Easy Recipe - You Can't Break This

One thing preventing many from attempting cooking is fear. Fear of having the end result not taste good, fear of being embarassed in front of the spouse or kids, fear of burning down the house, whatever.

Here's an easy way to start out. This doesn't involve flame or electricity (well, some ingredients may come from the fridge, which is typically running on electricity, but even most cooking-phobes are OK with the technology in that context...) It's tasty. It's very easy. And shhhh! - it's actually pretty healthy. But it's still tasty.

Delicious Vegetable Salad
(I gotta work on my recipe titles...)

Delicious Vegetable Salad

Ingredients:
1 cup cauliflower
1 cup broccoli
2 large radishes
8-10 baby carrots
1 bunch green onions
¼ of a bell pepper – red, yellow, or orange for aesthetics
1 bag instant brown rice

Dressing:
4 tablespoons Country Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons white vinegar
4 tablespoons Miracle Whip (low or non-fat for healthiest version)
2 tablespoons olive oil
A little kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Put about 1 cup of cauliflower pieces, either from a fresh head or pre-cut pieces typically sold for dipping, into a large bowl

Add a similar amount of broccoli florets, either from a fresh head or pre-cut.

Start water boiling for rice.

Thinly slice 2 radishes, cut those slices in half, add to bowl.

Slice 8-10 baby carrots lengthwise, then slice each of those pieces 3-4 more times so you have carrot slivers, add to bowl. These slicers do not have to be extremely thin.

When water boils, add bag of instant brown rice. Once again boiling, cook for 10 minutes.

Slice one bunch of green onions, taking the tasty part near the base, then some slices from the distal, dark green ends of the leaves, add to bowl.

Take ¼ to ½ of the bell pepper, slice lengthwise into strips, then cut each of those in half, add to bowl.

In medium bowl, add together ingredients for the dressing. Whisk vigorously until thoroughly mixed.

When rice is done, remove bag from water using tongs. Still using tongs, tap the bag against the bottom of the sink to help remove excess water. Cut bag, and add rice to contents of the large bowl.

If not serving right away, toss gently and place in refrigerator to cool.

When ready to serve, add dressing, toss thoroughly, and serve.


Feel free to post a comment after your experience. And this is cooking, even if not fire is involved!

Here's a couple handy little tips - there'll be plenty more as we go along!

• When boiling pasta, add a dollop of extra virgin olive oil to the water. This will keep the pasta from sticking together when you drain it.



• When heating oil in a skillet, stick a wooden spoon into the warming oil. When bubbles form around the spoon, the oil is ready for use.

Cooking Without Fear

Cooking is becoming a lost art. Parents - who today may not even know how to cook themselves - aren't teaching their kids. We're eating processed junk, getting fat, and feeding the coffers of huge companies who put their profit way above our health and well being.

And we're missing out on a genuinely fun, rewarding, and relaxing activity that brings other benefits. It's a great thing for families to do together, but it's also fun if you're a single living alone. And guys, it is a great way to impress the ladies.

Don't let fear stop you. What's the worst that can happen? You make a lousy meal, or over or undercook something. So what? Learn from it, laugh at it, and go at it again.

This blog will have some recipes, a lot of encouragement, some cool tips, and a place to ask questions and provide your own suggestions and recipes. Most of all, I'd love to get people in the kitchen (using something other than the microwave - though occasionally we'll even use the microwave for some simple tasks.)

Trust me - you'll have some fun, you'll definitely save some money, and you'll eat more healthily. And that's without going crazy picking specifically healthy ingredients. Just eating home cooked food instead of uber-processed ingredients you'll find at most restaurants, all fast food joints (if you're lucky), and even those you can find at the grocery store if shopping injudiciuosly, will be far healthier for you.