If you’re tired of the same old food at mealtimes, there’s a wealth of new food choices that will not only perk up your meals, but are nutritious and easy to make or find as well. Here are five items you will want to try today:
Stuffed Vegetables
Bland veggies like sweet green or red peppers are given a new lease on life when they’re stuffed with rice and ground beef. Olives, of course, are also stuffed. The good news is that olives can be stuffed with just about everything besides the pimentos they’re paired up with in the store. Big green olives can be stuffed with smoked salmon, anchovies, jalapeno and other types of peppers, roasted garlic and blanched almonds. Light party appetizers such as stuffed olives are a must have and just the right food for a snack or parties.
Sushi
Don’t worry. Sushi doesn’t have to be made of raw fish, though many people find raw fish irresistible. One good sushi roll is in fact vegetarian. It’s made of slivers of avocado, green onion and shiitake mushrooms placed on a bed of sushi rice on a sheet of nori. The nori is carefully rolled up and then cut into bite sized sections. It’s served with wasabi, a fiery hot Japanese horseradish, paper thin slices of pickled ginger and tamari, a robust soy sauce.
Flashed Fish or Beef
First, take a fillet of salmon, tuna or flank steak. Place it between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound it thin with either a mallet or something else heavy like a frying pan. Peel and sliver some ginger. In the meantime, heat up about a cup of olive oil. Remove the fillet from between the plastic wrap. Arrange on a platter, sprinkle with some sea salt and freshly ground pepper and the slivered ginger. Then, pour on the hot oil. The hot oil will cook the meat. After that, garnish with chopped chives.
Orzo Risotto
People love risotto, but when it’s made out of a short grain rice like arborio it can be rather fiddly to cook. The solution is making risotto with orzo, a rice-shaped pasta. Instead of having to constantly stir it, add all the hot broth and white wine at once. Let the orzo absorb the liquid, then add whatever you fancy, like diced tomatoes, asparagus tips or mushrooms or shrimp and heat through.
Preserved Lemons
These are staples of Moroccan cooking. All that’s needed are some lemons, kosher salt and a sterilized jar for preserving. Quarter the lemons, but don’t cut them all the way past the stems. Pack them with salt, put salt in the bottom of the jar and drop the lemons in. Some people add lemon juice. Seal the jar and put in the refrigerator. It can last as long as a year.
These new foods will certainly add zest to your meals and make you the talk of your friends and neighbors. Don’t be afraid to try something new to spice up your kitchen routine. These items will get you started on healthy eating with lots of flavor.
