Jessica S asked:


This is one of the most delicious and easy healthy dinner recipes that you will find. Not only is it extra yummy, but you don’t have to stand at the stove all day muttering under your breath. You’re done in about 15 minutes!

Here’s what you’ll need to create this quick and easy meal –

• 1 medium package whole wheat soft tortillas

• 1 package of fresh baby spinach

• 1 8oz package low-fat mozzarella

• 1 can organic black beans

• 1 Tbsp black pepper

• 1 jar veggie salsa of your choice

First, you will heat the beans on medium low heat until they are hot. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and spray a cookie sheet or pizza pan with non-stick spray.

This really is one of the greatest healthy dinner recipes. There is practically no cooking involved! Plus your kids will actually eat the spinach when prepared this way! Chop your baby spinach finely.

Get 8 tortillas ready and spoon about 2-3 tbsp of the heated beans on one side of each tortilla. Sprinkle a dash of pepper on the beans, and add a tablespoon or two of the mozzarella cheese.

Place these in the oven, open, for about 8 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and melted. Take them out of the oven and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of spinach to each tortilla.

Fold the tortillas while the cheese is still hot, and cut each one into 4 quarters. You can dip these in the salsa, and they are yummy!

If you love a little spice in your food, sprinkle a dash of cayenne pepper on each quesadilla before you put it in the oven.

There are so many healthy dinner recipes you can find, if you just use your imagination and creativity. Enjoy!

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J.C. Banks asked:


Seafood harvests are considered sustainable when managed in a such a way that landings do not deplete stocks beyond their ability to reproduce and rebuild population levels. Another key aspect of sustainability is a consideration of bycatch or environmental damage that is associated with harvesting the product.

Several laws in the USA and abroad have had profound impacts on seafood sustainability issues. The Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 established a U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between 3 and 200 miles offshore, and created eight regional fishery councils to manage the living marine resources within that area. The bill was amended on October 11, 1996 and re-named the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

The Act was passed principally to address heavy foreign fishing, promote the development of a domestic fleet and link the fishing community more directly to the management process. Each Council was directed to prepare fishery management plans for implementation by the Secretary of Commerce. The eight councils are administered by NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries Service).

The 1996 amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Act, known as the Sustainable Fisheries Act, significantly changed the focus of fisheries management by adding provisions to address overfishing of currently depressed stocks, rebuild depleted stocks and minimize bycatch mortality. The amendment also reformed the approval process for fishery management plans, regulations processes, created protections of fish habitat, established user fees and sought to reduce conflicts of interest within regional councils.

Several organizations around the world provide seafood sustainability certification, research and other information. A leader in worldwide sustainability is the Marine Stewardship Council, an international non-profit organization promoting solutions to the problem of overfishing. The MSC provides independent certification and eco-labeling for wild-capture fish.

The MSC program is consistent with both UN FAO guidelines for fisheries certification and the ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards. In January 2009 the number of seafood products around the world carrying the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) ecolabel reached 2,000 and continues to grow rapidly.

Friend of the Sea is a registered non-profit non-governative organization (NGO) whose goals include conserving marine habitat and resources by means of market incentives and specific conservation projects. Friend of the Sea offers certification for products originating from both sustainable wild fisheries and aquaculture operations.

Friend of the Sea has certified the largest volume of seafood worldwide, having assessed more than 10 million MT of wild-catch and 500 thousand MT of farmed products.

American organizations such as Wild American Shrimp, Inc. (WASI) promote sustainability among domestic fisheries. WASI raises public awareness sustainable American wild-caught shrimp from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Texas and South Carolina.

FishWise is a seafood sustainability organization that seeks to educate consumers, retailers, distributors and other companies on sustainable fishery issues, with the goal of decreasing the unsustainable harvest of fish, while improving fisher livelihoods, fish populations and ocean ecosystems.

Another group, the Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions includes Canadian and U.S. organizations aligned to assist companies in developing corporate policies on sustainable, wild-caught and farmed seafood. The organization’s “Common Vision for Environmentally Sustainable Seafood” identifies critical areas where companies can take action to ensure a sustainable seafood supply and protect ocean environments.

American seafood impacts the economy in a number of ways. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) report, “Fisheries Economics in the United States,” found that in 2006 US commercial fishing operations accounted for 111,000 jobs in 2006 and generated $9.1 billion in sales. The report shows that an additional 106,000 jobs existed in seafood processing and 159,000 in seafood wholesale and distribution. Seafood processing and distribution generated $14.9 and $19.0 billion in sales, respectively. The largest sector of the commercial fishing related industry was the retail sector which accounted for 1,131,000 million jobs and nearly $60 billion in sales.

