Chinese Beef With Black Bean Sauce

By Peter Alfieri

This recipe incorporates the now popular "Flank Steak," I often think of different ways to prepare it. Typically flank steak is tough because it doesn't have much fat.

However, through careful preparation, this recipe makes the steak easy to chew and of course it's quite tasty!

A few years back, flank steak was dubbed "London Broil," and it sold for $1.99 per pound. After the low fat craze hit "London Broil" was renamed to "Flank Steak" and now sells for about double.

Who said changing your name can't give you more value? Well, whatever the case is, this now popular low fat meat earns it's place on my ingredient list.

Give this recipe a try, I'm sure you won't be sorry that you did!

Difficulty (Scale from 1-10): 6

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients for Stir Fry

12 ounce flank steak
1/2 cup of drained black beans (from can)
1 large Vidalia onion
1 head of broccoli
3 tablespoons of peanut oil
3 cloves of garlic - minced
1/2 teaspoon of ginger powder

Ingredients for Sauce

1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1/3 cup of water (cold)
2 teaspoons of sugar
2 teaspoons of sesame oil
2 teaspoons of cornstarch

Preparation of Sauce

In a bowl, whisk cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of cold water. Continuing to whisk combine soy sauce, remaining water, sugar, and sesame oil.

Preparation of Stir Fry

Freeze beef only until firm enough to slice into paper-thin slices (be sure to use a very sharp knife).
Put black beans into a strainer and briefly rinse under cold water, then lightly salt. Place beans into a small bowl and mash with a fork.
Peel onion & cut into 6 wedges. Cut broccoli into bite-sized pieces and add to salted boiling water for 2 minutes and drain broccoli.

Heat wok and be sure that it is very hot, add 1 tablespoon of peanut oil, swirl to coat wok surface.
Stir fry onion for one minute, then add broccoli and cook for one more minute. Remove broccoli and onion and put aside.

Add 2 tablespoons of peanut oil to the hot wok, add ginger and beef then stir-fry over high heat. Make sure that the beef loses all of it's redness. Add mashed black beans and continue frying while stirring for one minute. Add sauce mixture and reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes while stirring. Add broccoli and onions and toss together until food reaches a uniform temperature.

Remove from wok and immediately serve over white rice.

Enjoy your meal!

Cooking and Baking Tips For Perfect Cakes

By Mick Reade
Cooking and baking most cake mixtures consist of a batter made from shortening (butter or cake margarine) and sugar, with the addition of eggs, flour, a raising agent, and other ingredients such as flavourings, fruit and nuts.

The mixture may be baked in tins for use as a cake, steamed for puddings, or used as a topping for fruit sponge. In all cases the following guidelines should be observed...

Cooking And Baking Guidelines

1. Good aeration of the sugar, butter and egg batter mixture is essential. For this reason the mixture must not curdle or break. Curdling or breaking is most likely to happen if the eggs are too cold. If this does happen, a small amount of flour should be added before all the eggs are incorporated.

2. All the ingredients should be at the same temperature, about 18C (65F).

3. The shortening must not be melted. If it is, the volume and texture will be below standard.

4. A basic mixture consists of equal weights of shortening, sugar, egg and flour. This may be varied by the introduction of milk and baking powder, which allow an increase in the amount of flour.

5. In all cases the weight of shortening should be more than the weight of either the egg or the sugar. The weight of sugar should not be more than the weight of all liquids.

Cooking And Baking With A Basic Plain Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

Butter or cake margarine 500g

Sugar 600g

Eggs 600ml (10-12)

Milk 200ml

Flour 1kg

Baking Powder 60g

Salt trace or pinch

Vanilla Essence trace

Method For Cooking And Baking Cakes:

1. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together.

2. Beat the butter and sugar to a cream with a wooden spatula.

3. Work in the eggs, one at a time.

4. Stir in about 20g of flour and then the milk and essence.

5. Mix in the rest of the flour without losing volume in the mixture.

6. Pour into 20cm diameter tins lined with greaseproof paper and spread the mixture evenly.

7. Begin cooking and baking at 190C until set and lightly coloured. The time depends on the size and shape of the cake, usually 25-30 minutes.

