Four Lentil Incarnations - Quick, Easy, Tasty Lentil Recipes

Here are four very different (and flexible) ways to cook lentils. If you're not already a lentil addict, they should give you an idea of how quick and easy lentils are to cook with.

1 Easy and versatile: Grilled Fish with Lentils

2. Thick and warming: Lentil and Tomato Soup

3. Quickest ever: Children's Lentil Shepherd's Pie

4. Tasty and filling: Classy Lentil Salad

1 Easy and versatile: Grilled Fish with Lentils

Lentils and fish make such a lovely couple! Take the basic ideas from this recipe, and adapt it yourself.

To feed four, you need four fish fillets (sea bass, rainbow trout, for example). A chopped onion, two sliced garlic cloves, a lemon, 150g Puy lentils, 100ml fish stock and 100ml white wine.
Fry the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft.

 Add the lentils and stir. Pour in the wine and the stock. Bring to the boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed. Pre-heat the grill. Brush the fish with oil, squeeze over some lemon juice, and season. Grill the fish for 3-4 minutes on each side, so that they are ready at the same time as the lentils. Garnish with parsley and lemon wedges.

2. Thick and warming: Lentil and Tomato Soup

This velvety soup takes its character from marjoram and thyme, so be generous with the herbs. Those who smell this cooking will end up loitering around the kitchen.

For this, you need one big chopped onion, 3 chopped carrots, a tin of tomatoes, 225g red lentils, a tablespoon each of dried marjoram and thyme, a bay leaf, stock (the amount depends on the consistency you like, and a small glass of sherry if you want.

Fry the onion, carrots and garlic until soft. Add the lentils, then the stock and herbs. Simmer for 30-40 minutes until the lentils are soft. Blend with a hand-wand or in a blender until velvety. Add the sherry and re-heat on the stove top for 15 minutes or so. To serve, put some grated cheese at the bottom of a bowl, and ladle the lentil soup on top. Serve with crusty bread.

3. Quickest ever: Children's Lentil Shepherd's Pie

Turning lentils into a main meal for young palates doesn't get simpler than this. The cheesy topping helps win fans if your kids aren't used to lentils.

You need 125g red lentils, 600ml water, a stock cube, small onion (chopped) and a clove of garlic (crushed). You also need some cooked, mashed potato and grated cheese to go on top.

Put everything (except the potato) in a pan, and bring to the boil. Simmer for 40mns. Add some cornflour to thicken if necessary. Then spoon the lentil mixture into heat-proof dish, top with mashed potato and brown under the grill.

4. Tasty and filling: Classy Lentil Salad

This is posh nosh. The wonderful combination of flavours makes plenty of left-overs, so you can please your guests, and then polish off the rest the next day.

You need 250g of Puy lentils, olive oil, one yellow pepper (chopped), 240g sundried tomatoes, 200g feta cheese, and some parsley.

Cook the Puy lentils in double their volume of water or stock, for 15-20 minutes. Gently cook the peppers for about two minutes, to soften. Add the sundried tomatoes and cook for another minute or so. Then mix all the ingredients together. Drizzle the salad with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar before serving.

So there you have it - four of the quickest and tastiest ways to include lentils into your menu. Just wait until you see some the classier incarnations - spicy dahls, hearty Italian stews, classic curries...

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Chilli Chicken Recipe

Deep-fried chicken served with spicy sauce is given a term as  chilli chicken. It is a favorite dish in  Delicious in taste and looks really attractive while served.

Ingredients used for this recipe:

500 grams of chicken breast, 2 tablespoons oil, garlic, chopped 5-6 cloves Ginger, chopped 1 inch piece of tomato ketchup 2 tablespoons chili sauce 2 tablespoons salt to taste, cornstarch / 1 tbsp cornstarch, red pepper, 1 teaspoon, Egg 2, MSG 1 / 4 tl, scallion greens 2-3.

Preparation Method for  Chilli chicken recipe:

Cut the chicken for one to one and a half inches pieces. Heat oil pan, add chopped garlic, ginger and fry for two minutes. Add ketchup, chili sauce and half of the mix. Add one cup water and mix.
If the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile by taking pieces of chicken in a bowl. Add salt, remaining chili sauce, cornstarch, crushed red pepper in half and mix well. Add whole egg and mix well.

Heat enough oil in wok and fry the chicken pieces and make sure that they do not overcook.
Fry over high heat for 02:58 minutes in color. Drain on absorbent paper. Add the remaining salt and crushed red pepper sauce and mix well. Add MSG, and cornstarch mixed with water.

Cook while stirring, until the sauce thickens. Arrange on plate with fried chicken. Beat in eggs.
Remove sauce from heat and slowly add the beaten egg flow. Mix gently and pour over the fried chicken. Garnish with scallion greens and serve hot.

Tips used while preparing:

1. Preparation time: 15-20 minutes

2. Servings: 4 persons

3. Cooking time: 25-30 minutes

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Thanksgiving Dessert - How to Bake a Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cake

When it comes to making a dessert for our Thanksgiving holiday meal, I enjoy baking a homemade pumpkin cake with a delicious cream cheese filling.

