Stop by and drop a food tip for the community in order from A-Z.

Basically what we're going to do is start with 'A' and leave a tip that begins with the letter 'A' and then move on to 'B' and so on until we get to the letter 'Z'.

After the tip is left for the letter 'Z' the tips will start back at the beginning with a different tip starting again with 'A'.

This should be a lot of fun and informative at the same time.

I'll start:

A
ACIDULATED WATER [water that a little bit of acid has been added to like lemon/lime juice, pineapple juice, vinegar, etc.] is used to keep fruits and vegetables from oxidizing/turning brown.

Tip:
Keep your your acidulated water in a spray bottle in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks to use to spritz on your fruits and veggies to keep them looking tasty.

B
BEANS

Tip:
Do a quick soak method to speed up your cooking time when you don't have time to soak over night.

1. Wash and drain your beans

2. In a pot large enough to hold your beans after they expand, place your beans and ice water.

3. Bring to a boil and boil on high for 2 - 5 minutes.

4. Turn off the heat under pot and cover for 1-2 hours.

5. Drain off water, rinse and add fresh water bring to a boil before reducing to a simmer.

[If you're sensitive to the complex sugars in the beans and you develop gas from them you may want to do on e or all of the following:
1)Once beans are brought to a boil again with the fresh water, at the point they release their foam either skim it all off or pour of that water and add fresh water and bring that to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
2)Add some 'beano' or seaweed to your beans.
3)Increase your intestinal flora with a good probiotic supplement]

6. Season with any non-acidic items [acid makes them tougher and increases their cooking time., it helps enhance the aroma from the beans cooking.

7. Try getting some complementary foods into your menu for that day, like a squash and a grain, It will complete the amino acids needed to make a complete protein your body will benefit from.

Does anyone have something for 'C'

C
Cauliflower - may I just say.......lemon? Rubbing a lemon, or using lemon juice on it helps keep it white.

This vegetable is great even when eaten plain. Now, if you want to nibble at raw cauliflower and dip it in a few things.....that tastes great as well.

You could always boil it, add a little garlic salt or garlic powder to it and mash it up as well. This way you still have the mashed potato feel without all the calories and starch.

D
DATES

Dates can be used in your curries in the place of refined sugar. Just take them and blend them up with coconut milk until they are completely dissolved and use it in your sweet and pungent curry dishes.

It tastes great and adds more fibre to your dish.

E
Eggs

If you can't remember when you bought your eggs, there is a simple test to see if they are still good.

Put the eggs in a bowl of water.

Older eggs will have more air inside the shell, so will float more than fresh eggs.

Egg sinks - fresh
slightly tilts - still good
stands on end - OK, but need to hard cook
floats - throw away

F
FRUIT

All fruit CAN be a dessert. It may even be a healthier dessert than cake, pie, doghnuts, baklava, etc.....

If you want to really indulge, take a small plate and drizzle some chocolate and caramel syrup on it. Place two pear halves on the plate. It looks like a gourmet dessrt from a restaurant (and on the Food Network) Eat and enjoy!

Have a pineapple chopped in half lengthwise. Scoop out the pineapple and mix with melon balls, strawberries, blueberries, etc. Place back into the "boat" shape of the halved pineapple. You know have a fancy looking dessert that is also healthy.

G
Goji Berries:

Dried: they make a great addition to salads, pastas, trail mix, breads, porridge, pancakes, desserts, smoothies, etc.

As a Juice [raw, organic, unpasturized]: they make a great and health promoting addition to ice creams, sauces, fruit juices, sports drinks and other beverages, etc.

As a Health Aid it's been used for:
Acid Reflux; Acne; Allergies; Anemia; Arthritis; Athletic Performance; Back Pain; Blood Pressure; Diabetes; Gout; Headaches; Lupus; Prostate; Etc. to name a few.
For more Reported Uses - click here

To try it - click here.

H = Herbs

Try some in your food. They can be very tasty and if you substitute them for salt - they become even more healthy!

SCARBOROUGH FAIR GREEN BEANS

1 can green beans
1/4 stick butter
1/4 teaspoon each of parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme

Cook the green beans. Melt the butter and stir in the herbs. Pour over the beans. No salt needed. Serve and enjoy!