8. Allow the cake to stand for 5 minutes before turning out.

Variations:

Chocolate Cake

Reduce the quantity of flour by 180g and add the same amount of cocoa before sifting at step 1.

Coffee Sultana Cake

Substitute 20ml of good coffee essence for the milk and add 400g washed sultanas.

Madeira Cake

Ingredients For Madeira Cake:

Castor Sugar 250g

Unsalted Butter 250g

Eggs (room temperature) 250ml (5)

Lemon Zest 3g

Cake Flour, sifted 250g

Baking Powder 10g

Method For Cooking And Baking Madeira Cake



1. Cream the softened butter, add the sugar and lemon zest and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, mixing well between each addition. Take care that the mixture does not curdle or separate.

2. Sift the flour and baking powder together and fold into the mixture. Pour into a greaseproof-lined and greased baking tin or hoop. Level the top of the mixture.

3. Begin cooking and baking at 185C for 40 to 45 minutes. When the cake is springy to the touch it's baked enough. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Unmould and cool on a wire rack.

Variation:

Add 30g mixed peel, 50g sultanas, 15g currants and 15g mixed spices to the flour at step 2.

Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

Unsalted Butter 225g

Dark Chocolate Couverture 400g

Eggs, separated 10

Castor Sugar 100g

Icing Sugar 20g

Method For Cooking And Baking Flourless Chocolate Cake

1. Gently melt the chocolate and butter in a basin in a bain marie. When completely melted whisk in the egg yolks.

2. Whisk the egg whites to a peak, then add the sugar and whisk until very stiff. Fold the meringue into the chocolate mixture and pour the preparation into a buttered greaseproof-lined mould (20cm square or 25cm round).

3. Begin cooking and baking the cake for 10 minutes at 200C, then continue at 180C until baked, approximately 40 minutes, by which time the centre should be set.

4. Cool slightly and turn out onto a flat solid tray. Allow to cool completely then dust with icing sugar.

Chili - Creative Recipes With the Ultimate

Most people have their own favorite chili recipe, but in case you don't, try ours! Like the title says, it's the ultimate!

THE ULTIMATE CHILI

INGREDIENTS

1.5 pounds ground beef or turkey

1 small onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 (15oz) can tomato sauce

1 (1.25 oz) packet of chili seasoning

2 cans red kidney beans, drained

2 cans diced tomatoes, drained

3 Tbsp. brown sugar

4 Tbsp. vegetable oil

4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

vegetable stock



DIRECTIONS

1) Brown the ground beef or turkey in a skillet and pour off excess grease.

2) In a large soup pot, combine cooked beef, onion, garlic, tomato sauce, chili seasoning, beans, tomatoes, brown sugar, flour, and oil. Then pour in vegetable stock until you reach your desired consistency. Mix well. Simmer for 30 minutes so all the flavors can incorporate. (You may use a crock pot and let the chili simmer all day on low.)

Afraid that you might be bored eating chili a couple of days in a row?

Here are several ideas for creative dinners using the leftover chili:

CHILI BAKED POTATO

INGREDIENTS

4 baking potatoes, scrubbed and rinsed

leftover chili

sour cream

shredded cheddar cheese

chives

DIRECTIONS

1) Poke each potato several times on the top and bottom with a knife or fork. Microwave all four potatoes together for 4 minutes, then flip and microwave for another 4 to 6 minutes. Potatoes are done when a fork can easily pierce through them.

2) Slice open the potatoes and let fall open. Top with a ladle of chili, and any other toppings you desire.

Makes 4 servings.

OTHER IDEAS:
Chili Rice
Chili Nachos
Chili Joe's Chili Dogs

by Chang Joan

"Easy Meal Ideas, is the topic for today!" said Mary. "Oh, I have not done anything yet since the last school holidays." said Jenny.

"I thought the topic should be Easy Vegetable Recipes, right?" Susan asked. While they are walking towards the classroom, came the teacher Vanessa.

"Any good ideas for our new topic, girls? Class, I will be back in 10 minutes, you may discuss among and the best speaker will get an award!" said Vanessa.

All the students are quietly down with their heads as soon as Vanessa left the classroom.
Mary, Jenny and Susan come together. They are busy exchanging opinions over vegetables and rice.
"What do you think about cooking vegetables with rice?" Susan asked. "But I don't know how to cook rice."said Jenny.

While they were still discussing, Vanessa is already standing at the back of the classroom. "Class, it is time! Jenny, you go first." said Vanessa.

Jenny was really worried as she did not prepare for the topic. "I will try! We have concluded as rice with vegetables." said Jenny. Here you are...

Vegetable and Rice

Ingredients
Carrots
Green peas
Corn
Garlic powder
Raw rice

Action
a. Rinse and drain the ingredients.
b. Place the ingredients on the top of the rice and cook together.
c. Stir once or twice to make sure all cook through well.
d. Sprinkle with garlic powder and mix well before serving.

"Great! How about telling us how to cook the rice?" Vanessa said.
"Let me do it!" said Mary. "Cooking rice is easy! Remember rice will be doubled in quantity when it is cooked.

When you are too rush to do everything at once, you may break your work in 2 parts.
It means you can prepare first and cook it later.
First wash the rice, then drain the dirt off, then put in new water and cover with lid.
Keep this aside for 20 minutes. Then drain it again and put in new water 1 cm higher than the rice level.
Keep this aside until you are ready to cook.
On strong fire, cook rice with all the vegetables and let boil for a minute or two, then turn fire to low and stir the rice and cover the lid. Simmer until all tender. You will see the holes on the surface of the rice. Then turn off the fire, keep the cover closed for 10 minutes before serving."

"Terrific! Class, a big clap please! This is an easy meal for you!" said Vanessa.

Fuggetaboutit Bread Pizza Fresh Mozzarella

You won't find this recipe on the TV series "The Sopranos" mainly because the show is over; it certainly would have been nice to hear Tony Soprano order a "Fuggetaboutit Flat Bread." There's still hope though, the Showtime series "Brotherhood" is still going strong and being filmed in Providence, Rhode Island; maybe they'll add this title to a menu or better yet an appearance on our TV show. Well, fame or no fame, this recipe's unique taste and ease of preparation will have you saying "Fuggetaboutit" in no time!

Difficulty (Scale from 1-10):

Ingredients: (10 inch round) flat breadsPreparationLay each flat bread down and spread a tablespoon of olive oil over the surface of each, then sprinkle garlic powder (to taste).

Serves: 8

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

5 tablespoons of olive oil

2 pounds of fresh mozzarella

4 medium sized ripe/fresh tomatoes

garlic powder - to taste

salt - to taste

freshly cracked black pepper - to taste

3/4 cup fresh basil - roughly chopped

Slice fresh mozzarella thin, or into thin strips (depending on your preference); and evenly place on the tops of the flat breads. Lightly add salt and freshly cracked black pepper (to taste), then top with sliced tomato and use salt sparingly (to taste).

Sprinkle chopped basil over the top of each flat-bread. Next drizzle some olive oil over the tops of the layered flat breads.

Slice the layered pizza into 8 pieces, a pizza wheel or kitchen shears may work best.

Serve as an appetizer or a tasty snack!

Enjoy your fresh pizza!

All Cabbage Soup Recipes Are a Chance For Art in Cooking

All cabbage soup recipes can be tasty, not boring. Cabbages are packed with nutrition and they're cheap too. In some parts of the world cabbage is a staple of many people's diet. It is one of those foods that's associated with weight loss too. In fact, cabbage soup is a main part of a diet that's been popular for years.

The Cabbage Soup Diet sounds like it's just eating one thing. It's really more. The soup is just a filler. You can eat all the soup you want, but you eat other food too. For each of seven days you eat something different. You can lose about ten pounds in a week.

Now this isn't a long term eating plan. It's just a way to drop some pounds in a hurry. This is one of those cheap diets. There really isn't anything exotic or expensive in it. There are no supplements or special foods to buy. It's mostly foods you already have on hand. That's another reason cabbage soup is popular world wide. It's cheap.

Making soup of any kind is something of an art form. You can make it using what you have. So a recipe is just a starting point. Actually soup recipes just invite substitutions. That way your soup becomes unique. Here's a basic recipe that's used as part of the plan. Spice it up and add or subtract whatever you like.

The Original Cabbage Soup

1 head cabbage
6 spring onions
6 medium onions
6 carrots
5 stalks celery
2 bell peppers
3 large tomatoes

4 oz uncooked brown rice
salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Slice the vegetables into small pieces. Place in a large pot and add cold water to cover. Bring the water to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for ten minutes.

