The Basics of Cooking Vegetables & Fruits Without Sticking

(This is from the Saladmaster website)

The art of cooking is what makes cooking so enjoyable. It is a craft that allows us to always learn new things. Having the right tools, like Saladmaster cookware, simply makes this process much more enjoyable and offers many more possibilities to expand our ‘craft.’

 When we’re cooking fruits and vegetables start in a cold pan.

• Select the right sized cooking utensil. It should be 2/3 full when fruits or vegetables are added.
• Watch for food particles preventing seal around rim of utensil.
• Many vegetables may be cooked in the same utensil.
• Watch for tilted burner. These can cause all condensation necessary to activate seal to run to one side, preventing a proper vacuum.
• When cooking multiple vegetables, place more temperature sensitive vegetables on top of more hearty vegetables. Example: cook broccoli on top of carrots. Or, when just doing broccoli, cut up stalks on Cone #2 and put in bottom of pan and then place florets on top. When cooking broccoli this way, the stalks will tenderize much better and the florets will stay dark green, keeping all their flavor!
• You may consider rinsing and draining all foods for your first few meals until you find the true medium and low temperatures on your stove.

Potatoes, yams, turnips and other starchy vegetables: These vegetables should be well rinsed and drained. This leaves tiny droplets on the surface of the vegetables which aids in activating the Vapo-Valve™. These vegetables are often perfect to be cut on the Saladmaster Machine’s Cones #3 and #5. 

Dry vegetables: Some vegetables will not release sufficient moisture to activate the Vapo-Valve™ such as broccoli, cauliflower and green beans. In this case, simply put the vegetable in the proper sized utensil, pour water over vegetables to rinse, and then pour off water. Then simply cook using the medium-click-low method.

In the case of Brussels sprouts, either allow the Vapo-Valve™ to flutter a little longer, or, when you turn it down, turn heat to "almost-low" were the Vapo-Valve™ flutters every few seconds. This allows center of Brussels sprouts to tenderize more complete. If you want to leave, then step heat all the way to low.

Corn on the cob: Husk corn. Rinse husks under the tap then place like a bed in the bottom of a cold roaster. Place corn on top of husks and heat on medium. When the Vapo-Valve™ clicks, place the heat on low and cook for 12 - 15 minutes; incredible flavor! 

Hint: with any thick foods, use the "almost-low" temperature or allow the Vapo-Valve™ to click a little longer. This method will insure tenderizing all the way through.

Vegetable                                                 Minutes   

Asparagus,   whole spears	5 - 7
Beans, green or wax	8 - 10
Beets, red, whole medium	50 - 60
Broccoli spears	5 - 7
Brussels sprouts	9 - 10
Cabbage, sliced	4 - 6
Carrots, sliced	9 - 10
Cauliflower, separated	6 - 8
Celery, sliced	9 - 10
Corn, kernels, frozen	1 - 2
Corn-on-the-cob	10 - 12
Okra, small, whole	6 - 8
Onions, sliced	8 - 10
Peas, fresh or frozen	2 - 3
Peppers, green or red	3 - 4
Potatoes, sweet, cubed	15 - 20
Potatoes, white, whole, medium	20 - 25
Snow peas	2 - 3
Spinach, fresh	2 - 3
Squash, summer, sliced	4 - 6
Squash, winter, diced	10 - 13
Zucchini squash, sliced	4 - 6

Saladmaster.com/tip/basics-cooking-vegetables-fruits-without-sticking#sthash.nwy4roUx.dpuf

Sweet Potatoes and Yams- What's the Difference!!??

A true yam (left) compared to an orange-fleshed sweet potato (right).


The orange vegetables you see labeled "yams" in many grocery stores are actually sweet potatoes. Yams are a completely different vegetable and belong to a separate plant family. Sweet potatoes have traditionally been referred to as "yams" in parts of the US and Canada—creating confusion on the real identity of these root vegetables.


True "yams" grow on a tropical vine that is rarely cultivated in the US. They are popular in South and Central America, and in parts of Asia and Africa. The flesh of yams is typically white or yellow, but may also be purple to pink. They vary in size from that of an average potato up to 7 ½ feet long and can weigh up to 120 pounds. Yams are high in vitamin C, fiber and potassium but have less vitamin A than sweet potatoes.


