Agave Nectar

Mmmmm. This tasty stuff is one of my favorite substitutes I have found in a long time. I made the switch from plain bleached granulated table sugar to sugar in the raw a long time ago. Then I moved onto honey, now my new love is Agave Nectar.
I am the first to be suspicious of new 'healthy' options that have been flooding the market, but this sticky stuff is about as legit as it gets. Agave comes in many species: Blue Agave, Salmiana Agave, Green Agave, Grey Agave, Thorny Agave, and Rainbow Agave. This plant is native to Mexico, and is also used in the production of tequila!¡Que Beuno!Agave Nectar is just like honey, maybe a little bit more runny. I use it in all the same ways. It doesn't have any odd flavors, taste good and is good for you! What could be better? Though Agave has about the same calories as honey it has a lower glycemic rating. Which basically is just a fancy way of it doesn't impact your blood sugar levels as much. According to Nutrition Data.com that is because "...a high percentage of the sugars in agave nectar are in the form of fructose, which is not absorbed into the bloodstream but processed in the liver."
I like to use Agave in salad dressings and in spicy sauces. It adds a nice background flavor and it is also vegan! I don't think there has ever been such a natural well rounded sweetener.

Easy Skillet

Its a disgusting day in Philadelphia and what better to do then to cook for friends & have them do your homework!
This is probably the meal you will find me cooking and eating the most:
Easy Peasy Spinach & Arugula Salad
Chicken & Tofu with Red Curry and Rice

Lets start with the salad. I am a salad freak. Whenever I am feeling fat and gross I always make this killer starter. Now, one of the best and easiest things to learn to make is salad dressing. Its cheaper then buying bottled and you know exactly what you're eating(none of that high fructose bull).
I start with the dressing:
-Olive Oil
-Balsamic Vinegar(any vinegar will do)
-Agave Nectar(Stay tuned for an entry on this)
-My god send, Siracha
-Pepper
-Finely chopped garlic
-Mustard to emulsify
Shake all these delicious ingredients together and BOOM you have one delicious and healthy dressing.
I like to toss this all together with some Spinach & my new found love Arugula. Both are low in calories, extremely high in vitamins, minerals and other phytonutrients (natural plant chemicals) If you like to get fancy like I do, I add some goat cheese crumbles and caramelized walnut/pecans.



Katie's yummy spicy chicken curry, ingredients courtesy Mrs. Briggs.
For our Entree:
-Frozen boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces.
-Tofu(Optional)
-Trader Joe's Red Curry Sauce
-Edamame/Peas/Red Peppers/ Any Veg you have in your fridge or freezer
-Pineapple in this is amazing!
-Onions Chopped
-Garlic/ Basil
I start with a skillet with about a tablespoon of Olive Oil to coat the pan, I sweat the onions, then I take the chicken and make sure to cook it through. If you want to add extra flavor, season the chicken with any spices you have laying around, pepper, salt, garlic Power, siracha, ANYTHING. Cook the Tofu as desired, I like just to brown it. Add the sauce to the skillet with chicken, tofu, onions, etc. Let simmer. Then add your frozen/fresh vegetables. Allow everything to cook through.
This alone is delicious, but if you want to soak up the delicious sauce, cook up some easy rice and serve the chicken over top. ENJOY!

Olive Oil: The Goddess of Delicious

Oh Olive Oil, or as Rachel Ray annoyingly calls it EVOO. I can not begin to stress how important olive oil is to the start of every dish so I find it only fitting that the Olive Oil should be part of the first entry.
I can not tell you the flavor that Olive Oil gives to a meal. If you're anything like me, and are looking for an easy meal, all you need is a skillet & some olive oil. The possibilities are endless. I like to start off with about a tablespoon in a pan then chop up some onions, any type will do(red purple, yellow) and then sweat (lightly sauté) those babies till they are nice and translucent. Garlic is always a nice touch as well, but leave that till the end, garlic, which you can also never have enough of, cooks much faster then onions so be sure to add it last.
Also, don't be afraid to experiment with spices! Cooking is all about creating unique and deep flavors. Get yourself a nice set of cheap spices. Surprisingly the dollar store is my main place to find them. I'm not talking anything crazy like saffron, but garlic powder, chili powder, pepper, and my favorite Trader Joe's 21 season salute, which has about everything you could ever think of it.

Now that you got the basics of a skillet and olive oil you can do almost anything.

Spring is Blogging

Hello! Welcome to the electiK doMestic!

This is a blog about food, entertainment and two friends who love to cook

Maeve & Katie met in late July 2009 and have been inseparable since. Our love of food and feeding everyone has made us thick as thieves and we can throw one hell of a dinner party on the cheap.

In this blog we hope to share our recipes, techniques and ideas with the world and hope you to can enjoy it as much as we do.