The Secrets to Picking Pumpkin Soup Recipes

As the weather gets cooler, we all want to enjoy some hearty seasonal foods. One excellent choice to spice up your menu a little is pumpkin soup. Pumpkins are good more than just pie, and there are all kinds of wonderful options available. Creamy bisques, cheesy soups, and hearty stews are all great with pumpkin.

Pumpkin works great in cuisines from all over the world - a curried pumpkin soup might be a great choice for you. Alternatively, you could stick with homey traditional tastes. There are all kinds of options out there, even though many people do not realize that pumpkin is good for more than just desserts.

Finding the Right Pumpkin Soup Recipe

There is just one problem that most of us run into - finding a decent recipe. Not too many people are even aware that you can make soup from a pumpkin, making it difficult to find a quality recipe. The majority of cookbooks do not even include much information about how to cook pumpkin if it is not in a pie or other dessert. Fortunately, the Internet can help.

There are plenty of excellent recipes for pumpkin soup online. From personal sites to recipe hubs, there are all kinds of cooking repositories that have options for pumpkin soup. Just head to your favorite cooking site, or punch a few keywords into your preferred search engine. Lots of options will turn up, and all you have to do is sift through the different choices.

Understand All the Steps to Your Soup Recipe

Of course, not all recipes for pumpkin soup are going to be the same. Some of them will assume you know to include steps, without adding them to the instructions. That could result in a recipe that is not like you expected. Make sure you look over any option you choose to be certain it will get the job done, and make sure you understand what you should be getting.

You can also take a trip to a site that you know will be trustworthy. There are several specialty sites out there covering fall recipes and how to cook a pumpkin. They will have information that has already been checked out in advance. It is no guarantee that you will love the recipe when it has finished, but it can help you make sure the recipes are put together properly.

Make sure you check out any recipe to ensure that the ingredients are ones you like and have on hand, and that you understand the instructions you are given. There are plenty of excellent ways to cook soups with pumpkin in them, from making them a crock-pot to cooking inside a pumpkin. Add in all the excellent options for presentation, and you will have a wonderful seasonal dish.

If you have been looking for something new this autumn, it might be time to start looking for more than your usual recipes. Pumpkin is for more than just desserts, and soup is one of the best choices you can make. Do not just stick with the same old thing you have been making for years when you could be having something new and different.

Vegetarian Soup Recipes That Are Quick and Easy

Once you discover how tasty and easy to prepare homemade soups are, you'll never eat canned soup again. Most canned soup is overcooked and generally seasoned with too much salt and not much else - relying mostly on bones and meat for flavor. When you get the taste of a delicious broth simmered with natural herbs and spices, and made amazingly enough without meat or bones, you won't be able to live without it. Yum Yum.

How to Cook Soup
Making a pot of soup is really as simple as filling a soup pot up with good water, throwing in some herbs, spices and roots such as onions, garlic and ginger (possibly sautéing them first), letting it simmer away on the stove as you go about your business. Making soup in a crock pot gives you the option to leave it cooking while you're away at work and come home to an amazing smell permeating the air, waiting for you to get out the bowls and spoons.

Healthy Quick Recipes are Easy to Make
You'll gradually add items based on how long they take to cook, which might include carrots and potatoes, or pre-soaked beans and rice for longer cooking times, or spinach, parsley and cilantro at the end for just a few minutes to wilt them, but not cook. At this time you might also add a little oil such as olive or coconut oil to broaden out the flavors of the soup and make nutrients from the spices more available for assimilation.

Easy Recipes Vegetarian Style
Final additions will be some special items that help create a more tasty broth such as soy sauce, miso or umeboshi vinegar. You may not have used these much, but they are readily available and can give that heartiness of taste that other meatless soups lack; often people find it surprising how really good what vegetarians eat is.

Before You Can Say, "Where's my bowl?"
Some soups rather than having to cook all day will just take 5-10 minutes, as long as it takes water to boil, with a few quick cooking noodles and some frozen or light veggies that need just a couple of minutes to be ready to serve up with the seasonings you've added. This is a great place to start when learning how to cook soup.