Yams can be prepared much like sweet potatoes; however, to find them you will need to locate a market that specializes in international foods.







Most people think that long, red-skinned sweet potatoes are yams, but they really are just one of many varieties of sweet potatoes.


A true yam is a starchy edible tuber that is generally imported from the Caribbean. It differs greatly from the sweet potato in taste, texture, appearance and family.


Depending on the variety, sweet potato flesh can vary from white to orange and even purple. The orange-fleshed variety was introduced to the United States several decades ago. In order to distinguish it from the white variety everyone was accustomed to, producers and shippers chose the English form of the African word “nyami” and labeled them “yams.”


Even though the USDA requires that orange-colored sweet potatoes always be labeled “sweet potato,” most people still think of sweet potatoes as yams regardless of their true identity.




SWEET POTATO, YAM OR BOTH?

QUIZ TIME!


1. I am a tuberous root with sweet moist flesh.



2. I am orginially from Africa and am hardly sold in U.S. markets.



3. I am super sweet and can grow over 7 feet in length!



4. My skin can range from thin and pale to dark and thick.



5. I am toxic when eaten raw, but perfectly safe when cooked.



6. I am known for my high content of Vitamins A and C.



7. I have rough skin that is difficult to peel and can even be hairy at times, but it softens when baked.



8. My flesh can sometimes be purple!



9. I have an oblong body with tapered ends.



10. I have a very low glycemic index – a special health benefit to diabetics.







ANSWERS



1. Both. Sweet potatoes and yams are considered tuberous roots and both are sweet and delicious.



2. Yam. Are you surprised? Yams grow in tropical climates, primarily in South America, Africa


and the Caribbean.





3. Yam. They have a higher sugar content than sweet potatoes and can grow to be enormous!



4. Sweet potato. Paler skinned sweet potatoes have white flesh which is not as sweet and moist as the darker skinned, orange flesh sweet potatoes.



5. Yam. Unlike the sweet potato, yams must be cooked to be safely eaten. Preparation is a time-consuming process involving several minutes of pounding and boiling to remove toxins.



6. Sweet potato. Yams do not contain as much Vitamin A and C as sweet potatoes.



7. Yam. Sweet potato skin is thinner and smoother.



8. Both. Purple Okinawan sweet potato is often confused with the purple yam called ube.



9. Sweet potato. It can be short and fat or long and thin, but it will always taper at the ends.



10. Both. The sweet potato and yam are also both loaded with potassium, magnesium and phosphorous.


I use purple yams to make my UBE! It's Philipeno and I make it for Thanksgiving every year. This year I made mini pies :)

Nutrition and Recipe Websites that are Trusted (aka: not full of bologna!)

http://www.cdc.gov/


http://www.who.int/en/


http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/



http://www.fda.gov/







http://foodandhealth.com



http://greatist.com/


http://www.delish.com/



http://www.nutrition411.com/


For Nutrition Information on various fruits and vegetables, copy and paste the link below into your browser!
http://lancaster.unl.edu/nep/fruvegc.pdf

Enchilada Sauce Casserole (Saladmaster Cookware Recipe Only)

Enchilada powder mix
Tomato paste
3 cups water

Mix those ingredients together, place in saucepan and heat for a few minutes.
Pour half into bottom of 11" or 12" gourmet skillet.
Layer in order:

0ne small yellow squash
Cut up corn tortillas (enough to cover the kale; usually 3-4 tortillas)
Frozen vegetables- I use the Mexican blend
Handful of kale
Cut up corn tortillas (enough to cover the kale; usually 3-4 tortillas)
2nd half of enchilada sauce
1 sweet potato- using #2 cone
Some onion
Can of rinsed black beans
Mozzarella or Pepper jack, shredded (optional)

Place lid on top and cook medium click low for 15-20 minutes :)

Kix Cereal Crisps- Gluten Free

This is gluten free, as long as all ingredients are specified gluten-free.

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
4 cups Kix cereal
1 package (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup)

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees
2. Stir peanut butter, sugars, backing soda and powder, and egg in a large bowl until well mixed. Stir in cereal and chocolate chips. Shape dough by rounded tablespoonfuls into balls; place 2 inches apart on a ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from cookies sheet. Cool completely. Store loosely covered.

Tah Dah!!

