Today, we’ll talk about choosing and caring for another essential kitchen tool – the cutting board – and we’ll also try a few knife skills that will get you cooking and creating some delicious, healthy meals right away.
Along with a good knife and a sharpening steel, a good cutting board makes cooking enjoyable and safe. Both wood and plastic boards are fine, as either type can be adequately cleaned and sanitized after use to prevent any food-borne illness. However, if your cutting boards have deep gouges or cracks, it’s a good idea to purchase new ones. Bacteria like to grow in cracks and deep cuts in boards, because these areas are difficult to completely clean and sanitize.
To care for your cutting boards, wash them with plenty of hot, soapy water after each use. Plastic boards can be placed in a dishwasher, but wood boards will crack and warp from the high temperatures. Both plastic and wood boards may be sanitized with a homemade solution of ½ teaspoon unscented bleach mixed with 4 cups of water. Be sure to allow the solution to stay on the boards for 2 minutes before rinsing. Allow your boards to air dry to prevent contamination from hand towels.
So, now that we have our cutting board, our knife and some beautiful ingredients – it’s time to make some food!
To make our salad today, we will be using canned garbanzo beans (also known as chick-peas), an onion, a variety of fresh vegetables, fresh herbs, lemon juice, olive oil and a little salt and pepper.
Canned beans can be used as the base of many quick, healthy meals. Taste and texture between brands varies, as does cost, so you might want to try a few different brands to see which you prefer. Canned beans are also often on sale, and can be stored for a long time, so stock up when you can. Just avoid buying any cans that are severely dented or damaged, to avoid potential food-borne illness.
Rinse canned beans well before using them in a recipe. This removes some extra sodium and also that mild ‘canned’ taste that some brands have.
Most of the other ingredients in our salad need to be sliced and diced, so let’s get to it!
I like to secure my cutting board on the counter with a damp towel. This keeps the cutting board from slipping as I slice and dice ingredients.
Using a knife safely involves paying attention, holding the knife securely, and keeping your fingertips away from the edge of the blade. Hold your knife securely, and choke up on it a bit if you need to. Just avoid holding the knife with index finger on blade, because the knife will be a little wobbly and not so safe. Watch the video for a demo of the Simple Garbanzo Bean Salad!
And there you go! We have sliced, diced and chopped up a delicious, high-fiber, high-protein and very filling meal in just a few minutes with inexpensive ingredients. The cost of this salad turned out to be $1.75 per serving, using ingredients in season, and with some ingredients on sale. For the complete recipe click on the link below.
Thanks for joining me in Your Healthy Kitchen!
or click here to watch the video on YouTube.
Download the Simple Garbanzo Bean Salad Recipe: Simple Garbanzo Bean Salad.