Americans now spend over $50 billion a year for fishery products, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Americans consumed a total of 4.9 billion pounds of seafood in 2006, including an average of 16.5 pounds of fish and shellfish per person. The USA imports roughly 83% of its seafood.

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Diane Fitzpatrick asked:


What to make for dinner? Faced with pots and pans, raw ingredients and a stack of recipe books, we confront that question every day. The search for an easy meal is like the Holy Grail of modern life.

Before you succumb to suppertime stress or pick up the phone and order a pizza, take a second look at your leftovers. With some planning and creativity, you can whip up a meal quickly and easily, and give yourself a well-deserved break in the kitchen.

Double up for two dinners

Some meals lend themselves to making double and freezing. Tuna casseroles, baked pasta dishes, stews and many soups are just as good when they’re made ahead, frozen, thawed and cooked weeks later.

It may only take a little bit more time and effort to make two dishes, one for dinner now and one to freeze for later, when you’re making these meals. It’s certainly not double work, so the next time you’re making these dishes, double up on ingredients, make two, freeze one and you’ve got a future dinner waiting for you.

Cooking with leftovers in mind

Make your life a little bit simpler by looking at every dinner you prepare as a potential second meal. Most meats and poultry, as well as many vegetables, can be tossed into a pot with some canned broth and some leftover noodles or rice and be a delicious, hearty soup for a quick dinner.

The next time you’re cooking up one of your family’s favorite dishes, prepare some extra ingredients for another quick meal in the future. Here are three ideas for second meals you can prepare quickly on busy nights.

If lasagna is your first meal–

There are usually a few more lasagna noodles in a box than your recipe calls for. I end up with three leftover lasagna noodles after making my recipe. I leave them in the box, where they wait for four more lasagnas before the leftover noodles can join together to make a whole pan of lasagna.

The next time you make lasagna, cook all the noodles. Take the leftover noodles, spray or lightly coat with oil, cut them in half and put them in a plastic bag. While making lasagna, shred some extra mozzarella cheese and store in a platic bag.

–your second meal is Tomato Pasta Squares

Open a can of diced tomatoes. Saute in a pan with some minced garlic, basil, black olives, chopped carrots and whatever else you’ve got in the refrigerator.

Lay a half lasagna noodle on a plate, top with a ¼ cup scoop of tomato mixture, sprinkle with leftover mozzarella cheese. You may add another half noodle and some more tomatoes for a double layer if you choose.

Place under a broiler or bake until cheese melts. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

If enchiladas are your first meal–

My family loves chicken enchiladas. I put chicken, onions, peppers, mushrooms, canned chilies, black beans and shredded Monterey jack cheese on a flour tortilla, roll it up, and bake it in a dish with enchilada sauce. Served with white rice, it’s my family’s favorite.

If you’re making enchiladas, you’ve taken the time to fix all those ingredients and filled your sink with several skillets and bowls, so why not get another meal out of the effort?

Buy the value pack of flour tortillas, so you’ll have some left over. Soft tortillas do freeze, but not for long, so this is a second meal you’ll want to make within about a week.

Saute some extra chicken strips, shred some extra Monterey jack cheese and saute some extra mushrooms, onions, peppers and chilies. Store all the ingredients in plastic containers or bags.

–your second meal is fajitas

Microwave the mushroom, onion, pepper and chili mixture as well as the cooked chicken strips and a can of black beans. Open a jar of salsa, fluff up the shredded cheese and warm the tortillas by placing them on a paper plate, covering them with a barely damp paper towel and microwaving for about 30 seconds.

Set all the ingredients out and have each person build a fajita.

If roast beef is your first meal–

A large roast may be too much for your family. Buy a big one anyway and cook it the way you normally do. if beef roasts are on sale, buy two and roast them together, setting aside one whole roast for leftovers. Slice the beef and serve it for dinner, then store the leftover beef in a plastic container.

–your second meal is Barbecue Beef Sandwiches

Shred the leftover roast beef by pulling it apart with a fork. Place the roast beef in a skillet with some chopped onion and barbecue sauce and cook, covered, until it’s heated through and the flavors are blended. Serve on bakery rolls with a slice of cheddar cheese.

