Wizard Recipes

Here are some tips and tricks for successful cooking!

• when making a BBq, grease the grill a little bit so that it doesn’t stick to it. In order to remain juicy,

don`t poach the meat, and add salt when you serve it (or prepare the marinate  and leave it to soak

up for 24 hours for best results).

• Leave the steaks to rest for 4,5 minutes before cutting!
• Cut the steaks before you put them on the plate!

• The water for cooking spaghetti must be boiling before you add them. Also, you can add a little bit of butter or oil to prevent sticking to the pot.

• Rice gets cooked faster if kept in cold water before.

• Potatoes for mashed potatoes remain white during cooking with you add a little bit of vinegar in the water.

• Use warm milk for preparing the mashed potatoes, to give it a plus of flavor.

• Cook the soup at a small flame, to keep it clear.

• Mushrooms don`t go dark when cooked, if soaked for 5 minutes with water and vinegar.

• Grated apples remain white if sprinkled with a little bit of lemon juice.

Fruits are generally high in fibers, water and vitamin C. Regular consumption of fruit is associated with reduced risks of cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, Alzheimer disease, cataracts, and some of the functional declines associated with aging.

Here are some good tips about consuming fruits:

In general:

-To make it more appealing, keep a bowl with fresh fruits on hand..
-In season, fresh fruits are cheaper that you would otherwise find them.
-Also, if you have a craving, canned, dried or frozen fruits can also do it.
-Consider convenience when shopping. Buy pre-cut packages of fruit (such as melon or pineapple chunks) for a healthy snack in seconds. Choose packaged fruits that do not have added sugars.

Fruits and meals:

-With your cereals, at breakfast, you can add pieces of banana, strawberries or peaches, which add extra flavor to your meal
-Also, when making pancakes, add sliced bananas as a filling, or serve them with blueberries
-At lunch, pack a tangerine, banana, or grapes to eat! they make a nutritious lunch which can be perfect for you
-At dinner,you can use fruits also with your vegetable salad! Try a chicken, corn, pineapple salad, or add apples or pears to the your day to day salad.
-Try meat dishes that incorporate fruit, such as chicken with apricots or mango chutney.
-For dessert, have baked apples, pears, or a fruit salad.

Tips for a plus of flavor:
-Try low-fat yogurt or pudding as a dip for fruits like strawberries or melons.
-Make a fruit smoothie with low fat milk and bananas and/or strawberries.
-Try different textures of fruits. For example, apples are crunchy, bananas are smooth and creamy, and oranges are juicy.
-For fresh fruit salads, mix apples, bananas, or pears with acidic fruits like oranges, pineapple, or lemon juice to keep them from turning brown.

But, to keep it all safe and healthy, don`t forget to wash fruits VERY WELL under clean, running water before you eat them! Don`t mix or keep together fruits with any kind of raw meat!

A coffee is just a coffee, right? … But then why so many kinds of coffee? Just leave your coffee machine at peace for a couple of days and try these traditional recipes of coffee,  just to start your day better!!!

1) COFFEE WITH MILK

4 tbsps  coffee

3 cups milk

3 tbsps sugar

In a pot, boil the milk with the sugar. Add the coffee and leave it to cool a little bit. Serve with cocoa powder on top.

2)COCOA COFFEE

3 tbsps cocoa powder

3 tbsps powdered sugar

3 cups milk

3 cups  coffee (already made, concentrated)

100 g whipped cream

a pinch of salt

Boil the milk. In a bowl, mix well the sugar and the cacao powder, and add bit by bit the hot milk, stirring carefully. Continue until all the milk is incorporated, add a pinch of salt and start boiling the mixture at a small flame. After 10 minutes remove the pot from the fire and whip it well until it has a foam texture. Add the hot concentrated coffee, stir well, and serve in big cups with whipped cream on top.

3) MOCCA COFFEE WITH MILK

3 cups milk

3 tbsps coffee

3 tsps grated chocolate

4,5, tsps sugar

Prepare 3 cups of very strong coffee. While it is still hot, mix it well with 3 cups of the grated chocolate melted in hot milk. Add sugar to taste. Serve hot.

4) CHOCOLATE COFFEE

150 g chocolate

1 cup coffee (already made, very strong)

3 cups milk

100 g whipped cream

sugar to taste

Melt the chocolate in the microwave until it becomes creamy. Add it to the hot coffee, stirr well, and then add the milk. Add sugar to taste and serve it  hot with whipped cream on top, and a chocolate chip cookie.

5) COFFEE CREAM

500 ml milk

150 g sugar

2 cups of coffee (already made, very strong)

4,5, tbsps cream

Boil the milk with the sugar, and when it reaches the boiling point, add the cream, whipping it well, add the coffee and serve it.

Salads are good, tasty, and most of all healthy! but what can offer us a better taste of the ingredients? What can combine best the vegetables in order to achieve an exquisite taste? the asnwer is THE DRESSING! don`t forget this (one may consider) small detail!!! It is the sprinkle of novelty that makes your salad one of a kind!

Here are some dressing ideas for making your salad the best! just choose the most appropriate!

1)Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons honey
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Whisk together first 7 ingredients until blended. Gradually whisk in olive oil

2) Easy dressing (best for Caesar Salad)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Combine all ingredients in blender or processor. Blend until smooth.Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3) Tsatsiki Dressing

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt
3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup cucumber, peeled and seeded.

Peel and seed cucumber and chop into very small chunks. In food processor blend half of the cucumber with all other ingredients. Stir in remaining half cup of cucumber. Chill or serve over green salad or chicken salad.

to be continued…