Personal Chef Here! Ask Me Anything!

Amandawith3kids

by the way...avoid "raw" almonds and cashews, too. They also activate the "birch" related allergy.

this is actually called "oral allergy syndrome" i have it too, and as long as i've taken my allergy meds, i can eat whatever i want with no issues. it's not a true food allergy, but a localized, basically harmless reaction. what happens is, the body thinks the proteins in the foods (and i'm talking amino acids, not nutritional protein) are the thing that you are allergic too. it usually happens when things are "in season" together. like apples and ragweed. cooking destroys these proteins, so it eliminates the problem.

in contrast, a true food allergy will cause hives,breathing difficulty, swelling, etc. and can cause systemic (body wide) reactions, which can lead to or include an anaphlactic reaction requiring an epipen. my son has a peanut allergy. it SUCKS. i carry benadryl and 2 epi pens with me at all times (or whoever has him does anyway)

cooking does not destroy the allergens in a true food allergy.

ctkimmie

Absolutely! Family allergies are a whole 'nother story! Benedryl and epi's on hand, at all times! Husband can't even bait a hook bait that has been stored near shrimp bait (at the bait store), or he goes "full blown". Live and learn and live.

Ke11er

Any low cal, high protein crock pot recipes would be great for me. I have all the time in the world in the morning to put something together but no time in the evening except to eat it. I use the crock pot to stay away from just making it easy and getting fast food. Always stocked with chicken, beef, fish and pork.

I make a Beef Lentil Soup that is fairly high protein and is healthy and delicious.

1 lb stew beef (or any lean beef) cut into small chunks
1 cup chopped Celery
1 cup Chopped carrots
1 cup chopped onions
3 cloves garlic chopped
½ - 1 cup quick barley
1 cup lentils
1 cup diced potatoes
1 or 2 containers Chicken Broth (I think I usually use 1 large container and 1 can You will want to cover everything with broth.)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can Diced tomatoes

In crockpot add all ingredients except tomatoes. (You probably could brown the beef in a little olive oil first for added flavor, but I don’t bother. Saves time and calories without the oil.) Cook on low for about 6-8 hours or on high for 5-6 hours. Add tomatoes for the last one or two hours of cooking time. Some chopped cabbage would probably be really good added to this as well.

According to the recipe builder (for 12 servings) this has 134 cals, 24 carbs, 3 fat, 11 protein, 3 fiber.

This is one of my family’s favorite meals. I call it “stewp” as it is thicker than a soup, but not quite a stew. This freezes well too. I take the leftovers for my lunches.

Just made this for dinner tonight, it's fabulous!! Thank you for the recipe, it's a keeper!

Michelled1919

some great ideas!

patriciapowerswilliamson

Hi Chef, thank you so much for starting this list. How about something like a nice marinara sauce for a vegetarian lazagne? ( I don't want to use canned goods, I want to cook from scratch more.)

desireecl

Hi Derek!

Thank you so much for sharing your time and expertise. My main problem was with cooking eggs, either scrambled or as an omelet, but I will look at the Gordon Ramsay and Jaime Oliver videos you recommended and give it another go before asking for more detailed advice if it is still needed. I also appreciate ctkimmie's input on the eggs and other topics. Lots of great ideas from all of the posters, so thanks to everyone!

I do have a couple of questions regarding freezing meats (beef, chicken, pork)...

First, What is the best way to package meat for freezing? I cook for one so I usually buy a normal sized package of meat and divvy it up when I get home. I've found that packing the meat in a marinade in double layered Ziploc freezer bags tends to keep the meat from getting freezer burn better than packing the meat "dry" but I would like to have the option.

Second, is there a good way to cook meat from frozen? I don't always remember to pull something to thaw in the fridge and I don't really like defrosting in the microwave b/c it tends to cook/dry the edges and it just seems to taste weird. Could do the cold water thaw, but it is more time consuming and wastes water Any tips?

Thank you again for your help!

MsBarb2013

Hi! I'm loving this thread. I love to cook and have been making healthier meals for my family. Guess we are on a health kick now. Well, I just wanted to say thanks for all the great ideas. Also, please don't think I'm stupid for asking this, but, what does it mean when people type Bump? Thanks

ThinkInOregon

I just wanted to thank you so much!! Pulled the pork out of the freezer and you must have been able to see what I have in the cupboards because I have everything I need! Making this dish tonight!!