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Janie Hotchkiss asked:


3 fresh boneless skinless chicken breast

4 tablespoons of real butter

1 small chopped onion

1/3 cup of flour

2 teaspoons of salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

2 cups of chicken broth

2/3 cup of milk

3 medium potatoes diced

2 bags of Freshlike Steam in Bag Mixed Vegetables

1 package of refrigerated pie crust at room temperature


Preheat oven to 420 degrees. The secret to preparing this recipe is having all of the ingredients ready at the same time. Cook chicken breast in large pan by covering chicken with 6 cups of water 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper on medium simmer until done, approximately 45 minutes. While your chicken is cooking, peel and dice your potatoes, after rinsing potatoes, microwave potatoes in 1/2 cup of chicken broth in a covered dish for 6 minutes. Layer 1 of your refrigerated pie crust in a deep dish pie pan. Microwave each bag of mixed vegetables for 6 minutes each, not two bags at the same time.

When chicken is done, drain and dice your chicken breast. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat, add onion and stir frequently until onion is tender and transparent, then add flour stirring constantly to make your rue. Now add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and remainder of chicken broth and milk slowly, cook and simmer until creamy, then add the potatoes, mixed vegetables and diced chicken, stir to blend well. Remove from heat and pour into your crust lined deep dish pie pan, top with the remaining pie crust, flute edges to seal and make a couple of slices into the top of crust to vent. Bake approximately 35 minutes until crust is lightly browned, after the first 15 minutes of baking cover the edges of the crust with foil. Let cool approximately 15 minutes before serving.

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Joshua Black asked:


If you are an email marketer and you are just starting out, this article is for you. Email formatting can make or break your subscribers no matter how good your content is. Read on to find out the biggest mistake that even some of the top marketers make with email.

So as you may have guessed I belong to a bunch of email lists from various gurus all over the web. Mostly I use them for education and amusement, but many times it turns into a training exercise…for what NOT to do.

You see, these guys are at the top of their game, the height of their careers, making hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars on-line. Last night I had to do something very painful. I unsubscribed from one of the most famous men alive in copywriting today. He has tens of thousands invested in his web site, which is operated by a team of people, but you know what? His emails suck.

No, he did not have bad content (it was amazing), but the FORMAT sucked. He uses a trend that way too many big shots use in their emails. His copywriting is top-notch and he sucks you in with a great headline. Once you’re inside, he only gives you a few sentences and makes you click on a link that goes to his blog for the rest, but it gets even worse than that. Once you get to his blog, they shorten the story on the home page so you have to click another link to read the whole thing.

It’s got to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen. They think they are tracking open rates and they think they are creating a multi-phase approach so that people will be more accepting of an offer. Why make someone jump through that many hoops to read a free email? Oh well. I know that you can count on THIS guy to keep giving you the whole enchilada every day. No stupid formatting here. I suggest you do the same with your email lists.

Another word about formatting. You might wonder why my emails are formatted to be so skinny too. Well, my friend, I will let out another little secret. I do that so the people that read the emails on mobile devices like Blackberries can read them easily. You always want to make it EASY for your customers to digest your marketing message. No matter what tool they are using to digest it, make it easy for THEM, not you. I say Down with half emails and clicks to blogs!

They also say writing an email every day to your list is insane and they will all leave. Well, my customers are still here and more join every day so I must be doing something right. I guess it goes to show that the gurus don’t have it all figured out either. Sometimes you just gotta take off your fuzzy slippers and climb down from the ivory tower every once in awhile.

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J. A. Lloyd asked:


This world famous Valencian dish is served in almost every Spanish restaurant on the Costa Blanca. Originally a poor mans meal it was made with rabbit and/or local seafood. Rice is the basis of this aromatic dish as the communidad of Valencia has been the rice growing centre of Spain for centuries.

Commonly, but mistakenly, known as Paella, which means a type of cooking pan, it is the established favourite Sunday meal amongst Valencians. Both foreign tourist and local residents enjoy the paella served up by their local eatery. It seems that each restaurant produces their own particular recipe to appeal to their regulars

The dish is cooked in a paella, which is a large round flat pan similar to a frying pan but with two handles. Hence the mistaken name of the dish. The pan is placed on a paellero which is normally a barbeque or a gas ring, although traditionally it is cooked on an open wood burning fire.

The typical pan for cooking paella is very shallow, it is carried to the table and the paella served straight onto each plate. This creates a very informal eating atmosphere, conjusive to the outdoor Spanish way of life.

The scrapings are the tastiest bits. They are called the socarrat and can only be possible if the paella is cooked over an open fire or the heat turned up high at the end of the cooking time.

In towns and villages you will come across paella competitions that are held every year in the village square when open wood fires and enthusiastic helpers tries to persuade the tasting judges that they should be awarded the competition winners.

