18 Skinny Salads for a Low Calorie Meal

1. Grilled Chicken and Corn Salad with Avocado and Parmesan
2. BBQ Chicken Salad with Cilantro Ranch Dressing
3. Cobb Salad
4. Kalbin Beef Salad
5. Tuna and Green Bean Salad
6. Fritos Chili Cheese and Corn Salad
7. B.L.T. Salad with Basil Mayo Dressing

 Detailed Recipes and Credit : kitchme.com

Cooking Tips : 

Trying New Recipes That Your Family Will Love

Are you a kitchen guru? Maybe you are just a kitchen veteran? Or like many others, you may be a novice. Whatever the case may be, helpful cooking advice can add some fresh ideas to your cooking. Take some time and learn a few things that can splash some new fun into your kitchen routine.

Remember, the smaller the item, the higher the baking temperature. Small cookies will bake on a higher temp than a full cake would. Make sure to double check your recipe to find out the exact temperature it needs to be. You don't want to prepare a perfect item only to have it burn or be under cooked.

Pasta is one of the best things that you can cook during the course of the day for the nutrients and carbs that it brings and its pleasant aroma. Make sure that your water is boiling for at least two minutes before you put your pasta into the pot for maximum quality.

Cook your pasta one minute less than the package suggests, then finish cooking it in a pan with sauce. Your pasta will absorb more of the flavor of the sauce without having an over cooked texture. This can be a quick and effective way to prepare a pasta meal.

If you are making a sandwich and adding mayonnaise, make sure that you spread the mayo from corner to corner to give you the ultimate coverage and a delicious taste in every bite. Each and every bite that you take should be outstanding, as spreading mayo will achieve this goal when you eat sandwiches.

It is important to know that the smaller the item, the longer it takes to cook. Many people think that smaller items do not take long to cook, therefore the item does not cook thoroughly. Usually, larger items do not take as long to cook and because people think they do, these items get burnt.

Cooking is all about preparation. To take the edge of cooking, whether it is a small appetizer, simple dish, full nine course meal, or elegant dessert, prepare for your cooking a day or two ahead. Plan what you are going to make and for how many people you are going to make it for. Gather your ingredients ahead of time to ensure that you won't have to rush.

Don't forget to clean your grill before you use it by scrubbing the grilling surface with a wire brush while it heats up. This way the removed food and grease burn off. Built up food on the grill doesn't add flavor to the meat, but make the fresh food stick to the metal much easier.

You will have fresh fruits all year long. It will also allow you to eat seasonal fruits at any time you wish.

If you want to add flavor to your dishes, use a liquid other than milk or water. Try adding some stock instead of water, or even the water your cooked veggies in. If a recipe calls for milk, try using buttermilk, yogurt or sour cream. Using different liquids is an easy way to make an old dish more interesting and more nutritious.

When you are roasting meat, you should save the juice left in the pan. You can use this juice for making a rich gravy to accompany your meal. When you are done cooking, put the juice in a pan with spices and add flour to it. Stir until thick and you have gravy.

Rather than using a traditional store bought dressing when making a salad, try making your own vinaigrette. A vinaigrette that is homemade will contain less ingredients than store bought ones and have no preservatives. This makes the vinaigrette more natural and better tasting. Simply shake the ingredients in a sealed container and enjoy.

While some foods need to be cooked at a high temperatures for short times, larger foods need to be cooked at lower temperatures for longer times. Doing so will allow the larger foods to slowly release their flavors as they cook and to be cooked evenly without under or over cooking.

Treat your herbs like fresh flowers. If you are tired of your fresh herbs going to waste before you can use them all, don't keep them in the refrigerator. Instead, trim the stems and place them in a vase in which you would like to keep freshly cut flowers. You will keep the herbs alive and healthy much longer.

Taking on cooking is a great way to make yourself feel better about your food choices. You can see what you put into a dish and then be rewarded by the tastes and flavors you've tailored to you specifications. Getting a few recipes from close family members or magazines are great places to start.

Placing eggs in water can let you know if they are fresh. Eggs that lie on the bottom, on their side will be fresh. Eggs that stand upright in the bottom are losing freshness and should be used promptly within a day or two. Eggs that float on top of the water should be discarded immediately. Always check eggs for freshness before using.

Don't be afraid to play with recipes and change the ingredients you don't like. Recipes are not the Bible; they are simply guidelines for preparing a dish. If you do not like an ingredient like oregano for example, replace it with thyme. Most of the time, the dishes flavor is preserved, and you're happier knowing you don't have to eat something with a flavor you dislike.

