Leeks are mainly used in soups and broths, but, can also be used in various other food recipes. cooking leeks in soup enhances the flavor of the soup. You can steam, boil, stir fry, bake or roast leeks, as per requirement. Young leek leaves can be chopped into very small slices and can be used in salads. Unlike green onions, leeks have to be cooked carefully, so as to avoid under cooking, which makes it inedible, overcooking, which makes it slimy and mushy and browning, which makes the vegetable tough. As leeks are more solid and crunchy, when compared to green onions, cooking is done to make it softer and milder (in flavor). The following tips are about how to cook leeks in different ways.

Preparing Leeks for Cooking

Now, you know that leeks can be cooked in various ways, like, steaming, boiling, stir frying, etc. You have to purchase fresh leeks and clean it before cooking. Leeks come in bundles of two to four pieces. Go for the thinner ones, as leeks, which are wider than four inches can be tougher. You have to peel off the outer white layer and the discolored leaves. Even the dark green-colored leaves at the top part are also removed. Remove the roots and cut the vegetable through its center (vertically). The next step is to clean it under running water. Slightly pull apart the leaf sheaths, so that the soil inside is removed. Once the vegetable is cleaned, you can cut it as per the requirement. After chopping or slicing, clean it once again, by putting the pieces in a colander and keeping it beneath running water. Read more on how to cut leeks.

Cooking Leeks in Butter

Buttered leeks is one of the popular dishes made of this vegetable. In order to make buttered leeks, you need around 500 grams of leeks, 2½ teaspoons of butter, salt and black pepper. After trimming, the leeks must be around 400 grams in weight. Clean and chop the trimmed leeks into one inch pieces. Turn on the stove and place a frying pan over medium heat. Add butter to the pan and once it melts, put the chopped leeks and seasonings. Stir it for a few minutes and then let the leeks cook for another five to ten minutes. Don’t use lid, while cooking leeks, but, make sure to stir it occasionally. You buttered leeks is ready to serve. Now, you know about cooking leeks in butter. Let us take a look at how to cook leeks in oven.

How to Cook Leeks in Oven

You can bake or roast leeks in oven. Clean the leeks and keep them in boiling water for eight to ten minutes. Drain the leeks and keep aside. Now, melt butter (one ounce) in another pan and add two tablespoons of flour and mix well. Once the butter and flour combine in an even manner, add one tablespoon of grated cheese, half-pint of stock and salt and pepper (as per requirement). Stir well and boil the mixture for around four to five minutes. Now, arrange the leeks on a baking dish and pour half of the prepared sauce over it. Add more grated cheese and sprinkle some cayenne pepper too. Keep the baking dish in the pre-heated oven and bake till the contents get a golden brown color. You can remove the dish and pour the remaining sauce, before serving.

If you want to know about cooking leeks in microwave, the following tips may help you. Take a microwave dish and add some water (around two teaspoons) and cook for about five to seven minutes on high. Make sure to stir the leeks once or twice. You can steam leeks in a steamer basket too. In case of whole leeks, it will take around fifteen to twenty minutes (for steaming), whereas sliced ones need only five minutes. For cooking leaks in soups, fry the sliced leeks using butter, for around ten minutes, before adding any other ingredients. Stir the leeks constantly to prevent browning. Once, the leeks become tender, add other ingredients and cook well. Some people add the ingredients, like the sliced leeks and potatoes together and fry them for making soups.

Family gatherings would not be complete without an array of delectable steak dishes. Prime cuts of beef, pork even fish compels us to grill and commit less grilling mistakes. Besides, everyone appreciates a well-rounded meal, which is made more perfect by a nice selection of beef cuts and marinated ribs.

Gas grilling steak tips often starts with selection of food items. This first tip will take us to a journey of choosing Fillet Mignon above the rest. Fillet Mignon is a steak cut out of a prime beef. This may cost you a little over your budget but is truly worth it.

Second, season and marinate. Use only the best spices and herbs. For special occasions such as weekend getaways, there is no other way to go but prepare special dishes. It has been said that marinating is often disregarded as part of gas grilling steak tips, all because everyone is so crazy about burning coals and ashes.

Third, food preparation may be great and that includes marinating meat before grilling. However, there will be no rib-eye or T-Bone in your plate if you fail to fire up that grill. As an essential component of gas grilling steak tips, you have to know when to cook the items and how to raise those flames. A high temperature is often required in grilling. More so, grilling the steak for roughly two minutes per side is an ideal requirement. Are you afraid of flare-ups? Worry no more as long as you know how to spray water. After which, carefully flip the steak cut and place it onto the grate.

