How to Make Smoked Salmon Sushi

If you'd like to try your hand at making sushi but don't want to use raw fish, try making smoked salmon sushi. Although sushi is traditionally made with raw fish or vegetables, the piquant flavor of rice vinegar makes a great complement to the earthy taste of smoked salmon. This type of sushi also has the advantage of being less perishable than sushi made with raw fish. Smoked salmon is cured and most varieties can be kept safely at room temperature for a few hours, so smoked salmon sushi is a great choice for packing in a lunch box.

Place the rice in a strainer and rinse repeatedly until the water runs clear. Put the rice in a pot or saucepan and add 1 3/4 cups water. Allow the rice to soak for 30 minutes before cooking.

Cover the pot and bring the rice and water to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and let the rice sit covered for 15 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, sugar and salt.

Place the sheet of nori with the shinier side down on the bamboo sushi mat. Spread a layer (about 1/4 inch deep) of sushi rice over the nori. Leave about half an inch bare on all sides of the nori.

Add the smoked salmon in an 1 to 2 inch strip lengthwise across the center of the rice. You may need to cut the salmon into pieces to fit.

Roll the sushi mat to form a compressed cylinder of sushi. Continue rolling and pressing to gently shape the sushi cylinder.

Remove the mat and cut the sushi into 1-inch pieces with a wet knife. Serve immediately or refrigerate in a sealed container and use within one week.

How to Make Taco Salads

Taco salads are simple to make, yet hearty and healthy. Best of all, taco salads allow everyone to customize their own meal to their liking. Provide a variety of ingredients and toppings, then set up the food buffet style. This recipe serves four, but can be easily increased to accommodate a crowd.

In a pan over medium heat, brown the ground beef or turkey. Drain off any excess grease and return the meat to the pan.

Add the taco seasoning packet and the water to the cooked meat. Mix it well and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the liquid is mostly absorbed. Place the meat mixture in a serving bowl.

Set up the rest of the ingredients buffet style; on a counter or a side table, place the serving bowl of meat next to the tortilla or corn chips. Serve the chips in an open bowl so it's easier for your guests to reach them. Put the shredded cheese in a bowl with a spoon for serving, then have a large bowl of the salad with salad tongs and smaller bowls for the tomato, olives and onions, each with their own serving spoons. At the end have the salsa in an open container with a spoon, the sour cream and the ranch dressing.

Allow each person to put together their own taco salad, but provide help to younger children. The order of the ingredients laid out is only one option. Some guests may prefer to make their taco salad beginning first with the lettuces, then pile on the chips, meat, cheese and other toppings.

The Leviticus Diet Food Plan

Part of the Bible's Old Testament, Leviticus was written by Moses as a guide for holy living and spiritual growth, and it includes laws pertaining to diet. Fruits, vegetables and whole grains are the basis of the Leviticus diet, which recommends you not eat “unclean” meat, including pork and shellfish, and suggests you limit your intake of red meat.

Fruits, Vegetables and Grains

Fruits and vegetables are low in calories and rich in fiber, vitamins C and A, potassium and folate. Whole grains, which include wheat, millet and barley, are also rich in fiber, as well as B vitamins, iron, magnesium and selenium. While the Bible mentions specific fruits, vegetables and grains, such as grapes, figs, cucumbers, onions and wheat, eating a variety of foods from all the groups helps vary your nutrient intake for better health.

Clean Meats

The Leviticus diet also suggests you eat meats that are "clean," which includes chicken, turkey, pheasants, animals with split hooves such as cattle or goats, and fresh and saltwater fish with fins and scales such as salmon or flounder. While beef is allowed on the Leviticus diet, it is recommended that you eat it in small amounts and instead eat more poultry or fish as your source of protein. Eating a variety of different types of fish may help increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids, which may help improve heart health.

