I don't cook.Follow

Try some of Nobby's recipes. Totally easy and healthy.

Edited to add linkage.



Edited, Sep 11th 2009 8:22am by Samira

I love to cook too. Thing is, you have to work at it. You aren't going to be a pro at first and be prepared to ***** some things up.

Make sure to read the recipe through and understand it before you start I'm always reminded of that test they give as an example of reading the directions. You know the one, 7 pages long, instructions at the top of the first page telling you to read through it all before starting, and when you get to the bottom of the last page it says to not do any of the questions? My 7th grade science teacher did that, only a couple of us passed it

Ugh, I know. And I have zero patience. I was terrified that last night would turn out horribly and I'd totally just give up.

I'm a little nervous about my salad today, too. But we shall see! If I like it've got another one at home to eat later. If I don't... I've got another one at home I can throw away, I guess.

One thing I've discovered is that cooking is rarely about the main dish, be it meat or vegetables. It's mostly about the sauces and seasoning. Even a plate full of broccoli can be made to taste good with the right seasonings, and a grilled chicken breast can take on an extraordinarily variable amount of flavor depending on how its dressed and what it's served with.

To that end, my spice cabinent has no less than 50 individual spices, most of which get used on at least a weekly basis. However, I'm a simple man at heart, so I do tend to favor the mainstays like salt, pepper, garlic, and oregano.

Edited, Sep 11th 2009 10:48am by BrownDuck

I love to cook.

What I can't do is dishes.



Also, please tell me you cooked that tuna rare.

It was pink in the middle...

I'm too green to know exactly how to cook it so it's rare, medium, or well done. I just don't want to die of food poisoning or accidently kill my husband, so I'll take it slow for now.

Yay Belkira!

Cooking is a lot of fun! Also, very healthy! Though some of my slow cooked meals aren't as healthy as tuna and garlic

Best of luck with the diet as well!

Probably went to medium, which is ok, but if it goes beyond that, it starts to taste like the canned stuff, which is a huge waste of fairly expensive fish. Good tuna should look seared on the outside and pretty much raw on the inside. Then again, thanks to the wonders of Alton Brown's teaching, I'm fairly confident in my ability to prepare it with not cooking it at all. What's really important is the step you take to buy it.

Make me some pie and a sammich now.

My fiance and I have taken up a predominantly vegetarian diet recently. We wanted to eat healthier, but also meat is pretty damn expensive. We used to eat some kind of meat nearly every night, and our grocery bills were about $125-$150 a week. Since switching over to meat only one night a week, our groceries only cost us about $90-$115 a week.

At first it was hard, I couldn't get used to the idea that a meal without meat was a meal, and would feel hungry after meals. After a week or so I adjusted, and now I actually start to feel fuller sooner, and so eat less.

I've always enjoyed cooking, and am actually looking to get into a culinary school to make a career out of it. Culinary arts is what I wanted to do out of high school, but for some reason I never pursued it. Ten years later I'm finally doing what I should have. Anyway, here's a recipe for a vegetarian lasagna that I made the other night. The fiance says it's the best lasagna she's ever had, with or without meat.

1 medium eggplant
1 lb (2 heads) broccoli
1 lb button mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic
2 small tubs ricotta cheese; I don't remember the exact size of the tubs, but where I shop there's two size, the small ones hold about two cups.
1 cup shredded or grated parmesan cheese
1 lb mozzarella cheese
12 lasagna noodles
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
Kosher salt
1 jar red pasta sauce; I've found that Newman's Own brand works well. Try to avoid using Prego or Ragu, their sauces aren't all that tasty. I actually prefer using Target's Market Pantry brand tomato basil sauce.
1 large skillet
1 large pot to boil noodles
1 lasagna pan

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cut eggplant and broccoli into ~1/4 inch cubes; don't skin the eggplant, the skin softens considerably during cooking and holds many nutrients. I usually don't include the broccoli stems, but it's up to you if you do. I've found that using too much stem can make the lasagna overly-full.
Slice the button mushrooms into 1/4 inch slices.
Mince garlic cloves.
Shred the mozzarella cheese and set 1/2 in fridge in a covered container

In large bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, the other half of the shredded mozzarella, parmesan, basil and oregano, and a pinch of salt.

Prepare noodles according to package directions, but reduce cooking time by 2 minutes. This leave the noodles slightly under cooked and under hydrated. That's ok though, they will absorb the rest of the water they need when the lasagna gets baked. Run the noodles under cold water immediately after straining so that cooking stops and they can be comfortable handled.

Add olive oil to large skillet and heat over medium-high. When oil starts to smoke, add the eggplant and broccoli. Stir until broccoli starts to turn dark, about 30 seconds. Add minced garlic and mushrooms and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Stir until combined, then continue to cook on medium high heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium and add pasta sauce to skillet. Stir together, cover and cook over medium heat for 10-15 additional minutes. I usually try to time the noodles so that they are finished boiling just as the veggie mixture is finishing cooking.

Spoon a little less than 1/2 of the veggies and sauce onto bottom of the lasagna pan; I usually use about 3/8ths. Place three of the cooled lasagna noodles on top of the veggies, evenly spaced. Spoon half of the cheese mixture over top of the noodles, then cover with three more lasagna noodles. Repeat again with veggies, noodles, cheese, then one final layer of noodles. You should have about 1/4 of the veggie and sauce mix left, spread that on top of the top layer of noodles.

Cover lasagna pan with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. When done, remove foil and add remaining mozzarella to the top of the lasagna and place back in oven uncovered for 5 more minutes. Allow to lasagna to rest for 5 minutes before serving.



Lasagna's been one of my favorite foods ever since I was a kid. I usually always made it with ground beef or sausage, but even I had to admit, this vegetarian recipe is pretty awesome. I cut into 12 square pieces and usually make some fresh garlic bread to go with it. If you're a wine person, I suggest a Cabernet Sauvignon. If not, I've found that Sam Adams goes great with it as well.

I have never understood the joy of cooking. I hate it, I know so many people who live to cook, and I just can't get into it.