of Sicily – but you can use any fruit juice you fancy (or berries blended with a tiny amount of water). As with all the best recipes that call for few ingredients and minimal intervention, the quality of the granita is solely dependent on the quality of the pomegranates: look for ones with a deep, purplish garnet colour to their seeds. Prep 25 min Freeze 4 hr+ Makes About 1 litre 2kg whole pomegranates, or 1.2kg pomegranate seeds, or 1 litre pomegranate juice (look for one that is 100% pomegranate juice, and ideally not from concentrate)100g white sugar First, pick the seeds from the pomegranates, discarding any of the cream-coloured membrane, which is very bitter. Transfer the seeds to a food processor (not a blender, which would pulp the pips and release their bitterness) and whizz until the pips are still whole, but released from their crystalline flesh. Strain through a sieve, pressing to extract all the juice, then stir in the sugar until dissolved. Transfer to a wide dish and put it in the freezer. Once it starts to freeze at the edges, and every 10-15 minutes thereafter, stir with a fork or whisk, and repeat until it's almost completely frozen and icy; this should take about four hours in all. The granita is ready to serve in this slightly wet, slushy state, but if you want to keep it longer, leave the granita to freeze solid, then take it out to thaw for 20 minutes or so before serving, then break it up with a fork. Jacob Kenedy is chef and owner of Gelupo, Bocca di Lupo and Plaquemine Lock, all in London
The Guardian
5 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Semifreddo and granita: Jacob Kenedy's recipes for Italian summer desserts
Here are two recipes that I've been eating at home with my family since even before the warmer weather started to make me smile: a tiramisu semifreddo and a granita, the Sicilian iced slush (made from fresh fruit juice, nut milks or coffee) that is is the Slush Puppie's distinguished aunt. The ultimate refreshers on a sunny day at any time of the year. Prep 5 min Cook 45 min Freeze 6 hr+ Serves 10 6 eggs, separated350g caster sugar250g mascarpone200ml whipping or double cream200ml espresso90ml rum, or brandy or marsala 60g cocoa powder, plus 1 tsp extra for dusting16-20 savoiardi biscuits First, mix the egg whites with 150g of the caster sugar in a small saucepan and stir over a low heat until steaming hot (70C). Transfer to a stand mixer, whip on high speed until completely cool with stiff peaks, then transfer to a clean bowl. Whisk the egg yolks and 100g sugar in a large bowl set over a pan of simmering water, beating constantly, until voluminous and hot. Move the bowl on to a bowl of iced water and whisk again until cool. Add the mascarpone and whisk again until completely incorporated. Whip the cream on medium-low to soft peaks, then fold it into the mascarpone mix. Gently fold in the whipped egg whites. In a separate bowl, stir the espresso with the remaining 100g sugar and your chosen booze. Line a two-litre container with clingfilm and, using a tea strainer, sift a quarter of the cocoa powder over the base. Gently spread about a third of the mascarpone cream on top of the cocoa. One by one, dip half the sponge fingers in the boozy espresso syrup, soaking them thoroughly, then arrange in a neat layer on top of the mascarpone cream. Dust with another quarter of the cocoa powder, then top with another third of the mascarpone cream. Repeat with a second layer of soaked biscuits and another quarter of the cocoa powder. Top with the remaining third of the mascarpone cream and dust the top with the remaining cocoa powder. Freeze for about six hours or more, until completely set. Just before serving, turn out the semifreddo on to a cool platter, dust with the remaining teaspoon of cocoa powder, then slice and serve. Here, I use pomegranate – a favourite fruit and emblem of Sicily – but you can use any fruit juice you fancy (or berries blended with a tiny amount of water). As with all the best recipes that call for few ingredients and minimal intervention, the quality of the granita is solely dependent on the quality of the pomegranates: look for ones with a deep, purplish garnet colour to their seeds. Prep 25 min Freeze 4 hr+ Makes About 1 litre 2kg whole pomegranates, or 1.2kg pomegranate seeds, or 1 litre pomegranate juice (look for one that is 100% pomegranate juice, and ideally not from concentrate)100g white sugar First, pick the seeds from the pomegranates, discarding any of the cream-coloured membrane, which is very bitter. Transfer the seeds to a food processor (not a blender, which would pulp the pips and release their bitterness) and whizz until the pips are still whole, but released from their crystalline flesh. Strain through a sieve, pressing to extract all the juice, then stir in the sugar until dissolved. Transfer to a wide dish and put it in the freezer. Once it starts to freeze at the edges, and every 10-15 minutes thereafter, stir with a fork or whisk, and repeat until it's almost completely frozen and icy; this should take about four hours in all. The granita is ready to serve in this slightly wet, slushy state, but if you want to keep it longer, leave the granita to freeze solid, then take it out to thaw for 20 minutes or so before serving, then break it up with a fork. Jacob Kenedy is chef and owner of Gelupo, Bocca di Lupo and Plaquemine Lock, all in London