Healthy Fats

Fat intake is limited on the Leviticus diet, specifically fat from foods such as milk, butter and cheese. Most of your fat choices on the diet plan should come from healthy sources including fatty fish such as salmon and healthy oils such as extra virgin olive oil. Replacing foods high in saturated fat -- whole milk and butter -- with healthy fats -- olive oil -- may help lower cholesterol levels.

Sample Meal Plan

A healthy breakfast on the Leviticus diet might include oatmeal with raisins and nonfat milk. Mixed greens topped with salmon, balsamic vinegar and olive oil, served with whole-wheat bread and an apple may be a healthy lunch option on the diet. A sample dinner includes millet with grilled onions and peppers and roasted chicken. For snacks, sliced cucumbers, figs, dried apricots or whole-grain crackers make healthy choices.

Meals to Help Lose Belly Fat

Losing fat can be a long and difficult process involving exercise, healthy eating and determination. In the last few years, a new approach has emerged.There are ways to work with food, to combine it in different ways that can actually help you lose fat. Food no longer needs to be feared.

Fruits, Vegetables and Raw Eating

The raw food diet is a style of eating in which all things consumed must never have been heated above 116 degrees F. This excludes all processed foods, and most foods that have been cooked using typical methods. By including raw foods in your diet, you keep the enzymes within the foods alive. The theory is that if the foods can digest themselves using their still-living enzymes, it will give the body the opportunity to work on other problems, for example, your belly fat. Most fruits and vegetables can be consumed raw and they are readily available at the grocery store or produce market. Most canned or frozen fruits and vegetables are not raw, and some are even coated in sugary syrup. Try a breakfast rich with apples, grapefruits, tomatoes and broccoli in the morning and you will notice a difference in your energy and your calories burned.

Foods to Include

Saturated fat, the type most often from animals, has given fat a bad name for a long time. Recently, one of the other fats, monounsaturated fat, has become widely known for helping to fight fat. Foods with this type of fat have even been given a nickname, MUFAs (Monounsaturated Fatty Acids). Almonds and walnuts (which can also be eaten raw) are MUFAs that are quite easy to fit into any eating plan. They can be sprinkled on a salad or packed in a Ziploc bag. Some other MUFAs that should be incorporated in a diet are olive and flaxseed oil and avocados. Whole grains such as brown rice have also been shown to cut more belly fat than more refined grains. The calcium in low-fat milk and yogurt has a fat-burning effect, while the full-feeling from lean protein and eggs can satisfy your appetite more than a typical carbohydrate-centered meal.

How to Eat Them

Eating five to six smaller meals will help speed up your metabolism as compared with the usual three-meals-a-day plan. The best ideas for these meals will combine several different belly fat burning foods all at the same time. A breakfast of raw fruit and a whole-grain-rich cereal might be followed by a second meal of low-fat yogurt with a handful of walnuts. For lunch, you could have a bowl of brown rice with carrots and a glass of milk on the side followed by a small salad and a grapefruit for the fourth meal. Lastly, your dinner might be a lean piece of garlic chicken with some guacamole on the side. How you want to combine these foods is completely up to you.

Foods to Avoid

Extra carbohydrates that your body can't process will turn into fat. This goes for processed carbohydrates (like white bread), sugar snacks and cereals, excess alcohol, chocolate bars, and anything else that seems to be quite far away from natural. Also, the concept of five to six meals per day means smaller meals; it is not an excuse to have three dinners. If you can add in a lot of the aforementioned foods and eat them in moderation, you will burn belly fat at a much higher rate than you could have before.

How to Make Pear Juice With a Juicer for Canning

Canning fresh fruits extends summer's bounty all winter long. If you plan on preserving pears, storing them in homemade pear juice is a healthier alternative to syrupy sugar water. By canning the fruit fresh and using homemade juice, these pears will be more flavorful and nutritious than anything you can buy in stores. Pear juice also works in homemade fruit cocktail. Make extra jars and give them away to friends and relatives as gifts.

Select pears that are just starting to ripen. If you juice pears that are too soft, your juicer can become clogged with the fruit's gritty flesh. If they are extremely soft, pears become essentially impossible to juice, so always choose ones that are still a bit firm.

