Life hacks – Agapi.Style

What to cook when you changed your diet

By changing the diet, I mean removing and/or adding a product or group of products from my usual menu. Anyone who has ever changed something in the diet, faced with the feeling that almost all the usual food does not fit into the new system, and “there is nothing to eat”. To avoid confusion, I will tell you how this process is organized for me:

1. the most important thing in any changes with yourself is to take your time and do everything as consciously and thoughtfully as possible. Understand why, and consult with specialists if necessary.

2. If you’re out, be sure to find a suitable alternative.

This applies both to the nutritional value of the product (remove the milk – include other products with calcium, do not eat meat-look for another protein, etc.), and emotional. If you had a great time having tea with your family, but decided not to eat sweets anymore, and empty tea is boring to drink, then you need to learn how to cook/find where to buy desserts without sugar. This way your traditions will be preserved, and the new diet will be observed.

3. Think through the menu.

Adding unfamiliar products to your consumer basket and learning new recipes is difficult as you change your habits. Of course, you need to give yourself time, but there is something you need))) Therefore, at the first stage, I recommend that you simply adapt your current menu. This is much easier than starting with “0”. What should I do?

* Write out everything-everything that you usually cook, so don’t be lazy.

* Then choose from the list what fits into the new diet.

• The rest of the dishes are studied to see if they can be adjusted to reflect the innovations. Sometimes, if something is removed/added/replaced, the concept of the dish does not fall apart, it may even taste better.

* Anything that can’t be modified and is no longer suitable for you – exclude.

In theory, you will have a fairly large list of dishes that you are familiar with. In the meantime, use it, and learn new things in parallel;) So you won’t have any stress, or almost none))

IMPORTANT. All the way through changes in the diet – watch the reaction of the body. Don’t hurt yourself.

About all types of rice from the point of view of cooking and health

In this post I want to talk about the nuances about rice, which personally were most useful to me when getting acquainted with this product.

So, what types of rice can be found in stores. I will list the color palette of the grain (and not specific varieties), and explain what is what:

1. White grain-processed grain without a top layer consisting of a hard shell and Bran. White rice is simply polished, and sometimes even steamed before that. Such a grain is obtained as a result of steam treatment, during which it absorbs vitamins and minerals from Bran. Steamed rice has a yellow-beige hue, a harder structure, cooks longer and turns out crumbly. Periodically I buy it for side dishes. Also from processed varieties I buy glutinous rice for sushi, Arborio for risotto and any round-grain for porridge.

2. brown or brown/red/pink/purple/black – a grain that has removed the hard outer shell, but retained the nutrient layer (Bran). The colors of rice are the pigment of the bran of each particular variety. I love brown rice, especially jasmine or basmati. The most fragrant varieties in the world! I use them for garnish or dishes like Stir Fry/pilaf. And I like black rice, because it looks very cool in some dishes.

3. Green-just unripe brown rice.

4. Wild (not to be confused with black, although they are the same color!). This is a really wild plant, called Zizania / Zizania, not seeded rice. But since the fruits of this grass also began to be called rice (Wild rice), I will write about it. Its grains are more like dry needles from a spruce, and not like rice. It is cooked for a long time and always turns out crumbly. In its pure form, I do not like, but in a mixture with other types of rice – very much.

5. Yellow (Golden) – a specially bred variety (GMO), the grains of which contain a large amount of beta-carotene. It is designed to improve the quality of nutrition in countries where the population is deficient in vitamin A. I have never eaten this, but I know about its existence.

When the trend for Whole Foods began, white rice undeservedly began to be deprived of attention and began to buy any just not him. In fact, each type of rice has its pros and cons in terms of micronutrient composition and digestibility.

Therefore, I came to the conclusion that it is best to simply alternate between different types of rice in order to take all the benefits from it as much as possible. Moreover, for different dishes, just different varieties are needed. You can also make a mixture of different types of rice, as long as they have about the same cooking time.

Basmati and Jasmine are most often bought in stores The Shanghai bowler and Indian spices and all other types of rice chaotically in supermarkets and online.

