Asian Sesame Salad Dressing: Healthy or Not?

Thank you Jespah. Are you one of those I should ask, and should I do so in this thread? Or create a new one?

& Dadpad..... that's odd. & aw, what I would give to live in a small town. Do you know your neighbors the way they portray small town life in the movies?

Jespah is well worth listening too.

Okay then, so it will be.

Jespah, I have a ton of random things about simple recipes that I'd like to ask, but first, what's something that can be done to yams besides plain old boiled yams with butter and cinnamon?

Advice, keep this on the same thread..

I agree about the one thread idea (it's easier, and we all gather and then we get all chummy 'n stuff). osso, by the way, is a great cook, very improvisational. She puts together things I never think of.

Hmm, yams. Have you tried slicing them up like steak fries (don't peel them) and tossing them with a little olive oil and seasoning (maybe some cracked peppercorns, a little curry or paprika or cayenne or chili powder if you like that) and baking them in the oven? They come out kinda like fries but they aren't fried. You really don't need a lot of oil, maybe a tablespoon or so for a pretty big batch. Just mix everything together with your hands (it's messy food, but messy food is fun) and toss on a cookie sheet, spreading out so that it's one layer. Bake at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes -- turn 2 or 3 times while cooking.

Eat either alone or with some sort of dipping sauce (honey mustard? Plain yogurt? I dunno -- I like 'em plain).

Bake yams like you do a baked potato. Make sure you pierce them several times with a fork and bake them on a sheet pan because they will ooze their sweet goodness all over your oven. They take about an hour at 400 degrees depending on the size. You'll know when they are done when they feel soft when you squeeze them.

You can also cut them in half. They form a neat crust that can be split and filled with butter.

yum

Agreeing with jespah's baked yam fries. This is making me hungry..

Oh my goodness, that sounds delicious.
I hadn't had a chance to check this thread, but I will definitely try that!
I'm getting tired of simple sweet yams with cinnamon and butter.. this new idea sounds like the yams will have a completely different flavor!
I will let you know what I think as soon as I try that recipe.

Another question.
I LOVE artichokes, but I eat them simply the simple way.. chop off edges of the leaves, boil in one piece, then eat petal by petal with mayonnaise. Mmm! But is there anything else interesting I can do with an artichoke? I don't think I'd like to roast them like I saw on TV once.. they look wayyyy too greasy then.
Any interesting idaes?

I've also been wondering about artichokes (although I eat them with lemon juice rather than mayo). And, welcome back.

I agree though, making your own is going to be a lot healthier for you in the long run. Also are there any other salad dressings that you like? It may benefit you to use other lower fat/lower calorie dressings.

I love artichokes... lived close enough to Castroville, CA to go to the artichoke festival one year. There are many many ways and methods to cook the artichoke. Here are just a few ideas from some of the growers at the festival:

http://www.artichokes.org/recipes.html

http://www.artichokes.net/recipes.asp

http://www.artichoke-festival.org/recipes.html

http://www.seemonterey.com/castroville-artichoke-festival-recipes

http://www.oceanmist.com/vegetabletype/1/recipe_results.aspx

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Articles/Produce-638/artichokes.aspx

Lemon juice? That sounds odd. But I will give it a try.. maybe, next time. I am actually eating artichokes at this very moment.. with mayo of course.

Mhmmm. Italian. Balsamic Vingarette. I love love love those two.
And I think I usually get them in low fat..? Hmm.

Ooooh! I LOVE this idea!

Laying out the artichoke leaves like that, in a flower shape, now that would be a pretty appetizer for when I have guests over. I can even do this with mayo in the center. I like!

And wow, I never knew there were entire websites dedicated to artichokes!
Haha... but they have interesting recipes indeed! Artichoke pizza.. haha.. I gotta try that someday.

I was wondering though.. are FRESH baby artichokes sold anywhere? I've seen them in cans... but not fresh. I liked a recipe on one of those websites that involves baby artichokes but I hate the taste of canned vegetables.

I've wondered about fresh baby artichokes m'self (that sentence looks odd until you get to the word artichokes).

The lemon juice is 'cause I'm watchin' me weight.

We should have an A2K Artichoke Festival.

You can buy frozen artichokes if you don't like them canned and marinated.





Also, what often looks like baby artichokes in a photo of a recipe is just the heart and a few inner leaves. The heart is often trimmed down until it is bite-sized. Actual baby artichokes usually come in during mid-season between the first and end of season chokes.

Melted butter and lemon juice is one of the many popular dips for artichoke leaves. Yogurt and lemon juice is also good if you don't want all the fat from the butter or mayo.

What many chefs do is just use the large globe artichokes and cut them into quarters. Here's a demonstration from the Washington Post on how it is done:

Haha. Fresh baby.

Oh and that sounds interesting.

And buterfly.. thanks for the tips! I'll be looking for frozen artichokes at my local grocery store soon!