Wash all your pears thoroughly to remove any dirt or chemicals. Cut the pear into smaller pieces, paying special attention to remove the stem and seeds.

Run the pear pieces through your juicer as you would normally, according to the juicer's instructions. You may discard the fruit pulp, but reserve all of the juice the fruit produces.

Strain the juice through cheesecloth. Pear juice is very thick, which can be nice if you are making a fresh batch of mixed juice. For canning purposes, however, you'll want the juice to be a bit thinner.

Heat the fruit juice in a saucepan with equal parts water. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often, and then reduce the heat. The sugar in the pear juice will help the canned fruit retain its color, texture and shape. However, if you prefer a sweeter snack, you can add anywhere from 1/4 cup to 4 cups of sugar to the mixture, depending on your preference and the amount of juice you are making. If you wanted the added sweetness without the extra calories, try substituting Splenda (sucralose) for the sugar.

Pour the still-hot juice over the fruit in jars, making sure that the fruit is completely covered. Leave about a 1/2 inch of space at the top of the jar. Continue canning the fruit as you would normally.

What to Eat On a Carb-Free Diet

For many, the thought of starting a low-carb or carb-free diet is borderline torture, relinquishing all of their favorite comfort foods—like pastries, doughnuts, cookies and cakes—for what seems to be a bland life of nothing but fatty, greasy foods. Overcoming this mental hurdle is difficult; however, once you realize that all those "comfort" foods are actually the source of many health problems, deciding to go low-carb is much easier. Then the only question is: What to eat?

What Not to Eat

This will be the proverbial dagger in the heart for many, but it is nonetheless something that needs to be addressed. To make a low-carb diet succeed, you cannot fall prey to the rigors of "Frankenfoods" like "low-carb" bread, cookies, ice cream and all the other little temptations the food industry wants you to accept as healthy alternatives. The sugar alcohols in those products have a substantial effect on body chemistry, and can negate the benefits otherwise present in a low-carb diet.

Low-Carb Options: Meats

One might consider a low-carb lifestyle to be comprised of endless plates of greasy bacon washed down with cooking oils, but this is not the case. While it is true that your primary food source on a low-carb diet will be meat, this does not mean the diet itself has to be torturous.

Low-carb food options include: Meats: Chicken, beef, bison, venison, ostrich, elk, caribou and all types of fish, among others, work.

Low Carb Options: Dairy & Eggs

Dairy: Hard cheeses in moderation are your main option here. Eggs: Eat the yolks while on a low-carb diet. The extra calories from fat will do wonders for your energy levels.

Low Carb Options: Fruits & Vegetables

Vegetables: "Green" and "fibrous" are the key words here. Broccoli, lettuce and cucumber will provide vital nutrients and needed fiber without overloading on carbs. Fruits: While fruits are normally taboo on a low-carb diet, some can be included if you are below your daily limit of carbs. Think berries of all sorts: blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and the like.

Low Carb options: Oils & Nuts

Oils: Healthy oils can provide much-needed fats in addition to livening up the flavor of foods. Olive, coconut, macadamia nut, flax and fish oil are all good choices. A good plan for using oils is to season salads or vegetables with oils to taste.

Nuts: Peanuts, walnuts, almonds, cashews and even natural peanut butter can also liven up dishes.

Seasonings

Beyond that, stores usually sell a number of pre-mixed seasonings that are calorie-free and can spice up otherwise bland cuts of meat. While the popular conception of a low-carb diet is a slew of tasteless food being choked down by the unhappiest man on earth, the reality is that you are only limited by your imagination. Additional information and meal ideas can be found in the book "Living the Low-Carb Life" by Jonny Bowden (see References).

