How to Make a Salad

Salads are one of the easiest parts of a meal to prepare and can even stand alone as a meal in and of itself by adding a little chicken, steak or even tofu to the mix. It's also a highly effective way to get your daily dose of vegetables.

With my mise en place approach which breaks cooking down to three ten minute increments -- preparation is king. The most important part of a salad is the greens and too often people tend to use rather plain looking and tasting iceberg lettuce as their salad staple. I like mixing it up a little with either a package of mixed green or arugula lettuce as it adds color and a richer taste to your salad.

If you have the time, rinse and drain fresh lettuce using either a salad spinner or a clean dish towel to make sure the lettuce is completely dry before placing in the salad bowl. Rip the lettuce into small, bite-sized pieces on the way into the bowl. When using green lettuce, I tend to use just four or five leaves so that the lettuce doesn't overpower the other items in the salad bowl. Bagged lettuce is much easier though for fathers on the go -- just make sure to use it within a few days of buying it as they are made to be used pretty quickly.

One of the best things about salads is that you can put together just about any combinations of fresh vegetables and even some fruits and it will taste great. I like chopping up a couple of stalks of celery, two tomatoes and half of a large cucumber to keep it simple. I often throw a handful of sprouts on top as well.

There are so many combinations of salad dressings at the store these days that you can put just about anything you want on your salad. If you are watching your weight, make sure to check the back label as a lot of the creamier dressings have a high fat content. For people with heart issues, many of the salad dressings also have a high sodium level that might be worth noting. The "light" versions are usually just as tasty but are likely to have less fat, carbohydrates and sodium.

That being said -- I think it is healthier and more fun to make your own if you have the time. Many bottled salad dressings are expensive and can contain cottonseed oil, palm oil, vegetable oil and others that are not very good for you and have to be refrigerated. I often make my own vinaigrette with one tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to every three of extra virgin olive oil. Just put the 1:3 ratio in a container and embellish it with herbs. I like putting 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt, 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of italian herbs, 1/2 teaspoon of dijon mustard and 1/2 teaspoon of paprika in the mix. Salad dressing flasks are available at the store which provide you with marks on the side for measuring your oil to vinegar ratio -- then all you have to do is shake it up.

Dressing should never overpower a salad and I always try to obtain a light coating of dressing by drizzling a couple of lines of dressing atop the salad and then mixing. You can always add more. Sometimes its best to have dressing on the table for people to self serve as well.

Finally, salads are a perfect way to utilize last night's bit of chicken breast, steak or turkey. Just about any meat can be added to a salad to make a hearty lunch that tastes great!

How to Get Your Kids to Eat Vegetables

One of the main complaints I hear from parents is that they have a hard time getting their children to eat their vegetables. In our family, I was beginning to think this was an urban myth made up by parents who weren't urging their kids to eat something from every part of their plate. My daughter loves broccoli and humus, baby asparagus and green beans. Still, we have run into a wall of late where she comes to the table and immediately says "I don't want that!" before she even tries out the meal.

For parents in similar situations, there could be a couple reasons for this. At three, she is testing her limits and learning to be assertive. There's also the rather major issue I have with daycare giving her a carbohydrate-laden snack as late as five o'clock in the afternoon. Sometimes, they will even dole out seconds without thinking twice about what Dad might be preparing for dinner. Another reason could very well be how food and especially vegetables is prepared. Here's a recipe I've created which incorporates vegetables in what most kids love -- ground top sirloin.

What You'll Need for this Meal:

1.25 to 1.5 lbs. lean ground top sirloin
2 small zucchini
4-6 green onions
2 slices of bread
1 bell pepper
1 egg
2 tablespoon of basil
2 cloves of garlic

Optional Side Dish: Brown Rice
One Cup of Rice
Two Cups Boiling Water

First Ten Minutes: Prep the Meal
As my cooking philosophy calls for ten-minute increments, start by immediately starting to boil two cups of water for the brown rice we are cooking with this meal.

