Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Quintessential Foods of New Orleans

At mid-day, how about a sandwich? Po' boys were created as a serious meal of a sandwich for "poor boys" with little money. Fillings vary from roast beef, alligator sausage, ham, shrimp, or french fries with gravy; but the bread is always crunchy crusted New Orleans French bread with a lighter than air center. On the other hand, the mighty muffuletta sandwich uses Italian muffuletta bread, smeared with marinated olive spread; it's densely packed, in submarine fashion, with tempting Italian meats and cheeses.

Feeling peckish? Try praline candy: pecans, brown sugar, cream and butter fused in a delightfully crunchy, sweet way.

Evening meals could be boiled crawfish, étouffée, jambalaya, shrimp creole or gumbo. If it's Monday, the time honored tradition is red beans and rice.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Quinoa Recipes - Simple Guidelines For Cooking Quinoa

Quinoa isn't actually a newly discovered health grain that is revolutionising the health industry, but a very ancient staple crop that was cultivated some 5000 years ago by the ancient Incas. They understood its nutritional value even then and actually worshipped the grain in their culture. The correct way to pronounce it is 'keen-wah' and has been recognised quite recently as one of the healthiest foods there is, which is why people are now beginning to include it in every-day meals.

Today many people categorize it as a grain, but in actual fact it is a seed that is part of the swiss-chard and spinach family. Because it is a seed and not a grain means that it has an outer waxy coating called 'saponin', which if not removed prior to cooking can result in your meal tasting very bitter? It is highly recommended to pre-soak the grain for about 7-8 hours or over-night, then wash it and rinse off, this will ensure the coating is removed correctly, it also allows the grain to become a little softer which makes it easier for cooking.