Gourmet Healthy Wraps

At the end of the day, a wrap is fundamentally a sandwich, but it's a sandwich with a difference. The flatbreads they're rolled in lend themselves to a wide range of ingredients -- unlike sandwich breads -- so it's relatively simple to prepare gluten-free or low-carb versions or to select one that's turbocharged with vegetables or fiber. Even better, the fully enclosed format of a wrap makes it possible to use fillings that would be messy or impossible in a conventional sandwich.

Some Basic Options

Soft flour tortillas and their kin come in a broad range of variations, from commercial supermarket versions loaded with preservatives, to organic, artisanal offerings at the farmer's market. For healthful wraps, choose brands with lots of fiber but relatively low levels of sodium and fat. Spinach and tomato versions bring color and a few extra nutrients to the table or opt for whole-grain wrappers instead. They range in diameter from 5 or 6 inches up to restaurant-sized 13- to 15-inch rounds.

A Basic Flour Tortilla

For the freshest and best-tasting wraps, make your own tortillas. Use any combination of white, wheat or multigrain flours that appeal to you. Incorporate shortening or oil into the flour in a mixing bowl, or, better yet, your food processor. Pour boiling water into the machine as it's running, until the flour comes together in a soft mass. Divide the dough into individual balls and roll them as thinly as you can manage with a rolling pin; then cook them on each side in a cast-iron pan.

Alternative Flour Versions

Gluten-free or low-carb flour tortillas are made in much the same way, although the dough will feel rather different. Use your favorite commercial or homemade flour mix, which -- for gluten-free versions -- should include xanthan gum or a similar gelling agent to simulate the flex you'd otherwise get from gluten. These are usually sticky doughs, so they're easiest to roll between sheets of well-floured, heavy-duty plastic film.

Fun With Fillings

Part of the fun with wraps is that you can use filings that would be wildly inappropriate in a conventional sandwich. For example, you can make a classic Greek salad with the cucumbers, tomatoes and onions diced to 1/4 inch and mound the salad ingredients into a wrap lined with a leaf of romaine lettuce. The lettuce prevents your dressing from soaking through the outer wrapper, and the fresh vegetables make a light, crisp meal.

Filling Falafel

Falafel -- Middle Eastern fritters made of chickpeas or fava beans -- are a satisfyingly substantial vegetarian option. They're traditionally served in a split pita, but a wrap is equally good. Line up the falafel, moisten them with plain yogurt or tzatziki, and garnish them with chopped tomato and mild onion before rolling them. For a less-traditional take, spread the wrap with hummus or baba ganoush for added flavor and nutrition.

Lean Protein

For more conventional wraps, select lean protein options such as chicken breast, pork tenderloin or grilled fish as the centerpiece. Spread the flatbread with light options such as low-fat cream cheese, pureed roasted peppers or -- with chicken or turkey -- cranberry sauce; then add your meat, lettuce or other green vegetables.

Finger-Friendly

For a variation on the theme that's easier to eat in small, polite bites, spread the wrap from edge to edge with cream cheese. Layer in lettuce and low-sodium deli meats, along with your favorite condiments. Instead of the typical burrito-style wrap, roll the tortilla into a tight cigar shape held together by the cream cheese. Slice the cylinder into portions 1/2 inch thick, creating comfortably small, sushi-sized rounds.

A "Wrappetizer"

Wraps don't necessarily have to be full-meal sized, either. Line a small 5- or 6-inch tortilla with cream cheese and cold-smoked salmon; then add a strip of sliced cucumber and a few capers down the middle. Cut the finished wrap into two appetizer-sized halves. Alternatively, use thinly shaved dry-cured ham with poached asparagus and a good Dijon mustard.

Wrapped in Rice

For a completely different take on wraps, make Thai- or Vietnamese-style "summer rolls" in rice wrappers. Soak the wrapper in warm water until it's just pliable; then lay it on a clean kitchen towel. First line the wrapper with lettuce; then add your choice of shredded vegetables, cooked noodles, chopped herbs and lean protein such as chicken or poached shrimp. Cut the rolls in half, crosswise, and serve them with your favorite spicy dipping sauce.