Voilå! Couldn't be easier...and like I said, you'll never want canned soup again!

A Look at Different International Soup Recipes

French onion is one example of an international soup which is popular all over the world but there are more. India is famed for its lentil soups, Japan's miso is unique and delicious and most of us are familiar with the healing properties of Jewish chicken noodle is another example.

Scotch broth, which is barley and mutton, and cullen skink, a smoked haddock soup, are renowned in Scotland. In Eastern Europe you will find borscht, a meat and beetroot soup, and goulash, which is a paprika and beef stew which used to be a soup.

The American South gives us chicken, meat, seafood and okra gumbo soups and in the Middle East a chickpea, lamb and lentil combination is the perfect snack for breaking the Ramadan fast. In Italy you will find minestrone and many other varieties of pasta and bean types and Greece is home to delicious lemon and egg soup. Spanish gazpacho is a wonderful example of a famous chilled version and Lebanese cucumber soup is just as refreshing.

How It has Evolved Through History

Soups vary from chilled to piping hot, as well as from water thin to thick and creamy. The word "soup" can be traced back to the word "suppare" which in Latin means to soak, and this refers to the way vegetables or meat is soaked in cooking liquid to make a soup. Soup used to known as "pottage" which means cooked in a pot, or "broth" which means brewed.

"Bouillon" is French for boil and a bouillon is a stock. The word chowder comes from the Breton word "chaudree" which means cauldron and chowders are rich, thick soups from the American northeast and New England areas. A chowder might have a creamy base, a tomato base or a clear broth base.

A bisque is a thick soup which is thought to come from the Bay of Biscay near Spain. Bisques used to feature game birds and poultry but now most are made with seafood such as crab or lobster.

Soups used to be basic combinations of meat, vegetables and water but international soups developed in their own way and today there are many types of soup recipes and lots of different flavors and ingredients you can add to soup to recreate famous international soup recipes like French onion soup and more.

Recipe for Greek Egg and Lemon Soup

This delicious soup is called Avoglemeno in Greek and the tangy lemon, chicken, rice and egg combine to make a wonderfully aromatic soup. For a tangier soup you can add more lemon. For a more filling soup, add more rice. This recipe serves four people.

What you will need:

2 diced boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 egg
1 1/2 cups raw instant rice
1/2 cup lemon juice
4 cups chicken broth
Salt and pepper, to taste

How to make it:

Bring the broth to a boil, then add the chicken and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the rice. Beat the lemon juice and egg and slowly stir this mixture into the soup. Cook for 5 more minutes and serve hot.

5 Simple & Delicious Alkaline Recipes

It is essential for us to consume large amounts of alkalizing foods. These foods help keep the ph level of the body balanced and so the body stays disease free. The general idea is to consume plenty of fruits and vegetables as opposed to meats and oils. Here are 5 simple alkaline recipes to take note of. They are simple and nutritious.

The first of the various alkaline and beneficial recipes that we shall discuss is gluten free pumpkin bread. Take a small pumpkin and bake it whole in the oven till it is completely soft. Cool, peel and mash the pumpkin and add it to 300 gm of gluten free flour, 2 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp Italian seasoning. Knead adding a little water if necessary. Make small cakes and bake for half an hour. This recipe will do wonders for your health. Moreover it tastes good too.

The list of recipes that are alkaline continues and now we have a great one which doubles as a liver cleanser. Take two large grape fruits and 4 lemons. Squeeze their juice. Add water, some garlic and ginger grated juice, two tablespoons of UDO's choice and one of acidophilus. Mix and have as a refreshing drink. This is one of the simplest of the alkaline recipes and is great to have after a good work out.

The list of alkaline recipes continues with a lovely alkaline vegetable broth. Take two carrots, two celery tops, two beetroots, two cups water, three cups celery stock, one zucchini and 2 cups of peeled red potatoes. Wash thoroughly and boil and then simmer for about half an hour. The best of these recipes is ready to consume right after straining it.