Fourth, decide whether you want your steak rare, well-done or medium rare. To check the doneness of the meat, avoid piercing the steak before or while grilling. A relatively known procedure is also used to determine doneness and is as effective as the other gas grilling steak tips. Just give your steak a slight push, and from there you can tell whether it is firm, well-done or medium-rare.

In the end, avoid the hassles of burnt meat come weekend. Enjoy your leisure time with loved-ones and friends. Be your own chef and start grilling. And with this list of gas grilling steak tips, you’re on your way to gastronomical bliss.

     Avoid processed foods such as takeaways and ready meals, and try to base your diet around foods that are as natural and unhandled as possible. Think back to sword wielding warriors in the older days or even as far as the cavemen, how fit and strong they had to be just to survive. Their bodies had to be pushed to the limit everyday, so were did they get their energy and nutrition from? Well it certainly wasn’t from ready meals and takeaways! Their bodies were fed with meats, vegetables and other natural food sources. We should think about these ancient hunters and warriors when we are looking at our diets. I’m not saying that we should all go out and start hunting down our own food! I just saying that when we are filling our trolleys at the local supermarket, we should be looking in the grocery section, and the butchers counter rather than the frozen aisles with the tv dinners.

     To help you along here are my personal top ten favourite foods. Whether I am trying to lose weight, building muscle or just sustain the same weight and stay healthy I try to incorporate these foods into my diet.

     1. Lean Beef Steak – An excellent source of protein, a vital ingredient in muscle development and repair. They are also rich in other nutrients such as iron and zinc.

     2. Nuts – Peanuts, walnuts, almonds and a few others. Although high in calories, nuts are low in the bad saturated fats, but high in the good fats (essential fatty acids), which can lower cholesterol. They are also a source of protein.

     3. Chicken – Chicken meat, especially the off the breast, is a great source of protein and are extremely low in fat when the skin is removed.

     4. Turkey – Another poultry, same as chicken really. Good source of protein and very low in fat. Continue Reading »

     It is a scientific fact that different food groups are digested differently, in different places in the system and using different chemicals, even different times. So in order to have a digestive system running efficiently, it is a good idea to check out what we are eating with what. Some of our foods, like starchy groups require an alkaline environment while certain others, like protein foods, require an acidic medium (Hydrochloric acid) to complete digestion. If both are taken in one meal, the stomach cannot digest all the food, and the result is a sodden, sorry chemical reaction that takes away all the digestion we need, the food eaten having done nothing but caused toxification of the system. Undigested food rots inside the stomach causing release of toxic gases, and over a long term, causes serious disorders, the roots of which we may then be unable to trace. Constipation, nervous disorders and a slowdown of the general metabolism is bound to occur.

     According to a recent study, an average American male carries about five pounds of undigested, putrefying red eat in his digestive system. Now imagine keeping 5 pounds of red meat in a dark damp corner of your kitchen, day in and day out, letting it rot. Got the picture? That’s his stomach.
     To combat these situations, the following guidelines must be kept in mind while planning a meal:

     1. NEVER eat starch and acids (sugars such as juice or fruits) in one meal. For instance, white bread and citrus juices cannot be digested together. Fats and sugars (fruits) should not be mixed in any one meal. Simply put, one should never eat cereals, bread, potatoes or other such foods with berries, oranges, grapefruit, pineapple, or other acid foods.So there goes the classic English breakfast, as well as the All American one. Continue Reading »

     By definition, “a calorie is the energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius.” The number of calories required to maintain health, may vary from person to person, owing to various factors. But in general, it can be estimated that an adult body requires at least 1000 to 1400 calories to have sufficient energy for the proper functioning of important organs like the brain, heart, and lungs. This minimum number of calories which you need to survive, is known as your resting metabolic rate (RMR). Resting metabolic rate varies greatly, depending upon age, sex, weight and muscle mass. For day to day activities, you need more number of calories than your resting metabolic rate (RMR). This extra energy required can be about 400 to 600 additional calories per day. These numbers are general averages and a dietitian can help you determine exactly how many calories your body needs. You may get an exact answer for your question ‘ how many calories should I eat ‘ after the physical examination of your body. Dietitians usually recommend an increase or decrease of about 500 calories per day according to the need. There are 3500 calories in one pound. Five hundred calories a day amounts to one pound per week. The amount of calories required by a person to be fit and active, may vary according to the basal metabolic rate and the body mass index.

     How Many Calories Should I Eat to Gain Weight
     Each day, if you consume more number of calories than those required by your body, you will eventually gain weight. An excess of 3500 calories is required to gain 1 lb of fat. For example, if your body needs 2000 calories a day to maintain its current weight and every day you consume 2500, in one week you would gain 1 lb. Remember, one day of overindulging does not result in instant weight gain. Read more on weight gain diet chart.

     How Many Calories Should I Eat to Lose Weight Continue Reading »