Featured nutrient-rich food: Garlic
Garlic has antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties.
Most of its disease-fighting punch comes from its sulfur, which acts as antioxidants that provide cardiovascular benefits, lowers blood pressure, fights infection and some say garlic helps to prevent cancer.
Just six garlic cloves per week can slash your risk of colorectal, stomach and prostate cancer in half.
Featured kitchen item: Spatula
Silicone spatulas are outstanding in the kitchen for folding egg whites, scraping bowls and hot pans, scrambling eggs, mixing this or that.
Silicone is heat-proof, most up to 450 degrees, so you can use it in a very hot pan without worrying that it'll melt. These spatulas have a very long use life. You want to get several in different sizes.
Featured One Dish Meal: Tommy Garlic Soup
4 Servings; leftovers freeze well for another meal
3 (10-ounce) beefsteak tomatoes, halved
8 garlic cloves
Pam cooking spray
1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup uncooked long-grain brown rice
2 cups unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson)
1 (14.5-ounce) can unsalted fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
3/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons half-and-half
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives (optional)
Working with one beefsteak tomato at a time, squeeze halves into a bowl; reserve seeds and juice. Cut sides down, arrange garlic and tomatoes in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet; coat with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes or until tomatoes are lightly charred. Reserve juices.
Melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add rice; use spatula to sauté 1 minute or until toasted. Add the reserved tomato juices, tomato mixture, stock, canned tomatoes and salt to the skillet, stir with spatula. Bring to a soft boil (watch carefully so as to avoid burning tomatoes). Reduce heat, simmer 40 minutes.
Place half of soup mixture in blender. Loosen center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth.
Strain through a fine sieve or cheesecloth over a bowl; discard solids. Pour into large saucepan over low heat to keep warm. Repeat procedure with all remaining soup mixture is blended and strained. Stir half-and-half and pepper into pan; ladle warm to hot soup into bowls. Sprinkle each bowl with chives. Serve with ice-cold smoothie.
Featured Beverage: Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie
2 servings
1 small ripe banana
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
Simply combine everything in a blender, blend until smooth, enjoy or refrigerate in a separate bowl of ice to keep real cold. Swish before pouring into glass. Use jars instead of glasses or serve in fancy wine stemware. Garnish with Reese's peanut butter cups for a fun touch.
Tip: Chill banana and chocolate syrup before blending.
One-Dish Nutrition: 152 Calories; 25g Carbs; 7mg Cholesterol; 4g Fat; 4g Fiber; 7g Protein; 55mg Calcium. * Source: CookingClassy.com
The right nutrient-rich food and drink make for healthy bodies, and the right kitchen utensils make cooking easier. Most kitchen cooks have the basics: Mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, pastry brush, peeler, kitchen shears, pans and skillets, thermometer, graters, tongs, can openers. You want to add a set of silicone spatulas
Beverages are important, too. The human body is made up of about 60 percent water. It's vital to drink plenty of water to nourish the body, joints, temperature, spinal cord and brain. It has no calories and is generally refreshing. It's difficult for many to drink an 8 ounce glass of water every hour, so try to drink a big drink in the morning, at lunch, before or after dinner and before bedtime.