FitSugar

Chai Tea - Raise a Cup to Your Health

FitSugar — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 02:30:00 PST

What is not to like about tea? Tea and especially chai tea help prevent and fight many different kinds of cancer, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and may reduce the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

The fact is - every ingredient in chai tea is good for you, and when you put them all together they pack a powerful punch for your immune system.

Chai is a great alternative to your morning cup of coffee - a 5 ounce cup of coffee contains 200 mg of caffeine and black tea contains half that.

In the winter, after a long day of playing out in the snow, it's nice to come home, take a hot shower and curl up on the couch with a steaming cup of chai tea. Of course you can buy chai tea packets, but nothing compares to making it yourself.

Want to see my recipe? Then

Snacking Good: Natchitoches Meat Pies

OnSugar Blog — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:07:39 PST

We've always wanted to take a stab at rolling out a few Natchitoches meat pies. Thanks to an easy recipe from Food Orleans, this might be a dream realized sooner rather than later.

[Baked or fried? You decide.]

Natchitoches meat pies are one of those special little treats with a name as fun to say as they are to scarf down. Nackadish - that's how you say it - is a small town we drive through on our way north to visit Alexandria or Oklahoma, and it's where Steel Magnolias was filmed, and it's famous for these little pies. It's a beautiful little place, with a picturesque riverfront lined with shops and restaurants that have their own sort of French Quarter-ish wrought iron balconies (remember the Easter scene where Jackson slapped Ouiser? That's the riverfront!). But you don't have to go into the actual town to get yourself some meat pies; just stop at any gas station right off I-10. They all fry them up and they're all pretty wonderful.

For her recipe, continue reading.

From the Fit Community: A Cheesy Vegan Quinoa Casserole

Fit Community — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:04:21 PST

FitSugar readers pure2raw share a "cheesy" quinoa casserole recipe that's actually vegan as well as gluten, soy, and dairy-free. They posted the recipe in our Healthy Recipe group.

Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Bake time: 30 minutes, oven preheated to 325°
Serves: varies, but bakes in a 3-quart (9×13) glass baking dish

Ingredients (Part One)

2 cups quinoa
4 cups water
2 cups chopped raw yellow squash
2 cups steamed cauliflower
2 handfuls arugula (or spinach)

Directions for quinoa

To cook quinoa, bring 4 cups water to a boil.
Then add in 2 cups dry quinoa and bring back to boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, or till water is gone.

Read on for the rest of the recipe (including ingredients for the "cheesy" sauce).

Know Your Techniques: Mince

Camilla Salem — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:28:45 PST

Mincing garlic is one of those very important kitchen skills that takes some practice to master. The good news is that once you've got the technique down, it's like second nature and it makes throwing together recipes much quicker and more enjoyable. Less precise than a brunoise, a mince is simply a very fine chop, and it can be done to several vegetables. Its purpose is to give flavor to the dish without adding significant texture. I've chosen to demonstrate using garlic, as many recipes call for minced garlic to start.

Start with a whole clove of garlic on a cutting board.

Using the side of a chef's knife, smash the garlic and the peel should easily come off. Cut off the tip and discard.

Keep reading for more!

For Something Different, Try Cinnamon-Spiced Eggs

Susannah Chen — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:45:34 PST

At the beginning of the month, I resolved to simplify every respect of my life, including the number of items and ingredients I keep stocked in my kitchen. That's because I've discovered that in cooking, as in life, sometimes less equals more!

One unintended consequence of this newfangled declaration? I've suddenly been eating far more meatless meals made from pantry staples (think beans, lentils, eggs, and grains). My favorite dish as of late has been a Mediterranean-North African twist on eggs in purgatory, prepared by baking eggs in a slow-simmered onion-and-tomato sauce spiced heavily with cinnamon, allspice, and cloves.

Baked eggs of any sort are often thought of as a brunch dish, but I actually love to eat this any time of day, dinner included; the faraway flavors of the sauce make this dish the perfect way to end a long day. Keep reading if you want a recipe for cinnamon-spiced eggs.

Harbison Cheese: A Domestic Alternative to Vacherin Mont d'Or

Susannah Chen — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:24:02 PST

All Winter long, I've been on a relentless hunt for Vacherin Mont d'Or, the oozy, ripe cheese that's made from the Winter milk of Swiss Gruyère cows. But it soon became clear to me that it wouldn't be so easy to track down a version of the alpine cheese in tip-top shape; when I asked cheese fanatics for advice over Twitter, many of them urged me to try American alternatives.

