Food questions? Ask me anything

Great idea!!!

I have a friend that gives me a ton of produce all summer long and I've been freezing and then going back to make/eat it later. Most things I'm really good with but I have too much of some things.

Right now I have a bunch of quart bags filled with yellow summer squash (sliced) and zucchini (cubed). I love those 2 things but rarely use them frozen (my fave zucchini is just raw with some dip). Any thoughts on the best things to cook with them or how to make them super tasty and low-ish calorie.

once they've been frozen it does take some of their structural integrity away but with the sliced squash, I'd make a nice southern squash, onion and cheese casserole, and with the zucchini the possibilities are just about endless, though I'd probably bread it and fry it on cheat day lol...other good usages would be sautee it with somr garlic, onion, and peeled stewed tomatoes then pour that over pasta with a fresh squeeze of lemon, and some fresh grated parmesan cheese for a sort of pasta primavera...also they could both be used in teppanyaki dishes.

Whats the best way to cook flank steak on the stove top without it getting tough and dry? Tired of ruining my husbands carne asada

if it is properly sliced the only thing I can help with is to say that if you get the pan screaming hot befor you add the steak you should have it in and out of the pan in less than 5 minutes...for oil I'd use a mix of olive oil (for it's high heat tolerance) and butter (for its flavor and carmelization properties)

Thank you for offering your services : )

I keep trying to make the cauliflower pizza crust recipe and have tried variations from less cheese to less eggs to using parchment paper.

Is this supposed to ever be a crispy crust and how can I accomplish that.

Thank you so much.

Do you need something gluten free or are you just looking for a low cal crust? Because honestly the cauliflower crust sucks lol...I tried it the recommended way, and ten adapted what I know to make it better, and it was still only so/so...

Low cal - and it tastes delicious even when it's soggy.

no the cauliflower crust tastes fine but if you can't pick it up, or fold it, it ain't pizza in my book lol...the best low cal pizza dough ive ever been able to make is just equal parts self rising flour, and plain Greek yogurt cover an allow to rise just like standard dough...lets say your measurements are a cup of each that's only 70 calories per slice (8 slices 18" pie) worth of crust, and you still get great pizza crust...hope this is helpful...it's a great way to cut calories without sacrificing quality.

need ideas for low calorie dessert including these items...

as I've said before I'm not much on sweets, so dessert is a bit outside my scope...however shaved ice with coconut milk, lemon juice , and some fresh pineapple makes for a great treat...other than that I'd say save your dessert craving for a cheat day and have something truly indulgent instead of having something mediocre that you can have on your diet...when I do get the occasional sweet craving I usually just have a banana with some chocolate PB2
Sorry if this isn't as helpful as you'd hoped.

Hello

I quite fancy trying to make my own pizza. My question is, do I use tomato purée or something else tomato based to spread on the base? Also, I plan to load it up with veggies but do I put the veggies raw onto the pizza? This may sound daft but a typical pizza only cooks in the oven for about 10 mins so will that ensure the veggies/base cook properly?
Thanks

I will say that if you intend on starting with a raw dough to do yourself a favor and invest in a decent pizza stone...this will ensure your crust gets done and crispy during the cooking...as for the veggies most veggies will leave a lot of water behind when you cook them, so the best way to deal with that is to prep the veggies (slice, dice, chop, etc) then toss them in a collandar with some kosher salt, and let it sit for 10-15 min, then dry them in a salad spinner, or gently pat dry on paper towels, do this and you should be good to go. As for the sauce, I just make my regular marinara but once it's cooked I blitz it in the blender and toss it back into a pan with a lot of surface area (like a large saute) and keep it at a rapid simmer until the sauce thickens and has no residual top moisture (thick like cream gravy) you can use this same method with your favorite jarred sauce as well, though it will take a substantial but longer to thicken...main idea behind these actions is to eliminate as much moisture as possible to prevent the dreaded soggy slice.

I'm challenged in the kitchen and make only simple things (my poor husband and son). :blushing: I have two main questions.

1. Can you define some of the terms? Broil? Sautee? etc? I bake really well but cooking is my downfall.

2. I want to make shrimp fajitas that taste similar to the ones at a mexican restaurant. I want to add onions peppers and maybe a tomato. I don't like a lot of the "pre-made" seasonings but would be willing to try if someone had a brand they liked. Oh - I have a gas stove if that makes a difference.