Pizza!!!!! (electric skillet)

10 oz of mozzarella cheese
1/4 pound italian sausage
*Prepared pizza dough
5 tablespoons of pizza sauce (I mix tomato paste with tomato sauce and add garlic, basal, and oregano with a pinch of sugar. Then save the rest for when I make personal pizza in the 9" skillet- recipe is posted)
10 slices of pepperoni

**** Of course you can use veggies like peppers, onions, tomato slices, olives, etc. in place of sausage and pepperoni. This will reduce the calories significantly as well as the sodium! I would suggest this.

Process cheese using the #1 or #2 cone.
Preheat electric skillet to 325 degrees. Add sausage; cook til no longer pink; remove and drain and discard fat from skillet; set aside. Let skillet cool.
Place dough in bottom of skillet, shape to fit pan. Spread pizza sauce over dough, top with cheese and evenly distribute sausage and pepperoni over cheese. Cover and cook 10 minutes at 325 degrees. Turn off skillet and let stand, covered, 10-15 minutes. DO NOT LIFT COVER.

(when I first made this, I did not prepare the dough first; I did not bake it; so what I eventually did was bake it in the electric skillet after I realized that I needed to make the dough first, not just mix the ingredients together, with some non-stick spray. Made the sausage in a skillet on the stove to save time by not waiting to use the electric skillet. Then, with the prepared dough, made the pizza :)    It was SOOOO good.)                                                                  


4 servings: 453 calories: 37.8 carbs: 1544 mg sodium: 37.8g protein: 1g fiber

Yolanda's Super-Delicious Zuppa Toscana Soup!

Cooking-4-Life: Super-Delicious Zuppa Toscana Soup!

(Makes 1 large pot of soup)
Use a 7 quart saucepan. A 5 quart will work, but it will be filled up to the max.

Ingredients

§  1 pound bulk mild Italian sausage ( I prefer using a sausage like summer sausage or kielbasa)

§  1 1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

§  1 package of real bacon crumble (or 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces)

§  1 large onion, diced

§  1-3 tablespoon minced garlic (depends on your garlic preference)

§  5 (13.75 ounce (or about 8 cups total)) cans chicken broth

§  6 potato, thinly sliced (quartered, using number 4 cone)

§  2 cans of coconut milk (you can use lite coconut milk)

§  1/2 bunch kale (about 4-6 stems), tough stems removed and chopped into desired size

Directions

1.       Cook the Italian sausage and red pepper flakes until crumbly, browned, and no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2.       Cook onions and garlic, until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

3.       Pour the chicken broth into the roaster with the bacon and, onion mixture, bring to a boil. Add potatoes and kale and cook on medium. Wait for click and reduce to low heat. (If using regular pans, add 5 minutes to next step.) Let simmer for 12-15 minutes. Add cooked Italian sausage and coconut milk until blended and heated through.  

Alternative method: put all prepared ingredients into MP5 or crockpot, cover and set temperature probe to 180°F/80°C and cook for 4 hours, or until potatoes are tender when speared with a fork (in crockpot keep on low for 5-6 hours). Add coconut milk just prior to serving.

Cooking Fish: 101

Poaching and pan frying are two simple techniques for cooking fish.

Poaching: in a saucepan or skillet, add enough liquid (water or broth plus wine if desired) to cover fish. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Add fish. Cover. When vapo-valve clicks, remove pan from heat. Do not lift lid. Poach 10 minutes per inch of thickness.

Pan-cooking: Good for fillets or small whole fish or fish steaks. 

    (A) Place fish in small amount of liquid in a skillet. Cover and cook over medium heat until vapo-vale clicks; reduce to low and cook until fish tests done. Allow 10 minutes per inch  of thickness at thickest part, total cooking time.

     (B) preheat skillet over medium for 2-3 minutes (test with water test). Spray with non-stick or oil or butter.  Cover and cook over medium heat until vapo-vale clicks; reduce to low and cook until fish tests done. Allow 10 minutes per inch  of thickness at thickest part, total cooking time.

9" Skillet Lasagna for Two

Of course you can make this larger or smaller. Just remember the rules: 3/4 full, medium click, low and go!

