Melon with mint. Try it! slice/cube up the melon and sprinkle it with finely finely chopped up mint. Maybe a sprinkle of salt (yes, salt!) if you are brave.

This message has been be brought to you by the Flavor Bible.

I also learned today the distinction between "herbs" and "spices". I intend to use more "herbs" this summer, but not to abandon "spices". This is also courtesy of The Flavor Bible.

Amen, and good night.

It arrived!

My copy of The Flavor Bible. I just spent an hour or so happily looking it over. I'm getting all kinds of wild ideas. Happy happy joy joy! More later.

Shirataki noodles! I was skeptical at first: "No carbs? No fat? No protein? What are they made out of? They can't possibly taste good!". So what are they?

They are made from a Japanese tuber called konjac, and they are virtually all fiber, including a soluble fiber called glucomannan. This fiber absorbs water in your gut, swelling to make a gel. This makes the stomach feel full, and slows down carbohydrate absorption from other foods. I leave the medical stuff for discussion with your doctor (wink, wink), but trust me, this can have some profound consequences. If you have problems with digestion, I urge you to talk to your doctor first, as this is a hefty load of fiber for one meal.

Anyway, I got a small package from my local Asian-leaning market (Central Market). These noodles are packaged wet, and in the refrigerated case. This means that they are packed in a sealed plastic bag, in water. They are white, and, well, noodly. (FSM fans: His Noodly Appendage comes in many forms)

I figured that they would do best in a soup, so that's what I did. I've seen recipes on the net for stir-fries. When opened, there is an odd smell to them, but it went away with the recommended three rinsings. In retrospect, I'd cut these noodles into shorter lengths before adding them to the soup, but they were fine as is - tangled up, but fine. The noodles themselves are pretty tasteless, but they do fine when added to other foods (they absorb the flavors of other foods pretty well).

My Shiratake soup

Put 2-4 tablespoons of toasted sesame oil in a large pan.

Add:
3-4 cut up scallions (greens included) (I used the garlic sprouts from my garden). Sautee till the greens are a bit darker.

Then add: 6 to 8 thinly sliced mushrooms, continue sauteeing. You may want to drizzle some more sesame oil on them.

Then add: 1 quart chicken or veggie broth (I like the Imagine brand at the store). Bring to a boil.

Then add: Two cleaned and sliced up baby bok choy, simmer for a minute. Finally, add the 3x rinsed shirataki. Simmer for 1 minute.

Serve. You can shake some toasted sesame seeds on top, if you want.

We finished the whole pot, just two of us, last night. Normally, noodle soup wouldn't leave me feeling like I'd had enough food, but this really did the job. I'm still not hungry as of this morning.

Happy eating!

I'm waiting on a new cookbook

"The Flavor Bible". I ordered it, it should be here at the end of this week or the beginning of next week. Calling it a "cookbook" is a little bit inaccurate - it literally tells you what flavors go with what - but it doesn't give recipes for specific things. It assumes that you already cook some. For example, what sort of seasonings will really make my garden green beans "pop"?

For my kind of cooking - a little of this, a little of that - this sort of "cookbook" makes sense.

Leftovers

Take a couple of corn tortillas. Spread them with a tablespoon of refried beans. top with some chopped up leftover chicken from last night, salsa (mango if any is left over), and some grated cheese.

Let them sit on the grill for 10-15 minutes to warm up and melt the cheese.

Serve with cole slaw and beer. or not. See how easy dinner can be? and it just took the leftover chicken, a can of refried beans (low fat black beans is what I used), and some grated up cheese. And salsa. I keep these things on the shelf for just this sort of occasion.

This has fiber, protein, carbs, and even some calcium from the cheese (and some more from the beans and the tortilla).

My sister told me to start this blog

She remembers when I was a teenager and cooked for the family when Mom worked full time. I told her that you use a little of this, and a little of that, and voila! Magic! you get a meal!

So, Cooking is magic! I hope to inspire you to cook more - it's easy, it's cheaper than eating out, and done right, it's both tastier and healthier. Stay tuned.

My starter recipes:

Mango salsa

You need:
A mango, peeled and diced
Juice from one or two limes
A smidgen (about 1-2 tablespoons) olive oil (entirely optional)
salt to taste
chili powder to taste
1-2 tablespoons minced cilantro (optional)

Mix it all together, and let it marinade in the fridge for an hour or two. You could add some finely finely finely minced jalepeno if you want more "kick". Or some diced ripe tomato for more color. It's up to you! Cooking is magic!

and what is salsa, without something to put it on? It's grilling season, so here goes with grilled chicken! You will need:

About 1.5 pounds chicken - I use skinless boneless thighs (they are cheaper than the skinless boneless breasts) - cut each thigh in half
Juice of a couple of limes
1-2 tablespoons olive oil (sense a theme here?)
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
salt to taste (I used about 1/2 teaspoon)

Let it all marinade together in the fridge for a couple of hours - toss it to re-mix at the half-way point so both sides of the chicken get marinaded for at least an hour. Place on a hot grill and let grill for five minutes on a side. Check for doneness - either "sacrifice" one piece by cutting into it to see if it's done, or pierce with a fork and press - it's done when the juices run clear.

You can serve the chicken and salsa with a number of things - a tossed salad starter, roasted potatos (you have the grill going anyway, right?), a quinoa salad ... oh, do you want a quinoa salad recipe, too? Later on! I gotta go invent it. :-)