The miso soup is an ideal way to have miso, which is a highly alkalizing food. Alkaline recipes are all healthy and low of fat. So having them means you kill two birds with one stone. Not only does one shed those unwanted pounds but also gain good health. Take 2 tsp of Miso and add it to some water. Bring to a boil adding iodine sea salt to taste. This one of the alkaline recipes is ideal for a cold winter day.

Another great pick from the basket of alkaline recipes is the green salad. Take a few salad leaves, some chopped cabbage, a small chopped onion and a large tomatoes. Mix all the vegetables adding a bit of vinegar for taste and throwing in some oregano and some tofu or boiled chicken breast pieces. Of all the alkaline recipes this one is definitely my favorite. Not only is it a nice tasting filling meal but also keeps my energy level high though the day.

There are many alkaline recipes to be found in various books and on the net. Just take your pick of a few and incorporate them in your diet plan. You will see the wonders it does for your health and your skin and hair shall have a shining glow on them.

Recipes for a Macrobiotic Diet : Serving & Presentation Tips for a Macrobiotic Meal

Lean presentation tips on how to serve a macrobiotic meal in this free online video on how to prepare healthy macrobiotic food recipes. Expert: Gayle Stolove Contact: www.whollymacrobiotics.com Bio: Gayle Stolove has been professionally involved in both health care, and the natural foods industry, since approximately 1975. Filmmaker: Paul Muller



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFxXptzFhCM&hl=en

Add Some French Cooking Recipes To Your Collection!

French cooking recipes have long been the favorites of any aspiring gourmet cook who wants to learn the art of proper cuisine preparation and presentation from the master chefs besides being an interesting challenge for the hobbyist who may not have any background in French cooking, as it is fun and varied to learn. This is part of partly the reason why a look into the cultural aspects of French cooking styles and schools is a great way to boost your daily menu and with much less trouble you'd take to learn exotic recipes!

However, before you unleash your enthusiasm to learn French cooking, here are some guidelines you could follow through when deciding how to get started on choosing the right stuff and creating cookery ideas for everyone.

Adding recipes in to your cookbook is simple, with our tips: take a look at these French cooking recipes to change from the regular grub fare served everyday and bring in some zing, French-style!

- Always begin with one cuisine style or idea as trying to change a full menu all at once with fancy French cooking recipes may well jigger up your chances of getting it right. French cooking recipes typically call for buying seasonal, fresh foodstuffs after studying family tastes, which can be prepared innovatively to give a distinct taste - but without tiring out the cook!

- Ingredients are all-important in French cooking recipes turning out perfectly attuned to the individual's taste and even something simple like substituting fresh herbs with dried ones can make a difference to the ultimate results, so try to stick as close to the guidelines of fresh ingredients as mentioned, even for sauces and other side-dishes.

Even the high-quality ingredients used for French cooking recipes are more easily available in bigger, better-stocked malls and hyper-markets, so specialty cuisine is not hard to put-together at home either. The change has come about with a greater demand for continental cooking.

- Do ensure you take enough time to learn varied methods of cooking with a French style as these techniques are what make a good Chef; at times, there are options for enrolling in a home-study program or even signing up for a neighborhood French cooking class, so study these choices if open to you.

In the above manner, by learning the basics of easier French cooking recipes that can be researched online or in cookbooks in printable format, you can build up your stock of great tasting, seasonal fare for the feasting and for standard meal-times both, thus adding quality to the lifestyle and health of everyone around. So, go ahead and try your hand at this specialized cookery style - and you're bound to achieve success with time and dedication.

miso soup Vegan sereen fat chargeless diet SEREEN Recipes Miso soup

sereen.com



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw_9nitAF7U&hl=en

Cooking Japanese - Real Taste of Home Healthy Cookbook Recipes

Nowadays every one loves eating Japanese food. They seems to have a fascination with Japanese food, the way it is prepared into small little bite sized sushi, delicious grilled teriyaki, fresh salmon or cod fish in sashimi, the humble miso soup and soba noodles are jam-packed with nutrition and bursting with vitamins and minerals! The salmon and cod fish is high in omega 3, which is great for lowering cholesterol levels for a healthy heart. They provide the most optimum nutrition that our body daily needs. Every single dish is an art form packed with nutrition. It's simply ingenious!

