Magnificently Memorable Green Beans

Side dishes rarely get the respect they deserve. I often compare side dishes to bass players in 4 piece rock bands...essential but often forgotten.

Here is a side dish from my book that generates a lot of positive feedback from people. Obviously these green beans are rarely forgotten. I guess you could say this colorful side dish has a way of stealing the show.

Magnificently Memorable Green Beans

Instruments
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1 lb (454 g) fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in half diagonally
¼ cup orange marmalade
2 tsp grated lemon zest
¼ tsp salt
Pinch or two crushed red pepper flakes

Lyrics
On a large baking sheet, arrange almonds in a single layer. Bake in a 350ºF oven until almonds are lightly browned, about 3 minutes (keep a close eye on them because they burn quickly). Set aside and let cool.

Place beans in a large steamer basket. Set steamer basket over a large saucepan of boiling water. Cover and steam beans just until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat marmalade over medium heat. Cook and stir until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in steamed beans, lemon zest, salt, red pepper flakes and half the toasted almonds. Mix well. Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle remaining toasted almonds on top and serve.

Volume: Makes 6 Servings

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Brent Garell
The Kitchen Roadie
brent@cookapalooza.com

Why Google Employees Look Marvelous!

Are high sodium and fattening pre-packaged foods good for us? Nope. Wait let me check. Sorry...it’s still no. So what can we do? Eat healthy right? We all know that’s easier said than done. We are swarmed with information about what to eat but we often don’t put it into practice because there is no one standing over our shoulder to remind us that the donut we’re scarfing down isn’t exactly the best choice.

Luckily I came across a great trick to solve this daily eating dilemma while reading an article about David Kessler, author of The End of Overeating. He shared a story about selecting a lunch item from the cafeteria at Google’s headquarters. In front of eat lunch item they have a red, yellow or green sign. Green means have as much as you want. Yellow means have a moderate amount. Red means taste it but be careful about how much you eat.

This smart strategy if something you can easily apply at home. Place a small piece of red paper inside the kitchen cabinet door that is full of chips and treats. A yellow piece of paper in the area you keep breads and baked goods. Post a green one near fruits and other healthy snacks. You can also apply the same strategy inside your fridge. Better yet keep those colored paper images in your head when you are selecting items at the grocery store or ordering from a menu.

My guess is those signs would have a real affect on your food choices leading to a happier and healthier you! No wonder those people who work at Google look so good!


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Brent Garell
The Kitchen Roadie
brent@cookapalooza.com

5 Ways to Prevent the Restaurant Blues

This past weekend my wife and I decided to go out for dinner. A new restaurant opened near our home and we were both quite excited because we had eaten at one of their establishments in Collingwood, Ontario and absolutely loved the food!

Unfortunately our experience wasn’t quite as pleasant at the location near our home. The food lacked taste and thought. My meal reminded me of something I would be served in a cafeteria except I was paying triple the price for it! At first I was upset at the restaurant for serving such an uninspired and lackluster meal. However after some thought, I realized I could prevented this unpleasant dining experience using these 5 tricks.

1.Before ordering I should have asked our server if the restaurant had a particular specialty. Do they make great pizza or are they better known for their seafood and pasta dishes. Once I had this information, I could have ignored the other items on the menu. By the way, if you’re not at a ribs establishment, don’t order ribs…enough said!

2. I could have observed other people’s meals around me while I was perusing the menu. Dishes that look appealing increases the chance they will also taste good.

3. I also could have struck up a friendly conversation with the people around us to find out what they ordered and see if there was a meal they particularly enjoyed.

4. Checking out the menu online before going would have been a good idea. The restaurants website or sites like Menus Only would have given me a sense of the prices and if there was anything appealing on the menu.

5. Finally instead of getting upset I should have remembered that a disappointing restaurant meal is the best inspiration for getting back into the kitchen to cook a similar homemade dish that’ll taste 100 times better!