This recipe calls for lean ground top sirloin. It will usually say something like 90/10 on the package at is less than 10% fat. The healthier choice, I take the sirloin and put that in a large bowl. I then cut two small zucchini and a bell pepper in quarters and put them in a food processor. I then dice six green onions. The lighter green parts I place in the pan of boiling water I am making rice in and sometimes even cut up a small tomato and put that in the water too.

Adding the darker green parts to the food processor, you can give it a quick charge and take the diced vegetables to the bowl of sirloin. The vegetables can then be folded into your meat with your hands. Crack an egg into the bowl for moisture -- it also helps keep everything together. Finally, if I have the end of a nice loaf of bread from the bakery -- I'll cut up a few pieces into small bits and fold that into the mixture as well. A tablespoon of basil or two to taste adds a little flavor.

In just ten minutes, you have the basis for your meal and your water is probably boiling. Pour the cup of brown rice, stir, bring back to a boil and then turn to low. Cover and set your timer to 45 minutes. I use my microwave timer as it is easy to use and loud enough to hear.

Second Ten Minutes: Cooking the Sirloin
Putting the bowl in the refrigerator, you can go spend a half an hour with your family knowing that there is not much that can be done until the rice is cooked. When the rice has been cooking for half an hour, simply heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large enough pan. Once hot, you can make hamburger patties out of the meat with your hands and put the sirloin in the pan. Turn occasionally until cooked all the way through. This may take a little more than ten minutes.

Final Ten Minutes: Finish and Serve
Once you have been cooking the sirloin for a few minutes, your timer should go off and it will be time to take off the cover of the rice, stir it around with a large spoon and place off the heat, uncovered for five minutes. By then your sirloin should be done cooking and you can serve the meal.

Exquisite Bean and Cheese Torta

* 3 to 4 tablespoons of oil
* 1 can (15 ounces) of refried beans
* 4 1/4 inch slices of jalapeñ0 jack cheese
* 1/2 ripe avocado
* salsa, hot sauce and salt to taste
* 1/2 pound sliced turkey meat
* 2 sandwich rolls

This Mexican "sandwich" is exquisite! Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium heat and add beans. Cook, stir and mash beans into a smooth paste (10 or 15 minutes) which will look similar to mash potatoes. Cover and put burner on low. Over medium heat, place remaining oil.

Scrape out some of the bread from the center of half of each roll and lay them scraped side down on the skillet until golden brown (2 minutes). Spread the beans on the inside of the roll and then pile the turkey, avocado and jalapeño jack. Add salsa or hot sauce to taste, cover with the tops of the rolls and serve.

Splendid Baked Pork Chops!

I've gotten some good feedback from my readers about this recipe....hope you enjoy it! As always, you can see more recipes at Recipe for Fatherhood.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

* 6 loin pork chops
* 2 tablespoons of cooking oil
* 1 16-oz.can whole berry cranberry sauce
* 1/2 cup orange juice
* 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a large skillet and brown the pork chops on both sides. Remove to a 9 x 13 ovenproof casserole. Combine the cranberry sauce, orange juice, salt and pepper in the skillet, cook until bubbling and smooth, pour over the pork chops, cover with foil, and bake for 45 minutes or until meat is thoroughly cooked. Depending on the size of the pork chops, this may make more than one meal.

Recipe of the Week: Hamburger Helper

I grew up as an Army brat and remember that there were times when we had what we needed but not always everything we wanted. Looking back, that actually might be a good thing...on recipeforfatherhood.com I talk about how my mother created the Fiesta Tamale Casserole out of necessity but I also remember a few nights of Hamburger Helper. I used to love it but now I have to say that it's hard for me to cook out of a box...

The other day I was thinking about how I could make a better one and did just that. After cooking the hamburger with a little oil and minced garlic, I added tomatoes, mushrooms, and zucchini.

There are a lot of vegetables you can add to this but I didn't have a lot in the refrigerator...the key is to drain the juice after the hamburger is almost done cooking through and before the vegetables are thrown in. I cooked up a box of Near East brand wild rice and I had a great dinner that my wife loved.