Slow-Cooked Leg of Lamb with Fresh Mint Sauce

Ingredients

·         4 large garlic cloves, peeled

·         1 tablespoon coarse salt

·         1 whole leg of lamb, about 6 pounds

·         Salt and black pepper to taste

·         ½ cup sherry vinegar

·         ⅓ cup sugar

·         2 cups fresh mint

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 250° F. Mince garlic and mix with salt. With a small sharp knife, poke holes all over lamb and insert some garlic-salt mixture into each hole. Smear any remaining mixture on lamb skin, then sprinkle with additional salt, if desired, and pepper. Place lamb in roasting pan, cover lightly with aluminium foil and put it in oven.

2. Cook for 4 hours, and then remove foil. Cook for about 2 more hours, or until a sharp, thin-bladed knife can be easily inserted into meat. If lamb skin is not browned, raise heat to 400° F.  for 10 minutes.

3. To make mint sauce, combine vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan with ⅓ cup water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook for about 30 seconds longer. Cool for a few minutes, then place in a blender with mint; blend until smooth. Keep at room temperature until ready to serve (or refrigerate overnight and return to room temperature before serving).

4. Carve lamb and spoon pan juices over slices. Serve hot, passing sauce at table.

Yield: 8 servings.

Acknowledgement: The Recipe Reader

Protein sources for vegetarians

Protein is an essential part of the dietary needs of humans. The reason is that it fulfils a variety of important functions in the body. It is necessary for growth, maintenance and repair of cells and for the production of enzymes and hormones.

Furthermore, proteins are the main components of muscle tissue and are vital to the internal organs, bones, skin and the transmission of impulses through the nerves.

The body’s need for protein can be met with a wide variety of foods, from animal sources alone, from plant and animal sources or from specific plant-protein combinations. High-quality protein foods such as milk, eggs, meat, poultry and fish are the best sources of protein and will supply all the amino acids a body will need for protein synthesis in a single food. But, fortunately these are not the only sources of dietary protein.

Nuts, legumes, and grains such as wheat, rice and maize, potatoes and leafy vegetables provide lesser quality protein that is an important source of all amino acids. But they do have an important advantage over animal proteins – as plants they do not contain cholesterol at all and when they do have fat, it is in the form of unsaturated oil which is healthier than animal fat. (The exceptions here are coconut and palm oil.)

The good news for vegetarians is that a high-quality or even complete protein without any animal foods can be obtained by pairing two specific incomplete proteins in a meal, such as maize and beans. However, it must be borne in mind that relatively large quantities of plant foods have to be eaten to match the amount of protein a person would get from animal sources. Lacto-ovo vegetarians who eat milk and eggs in addition to plant foods can much easier obtain a well-balanced and complete diet.

It is a proven fact that that if legumes (peas, beans, peanuts) are a daily staple of vegetarians the total protein need can be met efficiently. Of all the beans, soy beans contain the highest percentage of protein among all vegetable foods. One cup of soy beans cooked contains about 20 g of protein which is more than one-third the RDA.

The matter of protein intake is a very delicate situation. But, this is to the benefit of vegetarians to the effect that oversized intake of protein can actually be wasteful since extra protein kilojoules are a costly form of bodily energy and excess dietary protein may in turn help create lager needs for calcium, vitamins B and other nutrients.

Beautiful women

The World’s Best Recipe Article Ever Written

My grandmother passed away when I was twelve. She was born and raised in rural Amish country in Indiana. Though it was over twenty five years ago when she died, I clearly remember her and her funny ways. She had ‘davenport,’ used rouge,' and was allergic to perfume and only used ivory soap. She was forever pulling out her annoying vinyl measuring tape from a golden, round, wicker sewing basket with a matching lid she kept next to her sofa, or davenport. She would wrap it around my neck, my arms and my legs, taking notes to ensure the clothing she made me would fit. She always checked to see if I scrubbed behind my ears with a 'warshcloth' and her house was not child friendly, at all. She was meticulously clean, in fact she even ironed her sheets. She was peculiar to me as a child, but let me tell you, that woman knew how to bake the best pie in the whole wide world.

Grandma was an awesome cook and she loved to do it. Christmas was amazing as a child. We ate on real china and drank from expensive cranberry glass goblets. She had a special dish for everything on the table and only used the nicest, freshest linens. She always baked at least three different kinds of pies and there would be cookies and candies and homemade bread and turkey and mashed potatoes with amazing gravy and stuffing. Oh, the stuffing or 'dressing.' Sorry, I need a moment to reminisce.