The beautiful presentation and well-arrangement in Japanese food and the distinct taste of home recipes always fulfill one's appetite. However,eating out in Japanese restaurants does take a big chunk out of our budget. Cooking Japanese dishes by yourself is another alternative to save some money in the mean time to enjoy the real Japanese taste recipes from your own home.

Below are some Japanese taste of home healthy cookbook recipes which will definitely let you and your family enjoy a luxurious yet affordable dinner:

Tofu Dengaku
Japanese have a long history of eating miso-topped tofu. This nutritious dish came to be called dengaku, named for the wooden skewers on which it was sometimes cooked. These long skewers were reminiscent of the stilts worn in an ancient dance of the same name.

Making this dish is easy. First wrap the tofu with a clean dish towel. Put two plates on top of tofu leave aside to extract any excess moisture. Meanwhile, combine the 100g miso, 1 egg york, 2 teaspoons dashi, 2 teaspoons mirin and 2 teaspoons sugar in a bowl. Whisk until smooth. Preheat the grill, lightly brush the tofu blocks with little vegetables oil and grill until lightly brown. Thickly spread the miso mixture onto one side and sit under the grill again, miso side up for a few minutes or golden in color. Sprinkled with some sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Sake-glazed Salmon
Both savory and sweet often mingle in Japanese cuisine. These tender and juicy salmon slices are served with a lightly sweetened soy sauce and butter glazed. Usually serve with a vegetable side dish and a bowl of hot steamed rice.

You will need to have 500g salmon fillets lightly season with salt. Heat the oils in a frying pan and cook the salmon pieces with skin side down over medium-high heat. Cook about 3 minutes and reduce the heat to medium. Turn fish over and cook for further 2 - 3 minutes. Be careful not to overcooked the salmon. Remove the salmon from the pan, cover and set aside. Remove any excess oil from the frying pan, mix in butter, sake, soy sauce, mirin, sugar and ginger to the pan. Increase the heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring until slightly thickened. Drizzle the glaze over salmon.

Recipes For Kids - Homemade Fish Fingers

Kids can be notoriously hard to cook for. They might love a recipe one week and refuse to eat it the next. They can dislike food because of the way it looks, its color, texture, or shape, even if they have never tasted that particular food before! Before you pull your hair out, there are some easy ways to get kids to eat healthy food. One of the best ways to encourage their appetite is to make something they like.

Homemade fish fingers are the same as, or better than, store-bought fish fingers. Not only do they have a fresher flavor but you are also in full control of the ingredients and what goes into them. Store-bought fish fingers might contain all kinds of preservatives, colorants and unnecessary fillers but homemade fish fingers contain fish and your chosen flavorings only.

What to Serve with Fish Fingers

In order to serve your kids a balanced meal, you should give them some kind of vegetable with the fish treats. If this sounds easier said than done, what about trying something different.

How about boiling some carrots and rutabaga until soft, then mashing them with butter and honey? The butter and honey give the mashed vegetables a creamy, sweet flavor and your kids will love the flavor. They will even overlook the fact that you are serving them something nutritious! Mashed potato is good with this fish treat and if you do want to serve a plain vegetable on the side, what about some broccoli, green peas, or beans?

Onion rings are another good idea for a side dish. Baked beans go well with fish fingers, as does corn on the cob. Your kids are likely to view the fish as a treat so you can probably get away with giving them a sizeable portion of vegetables with the fish, if you are lucky!

Recipes for Easy Fish Fingers

This is a flavorful and well balanced fish recipe. You might like to leave out the mustard powder if you are making this for small children. The breadcrumb coating comes out golden brown and crispy and the fish will be tender and flavorful. This recipe serves four people.

You will need:

1 lb boneless, skinless fish
2 teaspoons all purpose flour
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Oil, for deep frying
Fine breadcrumbs, as needed

How to make them:

Cut the fish into finger-shaped pieces and marinade it in the lemon juice, salt and pepper for fifteen minutes in the refrigerator. Combine the egg, mustard powder, and flour to make a paste. Dip each fish finger in the egg mixture, and then roll them in the breadcrumbs.