This cake will take some time to make, but your time will be well spent. I guarantee you that you will get a lot of compliments from your family and friends once they taste it. If you have any left-overs, you will want to store them in an airtight container inside your refrigerator.

Pumpkin Cake Recipe

Cake Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup butter, softened

3 eggs

3/4 cup solid packed pumpkin puree

1/2 cup cold milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a deep dish cake pan with nonstick vegetable cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt, until they are well combined; set aside. In another large bowl, cream together the granulated sugar and softened butter, until they are creamy. Add in the eggs, pumpkin puree, milk and vanilla extract, beating well after each addition. Slowly add the flour mixture into the wet ingredient mixture, mixing well until all ingredients are combined.

Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup granulated sugar

In a medium-sized bowl, whip together the softened cream cheese with the granulated sugar until smooth. Spread 2 1/2 cups of cake batter evenly over bottom of your cake pan. Spoon cream cheese filling evenly over the cake batter. Carefully spread it across the cake batter using a silicone or rubber spatula. Spoon remaining cake batter over cream cheese filling, spread evenly using a silicone spatula. Bake in your preheated oven for 45 minutes or until the cake tester comes out clean. (test the center of the cake.) Cool completely before adding the topping.

Topping Ingredients:

confectioner's sugar

frozen whipped topping, thawed

A few minutes before serving the pumpkin cake, sprinkle your desired amount of confectioner's sugar on top. Cut cake into desired serving pieces and top with a dollop of whipped topping.

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A Finger Lickin Dove Recipe

4 dove (debreasted and deboned)

1/4 stick of butter

minced garlic(not power and not salt)

Salt and pepper

can of your favorite beer

This recipe is for at the dove lease or deer camp. First of all you want to take the can of beer(unopened) and carefully cut the top of the can off, leaving 1" to 1 1/2" of the can with the top. Pour the beer into a cup(cause we dont want to waste good beer). In the bottom section of the can you will want to leave about an inch of beer.

 Then you will take the Dove meat and put it in the bottom can. Sprinkle the minced garlic in with a little salt and pepper. Put the butter in on top. Now be careful not to cut yourself but slightly crimp the top of the bottom section of the can. Now put the top of the can back on the bottom so that they fit snug. Take the can and place it in the camp fire. Cook for 7-8 min depending on coals. Take can out and allow to cool. Pop a top and you got Finger licking Dove bites. Enjoy.

REMEMBER YOU CAN GET RECIPES LIKE THIS AND MANY MORE OUT OF MY COOKBOOK.

OR

09/12/2006

Marinate venison in yogurt or buttermilk. ( The yogurt or buttermilk will help break down the proteins in the meat to make it more tender)Then wash thoroughly

2 lbs. Marinated venison meat

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 cup chopped celery

1 diced medium onion

6 med potatoes cubed

12 small carrots

1 tsp. Garlic powder

2 bay leaves

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. thyme leaves

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 cup red wine

Brown the cubed meat in oil; add two cups of water, along with all ingredients except carrots and potatoes. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaves, add carrots and potatoes, cook another 30-45 minutes or until tender.

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The Best Homemade Pickling Spices

Canning recipes generally call for "Pickling Spices" in preserving dill pickles, sweet pickle or perhaps sour pickles. Actually anything that you pickle you will need to use a similar spice even if it is pickled vegetables.

You can easily go to your local supermarket and purchase a readily made supply of pickling spices however I for one like to variety my mixture according to the pickling that I intend to do. Being involving in canning and preserving food for a long time I have accumulated several favorite recipes for pickling spices. The usual ingredient food in most commercial spice mixes are mustard seed, cinnamon, allspice, bay leaves, clove, dill seed, ginger, coriander, peppercorns, mace, juniper berries and cardamom. The particular one that you buy may contain any or all of these spices. In addition, those people who desire a hotter spice mix may care to add items such as crushed hot peppers.

Below I have listed my favorite recipes that contain the basic ingredients. These spices in the mixes that I list can be varied to suit your particular taste depending on what you want the final product to taste like.

 Basic Home Made Pickling Spice

2 tablespoons of mustard Seed

1 teaspoon of ground ginger

1 tablespoon of whole allspice

1 teaspoon of dried red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons of coriander seeds

1 crumbled bay leaf

2 whole cloves

1 2 inch cinnamon sticks

To begin these recipes combine all the above ingredients and mix well. Store them in an airtight jar or container. Use in creating your favorite pickle recipes wherever it called for pickling spices. This recipe will make 1/3 of a cup.

Spicier Homemade Pickling Spice

1/4 cup of mustard seeds

1/4 cup of dill seed

1/4 cup of coriander seeds

3 Tbsp. of crushed chili peppers

2 Tbsp. of crushed bay leaves

1 Tbsp. of celery seeds

1 Tbsp. of white peppercorns

1 tsp. of black peppercorns

This particular recipe is a bit spicier then the previous one. Merely combine all the listed ingredients together, mix well and store them in an airtight container that remains in a cool, dry location. When you want to use it just place the desired amount of the spices in cheesecloth and use it in your recipes.

