Ripen Right

Fruits.

Some can ripen at home.

Others, well... buy ripe or you are committed to eating unripened fruits, i.e., they will not get any riper.

Fruits that will ripen after they are picked are known as climacteric fruits. They include:

avocados
bananas
kiwis
pears
tomatoes

Fruits that will NOT ripen after they are picked are known as non-climacteric fruits. They include:

apples
most berries
citrus
melons
pineapples

To nudge climacteric fruits to ripen, place them in a paper bag with a ripe fruit. This will hasten the process.

The World's Fastest Indian

No, not the motorcycle.

We are talking the spice thing.

To make just about anything take on an Indian flavor use the following spices:

coriander
cumin
garam masala
ginger

Simple, spicy, different.

Frozen Veggies That Work

It is winter.

You cannot pick these frozen, but if you get your hands on them, they will reward you with pretty darned good results.

Here are 5 frozen veggies that can be as good as their fresh versions:

Soybeans (edmame)
Brussels sprouts
Peas
Green beans
Artichoke hearts

BTW, they are not just for winter, right?

"Many Way" Satay

The essentials of satay?

Protein + sweet + nut.

Satay The Gourmet-O-Matic ^tm way?

Protein (generally cooked): chicken, beef, lamb, duck, goose, goat, pork, tofu, tempeh, seitan, fish, seafood, other (horse ?)

Sweet: jelly, jam/preserves, caramel, honey, agave nectar, molasses, corn syrup, candy, marshmallow, etc.

Nut: nut butters - smooth or crunchy and you can add sweet to the nut butter to make life easier (e.g., cashew, peanut, almond) or the nuts themselves (in pieces for the larger nuts) as a topping for even more crunch (cashew, peanuts, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc.)

Cover protein with sweet or sweet nut butter combination. Cover sweet and or sweet nut butter combination with nuts.

Or you can make the protein and use the other stuff for dipping.

Done.

Serve.

Ready! Set! Sprout!

Save money.

Save time.

Eat fresh.

Sprout.

It is so easy you won't believe it.

Ready?

Take green lentils or sunflower seeds or mung beans or soy beans or adzuki beans or whatever (do an online search to find out what else you can sprout).

Put 'em in a jar covered with cheesecloth. Fill the jar with your sprouts-to-be only 1/3 of the way.

Soak overnight in twice the amount of water as sprout-to-be.

Drain.

Rinse.

Drain.

Repeat rinse and drain in 12 hours.

Repeat again in 12 hours.

Repeat again in 12 hours.

When tails form, taste.

Repeat as many times as you choose until you are ready to "harvest" your sprouts.

Result: fresh "veggies" year 'round.

Sprout volume will generally be 2-3 times the original volume.

A great return on investment.

Caramelized Onions - the Set and Forget Way

The naturally occurring sugars in vegetables can be enhanced through slow cooking.

Onions are an excellent candidate for caramelizing.

And they are more than easy to make.

Spray the inside of a slow cooker with a small amount of oil.

Fill with onions.

Cover.

Set to low.

Go away for a day or so.

Set to high, return sooner.

Come back to beautiful brown onions, sweet and delicious.

Can be stored in the fridge for weeks.

Add to soups, sandwiches, side dishes, main dishes.

You name it.

Un-Fried Beans

Why fry then re-fry beans?

Clearly, hummus is not fried.

It can be simply chickpeas, garlic, lemon all ground together.

Add tahini, olive oil, salt, pepper and cayenne if you choose. (These will increase the caloric content.)

Likewise, you can make a lower Calorie version of refried beans.

Food process pinto beans with salsa and cumin.

The taste will be fresher.

The fat, less.

The Calories, fewer.

You can add-in herbs (e.g., basil, cilantro), heat (e.g., more or different hot peppers), nuts, additional veggies, substitute different salsas (e.g., mango), etc.

And in the summer, there is no need to turn on the stove.

Cool.