Dip the fish again in the beaten egg, then again in the breadcrumbs. Heat the oil to 375 degrees F and deep fry the fish fingers until they are golden brown. Serve them with ketchup, mayonnaise, or tartar sauce, as well as whichever side dishes you want to make.

Recipes For an Old Fashion Meal Including a Pizza Casserole

The following old fashion recipes allow you to put a tasty, inexpensive, and easy meal on the table without breaking the bank or needing a lot of time. Your kids will be impressed with Miz Taylor's Pizza Casserole which gives them ground beef, pepperoni, cheese, pasta, etc in this one casserole. Add Jean's Broccoli Salad, an old Indiana recipe, to add the following vegetables to the mix; broccoli, olives, green onions, green bell peppers. Additional protein is added with the chopped, hard boiled eggs. You just might get your kiddos so excited about the pizza casserole that they won't complain about eating their broccoli!

MIZ TAYLOR'S PIZZA CASSEROLE

1 lb ground beef
1/8 lb pepperoni
1 can pizza sauce with cheese
1 small pkg shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
4 oz egg noodles, cooked in salted water until tender
1 small onion, chopped

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown ground beef with onion and drain. Grease a 2-quart casserole dish and put meat and onion in dish. Stir the noodles, pepperoni, and pizza sauce together; add to the meat and onion mixture in dish. Stir to blend. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and cheese is melted, about 20-25 minutes.

Jean's Broccoli Salad

1 bunch fresh broccoli, washed, drained, and chopped
1 cup black olives, sliced
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/2 cup green bell peppers, chopped
3/4 cup mayonnaise
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped

In a large bowl, combine broccoli, olives, green onions and bell peppers. Add the mayonnaise and mix to blend. Add the chopped eggs and fold into the salad mixture. Refrigerate until serving time.

Enjoy!

How to Make the Best Creamy Soup Recipes

It can be very pleasant to enjoy a mug or bowl of soup on a cold day and soup can be a drink or a meal in itself. There are lots of types of soup recipes to choose from and some people prefer thin, watery types of soup and others like rich, creamy soups.

How to Make Soup Creamy

The obvious answer to the question of how to make soup creamy is to add cream but that is not the only way. If you want to add a touch of creaminess you can use milk or Half & Half instead of cream.

Adding cheese can also enhance the creaminess factor. Adding a splash of milk to a chicken soup recipe or pumpkin soup gives it a richer flavor without adding a lot of calories.

A lot of cream soups are pureed in a blender or food processor because a thick soup does not need chunks of vegetables, fish or meat for texture. There are exceptions to this rule, of course, but you can add texture and color to a cream soup with the garnishes.

What about a creamy pumpkin soup recipes for example? Imagine a bowl of bright orange-colored pumpkin soup garnished with a swirl of cream and a handful of chopped scallions? This is a delicious meal with a perfectly balanced flavor and appetizing appearance.

Recipe for Cheddar and Broccoli Cream Soup

The following recipe makes a deliciously thick and flavorful cream soup recipe. Half & Half is used to thicken it up and the onion, broccoli and carrots are nutritious and tasty. Sharp cheddar cheese adds to both the flavor and the creaminess. This tasty soup is based on chicken bouillon. For a vegetarian soup you could substitute vegetable bouillon if you wanted to. This soup makes enough for four small servings or two big ones.

What you will need:

1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 cups chicken bouillon
2 cups Half & Half
1/4 cup butter
1/2 lb fresh broccoli
1 cup julienne-cut carrots
1/2 onion, chopped
8 oz grated cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and black pepper, to taste

How to make it:

Melt the butter in a small pan, and then saute the onion until it is tender. Transfer the onion to a plate using a slotted spoon. Pour the butter into a stockpot. Whisk it for 4 minutes, then gradually and the Half & Half and keep whisking the mixture. Stir in the chicken bouillon and keep whisking.

Turn the heat down to low and add the onion, carrots and broccoli. Simmer the soup for 20 minutes, and then add salt and black pepper to taste. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until it is smooth, and then put it back into the stockpot. With the heat on low, add the cheddar cheese and stir in the nutmeg. Serve this cream soup recipe hot with bread for dunking.