Take a look at herbs and their flavors, then experiment!

Try mint with carrots. How about garlic with all beans?
Ever thought about ginger with squash?

I
ICE

Try this one on for size...

Make ice cubes out of your favorite beverages and soups/stews.

When you're wanting to make iced tea, smoothies, slushies, chill or cool down a beverage or soup/stew you add an ice cube of the matching flavor to it and voila! cooler temperature without the dilution of those mouthwatering flavors.

You get the best of both worlds!!!

For a variation on that the next time you're creating an iced tea use an ice cube of a different juice to pop into your beverage. Talk about your gourmet iced tea!

It'll add the right amount of accent flavor to your drink.

J is for
Jamaican Jerk! Spicy and delicious, jerk chicken is a Caribbean delight. See my recipe on the Caribbean Culture siteBellaOnline ALERT: Raw URLs are not allowed in these forums for security reasons. Please use UBB code. If you don't know how to do UBB code just post here for help - we will help out!

Thanks Lea Ann!

The beautiful thing about Jamaican Jerk seasonings is that there are a slew of vegetarian dishes you can use them in.

Good Stuff!!!
Speaking of recipe conversions I'll give you all a challenge... anytime you use a recipe that you want to make veggie try by substituting the meat with something vegetarian:

• Tofu
  Portabella [or other types of] Mushroom
  Beans
  Grains
  Etc.

K
Kalamata Olives

Olives can be eaten by themselves, converted into spreads and dips, marinated, made into tapenades, added as a secret ingredient to a Mediterranean style Ranch Dressing, etc.

They're more versatile than you can shake a stick at, easy to incorporate into your recipes and well worth the effort and then some and available year-round.

L
Lettuce - we're talking Romaine here. Iceberg and Bibb (or Butter) lettuces don't have very many nutrients or fiber.

Romaine lettuce has Vitamin A, C, and K (these are the highest). It also has small amounts of Vitamin B1, 2, 3 and 6. There is some iron and dietary fiber.

Since salads are made up of mostly lettuce, why not make it with Romaine?

Wraps and other sandwiches are something to involve Roamine with.

M
Macintosh Apples - are very sweet and make a nice snack when sliced sprinkled with cinnamon and baked in the oven for a few minutes

O
Okra

Okra is an awesome succulent (pod fruit/vegetable). I was doing some studies on it years ago and found that it is used to replenish and or build blood matter.

Along with tasting great in fungi, calalloo and (surprising enough) cornbread, it is said to be great for those going into surgery in the future for decreasing blood loss.

I'm sure I'll go further into detail on it one of these days if the interest is great enough. I'll share one of my own stories.

Jason - I know this is kind of outside the game, but I saw something else about okra the other day (it was on "Good Eats" with Alton Brown.)

Okra is a natural thickener. You don't have to use as much flour or cornstarch in soups and stews when you use okra.

OK - now for "N"
Nori the dried seaweed used to make sushi rolls. You can wrap up sticky rice, vegetables, raw or cooked fish or even some meats if you like. My kids even like just snacking on the dried nori. (My kids also like sushi -- so they are a little out there, LOL!)

But if you know somebody that blanches at the word "sushi" because all they think of is raw fish, you can make what is called a "bagel roll" - which is basically the nori, layered with rice, then smoked salmon, cream cheese, avocadoes, green onions and then you roll it up.

I just realized that I need to go back and take 'Alphabet 101' ...'LM'O'N?

Thx for filling in the 'N' Chelle. And funny enough, I was just talking to my mom and aunt today about sushi.

P

Pasta
Pasta can be a great way to make a simple, yet satisfying meal or snack, but here's something that you may not know...

Pasta can be made with more than just grains...

They can also be made with bean and root starches, like mung bean or sweet potato.

VERY TASTY when prepped right!!!

Q
Quinces

Serve quince jelly on freshly made scones (I think you call them biscuits!) with fresh cream

R
Relishes

Many fruits and vegetables can be combined to make great relishes. They may be served as side dishes or as condiments/sauces for sandwiches, salads, canapes and main dishes.

