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A foodie will love the feel of the grilled bbq ribs as it slowly melts in the mouth. There are some who would prefer the spicy outcome, while others would like to have a wet rub. Whether it is pork ribs, baby-back ribs or beef ribs, it is undeniable, that they have a huge fan following all over the world. Here are a few best bbq ribs recipes for the foodies.

The Texas pork spareribs recipe is considered as an all-time favorite among the Southerners. You will need 4 racks of spareribs taken from pork along with ¼ cup of salt. Along with it you will need white sugar the amount of which will be 1 to 1 and a half. Black pepper and 3 tablespoons of paprika are also needed. The amount of black pepper will be 2 to 2 and half tablespoons. Along with it you will need chopped onion and garlic powder. It is better not to forget the cayenne powder, the amount of which will be 1 teaspoon. You will also need 3 cups of hot water and last but not the least brown sugar the amount of which will be 4 tablespoons.

For all best bbq rib recipes, there is one thumb rule. If there is any excess fat, it should be removed. Sugar, paprika, black pepper and salt should be put inside a medium bowl and stirred for sometime. After some time you can add the pepper, garlic powder and the cayenne powder. The spice after it is prepared should be rubbed over the ribs. The ribs will have to be placed on roasting pans. The measurement of the pan should be preferably 10×15 inches. Two racks of ribs must be piled on the pan. After the pan is covered the whole thing should be refrigerated for more than 8 hours.

The oven should be preheated to 275 degrees for baking the ribs. The baking should be done without uncovering the lid. It should be baked until the flesh become almost juicy. In order to make the sauce, some dripping can be removed from the pan and placed on a skillet. It should be cooked in medium heat. In the same pan, the onions should be cooked until they are almost brown. Ketchup should be added and stirred for 3 to 4 minutes. The mixture should be stirred without respite. Water and brown sugar will have to be added and the whole sauce will have to be seasoned with salt, pepper, and cayenne. You need to cook everything in low heat and allow the substances to simmer for an hour. If you feel that it is getting too thick, you can add water to dilute it.

The grill will have to be pre-heated in low heat. If you have a smoker box, you can add soaked wood chips. The grate of the grill should be covered with cooking spray. The ribs will have to be placed on the grill side by side. You can cook them for 20 more minutes and turn them from time to time. Before serving them, you can apply a thick coat of sauce and allow it to grill for another 10 minutes. And all this while you will have to resist your temptation to have a bite on the tender flesh!

People are increasingly moving towards a vegetarian diet as they are gradually becoming aware that vegetables are a healthy food. Using lunch recipes like vegetarian low calorie recipes is one of the best things that you can do make sure your family is healthy and safe from obesity which is turning out to be a real epidemic in the United States and other developing countries. Cooking vegetables is definitely better than the other options you have to a vegetarian diet but you get the best nutritional benefit when you partake of vegetables raw.

Raw vegetables contain a lot of minerals, vitamins and other sources of nutrition that are required by our bodies. These low calorie recipes which are mostly high in fiber content protect you from digestive disorders and may even protect you from the caner of the colon and lung. Hence you must make sure that your dinner recipes and lunch recipes include a raw salad recipe
Plenty of vegetarian and low calorie recipes make use of tofu, soy, peas and dried beans to make sure they get their quota of proteins for the day. One of my favorite lunch recipes is the red bean salad recipe which is made from red beans and onion rings and then seasoned with pounded garlic, salt, sugar, pepper powder and a dash of olive oil. You can add some cubes of cucumber if you like or replace the beans with chick peas. This makes for a tasty and easy recipe; even your kids could help you make it.

You can collect quite a few low calorie recipes by subscribing to vegan magazines, looking through the food sections of newspapers and visiting vegetarian websites. Some even let you upload your recipe if you want to share some of your dinner or lunch recipes with others. Introducing some vegetarian low calorie recipes in your diet can immediately change the way you feel and can be used to improve your overall health and lifestyle. And you will soon come to realize that these dinner or lunch recipes that you prepare can be tasty and at the same time low in calories.

Introducing vegetarian low calorie recipes in your diet will provide you with a variety and provide you healthy eating choices. Besides, vegetarian lunch recipes are full of flavor and robust and with all the proteins and vitamins they contain they are a match for meat recipes any time. Another advantage is that these easy recipes cook faster then a meat recipe would. And some of these recipes are so tasty you might well find some carnivores turning vegetarian too.