Recipes for a Macrobiotic Diet : How to Serve Miso Soup as a Macrobiotic Meal

Lean how to serve miso soup for a macrobiotic meal in this free online video on how to prepare healthy macrobiotic food recipes. Expert: Gayle Stolove Contact: www.whollymacrobiotics.com Bio: Gayle Stolove has been professionally involved in both health care, and the natural foods industry, since approximately 1975. Filmmaker: Paul Muller



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hs5z6of7GEw&hl=en

"Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook" - Innovative, Healthy, & Delicious Recipes From Plant-Based Ingredients

Joe Stepaniak's "Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook" was among the first cookbooks I bought after deciding to adopt a vegan diet 3 years ago. For those not familiar with the term "uncheese",  Stepaniak uses it to describe rich-tasting spreads, dips, sauces and blocks produced with dairy-free whole foods (primarily beans, nuts, or grains).

Cheese lovers be forewarned: you may be in for some disappointment if you're expecting tofu to taste like Feta cheese or chickpeas like Havarti. The book's introduction even acknowledges that "uncheeses are not going to be like dairy cheeses, so please adjust your expectations accordingly. "

Unfortunately I skipped Stepaniak's well-intentioned introduction and plowed in to the recipes, attempting Tofu Ricotta, Chick Cheez, Swizz Cheez, Buffalo Mostarella, Brie, Betta Feta, White Bean Boursin, Monterey Jack and Port Wine uncheeses. And while all were tasty (my favorite is the sharp Chick Cheez spread--made from Garbanzo Beans) they left me somewhat disillusioned and wondering whether I could actually live without real cheese.

As a result of not immediately finding perfect non-dairy replacements for my most beloved cheeses, "The Uncheese Cookbook" sat dormant on my shelf for some time. Little did I realize that I would come back to Stepaniak's book later (many times), finding it had improved with age.  Its most valuable lesson is that it introduces unfamiliar ingredients, and uses them as well as more commonplace items--including raw nuts--in groundbreaking fashion.

For example, I had never heard of nutritional yeast, an ingredient employed in many of the book's recipes. Nutritional yeast is a rich source of vitamins and minerals that has a pungent cheesy taste, too. I later learned that Stepaniak is somewhat of an aficionado on the subject of nutritional yeast, having authored "The Nutritional Yeast Cookbook."

Among other new ingredients (and somewhat challenging to obtain) were agar and kuzu (both plant-based thickening agents used in place of gelatin), and umeboshi plum paste, used for adding saltiness. Chickpea flour (a.k.a. Chana Besan) while common in Indian cuisine, is also employed in many uncheese dishes.

The introduction to Uncheese Cookbook provides a detailed and useful reference to all the aforementioned ingredients as well as others. It also contains a well-documented background of how the dairy industry has influenced the evolution of the American diet (echoing T. Scott Campbell's "The China Study"), and provides detailed nutritional data on the benefits of  non-dairy sources of calcium, protein, fat, and carbohydrates vs. dairy products.

Moving on to the recipes, I found many of the "Uncheese Dishes" to be superb. Among my favorites are:

Chocolate Almond Cheeze Cake (p170*) with Granola Nut Crust--Everyone who's tasted it are astounded it tastes more delicious than real cheesecake, without using eggs or dairy products (maple syrup is the secret).
"Besto Pesto" (which imperceptibly substitutes cheese with miso)--How can a vegan diet be considered sacrifice when you can still enjoy a dish of linguine with Genevose pesto sauce?
Chickpea Flour Pizza (p128), eaten alongside vegetable curries--It takes all of about 5 minutes to prepare, so it's very convenient, too!
Beannaise (p150)--Used as mayonnaise substitute within other recipes, and also by itself, as a dip for vegetables or salad dressing.
*Note: page numbers refer to the 10th edition of the book.

Other recipes I would recommend include: Parmezano Sprinkles (p50), Eggplant Parmagiano Stew (p80), Spinach-Tofu Manicotti (p117), Zucchini Chedda Soup (p77).