Each family group attempts to keep secret their exact ingredients, even down to the herbs that they throw into the open fire that may give their paella that extra prize winning taste.

It is an event in itself to watch the expressions on the judges’ faces as they sit at a long table sampling each competitor’s contribution before conferring to decide on the winner.

A feature of many fiestas is the cooking of a paella in huge dishes over an open fire in the town square.

Usually there are a number of men contributing their own special additions to the meal or simply adding wood to the fire with typical Spanish panache.

Just for once the local ladies stay in the background as their men go about their time honoured business.

For the majority, however, every day paella is cooked either on a barbeque or on a kitchen range and is just as enjoyable, if not quite the same amount of fun.

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John Devereux asked:


Looking for a tasty meal in Santa Barbara that won’t break your budget? You’ve come to the right place. I’ve lived in the city for more that 30 years, and during that time I think I’ve visited almost every restaurant around at least once. Below, I’ve listed some of my favorites from all those years of good eating.

Let’s focus on places to get great Mexican food, since Santa Barbara has an astonishing wealth of good places to get food from south of the border. I almost feel there are too many good Mexican places to list, but here are some I like the best.

La Superica – 600 N. Milpas St. For what is basically just a taco shop with cheap plastic tables and chairs, Superica has achieved an incredible renown that stretches up and down the California coast and beyond. It can be hard to find because the sign is small and difficult to see, but look for the little white shack with teal trim. There’s usually a line outside that stretches down the block, but don’t be intimidated, the wait isn’t too bad. Don’t miss the tacos made with homemade tortillas. Rose’s Cafe – Two locations: On Cota St. and on Cliff Drive on the Mesa. Great food served with their own famous beans and rice. Everything here is good, from the breakfast burritos and huevos rancheros, to the tacos, burritos and enchiladas. I think my favorite are the enchiladas with red sauce. Los Arroyos – Two locations: downtown on State St. and in Monetcito on Coast Village Rd. Los Arroyos is a more upscale Mexican place than Superica or Rose’s, but don’t worry, the food is still good. Had to say what to recommend here, since it’ all so good, but I’ll go with the carnitas tacos served on homemade corn tortillas. Carlitos – Across from the Arlington Theatre on State St. Mmmm, Carlitos. A bit pricey, but definitely worth it. Check out the daily specials, since there’s always something good there. I love the fish tacos here, and usually chase it down with one of their great Margaritas. A great place to go before catching a movie or concert at the Arlington. Playa Azul – 914 Santa Barbara St. Just a few blocks up the street from the El Presido State Historic Park in the heart of the city’s business district. The outdoor patio is a great place to while away the lunch hour. Be sure to check out the huge and ultra-tasty burritos, a house specialty.

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Lizel Salter asked:


The food from South Africa is as diverse as the people that live there, influenced by many countries and cultures over the centuries. They have been able to combine all the great ingredients introduced to the country and making it their one, UNIQUE. Nothing tastes as great as South African food! Maybe I am just bias, but why not try it and judge for yourself.

One big influence on the choice of food must be the two bordering oceans, the Atlantic and Indian. Seafood plays a very important role in any diet and can be enjoyed in a great variety of ways. Shell fish, rock lobster, crayfish, salt cod, kingklip and snoek (a pickled fish) are only a few of the great dishes enjoyed very often. They can be served with onions, lemon butter, chilli peppers or a great curry. The crayfish are best served braised with onions and chillies and snoek must be barbecued.

If you are looking for variety, you won’t be disappointed! South African cuisine caters for all and no matter what you prefer, you will find something on the menu to suit your taste. The food is both elegant and glows with simplicity. If you are looking for a main course and you are not a seafood lover, don’t worry. Look at the following choices and see what you like the look of.

On the top of the menu is the great Afrikaner “hoenderpastei”, or chicken pie, inspired by the British pastries, but totally different and unique. This is a pastry pot, filled with chicken, sauce, bacon, green pepper and other “secret” ingredients with a pastry top, baked until light brown and crispy in a medium hot oven.

If you are looking for lamb or beef, try the great bobotie from the Boere. This is a great dish, inspired by spices from the Malay slaves with onions, raisons and topped with a custard, comprising of egg and milk. This is usually served with yellow rice, banana, blatjang and coconut. Make sure to include a great vegetable side dish.

Maybe the warm sunshine is too inviting and you are looking to spend your days outside! If you are, you should definitely try a potjiekos, also a Boer dish. Throwing all the ingredients in a cast iron pot, letting the vegetables cook in the meat’s sauces for many, many hours. You can bake a “potbrood” (a lovely bread) at the same time, by placing the dough in another cast iron pot over the coals.

