The Laura Lea Balanced Cookbook. Laura Lea

is

       simmering, you will see very small bubbles

       around the edges, but not in the middle.

       When a liquid is boiling, you will see large,

       rapidly forming bubbles all over the surface

       of the liquid.

      • Dice versus mince versus chop. “Dice” refers

       to cutting food into specific cube sizes. A

       large dice is ¾-inch pieces, medium dice

       is ½-inch pieces, and small dice is ¼-inch

       pieces. A mince is even smaller than a small

       dice—smaller than ⅛th of an inch, and

       this is usually used for potent flavors like

       garlic, ginger, and jalapeño. “Chop” refers

       to a rougher, more casual style of cutting,

       usually where the ingredients will be pureed

       or blended.

      • Sauté. To sauté food means to cook it in a

       little bit of fat over high heat, and it is how

       most vegetables are cooked at the start of the

       dish. Sautéing brings caramelization to the

      Dicing is a

       basic food

       prep method.

       Depending

       on the recipe,

       you may

       want a large,

       medium, or

       small dice.

      food without overcooking it. You will often

       see me use the word “sauté,” but note I rarely

       request high heat. My high heat is really

       medium or medium high, and this is because

       I like to prevent the fats from smoking, which

       makes them rancid. So I will ask you to start

       with a sauté for color and flavor, then I’ll

       often ask you to continue cooking a little

       longer at a lower temperature.

      • Deglaze. When you sear meat or vegetables,

       it often leaves behind brown bits. These are

       gold. “Deglazing” refers to adding water or

       stock to a pan, then scraping with a spatula

       to loosen the brown bits. Unless they are

       actually burnt, keep this deglazed juice in

       the dish to add richness and flavor.

      • Getting the most out of your citrus. To

       maximize the amount of juice you get

       out of your lemons and limes, roll them

       under the palm of your hand on the

       countertop, applying pressure. Do this for

       10 to 15 seconds; the heat and pressure

       from your hand help loosen the insides,

       releasing more juice.

      • Properly pitting an avocado. Carefully poke

       the avocado where it is widest with a sharp

       knife, until it hits the seed. Drag the tip of

       the knife down and turn the avocado with

       your hand, so that you are creating one long

       vertical cut all the way around. Release the

       knife and twist the two sides in opposite

       directions. You should have one side left with

       the pit. Hold that avocado half face-up in the

       palm of your non-dominant hand. With your

       dominant hand, hit the pit with the knife

       edge, just hard enough to stick. Twist the

       avocado and the knife in opposite directions.

       The pit should pop out. Hit the knife gently

       against a cutting board to get the pit off.

      • Keeping a clean kitchen. A trick my mama

       taught me, which her mama taught her, is to

      keep a mixing bowl or two for trash and/or

       compost on the counter with you while you

       work. Having the bowls by your side makes

       it much easier and faster to clean up. At the

       end of the cooking session, you can dump

       them in the trash and/or compost.

      • Consolidating spices. When cooking a recipe

       with more than one or two spices, I suggest

       mixing them together in a small bowl before

       beginning the recipe. That way, when it’s

       time to add the spices, all you have to do is

       dump in your pre-mixed spices.

      • Substituting eggs. Don’t eat eggs, or want to

       veganize a baked goods recipe? Substitute

       a chia “egg.” To make a chia “egg,” which is

       equivalent to one large egg, whisk together

       1 tablespoon chia seeds and 3 tablespoons

       water. Allow mixture to sit for 10 to 15

       minutes, whisking every 2 to 3 minutes, until

       it has thickened to a gel-like consistency. At

       this point, you can add it to the recipe. Note:

       I have not tested all my baked goods recipes

       with chia “eggs” instead of regular eggs.

       Historically, I have had great success with

       this substitution, but please know that your

       outcome might be different than mine.

      • Shortcut for room temperature eggs.

       When baking, it is important to use room

       temperature eggs instead of cold eggs.

       Cold eggs can affect the baking time, and

       they also can result in a denser product—

       something that is a hazard with grain-free

       baking anyway. I always forget to take my

       eggs out an hour before I’m going to bake,

       so I simply place them in slightly lukewarm

       (NOT warm) water for 5 minutes, and voila!

       They’re perfect and ready for cracking.

      • Other uses for lemon rinds. When you’ve

       squeezed the juice out of a lemon, you can

       rub the cut side over a wooden cutting board

       to help remove any garlic or other strong

      Remove

       avocado flesh

       by slicing