In order to save time when you are cooking, you can create beforehand your own blend of spices for different dishes. There are different spice combos for Asian, Italian, Mexican, or Indian cuisines. An easy "American" blend would be combining cinnamon and sugar for a quick cinnamon toast as a nice morning or evening treat.

Advice is great when you can be hands on with it. Cooking can be lots of fun and with the advice you have read in this article, you will see that you can enjoy your time even more. Take these ideas and use them and maybe even experiment while you are at it. The kitchen is a great place to try new things with the right help.

Advice For Making The Best Food You Ever Tasted

Some people feel intimidated by cooking, especially if there is already an expert cook in the family. The truth is that anyone can be a good cook with the right knowledge and a desire to learn. Read the following tips on cooking if you need some help in the kitchen.

Cook your chicken over other ingredients. If you are making a chicken dish that includes an ingredient like onions, cook the chicken over them. Oil the pan and cut the onion into slices. Put them in the pan and place the chicken over them. The juices from the chicken will soak into the onion.

One of the things that you should spend a lot of money on, is your kitchen utensils, pots and pans, and other equipment. These are extremely valuable investments as they will serve as the foundation for all of your cooking. You will want to extend the life of these tools as long as possible. Cooking is so much easier if you are using high quality utensils and equipment.

Olive oil is one of the most important investments that you can make during the course of your cooking career. Find a high quality brand of olive oil and add this ingredient to a variety of different foods. This oil will help bring out the taste in pasta, fish and meat.

Frozen vegetables should only be used as a last resort in home cooking. Though they are cheap and usually available year-round, they fall far short of fresh vegetables in several important areas. Frozen vegetables have lost some of their healthy vitamins and nutrients. They often have unhealthy food additives. They also tend to taste worse than their fresh counterparts.

Make sure you are storing your spices in the right place. Many people store their spices right above their stove or near a light source. To stay fresh, put them in dry and dark spot that is cool. Humidity can also destroy spices so keep those several factors in mind.

Garlic can add a tremendous amount of flavor to your food. However, when you are cutting and chopping fresh garlic, it can also leave its odor on your hands. An easy way to prevent such scents from adhering to your skin is to rub exposed areas on the stainless steel of your sink. Doing this cleanses your hands and won't allow the aroma to transfer to whatever you handle next.

When you are cooking pasta, follow this useful tip. Instead of strictly following the instructions given on the pasta box or package, try cooking the pasta one minute less than the time indicated. Then finish off the pasta by cooking it in a pan with sauce for the final minute. Doing so will give the pasta more flavor.

You can avoid sticky rice by removing the starch. To do just that wash the rice several times until the water coming from the rice is crystal clear. Remove all the water, and let the rice sit for 20 minutes. Adding a few drops of lemon to the water before cooking also helps to separate the grains.

To save money and improve your health, cook the recommended portion sizes and plan your meals ahead of time. Meat is one of the most expensive ingredients on your plate. By eating the appropriate portion sizes you can be sure that your family is getting plenty of vegetables and whole grains.

While some foods need to be cooked at a high temperatures for short times, larger foods need to be cooked at lower temperatures for longer times. Doing so will allow the larger foods to slowly release their flavors as they cook and to be cooked evenly without under or over cooking.

If you are deep frying, make sure to use tongs to add the food to the hot oil. If you submerge the food below the surface of the oil with the tongs for about five seconds before you "drop" it in, the outside of whatever you are deep frying is sealed. This prevents it from sticking to other food in the oil.

Roasted meat with vegetables is a versatile and easy meal. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a roasting pan with foil. In a large mixing bowl, combine seasonings of your choice and olive oil or melted butter. Add meat pieces and coarsely chopped vegetables. Coat evenly. Pour mixture into roasting pan, cover and cook for about an hour. Enjoy your one pan meal!

When it comes to cooking, be sure that you never leave anything unattended. This is important for the safety of you and everybody around you and deals with oven cooking, to stove top, to cooking on the grill. Grease can flame up easily and can cause a traumatic fire.

It is a good idea for you to make sure that you do not overcook vegetables because that will lead to them losing the majority of their important nutrients. Another reason not to overcook them is because they can get very mushy, which would make them unappealing to eat.

Keep your meal, flour, and other grain products in the refrigerator or freeze them for a few days before you put them in long term storage. Believe it or not, these products have a certain amount of bug eggs in them. Freezing them or holding them in cold temperatures for a few days kills the eggs and you save money by not having to throw out bags and boxes of ruined food when they hatch.

Always read a new recipe all the way through before starting. This will ensure that you are prepared for what is to come and you won't be caught off guard by a required appliance or utensil. Taking the time to read the recipe thoroughly first will help the preparation go smoothly and save you time in the end.