A quick trip to San Francisco's Cowgirl Creamery cheese shop led me to Harbison, a similar cheese produced by Cellars at Jasper Hill, a creamery based in idyllic Greensboro, VT. Much like Vacherin, Harbison is a wintertime-only cheese with a blooming rind and an extremely soft center; like its French counterpart, Harbison is also meant to be eaten by slicing off the top rind of the cheese wheel, then dipping in with crackers, bread, and other accoutrements.For the holidays, I went with another traditional Vacherin preparation by dotting my Harbison with garlic cloves, adding a couple of glugs of dry white wine, and then baking the cheese until runny. I served it with squares of salami and tiny gherkins for dipping, and the experience was not unlike that of an Alpine raclette. Who knew such a French experience could be replicated with American cheese?

A Reader Recipe: Pulled Turkey Chipotle Chili

Fit Community — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 01:46:28 PST

FitSugar reader For the Love of Fiber shared this turkey chili recipe in our Healthy Recipe group.

After Thanksgiving, my good friend, a girl who literally didn't know how to boil water, sent me this recipe, using her turkey leftovers. I loved the idea of pulled turkey and her fiberlicious add-ins, so had to feature it.

See the recipe after the break!

Link Time - Cato and Clove Cast in The Hunger Games

BuzzSugar — Wed, 11 May 2011 13:45:02 PDT

The Hunger Games finds Cato and Clove - Coming Soon
Did Glee drop an S-bomb last night? - Zap2It
Check out the full list of the Daytime Emmy Award nominations - TV Squad
Watch a clip of George Clooney in The Descendants - /Film
Aaron Eckhart will play a good guy version of Hook in new Peter Pan - Moviefone
Ready to hear what Beyoncé's new album title is? - Vulture
Rachel Weisz may star in The Bourne Legacy if she drops out of Oz - Deadline Hollywood
See Bill Hader as Andy Warhol in Men in Black 3 - The Playlist
Ethan Hawke will cameo in the Total Recall remake - The Wrap
Weddings inspired by movies - TrésSugar

Grillades and Grits: Get Your Brunch on!

OnSugar Blog — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:00:06 PST

Grillades and grits are a trademark dish in New Orleans. If you can't make the trip to Nola, Food Orleans shows you how to recreate the experience in your own home.

If you've never had or heard of grillades and grits, then I apologize for not mentioning them earlier. They're one of the two most wonderful things to eat for brunch in New Orleans (shrimp and grits being the other). I've never been to anyplace in town for brunch that didn't offer one or both of these goodies. Grillades (gree'-awds) are made of beef, veal, or pork; I haven't encountered a rabbit version yet, but I won't be surprised when I do. The beef is a thin, flat cut of top round or chuck - something that can withstand a long, slow cooking. It simmers in a pot with the trinity (onion, celery, bell pepper), garlic, and a little jalapeno - not traditional, but I really like it - until the rich broth thickens and intensifies, so what you get is a powerfully flavored beef "stew" that is perfect over creamy cheese grits. This is a great Louisiana recipe to try if you're hankering for some thick, rich goodness but you don't feel up to stirring a roux, because you don't have to. The small amount of flour used in the browning of the beef will produce all the roux you need.

Read ahead for the grillades and grits recipe.

Scents of the Season: Clove

Miriam Lacey — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 06:00:00 PST

Cloves are one of those distinctly holiday aromas; spicy and a little sweet with a hint of nose-numbing chill. And since scent is one of the easiest ways to relax and brighten your mood, it follows that making the most out of wintry smells is a good way to avoid the cold weather doldrums. If you love the taste of cloves, try Burt's Bees Medicated Lip Balm With Clove Oil ($4) or Tom's of Maine Cinnamon Clove Toothpaste ($7). If you're a fan of warm home scents instead, this Diptyque Orange Spice Candle ($68) is a gorgeous, though pricey, option. And if you'd just like to smell like mulling spices all day, try Lush's Hot Toddy Bath Bomb ($7) or the warm, smoky scent of Puro Puro ($95).

Source: Flickr User Elenadan