Cooking Tip of the Week

  • Tired of melting Popsicles making a mess? Use Jell-O!  Just make your regular mixture with your favourite flavours, but instead of the refrigerator, pour it into your moulds and freeze.  Soon, you and your family will have a handful of treats without the hassle!
  • For a quick and delicious pizza, pita bread is a fantastic substitute if you don’t have raw dough. All you need is spaghetti sauce, grated cheese (or slices of mozzarella), and pepperoni, or any of your favourite toppings.  Ten minutes in your toaster oven and dinner/lunch is served!
  • Baking meals in parchment paper is a fun and easy way of cooking. A chicken breast, for example, with cherry/grape tomatoes, herbs, onion, garlic, lemon slices, and feta cheese makes for healthy and delicious food packets for your entire family.  They don’t require additional fats or oils, but remember to season with salt and pepper!
  • When you’re cooking with kale, don’t discard and waste the stems after pinching off the leaves. Adding them chopped to your vegetable soup will give it a better flavour.  If you boil them long enough, they are also edible and make for great fibre.
  • Stevia is a great sugar substitute if you are diabetic or on a diet. Unlike artificial sweeteners, this one is natural and extracted from the leaves of a plant species called Stevia rebaudiana.  It contains no calories and doesn’t affect blood glucose levels, fantastic for people with diabetes and those who need to control their carbohydrate intake.  A popular brand name is Truvia, which can be found in most supermarkets.
  • If you have leftovers of a rotisserie chicken that was bought from the supermarket, it’s a great opportunity to make a simple yet traditional Chinese salad. All you need is one part peanut butter, and another part sesame butter, then add water until the sauce is the consistency of a dressing.  Shred the meat and julienne some cucumber and mix everything together.  Bon appétit!
  • For really crispy yet juicy chicken (breast) strips, marinate the meat overnight in a mixture of water and corn starch, one tablespoon each, along with salt and pepper, or your favourite seasonings. Give the strips a light coating of sweet potato starch and immediately fry until cooked through.  The sweet potato starch is perfect for preventing sogginess and will keep everything very crispy.  OPTIONAL: Melt butter in another pan and coat your already fried chicken in it.  This is also the best time to add in your herbs.
  • A great way to make a hearty meal when you’re running out of time/ideas is by adding leftover minced beef to canned vegetable soups. Season the meat with salt and pepper and after bringing everything to a boil, put small chunks of it inside and serve once cooked through.  This will also give a great deal of flavour to the now stew.
  • If you want your beef to be super tender, marinate it in kiwi juice for several hours, or overnight if possible, depending on your personal preference. The enzymes from the fruit will help break down the fibres in the meat.  Along with your favourite condiments, a tablespoon for every four ounces is sufficient.