As previously mentioned, anyone can be a good cook with the right information. Do not be intimidated by others, by following the tips in this article you can improve your cooking skills and become more comfortable in the kitchen. If you have the desire to improve then these tips are a great start.

Find The Way To Cook Great Food

Sometimes we can all use a little advice in the kitchen. There are so many ways to develop flavors and textures in foods. Ask 10 people how to make a pie and you'll get nine different answers. Learning these tips will give you new ideas for cooking meals that you've made a million different times.

The smaller the item you are cooking, the higher the baking temperature should be. Baking something delicious does not have to involve leaving food in the oven for hours. If you are baking something small, set the oven temperature higher. Just make sure you leave it in the oven for less time.

After cooking with a large amount of garlic, rub both hands on your stainless steel sink before washing them. Use a vigorous scrubbing action. This will help to get rid of that lingering garlic scent on your skin. It will not leave a scent on your stainless steel sink.

Cook your pasta for one minute less than the box recommends. Look at the cook time on your box of pasta and subtract a minute. If you are including the pasta in a dish, it will cook the rest of the way when you are cooking it with the sauce.

Ensure that your baked fish is moist and tender by cooking "en papillote". This is a French technique that refers to fish baked in a parchment-paper packet. Place the fish and vegetables of your choice in the center of a large piece of parchment-paper. Bring the edges of the paper together, crease them tightly to form a seal, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes at 450 degrees. The fish and vegetables steam in the packet, keeping them moist and tender, and creating a tasty, healthy dish. (Clean-up is just as easy - simply throw away the paper after eating!)

Save your butter and margarine wrappers to use when baking. The wax paper that butter and margarine is wrapped in just happens to be the perfect size for greasing pans or rubbing onto a potato before popping it in the oven for baking. Save wrappers butter-side to butter-side in a closed storage container, so it stays fresh for your baking needs.

Always use the freshest ingredients you can find for your cooking. Fruit, vegetables, meat and seafood all taste better when they are fresh. Besides better taste, fresh ingredients are usually healthier than pre-packaged, canned or frozen ones. Fresh foods have superior nutritional content and lack the unhealthy additives found in packaged foods.

If you are looking to reduce the sodium content of the meals you cook, take a careful look at your spice shelf. Many prepared spices are surprisingly high in sodium, whether or not they have a salty taste. And of course, avoid adding regular salt. Look to natural herbs and simpler spices to add flavor without sodium.

If you are having a lot of trouble with cooking, sign up for a cooking class with a friend. Here, you will not only learn the recipes that you desire to know but also the techniques to maximize your abilities as a cook. This will be an important skill to use for the rest of your life.

When making a sandwich, spread the mayo from one corner of the bread to the other. People usually just quickly spread the mayo on so that one side of the bread has more than the other. By spreading it from one corner to the other, all parts of the bread will contain an equal amount of mayo.

To make the perfect pasta, cook it one minute less than what you read on the box and cook it the rest of the way with the sauce you are serving with it. This ensures that you do not overcook the pasta if you were to toss it in with the sauce after you cooked the pasta until it was done in the pot of water.

When picking out a melon for purchase, make sure that it is still fresh. Many times, people get sick from melons that have gone bad. You can check its freshness by checking the part of the melon that was connected to the vine. If it is soft, then the melon is still good.

For an easy meal to put together, save the sauces from other meals you had earlier in the week. Put them in an ice cube tray. You can reheat the cubes in a sauté pan for a quick sauce. Add some veggies and you will have a yummy meal.

When frying frozen foods it is sometimes best to let them defrost. When water combines with hot oil it has a tendency to spark up violently, and since frozen foods generally have frost, or frozen water on their outside the interaction of the two, ice and oil, can be extremely dangerous. Unless directions explicitly say otherwise always let things reach a medium temperature with one another.

It is a good idea to cook your green vegetables in boiling hot water. If you place the veggies in cold water and wait for it to come to a boil you will lose a lot of the green color because the chlorophyll in them will leech into the water.

Make Johnny cakes for a treat at home or in camp! All you need is flour, baking powder (the kind that comes in a can, not baking soda that comes in a box), and cooking oil. Mix about a teaspoon of baking powder thoroughly into a cup of flour. Add enough water to make a thick batter. Pour it into a hot greased skillet, and fry the cakes like you would a hot cake.

Learning never ends when it comes to cooking. These tips are just a jumping off point for your exploration into the vast world of foods. Keep learning and trying new ideas and techniques so you can see what works for you. We have to keep our eyes always open for new ways to do the ordinary.