Food and cooking tips

If you're eating foods out of season, it's likely that they have come a long way - try to eat food that is both locally produced and can be found at that time of year, locally!


Time for cooking is often in short supply, but you can cut cooking time in half by making large batches and eating the leftovers another day. In an age when the average American spends only 32 minutes a day preparing food, strategy is crucial to increasing your consumption of local food.


Dieting 101

The Atkins’ Diet
Now nearly 5 decades old, the famous atkins diet achieved most of its fame during the last few years. Having many well known film stars amongst its supporters, it allows weight reduction whilst still eating many of the foods you love, such as meat and eggs.
On the atkins diet you eat protein and fat, it is carbohydrates that need to be avoided. It is often referred to as a low carbohydrate/high protein, diet.
With this diet, the foods you should avoid are processed and refined sugar, milk, white bread, starchy vegetables, white rice and white flour, including cereals and pasta made from white flour.
Unlike other diets, on the atkins diet the foods you are encouraged to eat are nutrient-rich unprocessed foods like meat, fish and poultry. You also can eat shellfish, regular full fat cheese, butter and olive oil.

The Atkins’ Diet Theory
The logic of the atkins diet is that if we consume fewer carbohydrates, our bodies will consume our fat and we will diet successfully















Minestrone(Pressure Cooked) Recipe
Minestrone(Pressure Cooked) Category Pasta Recipes 
Views 63 
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Ingredients And Procedures

3/4 cup dried navy (pea) beans -- picked over & rinsed

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic -- finely minced

1 large onion -- coarsely chopped

3 large carrots -- cut in 1/2" slices

1 medium leek -- thinly sliced

3 stalks celery -- cut in 1" slices

1 cup tightly packed minced fresh basil -- or

Italian (flat-leaved) parsley -- divided 1 teaspoon dried thyme -- or

dried oregano 1 14 oz can Italian plum tomatoes with juice

3 cups cold water

3 cups vegetable stock

2 cups green beans, trimmed -- cut in thirds

1/2 cup orzo, tubettini, -- or

other small Italian pasta 1 cup boiling water (up to 2 c) -- optional

2 large zucchini -- cut in 1/2" slices

3 cups shredded cabbage -- cored

1 teaspoon salt -- or to taste

freshly ground black pepper -- to taste ***Garnish*** 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (up to 1 1/2 c)

or grated Romano cheese

serves 8 to 10

Soak the navy beans overnight or use the pressure cooker quick presoak method ( see basic cooking times). Rinse, drain, and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in the cooker,and saute the garlic and onion until the onion becomes limp, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots, leek, celery, 1/2 cup basil, thyme, reserved navy beans, plum tomatoes with their juice, water and stock. L ock the lid in place and over high heat bring to high pressure. Adjust heat to maintain high pressure, and cook 20 minutes. Let the pressure drop naturally or use a quick release method. Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to all ow any excess steam to escape.

Add the green beans and orzo and cook uncovered over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently so that the orzo doesn't drop to the bottom of the pot and burn. If the soup becomes too thick, add 1 to 2 cups boiling water. Add zucc hini, cabbage, remaining basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the z ucchini and green beans are crisp-tender, about 3 to 5 additional minutes. ser ve in individual bowls, garnished with Parmesan or romano.

Author's note: For a friend of mine, a superb minestrone always contains one s ecret ingredient: a tablespoon of sugar to enhance all of the flavors. She may be right.

 
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