Some good memories there. That is what a great recipe will do, create irreplaceable memories. For twenty five years, I have longed to be again sitting at Grandmas in front of her grand Christmas spread eating a piece of one of her best pies made with the freshest ingredients. Cherry, rhubarb, strawberry, blueberry, the filling is just an afterthought when you have a delicious, flaky crust. I certainly cannot go back in time, but guess what; time has brought them to me. I found a box filled with her recipes at my aunt’s house. She was holding onto them for dear life, but what good is an amazing recipe if it is tucked in a box, unused for years and years.

I pried the magical box from my aunts white knuckles and have decided to not only cook these recipes, one at a time, but I want to share them. I love to cook a dish everyone will enjoy and come back begging for more. My children will inevitably prepare my most beloved and delicious family recipes with their children and they will be talking about how 'to die for the pie is' for generations to come. My kids love it when I make something new and exciting for them to eat and even like to help in the kitchen.

Here is a great unique dessert that is so easy to make and yes, it is from the magic box. It is called cobbler cake and you are going to love it. It is great with vanilla ice cream, whipped topping, or just a spoon. I cannot decide whether it is cobbler or cake, but it sure is yummy.

Turn on the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

1 can of crushed pineapple

1 can of cherry pie filling

1 box of white, yellow or lemon cake, dry

7 oz. shredded coconut

1 cup crushed walnuts

1 cup melted butter

First, pour the entire can of pineapple, juice and all into the greased pan. Second, empty the can of cherry pie filling over the pineapple. Next, completely cover the fruits with the dry cake mix and do not stir. Layer the coconut on top of that and then the walnuts. Drizzle the melted butter, (I use a turkey baster) over the entire thing and throw it in the oven. Yes, it is that simple. Set your timer for 70 minutes. It is done when it is golden brown and firm in the middle.

By Jane Carrasco

Jane Carrasco

Eat well, live longer

If you want to live longer, take a look at the foods in your weekly shopping basket. It may sound like trite advice, but a healthy diet really is key to longevity.

What you put into your mouth has a dramatic effect on the way your body functions. Food is far more than just fuel to keep you going and to stop the hunger pangs. It’s an essential source of energy, assists in growth and repair, and helps to regulate and protect the body. Your body is an intricate machine with many complicated functions and your body needs many different nutrients to keep it functioning well. As soon as you start disturbing its delicate balance with an unhealthy diet and lifestyle, you are bound to get ill.

Read further . . . . . 

Beef Tips and Noodles

"This is a great dish that's very easy to make with just a few ingredients. Great with rolls of any type. I got this recipe from my mom years ago and it is a family favorite."

Julie

For the recipe, click here . . . . 

Creamy chicken and potato curry

Ingredients

·         8 chicken thighs

·         3 Tbsp. butter

·         1 large onion, finely chopped

·         2 cloves garlic, crushed

·         1 tsp. ginger, finely chopped or grated

·         1 tsp. ground cumin

·         2 tsp. ground coriander

·         ½ tsp. ground cinnamon

·         ½ tsp. ground nutmeg

·         1 tsp. turmeric

·         2 Tbsp. hot garam masala

·         3 large potatoes, cubed

·         500ml chicken stock

·         300ml cream

·         150ml milk mixed with 2 tsp. corn flour

·         Salt to taste

·         Fresh mint

Method

1. In a large saucepan/pot, brown the chicken and set aside.

2. In the same pot, melt the butter and fry the onions until soft and translucent.

3. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for another minute.

4. Add all the spices and allow frying until fragrant.

5. Add the chicken back to the pot and also add the diced potatoes.

6. Stir to coat in all the spices.

7. Pour in the chicken stock. The stock should just cover the chicken pieces.

8. Add 150ml cream and turn the heat down.

9. Cover and allow simmering gently for 20-25 minutes.

10. Check that the chicken and potatoes are cooked then add the rest of the cream and the milk mixture.

11. Allow bubbling until thickened and season to taste.

Serve with steamed rice and a good scattering of fresh mint.

Acknowledgement: Simply Delicious

Oven-Fried Rice Balls with Gruyere

I could easily have eaten about half the rice balls on that platter – they were that good.  I made them the night before and just let them rest in the refrigerator on a baking sheet.  They tasted incredible just out of the oven but were still good after sitting out for an hour or so.

Full recipe . . . . . .