Now you have your own dry mix recipes for pickling spices. There is no longer a chance of running out and you may perhaps save some money in the process. Good luck.

Copyright @ 2009 Joseph Parish

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Paleo Recipes Resource: Give Your Meals Some Variety

Paleolithic diet or Paleo diet as it is commonly known is getting very popular and it is considered one of the healthiest diets available.

The Paleo diet relies on food that contains beneficial nutrients for a healthy lifestyle and at the same time it relies on food with few nutrients that can cause some type of diseases. It is a very healthy diet where good nutrients are a majority.

Vegetables, fresh fruits, nuts, chicken and fish are some of the beneficial foods that are high in antioxidant vitamins, low-glycemic carbohydrates and omega-3 among others. These foods are used in Paleo eating to promote a healthy lifestyle, strength and resistance.

Food like grains, salt and high-glycemic carbohydrates among others are invited to stay out of the Paleo food list. They are considered ingredients with some health risks since they can cause several health problems like diabetes or cardiovascular diseases.

Paleo diet also advises that whole grains and dairy products should be replaced by fresh vegetables and fruits because these are more nutritious.

Most people have a busy lifestyle and like to plan the week ahead. A menu planner is something that is frequently used to get rid of the daily pressure of planning meals in a rush.

Paleo diet followers complain about how difficult it is to find Paleo diet recipes and the trouble they have planning their menu. They want a good Paleo recipes resource they can use whenever they want to cook a fast and different meal or to make the menu plan in advance.

Although some opinions might differ, it is not that difficult to find accessible Paleo recipes resource. The internet, as usual, is a huge source of information and Paleo diet recipes can also be found through easy research.

There are websites that focus only on Paleo recipes but there are also personal blogs and websites that have homemade Paleo diet recipes with the personal touch of the person that has cooked them.
An excellent Paleo recipes resource is cookbooks. Paleo cookbooks are a compilation of the best Paleo recipes available and they gather recipes for different types of meals.

From breakfast to snacks, from lunch to dinner, there is a wide variety of recipes available that will meet everybody's taste.

Many of the people that follow the Paleo diet are athletes and weight loss candidates. They have to follow a strict diet to accomplish their goals, and having a good Paleo recipes resource available, makes the diet easier to follow.

Scheduling meals at least one week in advance is the best way to keep up with a record of meals and it will also be helpful by saving time while shopping. Some people even plan their Paleo recipes menu one month in advance and they use the shopping list accordingly to save money on unnecessary ingredients.

Paleo diet cookbooks are a great source of common recipes but when a twist or a special touch is needed, several versions of the same recipe can be found online.

There are also Paleo recipe forums where people can exchange ideas and recipes, improving the quality and variety of recipes available to the Paleo diet lovers. Forums are great places to gather and share Paleo diet opinions, clarify doubts and help others that might need some advice on this healthy Paleolithic diet.

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3 Snack Mix Recipes For Camping and Hiking

We enjoy camping and hiking during the Summer season here on the East Coast 4-6 months of every year. As seasoned campers, we prefer to make our own snack mixes to take along.

All of these recipes are easy to make. If you are going camping, store the snack mixes in plastic containers. If you are going hiking, you can place the mix into a plastic zipper close bag. You will want to make sure that you keep the moisture out.

Mountain Trail Mix

1 cup pumpkin seeds

1 cup raisins

1 cup salted peanuts

1 cup small pretzel sticks

1 cup plain M&M's chocolate coated candies

1 cup oyster crackers

1 cup sunflower seeds

Using a large bowl, combine all of the above ingredients together in the order that they are listed. Store mixture in airtight containers. This recipe will make seven 1 cup servings.

Tangy Nut Mix

4 cups salted roasted peanuts

1/3 cup barbecue sauce

2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine nuts and barbecue sauce, stir until coated. Spread mixture onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake in a 300 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until nuts are dry. Place on waxed paper to cool. Once cool, store in an airtight container.

Savory Pretzels

2 bags broken salted pretzels

1/2 lb. butter, softened

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 envelope onion soup mix

Melt butter in your microwave. In a medium-sized bowl, combine soup mix and Worcestershire sauce. Pour mixture over pretzels and mix well. Cover and let stand until all of the liquid is absorbed, stirring every once in awhile to coat mixture. Place pretzels pieces in a warm 250 degree oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The longer you bake them, the crunchier the pretzels will be. Once cool, store in an airtight container.

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An article by Dougles Chan - Search Engine Guru - Who assists SMEs Singapore to create and generate more sales using Search Engine Optimisation and advertising.

Contact Dougles Chan @ +(65) 9388 0851 or email to dc@dougleschan.com for more information on how to make your website to be the top in Google and generate more clients.