As people increasingly try to make use of healthy recipes in the busy lifestyle, vegetarian slow cooking is getting to be quite popular. The best part of it is the slow cooking enhances the flavor of your lunch recipes which other methods of cooking don’t give you. The longer it cooks the more flavor it draws from the ingredients. Besides, it also enhances the taste as the nutrients and flavors get concentrated in the food as they cook slowly.

64 Favorite Recipes.
Digital Dinners

Well it’s finally getting cold; the leaves on the trees have started to change their colours and have begun to tumble to the ground in droves.  To some people this is the start to a very beautiful time of year, to others including myself this time of year is probably the most depressing.  Why would someone think that the magnificent colour changing leaves be so disheartening? That is easy, it’s a sign that summer is over and winter is on its way.  No more BBQs, no more lazy days spent beside the pool or the beach sipping a lovely white wine or sangria (or even a wine cooler if so inclined).  So more driving around with the windows down and the breeze in your hair, or picnics in the park, instead now it’s raking the leaves, bundling up with scarves and sweaters and rethinking unnecessary trips out of the house because it’s cold!  

But all is not lost I suppose! Even though it might be time to trade in our bikini bathing suits for long underwear and retire our BBQs for another year one can now rejoice in the fact that the time of year for hot mulled wine while snuggling in front of a fire is here!

What exactly is mulled wine? Made from red wine, mulled wine (and its various counterparts around the world such as vin chaud, Gluhwien, Forralt bor and vin brulé) has various spices added to it and usually served hot.  Sounds perfect for that cold winter evening doesn’t it? A little known fact however is, that mulled wine was not originally created as a warm and festive alternative to regular red wine.  Rather, mulled wine was created as a way to make red wine taste better at a time when it would expire and go rancid rather quickly. The addition of a combination of honey and spices helped flavour and thus allowed wine that had turned slightly to be consumed again.

There are a plethora of recipes online and in cook books that suggest the perfect way to make mulled wine.  However, most mulled wines consist of the same basic ingredients: orange, nutmeg, clove a sweetener such as honey or sugar and of course red wine.  Some like to add brandy, cognac or Grand Marnier to fortify their mulled wines while others give it a minty kick with a candy cane or two.

The wine does not have to be an expensive bottle; most who make mulled wine themselves will actually suggest to anyone interesting in attempting their first batch to begin by using an inexpensive bottle of wine since you are adding so many other flavours.  Remember, the original reason for mulled wine was to mask the flavours of spoiled wine so the original recipes did not use high quality vino.  

What recipe is the best to use?  Well that is always going to be up for debate.  As stated above there are pretty standard ingredients that make up the base for a mulled wine.  What sort of proportions you add of each and what else you decide to add in addition is only limited to imagination (and of course palatability, don’t want to create a mulled wine that doesn’t taste good!).  If you want to use wine but do not want the alcohol content simply boil the mulled wine for a few moments, those who want to maintain the alcohol are suggested to not boil the wine at all but rather simmer to infuse the flavours of the spices added.  

If you find the whole idea of combining all sorts of things together with wine a bit daunting and don’t want to worry about making a batch that is positively ghastly, try the little sachets or bottles of mulled wine syrups that are available in retail outlets.  Using these are quite simple and the guesswork is taken out for you but still give you a fantastic mulled wine to enjoy with friends and family over the holidays of simply while snuggling with your loved one on a cold winter evening.

How long you grill asparagus depends upon what temperature you grill it at. No, I am not trying to insult your intelligence. If by chance, your grill is at 600 degrees it will literally melt the asparagus and it will disappear through the grill, gum up things up big time. You don’t want to do that.

So cool it! Set your grill at a moderate temperature.  If you have a gas grill, 350-400 degrees, no hotter, should suffice. Turn on only one burner, and wait for it to get up to temperature with the hood down. Experiment a little, you’ll get it right!

If grilling on a charcoal grill, use moderate heat. I would even push the coals a little to the side and grill on the cool side.

Remove the woody part of the asparagus, wash and pat dry. Before you grill the asparagus, make sure you apply a coat of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil. This helps immensely in keeping it from sticking to the grill.

Once on the grill, you will want to roll, flip the asparagus with a set of sturdy tongs until you have grill marks on all sides. You can tell when things are” starting to get done” when it changes to a darker green, gets limp and you get those “beautiful grill marks”.