I put some spaghetti sauce on the bottom of the skillet. Then put pasta down and then a handful of spinach. Then I put 2 celery stalks (diced) and some purple cabbage (or red cabbage if you want to be technical). Then some more sauce. Then some onion, handful of kale and then I decided to put cottage cheese on top with some garlic powder to taste. Medium click low for 15-20 minutes. I totally forgot to put zucchini and yellow squash into it, but oh well. Sounds like a very interesting lasagna, so I'll let you know below how it turned out!!

I LOVED the kale in it. I'd put twice as much as I did and the cottage cheese was great! The cottage cheese provides 13g of protein per 1/2 cup, which is great since I did not use meat in the lasagna. I would suggest putting a layer of spinach on the sauce on the bottom before noodles and make sure you don't use the whole jar of sauce or else it will turn to stew. The celery came out a little crunchy, but it tasted fresh and had lots of flavor. Happy cooking!

Zucchini and Brown Rice Soup

6 cups of low sodium broth
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice (or bulgar)
1 large onion (#3 cone; sliced)
1 large carrot (#1 2 cone; chopped)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 pound of zucchini
1/2 pound of kale, julienned
salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil (medium-high). Stir in brown rice, bring to a simmer, cover and cook medium click low for about 30-40 minutes or until rice is tender. In a large saute pan/skillet cook onions and carrots in olive oil until tender. Add zucchini and cook 4-5 minutes. Add kale and mix until wilted. Set aside. When rice is done, add the vegetable mixture and season with salt and pepper. The soup will be fairly thick. If desired, add additional broth to thin. To make a heartier soup, add cooked chicken or beans.

Holly's Magical Pancakes (tons of fiber!)

1 cup of whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup cooked * Bob's Red Mill organic whole grain high fiber hot cereal (10g fiber per serving) or cooked steel oats
1 egg beaten
1/2 cup nonfat yogurt (you can use Greek)
1/2 cup nonfat milk
3 tablespoons of vanilla extract
cooking spray

Mix dry ingredients
Mix wet ingredients
Then mix them together

Do the water test to make sure it is hot. Spray griddle or pan if desired. I would recommend it. Then make your pancakes as you normally would!

I love these pancakes cause I feel full for a long time. I usually eat them with some milk and cut up fruit.

How to Prepare Eggs

Cooking Eggs: Pre-heat your cookware to medium- low heat, do the water test.  For a poached egg add a tablespoon of water, one per egg, in your skillet with eggs, put the lid on to cook. For a fried egg spray a little cooking oil in  your heated skillet, add eggs, put  the lid on and cook.

For Scrambled Eggs: add water or cooking oil in heated skillet, add the whipped eggs, and scramble, put lid on and cook. For an omelet, spray skillet, add eggs, place lid on and cook. For making an omelet, pour eggs in heated oiled skillet then add veggies, cheese and flip – put lid on and cook. For  making boiled eggs, place a couple folded very wet paper towels in the bottom of  the pan, place whole eggs on top of wet paper towels, start on medium low heat, then drop heat to low when clicking happens cook 5-15 min ( depending on quantity).

Vegetable Cooking Time in Saladmaster Cookware

Vegetable Cooking Time: 

Asparagus   5-7 minutes
Arugula   2-3 minutes
Artichoke  30-35 minutes
Beans, green  8-10 minutes
Beans, lima      15 minutes
Beets        35-40 minutes
Bok Choy       15 minutes
Broccoli & Broccolini    5-7 minutes
Broccoli Romanesco 9-10 minutes
Brussels Sprouts     9-10 minutes
Cabbage, cut   4-6 minutes
Cabbage, Chinese/ Napa 10 minutes
Carrots, sliced     9-10 minutes
Cauliflower       6-8 minutes
Celery       2-3 minutes
Chard    8-10 minutes
Chicory 8 minutes
Collards 15 minutes
Corn, Frozen    1-2 minutes
Corn-on –the cob   10-12 minutes
Edamame whole in pod  10-15 minutes
Eggplant / Aubergine 15-20 minutes
Fennel bulb sliced    8-10 minutes
Kabocha  diced 10-15 minutes
Kale        10-12 minutes
Kohlrabi diced    8-10 minutes
Leeks       8-10 minutes
Mushrooms 2-3 minutes
Okra whole    6-8 minutes
Onions, sliced   8-10 minutes
Parsnips   8-10 minutes
Peas fresh or frozen   2-3 minutes
Peppers      3-4 minutes
Potatoes whole   20-25 minutes
Potatoes, cut  15 minutes
Pumpkins   25- 30 minutes
Rhubarb  15-20  minutes
Shallots   2-3 minutes
Snow Peas   2-3 minutes
Spinach     2-3 minutes
Squash summer sliced   4-6 minutes
Squash winter diced   10-15 minutes
Sweet potato  15-20 minutes
Tomatoes    2-3 minutes
Turnips   8-10 minutes
Yams     10-15 minutes
Zucchini squash, sliced/courgette 4-6 minutes

