Category Archives: cooking

Image

#1 Secret to Successful Stir-fry

Use any combination of fresh vegetables plus any protein you choose (chicken, shrimp, beef, tofu) to make a healthful, delicious stir-fry. Here I chose colorful peppers and red cabbage from the produce market, added carrots, celery, and leftover cooked chicken. The sauce is simply a quick whisked combo of soy sauce, freshly grated ginger and garlic, and 1/2 cup broth with a Tbsp. corn starch dissolved in it. I finish with a drizzle of sesame oil and chopped fresh cilantro before serving.

The secret to perfectly cooked stir-fry is not really a secret: Prepare all ingredients before preheating your wok or skillet. That’s it! Stir-fries cook quickly but require constant attention, so you can’t leave it to chop additional ingredients.

Try stir-frying. It’s a flavorful way to add vegetables to your diet. It’s also a great use-up for produce you have on hand that you don’t want to lose.

3 Comments

February 28, 2014 · 9:43 am

December 31, 2013 · 8:13 am

2013 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for the Hasty Tasty Meals Kitchen. What a year. Happy new year, everyone!

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 8,400 times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 3 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Hasty Tasty Cranberry Sauce

It’s Thanksgiving week. Here by request is a repeat of my cranberry sauce recipe. It’s easy and so much better than canned, so give it a try. Happy Thanksgiving!

The tart cranberry is delicious and healthful. Unfortunately, the cranberry is overlooked except during the holidays yet is good any time of the year. But don’t open up a can of jellied cranberry sauce–make your own! In less than 30 minutes, you can have homemade cranberry sauce. You can store it in the refrigerator in a mold or in the serving bowl–your choice. Molds are impressive but not necessary. Here’s my Hasty Tasty version:

RECIPE

Hasty Tasty Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:

12 ounce package fresh cranberries

3/4 cup brown sugar

dash salt

one orange, zested and juiced

1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

Directions:

Combine brown sugar and juice of an orange (reserve zest) in a 2-quart sauce pan. Add cranberries.

Gently heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for fifteen minutes or until berries burst.

Remove from heat. Stir in zest of orange and grated ginger.

Carefully tranfer contents to the Vitamix or a food processor. Cover.*

Beginning with the lowest speed (Vitamix variable speed 1), process cranberries to desired consistency. Just pulse a few times for a chunkier sauce.*

Carefully pour sauce into a mold or a serving dish, cover, and refrigerate for a minimum of one hour. Overnight is better.

*Processing the sauce is optional. Cranberries taste great either whole sauce or pureed.

Yield: 1 pint cranberry sauce

Variations: add your choice of seasonings in place of the grated ginger, such as cloves, cinnamon, or even jalapeño pepper!

Dinner Under Pressure

I love steamed vegetables. But if I’m rushed, I pull out the pressure cooker. I cook all the vegetables in one pot, three minutes under pressure (four minutes if you prefer extra tender veggies). Cleanup is easy because the liquid that steams while it cooks prevents sticking or scorching. If your cooker includes a steamer basket and trivet to hold the basket out of the water, use it.

Fresh vegetables prepped in steamer basket

Of course, stick with vegetables having similar cooking times. Don’t toss broccoli in with potatoes. 😉 Today I cooked peeled Idaho potatoes, which I later mashed, carrots, and fresh green beans. Yes, you cook them all together. Season with salt and pepper if you like, or season individually when you serve. Your choice.

My 3 Liter pressure cooker

Use your pressure cooker (I have three, but one six-quart cooker is plenty). In the time it takes you to set the table, pour beverages, and re-heat or slice your meat (or protein of your choice), your pressure cooker cooks all your sides. Quick-release according to the manufacturer’s instructions then carefully open the cooker. I pick out my potatoes first because I mash them.