Don’t overcook!

But, “hold the phone”!  I prefer to add a few things to asparagus besides Extra-Virgin Olive Oil.  I use a seasoned, or aged rice vinegar dressing and marinade which is a balsamic blend, Kosher Salt and a freshly ground pepper in my recipe.

If you want a taste that is beyond just Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, you will want to marinate the asparagus for about an hour in this concoction: Apply a moderate amount of oil, a very moderate amount of the seasoned balsamic vinegar, and rub it all in thoroughly.

Next, sprinkle salt and pepper on. Don’t get carried away with the salt….a little goes a long way. Rub everything in some more and let it sit.

I don’t know how to tell you this, but don’t buy crummy asparagus. In Oregon, as well as many places, good asparagus only comes in spring-time and the season is over in mid June. This is the time of the year you will get the “very best”.

The rest of the year, asparagus can be imported from anywhere, just make sure it is of good quality.

You can use grilled asparagus in salad recipes.  You will wonder why you didn’t think of it before.  And, you can always make a “funky” creamy asparagus soup.

Asparagus should only take about ten minutes to prepare on your grill. Remember not to overdo it.

Breakfast is probably the most important meal of the day.  Yet, while kids are tired in the mornings and rushing around to get ready for school, it is sometimes tempting to offer a donut, toaster pastry or other nutritionally devoid treat.  Don’t give in to that temptation.  You want your child to do well during their school day so help them out by starting their day with some nutritious food and breaking the “cereal routine” somedays.  Following are some recipes that can be made ahead or are quick and easy and they will give your children a good start to their day.  All of these recipes are also suitable for diabetics.

Kids love muffins.  So make up a batch of these Oatmeal-Blueberry Muffins.  Oats and blueberries are a couple of our best food products and here they are combined into a tasty muffin.  Add a small carton of yogurt for a quick and tasty breakfast.  If mornings are hectic for you, make the muffins before hand and warm before serving for breakfast. 

OATMEAL-BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

1 cup + 2 tbsps flour

6 ounces uncooked regular oats

1 tbsp baking powder

2 tbsp Equal Sugar-Lite

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup skim milk

1 egg or 1/4 cup egg substitute

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup fresh blueberries

Vegetable cooking spray

1 tsp ground cinnamon

In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, Equal and salt.  Make a well in the center of the mixture.

In a small mixing bowl, combine milk, egg and oil.  Add to the well of the dry ingredients.  Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.  Gently fold the blueberries into the mixture.  Spray 12 muffin cups with vegetable oil spray.  Fill each cup 2/3 full of the batter.  Sprinkle cinnamon over the tops of the batter.  Bake at 425 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

French Toast Strata needs to be refrigerated overnight making it perfect if you like to make breakfast preparations the night before.  Hop up in the morning, remove from the ‘fridge, pop in the oven and breakfast is served by the time you are ready to face the day.  For diabetics, add a couple strips of bacon or a sausage patty or link.  There are apples in the strata so a fruit is incorporated into this meal.

FRENCH TOAST STRATA

1/3 cup granulated sugar substitute (I use Splenda)

1 cup egg substitute

2/3 cup skim milk

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp maple-flavored extract

8 slices cinnamon-raisin bread

2 cups apples, peeled, cored, sliced thin

1/4 cup low-fat cream cheese

1 tbsp granulated sugar substitute (for this I use Equal Sugar-Lite)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

  Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium mixing bowl, blend together 1/3 cup granulated sugar substitute, egg substitute, milk and extracts.  Tear bread into small pieces and toss into egg mixture.  Add apples.  Coat the bread evenly with mixture and pour into prepared pan.  Cut cream cheese into 8 pieces and place strategically over the top of mixture.  Blend cinnamon with 1 tablespoon of sugar substitute and sprinkle over the strata.  Cover and refrigerate overnight. 

Next morning preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Remove strata from fridge and bake 40-50 minutes or until lightly browned and set.  Serve immediately while hot.

Carbs 20g, Protein 7 g in each 1/8 of strata serving.

Our Strawberry Spread is great spread on toast, bagels, etc.  Your child will feel so special knowing you made this delicious spread for them.