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Brent Garell
The Kitchen Roadie
brent@cookapalooza.com

Can’t Help Falling In Love with Banana Splits

Today’s cooking song of the day is UB40’s cover of Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling in Love. On this day in 1993 this song, which was recorded for the movie Sliver (you know the one with Sharon Stone and the hidden cameras in the apartment building) hit number one on the charts. An interesting fact about this song was it marked the first time that someone had covered one of Presley's top 10 hits and bettered the peak position of the original song. Presley only managed to take the song to the number 2 position on the charts.

I’ve always been a big fan of UB40 and their summery sounds. I’ve also always been a big fan of banana splits ever since my mother used to make them for my sisters and I when we were kids.

Unfortunately banana splits tend to get a bad rap because the words “sweet” and “fattening” automatically come to mind when we hear the term. The thing is banana splits can be extremely good for you and still satisfy your sweet tooth!

Take this great banana split recipe I found on a Nutrition Action Healthletter calendar. This dessert is packed with summer fruit and has a natural sweetness that's incredibly hard not to fall in love with!

Summer Fruit Banana Split

Slice a banana lengthwise and spoon 1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt between the halves. Top with sliced strawberries, blueberries, diced kiwi and chopped nuts. Oh yeah...don't forget the fresh cherry on top!

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Brent Garell
The Kitchen Roadie
brent@cookapalooza.com

Cook Your Way Up the Weight Loss Charts

My guess is that if you graphed the relationship between eating nutritious homemade meals and weight loss the resulting chart would be quite encouraging.

It’s the type of visual that inspires us to take action. In this case the action required is cooking which in my mind is a much easier route to losing weight compared to working out three times a week at the gym.

However my bet is at some point the benefits of eating right are going to plateau and eventually you will have to do some physical exercise to shed the remaining unwanted pounds. But don’t worry about that now. Enjoy your delicious calorie conscious homemade meals and their resulting benefits as you travel to the plateau. Tackle the next step when you get there.

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Brent Garell
The Kitchen Roadie
brent@cookapalooza.com

Kitchen Roadie Tips from Twitter

Eleven of my most recent Kitchen Roadie cooking tips that I regularly post on Twitter to make your cooking experience 11 times easier.

#1 - If having fun isn't part of your cooking routine then preparing meals can begin to feel like a chore.

#2 – Go Green and buy your food in bulk. You’ll save a few bucks and have more dollars for your favorite summer concerts.

#3 - Think double compilation album when cooking to remind yourself to double the recipe so you can freeze the leftovers.

#4 - Invest in heavy bottom skillets. They distribute heat evenly so your food doesn’t do the burn-baby-burn cooking inferno.

#5 - Plan which summer concerts you’ll attend, plan your trips & plan your meals so you only have to grocery shop once a week.

#6 - Fill a plastic tote with your grilling gear so you can easily transfer it when you're ready to do your next barbecue gig.

#7 - To pit an olive, roll a rolling pin over the olives to make the pits pop out like a Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction.

#8 - Toss your old 8-track tapes but don't discard the leaves on a celery stalk. Add them to soup stocks for extra flavor!

# 9 - Liven up your kitchen with the energizing sounds of James Brown. Liven up you fruit salad by adding chopped mint.

#10 - If your salads lacks excitement like a Depeche Mode concert add in dried apricots, dried cranberries or raisins.

#11 - Don't treat your bbq like your stereo by always cranking the heat dial to maximum. Turn it down for fish & lean meats.

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Brent Garell
The Kitchen Roadie
brent@cookapalooza.com

Overcrowding Makes Everything Soggy

Have you ever been to an overcrowded outdoor concert on a hot summer day? If you have, you know it can end up being a somewhat soggy experience. Instead of being able to enjoy the music you end up sandwiched between a crowd of hot sweaty people and everyone ends up soaking wet in sweat. Yuck!