Butternut Squash- Saladmaster

My boyfriend tried this one a few months ago. It was a really good side dish.

4 servings
-1 large butternut squash
-1/2 tsp butter
-1/4 tsp nutmeg
-14 tsp cinnamon

Quarter squash and remove seeds.
Process squash with no. 1 cone (w/o skin)
Transfer to small skillet. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until vapo-valve clicks. reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Add butter, nutmeg and cinnamon; stir.

Pita Pizza for One

Process one ounce of mozzarella cheese using the number one cone.
Spread a pita pocket bread with one tablespoon of tomato paste.
Crumble 1/8 teaspoon each dried basil and dried oregano over paste.
Sprinkle with onion and garlic powder to taste.
Top with cheese.
Place pita bread in 9" skillet over medium-low heat.
Cover and cook 4-5 minutes until cheese is melted and pizza is heated through. Sometimes, I have had to leave it on a little bit longer. NEVER turn the heat up cause it will burn and never leave it on too long, cause that will make the bottom burn as well. Happy eating!!


The pizza is so good!!! I added spinach and some leftover veggies like peppers to it the first time I made it.

The picture below is one I made today. It has sauce, spinach and onions. I ate one piece before I remembered to take a picture. Looks like a heart. Isn't that cute.

Need to increase your veggie intake???

Make a rabbit (bunny) box!!!

Simple: Just cut up a whole bunch of vegetables like carrots, radishes, broccoli, snap peas, celery, cauliflower, cucumber, etc. and put them in a box. Therefore, when you are hungry, you have something healthy and easy to grab vs. something not so healthy. By the way, did you know that fruits and vegetables are the original fast food? Ha!
As far as dips, I would recommend hummus (which you can make with a food processor) or nonfat plain yogurt (Greek or regular) to which you just add some ranch seasoning to it to make a healthier lower calorie ranch dip. In fact, non-fat plain yogurt is a great substitute for many things like sour cream and mayo. I use it for my tuna fish, as sour cream in all of my Mexican dishes (like tortilla soup or on tacos) and in my smoothies. This is not even the half of it. A lot of Americans lack calcium, so utilizing yogurt helps increase your calcium! Remember: 3 servings a day help keep your bones healthy. Yogurt is also great for your gut, as far as the bacteria. It's good for those who are sensitive to dairy, because of the live and active cultures. Alway make sure there is a "Live and Active Cultures" stamp on your yogurt. This ensures that they are preserved and not destroyed.

Another fun snack is cut up fruit with yogurt dip. You can get any flavored yogurt and use that as a dip, but my favorite is non-fat vanilla yogurt mixed with cinnamon :)

Vegetable Bake_Great Breakfast Meal

1 can of vegetable broth
2 packets of one minute cream of wheat
1/2 cup of sliced green onions
2 eggs, lightly beaten (or 4-6; see notes below)
2 TB grated parmesan cheese
3 cups of broccoli florets
1 large carrot, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 TB oil
1 can of white beans (about 2 cups cooked)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Bring broth to boil, add cream of wheat; cook for 4 minutes or until thickened; let cool for 5 minutes. Add onion, egg, parmesan cheese.

Cook broccoli and carrots in oil in large pan until crisp-tender. Stir in beans and garlic powder. Place into electric skillet. Set it to 350 degrees.

Pour cereal mixture evenly over vegetables.

Medium click low for 20 minutes. Add cheese. Cover for 5 more minutes.


I put some spinach into the vegetable  mixture and stirred the cereal mixture all over. I also grated some of the broccoli stem with the #1 cone. I grated the carrot with the #1 cone.
It was good but I'd add 4 to 6 eggs to make it more of an egg bake situation :)