I’ve been drinking Japanese green tea for decades. I started drinking tea when my doctor put me on a detox diet where I wasn’t allowed any coffee. To begin with I was concerned that I would be unproductive and sleepy all day without my caffeine boost in the morning. But what I actually found was that my productivity actually increased, I became less jittery and I felt relaxed and centered.
I subsequently learned that the way caffeine in tea affects the body chemistry is different from the way caffeine in coffee does (more on this). In particular it is only released into the bloodstream slowly producing a longer-term stimulation in contrast with the short term coffee high.
So enamored was I with the effects of green tea on my health and well-being that I decided to try to incorporate the leaf into my cooking as well as my drinking rituals. I did some reading and I learned that it’s possible to use green tea as a cooking ingredient in a huge variety of different ways. We really are only limited by our imagination.
But I won’t leave you dangling. I’ll close this article with some insight into how to use green tea in your cooking (and baking).
The easiest way is to take tea leaves that have been steeped and add them freely to your cooking sauces, salads and vegetables. It’s best to use tea leaves that have been steeped just once as they will retain their vegetal fresh flavor. So next time you’re cooking up some pasta or frying some filling for an omelette just stir in some tea leaves from your teapot.
Your next step in the journey of using green tea and cooking is to start to experiment with powdered green tea. You may have come across this as a hot beverage known as “matcha green tea”. This is widely drunk in Japan and is the type of tea used in the most traditional Japanese tea ceremonies. Matcha is made by grinding fresh tea leaves between 2 rotating stones so that a powder is produced.
I’ve been experimenting with matcha spreads such as butter and cream cheese and it tastes brilliant. I’ve even started sprinkling the green tea powder into bread and pasta dough. And of course green tea ice cream is the perfect end to any meal.
If you are spending a lot of time thinking about how to invest in the stock market, you would be better off spending a little time thinking about how best to incorporate fruits and vegetables in your diet. Experts advise you to have at least five servings every day with at least three made up of yellow fruit and vegetables and green leafy vegetables and the other two of other fruit and vegetables. How are you going to deal with this if you do not really like fruit and vegetables?
Each more of the fruit and vegetables that you like rather than compelling yourself to eat things that you do not. For instance you may dislike berries and cabbage while liking carrots and bananas. Just eat more carrots and bananas instead of forcing cabbage down your throat. You can, for instance, add sliced bananas to your breakfast bowl of cereals or grated carrots to your dinner salad. You can also try eating two different kinds of vegetables with your meals instead of just one or add a salad with greens.
Sometimes people dislike eating fruit and vegetables because they do not like the process of cleaning and preparation. Try using tinned fruit as a dessert or frozen vegetables to cook with your meals. Make sure that you check the expiry date because you should never eat or drink any foods that are past their expiry date. Semi dried fruits or dried fruits such as prunes or apricots make for healthy snacks in between meals…
You could also try drinking your fruits and vegetables instead of eating them. Drink fresh fruit juice in place of fizzy drinks, tea or coffee. A smoothie made of milk, yogurt, ice and fruit can provide you with a large portion of your daily requirement. A vegetable soup can help you to eat several different kinds of vegetables without your realizing it.
You can’t beat home cooking, you know exactly what went into the recipe, and you know exactly when it was made. That is the problem when you buy ready meals and pre prepared foods, you do not know how good the ingredients are, how much salt went into it, and how many days ago it was made.
So home cooking is definitely the way to improve the quality of the food you eat. It is also a really great way to try new things, you just need to be a little bit more organised. the best way to do this is to decide before you shop what you are going to be eating for the week ahead. Then make a shopping list of all the ingredients you will need, add up the different quantities so that you have a total of, for example all the flour you will be needing. This way you should have everything you need to make all those delicious home cooked meals.
If you really want to try some new things, why not get a luxury hamper and use the different ingredients to give your cooking some extra flavour. if you enjoy this you can also think of giving one as a top Christmas Gift, and also pass on the recipes you have tried too, this makes a more personal gift to friends and family.
One really nice thing that can come about from you cooking more at home is that you could get all the family involved, and make cooking something you all participate in. Choosing your menu together, and steering away from the kids’ favourites of chips with everything. Children often are more willing to try new things if they have had a hand in making it. Home cooking could transform your family life in more ways than one.