Cover and then simmer on low heat until the ingredients are soft. This should take about 15 minutes or so.

While the soup is simmering, cook the rice. Add rice to the soup when the soup is cooked. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

This is cheap eating, but it should be tasty too. It's a staple of rural living people in many parts of the world, and those people are often eating better than the rich folks. All cabbage soup recipes are a place to start. The art to soups is combining ingredients so the dish becomes yours.

Roast Beef With Coffee Gravy

By Tami Glover

Yes I know what you are thinking, coffee gravy? Yuck! I will admit it is a different dish than what many are accustomed to seeing. However, if you love coffee then give this one a try. The gravy will have a coffee flavor as well a zing to the beef. Give it a try it has a very unique flavor and is different from the ordinary roast beef you have always tried. The first time I heard about it I was skeptical but I thought what the heck, I am up for something new. I was pleasantly surprised at the taste of the gravy but I also like gourmet coffee as well. Try something new with this recipe I think you may like it.
Roast Beef with Coffee Gravy - Makes 6 servings.

2 tablespoons butter

4 pounds chuck roast

1 tablespoon butter

Salt to taste

1 onion, chopped

6 cups brewed coffee

2 cups canned mushrooms

3 tablespoons cornstarch

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the roast and sear on all sides until well browned; set aside. In the same saucepan, melt the remaining butter, add the salt and onions and saute for 5 minutes.

Return the meat to the saucepan and pour in the coffee and the mushrooms. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 hours, turning meat over halfway through cooking time.

To make gravy: Remove a cup of the coffee mixture from the saucepan, combine with the cornstarch, stirring until smooth, and return to the simmering pan. Mix well, remove from heat and serve.

Recipes For a Great Super Bowl Party

By Amber Torija
Are you ready for some football? Yes it's that time of year again; Super Bowl Sunday is around the corner. It is time to get ready for the super bowl parties we all love. You can be cooking for a crowd of 25 or just the family, these recipes are sure to please all party goers.

Don't just serve boring Chips and Salsa, this recipe is great and easy to make.

Crockpot Sausage Dip

Ingredients

3 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese

1 pkg of Owens Sausage (regular or spicy which ever you like)

2 cans Rotell Tomatoes with Chile's (mild, regular or hot)

Hot Sauce (optional)

Cut cream cheese into cubes and allow to soften, either at room temperature or for a minute in the microwave. Brown sausage in a skillet, drain grease completely, I usually pat mine with a paper towel once cooked to get off as much grease as possible.

In a crockpot combine the softened cream cheese, the cooked sausage and Rotell tomatoes. Cook on low for an hour, stirring occasionally to combine ingredients. Taste and add hot sauce as desired for added flavor.

You can use mild or hot tomatoes or sausage depending on how spicy you like your dip. You also can use a block of Velveeta Cheese instead of the cream cheese if you desire. Keep the dip warm in the Crockpot during the game, and serve with tortilla chips.

Buffalo wings are also a fan favorite.

Buffalo Breaded Chicken Wings:

Ingredients

¼ margarine

¼ hot sauce

½ cup flour

¼ tsp paprika

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ cayenne pepper

¼ tsp salt

10 chicken wings and drumlets (of course more depending on the crowd)

Vegetable oil for frying

In a bowl melt the margarine or butter and add the hot sauce and the garlic powder. Mix together and set aside for later. In another bowl add together the flour paprika, cayenne pepper and salt, mix together. In a large bowl or bag, put in the wings and coat them with the flour mixture. Ensure that all of the wings are coated evenly with the flour mixture. Put the floured wings in the refrigerator for about an hour which allows the flour to stick to the chicken wings better.

After the wings have been in the refrigerator for an hour, cook the wings in a deep fryer with the oil heated to 350 degrees. Frying should take about 10 minutes or until the wings turn a dark golden brown. Remove from oil and place them in a large bowl, add the hot sauce mixture ensuring all of the wings are coated evenly. Serve with blue cheese or ranch dressing and celery sticks.

Also Nacho's are a favorite at Super Bowl Parties. Here is an easy recipe for Chicken nachos.

