Archive for the ‘Organic’ Category
One of the most basic culinary tasks is cooking a steak. With that being said, all steaks are not created equal. This recipe will let you get a perfect sear on the steak—which will lock in the juices—then finish it slow in the oven so that it melts in your mouth. 
Ingredients
~ 1 boneless rib eye steak, 1 inch thick
~ Canola oil to coat
~ Organic meat rub
Directions
Place a 10 to 12-inch cast iron in oven and heat oven to 500 degrees. Bring steaks to room temperature.
When oven reaches temperature, remove pan and place on range over high heat. Coat steak with canola oil and season both sides with the organic meat rub. Immediately place rib eye steaks in the middle of the hot, dry pan. Cook 30 seconds without moving. Turn with tongs and cook another 30 seconds, then put the pan straight into the oven for 2 minutes. Flip steak and cook another 2 minutes. Cook longer for temperatures beyond medium rare.
Remove steaks from pan, cover loosely with foil and rest for two minutes. Serve whole or sliced thin and fanned onto a plate.
Store bought seasoning mixes are a quick and easy way to maximize the flavor in virtually any dish. These combinations eliminate the need to buy dozens of different spices and are sure to mesh perfectly with their specified meal. Although there are some great advantages to these handy shortcuts, be sure to read the packaging before you make you purchase.
Many seasoning blends contain high levels of salt, which can cause a problem with some dishes. Make sure that you buy low or no salt seasonings so that you can control the amount of sodium in your dish. This is especially important with naturally salty foods, like many types of seafood and pork.
The most important aspect of grilling great food is applying the right mix of seasonings. Whether you’re doing chicken, steak or ribs, the seasoning permeates the meat and is the first thing that hits your taste buds. Many store-bought brands are filled with salt and cheap imitation products, so it is important to know what to look for.
The next time you purchase seasoning, consider going for an organic seasoning blend. These products usually are of higher quality and generally contain less salt than typical store brands. Although they are generally marketed for specific meats, most white meat seasoning blends will be ok to interchange, and the same goes for red meat ones as well.
I’ve never been the most inventive cook. In fact, it took a wake-up call from my kids to get me to deviate from a long established routine. I had a solid repertoire made up of six or seven dishes that could be prepared without even thinking about it. One night, when I had some extra time on my hands, I finally succumbed to my kids’ wishes and branched out with a new recipe. My wife and I had been reminiscing about our Hawaiian honeymoon, most notably the delicious cuisine we experienced in the islands.
Rather than cooking my old standby – chicken breast marinated in Italian dressing – I decided to put a new spin on things by treating the family to some more exotic fare. I used an organic chicken dry rub to add delectable flavors and spices to the dish. Unlike previous dry rubs I’ve tried, this one really brought out the natural flavor of the chicken instead of masking it.
The all-natural food movement is gaining steam every day, and more people are realizing the benefits of organic food. Not only do organic foods taste better, but they are better for you and better for the environment. Many people talk about the benefits of eating organic fruits and vegetables, but what about organic meat? What are the benefits of eating naturally raised beef, pork and chicken?
Animals that are raised organically are not fed antibiotics, the bovine human growth hormone rbGH, or other artificial drugs. They are fed only organic feed and often take in a wider range of nutrients than those raised on factory farms. They are also treated in a more ethical, humane way – free-range chickens, for example, are allowed to spend time outdoors in the fresh air rather than be confined to a small pen throughout their whole lives. Whether you’re health-conscious or simply an animal-lover who likes to eat meat, organic meat is the way to go. Don’t add seasonings filled with preservatives and additives to your meat; keep it all-natural by using organic seasonings on your organic meats.
Many barbeque amateurs simply smother their meat in bottled BBQ sauce and throw it on the grill. This is tasty, sure, but it can get old after a while. The barbeque pros – those who win national BBQ competitions and pride themselves on their secret recipes – use dry rubs to enhance the flavor of their meat. A dry rub is a mixture of ground spices that is rubbed on raw meat or fish to form a coating before it is cooked.
Common ingredients in a BBQ dry rub include black pepper, sugar, salt and paprika. Garlic, onion, tomato and other herbs can also add a complex, smoky flavor to the meat. You can freshly make your own dry rub, or use a prepackaged organic dry rub for equally great flavor. No matter what, your family and friends will be blown away at your next barbeque when they taste food that is so much better than just being drenched in BBQ sauce!
To ensure the best flavor for your favorite meat and seafood dishes, you should always use organic spices and rubs. You’ll always know that you’re adding pure, natural flavor, not harmful preservatives or chemicals. To keep your organic spices fresh and flavorful, you should always close the packages or replace the lids right after use. Make sure there is no air trapped in sealed packages. Do not add spices directly from the package over a steaming pot; the steam can suck out the flavor and aroma and cause the spices in the package to cake.
To determine if your spices are still fresh, you should examine their appearance, smell and taste. Over time, spices may lose their flavor and potency. Make sure they have not lost their vibrant color. If they have, it indicates that they are old and have lost flavor. If you crush the spices in your hand, they should have an intense aroma. If you taste them, the flavor should be apparent. If they have a weak aroma or flavor, its time to replace them.
If you like your foods to be flavorful but have been advised by your doctor to avoid salt, you may feel like you’ve given up flavor for good. After all, what will you put on your eggs or use to season your meat with if you can’t reach for the salt shaker anymore? For some people, it’s just not worth it to use salt or salty seasonings – too much sodium can raise blood pressure in some people, and those who already have high blood pressure can increase their chances of heart attack, stroke and kidney damage. But you can still enjoy flavorful food without salt if you use no salt seasoning.
Look for an organic, all-purpose no salt seasoning to add flavor to fish or zest to pork. If you find a high-quality seasoning that utilizes fresh, natural ingredients with no preservatives or chemicals, you won’t miss the salt at all. You can train yourself to enjoy the natural flavors in foods like red peppers and lemons by passing on the salt; after all, if you’ve been using to automatically adding salt to your food, you haven’t even given natural flavors a chance! If you simply need to lower your salt intake, use natural sea salt – a smaller amount will deliver a better flavor than over-processed salt, which can be filled with chemicals and preservatives.