Let me know how it turns out for you!

OH MY!!!!! HEAVENLY!!!

I ended up cooking the pork this evening, was out too late grocery shopping to do it last night. Fabulous, divine, delicious, heavenly!!! It was wonderful, and my son really liked it too! It was a perfect recipe to baptize the grill this spring, and I have plenty of leftovers too! Next I will try that same rub, but with boneless/skinless chicken breasts & thighs because I can see that would make a fantastic grilled chicken salad or sandwiches.

I just served it with some simple sauteed spinach in garlic oil. Perfect and not too much competition for the meat.

Thank you so much, it was perfect in flavor, and within my cooking abilities!!!

1stday13

Wow this is great.

My question is any recipes for homemade energy bars? So far I've tried an apricot cashew combo, which is all I used and it's very sticky and not firm though tastes good. I also tried a combo of dates/protein powder chocolate/mint essence, again also good but hard to hold.

Other things I could use are flaxseeds ground, any nuts, peanut butter or pb2, sesame seeds,and honey.

Thanks!

I am looking for a good recipe for "quest" white chocolate Raspberry protein bars and nutrition information. I am looking to make them as low calorie as the real ones. Any ideas?
You are awesome for offering to help out like this :flowerforyou:

RllyGudTweetr

I have some hot pepper jelly (Mick's Buzztail, if you're familiar) that I'd like to pair with a creamy cheese to introduce it to some friends. I'll be serving it on rye & pumpernickel Melba crackers. What sort of cheese would you suggest?

kayak_kutie

bump for later

missdibs1

bump

Booksandbeaches

I love this thread. Coming back to it later tonight.

myrealname

I have some frozen halibut fillets and have no idea what to do with it or how to cook it. Do you have any good recipes? I also have a ton of Panko crumbs since I bought them twice by accident most likely to cook the fish with. Never having done so before though, I still have both the crumbs and fish.

Zoe_lifts

hi !

I like to have salads but sometimes they're a bit tasteless.. I was thinking of adding some pasta with some sort of sauce, but without mayo. I wanted to use yoghurt, maybe?
Do you have any good recipes?
Thanks !

leslie345

I have some hot pepper jelly (Mick's Buzztail, if you're familiar) that I'd like to pair with a creamy cheese to introduce it to some friends. I'll be serving it on rye & pumpernickel Melba crackers. What sort of cheese would you suggest?

Cream cheese or goat cheese is pretty darn amazing with hot pepper jelly!!

RedondoMom2014

Regarding your Crockpot Beef Lentil Soup recipe:
Sounds yummy and easy, but do you think using beef broth instead of chicken would yield better or worse results? I guess I'm not a fan of mixing chunks of beef with chicken broth. Also, with potatoes, lentils, and barley this only comes out to 3 fiber?? Seems low. Thanks.

JULIESERNEELS

First off, you're really cool to offer your help. You probably didn't count on quite so many and varied questions. LOL But you have given so many great ideas and advice...and in a very fun and intelligent way. I might have missed you saying so, but do you have your own blog? If not, you should. You are very good at what you do..and entertaining. I would read your blog or visit your website A LOT if you had one. Thanks again.

ThinkInOregon

I just wanted to thank you so much!! Pulled the pork out of the freezer and you must have been able to see what I have in the cupboards because I have everything I need! Making this dish tonight!!

Let me know how it turns out for you!

OH MY!!!!! HEAVENLY!!!

I ended up cooking the pork this evening, was out too late grocery shopping to do it last night. Fabulous, divine, delicious, heavenly!!! It was wonderful, and my son really liked it too! It was a perfect recipe to baptize the grill this spring, and I have plenty of leftovers too! Next I will try that same rub, but with boneless/skinless chicken breasts & thighs because I can see that would make a fantastic grilled chicken salad or sandwiches.

I just served it with some simple sauteed spinach in garlic oil. Perfect and not too much competition for the meat.

Thank you so much, it was perfect in flavor, and within my cooking abilities!!!

So I made the same marinade/rub and cooked chicken (boneless skinless breasts and thighs) and it was just as delicious! And I think my son liked it better with the chicken!

I made cous cous with garlic and sauteed sliced mushrooms, and asparagus.

Delish!!

georgina1970

Bumping for later. Thanks