Kicking Chicken Nachos

Ingredients

Tortillas Chips

1-2 boneless chicken breast cut in bite size pieces

2 tbsp olive oil

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp cumin

½-3/4 tsp cayenne pepper (depending on personal taste)

1 can sliced jalapenos

1 pkg Mexican Cheese blend

1 Can refried beans

1 cup chili (store bought or homemade)

Salsa

Sour Cream

Guacamole

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl mix together the cut up chicken breasts, olive oil, salt, garlic powder, cumin and cayenne pepper mix together well. In a hot skillet cook the chicken until no longer pink, and completely cooked through.

In a baking dish arrange the tortilla chips in layers. For the first layer add the refried beans (I find it easier to handle when they are heated before trying to put them on the chips). The second layers add the chili over the top. The chicken mixture is the third layer and top that with the shredded Mexican blend cheese. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes, or until heated through and cheese is bubbling.

Once they are done cooking, top with the sliced jalapeno peppers if desired, and serve with salsa, sour cream and guacamole.

These appetizers are sure to keep all of the Super Bowl fans happy, and you will have a party they will remember. Are you ready for some football?

Diabetics Recipe's

If you or your family member has been diagnosed with diabetes, it is important to cook healthy meals that may help the person stay fit. As breakfast is considered as the first and most important meal of the day, you should pay it special attention.

However, it remains a challenge to cook for people suffering with diabetes. Many studies done in this field indicate that people with diabetes should start their day with certain grains for breakfast as this will help them maintain their blood sugar levels for the entire day. These grains include whole-grain barley, whole grain rye, and other whole grains such as oats. Today, you will learn how to cook a mouth-watering dish - American chili for diabetics. The best thing about this dish is that you can also store it for future use.

Here are the ingredients:

• Hamburger- 2 lbs.
• Tomato juice- 1 quart
• Onions- 2
• Green peppers- 2-3 nos.
• 1 pound of dried kidney beans
• Chili powder- 2 tablespoons
• Cumin (optional)- 1 tablespoon
• Black pepper- 2 teaspoons
• Papirika -1 tablespoon
• Salt- 2 teaspoons
• Chopped tomatoes- 1 small can

Recipe

• First, soak kidney beans overnight.
• Cook for around 1 hour until they are tender
• Brown the hamburgers
• Next, add green pepper and chopped onion
• Cook for 10- 15 minutes
• Convert the dish to a large pot and add hamburger, onions, and peppers
• Now, add drained beans and tomato juice as well as chopped tomatoes
• Add paperika, salt , black pepper, and cumin (optional)
• Add vegetables for a great taste
• Cook for 30 minutes.

Watch this space for more recipes for healthy recipes.

How to Cook Oven Fried Chicken

By Jenny R Smith

How about cooking crispy, crunchy, and low fat chicken tonight? Here's a simple and recipe to cook mouth-watering fried chicken which is not only low in fat, but is also crunchy and crispy.

Preparation Time: 1 hours, 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hours, 20 minutes
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1/2 cup skim milk or buttermilk
• 1 cup crushed corn flakes
• 1 1/2 tbsps onion powder
• 1 1/2 tbsps garlic powder
• 2 tsps black pepper
• 2 tsps dried and crushed pepper
• 1 tsp ginger
• 8 skinless pieces of chicken
• 1 tsp refined vegetable oil
• paprika to taste

Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 350° F.
• Add 1/2 teaspoon of poultry seasoning to skim milk or butter milk.
• Mix cornflake crumbs with all spices and put it in a plastic bag.
• Wash chicken thoroughly and dip it into milk, remove excess milk and pour it in bag after adding seasoning and crumbs.
• Refrigerate the mix for an hour and sprinkle paprika for color.
• Place chicken on a baking pan greased with oil, and cover it with aluminum foil.
• Bake the chicken for another 30-40 minutes.
• Remove the foil and bake it for another 35- 40 minutes until it is easy to pull out the meat using a fork.

Total Calories 256
Fat 5 gms

There are many more recipes available online and otherwise. If you are a fitness freak, it makes sense to spend some time online as well as in your kitchen. Get all your acts together and pay attention to your diet. Needless to say, the results would be just what you aspire to achieve with effective diet planning and weight loss program.