A similar situation happens when you overcrowd a pan with vegetables or meat. Instead of browning the contents you end up steaming them. The result is a soggy meal.

If you want the nice caramelized flavor that comes from browning, give those veggies and meat a little elbow space the next time you toss them in the pan. You’ll be rewarded with some heavenly flavor!

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Brent Garell
The Kitchen Roadie
brent@cookapalooza.com

How to Get Into the Cooking Zone!

Are you tired of relying on 99-cent value meals? Break the habit by following these simple tips and motivational tricks. They'll help you get into a cooking zone that’ll have you consistently enjoying healthier more flavorful meals so you can look and feel great this summer!

Be a stickler for planning meals.

Have a weekly calendar of what you are going to cook.

Sometimes miss that favorite TV show and prepare yourself a homemade meal instead.

Excuses? You don’t need no stinkin’ excuses! Just make it happen.

Commit to the meal. If you’re willing there are definite ways to make it work.

Have fun cooking because otherwise it will become a chore.

Always go out the door in the morning having a plan of what you are going to make that evening. Better yet have a plan the night before so you can prep a few things.

Have a sacred night where cooking is not allowed…hey we all need a break once in awhile.

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Brent Garell
The Kitchen Roadie
brent@cookapalooza.com

Summertime Cooking Blues

Have the lazy days of summer lulled you into a cooking rut? If your in this situation and wondering what your gonna do, no worries, I have the cure for the summertime cooking blues.

Throw on a good ole country tune like Alan Jackson's Summertime Blues and put together this barbecue chicken dish that's full of bright summer flavors. It's hard not to feel good listening to this sunny tune and this no-fuss dish will keep the summertime cooking blues a bay...Yee-haw!

Instruments
1/2 cup low-fat Italian dressing
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 tsp each chili powder
1/4 tsp dried thyme
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approx. 1½ lbs / 680g)

Lyrics
In a small bowl whisk together Italian dressing, lime juice, chili powder and thyme. Place chicken breasts in a large resealable plastic bag. Add marinade, seal bag and turn bag several times until chicken is coated. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours.

Preheat grill to medium setting. Place chicken on grill and discard marinade. Grill until chicken is no longer pink in the center but still moist, about 5 to 6 minutes per side. Remove chicken from grill, cover loosely with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes.

Volume: Makes 4 servings

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Brent Garell
The Kitchen Roadie
brent@cookapalooza.com

Broccoli Stem Goodness!

If you discard your broccoli stems like the cellophane wrapper on a new CD then your missing out on some broccoli stem goodness.

What many people don’t realize is that broccoli stems are edible and often more tasty than the florets. You just have to give them some TLC before you eat them.

The first step is to take a ¼-inch slice from the very bottom which is usually dried out and tough. Then trim off any leaves and peel the stems with a vegetable peeler. Viola! They are now ready to be shredded and added to a coleslaw or cut into matchsticks you can either steam or eat raw. Less waste and more to eat!

Now if we could just figure out what to do with those CD cellophane wrappers.

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Brent Garell
The Kitchen Roadie
brent@cookapalooza.com

Take a Much Needed Cooking Vacation...Just Don't Make it Permanent

You may or may not have noticed the lack of postings on my blog last week. I was on vacation with my family. We spent the week in the Muskoka region of Ontario having fun despite the lack of sun.

This wasn’t only a vacation from work but it also turned out to be a break from cooking. Many of the meals we enjoyed were made by others. We dined on cannelloni, beef kabobs, various pasta dishes and a few hamburgers thrown in for good measure.

The trick to taking a vacation from cooking is to not make it permanent because you don’t want to get stuck in a rut relying on expensive and often fattening conveyor-belt meals.

Think of the best meals you had on your vacation and let those thoughts inspire you to replicate them or create some new flavorful dishes of your own!

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Brent Garell
The Kitchen Roadie
brent@cookapalooza.com