Experiment with different spices to make Indian-inspired relishes or sweet-hot versions...the possibilities are limitless.

I love corn and pepper relishes and eggplant relishes and pineapple-red onion relishes...

S = Salsa. Oh people, make a salsa - just once. Try it! It makes for a great accompaniment to vegetable dishes, with chips, etc.

You may be familiar with the "regular' tomato salsa, but have you every tried a mango salsa on vegetables? YUM!

Instead of pouring dressing on a salad, why not try to liven up your salad with a salsa?

T - Tortillas

Tortillas are excellent staples to build out a meal, stretch a meal, garnish a meal, etc.

We use them a lot in my household. We use them in lasagnas, enchiladas, tortilla soups, tortilla sandwiches and savory roll-ups, tortilla chips and strips, quesadillas, etc. The list can literally go on and on with what you can do with tortillas.

A quick note about tortillas...

Tortillas, much like roti, chapati, naan, etc. are but one of the many flat breads that you'd find in indigenous cultures the world over. Try them out, but make sure that you get outside of the box with it!

U-Ugli Fruit (pronounced ugly)

It is a hybrid fruit, a cross between a tangerine and a grapefruit (some say also pomelo) that comes from Jamaica. It is a citrus fruit and may be used in recipes that call for grapefruit. High in Vitamin C.

Sometimes, we like to pick up a new and exotic fruit or vegetable, just to try it. That's as adventurous as we get around here.

V
Veggies....Eat them more than twice a day.

Steam them or even stir-fry them to keep their nutrient intake contained.

Eat all kinds of them. I'm such a finicky eater but through the cohersing of many hear at Bella, I'm learning to eat more varieties of every kind.

V for veal - something I'd like to eat one day (when I get the courage). Thanks for the game Jason.

W
Winter Squash

Season and steam for 10 - 15 minutes before you stuff and bake in a 350 degree oven until golden and fork tender.

If you eat them with corn and beans you'll have a complete protein.

My favorite to date is amber cup squash. It lends itself to sweet and savory dishes and is a very dense squash. Very hearty and eats like a real meal.

W
Water Chestnut Powder

I love using water chestnut powder to thicken and add body to my soups, stews, and to use as a binder for meatloaf and burger type dishes.

I get mine from the Asian markets.

X
Xantham gum

It is used as a stablizer and thickening agent, of sorts, in commercial products. It keeps ice crystals from forming in ice creams and provides a "fat feel" in low and no-fat dair products.

It also is a substitute for wheat gluten in gluten-free foods, and is found also in salad dressings and sauces. It keeps the spices suspended throughout the liquid.

Xanthum gum is produced by the fermentation process of sucrose or glucose of a particular strain of bacteria. Its value is being able to increase the viscosity of a liquid, making it a gel-like substance.

It is also used in the other industries, namely cosmetic and automotive.

So while it might sound like just another chemical additive, it is produced naturally (from the bacterium's consumption of corn)and can provide good culinary uses. Especially if you want to manufacture and market your own food or cosmetic product.

Y
Yucca

This is one of those roots that I just don't hear enough about. We eat it in the islands. I use it like I would a potato. It's a lot hardier though. I love the body and flavor of it.

When you eat yucca, it's substantial. I boil or steam it first then I work with it. I'll dice it or break it up coarsely, mash it, put it into soups and stews, mix it with plantain and make the Liberian dish fufu. It has a lot of uses for it.

If you want to chop it up after you boil/steam it then add them to a nice simmering tomato or coconut curry sauce. You'll never be the same again!

I was holding out for someone else to take 'z', but I guess you all probably figured since I started this maybe I should finish it.

So here you go:

Z
Zucchini

Try it stuffed, sauteed, grilled, braised and in desserts. My wife and I had a carrot zucchini cake for our wedding cake that was off-the-chain good!

Here's some of the whys behind eating zucchini:

Zucchini is one of those insipidus fruits that pack a punch. According to nutritionfacts.com it's got potassium, niacin, folate, thiamin, vitamin c and magnesium, literally to name a few and a glycemic load of 0.

Now that we got to 'Z' we start again with a different A-Z topic [click on the link]