If you have some rice tricks or like some Maker, Share if you want. In the comments or in PM, as convenient. I will be very grateful)

Garlic life hacks

I’ll talk about how I peel garlic, preserved and baked.

Storage.

First, I must say that I am always very lazy to peel garlic to every dish I cook, and I need it often. So I just clean it in large quantity, thoroughly washed, dried and put in sealed glass jar. Store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks, it is perfectly preserved and always at hand. Try too, very convenient!

Cleaning.

Now it is logical to talk about how to simplify your cleaning garlic. Personally, I perfect method to soak it in water for hours. So the peel is softened and easier behind.

There is another way of blanching for 15-20 seconds, or heat in the microwave too for 15-20 seconds. After cooling, the garlic is much easier to clean. But this method is good solely to use the garlic immediately, and in hot dishes because when cooked it changes its taste and appearance is slightly different from fresh.

Baking.

I quite often use roasted garlic for sauces and various dips. He gives a very interesting aroma and flavor, delicately fresh garlic. For baking do not even need to turn on the oven. Simply roasting vegetables or hot dishes, usually throw a couple heads of garlic to them.

As I prepare it for baking:

My garlic, cut a bit of the rind from the top perpendicular to the slices, wrap in foil, spread on a baking sheet and baked at 180C for approximately 30-40 minutes. Then just squeeze the baked garlic cloves through the previously made cuts. This garlic is perfect stored in the fridge for a week exactly, it is possible to a few dishes at once bake.

Examples of dishes with roasted garlic:

My favorite hummus with roasted garlic Baba ghanoush/the babaganoush was Hummus with caramelized carrots Hummus with smoke from roasted peppers and garlic

My main rule defrost

Usually I defrost food in some kind of container (deep plate, bowl, tray, etc.).

I don’t know how it happened, but a couple of times I put frozen food just like that without anything, and for some reason on the top shelf of the refrigerator.

Once it was a bag of cherries, in which there was a micro-hole, and it turned out of course not immediately, and when everything melted, all the cherry juice poured out of the bag, and my refrigerator turned into props for a horror movie)))

And just recently I defrosted seafood, and made the same mistake. For a long time I had to get rid of the persistent aroma of the “sea breeze”…

After such entertainment, I even decided to write this post to always remember about simple things and not throw myself unnecessary work on washing the refrigerator and everything in it))

How to store greens that it wanted to eat

I love greens, and this applies to lettuce leaves, and spices (parsley, cilantro, etc.).

But I confess frankly that until recently, I reluctantly used it in cooking for only one reason – I was too lazy to wash it and dry it every time I needed her. But that all changed when I began to keep the greens otherwise!

Now the first thing after the purchase, I washed it all. This is only 1 time to wash and forget this time-consuming process. I my way: first rinse the greens, then put in a large container with clean water, soak for 10 minutes, then washed greens again. During soaking all the dirt exactly it will go.

Then grass, large spinach and all that can be collected in a bouquet, I put in water containers, and salad greens I dried on a kitchen towel and put them in sealed containers. Store in the refrigerator.

Important nuances. Do not pour too much water into the glasses, but enough that all the stems came up to her and does not dry out. And too much greenery in a glass don’t let it be relatively spacious. And a container of salad you can top a paper towel to put, it will absorb excess moisture if the leaves stand out. It can be changed if necessary.

Thus you are always at hand already clean, dried ready greens. Comfortable is not the word! In addition, its shelf life is greatly increased with this approach. Try it;)

In addition, I want to share the same life hack about garlic. It’s not greens, but the principle is similar, so I will write here. I the garlic is cleaned, rinsed, dried and put in a glass jar. Store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks, it is perfectly preserved and always at hand. Try too, very convenient!

How to think about menus for the festive table

I have a few principles of party organization:

1. All meals must maintain a presentable appearance and taste for a long time.

So no salads that are limp, no cuts that saveresource etc.

2. Most of the dishes can be done the day before.

I absolutely don’t like in the holiday to strain, so my Desk consists of such dishes that can be prepared in advance and on the day of the celebration they just need to serve.