If the potjiekos isn’t for you, then why not try a braai (barbecue). Put some “boerewors” (a great seasoned sausage made from beef), steak, sosaties (marinated meat on skewers) and braaidroodjies (toasted sandwiches) on the fire outside in your backyard. This is the way to live! Serve with potato salad and away you go.

Frikkadelle, basically small beef patties, are greatly seasoned and taste magnificent, being served with salads and vegetables. If you are looking for very warm and comfort food, try a bredie. The most popular is a tomato or water lily bredie or stew. This is an all in one stew comprising of vegetables and mutton, with the juices from both, flavouring each other.

Bunny chow (curry stuffed in a hollow out loaf of bread) and curries have become very popular because of the Indian influence and you can buy sweet, mild or hot curries, mostly serve with atjar (pickles) and blatjang. Blatjang is chutney, and served with EVERYTHING. All you have to do is cook local fruits with garlic, chilly peppers and onions to mention just a few ingredients.

Local vegetables and fruit play a very important role in the daily diet. Tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, mealies, green beans, sweet potatoes, spinach and pumpkin are the most loved by everyone. Sweet potato and pampoenkoekies (little pumpkin cookies, or fritters) are greatly loved dishes, served with cinnamon sugar or a sweet syrup. After your great main course, you have to enjoy desserts, snacks and drinks, but that will be discussed in the next article.

To be a guest in a South African home is a great experience. They pride themselves on hospitality, making sure you are well fed, making you feel at home at all times and creating an everlasting experience you will never, ever forget.

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Nick Schofield asked:


Lobby is a recipe from Lancashire, a very northern dish (England) which will really fill you up and is very stogy! It has dumplings and meat – you are not going to find this in any fancy London restaurants, it’s a typical up north dish.

Here are the things you will need for the dumplings.

2oz Suet
4oz flour
Little bit of salt
Half a pint of water

This is what you are going to need for the Lobby itself.

1lb Lean Stewing Beef
1lb Potatoes
1lb Carrots
2 stock cubes
And an onion
2 Pints of water

Ok, so now you have all your ingredients, you need to know how to make the Lobby next. Put your meat into a saucepan, add 2 stock cubes (crumble them up) and add your 2 pints of water. Bring your water to the boil and simmer until the meat is quite tender.

Ok, now you need to peel your potatoes, carrots and your onion. I would recommend dicing the potato and carrots then chop the onion into small pieces. Now you need to add the vegetables and cook until the vegetables are almost cooked. If you need to, you can add more water.

Now make the dumplings.

Mix the suet, flour and salt into a large bowl. Add some water to make a sticky dough and sprinkle a bit of flour onto a bread board. Scoop out a golf balls size lump of the dumpling mix and roll into a ball and then roll into the flour. When you have made about 6 of these balls, place them onto the still cooking Lobby and cover.

Simmer for about 20 minutes.

Serve in bowls for up to 6 people.

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Judy Wellsworth asked:


Did we just say dehydrated refried beans? Right now, you are probably thinking… what in the world is that? Yes, they are actually called dehydrated refried beans and yes, they are quite delicious. Not only that, dehydrated refried beans are also very beneficial for you. But with a name like that, you might think, how can that possibly be good for me?

First of all, when we say dehydrated, don’t instantly think that they are damaging or less nutritious than the fresh variety. People who say that dehydrated food is unhealthy do not really know what they are talking about. Not only is dehydrated food perfectly healthy, but in many cases, they are even healthier for you than their canned or bottle counterparts. This is because dehydrated foods, or in this case, dehydrated refried beans, have significantly less preservatives that those that are canned or bottled.

The second thing is that when we say ‘refried,’ you will lose interest right away, especially these days when people are starting to move away from fried foods. It does not necessarily mean that dehydrated refried beans are actually fried. What we do with the regular refried beans is to first soak them in water, mash them, and fry them in lard.

On the other hand, with dehydrated refried beans, the usual process is after dehydrating the beans, they are then flaked and flavored with some salt. They are definitely not fried in lard or any other oil. This way, the delicious flavor is retained without putting in unwanted cholesterol.

As a fan of dehydrated refried beans, I can assure you that there are so many uses of this food. I personally like to use them as a main ingredient for making soup. You can also use them as the spread or dip for burritos and enchiladas.

There are not that many varieties of dehydrated refried beans out there, and they could even be tricky to find. My favorite brand is Taste Adventure – I love the flavor and you probably would too, as this is one of the most popular brands. You can also get quality dehydrated refried beans from Provident Pantry.

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