Upon re-perusing "The Uncheese Cookbook", there are still many dishes I plan to sample, including: Classic Quiche (p102), Lemon Teasecake (p169)-the "Key Lime" variation, Quick and Easy Alfredo Sauce (p63), Hot Spinach-Artichoke Dip (p49), and Curried Cauliflower Cheez Soup (p76).

Other features of the book you will appreciate are the charts of nutritional values for each of the recipes, and the listings of food allergens (gluten, soy, nuts, corn). On the other hand, the book contains only 4 pages of photographs, and certainly could benefit from more.

If you already own "The Uncheese Cookbook" but haven't picked it up for a while, I suggest it's worth another look. If you don't, please get a hold of a copy and try its innovative and healthy recipes based on plant-based ingredients. Just remember to put aside your expectations of dairy-cheese taste, and you won't be disappointed!

Disappearing Miso!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqqQkuHpo_4&hl=en

Best Way To Learn Japanese - A Tale Of Two Cities - Part I

Living in Japan is the best way to learn Japanese because you have the bonuses of having first hand experience of Japanese culture, the country and its people. But before you leave, you need to get your brain ready to take on Japanese and Japan. To lessen culture shock and fortify your acquisition of Japanese, it would be wise to learn to speak Japanese online simply because it is convenient and affordable. Plus the faster you can master the hiragana and katakana (two standard syllabaries that are used in the Japanese writing system), the faster you'll be able to grasp the reading and writing in the textbooks and hence jump start your learning.

Choosing a city depends on whether you're a city or a country person, or a bit of both. For those of you who enjoy the city and country life, Okazaki is the perfect city for you to learn Japanese fluently and experience Japan.

Okazaki is located in the eastern part of the Aichi Prefecture (district) in central Japan. It is about a 2-hour ride on the Shinkansen (bullet train) between both Tokyo and Osaka, and Kyoto and Mount Fuji. The main part of the city is bicycle friendly, and to the east are the many hills and the forests that cover them. Okazaki has milder overall temperatures compared to most of Japan, the spring and autumn months are the best times to visit. Also, Okazaki is not as populous as most other cities. The city has many outdoor recreation facilities and parks for the outdoor enthusiast. For those of you who are in need of more contemporary and urban stimulation, the city of Nagoya is only a 30-minute train ride away to the usual big city hustle, bustle, and exciting nightlife.

Okazaki is a prefect symbosis of the old and modern world, of the city and country. This enables you to experience traditional as well as contemporary Japan. Furthermore, despite its recent economic growth, Okazaki has being able to preserve its historical traditions and character. This is evident in the many famous shrines and temples such as the Takisan and Daijuji temples, and the renowned Okazaki Castle. The Okazaki castle was the birthplace of the famous Japanese military leader Tokugawa Iyeyasu. He was portrayed in James Clavell's novel Shogun based on historical figures and events of Japan in the 1600s. However, Okazaki is most famous for their fireworks. The city proudly showcases these fireworks with amazing firework displays during the three-day Summer Festival in August, which is attended by people nationwide.

Because Okazaki is smaller, it is cheaper to live in and accommodations that are close to the school/college are easier to find. In addition, Okazaki language colleges include free cultural workshops such as making arts with Washi (origami paper) and weekend excursions, such as trips to Kyoto, to visit and explore the old Imperial city. Or you could opt to plan your own excursions.

All work and no play make you a burned out student. So you should take advantage of using your free time to interact with the locals by:

· Checking out the Okazaki bars and restaurants that specialize in tempura or in fugu (blowfish)or udon and kishimen noodle dishes or the world famous Okazaki Hatcho miso soup that is known for its medicinal and health benefits.

· Checking out the Okazaki nightlife that offers many Karaoke bars and local Japanese lounges called izakaya where you can eat and drink.

Remember the best way to learn Japanese is in Japan. However, before you go you need to educate yourself with regards to its history, culture and etiquette, and at least learn basic Japanese. If you want the best of both worlds, then Okazaki is the ideal city to study Japanese. Okazaki offers you a chance to experience a truly Japanese experience without the often daunting "bigness" and fast-paced pulse of a "mega" city like Tokyo.