Ever have a salad that is wilted, limp and over dressed?  I bet we all did at some point and it really leaves a lot to be desired.  Today, I want to walk through some tips for you to follow to make your next salad – your best one.

Raw salads are simple to make but reward attention to details with better texture.

Top 6 Ways to Improve your Salad

1. Wash salad leaves , fresh herbs, and other ingredients in several changes of water until the water remains clear and gritless.  Trim or discard damaged leaves.
2. Reduce leaf size by tearing gently or using a very sharp knife.  Avoid squeezing and dull knives, which damage leaves and produce dark edges and patches.  Cut other vegetables into bite size pieces.
3. Crisp leaves and other ingredients by immersing them in ice water for 15 minutes.  Both water and cold increase the plant tissue stiffness.
4. Chill the dressing in the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes to thicken its consistency and help cling to the leaves.  Chill the bowl to keep the salad cold as it’s prepared and served
5. Dry leaves thoroughly using a salad spinner and/or towel.
6. Apply the dressing just before serving, and use just enough to coat the ingredients lightly.

There are some quick and simple tips for your next salad that I hope you have used in the past or will use in the future.  One other thing in mind is to explore and try different textures.  Lately, I have been roasting slivered almonds, pairing it with different fruit and definitely using fresh herbs.  Makes all the difference in the world.

One thing about salad…. Keep it fresh and keep it simple.

Have a super Monday and I will talk to you all on Wednesday.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Three years ago ( WOW – I cannot believe it has been that long ) I wrote this post on a few tips I have learned on how to keep your turkey juicy.  With Thanksgiving tomorrow for the folks in the United States, I thought I would share some turkey tips again that I have used in the past and present.

Most turkeys become dry for two basic reasons.

• The first is that the bird is being overcooked. All meat, fish, and poultry dries out if it is cooked too long.
• The second cause of dry turkey is the way it is prepared and cooked.

What I would like to go over in this next section are some ways that will ensure your turkey stays juicy the next time you fire up your oven.  I think I am about to go against a lot of traditional techniques, so by all means feel free to comment and tell me that I am losing my mind.

1. Create a bed for the turkey in the roasting pan – I like to use carrots, celery, onion (slice them large and create a flat surface for the turkey.  Place a rack on the vegetable base.
2. Flavor the bird. When you buy turkeys they do not come seasoned!  Use your favorite seasonings on it  – flavoring the cavity is a great tip and I also like to throw an apple in the neck cavity.  It keeps it juicy as well as adds a nice flavor.
3. Use a roasting pan three inches deep or less and a rack for even roasting. If the bird sits on the bottom of the pan, or the pan’s sides are too high, the heat cannot penetrate the bird uniformly. Turn the roasting pan at various intervals to further facilitate even roasting.



4. If you stuff the turkey with a good moist stuffing, the juice from the stuffing will penetrate the bird from the interior and help prevent drying.
5. For the first 20 minutes, I like to cook the bird at a really high heat (450 degrees).  This will allow the skin to brown on the outside and lock in the juices.
6. After 20 minutes reset the oven temperature to 325 degrees, and turn the turkey upside down so the breast is on the bottom and add 1/4 cup of low sodium chicken stock flavored with black pepper (this will act as a basting mechanism for the turkey. Since the breast cooks faster than the dark meat and needs less cooking, situating it on the bottom( breast side down) exposes it to less direct heat.
7. Do not truss the bird. The dark meat will cook faster unfettered and thus reduce the chance of the breast overcooking by the time the dark meat is done.
8. Don’t bother basting. The meat, covered by the skin, will not absorb the juices. Also by opening and closing your oven too many times you are losing valuable heat.
9. DO NOT go poking the turkey with a knife or fork to check for done ness.  You will lose valuable juice.  Some folks like to use the pop up meat thermometers which are fine when they work.  I like to use the leg check technique.  If the leg when you wiggle it is very easy to move and the skin breaks the bird is done.  You can also use the 20 minutes per pound rule for no stuffing and 25 minutes per pound for a stuffed bird.
10. The last step you need to remember is that once the turkey has reached the proper temperature, remove the turkey from the oven and allow it to sit 20 minutes. This is another step that will help keep the meat moist. If you carve the meat immediately, all the juices will run out and the meat will not be as moist as it could have been.

Well that sounds like a lot of tips and alot of writing for zesty.  I hope you like these tips and as I said earlier – they are just my practices and techniques.  I would love to hear all your turkey roasting techniques so readers can get some great ideas in preparation for the holidays.

Have a great Wednesday and a happy holiday.  Take Care!

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Good morning All!  I am writing this from the lovely Northern Virginia area in the hotel prior to some meetings today.  Lately I have been eating a lot of eggs and one thing I find with eggs is that they are very versatile.  Which is a good thing… but you have to keep it fresh and real!  Make eggs fun.

I wanted to walk through the way I cook an omelet.  This is something I talked about three years ago but I wanted to freshen it up and share a few things I have learned along the way.

Omelets: They’re easy to cook, right? We’ll see.

The first thing to remember is that you need the right size of frying pan. This is more important than you may think. Too large, and the omelet will dry out; too small, and it will not cook through.

As a basic guide, you need a 15 centimeter pan for a two-egg omelet and a 25 centimeter pan for a four to six egg omelet. That is, 6 in. and 10 in. respectively. Which, handily enough, is pretty much the size of pans you should have in your kitchen anyway.
The second most important thing is not to beat the eggs. I’ll repeat… do NOT beat the eggs like they stole your iPad from you.

Instead, abandon the habits of a lifetime and stir the yolks into the whites using a knife blade. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Warm your empty pan through on a moderate heat, add a good knob of butter, turn up the heat and swirl it round to coat the bottom and sides of the pan.  When the butter is foaming pour some into the egg mixture, stir it in and then immediately pour the eggs into the pan.

Shake the pan to spread the mixture evenly. Now, using a fork or thin spatula, draw the cooked egg away from the edge of the pan and let the uncooked liquid run into the space created.

When the omelet is almost cooked, but the surface is still soft and liquid, flip one edge of the omelet towards the center of the pan so that it folds over. Then slide the unfolded edge onto a warmed plate, rolling the folded edge over the top of it as you do so.  An omelet cooked in this way requires no filling, except perhaps some fresh, chopped, herbs added to the egg mixture about 15 minutes before cooking.

So just to recap, by all means you can add extra ingredients to your omelet, whether it be cheese, vegetables or meat.  It will not really change the cooking time just be careful not too add to much extra “stuff” as it will dry out the mixture.  For the one above I added some baby spinach and a little cheese.  It was excellent and sometimes I have been even getting in the habit or serving a little salsa with it.

I have a question for you!  How many people eat beans with their eggs?

Can’t wait to hear from you.  I will check the comments and I will be back Wednesday for another post.  I am working on getting the brussel sprout recipe from last week to post for everyone to enjoy.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty