Cooking Tips from Yummy Vegetarian Recipes

cooking tips

OMG The Best Vegan Butter in the World

No joke, it’s better than you will ever imagine. Give it a go – It’s Miyoko’s Vegan Butter. It’s made out of coconut oil, cashews and a few other ingredients. One of the best things about it, in addition to the flavor, is that there is NO PALM OIL. Who wants to contribute to the deforestation, habitat degradation, climate change, animal cruelty and indigenous rights abuses in the countries where it is produced – as the land and forests must be cleared for the development of the oil palm plantations. Only A-holes.

Egg Replacer Recipe

I need an egg replacer – vegan, you know: Well here is a very good recipe. I use this for pancakes, waffles, cakes, cookie dough, lots of things…

Easiest Way to Microwave a Sweet Potato

OK so maybe you don’t like to use the microwave much… But honestly this is the easiest and fastest way to enjoy a perfectly soft sweet potato. Wash the sweet potato and prick it with a fork a few times. Place it in the microwave with a soaking wet paper towel completely covering the sweet potato. The water is necessary to make it nice and soft. Microwave on regular setting for 5 minutes. Check it with a fork, it should be very soft all the way through – if not, maybe it needs another 30 secs or 1 minute. Really quick and delicious!

Easiest Way to Microwave an Ear of Corn

Yes, you can also microwave corn on the cob! Either in the husk or shucked. For both methods, I wrap the ear in a moist paper towel and microwave for 2-4 minutes. If husked, I cut off one end of the corn. Then after it’s microwaved, wait a bit because it’s hot as hell and then it pretty much just slips out of the husk. Pretty sweet. It’s a nice quick method – I often use this to add some corn to a salad!

How To Stop Your Burrito Shell From Cracking or Breaking

Burrito Shell Breaking?: To avoid having your burrito shell break when folding: warm the shell in a heated frying pan or oven before adding ingredients.

How To Soak and Cook Beans

Dried Beans: soak beans overnight in water to hasten cooking time and to help with digestion.

How to cook beans: Put soaked beans in a pot with water about 2 inches higher than the bean level, bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low until done. From 40 minutes for small beans to 2 hours for soybeans.

For more info about how to soak and cook beans:

  • First, be sure that your dried beans are fresh. Basically, you can either buy them from the bulk bins or in the pre-packaged bags. They key is to use them, not to store them for 1 year in your cabinet and then use them!
  • Secondly, soak the beans – two methods:
    • long soak – soak the beans in water overnight. Be sure to cover them completely – around 2" water over the top level of beans. Give them room to expand in the container.
    • "quick" soak – in cooking pot, add the beans, cover with water – plus a spare couple of inches, cover the pot, bring to a boil, turn off the heat and let them sit for 1/1/2 to 4 hours, depending on the bean.

HOW TO TELL WHEN THE BEANS HAVE SOAKED ENOUGH

Your thumbnail should be able to penetrate the bean easily.

  • After one of the above soaking methods, drain the water and rinse the beans well (good for bean digestibility issues).
  • Finally, in a large pot, put in the beans, cover with water by 2", bring to a boil and simmer for approximately 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Different types of beans take different lengths of time to cook. Don’t add salt tomatoes, vinegar or any type of acid until the beans are soft.
  • One more note: if your water has a high mineral content, use bottled water to cook the beans.

FYI: you can also use a pressure cooker to cook the beans. It greatly shortens the time for soaking and cooking.

That should do it! Hope this helps. Enjoy.

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash

How to cook spaghetti squash, acorn squash or butternut squash: cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and put it face down in a pan. Bake at 375° for 30-45 minutes.

How to Pit the Avocado Easily

Avocado pit: slice avocado in half, take your knife and hack lengthwise into the pit, then twist and lift the pit out (still attached to the knife) and throw the pit away.

Make Extra Rice and Refrigerate it or Freeze It for Later!

When making rice, grains, beans: go ahead and make enough for the week. You can store the leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer and then reheat them to have a quick healthful meal.

Skewer Tips to Avoid Fire

Skewer tip: When using wooden skewers on the grill, be sure to soak the skewers in water for 1/2 hour before use, to keep them from igniting!

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