Sure...no problem...I'll define the terms that you asked, and as you think of more just ask, and I'll edit this post to include the definition.


1: broil - its an oven setting that activates the top heating element instead of heating from the bottom...helpful for melting cheeses, and carmelizing things without having to overlook from the bottom.
Sauté - usually refers to a medium to high heat cooking in what is commonly referred to as a skillet involving a little oil in the pan, and whatever ingredients you need cooked.

2: shrimp fajitas: prep your ingredients first (slice peppers and onions. peel, and devein shrimp) the key here is that you need everything ready at the same time, but that the ingredients require different cooking times...so here's how we deal with that...the peppers take slightly longer than the onions so in a sauté pan over medium heat add about 2 tbsp of olive oil, and your peppers...after about 5 minutes of cook time add onions (constantly stirring or tossing to make sure you're cooking everything) after an additional 5 minutes add in a tablespoon of butter , a tablespoon of cumin, and a bout half of a fresh squeezed limes' juice. In a seprate sauce pan bring about a cup of mojo (Goya brand mojo criollo is the best ready mojo) to a boil, add shrimp to the liquid and let it return to a boil. As soon as it does remove liquid from the heat...allow the shrimp to steep for about five minutes, then drain, and add to the veggies (onions should be Carmelized at this point and green peppers done) add an additional teaspoon of cumin, 2 tsp of white vinegar, the juice from about half an orange, 1 tbsp chili powder, and cayenne pepper to taste (optional) salt and pepper to taste stir together and serve immediately. Garnish with your favorite toppings...tadaaaa

Thanks for your wonderful offer - I'm looking for a cream callalloo (spinach) sauce for pasta dishes, however without cheese. Would this also be a good one to use for a lasagne sauce - again bearing in mind the no-cheese bit. Or any other suggestions - I can't have cheese. Is it possible to also freeze cream sauces or does that only work for marinaras?

1 pint heavy cream 1/4 c butter plus 1/2lb wilted fresh baby spinach (i also like to add artichokes to mine) salt to taste...the key here is to allow the cream to thicken to desired to desired thickness before adding in the other ingredients...for extra thickness add goats milk powder to help that. As for freezing...I wouldn't recommend it, although I've never tried it, it just doesn't seem like it would go over that well because once the butter is added it tends to seperate when reheated.

EDIT you can however freeze just the cream by itself to keep it from going bad, just pour it in an ice cube tray, and once frozen transfer to a ziplock bag to keep it from drying out and stick it back in the freezer.

Low fiber (high cal if you can, as I never reach over 800 calories a day)

here's one of my favorite casseroles which should be allowed...it's not a polished well presented dish or anything, its just something I crave from time to time lol...2 pounds of ground beef prepared with your favorite taco seasoning, take a half of a bag of spicy nacho Doritos, top with shredded cheddar cheese, top with taco meat, then more cheddar...bake @350 for about 25 mins, remove, and top with black olives, diced (peeled) tomatoes, diced white onion, and sour cream...it's so trash but delicious lol. If this isn't what you're looking for just let me know what style of casserole you're looking for and I'll do my best.

This is probably a dumb question but a lot of people eat chicken in salads. How would you suggest to cook it? I know how to bake chicken in the oven as a meal, but what other ways can I prepare just chicken.

Thank you so much for answering these questions, it's very nice of you and I appreciate your help.

My favorite way to do chicken for a salad is either a simple salt and pepper grilled piece, or simmered in Goya brand mojo criollo and shredded...the grilled is straightforward enough use it even cold for damn near anything lol...however the mojo chicken i use for one of my favorite salads of all time...greens, black beans, diced white onions, chopped jalapeños, cilantro, chickpeas, lime juice, sliced avocado, and salsa (no need for dressing)

EDIT: for perfect grilled chicken use a probe thermometer, and remove from heat when it reaches 161 degrees...residual heat will carry it up to 165 but not much further which makes sure it is cooked through but has NO chance of drying out.

Thank you so much. And what method do you suggest? Grilling outside is not an option. A frying pan on stove?

pick up a grill pan...the hotter raised parts leave marks so it looks grilled plus the little bit of char from the marks gives more of a grilled taste. You can get a fair one for around 30 bucks and once you have one you'll use it all the time, for chicken, steak, burgers, kabobs, shrimp, quesadillas, you'll wonder how you ever got by without it lol...if you done have the funds to make the pan purchase a regular skillet will work.