STRAWBERRY SPREAD

1 qt fresh strawberries

3/4 cup cold water, divided

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp cinnamon

3 tbsp cornstarch

1 cup Equal Sugar-Lite

Wash, hull, finely coarsely chop berries.  Combine in a small dutch oven or other heavy saucepan, strawberries, 1/2 cup water, lemon juice and cinnamon.  Bring mixture to a boil, stirring well.  Dissolve cornstarch in the remaining cold water and add to the boiling mixture. Reduce the heat and simmer a couple of minutes or until mixture thickens, stirring occasionally.  Remove from the heat and cool.  Stir in Equal after mixture has cooled down. 

NOTE:  This is good spread on toast or used as you might use jelly or jams. 

1 tbsp = 11 calories, 3 g carbs, trace protein

For a different way to serve ham and eggs and entice your child to eat something they might otherwise not want, try our Mini Ham and Cheese Frittatas.  Your child will love the idea of their own little muffin cup meal.  And you will have served them a good breakfast.

 MINI HAM & CHEESE FRITTATAS

1/4 lb cubed fully cooked lean ham

1 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups egg substitute (or 6 eggs)

4 egg whites

3 tbsp minced chives

2 tbsp skim milk

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Coat 8 muffins cups with nonstick cooking spray.

Divide ham evenly among the 8 muffin cups.  Top ham with cheese.  In a large mixing bowl beat eggs or egg substitute with egg whites.  Beat in the chives, milk, salt and pepper.  Pour this mixture over the cheese in muffin cups.  Each cup should be about 3/4 full.  Bake 22-25 minutes or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean.  Carefully run a knife around edges to loosen.  Remove from pan and serve warm.

Enjoy!

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Recipes for Romance – Ideas to Make a Romantic Dinner Extra Special

Kelley Hirst

Whether it is a special occasion like Valentines Day or a Birthday, or you just want to dazzle a new love with your culinary genius there comes a time in every relationship when nothing will do but to cook your sweetie a romantic dinner.  By careful advance planning you can come up with some great romantic dinner ideas that will make your evening most memorable and special, even if your culinary genius is less than dazzling. But when ordering a pizza or Chinese take-out for an evening in front of the TV just won’t do, you can explore recipes for romance that will leave him wanting more

Your romantic dinner ideas need not be expensive but they should be in line with your partner’s taste.  If he hates fish this isn’t the time to try out your aunt’s recipe for broiled salmon.  If you do not know his favorite foods take the time to find out.  Slip it in casual conversation or if feasible, get on the phone and call his mom.  The time you spend to make the evening about  him makes it all the more exciting for you both.

That being said use your imagination.  Catch him by surprise whenever possible.  It needn’t be elaborate but it should be spontaneous and fun.  You can make a picnic in your living room or out on the balcony if that is to your taste.  If he likes the beach, you can create the beach in your house in the middle of January.  Coming home to see you in your teeny weeny bikini on a blanket in your living room could get him in the mood in short order.  Think outside the box. Remember, romantic dinner ideas should be geared not necessarily as a way to impress your date as expressing your true feelings.  Besides, romance is supposed to be fun, even if you have been married for 15 years.

Just make sure the kids are at the grandparents for the night.

Candlelight and soft music is standard romance  and you can’t go wrong with the classics.  Whatever you decide is on the menu, make sure that it is attractive.  Break out the fine china and napkins.  What were you saving them for anyway?  The menu should be something that he loves but doesn’t get every day.  It needn’t be expensive – although fillet mignon is a nice touch.  But many pasta dishes like lasagna are delicious and do not require a huge expense or a lot of time to prepare.  If you are a great chef you are miles ahead of the game, but even if your culinary expertise consists of macaroni and cheese, presentation is everything.  If you took the time to make it special for him, he will appreciate it.  Remember, everything is better with wine.  Music will go far to set the mood.  Nothing is more romantic than a sexy slow dance.  Think the last dance at the senior prom.

Dessert is a nice touch.  If you are a  master baker then by all means break out the black forest cake.  However, after a satisfying meal it may be best to keep it light.  A big chocolate sundae with 2 spoons is probably fine.

These days when people are way too rushed with jobs, kids and everything else, it isn’t always easy to plan a special evening in.  However, with a little planning and some imagination, romantic dinner ideas can be a wonderful way to get the sparks flying in a new romance or ignite new passion in a long time love.   One thing is for certain, you will be cleaning up with a great big smile that you just cannot seem to wipe off your face.