3. Maintain a balance diet even on a holiday.

That is on the table will be a lot of vegetables and fruits, adequate amounts of protein and long carbohydrates, and less fatty and sweet.

4. 90% of the dishes – snacks.

I notice that usually before the main course and dessert is not reached))) So what good will it do to prepare and to torture myself and then their stomachs when you can just do snacks and to relax.

5. To prepare an adequate amount of food.

I don’t like to overeat and do not like to throw food. To avoid this, I just don’t cook too much. Recommend roughly estimate how much time will last the holiday, who will attend, and calculate the amount of food based on that;)

Freeze vegetable milk and cream in the form of ice

I used to have periodically left from cooking the coconut milk/cream, and if they couldn’t use it in the next few days after opening, all was spoiled. I was very upset, because I’m in a factory and don’t like to throw food. Then one day I came up with the idea to freeze leftovers milk in Lednice, which was incredibly convenient!

Now I’m thrown and have a portion of coconut cubes. Take out the right amount, defrost and use as directed. To cook porridge even easier, just throw the cubes straight into the hot saucepan. Even easier than pouring on the eye from the jar. I think this can be done with any vegetable milk;)

By the way, after complete freezing, the milk ice cubes can be removed and put into a container, so as not to occupy the centre of Lednice, and to have the opportunity to freeze her in something else.

Why do I need to wash cans and jars before opening

Any Bank (tin or glass with a lid) lying in the warehouses, transported, and laid in stores, etc., That is, they are quite dirty. However carefully we never opened them, but the dirt will inevitably get in the content.

So I before opening, rinse them under running water with a little mild detergent. This is how to wash vegetables and fruits;)

By the way, after opening the store the contents of the cans for a long time in a tin as it (the content) takes on a metallic taste.

All types of lentils and how to cook them properly

I will not tell you that lentils are an excellent source of protein, slow carbohydrates, fiber and many nutrients it is. I want to briefly talk about lentil species (some of them much better to use), so you can competently introduce it into your diet.

So, the three main parameters:

1. The size of grains (lentils sometimes small, sometimes large).

2. Processing grains.

2.1. Grains come in the shell, are already treated without it, and there are unwrapped and chopped, that is crushed grain.

2.2. Seeds in the shell keep their shape, do not boil soft and perfect for side dishes, salads, for stews, for soups, which need whole beans.

2.3. Grain without a shell – soft and well suited for soups, mashed for side dishes in the form of mashed potatoes, to cereals, to sauces, spreads, dips.

3. Varieties.

Varieties are very many, they, perhaps, understand only a botanist, but the average person could remember are the main types of lentils, which we offer manufacturers:

3.1. Brown (the most popular variety-representative – Spanish Pardina).

This variety in the shell – don’t fall apart, it is recommend to soak before cooking. I put it in meat soups and stews, in salads, as a garnish, too.

3.2. Green is unripe brown.

Everything is the same as with brown, but only soak it is not necessary.

Separately say about the French green Puy variety. She has a small grain green-black marble color, the taste is very pleasant. Pay attention to her.

3.3. Yellow is the green beans without shell.

The taste is very pleasant, a little nutty. Fall apart quickly, so it is suitable for dishes requiring a consistency (mashed potatoes, thick soups, porridge, sauces, etc.).

3.4. Red/pink (Egyptian) – it is brown lentil without skin.

As yellow and fall apart quickly, even faster. Apply similarly. Keep in mind that in the process of cooking it becomes yellow.

3.5. Black (Beluga).

This is the most glamorous kind of lentils, like Beluga caviar. Lentils in the shell, do not fall apart, but quite tender and tasty. Perfect as a garnish and in salads.

Thus, knowing just these basics, you can properly choose what kind of lentils to use. I recommend to try each variety to determine from taste preferences.

How to search for posts on the website

The search differs slightly from the search in the “search engines”. If Google/Yandex you can afford to write a misspelled word, in any case, etc., and results are likely to be relevant in standard search on the website this trick will not work: here the system searches for exactly what you entered.

So to find all posts with a particular keyword, I recommend typing it in the search box without the ending. For example: instead of “strawberry” or “strawberry” to write “straw”;)