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Potato-Leek Soup – Leeks Are Said to Possibly Date Back to Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt

Potato-leek soup recipe- Can be enjoyed hot or cold, though best enhanced by serving hot along with melted cheese over top!

Discover or distinguish leeks at your nearby grocery store, or a local farmers market The leek (porrum- plant having a large slender white bulb and flat overlapping dark green leaves), like the Welsh onion, forms only a cylindrical, instead of a rounded bulb. Entertain eating another vegetable related to our current-day onion.

Ever had a generous amount of potatoes on-hand, and at a loss for innovative ideas to create for making a new, different, yet delightful dish? I know that leeks are NOT the first vegetable to come to mind; though, please know, leeks when added with other vegetables and spices can really make a smooth, easy to digest soup when cooked and flavored properly.

Leeks are an uncommon vegetable; not regularly purchased or utilized for everyday cooking in America. Continue reading “Potato-Leek Soup – Leeks Are Said to Possibly Date Back to Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt”

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Chicken/Turkey Noodle Soup – Crafted From Leftover Turkey/Chicken Meals With Veggies & Seasoned Well

There are so many fantastic dishes to be made from leftovers, when I think of an abundant amount of leftovers, turkey and chicken seem to come to mind the most often.

Cooking and saving the natural broth from your homemade chicken or turkey adds copious amounts of flavor to soups, sauces or gravy dishes. If this option isn’t available, you can still make some really great soups with the aid of low-salt or no-salt chicken stock or low-salt chicken bouillon cubes. I actually enjoy making a combination of the two. If I don’t have quite enough chicken stock leftover for a soup I will apply what I have and in another stock pot I will bring 2-3 cups of water to boiling and add 1/2 a piece of low-salt bouillon along with the leftover chicken stock and maybe season with Kosher salt or sea salt and add more seasonings, then blend both of the warm liquids together as the base for my soup. Continue reading “Chicken/Turkey Noodle Soup – Crafted From Leftover Turkey/Chicken Meals With Veggies & Seasoned Well”

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Is It Safe To Eat Cinnamon If You Have Acid Reflux?

Acid reflux or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) happens when the stomach content spills over to esophagus. Poor diet, lack of exercise, and stress can contribute to this disease. If left untreated, it can cause inflammation and scarring of the esophagus. One of the natural remedies to relieve the symptoms of acid reflux is cinnamon, one of the oldest spice in the world.

Cinnamon is safe to eat when you have acid reflux. It helps to get rid of heartburn by reducing the acidity in your stomach. This also prevents the risk of developing ulcers in the lower esophagus when the stomach acid flow back into the esophagus.

Cinnamon helps in digestion by stimulating the enzymes to break down the food faster. It also increases your metabolism. By taking it regularly, your digestive health improves. Ancient people often use it as a remedy for many kinds of stomach discomforts.

A study reveals that a teaspoon of cinnamon contains 28 milligrams of calcium. It also has one milligram each of iron, manganese, fiber, vitamins C, and K. Continue reading “Is It Safe To Eat Cinnamon If You Have Acid Reflux?”

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Smokey Vegetable Soup With Pasta Smells Good and Tastes Good

Smell has a lot to do with appetite and how much food we eat. Years ago, a friend of mine caught a terrible cold and lost his sense of smell. He didn’t lose it for a week or so, he lost it for six months. “I didn’t want to eat,” he admitted, “and had to force myself do it.”

The smoky smell of this nutritious soup will bring all family members to the kitchen. But the best thing about it is that it’s made primarily with leftovers. My refrigerator seemed to be stocked with a little of this and a little of that. Not one to waste food, I started removing food cartons from the fridge and vegetables from the bin. It was time to make soup.

Some vegetable soup recipes are tomato-based, while others are meat-based. Clear and cream soups are in categories of their own. My goal was to make delicious soup packed with vegetables and flavor. I started with half of a leftover onion. I found some leftover ham and pre-cooked real bacon pieces in the meat drawer. It was time to start cooking. Continue reading “Smokey Vegetable Soup With Pasta Smells Good and Tastes Good”

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Binoy Nazareth Goes On a Rendezvous in Paris

Romantic. Ravishing. Rejuvenating.

In between adventures, food trails and the joys of exploring all things beautiful, I experienced a heart-stopping journey of romance at Paris, the City of Lights. This was something I had always dreamt of and in spite of a short transit, I was determined to absorb the essence of culture in a sophisticated and beautiful city. Paris je t’aime! This was the Oh la la moment I had been waiting for and it was time to display my principles of ‘aime beaucoup’ which means, ‘Eat well, laugh often, love abundantly’ and here was a chance to prove my ideals!

