Week of September 28, 2003

Here is a quick and easy trick for trimming fat off of meat and poultry. First place the raw beef, pork or chicken in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes. You don't want it frozen solid, just so it begins to become firm. The fat hardens and slices off easily.

I also use this trick when slicing meat or poultry into very thin slices for great stir fry dishes. Just place in the freezer until firm but not frozen. Then using a very sharp or serrated knife, slice meat or poultry into very thin slices 1/8 inch thick or less. The meat will cook quickly and be very tender. I actually use less meat when I slice it this way because smaller pieces are more evenly distributed throughout the dish.

Week of September 20, 2003

Think Green - If you are looking for healthy low fat and low calorie foods go for the green. Green leafy vegetables and other green vegetables are low in calories and fat and high in nutrients like vitamin C.

If you are at a restaurant and get an entree with two sides, think green. Get the green vegetables instead of the potatoes or macaroni and cheese.

Here is a breakdown some great green vegetables.

Week of September 14, 2003

Know Your Salad Greens

Vary your lettuce. Here is what is readily available: iceberg or crisphead, bibb or buttercrunch or Boston or butterhead (real bibb lettuce is darker, much more flavor, looser leaves and is much more expensive), Romaine or Cos, and red and green leaf lettuce. Lettuce also grows in many shades of green and red with darker-green and red leaf types containing greater quantities of vitamins. Outer leaves of head lettuce are usually more nutritious than the paler inner leaves.

But please don't forget other salad greens - they can make a plain side salad truly memorable. They usually contain more vitamins and nutrients than regular lettuce and often much more flavor. Here are a few that are usually available in some form at most large grocery stores. In fact pre-mixed mesclun or baby spring greens which usually include a mixture of some of the following: arugula, mizuna, tat soi, frisee, oakleaf, red chard, radicchio, beet leaves, red mustard, lollo rossa, baby spinach leaves and radicchio are also available fresh in the produce isle or pre-packaged by the pre-packaged salads. If your grocery does not stock them, ask if it is possible to get some of the pre-packaged in stock.

Or is you have a green thumb, try growing a mesclun mix, arugula or others. Gurneys.com has a nice mesclun seed mix package if you would like to try your hand at greens gardening. Click here for Gurney's Seed and Nursery The page loads slow so be patient.

Arugula	Baby Spinach	Belgian Endive
Mache	Radicchio	Lollo Rossa
Baby Red Beet Leaf	Watercress	Tat Soi
Curly Endive or Frisee	Red Oakleaf Lettuce	Mesclun Mix

Experiment a little! Find the greens that appeal to you and fix a great salad for any occasion that will go with any cuisine or type of entree!

Week of September 7, 2003

Get exotic - try cooking with banana leaves! This is an ancient method of cooking or roasting foods in an open pit. However the same method may be used in a traditional oven or outdoor grill. Think of banana leaves as the tropical version of aluminum foil.

If you're lucky enough to live where banana trees grow, you'll have no trouble obtaining leaves. They can be huge, so if necessary cut them into manageable pieces. Then wash and pat dry and remove the stem from the center of each leaf prior to use.

If you do not live in an area that has banana trees, frozen banana leaves can be found at Asian and Latin American grocery stores. Thaw completely and rinse before using; trim the stems as above if need be.

Here is a recipe, Fish En Papillote, where lime juice and garlic are used as the seaoning along with some thinly sliced vegetables.

Here is Fish in Banana Leaf where the dish is grilled.

Fish in Banana Leaf

8 palm-size (mahi mahi) and tilapia filets
Salt and pepper
Banana leaves, enough to make 16 eight-by-eight-inch squares
4 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and chopped
16 green-onion tops, chopped
4 small bonnet peppers, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 limes, sliced in half

Lay each fish filet on square of banana leaf, and sprinkle both sides of filets with salt and pepper. Toss vegetables and garlic together, and top fish with even portions. Squeeze half a lime on each. Fold banana leaf into square parcel, and tie with kitchen twine.

Wrap loosely with another leaf (to keep string from burning), and place on grill. Grill each side 4 to 5 minutes. Filets are ready when package is firm to pressure of fork. Open banana leaves and serve.