Something that I have been fascinated with for over 10 years is capturing the moment a nice meal that has been lovingly prepared is just about to be served. I will often take pictures of the whole process from start to finish. From the peeling and cutting of the veg, to the basting or browning of the meat, i like to take a photograhic journey of some of my favourite meals.
I have a whole iPhoto folder dedicated to Food that has been prepared by my good self. It’s nice to look back to see some of the creations i have experimented with in the past. The thing that has been funny lately is that my daughter has been avidly watching me for the last 7 years and now she wants to copy what she has seen. I use my own digital camera and to be honest I don’t want to lend her my one, i’ve had too many scrapes in the past.
I went online to look for where i could get an affordable kids camera for a good price, i had a few options to choose from as a lot of brands have cottoned on to the fact that if they can get a kid to prefer a certian style of camera now, they might have a customer for life. Well this is what most manufactures do these days anyway, that’s totally fine with me I just wanted a decent camera that would let my daughter take pictures of the food i was making and of course for her first forays into baking cookies and cakes!
I decided on the Kiddizoom Camera and it has done the job perfectly. Now i have setup a folder on my computer for her to store all her food photos aswell, i’m pleased that she is taking an interest in cooking, even if it is just taking pictures…for now!
If you asked me what’s my favourite thing about baking – and you’d be here for a while while I though about it – I’d probably eventually say (after much umming and ahhing) it’s the texture of things.
Let me explain. Baking is all about the aromas and flavours of the breads, pastries and cakes we bake, but the true joy is in the feel of it all. Kneading your hands into a heavy lump of dough, working through it until it’s the perfect consistency. It’s a great feeling, knowing that with each kneading motion you’re making better bread. Just lovely.
And then there’s the even better feeling of sliding a freshly baked loaf from the oven. Feeling the heat of the baking tray through a few layers of flour sack towels. Wrapping the bread in a thin towel to ease it out of the tray, and laying it down on the table to cool as the kitchen fills with that fresh baked aroma. There’s just nothing better on the planet for an enthusiastic baker.
Of course, none of this comes close to the joy of actually eating our creations. I just baked a few baguettes, and there’s just nothing on earth like tearing of one end and snacking on the soft, fluffy bread within.
Most lovers of southern food have a special affinity for pork. This southern food recipe is for something a little different than the traditional southern fried pork chops. It’s a much lighter dish, as it involves no flour or other breading. It also includes some healthy veggies and healthy olive oil.
Sautéed pork chops recipe
Ingredients you’ll need:
Four boneless pork chops
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 large green bell pepper
1 large sweet red bell pepper
1 large onion
Olive oil
Salt, to taste
Directions: Rinse pork chops and pat dry. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, allspice, paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, and cider vinegar. Coat the pork chops with the mixture on both sides. Place pork in the refrigerator for an hour.
Meanwhile, wash the peppers and remove the stems, seeds, and ribs. Slice the peppers into thin strips. Peel the onion and slice it into strips, too.
Heat the olive oil over medium to medium-high heat and brown the pork chops on both sides. Remove chops from pan. Turn the heat down to medium and sauté the peppers and onion until soft. Return the chops to the pan and cover. Simmer until pork is cooked completely. Add salt.
Most lovers of southern food have a special affinity for pork. This southern food recipe is for something a little different than the traditional southern fried pork chops. It’s a much lighter dish, as it involves no flour or other breading. It also includes some healthy veggies and healthy olive oil.
Sautéed pork chops recipe
Ingredients you’ll need:
Four boneless pork chops
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 large green bell pepper
1 large sweet red bell pepper
1 large onion
Olive oil
Salt, to taste
Directions: Rinse pork chops and pat dry. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, allspice, paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, and cider vinegar. Coat the pork chops with the mixture on both sides. Place pork in the refrigerator for an hour.
Meanwhile, wash the peppers and remove the stems, seeds, and ribs. Slice the peppers into thin strips. Peel the onion and slice it into strips, too.
Heat the olive oil over medium to medium-high heat and brown the pork chops on both sides. Remove chops from pan. Turn the heat down to medium and sauté the peppers and onion until soft. Return the chops to the pan and cover. Simmer until pork is cooked completely. Add salt.