I think that every tourist loves to visit ‘Gay Paree’, a city with a 19th century cityscape, cultural and oh so cosmopolitan. Historic and everlasting, the environment of Paris brims over with romance, art, design, luxurious fashion, entertainment, media, music and gourmet food trails. Was I thrilled to be here or what!!?? Being a chef with aspirations of sampling rare and exotic cuisines, I was about to experience the second highest number of Michelin restaurants in the City of Lights. Continue reading “Binoy Nazareth Goes On a Rendezvous in Paris”

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How to Make Vietnamese Crispy Batter Fried Eggplant Slices – Ca Tim Ran

Vietnamese or Chinese Eggplants are slender and longer, but firmer comparing to the large globe eggplants sold at an American market. Vietnamese and Chinese prefer using them in cooking comparing to the large globe eggplants because of its final texture and easy cooking. These slender eggplants usually grill and fry better as well.

Recipe for Vietnamese Crispy Batter Fried Eggplant Slices

Batter:

2/3 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup rice flour

3 tbsp cornstarch Continue reading “How to Make Vietnamese Crispy Batter Fried Eggplant Slices – Ca Tim Ran”

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How Does Water Affect Vietnamese Culture?

Why do many tourists come to Vietnam? And What makes them book Vietnam vacations? There are many reasons. One of these reasons is the unique Vietnamese culture. So, what is Vietnamese culture?

This is a very large realm and nobody could say in one article. However, today I talk about the ” Water” function in Vietnamese culture. You may be surprised at my article. Now, we should see Vietnamese culture since the beginning. It dated back to over 3000 years ago when Vietnamese ancestors lived inside many limestone caves in the Northeast and Northwest of Vietnam. These areas are their first home. Time by time, their groups became so big and there were not enough space and food for them. This made them find new areas for living. In the end, they decided to move down the mountains to a delta. This place is the Red River delta at the moment. Here, they had better conditions for their life. There are many rivers, lakes, ponds( at the moment, on a research, one square kilometer of land there is about 1.7 to 2 kilometer of river). Therefore, they could find a lot of fish for food. This is also their first job – fishing. Besides, this area is very flat with full of water. It is good for planning different crops. Then, the second job began. That is wet rice cultivation. It was also the time Vietnamese culture being formed and it is being added upto now through about 5 typhoons per year. They have to get used to living with water. During this time, we call the Red River civilization or wet rice civilization. Continue reading “How Does Water Affect Vietnamese Culture?”

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How to Make Vietnamese Lotus Seed and Longan Sweet Soup – Che Hat Sen Nhan Nhuc

Sweet soup, Che, is a very popular Vietnamese dessert. In this version of Che, buttery lotus seeds are combined with longans, a tropical fruit similar to lychees, producing a slightly smoky vanilla flavor. Our elders believe this help sooth their sleep and clear their thoats. For me, when serving cold, it’s a great dessert cool your body temperature in a warm sunny day or a warm sweet soup for a cold winter; it’s always a great treat!

Dried lotus seeds are usually taking a long time to cook, but quickly cook when boiled with baking soda. When shopping for dried lotus, choose the ones with their bitter green centers removed. They are usually located in the same aisle where the dried beans are at Chinese or Vietnamese markets. Continue reading “How to Make Vietnamese Lotus Seed and Longan Sweet Soup – Che Hat Sen Nhan Nhuc”

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Discover How Easily You Can Make Vietnamese Shrimp Toasts – Banh Mi Tom Quet Nuong

Fun and delightful to eat, this dish makes an excellent appertizer, or hors d’oeuvre that can be served to any party. You can toast it in the oven and deep fry. I prefer to toast it in the oven because it’s less greasy. Enjoy!

Recipe for Making Vietnamese Shrimp Toasts – Banh Mi Tom Quet Nuong

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

1/2 lb medium shrimps, peeled and deveined

6 slices of bread Continue reading “Discover How Easily You Can Make Vietnamese Shrimp Toasts – Banh Mi Tom Quet Nuong”

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10 Reasons to Plant Organic

Nature, health, save money, no chemicals, better taste

The following 10 reasons will definitely encourage you to plant organic products instead of using chemicals in your garden or farm. By sticking to the organic option, you are contributing, in a positive way, to the wellbeing of our planet. You need to plant organic products for the following 10 reasons:

1 of 10 Reasons

Total satisfaction – if you plant organic vegetables you will be mentally happy that you are eating healthy produce from your garden itself. You can never be sure whether the vegetables and fruits that you pick up from the market are of good quality or not. This is the first of the 10 reasons to take up organic farming.

2 of 10 Reasons Continue reading “10 Reasons to Plant Organic”